Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya

Ekalavya.....

2010-02-22T21:55:00.005-08:00

One of the most admirable characters from the grand epic, "The Mahabharata" is the person - Ekalavya who embodies selfless devotion to the Guru (the teacher). A self-taught person who has mastered all the skills of archery in the absence of his Guru, Dronacharya. Ironically, the teacher felt that he was a clear threat to Arjuna, his favorite disciple, and maliciously sought the right thumb of his "student" as guru-dakshina (an offering that the student makes to the teacher for the lessons learnt as a thanksgiving). One's heart literally goes out for Ekalavya, who having willingly surrendered to his teacher, happily gave what was asked for from him; knowing fully well that that was the end of his passion and career.

While the intent of this post is not to malign any character, the author feels that it was a heinous wrong done to Ekalavya by the teacher, Dronacharya. With that as an aside, what makes it a case of wonderment is, how did Ekalavya become so great in the art of archery? Complete surrender to the teacher, learning everything with one's own understanding at one's own pace and from mistakes, constant practice with the desire to excel, focus, going after what one wants with sincerity, honesty and dedication; and sadhana. All the perfect and essential qualities of the student. Is it a wonder now, that Ekalavya surpassed all with his skills?

Importantly, this post is to not argue about the need for a teacher. Without a guru's blessings, the student can really get nowhere. Usually, the teacher's greatest source of happiness is when the student performs well. A guru is the precursor of all knowledge, and he/she leads the seeker/student from the path of darkness to light. A guru, who has undergone the same journey, long time back, knows immediately as to what are the mistakes that one usually commits, and what is it that needs to be avoided. And in pursuits with a strong sense of lineage, it is the refinement of years and years of accumulated wealth of knowledge.

With this, the author would like to bow down to all his Guru's, with love, reverence and gratitude.

The four seasons....

2009-10-11T19:53:00.004-07:00

Recently, the author truly wondered, as to why there were exactly 12 months in a year, around 30 days in a month, 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, and 60 seconds in a minute. The 12 months can be neatly categorized into the four seasons, provided one was in a place which experienced the four seasons. The magic number seems to be 12. How did all this brilliant development of a means to quantify time, happen? The author thought of a few reasons for the sacred numbers, and upon further reading, was truly amazed with the way this entire system came about. How much of all this has been observation? In fact, all.

The fundamental reason for 12 is that, using one's thumb, one can count the 12 finger joints (phalanxes). The 5 fingers of the other hand can be used to count 60. How much more elegant and simple can it become to have this as the fundamental unit of the time system? The 24 came about, as 12 hours of night (depending on the movement of the 12 stars under observation), and the corresponding 12 hours of day. Initially, day and night were considered as two separate measures. What would the first man have thought, to have this prolonged spell of darkness, before the sun came back? Would it have been fear?

While man was slowly getting used to this every"day" phenomenon of day and night, one more reason to jar him and bring him out of his comfort zone would have been, this sudden change of climate, where it suddenly just pours and pours snow, and everything around is grey, white and cold. While it does give way to the beautiful spring, thereby giving us this great aphorism, "even the harshest winter gives way to the lovely spring", imagine what the primitive man would have first felt to see all of this in great bewilderment? The four seasons. Indeed, it is one of continuous amazement to see this entire four season phenomenon happen cyclically every year.

Like Calvin says in one of the cartoon strips to this effect, "So, this is the 21st century. Where were all the flying cars and buses? We are still stuck with the four seasons?" So, while one is bound to be smug about the constant pattern and mundane appearance of these seasons, the recent importance given to climate change, forces one to take notice, and make this a priority, both at the macro- and micro- levels. Recent news claiming the lashing fury of the monsoons, leading to the severe floods in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in India, has been linked to the changing climate across the world. Ironically, in these parts, floods were supposed to be a rare phenomenon. Rivers are behaving in not-so-well-understood ways, and the glaciers are melting at a higher rate due to global warming.

The Tsunami that struck India and Sri Lanka in 2005, in fact, changed the entire climate pattern of the peninsula. The "hot, hotter, and hottest" weather scheme in Chennai, is no longer so. While Chennai experiences a decent amount of cold now, Bangalore is getting warmer now. Further, the author remembers reading about the El Nino ocean current having an affect on the Indian monsoons, long time back. It used to amaze him that one such phenomenon in the South Americas should affect the Indian peninsula, leading to the vagaries of the monsoon. Increasingly, it is becoming more and more important to be cognizant of the fact that the world is all linked and we are all in this together.

Obviously unknowingly at the beginning, and now, very much knowingly, man has tempered with nature, and it is in our earnest to act, and correct. We want the four seasons. Please.

Rice...

2008-10-07T09:55:00.015-07:00

Man has indeed, come a long way, when it comes to his journeys and experiences in the demesne of food. From the natural instincts of survival to the gourmet style of life, the sheer mind-boggling variety of food items available, has always been a wonder to the author. This post marks a new beginning of a series of articles, ranging from rice, the first grain that he had received as a child, to the others. The simplest things in life are the most extra-ordinary. Imagine, the first of our ancestors, who had the courage to draw out the grains from a rice plant, and then, consume them. Would you merely pluck something from an unknown plant, and consume it? In fact, what differentiates food from poison.

After that most important first step of overcoming the fear of the unknown, who ever thought of steaming it or boiling it with water, so as to get to the right required consistency that one is used to now. Then, did man, just stop with eating plain steamed white rice? No, even here, he has amazed us. A simple seasoning and the right use of various spices, (even here, one must heavily appreciate the courage shown), transforms white rice to lemon rice, coconut rice, tamarind rice, jeera rice, pulao, pongal, biriyani, etc. Further, he developed beaten rice, to help make different kinds of poha; and puffed rice, to be had plain with kadalai (groundnuts), or as that important ingredient of bhel-puri. Then, what did man do?

To obtain the batter, which is used to make idli (pancake), dosa (crepe) and uttapam (indian pizza), he grinds the rice along with a few pulses, after soaking it over-night. How did he come up with the right ratios of the ingredients, so as to obtain, the different consistencies? And, here, he goes on experimenting and improvising, so as to come up with different varieties. With his brainchild, he then, comes up with chutneys, of all different kinds, molaga podi, sambhar, potato sabji, etc. to go as accompaniments to the dosa/idli/uttapam. He decides to have dosa with potato sabji and not idli with the same. Likewise, he develops the concept of rava idli, which, leads to a totally new form, that includes garnishing with coriander leaves (just an another random plant), and cashews, carrots, and peas, etc.

Then, be it the dumplings from China, or the kozhakottai's from India, which are products made from rice flour with different kinds of stuffings, man has ventured into newer territories. Further, it does merit a mention of the wonderful rice based vadams (crispies) that are now fried in oil, which totally lend a unique taste, if had as a side-dish with sambhar rice. And pray, what all items go well with rice? Sambhar, Kootu, Gojju, Vartha Kozhambu, Kadi, Dal, Rasam, etc. Another feather on his cap, was to use rice flour, as a thickening agent in sambhar. Of course, for the health-conscious people, or for those recuperating from an illness, you have the simple rice ganji (gruel), which is, in fact, one of the healthiest options.

Last but not the least, he did research on the various steps involved in the processing, right from the time of harvest, to the storage and distribution of rice; and how, the right temperature and moisture settings, helps minimize the wastage of rice in terms of yield. Further, he came up with several developments in the field of agriculture, to make cultivation of rice, more productive. In parallel, one of the important things to learn about rice, was its nutrient content and importance to one's health; be it the more healthy brown rice, or the plain white rice, or the more celebrated basmati rice. He did all that, and with it developed a systematic way of characterizing food in terms of minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, etc. and calories.

The author has tried to paint a picture of the different options available, from rice, and it is no doubt, not comprehensive. Most of the dishes mentioned here belong to the Indian vegetarian cuisine. Just imagine, as to how mind-boggling it could become, if one were to talk of all the different forms of cuisines. Further, what is of most wonderment, is that, all these events have happened, in almost all parts of the world, almost independently. Obviously, the rice-eaters of Mexico had little in common with the rice-eaters of India, during those old days, of limited travel. Likewise, the same about the rice-eaters of Japan. So, how did everyone converge on the same plant, rice, possibly, at different times, and at all these different places in the world. Isn't it a wonder?

PS: The only reasons that the author can think of, for all these wonderful achievements, are, good judgement; willingness to try, experiment and improvise; and not having that fear of the unknown. And, good judgement, reminds the author of a profound saying, "Good judgement comes from experience; and experience comes from bad judgement".

PS2: Replace all references to he/him/man with she/her/woman. The idea for this exclusion is not to portray the author as being a sexist. It is more so to imply, that he and she, mean one and the same. Further, the author acknowledges the fact, that, women tend to contribute equally, if not more, when it comes to all the wonderful achievements in the world.

PS3: When you have time, and would like to play word-games, you may do so here, where, you also help the UN World Food Program with its "grains of rice" collection drive to end hunger, depending on how well you do.

Of Grand-fathers....

2008-09-28T09:31:00.018-07:00

Today happens to be the Maha Aalaya Amavasya, of the Mahalaya Paksham fortnight. A fortnight of activities in thought and action, towards and in honor, respect, love of our fore-fathers. Amavasya, or the new-moon day, which occurs every month, is also set aside for the same purpose. It is therefore apt and appropriate to write about two of my earliest heroes, my two grand-fathers, Thatha(father's father) and Aja(mother's father) on this special day. Both of them taught me certain important lessons, during my childhood and youth, and some of my thought processes were, are and would be heavily influenced by them. This post is rightly dedicated to them, and to all the grand-fathers and the grand-mothers of the world. I am sure that the bonding a grand-parent shares with its grand-child is something really special, no matter where. What makes it special, is the fact that the grand-child becomes an important part of the grand-parent's life, post retirement, and it is the time to revisit or experience certain experiences, that one would have denied oneself in the past, with one's own children.

Needless to mention, there could be wheels within wheels in such relationships, like any other, due to the relationships of the parents with the two sets of grand-parents. When one realizes that no one is perfect, this, at least makes it possible for the grand-child to accept the idiosyncracies of the person, made more so difficult due to their iconic status during one's childhood; and respect and love them for what they were/ are. Further, most elders are neglected, when they go past their primes, and become a liability in terms of time, health, money and getting about their daily activities. Ironically, during these times of neglect are when they need our love the most; and not when, everything is rosy, prim and proper. To make matters worse, there could be the eye on the inheritances, if it be so applicable. This is something that the author has seen happen, in India, the US, and heard so from a Taiwanese friend. I am sure that the fact of the elders becoming a non-issue with time, would be an issue in most parts of the world, since time immemorial.

Moreover, every rose has its thorn, and it is up to us, and us alone, to think of the rose or the thorn or both. And every behavior, be it warranted or un-warranted, polite or impolite, nice or rude, is more so because of a reason. Two hands are needed to get the sound of a clap. It is pointless to point fingers at one side, without truly knowing what is it that makes one behave the way one behaves. What complicates matters, is that, all of these incomprehensible behaviors are the off-shoots of love. Love can be as destructive as constructive, if not more, when it comes to human relationships. Most of the wrongs in the world, are again, off-shoots of love, love and love alone. (As a brutal example, love for one's vision/ country/ religion is what makes a person a terrorist, who goes about killing the harmless victims, without an iota of guilt). With that as a long aside, the author would want to paint the portrait of the two gentlemen, thatha and aja, out here; for an essay on the human relationships between the aged, mid-aged, youth and the children, is not the real purpose of this post.

Thatha

My earliest hero, for all that I can remember. Pampered me beyond any doubt and I was evidently his favorite grand-child. Memories of my earliest childhood revolve around thatha, chocolates, playing all kinds of games at all odd-times, walking with him to the Srirangam temple market with a fancy little red shoe that would squeak in a playful way to my delight as I walked, pens, pencils, colors, street cricket, dresses, Raghavendra Swami Mutt, encounters with the temple elephants, brown covers on note-books and books before the start of a new academic year, etc. He was extremely religious and used to perform sandhya vandanam and pranayama, twice every day. He possessed an assorted variety of sanskrit sloka books, ranging from the Bhagavad Gita to Vadiraja's treatises. And, no matter what, he used to write the entry for the day in his diary, in his beautiful handwriting. The surest way to win his heart would have been to present a beautiful diary during New Year's eve. His writings were simple and effective, sans flowery elements; and he was fluent in Marathi, Kannada, and Tamil, as well.

From what the author remembers, the author was scolded once by thatha, much to his shock and astonishment. As someone very particular about coffee, and, sadly, tobacco; he used to have raw green chilli's too, with curd rice, to the author's bewilderment. A very simple man, the father of three children, the youngest being my father, had retired as a Commercial Railway Inspector, from the Southern Railways, Tiruchi. His work was known to have taken him here and there, to the remote parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, all by trains, much to the amusement of his grand-child, and very much to the dismay of his family. Unfortunately, thatha had lost his mother at a very tender age, and his father had re-married again. Being the eldest, he was responsible for all of his siblings and step-siblings too..... Thatha passed away at the age of 78, after a brief illness, when the author was 12. Hence, most memories are from childhood.

Aja

One of my earliest heroes, I grew to respect aja, a real lot, with space and time. An extremely simple person, with a penchant for writing. His lambastes of many a politician tinged with satire would often make a conversation amusing. Like thatha, aja had lost his mother at a very very tender age. His father followed soon, and exact information on his siblings is not very clearly known. After his marriage, I believe, he had no living relative from his side. He fathered nine children, the sixth being my mother; and he saw to it, that everyone was educated well, in the domains of both academics and music. A man with a vision, he believed music would be the panacea for all problems in one's life. He being the sole bread-winner of the family, did struggle to get his children the education that he envisioned; and, marrying off his five daughters, indeed, proved to be a greater struggle (especially during those times). He retired as the Post Master General, Hyderabad.

My earliest memories of him, would be his trips to the market and the delicious Banganampalli mangoes and his harangue of the shop-keepers who he believed where out there to loot the common man. Not to forget the time when he had come over to Madras for 15 days when the author was in Class III. That, and, banana chips (used to get them everyday, for me), cold drinks, colors, pens, pencils, TT racquets, etc. His English was impeccable; and he was fluent in Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi as well. He had correctly spelt out "mountaineering" for me, when I had made a mistake in a home work. Further, the author vividly remembers an incident where both of us were lost from the family crowd during a trip, and as to how cool he really was. The author believes he was fortunate to have been involved in several intimate conversations with aja, post his undergraduate education and before his graduate study phase...... Aja passed away at the age of 86, after being in coma for 3-4 months, when the author was 23.

*****

Both thatha and aja, had the same name. Seshagiri Rao. The author would consider them to have been successful men, who made the best of what life could offer to them, and who provided the best that they could offer to their families. May their souls be at peace.

PS: Of course, both these men, did make a few mistakes in life. That, is not the purpose of this post, and, who doesn't make mistakes in life?

The Pilani Express...

2008-09-15T16:52:00.016-07:00

This post is a tribute to the harmless ones killed and injured in the Delhi blasts. Further, dedicated to my companions during the various train journeys on the Pilani Express.

The author was reminded of his Pilani days and the umpteen train journeys from New Delhi to Chennai Central and vice-versa, courtesy, the Pilani Express, which used to be otherwise known as the Tamil Nadu Express (we never really cared about the Grand Trunk Express); when he first got to know of the highly deplorable and unfortunate Delhi blasts. With a government that is pretty soft on terrorism, and, a coalition that follows the deplorable vote-bank politics, just like everyone else; it is beginning to seem like, nothing much can be done about the blasts. Going after the terrorists, should be done more so, because, what they are doing, is evoking terror in the minds of the people, by the means of cowardice. Moreover, the bomb doesn't really care for the religion of the people it endangers; and for reasons of political gains and victory of their point of view, harming the harmless is downright detestable, deplorable and unpardonable. The government and the political leaders, should rise above from politics and mere soft talk; for it is high time for action. On that poignant note, the author would like to delve more onto the topic of the post.

New Delhi is a beautiful city, pretty well-planned, and rich in terms of history and heritage. Connaught Place is a great place to hang out; and everything about New Delhi has a distinct charm for the author, maybe more so, because it was the author's first experience, on his own, up north, after living a majority of his life till then as a madrasi. Moreover, the author and his group of friends, were, exposed to New Delhi, at a time, when their hormonal reality levels were pretty high or beginning to kick in. Girls in tight, thigh-caressing and low-rise jeans; and equally tight body-hugging tops, were a heady whiff of change, from the "usual". It made so much more of a difference for the students who were from Chennai and the other parts of Tamil Nadu. (Indeed, Bengaluru and Mumbai would give a healthy competition to New Delhi.) And, no matter what, be it their attitude, or their ways of life, the girls were indeed highly impressionable. And, the New Delhi guys, who were termed TDCs, were never really in the picture, for us guys. With quickly overflowing counters, courtesy, the abundant amounts of ocular strain, New Delhi was an important part of the author's life, in terms, of his growing up.

Who can forget those umpteen train journeys? Sarai Rohilla station of Old Delhi, the New Delhi railway station, journeys to Kalka, Loharu, Allahabad, etc. The open dis-respect for the concept of reserved compartments. Sumo's and filmi episodes with drunken and rash drivers. The bus rides in winter, with most people smoking beedi's in that suffocative environment. The visit of the hijras on the train near New Delhi. The visits to Connaught Place, Palika Bazaar, Karol Bagh. The often repeated feeling of "being cheated" at the markets of Palika Bazaar. The sly glances at media material containing pornography, be they compact discs, or the famous magazines for men, or the extremely rustic stories in Hindi printed on the lowest quality paper. The roadside dhabas, serving amazingly unhygienic, yet, extremely delicious alu gobhi, shahi paneer, tandoori roti, and matka lassi. The Madras Cafe. MacDonalds, Burgers, Fries, Pizza's, Nirula's, Wimpy's, etc. The strains of all possible, filthy and extremely commonly used swear-words, that would ideally shake one's balance. The cosmopolitan mix of Punjabi's, Madrasi's, Bengali's, Sardarji's, immigrants from the villages around Delhi, the rich and the poor. The smoke, fog, chillness, cold, of the winters. The sand storms of the summers.

Now, it does merit to write about the train journeys too. With a group of 6-8 friends, travel over those 2500 odd kilometers, was great fun. Sharing stories, food, munchies, ideas, opinions, etc. were indeed, unforgettable experiences. The Pilani Express used to mostly run for BITSians alone during those special days. And, oh, boy!, we were notorious for sleeping late at night, and waking up equally late in the morning, to the dismay of the normal co-passengers, wherever they were. Talking of nights, the birthday parties on train and the "bumps" sessions, where all were invited. Word-games, Card-games, DumbC's, gossip about the happenings on campus and off-campus, the high-profile and low-profile "psenti" couples, discussion on "babes" and their hotness quotients, crushes, the actresses, fights over Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dikshit, movies, Metallica, Nirvana, G&R, Pink Floyd, Sting, Savage Garden, MLTR, Boyzone, and others, the comprehensive examinations, the instructors, the grades, GPAs, jobs, and what next; well, pretty much anything and everything. Not to forget the mention of the extreme dependence on the Railways food, during breakfast, lunch and dinner while returning from New Delhi; and the equally sheer boycott on the way back from Chennai.

Well, even the visits to the pantry car, on the train, were great fun. It gave umpteen opportunities for both boys and girls, to check out each other. Not to forget the inevitable going through of the reservation list pasted at the entrance of the coaches, so as to have an idea about the co-passengers. Then, there was the more fruitful, catching up with friends, about the New Delhi based incidents. Moreover, incidents of ragging of the first yearites by the psenti-semites was great fun for all, with most inhibitions gone for the juniors. The gorgeous journey on the ghat section from Itarsi to Nagpur and the beautiful sceneries. The customary halts at Nagpur, and the purchase of Dinshaw's ice-creams, be it Winter/Summer, Haldiram's soan papdi and the santara's. After a good two nights, the Pilani Express, would ultimately, arrive at Chennai Central. The dirtiest portions of Chennai would seem like heaven along with the lush green fields, the hoardings in Tamil, and the PTC or the MTC buses. And, the final homecoming. The platform would be filled with the family members, who would have come to welcome their wards.

Well, it is indeed strange and pretty natural, as to how a lot of things change for the better, as we grow up. Some of the things we did were down right stupid and silly. For one, girls are not sex objects. (The reader is recommended to read the author's post on what beauty is). Some of the things we did were more on the lines of being naughty and playful. And, nothing that we did was wrong. We were obviously within our limits, in terms of everything that we did. Overall, those umpteen train journeys and the associated happenings, were an important part of our growing up, then and now. Many things, indeed, cannot be taught. One has to experience them, the way it is meant to be, so as to get the most out of them. All said and done, these experiences evoke sheer memories of memorable nostalgia.

PS: The reader is strongly recommended to read this post, from a BITSian girl's point of view, which the author happened to come across by chance, later on, after writing the post.

Time....

2008-08-30T09:32:00.005-07:00

This post is inspired by the grand visions of the Grand Canyon and the midnight sun by Gobbler's Knob in Alaska, two of the greatest "live" shows on earth. And, in an indirect way, the movie Rock On(2008), and Pink Floyd's Time.

Time, time, and time, a space, in which even non-causal events become a surety with time. We are gifted with a limited amount of time, to learn as many lessons as possible; and to seek, suffer, soar and surrender. We come into this world, and leave this world, when the time comes. And everything that we do, is to do so, to bring in a purpose into our lives. Make the best of what we can, and take all efforts to lead as complete a life as possible. In a way, given a blank canvas to an artist, time shows us as to what all masterpieces the artist comes up with. Similarly, given a blank canvas called life, it is up to us, to come up with whatever we can.

Often, most things, happen, because, there was no other thing that could have happened. Like, whatever has to happen, has to happen. Well, some of my friends, find it difficult to believe that the author believes in such a philosophy. However, from the author's limited experience, it is more so vindicated. You want something badly, at one point in time, to the extent that life without it would have seemed meaningless and empty. Later on, it could so happen, that the non-happening of the event would have been the best thing to have happened. All this goes to show, as to how limited our understanding is, and how little we know as what we really want.

Does the Grand Canyon really care as it goes on making love with the sun's rays, at different times of the day, in different positions, almost every day? It knows what its purpose is, and it doesn't do anything to trumpet about its greatness. People who miss out on this great show, practically, miss out on it. As simple as that. Likewise, people who seek, finally surrender to the greatness of it all. Does the show really care for time. This is something that it has been doing for centuries, with we, the mankind, a mere insignificant speck in the vastness called time. Similarly, the loving interplay between the clouds, sun, mountains, etc. that goes on everyday during the Alaskan summers for almost 24 hours, that sadly goes unnoticed by most people.

The inspiration from the movie Rock On, and Time by Floyd, comes from the fact, that, ten years is a lot of time, at the personal level, for your idealistic dreams of the tender adolescent youth to come crashing down on you, as you embrace life in its more developed form. A few compromises, here and there, that could haunt you for life. At times, one would feel, that, it is better to not be dangerously crazy about anything, and lose it all; than be really really passionate about something. Anything could happen with time, for one never knows what life has in store for you. But then, wouldn't it better to live the fullest during that time, than compromise on issues, that are veritably, metaphors for your own life?

PS: Likewise, ten years is a lot of time, for you to actually lead the life you want to, and take it into the realms of dreams and fantasies. For, if that is what has to happen, that is what will happen.

PS2: Of course, one important point of mention. Not doing one's duty or following one's calling, in the name of, "whatever has to happen, will happen", is foolishness. It is more so with the idea of fixating the concept on the result or the outcome, rather than the very journey, itself. The journey is ours; and it could be tortuous, difficult, baffling, and incomprehensible, at times.

PS3: Everything happens for a reason, and for the best.

The Olympic Gold...

2008-08-22T15:45:00.007-07:00

The ever-elusive olympic gold in an individual event, finally came to India, due to her hero, Abhinav Singh Bindra. With this, the common man is elated. Likewise, the politicians are extremely happy. For all one might know, the ruling government, might treat it as an another(?) feather in its cap. Till now, the Olympics was something of a painful event, that used to occur every 4 years. Shame, resolve to do something about the dismal scenario, helplessness over the lack of resources and encouragement, etc. over a period of a month or so, to be soon morphed by the euphoria over cricket and its activities and players. If only cricket had been an event at the games!!!! Well, even then, could we assure ourselves of a gold, if not, a medal?

Well, the author belonged to a generation, where, cricket was necessarily considered a spoil-sport for the child's education, and dreams of becoming an engineer or a doctor. Now, cricketers, who make it, definitely make more than the smartest engineer, and can further retire early. Thanks to the Indian Premier League and the Indian Cricket League, the process of getting rich quickly, is made possible. It wouldn't be surprising if the present generation of parents, in fact, encourages their children to play more cricket than study. Maybe the Indian parent would further tout for an Indian Woman's Premier League. Nevertheless, cricket does and would continue to retain its #1 position, sadly, so, at the cost of the other sports.

Recently, the author came across a few comments in a newspaper portal, that was down right shocking to say the least. The main theme, was, as to how the North Indian's are performing and getting medals for the country, while the so called South Indian brainies, slog for an IT firm, both, in India and overseas, and hog on idli-dosa-sambhar. Well, talking more on this ridiculous argument or point of view, would be utterly insane. So, what does the future hold for us? China, courtesy, its 32 year boycott of the games, got its first gold medal in 1984, in Shooting. Can we expect, India to top the gold medals tally, in Olympics 2032, and further expect India to be the hosts? China was clear in its mission 2008, maximize the gold medals in events where it is good. So, if we were to follow a similar policy, then, what options do we have, and do we have to do?

By the way, one genuine question - why isn't Chess one of the sporting events in the Olympics.

The Indian in America...

2008-08-20T12:51:00.011-07:00

This posted is dedicated to those readers, who have tried their best in encouraging me to start writing all over again. This absence from blogging is both inexplicable and inexcusable.

The author, as in the Indian in America, turned five, a few days ago. Five years back, living on American soil, for such an extended period of time, definitely seemed impossible, if not insane. Ten years back, US was all about the rich, the developed nation, and the megalomaniacs. Fifteen years back, US was all about the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Alaska, Denali, Rocky mountains, Yellowstone, Pueblo Indian civilization, New York, San Francisco, Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate, Chicago, Wodehousian characters in America, etc.

Anyway, over these five years, one thing is utmost certain. Never ever rely on the judgment of your unjustified assumptions, ideas and opinions. Lack of culture, heritage, spiritualism, family values, "neighbourliness", etc. are some of the oft mentioned critiques at the US. US is definitely the land of the immigrants, and, is conspicuously lacking in any of those ancient monuments. History in the US is a mere 300 years old. But then, the presence of the national parks, and the care/maintenance towards them, with the sincere wish, of making them a legacy for the future generations to come, is worth, appreciation.

The culture in the US mostly revolves around the natural topography of the land, the musical history over this century, sport, cinema, entertainment, etc. Los Angeles, the Hollywood capital, has a distinct culture of its own. Likewise, the small and beautiful beach towns of the Orange County. Austin, the blue dot in the red lone star state, has a fairly off-beat culture in terms of music, cuisine, arts, etc., with Lance Armstrong, being a happening phenomenon. New Orleans is all about jazz, and Miami is all about reggae, dancing, and the likes. Broadway in New York is about theater and musicals, and Minneapolis is all for the lakes and related activities. Nothing really wrong.

My experiences with Team in Training, for almost a year, in Orange County, CA, was so different. That to me is what US is, and what Americans are and can be. Not necessarily rich, they are normal people, for whom family means a lot. Surprisingly, quite different from those notions we have about the lack of family values in the West. (Of course, the divorce rates can get high; and the probability of a man or a woman, under 18, being a virgin, be almost zero.) Setting aside the side note, weekends are meant for family. Vacations to national parks revolve around camping, hiking, biking, fishing, etc. with family.

Further, this lack of "neighbourliness", stems from the fact, that people keep to themselves. If you need help, and you ask for it, you normally get it. It is not that people are unfriendly, (of course, there are the rednecks!). People are very respectful of you, and respect that space around you. Also, a perfect stranger, asks you, as to how your day is going, and further, wishes that you a great day! Often, it is a mere greeting scenario. Then, there is this extreme case of thanking people, to the point that, it seems like a mere formality. All in all, surprising behaviors.

The true purpose of this post is to not justify the American way of life. It is more so, to amaze myself and see, as to how unjustified, assumptions/notions can become. Further, no matter where we live, it is always good to take the positives, and try incorporating it into our way of life. The negatives are always there, everywhere. After all, isn't life all about opposites?

Love...

2008-02-06T23:37:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to Jason Cooney, Tara Hussey, John Gronnel, Vicki Varela and the other survivors who are true intrepid fighters. Also, written in memory of the angels.

Love, one of the most exalted of all emotions, has always been an enigma for the author. Wherever you go, love is the most potent force in this planet. A beautiful thing, that finds itself manifesting in a myriad of ways. The love of a child for its mother, the mother's love for the child, the love between father and son, the love between siblings, the love between friends, the love between a man and a woman, and what not. What exactly is love; and can it be defined, if at all. Well, even the very thought of definition of love sounds so crass and vulgar. However, the exact purpose of this post, is not to delve into love, but to celebrate the true victory of love, which was very evident during the author's first marathon with the TEAM in training.

The TEAM in training, is the largest endurance sports training program in the world. It is a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, whose mission is to fund research to fight blood cancers and to improve the quality of life of the patients and its families. The unique feature about TNT is that, they accept and train people, of various fitness levels and all shapes and sizes, and get them across the finish line, in return for the fundraising, that goes towards fulfilling the Society's mission. The strong motivation for this otherwise rare and dream-like goal of an endurance event for the participants comes from the heroes battling with these dreaded cancers: both, survivors and angels.

In the moment of gloom, when one of their near and dear ones is fighting with cancer, the patient and their family choose hope over despair, with the hope that the cure can be found so that no child or adult along with its family has to undergo the pain of anything and everything associated with cancer. The author has come across quite a few inspirational people, who train themselves for endurance events, battling their own aches and pains, all for love. Like they say, "26.2 miles is nothing when compared to chemotherapy". The author did the P F Chang's Full Marathon, recently, and out there, was the true picture of USA. It was a purple movement, that didn't really care about the red and the blue; and for that matter, the white, the brown and the black.

So many runners/walkers/runners-walkers/walkers-runners, including survivors, were battling against their bodies to complete the full marathon in honor of their beloved survivors and angels. They were the "elitest of the elite" athletes. Outside the course of the run, and without their purple TNT singlets, you wouldn't even think for once, despite, batting your eyelids so many times, that they are the proud marathoners. That's what love does to you. This is a wonderful victory for love. A true celebration of life. The author considers himself highly blessed to have seen this all in live action. Now he is able to comprehend this enigmatic and wonderful love better. Go TEAM!!!

Peanuts....

2008-01-31T11:43:00.001-08:00

Time...

2007-12-31T19:41:00.001-08:00

Malignant Cancer IV : Domestic Violence....

2007-11-30T10:35:00.003-08:00

The author was inspired to write on this real and blood-boiling issue of "domestic violence", courtesy these three events. The South Asian Arts Festival, the annual fundraiser of SAHARA (a helpline organization for the battered women) from Nov 16-17, in Laguna Beach, CA, that he happened to attend; a discussion with friends over coffee on the same issue; and this poignant article, very well representative of the grim reality and the times, that he had come across long time back.

No matter how educated the society is, domestic violence, continues to create an havoc in the lives of the innocent and often, helpless, victims. In the earlier years, the issues of dowry, and lack of proper financial support of the wife's family, the wife's inability to conceive/ give birth to a son, etc. used to be major reasons for the same. At a time, when large families with just one bread-winner, say the father-in-law, were not uncommon, it was natural that a daughter, say the wife, was considered a financial burden. What made the issue even more ironically depressing, was that, the mother-in-law of the bride, a woman, herself, was the most cruel and demanding. This pregnant issue has been well conceived in the form of thought-provoking literature and cinema, since time immemorial, and is not the purpose for this post.

While none of the above can be justified, it is highly frustrating to note, the manifestation of this evil in an even more grotesque form. Gone are the days where the female child was deprived of a formal education. These days, most of the girls, are equally talented, if not more, than most of the prospective grooms. Most families strictly adhere to the 2-child norm, and hereby, there is some form of financial security. However, the most shocking fact, is that, this evil continues to exist; and is an issue in a land, far away from home, US of A, where, even the stereotyped, cruel mother-in-law's policing hand is out of reach. So, how does one explain this? The author feels that the answer lies in the Concept of the Indian Marriage and Society. Plus, the age old adage that, whatever happens within the four walls of the house, has to remain within.

In a heavily male-dominated society, in terms of its ideas, beliefs and opinions, a woman, is often considered to be the cause and affect of marital problems. Since their birth, the fact that, you need to do everything possible to make your marriage work, has been drilled into the girl child. If a man strays in a marriage, he is condoned, because, he is a man. He can drink, lust for a woman, have illicit relationships with women, squander money, batter/rape/harass his wife, etc., and the helpless victim, would often not find words of comfort, even, from her mother. A divorce is a stigma to her, and what about her children, who, despite their being the symbols of her entrapment, happen to be the sole reason for her existence. So, she is often trapped, in a meaningless relationship, that offers her no emotional, financial, psychological and physical comfort and security.

As an aside, the issues of male ego would be a botheration in the western countries too. However, there is that fear in the male, that, the wife might just go ahead with a divorce or complain to the rigidly strict law. She is given the freedom to speak out, which, bears no stigma at all for her. A divorce in this extreme form of atrocity on the women need not be justified. While the existing conditions of domestic violence, can happen, anywhere in the world, this grostesque and virulent new form is happening in the western countries, where, the women, are dependents for legal purposes. A groom, with an H-1, is a lucrative option for the girl child, because she can join him, immediately after marriage, unlike the case of the green card. For some, marriage poses the gateway to the US, the land of dreams for many. In these days of hurriedly arranged, arranged marriages, little is done to verify the actual professional and financial status of the groom. Sadly, in some cases, even the parents of the groom are oblivious of what is happening in their darling son's life out here.

A highly educated bride, comes to the US, as a dependent. In some unfortunate cases, she is harassed because of dowry. Sadly, the more so the number of elite degrees from great institutions after his name, the worse so, is the form of dowry. While education is expected to mould a person into a well-rounded, empathetic and honest persona, it fails miserably so in this case. He treats her as a door-mat and as an outlet for his sexual frustrations/ desires. In a land far from her parents and home, the woman is often helpless and trapped by the legal laws too. She cannot work. She doesn't have a social security number. In some cases, she is, purposefully, not taught to drive a car. How can this well-educated, Indian, woman, manage on the freeways? Does the husband ever think of how impotent he was when he had just arrived in the US. Naturally, for routine groceries, she has to depend on her husband. Pray, why she needs to do groceries: only, to not default on her duties as the cook of the four-walled house, her cage.

.... If you think the author is painting a grim picture and providing a pessimistic view of things, who knows for what purpose, you are sadly mistaken. Please do not be surprised if a person you know very well happens to be either the victim/aggressor. Every face has a story to tell.

PS: This post has been written from the Indian mindset. However, talks with my friends from other countries, reveal, that these issues could very well be so, in other countries too. Blame it on the pyschology of the male, that, has been so very well nurtured in all different cultures and religious followings, all across the world.

PS2: An interesting article, on a related theme of violence on women, with the neat solution of "give it to them".

PS3: The reader is strongly recommended to watch the movie, Provoked(2006), which is based on the theme of domestic violence.

People Watching : Laguna Beach....

2007-10-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

A series of posts on the SoCal experience. The previous one is on Huntington Beach.

Laguna Beach, a beautiful beach town, of Southern California, is a great spot for people watching. Endowed with a wonderfully curvaceous coastline lined with small mountains and a serene and not-so-crowded beach, this enchanting Laguna Beach further offers a chain of art galleries along the Pacific Coast Highway; apart from the usual entertainment and dine-out places.

It is further known to have a few charming and aesthetically lit, Italian and Mexican restaurants with live music going on inside(appears expensive though!). Some even offer the view of the ocean, more so like, just by the ocean kinds. With this mild introduction to another SoCal wonder, this author of greatly nomadic virtues, keys in a few notable people watching incidents, courtesy those few visits:

A newly wed couple - the bride in her delicately beautiful virginally white wedding gown, and the bridegroom in his dark black suit, taking a stroll on the wet sands of the beach, with the waves gently caressing the shore. There is that loving interplay between the rays of the sun and the gentle waters of the Pacific Ocean to make it more memorable.
A couple, presumably, the parents of the bride/ the groom, animatedly taking videos of the newly wed couple on the walk of their lives. Quite understandably, a few relatives also contribute to the festivities.
A few American adolescent girls, on their girls' day out, totally oblivious of their surroundings, and having a whale of a time. Somehow, it seemed to the author, that the glow on their faces, silently conveyed the fact that they were very much aware of their beauty.
Some one had written "Spread the love (the symbol of a heart)" on the sands of the beach. There were hearts everywhere, both in action and in words.
A group of boys, of different nationalities, playing basketball, on the court, by the beach.
A couple, playing volleyball, just between themselves. A highly impressionable romantic statement of the so-called public display of affection.
An woman eyeing the author's ice-cream as he was walking down the road. This reminds me of the beautiful ice-cream parlour, Gelato Italiano, with its really soft and it-simply-melts-in-the-mouth ice-creams. The sheer variety of flavors available was bewildering to the author, to say the least. The lady at the counter was at her hospitable best; and in fact, was offering small spoonful offerings of whatever flavour we wanted to help get over the bewilderment.
An artist at work, painting the beautiful Laguna landscape, in live action, giving finishing touches to his oil painting on canvas, on the pavement of an intersection.
A couple, sitting on a bench, facing the vast expanse of an ocean. No words spoken. Just, each of them, drinking in the spirit of the surroundings and their partner, in silence. Those moments of silent eloquence.
A family of four, with the parents watching their kids build a sand-castle.
Of course, no people watching activity is complete, without a mention of those bicyclists, on their beautiful attires, with their lustful bicycles. What a beautiful way to spend the day, bicycling along the beach!

.... and so on.

A Point of Mention: It is a great mystery to the author as to how he went about writing 85 posts in 2005 alone. Posts have dried up, at a mere 18 for the year of 2007. October 2007, has been a good month for 2007, despite, being just about average by the statistics of 2005. The only silver lining is this present template and layout, which, the author is really really fond of. Suggestions to improve the blog are more than welcome. For those loyal patrons of the blog, a special thank you.

SoCal is Burning....

2007-10-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

About twenty wildfires, have been burning since Oct 21, 2007, all along the beautiful Southern California coast, from Santa Barbara to San Diego (and even parts of Baja California, Mexico). With so many homes destroyed and quite a few people dead/injured, Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya prays for the fortitude and the strength for the families of the victims and the brave fire-fighters. A few of my friends and acquaintances had to evacuate their homes; and now, thankfully, things are fine with them. Ironically, natural disasters, often, brings out the best in the people. They show such amazing sense of camaraderie, and concern for fellow human beings and life.

Southern California (SoCal), is a nature-lover's paradise, with its beautiful, pristine, beaches; chapparal based mountains; plain valleys; and the desert vegetation found in Mojave and other places. And, in parts, it is beautifully green too. Surprisingly, this region often records the lowest amount of rainfall, much lower than the national average. This year, the rainfall received has been lower than the driest Death Valley regions of the US. The author wouldn't hesitate to say that SoCal, is a true geographical wonder. The lack of rainfall, dry vegetation and the strong Santa Ana winds, provided, the more than necessary fuel, for these wildfires.

The air is unclean. Lots of small and coarse particulates in the air, that is not good for the lungs. The distinct smoke on the horizon over the usually, beautiful, scenic landscapes. The smell of something is burning. Overall, an atmosphere of gloom and disaster. Around 900,000 evacuations (the largest in peacetime history in the US), huge loss in property, 1500+ homes destroyed, official reports of ten dead and around hundred injured (mostly, those, brave, fire-fighters), overall acreage of burning close to 300,000 acres, four days of continuous burning and spreading due to the winds; this would be in the who's-who list of natural disasters.

*****

The author has been at Madras, Tamil Nadu during the Tsunami disaster of 2004; College Station, TX during the hurricanes Rita and Katrina; Pilani, Rajasthan which experienced mild tremors during the disastrous Gujarat earthquake; and now, the Wildfire 2007 of SoCal. During these times, one is often made to rethink on how insignificant we are, and how, no one can truly stop nature's hath and fury. With so much of a damage to life and property, hell breaks over, and people are always on their toes, wondering as to what would happen next. These are definitely bad times, and no one, really wants disasters.

All these, make the author to wonder, "There is no way of stopping natural disasters. But, then, why not stop all the disasters in the name of war and peace. Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, in the modern times, Japan when it was nuked in 1945, etc. must have been subjected to great misery and hell, because of the severe damage to life (infact, the Japanese episode has affected future generations forever) and property (does one count the number of houses shelled and the number of evacuees)." But then, if one were to delve deep into the history of nations, the world has always been in a state of chaos and war. World peace is nothing, but, utopia. This would definitely respect a new post, and the author would like the to end this post, thus,

Life, is the same, everywhere, no matter where.

Indianness XII - Golu....

2007-10-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

This post is heavily inspired by two events in the author's life: a friend's seemingly innocuous question, "What is the significance of Golu", and my childhood friend's keeping Golu at her own sweet home. Further, this post is dedicated to all the women in my life, keeping with the spirit of this heavily women-oriented festival of sublime joy.

Golu or Bommal Kolu, is a beautiful tradition followed in the southern parts of India: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Fortunately, for the author, he has been born into a family that is steeply rooted in its influences from all of these three southern states. Moroever, with the heavy migration of people from these places, to all parts of the world, Golu is more or less associated now with the entire world. For e.g. the Malibu temple of Los Angeles, sports its own 11-step and 5-step Golu display for this year. The exact importance given to the odd-numbers is a mystery to many people. The quaint excuse given by many elders is, "Don't question the wisdom of our ancestors". Reading about this fanatically upheld rule revealed interesting insights into the concept of the One. The simplest reasoning would be, there is that enchanting continuity with odd numbers, which is a sign of fertility, prosperity, growth and development.

The Golu is associated with Navratri, the festival of nine nights, to be culminated on the tenth day of Vijayadasami, the day of celebration of the victory of the good over the evil. This festival is usually in the month of October, and the festivities begin in the months of August and September. Usually, the dolls are stored in the attic/ the legacy trunk(s), safely wrapped in pure white dhoti's (now dusty with that claustrophobic smell). To the commands of the women in the house, be it the wife, mother, daughter or sister, the lazy weekends for the menfolk during the month of late August/early September are spent, getting the dolls down from the attic. The womenfolk now proudly take over, having been waiting for this, the entire year.

Ragini erupts with pure joy, when she sees her favorite Saraswathi Devi with her veena again. Raga goes crazy when they take out the cricket set, with its eleven players, and the neat stadium. One by one, the dolls slowly come out. To the dismay of the lady of the house, she, Ravana's nose, in the expensive Shiva-Parvathi set purchased last year, has been broken. Mythology states that Ravana tries to dislodge the divine couple by attempting to shake Mount Kailash, their place of residence. She blames it on her husband for his usual lackadaisical attitude. One can see the stage being set for a battle, when, Ragini smartly chips in, "Amma, why do you worry about Ravana, the evil kidnapper of Sita. Look at this set of Rama, Lakshmana, Sita and Hanuman. Just see, as to how beautiful it is." He gives a naughty, understanding, and an all-knowing you-saved-my-day-i-owe-you-an-ice-cream look to his beautiful daughter.

With that timely distraction in place, Ragini, Amma and Paati/Aji/Avva, get hyper-excited with the dolls to be purchased this time. Not to be left out in this, Raga recommends the new LEGO based "City". He, so as to not be outnumbered by the women in the house, supports his son, telling her, "It is good for them. Encourages them to use their minds. Worth the expense". Paati/Aji/Avva's fear is that such things are purely satanical, and gives Thatha/Aja a look, which makes him tell his son, "They should know the traditions of our culture. Why don't we get a huge marriage-based set this time". Like this, the discussions/ arguments/ suggestions keep going on for most of the weekends. The womenfolk, however know that the final veto lies with them. In fact they would be the ones to make the purchases. Why do we need the menfolk to interfere in these feminine aspects of life. Everything is fine, as long as he doesn't object to the use of the joint-credit-card.

Usually, the family decides on a theme, and it definitely brings out the creative and aesthetic juices flowing in everyone at home. With the dolls purchased, and arranged in a neat odd-numbered-padi stand, with the feminine trinity - Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Parvathi, gracing the highest step, the entire golu display, displays sheer grandeur, majesty, beauty and energy. With the onset of Navarathri, the womenfolk are busy with the sundal preparations. One must admit as to how ingenious our ancestors were, when one thinks of the sheer number of different varieties of the sundal. Friends and relatives, especially, women and girls, are invited. Ragini sports her new peacock blue, pattu-pavadai, and she is beautifully dressed in her new haldi-kumkum Kancheepuram silk saree. Both sport a string of jasmine flowers on their well-oiled, amazingly long, well-braided hair; and are well-dressed with that dash of pottu on their face with the sandalwood powder and fair-and-lovely cream giving it company; and the kajal lining on their eyelashes, with the minimalist glistening gold jewellery, greatly enhancing their beauty.

To the tunes of Himagiri Thanaye, in praise of Parvathi, Ragini's friend captivates the audience, with her sweet, and mellifluous voice. Ragini does a short recital of Jagadhodharana on the Bharatanatyam. The womenfolk sing songs in praise of the divine. Most of the menfolk are blissfully ignored. When such amazingly aesthetic musical festivities are going on inside, Raga is found playing street-cricket with his friends. The menfolk are involved in their seemingly endless and infact, pointless, arguments and discussions on the state of political affairs of the country. One often wonders, families do a better job when it comes to honing the aesthetic sensitivities in a girl. Their main line of reasoning being, "She will go to an another house once she gets married. In times of trouble, when we are not there, only music, dance and arts would help her remain centered."

Time just flies by, and the nine days are over in no time. With almost tears in the eyes of Ragini, she moves the sacred kalasam, signifying the end of Navaratri. But then, there is Vijayadasami, and the eternal favorite of all, Deepavali, to come. The thought of the new crackers to be bought, and the new dresses, makes this compelling and yet painful, routine, of keeping the dolls safely packed, to their journey back to where they came from, the attic/trunk, possible with heavy hearts. From this post, one can evidently see the heavily women-centric nature of this festival. In fact, as men, all that we can do, is to encourage the women to have a great time during this festival. And, it would be a great idea to inculcate/hone the aesthetic sensitivities of the boys too. Think beautiful.

Both these festivals, signify, the victory of the good over the evil. May the force be with all of us. One, doesn't need to crassly generalize such beautiful customs as mere tradition. It is a great quality time with the family for the family. Creative talents are greatly encouraged. The benefits accrued there of are many. In the name of modernism, one often wonders, as to what would happen to such beautiful things that exist in this world. But then, the eternal optimist says, "What has withstood the tests of time, be it the Mughal invasion, dis-unity amongst the people, British rule, etc., will continue to exist. It is just that people would miss out on the beautiful things, rather than, the beautiful things becoming a non-existence". A thing of beauty is a joy forever. A very happy Navaratri to one and all. The author ends this post, with a heavy heart, thus, with one of the most sacred sayings, Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya.

The Fortune Cookie....

2007-10-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months, the author used to frequent an Asian diner, by the name, Pei-Wei, with one of his Taiwanese friends. The highlight of the luncheon would be the fortune cookie, something that the author used to look forward to, every time. Whoever, came up with the concept, must have been very spiritually strong.

Similar to Jeeves' buck-me-up potions, these fortune cookies, have the sheer capacity to bring in positive energy and high spirits, over just a piece of paper. Only good things are written out there. Thankfully, the fortune cookie doesn't discriminate too. So, everyone, is positively affected by the same mysterious, wonderful, oracular, prophecising cookie.

This only goes to show, as to how wonderful a strategy it is to, focus and harness on the positive, beautiful aspects of life. If one were to go by the law of averages, the meandering journey of life, would takes us through both the best and worst times of life. It just so happens, that, thinking beautiful, no matter what, helps us face those undeniable moments better.

Further, the concept of focussing on the beautiful, helps one to understand the psychological significance of the age-old custom of seeking blessings from the Divine and the elders. What could be purer than the fact, that, someone thinks highly positive for you, and goes one step ahead, in blessing you. Just to have a dear elder bless, "I am sure you can/ will do it", makes one do things that astound the doer itself.

Think beautiful. Thankfully, there are so many beautiful things in the world. Like someone had said, "Both an optimist and a pessimist have equal chances of winning. It is just that the optimist leads a more exciting life."

A Public Library....

2007-10-05T17:59:00.001-07:00

Recently, the author had been to the Newport Beach Public Library, in Newport Beach, CA. It was such a beautiful place, with an amazing collection of books, audio CDs, DVDs, etc. Anything and everything to make you get addicted to that place. With really friendly librarians, beautiful in every sense, it is definitely a heaven on earth.

Moreover, the architecture of the library was amazingly done, so as to allow, natural light to illuminate the interior surroundings, for most of the open hours of the library. Very very environment friendly. The library is open on all days of the week, with 9AM-9PM schedule from M-Th. With a checkout limit of 50, and 5 CDs/DVDs, etc., it cannot get better than this. And if one doesn't default, the services are completely free.

And how can I forget, there was this cute little girl, carrying a pile of Harry Potter books, notably, #4-7, towards the checkout counter. Ms. Rowling has done a fantabulous job with her HP series, and one must bow down in reverence and love to this creative genius. I am sure the little girl will have a great time with those books.

This only made me wonder, "Taxes are fine, as long, as they are put to good use". The goodness and badness of the use is open to interpretation; but then, investing in a public library is definitely good for all. I guess, we all, need to learn a lot from the beautiful things in the world, and hope to be the change we wish to see across in other parts - India and the rest of the world.

A post on a similar theme can be found here.

People Watching : The Indian Experience - I ....

2007-08-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

A long-pending post finally gets written now, courtesy, India, celebrating her 60th year of independence; my friend's heavily-flattering appreciation of the people watching section, and my blog-friend's wanting to know more about my concept of Indianness. Most of the incidents given here are now, purely, the author's imagination, and solely, built upon his rich experiences in India.

#1. The Indian Woman (Nari)
There she goes, beautiful in her glamorous Kancheevaram silk saree with a glistening zari border, and a matching blouse; with "minimal" jewellery - matching ear-rings, nose-ring, a necklace, her bangles, her toe-ring, her ring, and her mangalsutra. The red kumkum pottu on her forehead, the mark of nuptial bliss on her parting of the hair, the dab of chandan powder on her face, the kohl lining in her eyes, the virginal red mehendi on her hands, and a string of jasmine flowers on her well-oiled, braided, plait, greatly accentuate her overall beauty. It merits mention that the saree, provides just the right amount of exposure of her delicate skin to both the sun and the human eye. If the husband were a talented vocalist, he would immediately start singing, "Lage tose nain", upon seeing his wife, dressed thus.

#2. The Festival Season

A secular nation with a myriad of customs and cultures, India can easily be regarded as "Europe minus Russia", both in terms of size and the sheer diversity. Further, Hinduism, is characterized by the infinite manifestations of the divine. Each festival has its own appeal, and associated "goodies" therein. Deepavali, Christmas, New Year, Pongal/Sankranti, Holi, Id, Krishnashtami, Buddha Purnima, Mahaveer Jayanthi, Guru Nanak Jayanthi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Dassehra, Saraswathi Puja, etc. Be it the celebration of dolls (Kolu) during Dassehra, the victory of the good over the evil during Deepavali with fire-crackers, the ushering of the new year, the thanksgiving for harvest season during Sankranti, the joy of colors during Holi; the main underlying theme is counting one's blessings in the company of one's near and dear ones. Infact, the entire nation does erupt with pure joy.

#3. The Scene at the Railway Station

With so much of an importance given to the concept of relatives, friends and guests, it is not uncommon for familes to go to the railway stations to send-off/receive their near and dear ones. Moreover, since, the train is the cherished form of transportation for many a person, irrespective of his/her economic status, it is, but, natural that the railway stations are pretty crowded places; thereby providing an amazing setting for the best possible people watching.

An entire coach has been reserved for the bride's marriage party. A group of college students, late adolescents, with their parents and siblings having come to the station to bid them good-bye. A family on a vacation to a distant land in their own country, brimming with excitement. A family reunion in the platform with the long-lost and estranged brother's family coming down over for their niece's wedding. The public service announcements blaring in umpteen languages. Some on a run so as to not miss the train. Jostling and Hustling. A little bit of push here and there. The hawkers and coolies on the platforms. Vocal strains of "coffee-coffee-coffee-ya". An altercation somewhere in the middle of it all between the coolie and the newly-wed couple... and so on.

To be continued....

The Market - The Restaurant - The Game of Street-Cricket - The Indian Classical Music Scene - The Temple Towers - The Brigade Road Experience - The Indian Wedding

The Undeniable Moments...

2007-08-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Tara, Jason and John. The author knows that this post is heavily incoherent in nature, with each sentence, being there, just because it needs to be there. Heavily deviant in nature from the original idea. Kindly excuse the so many loose ends.

Most of us, at some point in time or the other, excessively indulge or wallow in self-pity. The moments, often, undeniable and unavoidable, take us by surprise, and further ensue a lot of pain. While experiencing an undeniable moment, one is often tempted to define it as the darkest and the toughest moment in life. The past one's seem bearable when compared to the present one, and the future always holds forth joy and happiness. Who knows as to what the future beckons us with? Thus, we gradually, miss out on the present time of our lives.

Space and time, prove to be one of the most natural healers for such times. Getting immersed in one's passions does help one blissfully become unaware of reality. Often, it so happens, that the mind proves to be treacherous with its tendency of complicating simple things in life and likewise, simplifying the complicated things in life. It doesn't take a long time to make a small worry a big worry and vice-versa. If we finally are able to look at those undeniable moments with clarity and true lack of emotion, we can see, that their purpose is to provide us with some really important lessons for life; and move on in life. The experiences makes us richer in being, well-rounded in thought, and more empathetic in nature.

What is universal, is the fact, that each and every human being has to face these moments at some point in life. Every face has a story to tell. It is all right to indulge in self-pity. It is all right to crib about life. It is all right to be hurt with failures, be they related to academic, professional, financial or matters of the heart. But then, however, there is a limit to all of this. Suddenly, this thought struck me - chaos is all pervasive and is mostly illusory and in the mind. We just need to look deep within ourselves and see that we are blessed in so many different ways, something that we always fail to respect. These "undeniable" moments try to average out the blessings, but then, allowing this to happen, again depends on our own self.

Recently, in one chance conversation with the owner of an Indian restaurant, we got to know that he recently suffered from a stroke affecting the third nerve to his eye; sadly, a totally new case for the doctors. Further, I happened to meet a father, whose 3 year old son, has an acute form of leukemia, for the past 2 years. Today, I met an 8 year old survivor of some form of leukemia, preparing for his 8th marathon. Such a nice person totally exuding with a certain positive energy, despite being in a battle for life. These people are facing the true tough moments in life that are very much real.

With such tremendously huge real undeniable moments in life, does it really matter, if you stand defeated on almost every possible front in your life? Most defeats are usually within our circle of influence and control. But then, when it comes to the body, all other defeats pale in their illusory significance. Each day that we live is a blessing. As my teacher glibly put it, "Ranga, it is best to not compare yourself to anyone. No matter what, there would always be someone better than you, in every aspect in life." Lastly as another of my teacher puts it in one of his favorite songs,

Oh! my mind!

You think you understand so much!

When your own faults and shortcomings have no limits,

You go on looking for blemishes in others!

PS: A post on a similar theme can be found here; and a post on blessings in general.

Sanatana Dharma....

2007-07-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: The author is a Hindu, well, more of a pantheist. He respects all religions and belief systems. He is not in a position to draw parellels between the many religions. Nor is he an authority on the principles of any religion. The viewpoints presented out here are solely his. Some could be credited to certain conversations with his friends. If there be a pro-Hindu tinge, it would be more of a sub-conscious shade.

Hinduism, the Sanatana Dharma, is more a way of life, or so they say. One of the few philosophical systems with a neat response to the conundrum of the "Problem of Evil", it is veritably in great danger right in its own homeground - India. A gradual and slow erosion of Hinduism, by far, one of the most tolerant belief systems in the world, is clearly evident.

Most politicians, refrain from the Hinduism chime. While one section is jingoistic in its behavior towards Hindutva, the other section (majority) distances itself from Hinduism. While, Hindutva or the so-called "Hindutva jihadi's" have come to tarnish the pro-tolerant pantheist image of Hinduism, little is being done to restore this system to its original glory. Sadly and unfortunately, Hindutva has come to mean Hinduism. The pro-Hindutva group does as much damage as the pro-secular group.

Certain thought-provoking instances in the life of the author and around him are cited below:

The Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia; boasts of a first-class facility. It further provides a separate prayer room for Muslims. With due respect to Muslims, and their prayer schedules, Malaysia is free to do what it wants to. Moreover, Islam is the majority religion in Malaysia. But then, why does anything related to a temple bound to create a great controversy in India?

One of my good friends told me that he couldn't find a place to eat in Qatar, during his transit on his way to India from the US, during the Ramadan month. How can an international airport not service its visitors with the basic amenities of water and food? Not everyone in the world is a Muslim, right?

In the United States, the author has met quite a few missionaries trying to convert the author. With all due respect to Christianity, why is it that people want others to convert to their religion? Is it a sign of insecurity? All religions are beautiful on their own, and no religion prescribes the victory of the evil over the good. If that were be so, then, why should one necessarily have to declare, "My way is the only way; and yours is a path to perdition".

Few people understand Hinduism. Most of the people of the author's generation are disenchanted with the heavy ritualistic principles of the same with their apathy intensified due to the esoteric nature of its sacred texts. Sanskrit is known to only a few, and we ourselves define our own limits by not taking any step towards learning Sanskrit. Even otherwise, transliterations of most of the works are available. Then, what is stopping us?

The increasing breed of a class that goes about professing atheism, agnosticism, religious humanism, etc. Of course, when it is a conscious decision towards embracing such a philosophical system, it is well within one's own fundamental rights and independence. But, when it is more like a rebellion against the established norms of the society or as an ostracization of the "rustic" religious/spiritual beliefs of the age-old systems; so as to be labelled hip amongst one's peers, it is a clear sign of immaturity.

Most of India's political policies center around the appeasement of the minorities. One can get away with almost anything in the name of secularism. Poor maintenance and sheer neglect of the astonishingly beautiful temples of India is one such example. So many temples in the south are in decay and no politician ever talks of their renovation, because is is not a secular thing to do.

Most of the Hindu Brahmins, related to the priestly class are poor. They depend on the religious functions for a living, and their remuneration is not high. Their salaries for being temple priests is not high. Their standard of living is mediocre and they often find it difficult to educate their children and get their daughters married. However, the Indian political system recognizes them as being amongst the Forward Community, despite their economic backwardness, and fails to encourage their children. This article reads " Are brahmins the dalits of today". An obviously better yardstick would be a classification on the basis of their economic status; and reservation, if necessary, based on that classification. An even better solution would be to focus on the paradigm of primary education for all.

The sheer apathy to the actual living conditions of Hindus because of its anti-secularism viewpoint is making India blind to one of the most ancient spiritual systems of the planet. With most systems advocating the middle path, why is that the so-called proponents or followers fail to do so? Why does the word Islam, one of the most beautiful religions and the fastest growing religion of the world, raise fear in us? In a way, Islam is also in danger. The heavy influence of the state on the church is detrimental to Christianity too.

As an analogy, music exists in various forms with its foundation being on the essentials of rhythm, melody, harmony and bass. Each form of music generates its own unique appeal and aesthetic bliss. If that were to be so, then, how can anyone claim as to what he/she is passionate about is the only way and the only way to bliss? What about the so many other people for whom the form they like is their religion? Does that mean that the other forms are nothing but noise?

Lastly, the renaissance for this spiritual system would come from the West. The author is amazed to see so many people dedicating their entire lives towards the study of the Hindu texts, Hindu way of life, etc. out here in America. The chantings of Bhajans in the heavily accented tones and the respect for Yoga, Kriya, Satsang, meditation, etc. that people have out here is heavily inspiring to the author. Most people in America have their basic comforts taken care of. In the sense, one need not be worried about the acute water problem or frequent load-shedding of electricity. Like Swami Vivekananda once said, "Spirituality is for the rich".

Importantly, why cannot one live and let live others too?

People Watching: Huntington Beach

2007-07-07T00:18:00.000-07:00

Huntington Beach, one of the beach towns of Southern California, has a long stretch of a pier extending onto the ocean for about 0.6 miles. It does give the bystander with a brilliant top view and side view of the majestic waves of the beautiful Pacific. A thrilling experience, and the first of its kind amongst the quite a few beach experiences for the author. In an absolutely wonderful romantic locale, people watching was the next best thing to do for the author.

A couple on a walk with their baby on a stroller, with the moonlight being a welcome companion.
A rather young couple who would have made the French real proud, courtesy their kissing style.
The young lady surf-riding on the pure white waves, despite the untimeliness(?) of it all. The spirit of adventure and the passion for following one's own passion.
Groups of people trying out their luck fishing. One poor fish, being a victim, grappling for its own life.
A group of "old" ladies on a walk.
An old couple walking hand-in-hand, totally oblivious of the surroundings.
A family with their family friends having a great conversation on the waterfront.
A girl posing for a photo amidst a real dark black background of the limitless expanse of the ocean.
A man sitting on a bench and smoking a cigar.

Malignant Cancer III : Atrocities on women...

2007-06-20T17:38:00.002-07:00

The author happened to watch 1947-Earth, a film by Deepa Mehta, recently. It is a romantic love(?)-triangle, set amidst the backdrop of the partition of India. This post, as a reaction, serves as a medium to express the author's opinion and anguish.

Since time immemorial, women have been subject to various atrocities, be it, physical or emotional. In one of the conversations with my Persian friend, she put it very brusquely as, women are told to prize their virginity, in the most discreet manner. As an aside, the society is such that a man need not prize his virginity. Naturally, parents warn their daughters to be careful of every other man that they would meet, be it the public transportation system, school, office, playground, etc. The fear of being touched looms large. All men are generalized as a class of sex-craven and sex-deprived maniacs.

If we deeply think about the reasons for the so-many atrocities being committed on women, in the name of love-turned-obsession, religion, war, riots, male ego, etc., it boils down to this shocking revelation. Man uses a woman to give vent to his frustration. What else would otherwise be the reason for women being raped, or their breasts being cut from their bodies. Not to forget, a gang-rape. Is it all about the insertion of the man's penis into a woman? The counter example of a woman cutting a man's penis is rare.

If one were to look into the atrocities committed on the women all across the world, one can very easily sense the same attitude everywhere. Certain examples are given below for the sake of completeness:

The war victims - be it the women of China during WWII, or those of the colonised latin american/ asian/ african countries.
The husband raping his wife during the first night; A cold-blooded, yet, warm-blooded head of the family, giving vent to his frustrations on his unfortunate wife.
The Hindu women in Pakistan, and the muslim women in North India during the partition of 1947; the Hindu women in Bangladesh during 1991 following the Babri-Masjid episode, etc.
It is not healthy for a widow to experience feelings of love or lust.
Women, stripped bare, and lynched in public; in various parts of the world.
In Cameroon, women are "breast-ironed", ao as to reduce their chances of becoming rape victims.
Women, forced to adopt burqa, so that, their body remains concealed so as to not give an iota of scope for a man to imagine how she would be naked.
Female infanticide, because a girl child is a burden.
Pouring acid on her face because she didn't reciprocate his feelings of love(?)
Forcing his way onto her, when she is way advanced in her pregnancy. Making her work, beating her up, etc. during this critical time.
Not allowing a woman to succeed in her professional life, because it would hurt the male ego.

....

If this post leaves you with a feeling of disgust, anguish and helplessness, then, it has served its purpose.

PS: The author is neither a male chauvinist nor a feminist.

Indian Mythology : Karna.....

2007-06-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Karna, the son of Kunti, from the Mahabharatha, portrays an immensely powerful character in the epic. Being one of the dearest friends of Duryodhana, he is loyal to him through thick and thin. Despite being in the "evil" camp, there are certain amazingly great qualities of him worth discussing about out here. He is often considered to be an epitome of the concept of a friend and that of a giver amongst mortals - the one who gives all that he can without any complaint and with his pound of flesh, if needed.

Karna was cursed by his teacher for telling him a lie about his upbringing. A kshatriya, by birth, he lies to his teacher that he is a brahman, for fear of rejection as his disciple. The curse, in fact, proves fatal to him in the end. He loses the capacity to remember what has been taught to him, when he needs that knowledge the most. A very pitiable state, wherein what has been yours, and yours alone, is no longer yours. Akin, to your soul deserting the vehicle of the body, mind and the heart.

In hindsight.....

2007-04-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

As my teacher put it, "In hindsight, you can always do things better".

Roti, Kapda aur Makaan.....

2007-04-02T01:34:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to the homeless people of the world, be it LA or Madras or Garfur or Rio de Janeiro.

In a world, where the word "success" has to do a lot with money and fame, the basic tenets of roti, kapda aur makaan veritably serve as the quantifying measures of the intangible success. Everything that one is taught or forced to do in the so-called game of the "survival of the fittest" has to do with sense gratification in the form of these materialistic goodies. One has to study well, get into a good school, get a good job, build a house, have a family to make the house a home, procure a vehicle for personal transportation, etc. Else, the other route of business or politics. Very few times, does the pursuit of a fine art, lead to this materialistic success. Crass commercialization of arts and dependence on arts for non-aesthetic and non-spiritual reasons can be a tough task at hand.

Well, whatever be the vocation, accumulation of wealth due to one's own value, has been the norm of the game. But then, even when these are fulfilled, are people happy? Isn't the pursuit of happiness utopian? The state of being happy is more like an orgasm. You follow a specific course of action, build towards the climax, and explode in that bursts of happiness. At times, the bursts of happiness could be those spasms of pain when the "unavoidable" happens. Naturally, people seek solace in spirituality or a healthy pastime or social service or whatever to help get over the mundaneness in life. Nevertheless, despite the mundaneness, at every stage in life, one often has something to look forward to.

Despite the socialist tinge to the post, the author doesn't hate capitalism. Nor does he love socialism. Both are theories that are not great in practice. Reservation for these underprivileged people towards the basic right of education might still be acceptable, if it is towards the more fundamental primary education. However, using reservation or the principle of diversity to foster the needs of the creamy layers (people who belong to the underprivileged category but are actually more than just privileged) within these sections is abominable. Using this same theory as a one-point agenda to further one's own vested political interests in the name of vote-bank politics is even more detestable. Anyway, this point is a digression from the actual topic.

The author met a homeless person, sleeping on the road, with all his belongings, under the sky with Mercedes' Benz's cruising by. I am sure there are quite a few of them in the various parts of the world. They must be having a private laugh at the ways of the world, despite their moments of sadness.

A section of the world aghast at the early exits of India and Pakistan in the ongoing cricket world cup. War happening in few parts of the world. Certain countries exercising their monopoly of trade over others. A few policing the world. Somewhere in the world, someone must not be happy with his/her job. She must have fought with him. A person complaining about the food that was served for dinner. The neighbour's beautiful daughter getting married to the love of her life. Music concerts in the name of humanity. A couple on a honeymoon. Quite a few mad politicians mad at the court of justice quoting injustice. A politician being indicted of corruption charges or a sex scandal. A prostitute offering her body and not her spirit for money. Quite a few persons experiencing orgasm due to sex at this moment. A teenager spending his/her pocket money on expensive clothing. Another teenager (includes elders too) confused about his/her sexual feelings. A person praying to Him/Her.What is the Bible, Koran and the Gita. A person in silent meditation. A person dancing to the tunes of Samba with his/her partner. A man ogling at a woman's well-endowed breasts. A woman lusting for the tall, dark and handsome prince. A child playing the game of hide-and-seek with its friends. A youth apprehensively pondering about the future. Who is Pamela Anderson?.....

Mad, mad, mad, world. But, then, I, am homeless. No makaan. No wife. No children. No education. No money. No roti. No kapda. No respect from others. Is life beautiful? But then, what do I have? Spiritual strength... and no ego and neither hatred nor love for humanity.

Associative Nostalgia : Circle of Life...

2007-03-10T13:48:00.000-08:00

This post is inspired by one of the most brilliant views on the circle of life (a view so generously shared with me, by one of my friends). Hence, this post is rightfully dedicated to that friend. This is further dedicated to all the people in my circle of life (of the past, the present and the future), "May the force be with you all and may all your dreams come true".

A shocking inclusion under the category, "Associative Nostalgia", right? The circle of life follows the Principle of Conservation of Life. It can be looked upon as a renewable source of energy, wherein people come and go. There is thankfully, that continuous replenishment, that helps one move on in life. A heavily dynamic reservoir; and two old friends meeting after a long time, is akin, to two small streams gushing to meet each other.

A classic example is the case of your childhood friends. Life revolved around them, and life without them seemed impossible. But then, now, how many of us would be in touch with the best friends of our childhood? When, winning a match or a competition, learning to ride a bicycle, or going to an exhibition or a book-fair, seemed to be so much more enjoyable because of them. When birthdays of ours and theirs were intricately woven moments of great joy!

From then on, the friends from our schools, colleges, universities, etc. The advantage of a hostel-based college environment is the numerous friendships that develop because of the constrained setting. A time, when most adolescents, would be venturing out into the world to start their chosen way of life and a time, when emotions, infatuations, curiosities, discoveries, etc. seem universal and a rightful means of bonding. When friendships begin to blossom, when we have all beautifully converged, we are all violently thrown apart, courtesy the differing paths we happen to chose.

But then, life has to move on. Each stage in life leads you to the phase, where everything familiar has disappeared, and you need to start afresh. As the last strip of C&H poignantly says, "A new magical world full of new possibilities to explore" emerges. An exception would be those rare relationships/friendships that continue to blossom despite the physical distances. Blessed are such relationships. But then, when old friends meet, the bonding remains. The past and the associative nostalgic feelings related therein, fortunately or unfortunately, remain.

Thus, it can be summarized as follows. People, come and go. We interact with a lot of them, so as to recognize the right ones that come along. At times, people come into our lives in the most unexpected manners, when we least expect them. Each person graces our life with a purpose - to provide a lesson or two and help us in our journey.

A journey where we are all meandering rivers in search of the sea.

A journey where we might take difficult or easy paths to reach the sea.
A journey where we would encounter various obstacles and difficulties.

A journey where "even the weariest river, ends up in the sea".

People who can teach, teach....

2007-02-28T23:48:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to all my teachers. A Guru Vandana.

Very few people have that capacity to teach and inspire their students; be it your kind-hearted and loving kindergarten or primary school teacher, the professor at college/ grad school, the mentor at workplace, the guru (dispeller of darkness) when it comes to music, spirituality, or whatever. Having said this, it doesn't hurt to mention that people who can teach, teach. I have been fortunate enough to come across a few amazing teachers in my real life.

It surprises many when I tell them about the fabulous maths tuition teacher during high school. He covered the entire math syllabus for IIT-JEE without using a black (for that matter, white) board. Not to forget those two amazing chemistry teachers. Having studied in a variety of schools, the author was fortunate to interact with so many good-natured people. Despite the occasional scoldings and "punishments", they were all good at heart.

Most school teachers were passionate about what they taught. But then, when this becomes the very source of livelihood, the reality does tend to portray a different scenario. Most schools start early to avoid the typical "rush-hour". This just makes it all the more tougher for the lady teachers because of their inherent responsibilities in a typical Indian home. Sadly, their pay is not that high (as compared to those what-miracle-happened kind of jobs) with meagre if not nil insurance benefits.

At college, it is a totally different scenario. It is a completely difficult prospect to teach adults. But then, the importance of a sound undergraduate education cannot be overemphasized. Here is where, the youth gets inspired on what they would want to do for their life. But for people who do not attend classes, they learn it the hard way. A sound understanding of the fundamentals cannot be obtained by just cramming at the last minute without attending classes. But then, this is a common feature in most undergraduate places of learning. Does this require a change in the mindset of the student or the teachers.

The most difficult task at hand is to impart the right knowledge in the right fashion to people who are undergoing their graduate study. Too much spoonfeeding is not warranted, and making the course as a catalog of all there is in the world totally unwanted. Here is where the idiom, "People who can teach, teach" comes to my mind. I have met a few teachers who are more interested in imparting the depth than the breadth. Likewise, a great researcher need not be a great teacher and vice-versa. But then, there are those few people, who achieve greatness in both.

The fundamental reason why teachers become teachers is because of their passion for the field of their interest. To inspire, disseminate and to learn. As Richard Feynman had said somewhere, "No question is profound or silly. More often than not, the doubt a student asks is on the neighbourhood of a potentially important problem. And for researchers whose neurons get tired of thinking out of the box at times, teaching thus becomes a highly refreshing activity". Thus, teachers also gain a lot from this venture.

Lastly, but most importantly, the most important set of teachers are those related to a person's personal life. And amongst the umpteen, only a few, do something to possibly bring a remarkable sense of direction in the student's life.

PS: The reader is recommended to read this post on a similar theme, posted long ago.

Now vs. Later...

2007-01-31T01:27:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to my cubicle-mate, Saeed, who has judged and gauged me pretty well, especially when it comes to my trysts with last minute efforts. He was of the opinion, "Ranga, just finish it off today(Tuesday), instead of waiting till Thursday morning (for a deadline on Thursday)". All said and done, procrastination happens to be one of the most charming personalities that successfully ends up seducing most of us. The loss of generality prohibits me from calling this person, one of the most, enchanting and gorgeous seductress for women are also prone to procrastinate.

So, there are two obvious paradigms when it comes to atleast trying to get things done. "Finish it off now" vs. "Let me do it later". It is a battle of Energy vs. Lethargy out here. While tremendous pressure with little time left to meet a deadline can be nerve-wracking, at times, it can also be highly productive. And in most cases, when one is totally clueless as to how to proceed in a particular direction, what is one to do? For that I believe, one of the professors at Stanford, recommends, "the best way to start is to start". Then, there is the famous Nike ad of "Just do it".

Well, why is it that procrastination tends to seduce us all(well, I hope I am not entirely unjustified in making this assumption) despite the knowledge of how great life would be if we were to not procrastinate. Can this be safely extended to why evils continue to exist or rather, have been existing for all these years - be it lust, avarice, hatred, etc. despite the knowledge of how great life would be without these. Does this all boil down to the human nature and the numerous neurons within us.

The Underdog....

2007-01-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

Whom would you support in an evenly contested battle between David and Goliath? Doesn't it sound more romantic and adventurous to root for the victory of the underdog. In hopelessly lopsided contests where a person/team puts in no effort for a fight, the more efficient and superior opponent does have to be the winner, so as to ensure, "Rewards for hard work".

More often than not, one tends to be heavily partisan in support towards one's favorite sportsperson/team/country. But isn't it more interesting when Nigeria beats Brazil in Football, or when Bangladesh beats Australia in Cricket? In the true spirit of the game or enterprise, there is no single winner or loser for the journey is more important than the destination. Thus, hopefully, the day of the underdog isn't far enough.

Last week saw me rooting for the trailing-behind team (the underdog) in an evenly contested match between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. The Colts finally won, courtesy a last minute touchdown, after coming from behind 3-21, to lead 32-13, and then to be down 31-34 (well, the numbers are important, but then, more important than that is the trend of the game). I was wavering between both the teams, but then, my heart did finally go out for the "losers". Such is the glory and beauty of sport.

At a more personal level, wouldn't it better to seek, suffer and then soar, instead of, inescapably falling down from a great height due to conceit, ignorance and arrogance. Aren't we all underdogs in all that we do? Don't we all have so much to strive for, with perfection being a mere illusion. If so, then, why is it that the ego always remains conceited?

Indianness XI : India and the West...

2007-01-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

This post is inspired by quite a few incidents in the author's life - notable amongst them being the recent trip to India, the visit to ISKCON temple, LA today, and R K Narayan's essay on a similar theme. One of my friends was of the opinion that India would get back most of its values from the West (a sign of the times). Another quote from Swami Vivekananda, about spirituality being for the rich, comes to my mind at this juncture.

India, has been endowed with a rich heritage of enigmatic spiritual outlooks, tolerant religious values, and scintillating musical systems. While, the Indian is definitely more interested with the daily issues of roti, kapda aur makan, the non-Indian looks at India as a place filled with mystics. They think India is all about caste system, yoga, transcendental meditation, carnatic music, hindustani music, esoteric dances, folklore, mythology, and the sacred cow. For us, Indians, it is all about economic development, technology transfer, infrastructure, 120 kmph highways, cell phones, literacy, etc.

Thus, the Indian is more interested in his Western counterpart, while the Westerner looks towards India seeking a deeper purpose. One day, the West would come to India for its values and India would go to the West for its own values.

Certain recent trends in India, US and elsewhere:

The increasing number of new-age spiritual organizational bases in the West, The Art of Living, ISKCON, etc. with more people getting interested into Yoga, Pranayama, Kriya, Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavat, Krishna, etc. One American lady had asked this profound question to the bemused author, while finding her way to the ISKCON temple, "Where is this place called Govinda?" I am sure that the realization of Govinda would be a sublime quest for many of us.
The author had attended Veena E Gayathri's recital in a temple at Mylapore, Madras during the December season. He found a few Americans seated in the front, greatly enjoying the performance. This is often a point of condescension amongst the Indian music connoisseur (a purist) who wonder, "What do they understand about our music?". But then, isn't music all about transcending all barriers and touching the soul? However, language does continue to be a problem for us and them when it comes to vocal music.
The American disciples of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar, who have been under their tutelage for close to 30-35 years. Further, it must be noted, that they had made this shift post their formative years, after nearly 30 years of a life richly soaked in Western Classical and Jazz.
Most Indian Classical music concerts that the author has been to in the US, has had a fair representative audience of the Americans. The appeal of the drums (in their language) - the Tabla and the Mridangam and their intimate connection to the rhythmic patterns. When will we ever learn this magnificent tolerance?
The author was surprised to find a bus driver get a phone call as he was making a left turn in a busy intersection in Madras. He promptly answered the phone (after taking the turn) and informed the caller, that he is on so-and-so road, and on this trip. Auto drivers are very professional these days by giving visiting cards with cell numbers to their passengers.
On this similar theme of cell phones, a salesman in a home applicance shop in Madras was astonished and shocked to find the author without a cell phone connection. He veritably treated the author as an alien. He unfortunately happened to be a salesperson of washing machines and not cell phones. Thus, with this dichotomous state of existence, I am an alien both in the US and the India.
The golden quadrangle, esp. the highway from Madras to Bombay is great with cars like Maruti Swifts, presumably one of the best cars in the Indian market according to some so-called automobile experts, doing a 120-130 kmph. The only irritant proved to be the ignorant villager, who assumed the two-lane one-way highway to be a two-way and continued to live in that state of ignorance to the angst of the car drivers.
The American mind's obsession with elephant rides in India. I have often been asked, (well, to be exact, atleast once for sure), "Do people ride on elephants in India". I am sure they must be amazed to know that India is fast trying to catch up with the highly efficient and mundane road system of the West. (It is the same everywhere. Green boards, broad roads, same chain of stores everywhere.)
In most heritage sites in India, the Westerner is treated with more respect. He/she shells out more for the services rendered, be it the entry ticket, the guide, whatever. He/she is more likely to buy merchandise as memorabilia at one of the most bullish prices around.
The same preferential treatment can be seen in the Indian craft emporia. What would an average Indian do with a handicraft, priced 2000 INR (for the Indians) or at 100 USD (a special price for them), when the money could see him/her through a month's expenses in provisions?

All said and done, the quality of life in India is really high. If all goes well, give India a few decades to catch up to the West. India has issues to take care of. India shining has a long way to go. However, one fervently hopes, that all this is not at the cost of erosion of Indian values.

Justifications....

2006-12-12T02:38:00.000-08:00

Justification is an heightened form of insecurity. The author has come across so many people, including himself, who justify almost anything and everything that they do on the earth. Often, when one faces a dilemma, he/she thinks that he/she is taking the road less travelled. This is fine for the purposes of personal satisfaction. But then, what about this paradigm - "There were no two roads in the first place".

Every hobby, sensibility, action, thought-process, passion, profession, way of life, religious preference, sexual preference, etc. needs to be justified. At times, amongst the people in the circle of life; and most times, with the conscience. I have come across so many cases, that it only makes me all the more bewildered. Does the human being need so much attention/acceptance amongst the self and his/her circle of life?

When you love what you do, why should it be justified?

To highlight a few of the often come across cases, with no need for any justifications whatsoever, (given along with a few of the author's comments):

I want to serve my country. I do not want to spend my life outside India. I have my parents to take care of.

Do they think twice before working for an MNC? What about entrepreneurships and work related to the social sector?

Why should Hindustani Classical Music system give so much importance to time? Isn't it foolish? Cannot the musician bring about the moods and emotions along with those related to time by playing soulfully?

Who is more qualified to pass such a judgement? You, me or the legendary legends who have embraced the practice of time for centuries?

I cannot do a PhD. I am not fit for it. It is not a lucrative affair, and involves spending 4-5 years of prime time.

No comments.

Life in US is great. I like it. I cannot imagine going back to India. I like this freedom and the exposure to an international way of life.

What makes you look down upon the Indian way of life? What about the 20+ years of life over there? Isn't life in the US a big compromise too? Don't you seek the very Indianness that you look down upon there, here?

What am I doing here in India while most of my friends are in the US? What sort of work am I doing?

The grass is always green on the other side. Unknown to many, life in the US has its own fair share of trials and tribulations. Work anywhere, can get mundane. It all depends on being at the right time, right place, right group, right work environs and right company.

What is Western Classical Music? Very rigid. It doesn't appeal to me.

Ignorance is not bliss. It would be better not to pass judgements without being in a position to do so. Bach, Beethoven and Mozart have survived for centuries. Your liking it or not liking it doesn't really matter. Blessed are the souls (kindly exclude me) who can appreciate fugues, counterpoint and harmony.

Classical music is not for me. It is highly evolved and beyond my comprehension.

Giving up without trying is plain cowardice and lack of strength. Classical music has that innate power to sustain and enchant our lives. Be it carnatic, hindustani or western. They are all no doubt, highly sophisticated and evolved. But then, aren't we getting into a Catch-22 situation by avoiding them?

Reading books is a waste of time. There are better things to do than that.

When one counts the hours wasted everyday doing nothing, reading books is definitely not a waste of time. Arts, be it literature, painting, sculpture, music, cinema - are the most powerful forms of human expression.

I love management. It being a more lucrative option just happens to be so. All technical persons finally end up on the management route, managing projects and people. Let me get into it right after my engineering.

With no offence meant to people related to management, some jobs essentially involve selling soaps. It is perfectly fine if you love management and quit the technical side. However, there is no need for any justification.

How can you love that piece of trash? (book/music/movie/whatever)

Space and Time.....

2006-11-30T12:53:00.000-08:00

The only constant thing in life is change. People change. We change. Our goals and ambitions change. Our outlook changes. The people we interact with changes. The people who embrace our lives changes. At each point in time, people come, provide invaluable lessons, and continue on their paths of calling. Every person graces our life for a reason. We interact with so many, so as to better appreciate the right ones that come along.

So, can we expect a friendship/relationship to be constant and eternal with respect to space and time. The author is at a new place, and most of the people in his circle of life are physically away (thankfully, not emotionally). With each being deeply involved in his/her web of life, it does become difficult to stay in touch with them. But then, when they meet, barring the initial skirmishes, things should be as before.

Like one of my friends had said long back, about connections and staying connected, "There are two kinds of friendships - (a) where it is purely temporal, short-lived, and amounts to having a good time (b) where it is more than (a), when people keep each other updated with the ups and downs in their lives." The author personally believes that the people one thinks of, during the "not-so-fine" times are the ones you completely trust and closely relate to. Trust is a wonderful catalyst for any relationship.

Blessed are those people involved in those friendships/ relationships which does stand the test of space and time. Does respect and affection for the other make all the not-so-likeable changes in the other condonable and the likeable changes more appreciable?

The rich and the poor....

2006-11-20T17:24:00.000-08:00

This Saturday saw me witness to the inauguration of the festival shopping season at Rodeo Drive, LA, whose claim to fame is the place where actors/actresses shop. With hope in making a difference to the many lives as the main theme, this place was studded with the rich, who were also well-dressed; men in tuxedo's and women in glittering gowns.

But then, I have also seen the homeless, truly homeless, both men and women. They sleep on the pavements, under the stars, with all Mercedes Benz's racing past them. They haven't had baths for ages. All that they have are two dirty torn bags ready to burst open.

Are the rich happy? Are the poor happy? Are you happy? Am I happy? What is happiness?

Indianness X - I, Iyer and Iyengar....

2006-11-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

The title of this post happened to win the best team name during the first ever Landmark Open Quiz (now a highly anticipated and regular affair in Madras) in 1995. My being strongly associated with Tamil Nadu, despite not being a Tamilian, has lead to quite a few funny situations. This post is just meant to be a post. Nothing more and nothing less. These man-made differences do not make sense.

The two most important underlying fabrics that bond an Indian, Turk, Persian, Mexican, Brazilian, American, Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese, etc. are emotions and connections. Love, Pathos, Hurt, Joy, etc. unite us. The connections with the people in our lives makes it all the more interesting. One need not be of a particular caste/religion/sex/country to experience the various universal emotions. Relationships mean the same everywhere.

So now back to the topic, after the brief disclaimer. First of all, it all begins with my roots. Having a very Iyengaresque name, I am wrongly mistaken for an Iyengar. But then, my name would also pass for an Iyer, because Venkataraman/Radhakrishnan, despite being Vaishnavite, is in prevalence among Iyers of today. Guess, there was a time when the surname used to be the clinching distinguishing factor (obviously, Venkatarama Iyer and Venkatarama Iyengar are different).

While a Mishra can identify an Oriya person by his/her surname, (can be safely extended to the Guptas, Iyers, Mukhopadhyays, Shahs, Agarwals, Reddys, Pillais, Joshis, Singhs), it becomes increasingly difficult for a person like me. Each community has its own set of customs, languages, colloquialisms, cultures, etc. within the broad and myriad network of Indian ethos. While one must respect the values of one's own, reaching out to people must make us overcome these self-imposed barriers of a community. A subtle balance.

Recently, I had been to a Udupi Krishna Mutt in Los Angeles and I happened to see 40-50 people, most of whom could be claimed of "my type". It reminded me of our family gatherings and the customs/rituals involved therein. We are followers of Saint Madhwacharya, one of the trinity, with the other two being Saint Sankaracharya and Saint Ramanujacharya. Thus, I, Iyer and Iyengar could be termed as followers of the trinity in their own ways.

Honestly, I haven't got an opportunity, or rather, I haven't reached that maturity level to appreciate the differences between the Dvaita, Advaita and Vishishta-dvaita schools of thought. It merits mention that Dvaita was the last among the three and with surprisingly the least number of followers. Personally, I feel that these schools of thought emerged when the country was having a difficult time maintain its own identity courtesy the onslaught of the invaders, (more like Renaissance of Hinduism).

What about the people of Tamil Nadu, who are not Iyers and Iyengars? Is the heavy demarcation between Tam Brahms and the others leading to an erosion of Tamilian values? On a macro level, are the Vedas, Upanishads, Carnatic Music, etc. for the Brahmins alone? Is the present state of Indian politics with their shady secularist ideals an avenue towards endangerment of Indian values? Aren't our values veritably ours, no matter where we are from? What about the north-south, west-east division in India?

How many of us appreciate the Sanskrit works of poets like Kalidasa (reputed to be one of the greatest romantic poets of all times). How many of us appreciate the poetry in the compositions of Thyagaraja, Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa, Dikshitar, Sama Sastry, Swati Tirunal? How many of us appreciate the urdu ghazals and poetry of India? How many of us appreciate Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Faiyyaz Khan, and Ustad Amir Khan? If yes to the above question, then what about Madurai Mani Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and M S Subbulakshmi? What about sarode and veena?

How many of us waste a majority of our time, trying to justify the beliefs, sensibilities, values, etc. that we have embraced or have become passionate about?

Despite the so many questions, I would still like to maintain this viewpoint. Most of the values have been there for 1000's of years, and would continue to do so. India has faced many difficult times with frequent onslaught of invaders. It is just that the invaders are changing all the time. Importantly, we need to exorcise the demons within us, because, more than the values, it would be we, who would miss out on the various beautiful things in life.

The Personal Honor Code..

2006-11-07T23:11:00.000-08:00

I have come across so many people who have gone back on their commitment. In short, promise one thing, and do something else on the contrary. Often, people tend to be more than merely be selfish. A clear case where selfishness is not a virtue. Most end up doing what works out best for them, irrespective of their commitment.

Over the past two days, I too have joined the crowd. What had been a matter of pride, of sticking to one's word no matter what, despite many temptations, is now veritably a matter of shame for me. The realization that I can also be pretty nasty and inconsiderate at times is a very bitter and nasty one.

I have succumbed twice and it would take some time forgiving myself. A simple "sorry" to the two persons involved in the two episodes, each spaced 3 years apart.

Hormonal Realities.....

2006-11-02T20:48:00.000-08:00

A child is often considered one of the most pristine creations on earth. A perfect epitome of an innocent, playful, honest, jovial soul; be it a boy or a girl. He/she treats all alike, and has many friends of the opposite sex too. He knows that she is different from him, and she knows that he is different from her. But then, it doesn't matter. Then, something happens. A huge glitch to bring the person out of its innocent world.

The body grows while the mind and heart doesn't. Having good friends amongst the opposite sex is unheard of. Parents caution their girls to be wary of the boys. For the boys, their friends and acquaintances (predominantly of the same sex now), make fun of their interacting with the girls. The same with the girls too. Little do they know what lies ahead for them. Both are coming to life to biologically produce life, and yet are finding it increasingly difficult to come to terms with the harsh hormonal reality.

A craze for the enigmatic mysterious sex. All new words seeping into their dictionaries, with the dictionary itself being a great source of information. They find that they know not much of their own bodies. Girls are ashamed of their body, with their remaining aloof for those days, highlighting their new status. They start blossoming into women, and they do not know how to react to the evil ogling eyes of the men. And when they are beautiful, slowly, that very knowledge turns into vanity. The boys are ashamed of their broken voice and the uncultured strands of hair that make up their beard.

In the quest for "knowledge", most people stray(?). Pornography, prurient behavior, illicit movies, late night cable TV channels, self-discovery, etc. Parents do not know what to do too. This reminds me of the scene in American Pie, where the father shows his son the Playboy centerfold, and tells him about the male fascination with a woman's breasts. Girls start reading Mills and Boon, developing fantasies about the tall, dark and handsome prince, who is there just for her kinds. During this time, it is difficult for healthy and pure relationships between boys and girls. One begins to wonder what ever did happen. Why couldn't the childhood phase come back?

After some time, something again happens. Both sexes realize that it is not just the body. It is more than physical intimacy that counts towards successful relationships. Here is where the mind, the heart and the soul come in. Concepts on love, relationships, soulmates, etc. emerge. The treatment to sex also becomes holy and sacred. As Paulo Coelho says in one of his books, sex is a form of alchemy. Spiritual purification over the materialistic plane of the body where two souls unite.

So, how does one come in terms with the hormonal realities? Does each generation come up with its own means to do so. The treatment by each generation does become an interesting case. The parents are definitely right in instilling the fear for the opposite sex, because the mind is still not mature enough. Thankfully, there are studies, music, games, travel, and other activities to concentrate on.

PS1: The current topic reminds me of this conversation with a German lady on my flight from Zurich to Atlanta. She told me, "Oh, you are from India. The land of the Kama Sutra". Yes, India - the very same land of Kama Sutra, where the talk on sex has become taboo.

PS2: I was told that in the US, it is all right to "check out" a person of the opposite sex as long as one acknowledges the process with a smile.

PS3: As an aside, in the Halloween Carnival, the author came across a placard, "In Lust, We Trust".

PS4: The reader is recommended to read this previous post.

Catch 22....

2006-10-29T01:46:00.000-08:00

Conversations with people passionate about music has only increased the awareness about the reality - "music is a truly vast ocean". Even, a lifetime doesn't seem to be enough to know one genre, leave alone, one instrument properly.

To be brutally honest, a single raga (an encapsulating and highly dynamic concept in Indian Classical Music), presents an ocean within this ocean of music. Would a lifetime be enough to know one raga completely.

Yesterday, was one such day, where I was mesmerized into listening to a conversation between two carnatic music enthusiasts. A simple thank you to these two, for their willingness to share with me the delightful intricacies in music.

For latestarters, obviously not child prodigies, how does one go about this gigantic Catch-22 situation?

A solemn promise....

2006-10-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I seem to surprise and bewilder myself with the questions that surface in my mind these days. A constant and rightly nagging query is, "What did happen to one of the loves of your life?" - this blog! There was a time when I used to keep in touch with writing by blogging, at least, once a week.

Have I run out of my creative juices or topics to write on?
Have I fallen out of love with my blog?
Have I embraced realism to idealism?

You can call me a shameless narcissist. But then, I do go over my writings. I like them. Recently, I did find lots of technical flaws too in the posts. Additionally, these writings, which have now become highly personal too, (barely trying to be within the scope of a public blog), might be more from a peregrine's point of view. Just simple assorted writings. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Despite all these, I do find people paying visit to my blog, some on an almost regular basis. A simple thanks. Your kind gestures provide life to this blog.

Dear Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya,

I have neglected you enough over the past two months. This induced and unforced separation, does make me respect and love you more than ever before. Please do welcome back this prodigal son of yours.

Yours,

Ranga.

PS: Even blog-hopping has become so infrequent. A special thanks to Eroteme for this lovely post, which was heavily invigorating and inspiring.

How are you doing?

2006-10-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

One of the most banal of all questions. A strong favorite amongst people (be they random persons, acquaintances, friends, or very good friends). What should one's answer be other than the equally banal, "I am doing good". With a paradigm shift, this question does become the greatest test for any human relationship.

A human being needs a connection with another person - be it as a great friendship or a wonderful relationship or whatever. These relationships thrive on trust and mutual respect-cum-affection. So, if things are not going "good", then these people in our circle of lives would also know about it.

Things cannot always be good. It is perfectly all right to say, "things are not fine". But then, naturally, one cannot go about revealing it all to everyone, right?

As a digression to the post, this saying does come to my mind.

"An optimist has as many chances as a pessimist. It is just that he/she happens to have a more exciting life".

So, is the banal reply to the banal question an enlightened form of optimism in daily life?

Happy Diwali....

2006-10-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

Diwali, the festival of lights, is veritably one of the most popular festivals of India. Moreover, there is a rich repertoire of stories pertaining to this festival. Nevertheless, the most important message is the annihilation of darkness (evil). The word "darkness" reminds me of these sayings that I have fortunately come across at different points of time.

*****

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya

Oh! Divine Mother. Kindly lead me from darkness to light.

*****

Here goes a chinese proverb, also attributed to Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt :

It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

Often, we tend to worry small. Instead of taking one gigantic step by lighting a small candle, we seek succor in cursing the darkness, only to move behind in life.

*****

Recently, I came across this neat Spanish proverb, which inspired me to write this post on the eve of Diwali.

There is not enough darkness in the world to extinguish the light of a small candle.

Beautiful. The same light of a small candle can be taken as a metaphorical allusion to "hope". Can anything be sweeter than hope?

*****

The beauty of all these sayings is that they are applicable both at the macro and micro levels of the self. Spreading sweetness and sunshine in the lives of the less fortunate ones or using these tools to look forward to the lovely springtime during the dark and hazy winters of our lives.

Talking of spreading sweetness and sunshine, reminds of me of one of my beloved characters from the unforgettable Wodehousian world - Uncle Frederick Altamount Cornwallis Twistleton, the Earl of Ickenham. He considers his mission in life to help spread sweetness and sunshine in the lives of the many sundered hearts.

*****

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya and the author wishes its readers a very happy Diwali.

Life and the city.....

2006-09-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles, the big bad city or the city of angels. Hope she takes care of her children. Having lived in college towns, for nearly 7 years, I am now a part of the teeming mass. Just another one among them. Nothing special.

This post is dedicated to LA, and the long hiatus can be safely attributed to her too. Just another one of the human tendencies to absolve oneself of guilt and blame the other.

People Watching II....

2006-08-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

You miss the bus

Have you ever rushed in the last few minutes to catch a bus? A daily activity for the author since time immemorial, I noticed a woman having the run of her life for nearly 4 minutes to finally catch the bus. She was all smiles and her happiness was comparable to winning the Olympic gold for a 400 m dash. Then there is the other set of people, which finds great pleasure in being seated in the bus for a boring 10-15 min, before the actual departure time. This can be extended to trains and airplanes. It merits mention that the author doesn't discriminate between any of the forms of public transport.

Hairstyles

I happened to glance at the hairstyles of 20 people around me in one of the bus rides. I was surprised to find that no two ones were similar. Both men and women, sport a totally unique hairstyle that adds to their personal recognition, charm, appeal or whatever. This reminds me of the temple at Belur, Karnataka, India where 2000+ hairstyles are vividly sculpted as one of the greatest memorial to the beauty in women. Not to forget the string of jasmine flowers on the long braids of Indian women.

Victoria's Secret

While I am at it, let me write about this too. There happens to be a Victoria's Secret "show"room in the Mall of America, supposedly the biggest mall in the US. Fat ladies eye the models on display with 100% admiration, mostly bordering on envy though. Then, there are these young 17+ couples, so excited for obvious reasons. One universal phenomenon, is the unbounded lust in the men, of all ages and all types. How the same concept of a lingerie showroom, can evoke different moods and reactions in people, is astounding.

Feminine colors

Then, there is the choice of certain colors of clothing and accessories that could be called "cute", using the girlish expression. Cyan, pink, lemon yellow, light orange, you name it. I happened to watch a family of four, with the dad sporting a different color, clearly outnumbered by the female species of his family that was proudly endorsing pink. And barring Govinda, an Indian "actor", any guy sporting colors such as these would be branded gay. What makes these colors so feminine?

Sadness and grief

How does it feel to look at a stranger'e eye, and find that person totally lost in prolonged spells of sadness and pain? I happened to see a lady staring outside the window on the train, and I sensed her sadness and grief. She didn't notice me. All of us have those spells of sadness, suffering and pain. The unavoidable embraces all of us, at different points of time in our lives. But then, we are all veritably alone. Can anyone share our pain? No, right?

Ignorance... Revisited.

2006-08-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

This is the first time, that I am quoting something from verbatim out here. Kindly excuse.

"While I am still confused and uncertain, it is on a much higher plane, d'you see, and atleast I know I'm bewildered about the really important and fundamental facts of the universe." Treatle nodded, I hadn't looked at it like that," he said, "But you are absolutely right. He's really pushed back the limits of ignorance".

They both savored the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were ignorant of only ordinary things.

- Terry Pratchet, Equal Rites.

Paperboats...

2006-08-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to the spirit of innocence and enthusiasm in a child.

An Experiment with Truth - 1.

(a) Try to make a paperboat.
(b) If you could, then you have convinced yourself .

(c) For people like me who tried and failed, this comes in useful.
(d) For people who think this is below their dignity, do ignore this.

Minnehaha....

2006-08-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Minnehaha creek runs through Minneapolis and merges with R. Mississippi around 2-3 miles from my home. The legend of Hiawatha, of "The Song of Hiawatha" fame by H W Longfellow, fell in love with this Dakota beauty, noted for her enthusiasm, bubbling spirit and laughter. By a twist of fate and fortune, I stay very close to the Minnehaha creek, the Minnehaha Falls, the Minnehaha Park, the R. Mississippi, the L. Nokomis (a motherly figure of Hiawatha), and the L. Hiawatha. Yes, this post is dedicated to the love of Hiawatha and Minnehaha.

Today, the author was in for a big wonderful surprise. There was a Fiji fest going on at the park. A garage band, gave a free concert, and entertained a meager crowd of 15-20 with jazz, rock and roll, country, and what not. The highlight of the concert, were the three lovely ladies, aged any where between 2-4, dancing and swaying to the tunes with all smiles. There were two guys dancing alone too. One of them remarked to a bewildered lady, "I am not gay. But I do like the lead guy (presumably for his vocals and guitar)".

The music was different. The very fact that people were enjoying the music, and the musicians themselves enjoying the concert despite the low turnout drove home the point of the sheer power of music. Despite not having a deep spiritual impact, it cheered the people around. Six unknown musicians, not high profile ones, who had come together, courtesy their love for music, sure did give me an invaluable lesson. Never ever discriminate between the various forms of music. It is like preferring the heart to the lungs.

There were a few couples all around the park, savoring the company of each other in silence, with the concert tunes as the background. Love was in the air. No wonder, the legendary love between Hiawatha and Minnehaha seems to have an effect at this place. It merits mention that the couples were of various ages (hmm, an obvious statement!). While there were couples who looked beautiful together (in the physical sense), the best were those old couples, who were contented being with each other (having come this far in their journey called life).

I just happened to take the stairs to watch the falls. The majestic splendor of the Falls was something so pristinely beautiful. Then the rapids in the creek, meandering across the forest, on its journey towards meeting the R. Mississippi, reminded me of this saying, "Even the weariest river ends up in the sea". The same creek, 1-2 miles westward, looks so serene and peaceful. Almost, without a ripple. One does get a lot of lessons from the water.

(PS: In short, a beautiful surprise. The only dampener was when I found a father, of two children, carrying a toddler of 4-6 months, and shamelessly puffing away on his way to a dark glory : blowing the smoke and fumes over the baby.)

PS2: Guess, the chronicles of the author of how a Friday evening was spent. An unexpected entry as a post out here.

Pilani.....

2006-08-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, ISBT, Sarai Rohilla, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Loharu, Pilani, Nutan, Panchavati, Harijan Gate, VFAST Guest House, Swimming Club, Gym, A4, Ram Bhawan, RBM Mess, Malviya Bhawan, Dualites, Psenti Sem, Thesis, Wardens, Orientation, Ragging, Freshers Period, "Hey! Fresh!", Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Choms, Gults, Elads, Wings, Friends, SKY, ANC, IC, Co'not, Blue Moon, MNB, Butter Onion Masala Dosa, ANC Chai, Veg Patty, Pappu, Back Sky, Psenti Couples, Psenti, PTM, Kairali, Kannada Vedike, ELAS, EPC, HPC, Music Nite, Music Club, Dance Club, ARBITS, Soundz, Lights, Booze, Fag, Theka, OASIS, Shiv G, Hanuman Temple, Saraswati Mandir, G D Birla, Winters, Razai, Immersion Rods, Alarm Clocks, Breakfast, Bread Pakoda, Matri, Jilebi, Open Book Tests, Tutes, Crushes, MB, Interface, APOGEE, SBBJ, UCO Bank, Redi, Nagarji, Jamun Rabri, Nite-outs, Common Rooms, Simran, Midnight Masala, Pondy, EWLYP, Bunking classes, "Attendance is not compulsory", Crash, Slangs, New Ghalis, NSS, Jhankaar, Ref Li, Cen Li, Stubs, S-9, FD-III, Workshop, PCP, Kusu, GenB, DNA, RAF, SUB, Politics, Prez, GenSec, NVSec, VSec, Stuccan, Costaan, BOSM, Outstis, LSR, Girl's Basketball matches, Bosoms, Babes, BHS, CEERI Bakery, Black Forest, BEP, SPIC-MACAY, Sweeper's Colony, Adult Education, Construction Workers, Anganwadi, T-Wing, Jaipur, Jantar Mantar, CAT, GRE, Jobs, Grades, CGPA, Transfer, Dual, BSL, Kachori, Cherry man, Kashmiri Pulao, French Fries, Cornetto, Ice-creams, Extras, Mess Bill, Scholarships, Merit-cum-need, Merit, Top Ten, Honours Board, Movies, VCDs, Piracy, Wingie's Computer, Backstreet Boys Millenium, Boyzone, MLTR, Bryan Adams, Geeta Dutt, Hemant Kumar, Lata, Rafi, Talat, Asha, Kishore, Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aaye, Fears, Apprehensions, Matters of the heart, Finances, Loans, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Nirvana, GNR, Rock shows, Razzmatazz, Dancing, Psenti Nite, Diro, Inaugs, Plays, PTM Play, EDC Play, 247, 269, 206, 156, RM, BG, RP, MechSol, Adcal, B, Pullups, 10P's, BUS, RepWri, Complex, CDCs, CAS, uP, EDIC, Tyagi, LKM, EEE, A3, Unix, CSD, Java, C, C++, CEERI, IC Design Lab, Analog, Electronics, Latcha, Psenti Sem, UCO Redi, Friends for life, Apping, Safe Univs, PA, Recos, PS-II, PS-I, Movies, Movies, Movies, Latcha, Latcha, Latcha, Batch Snap, Farewells, Assoc Dinners, Diro's Tea Party, BITSAA, T-shirts, Manali, Kulu, Sterling Resorts, Shimla, Nainital, Corbett National Park, Mathura, Agra, Diwali, Holi, Dassehra, Burning of Ravana's effigy, CEERI Temple, Sat Sri Kal, Ragamalika, Sangam, ....... B.E. (Hons.).

In short, 4 magical years.

My Dear.....

2006-08-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

Dearest Deepti,

Where are you, my dearest friend? We were the greatest of friends, to the envy, of your elder sister and her friends and our other friends. A boy and a girl in one of the purest relationships. Our worlds were thankfully innocent then. The world became a wonderful place to live in. You made it even more wonderful for me. We were there for each other, no matter what. You sided with me even when it meant getting bullied by your elder sister of 7 evil years. How we both used to hate her? We used to have dinner twice a day. Once, at your house and then, again, at my house or vice-versa; so that we could still be together.

Now, I don't even know where you are and how you are doing. I haven't met you at all after that tearful day, 18 years ago, when we had promised each other to always be in touch, no matter what. You must be the same age as mine. Now, you must be a beautiful woman (well, you will always be beautiful, no matter what). You, like me, would be experiencing the greatest experience known as life, in all its shades. You would have other wonderful friends too. You, like me, would be wondering about your dearest friend, me. For all I know, you might be married and might be the mother of a son. Who knows, that son of yours might have a "girlfriend", and their friendship might serve as a constant reminder of ours to you.

Beautifully converge only to diverge. Sigh!!! one of the biggest ironies in life.

Well, I hope we meet someday. My best wishes and love to you. I would always pray for your well-being and happiness. May all your dreams come true.

Regards and Love,
Vivek.

PS: An attempt at fiction? My response to ammani's call for open letters to anyone. A special thanks to ammani for making me finally weave this letter.

Americanness III - Indian Groceries...

2006-07-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

A surprising title to this post. Well, it is about the concept of Indian groceries in the US of A. This can very well be extended to Persian groceries, Turkish groceries, etc. The concept is the same. My being more familiar to the delicacies offered by the Indian cuisine, inspires me to discriminate between the various grocery options available here.

For the uninitiated alien, the newcomers to the US (say, me 3 years ago), all the prices of Indian foods seem totally alien. Isn't it ridiculous to shell out close to 4 USD for a ready-made bhel puri mix. Imagine, a whopping 200 INR, for something that would be available for 10 INR in India. But then, one tends to generalize. "Money is not everything. Why should one miss out on what the taste buds are used to?". It is an altogether different issue, if this would help alleviate or aggregate the inexplicable homesickness.

From what starts to be ridiculously high prices, one gets to better appreciate their pricing with the passage of time. Direct conversion doesn't help at all. For people in India, my own relatives and friends, it is a matter of shock that I need to pay 100's of INR to get basic essentials, which most of them would have taken for granted. Say, toor dal, channa dal, rye, jeera, methi, chilli powder, masala powders, garam masala, ready-made mixes, pickles, and what not.

Such is the lure and seduction of the sense of smell, and taste. One might go and try out the most exotic of cuisines. But then, finally, an Indian could find the greatest peace in having a simple meal of sambhar (known as lentil soup in American circles), rice (the Indian equivalent of the oriental variety), dhahin (amazing curd, available here, loaded with the richness of cream and fat), and the simple pickle. For the non-rice types, say, paratha, curd and pickle.

Such a peaceful dinner would amount to say, 4-5 USD. Wherever you go, whatever you eat, you end up shelling more. So, despite the fact that we end up paying 250 INR for a simple meal, it could be considered money well spent. The mind is a clever instrument, that is capable of bending all rules and degrees, when it comes to justifying anything. With a mere paradigm shift, the beautiful becomes the ugly and vice-versa.

And, importantly, shrewd people loaded with great business acumen and sense have rightly noticed the huge potential in the concept of Indian groceries. Be it the shop-keepers themselves, to the entrepreneurs, to the middle-men. But then, isn't life all about being opportunistic, and utilizing the opportunities that come knocking on one's doors.

PS: What is rasagulla or gulab jamun for the Indian, it is the baklava for the West Asian. In a land, where, anything about one's home country is enough to rise the nostalgia and the fervour in all of us, one doesn't object to paying more to have these "essentials", so as to lead a life as normal as one to the one's in the home country (well!!!, atleast when it comes to food).

Khushboo Welfare Society....

2006-07-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

Causality in real life....

2006-07-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

The football final of World Cup 2006 ITA vs FRA ended on a shocking note, last week. FRA, despite playing the better quality attacking football, after half-time, were the losers. Zinedine Zidane, on whom the previous post was based, delivered, on two counts - orchestration of the game from the midfield; and the vicious head-butt, courtesy the provocation. Such a sad way for his career to end.

This brings us back to the causal nature of the events. If there had been no cause (the provocation), the effect (the head-butt) wouldn't have been there. It doesn't make sense for Materazzi to end up on the winning side and be let scott-free. As Domenech had said, the true man of the match was Materazzi. Fair play needs to necessarily include both physical and non-physical forms of the game.

Zinedine Zidane.....

2006-07-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Zidane, and my landlady's friend, who was kind enough to give me a TV so that I can watch the matches.

The world is so fickleminded. The very same world which had been lambasting the French team and its coach Raymond Domenech, left, right and center (in a rare case of unity), has again made a shameless turnaround (again, displaying a remarkable sense of togetherness). A few were hoping against hope to help the French turn the tide against the world. As Richard Feynman says, "What do YOU care what other people think", seems to be have become the motto of this team, that has made it to the finals. It would be interesting to read these two clippings, spaced nearly a month apart[1,2].

Zidane, is on a swansong, more so during the match against Brazil and Spain, and ironically, it is more with the conviction that each match could be his last match. The world has been fortunate twice. If France hadn't qualified for the second round, then that was the end of Zidane's illustrious career. It would have been such a shame for the world. Second, he didn't get an yellow card against Portugal. That would have meant, the game against Portugal would have been veritably his last game. It would have been a great case of irony, if France were into the finals, and the inspiration behind the team was to sit out.

Coming to the subject of partisan fan following (perfectly justified), there are so many people with tears, now, read Brazilians (inevitably dosed with anger too), Germans (mixed with pride), Portuguese, Argentines, English, etc. The same German crowd that was jubilant after the narrow hard-fought victory over Argentina, was moved to tears after the match against Italy (that had to end in such a dramatic fashion). Football, for that matter, any sport, continues to unify people. Sport is one of the biggest passions of the world.

Despite my being very partisan in my support for the Les Bleus in the finals, may the better team win. Would it be one inspired performance from Zidane, or the hype, limelight, attention get the better of him. The stage couldn't be more perfect. Sadly for the world, his illustrious career is coming to an end. Importantly, what a way to end with the finals of the World Cup Finals 2006? Irrespective of the outcome of the match (well, victory would be more more precious and memorable), he has done his job.

Germany 2006....

2006-06-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

The greatest sporting carnival. A sport transcending across many barriers. A team game. Inarguably, must be the greatest platform for showcasing one's talent in a group effort. Sport, for that matter, provides a means for the highest form of connection between individuals. Only players can understand one another, and the levels of resonance between two players can be unmatched by any other kind of relationship in the world.

So far, some teams have shown their class. Some teams were plain unlucky. Some teams had the ladyluck smiling upon them. For the first time, the author had to resort to viewing those 2 min match highlights here. And, whatever follows in this post, is based on those videos and photos. 16 teams have progressed to the next round, and 16 teams have been eliminated. Ghana, has undoubtedly, played one of the best so far, among the newer generation teams.

Most of these African teams have that raw sensuous magic and power on display. It is an altogether different matter that they have not been so successful because of the lack of the clinical finish. South Korea was unlucky to miss out on the final round of 16. But then, the author being a French supporter, was more than just happy. However, the faces of the South Koreans, players and fans, following their loss to Switzerland, did touch a raw chord. Only days ago, the same set of people were the happiest following the late equalizer vs. France.

One often tends to forget that the world cup is one of the finest moments of the game. Best teams of the world are out there, and it is a true celebration of the spirit of success. Fans from all over the world throng to support "their" teams. A Croatian fan was almost in tears because of the draw vs. Australia, which was not enough. I am sure, that the team that loses out on the finals would also be in tears. It is always a case of "So near, yet so far". There can only be one winner. And that winner is veritably the game itself.

While some teams failed to deliver or impress, most of the teams provided excellent entertainment for the world and most games were high-scoring in nature. This post is dedicated to the 16 teams that didn't make it to the second round. The respective countries must be in that shadow of gloom and pain. The players and the fans, alike, would take some time to recover from this event.

Years of excitement, enthusiasm, and yearning to play wonderful soccer, has transformed to only a month of soccer for these countries. Their fate had been decided over a matter of 3 games, totalling approx. 4.5 hrs. For them, it is time to get back to their normal lives. And, this is something which is difficult. May the force be with them.

The Concept of an American Family...

2006-06-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Images, Illusions, Concepts, Unjustified Assumptions. That's the way we all are. However, my experiences of being a passive spectator to the ways of the American family has been highly enligtening to say the least. This post is again based on my limited experiences only. One need not agree with this post in entirety. Read at your own risk.

***

The West is looked upon as a free society, where people are free to exercise their free-will. And in most cases, when it comes to relationships and physical intimacy, divorces, one-night stands, threesomes, "swinging", teenage sex, single mothers, old-age homes, etc. are "okie" if not all right. One often tends to generalize and it might not be completely wrong to assume that the concept of a family is not that important in the American society.

Compared to the family concept in the East, (read India, for the author is not in a position to make comments on the other countries), there are stark differences. This post is not to meant to be a denigration of either of the two societies. It is more to highlight the strong well-rooted concept of a family, that does exist in America. The author would not want to delve into the intricate comparisons between the West and the East and elaborate on the Indian system.

Some of the key concepts are enumerated below:

Public displays of affection

It is all right for a couple, to walk hand-in-hand or kiss in public. It is considered a natural extension of their intimacy and an expression of their own selves. Neither is it taboo nor fashionable. The world merely exists and they are not bothered as to what the world thinks. To some, it might seem to be a case of arrogance or mere patronising attitude.

"Across the pale parabola of joy", it is definitely all right to live for those transient moments of joys. Summers in Minneapolis, makes one severely "outdoorsy". The author has seen couples going on walks, jogging runs, biking, canoeing, fishing, sitting on bench savoring the presence of each other in silence admiring the ways of nature, etc. etc.

However, the guilt factor of my intruding on their privacy does seep in.

Quality time with children

An entire family, consisting of the husband-wife, daughter, son, go on a bike ride, one behind the another. There have been days when the family is on the beach of one of the so many lakes in Minneapolis, swimming; or trekking in the so many dusty natural trails around. The children love these outings and the happiness in evident in their faces.

For the working fathers and mothers, time after office is meant to be with their children and themselves. They are rigorously punctual to office, often, come early to leave early. But after they leave, rarely do they even think about the office. Weekends are meant to be with the family.

On a similar note, the author has seen familes pay a visit to the Public Library. The children are encouraged to read story books, and also borrow educational DVDs. A healthy atmosphere and the public libraries are "free" (courtesy the state tax we all pay), and usually stock an admirable collection of books (Surprisingly, Enid Blyton is missing).

Vacations

I have known people planning on their vacations for 2-3 weeks with their family. It is a must every year. The entire family looks forward to it. Often, the places are not exotic or the busy cities of America. Privacy and natural outdoors are what appeal to them, say, hiring a wooden cabin in some national park.

***

This is not to mean, that the author finds these qualities missing elsewhere. This is meant to highlight the unjustiable nature of our generalizations when it comes to people. Like mentioned before, it is not that those other elements, bordering more on the experimentation and prurient side of life, are absent.

Respect and Pity...

2006-06-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

I was heavily inspired by my friend and his post to read "The Namesake" by Ms. Jhumpa Lahiri, and this post is heavily inspired by the novel. A not another review of the book. I would however, chose to write on a phrase that is highly effective in conveying what it is meant to convey.

Immigrants, or non-immigrants (read aliens), are in a constant dichotomous state of existence with the perennial question of "What am I?". While one state yearns for the life that they have left behind in their native country, the other finds it a thin line of divide between hate and love for their new country. They slowly begin to accept the ways and life of the new country.

As rightly pointed out in the book, what the citizens of the new country feel for such people is a mixture of respect and pity. The combination of both of these makes it a not so favourable an opininon. Respect for their boldness in coming to a totally alien country as aliens. Pity for their missing out on the pleasures and culture of the native country.

Minneapolis is flooded with African refugees, who have been granted asylum and citizenship by the US. Theirs is, however, a different story. However, for people, who make a conscious decision to come to a new country for professional education or money or whatever, it is a clear case of not exercising their right of living in their country.

From a purely personal experience, an American lady (a cashier in a bank), upon coming to know of my Indian roots, asked me, "Do they have taxes in India". I was surprised with the question. I have also been asked about elephants being used as modes of transport in cities by certain people, out of that nagging curiosity. To most, India is an enigma. I merely tell them, "India is Europe minus Russia". It surprises them to know that India has more Muslims than any other country, despite their being a minority in India.

Anyways, the lady in consideration, told me, "I admire you people for being bold enough to come to a new country. It does require a lot of guts. It must be a tough experience. I cannot imagine myself doing that." Whether, the statement was made out of pure respect, or with that unconscious mix of pity, I truly don't know. However, I must agree that it is a tough experience, requiring really great levels of strength.

By the way, how exactly would life be in our native country? Would it be exactly like the ones we envision. It might very well not be so idyllic. But then, one of my friends had to offer this viewpoint, "If my country cannot offer me what I want, then I guess I have no choice. I would be prepared to accept life for what it has to offer to me. But for the new country, I do have the choice". Yes, my dear reader, it is the choice we make to live in that haze of "respect and pity" for us.

PS: This is a sensitive topic. Each one I have met so far, and have been fortunate to interact with, tries to justify his/her stance. People who love the life in the new country, continuously try to justify. Often, their justifications are convoluted. People who find their life to be that of aliens or second-rate people, suffer in silence, hoping for the dawn of a new day.

PS2: At the same time, there does exist a certain category of people belonging to the native country, that is envious of the alien, and the "rich" life it is leading in the new country. Does the saying, "The grass is greener on the other side" ring a bell.

PS3: The author declines to write about his opinion out here, as it is beyond the scope of this blog.

Passions...

2006-06-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Those close and not-so-close encounters with people, of all kinds, family, closest friends, friends, acquaintances, passers-by, etc. often highlights one viewpoint. Each one is unique and everyone has that innate sensibility towards something that is very very close to one's own heart. Passions tend to rule our life, and each person astonishes me with what he/she is passionate about.

At times, though, it does become difficult to accept the depth and buried treasures that can be found in a so-called passion of a person. That cruel discriminatory and condescending attitude does seep in at times. This viewpoint only proves the cliched "ignorance is not bliss". I am sure the same must be for the others when it comes to seeing the credibility in my passions.

A not-so-comprehensive list of passions that immediately come to my mind (with no due disrespect to other forms and manifestations):

Rock-climbing: My previous house-owner just returned from a 3 week trip to Alaska, which essentially involved mountaineering and climbing to a 20,000 ft. altitude.
Flying planes: The same person as above has his own private two-seater plane and enjoys flying. Heavily Bachesque in nature.
Wandering aimlessly in cities: One of my friends believes that one of the most enjoyable, unforgettable and life-changing experiences would be wandering aimlessly in cities.
Head-banging and rock: One of my closest friends comes up with an essay about his experiences in a recent rock concert that included GnR and Metallica.
Football/Cricket: I have known people swear by the same name with their Gods being Pele, Ronaldo, Maradona, Sobers, Tendulkar and Gavaskar.
Crosswords: A day begins with this engaging, intellectual and pleasurable activity.
Conversations: Connections and sensible conversations with people who can understand, empathise and appreciate.
Books: Some people love to live in the idyllic world of books. Even here, there is that huge divide between people who love reading for fun and others who love serious reading. Compare Wodehouse with Kafka or Nietschze.
Music: For some, music veritably happens to be an expression of their life itself. With the myriad of music forms around, one happens to be naturally selective. Spending an entire day with their instrument (incl. their own voice) in a heavily claustrophobic room, all alone, would be their best times of their lives.
Spirtuality: Some love to talk about the soul, mind, heart and the body. Advanced levitating souls might even talk about consciousness, divine, sublime spirit, energy, and so on.
Travelling: Similar to the one about wandering aimlessly in cities. Most travel ventures, however, happen to be planned. Certain places are not to be missed and a solo photo with the landmark a must.
Studies: This could be wrongly termed geeky or nerdy. Nothing brings as much pleasure to these folks than solving some interesting theorem or tinkering around with radio hand-sets or coding.
Photography: Still-life, at times voyeuristic, at times narcissistic, capturing the emotions and moods of unknown people, and having a prolonged affair with light.
Painting: People swear by Monet, Seurat, Manet, Renoir, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso, Chagall. Pencil sketching, drawing caricatures of teachers while sitting at the back in the classes, taking up graduate studies in liberal arts, visiting art museums, etc.
Music Appreciation: Listening to a variety of stuff for their aesthetic appeal. Technical music appreciation could be a problem. But, then, it doesn't seem to bother these people. Interestingly, the same musician evokes two different kinds of appreciation in two people.
Writing: Writing for their own pleasure. Some dream of writing books for the public at a later stage in life. Some write these so-called "blogs" even when they have a pile of things at hand.
Politics: People love to discuss politics for hours without sleep, food, and coffee. What should India's foreign policy be, what is happening in a vague remote Baluchistan province, socialism vs. capitalism, etc. etc.
Sports: People love to watch a cricket match or a racing venture without sleep, food and coffee. Some play a sport and some watch a sport.
Movies: The movie buffs who find it irresistable to not watch a boring movie too. Any movie, be it a box-office hit or a fizzle, demands their attention, appreciation and comment.
Star-gazing: A relatively interesting and less kn0wn activity.
Poetry: Staggered lines make the world for these set of people. While some might restrain to reading romantic poetry by the lines of Shelly, Keats, Wordsworth, others try their own hand at poetry.
Gaming: Totally and completely devoted to this pastime.
Jogging: Miles means the world to them. Their happiness might have nothing to do with Miles Davis though.
Cars: They shamelessly letch and drool over cars. Frequently known to be waiting for the day when they would own a BMW convertible or a Benz or a Ferrari.
Money: For some, money is everything.
Service: Service to the less fortunate is a deliverance and "the calling" for these people.
Teaching: A kind of service, and the low pay-scale is not a problem.
Nature: Moving rivers, Passing clouds, Mountains, Seas, Lakes, Beaches, Trails, Open fields, etc.

The author has merely quoted the various activities that people around him happen to be passionate about. His views, proficiency and knowledge on even one of them is not the subject of interest out here. Additions are more than welcome.

Nine Months Later...

2006-06-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

I had no answers then. I still do not have any answers.

This post is inspired, courtesy a conversation with my friend, who also happened to help me in times of dire need. He told me, "Ranga, last year same time, you had so many question marks. Now, some have cleared. A few new ones have appeared. So don't think so much. With time, the answers will emerge".

Well, this I suppose belongs to all these similar schools of thought; of divine surrender after doing our duty of the best possible efforts; whatever happens, happens for the best and at the right time; the haziness of winter gives way to springtime; the dawn of a new day signifies the birth of a new hope and a new beginning.

At no moment, are we in control of our life. So wouldn't it be better to stop planning and being totally futuristic. Isn't life all about constant improvisation, albeit within a bounded limit of what one can do (heavily analogous to the concept of Raga in Indian Classical Music).

PS: This is not the case of a defeatist attitude, though.

Respect and Love....

2006-05-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered about the relationships that are special to you. What sets them apart is the presence of both respect and love for the other person. Respect provides the much needed distance while love bridges upon the very same distance. A case of distanced closeness.

The most important of all relationships is the relationship with the self. We could love our own self, forgetting all our faults. But then, respect for our own self would definitely be lacking. It would be our earnest endeavor to respect and love ourselves. And one of the most difficult tasks at hand in this endeavor is forgiveness of the self.

Thus, the presence of both respect and love, makes the relationship all the more special and meaningful. Even if one of them is lacking, the relationship suffers heavily. Respect without love and love without respect doesn't make sense at all. Respect and love - the two complementary positive opposites need to co-exist in harmony.

Associative Nostalgia - IV ... Shoes.

2006-05-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

The pristine innocence of childhood makes one derive happiness and joy from the simplest of things. How the world would become an even more wonderful place to be in, all because the child got a new shoe. Be it the "naughty boy/girl" series from Bata (with their ***.95 pricings), a pair of simple canvas shoes, colorful floaters/sandals, the universal hawaii chappals, or the highly sophisticated "Made in South Asia" products of the big brands - Nike, Reebok, Adidas, etc; well, it doesn't really matter.

How often would you have wanted a new shoe, a different kind of shoe, simply by watching what other people wore? At an age, when we often do not want to get into an another person's shoes, the personal desire or craving for the shoe does often get sadly unnoticed by the parents. In some cases, even if it does get noticed by the parents, the proposal is brutally rejected with the quaint excuse, "You are taking very good care of your shoes. They should easily last one more year". This would and should encourage you to not take very good care of your shoes. Why foolishly wait for one more year because you are being well-mannered? It is simply not worth it.

But then, this new dash of recklessness with the shoe does get noticed. You would be reprimanded for not taking proper care of the shoes. This would be followed by a generalization on the present generation of kids, as to how they have no value for money, how the parents were not like that when they were kids, how tough it used to be in those days to even have a pair of dresses, etc. The child is no doubt helplessly bewildered. Either of its ways has no appeal for the parents; and the new shoe being showcased in the shop across the corner, a sacred place of daily visit, would be sadly and painfully lying there unappreciated.

Days of tantrums finally give way to the ultimate purchase of the shoe. The child proudly goes to the "shop" with its parents. Its eyes would proclaim to the world - "Look, I am going to be the emperor of all that I survey. I am going to get the shoe that I have been wanting all along". All those procedures of buying the right size, trying in a varied set of shoes, going for a short walk within the shop on the new shoe, having a tough time deciding between two equally appealing ones, would make the child be supremely happy. Finally, "All is well that ends well", says the child to its parents with that naughty mischievous smile.

One often wonders, where in the long process of "growing up", does this innocence get lost. Life was far less complicated those days. Or rather, do we tend to make life more complicated as we grow up.

PS: The readers are recommended to view this movie by Majid Majidi, "Children of Heaven", which is a wonderful tale woven about a shoe and the brother-sister duo.

The walk of life... Revisited.

2006-05-18T09:06:00.001-07:00

May 13, 2006 : A red-letter day for some, including the author. The day arrived. The culmination of a 3 year affair with my alma mater and the transition from a student to alumnus happened on that day. A member of the Aggie family for life.

This being the first convocation in my life, (courtesy my undergrad school that believed in shipping the degree by registered post to be more practical due to whatever practical reasons); it was a fabulous experience. Here, was celebration of life and success in everyone at its pristine best.

Cheered by an audience amounting to 40,000+, inspired by the smiles in many fellow graduates, and awed by the dazzling regalia on display, this occasion would be an occasion to remember for the entire lifetime.

The key note of the convocation speech was "Things do get better eventually. However, they do not happen automatically without any effort from our side". There was a time, when this day was a mere illusion and a mirage. Things did get better with time, and I finally managed to encounter the oasis in this journey across the desert, in my search for water.

Some of my friends were able to make it for my convocation too, and make the event more special. A special thanks to one and all. It would be blasphemous to discriminate between my friends.

The dawn of a new day gives birth to a new hope and a new beginning.

PS: Not so long ago, my experience as an awed spectator can be found here.

Mother's Day Special.

2006-05-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

The author was treated to a concert, that could be considered a fitting tribute to all mothers at Houston this Sunday. The artistes for the evening were Dr. N Rajam, her daughter Dr. Sangeetha Shankar and her grand-daughters Ragini and Nandini. We were treated to some soulful music from the bowed violins of these artists in the Hindustani style.

The two children were highly enthusiastic and played Rag Jog for us. Having been brought up on a staple food of Indian Classical Music, their performance would have made both the mothers proud. However, they being the guru's too, their recital would have invoked a few constructive criticisms too, for their improvement.

Does being a member of a musical family help. Needless to say, it was really delightful to see the three generations of artistes playing the violin. The stamp of the guru was unmistakable in the shishyas. Dr. N Rajam must be one of the most successful mothers in her own right in the world. Her legendary legacy would continue with her daughters (in contrast to the usual paternal gharana system).

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the world. They are veritably different manifestations of Mother Goddess.

The sense of touch....

2006-05-01T23:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered about the importance of the sense of touch in our lives? How many times would you feel uncomfortable when someone crosses the limits of personal space and gets physically close to you? Your personal space is something that you treasure a lot. And, you allow only a few people in your life to violate the sacred territory.

Be it the mother suckling her baby, the child sleeping with its parents, the man and woman walking hand in hand, a casual handshake between acquaintances, a warm hug between two very good friends, your guru/elder blessing you, the sense of touch plays a very important role.

I happened to gently and affectionately stroke the very same cat in this post, and it responded by stroking my toe. It felt more secure; and to be honest from my side, it felt nice to be trusted by this cat. The sense of touch and the feeling of warmth and security is truly universal.

People Watching.....

2006-04-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

Most people indulge in this very engaging, enriching and at times, titillating activity. Be it the public transport, the office, the school, the recreation center, the places of worship, the coffee shops, the restaurants, the car, whatever. It need not necessarily be limited to what is termed "sighting" or to put it more forcefully, letching. We can learn a lot about human behavior, interactions and relationships by just watching people. For a moment, forgetting all our worries and reasons for happiness, we take the roles of people we shamelessly watch.

Some interesting examples, that come to the author's immediate notice, are given below; in no particular preference or sequence. All of them are from the USA due to their recent nature of occurrences. This is not meant to serve as an indicator about the American culture or Americanness. The examples are cited with a pure innocuous intention. A second article on Indian experiences would be posted sometime.

#1. 6th St. and Cedar St. Bus Stop, St. Paul, MN, USA

An Afro-American girl, barely 15 years of age, dressed in a hip fashion (vulgar and unbecoming of such a tender age), smoking a cigar and puffing her way to whatever insane glory.

#2. 5th St. and Minnesota St. Bus Stop, St. Paul, MN, USA

A young couple, anywhere between 15-17, lustily kissing and eating each other's mouths in public. She looks down there at him, and teasingly calls him "retarded". Open use of abusive language, commenting on others, making fun of others, rampant "liberalism"

#3. Starbucks Coffee, San Rafael, CA, USA

A lady reading a big fat book, A boy solving a crossword game, A man working on his laptop, An old man making a move with a relatively young girl, fit enough, to be his daughter or even grand-daughter. A guy playing the guitar outside the shop; with a few interested onlookers.

#4. Starbucks Coffee, Cottage Grove, MN, USA

An old couple (70+), having a wonderful conversation over a cup of coffee. Love is evident in the air and their eyes convey everything. Highly encouraging.

#5. Bike trail, Cottage Grove, MN, USA

A family of four, husband, wife, and two cute children, riding on four bikes, one behind the another, having a high quality recreative time spent with their loved ones.

#6. Lawns, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

The dawn of summer brings out the best in the women of College Station. Sporting bikinis and leisurely reading stuff, lying totally "laid-front" on the ground. Enough to attract the attention of of many a roving and lustful eye.

#7. North gate pub, College Station, TX, USA

Noise blaring in the background. People on the process of getting drunk. Some tend to get physically intimate, oblivious of the surroundings. People trying to have conversations. Smoke and alcohol provide a not-so comfortable environment for a non-smoker and a non-drinker.

#8. Sweet Eugene's, A coffee shop, College Station, TX, USA

A group of four girls, playing Scrabble over coffee.

#9. Recreation Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

A feast for the eyes for many guys, including the author. Their dedication to the maintenance of their body structure deserves genuine appreciation.

#10. Sbisa Dining Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

A young Hispanic girl (10-13), glued to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, completely oblivious of the surroundings.

#11. Red Hot Jazz Cafe, Houston, TX, USA

People, majority Afro-Americans, having dinner with amazing live jazz performances. Amazing peaceful easy feeling. Harmony is in the air.

#12. Joe Satriani Concert, Dallas, TX, USA

A group of people, sporting "black" paraphernalia, tattoed arms, hips, stomachs, belly-rings and rings in so many different and interesting places, totally stoned with drugs, fag and booze. Listening dangerously close (atleast their ears) to heavy metal high volume music, during the breaks.

#13. River Walk, San Antonio, TX, USA

Couples craving for privacy in supposedly one of the most romantic places in the US. Ironically, crowded with so many like-minded couples.

.... and so on.

Humility....

2006-04-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

There are some good things in life that would be a conquest for the entire lifetime. Humility is one of them. The author has seen so many shades of humility in people. Genuine humility, a superficial layered humility, humility to the point of arrogance, and extreme vanity. Being genuinely humble, would be the conquest for life.

The most dangerous of the four forms is humility to the point of arrogance. One tends to get complacent, forget the difficult times, not count the blessings, and become arrogantly humble. In this case, there is that heavy layer of hypocrisy involved. Naturally, it is more depracating than the case of extreme vanity. Atleast, people are being honest to themselves then.

So, when you do think that you have done something great or have every reason to be arrogant, but are not doing so, to be in the good books of people, think deep down. Realise the insignificance of the self. Realise the importance of being honest and scrupulous. Coming to terms with your own horrendous self can be the most difficult task at hand.

Of Cats and Dogs....

2006-04-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

This post is drawn from a personal experience of mine and is about a cat and a dog. Their interactions remind me of sibling rivalry or those moments of feeling usurped by the new entrant into the family. It all began like this.

The cat was the queen of the house. The entire house was her territory. Oh! boy, she did have an amazing time, running here and there, up and down, over the fridge, the wooden cabinets, etc. A very friendly cat.

Then, a dog (a few months old) was brought into the house. They were to share the same territory. The cat was forgotten but for the occassional "how are you doing". The dog is currently being pampered with daily evening walks and is allowed to sleep in the master's bedroom. And, when the two of them are together, let loose, the cat's superiority is gone. The dog chases the cat and frightens her to the hilt. Sadistic pleasure at the plight of the cat by the dog is rampantly obvious.

I guess all this is pretty natural. But then, what shocks me, are the eyes of the cat. The happiness is gone. She is sad. When the dog goes out for a walk with her master, the cat's eyes make that desperate plea. She is silent these days. No longer does she run around the house. She simply sits in the sofa, mourning. I really feel sorry for her. But then, as always, she needs to learn to share and the younger sibling, the dog, needs to accomodate her too.

Emotions are truly universal.

PS: I being, a paying guest in the house, cannot do much. However, I would like to dedicate this post to that cat.

Human Relationships... Revisited.

2006-04-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Hesam, and a few others, for providing me with important lessons.

Human relationships, an enigma and a long journey for life. At the very outset, the author clarifies that relationships do NOT necessarily mean only those of a romantic nature. It doesn't mean anything. Have you ever wondered about the people in your circle of life? What makes them special and what makes them different from the numerous acquaintances in your life?

Do you have people in your life who would do "anything" for you, because you are you. What moves the world? What makes people be there for you in those moments of despair, frustration, joy, bliss and overwhelming happiness? It is an altogether different issue that no one can truly share one's happiness and sorrows, due to the limited experiences and abilities to empathise.

If you look at it, there are so many different kinds of human relationships and interactions. However, two broad classifications do exist.

#1. Divine incarnates

These people are the guardians of our life. They love us deeply for what we are. Our happiness matters most to them. They are there, everytime, we need them. They do their best in ensuring the well-ness of our being. They do not mind "giving" all the time. They never let us be alone. Their prayers, wishes, blessings, are always with us. If you look back, we cannot "give" anything in return to compensate in even a small "unvulgar" manner their magnanimous gestures. It is like a bonding for life and they are veritably incarnations of the divine or energy or vibrations or the hidden hand or the force.

The people in these classification would be the Divine itself, our guru's, our parents, our siblings, and all our teachers. Often, in these relationships, since we keep "taking" all the time, we can but hope to give our respect, gratitude and love to them. For e.g., what does a guru do to you? He/she helps you in your journey, by giving you all that he/she has. The only thing he/she expects is that you do not misuse the invaluable lessons. I bow down to all of them.

#2 An eye for an eye

Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation, had once said, "If everyone were to practice an eye for an eye, then there would be no more eyes in the world." He had meant it at the macroscopic level of a nation, and it was more negative because of the varied killings in the name of hatred. But the author has firmly come to believe in this theory, so very well expounded by my dear friend Hesam, at the micrsoscopic level of the self.

When it comes to relationships, that are not in #1, it has to be this way. He calls it the 50% rule. Some say it is like a bank deposit (where you can withdraw only after you deposit). My guru calls it the feedback rule (positive feedback attracts positive, negative feedback attracts negative, a case of like attracts like). The author calls it an eye for an eye. The crux is the same.

Just like two hands need to clap, two souls need to sustain the relationship. Both need to evince an interest in maintaining it. As long as there is mutual respect and affection, it should be fine. Most relationships stand the test of the time, when the two people are physically apart. The big question is "Can you still be friends for life with them". As a simple case, how would it be when you keep calling the other person all the time, and not receive any from him/her. Extend this case to emails and all kinds of informal/formal communications.

Look at the people in your life. Count them. You would be shocked to know as to how small a number that can be. My dear friend, count your blessings and do everything possible to maintain the relationship. If you need to call, then go ahead and call them up. A friendly "hope all is fine with you" email can do wonders. Be there, as that support and that shoulder to lean upon when they need you. Leave them as they are. If they are having a great time, then try to share their happiness. If they are having a bad time, then be a patient listener and try to empathise.

PS: I know that there are so many books on personal relationships. However, you never really get to understand them, until you experience them in your own special ways, do you?

PS2: I have been so lax and negligent when it comes to sustaining relationships. Even though my wishes would be with them, I would never wish them. I have a lot to learn when it comes to human relationships. Thank you, appa; for always driving this point in.

PS3: I do not know as to where the concept of a soulmate or life-partner fits in. When the time comes to cross the bridge across forever, it shall be done.

Libraries...

2006-04-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to all the libraries that have been there for me. Be it, a small room with an old man keeping track of old books in Madurai, the Murugan Lending Library of Adyar, Madras fame, the umpteen school libraries, BITS, TAMU, and now the Cottage Grove Public Library.

#1. Have you ever got lost in a library, bewildered at the assortment of books around?

#2. Have you ever picked a book, totally on an impulse, and ended up not reading it too?

#3. Have you ever experienced the excitement of a child when you come across a book you have been wanting to read all along?

#4. Have you ever wondered as to how life would be without libraries?

#5. Have you ever thought as to which option would be better - selfishly owning a few books, or, having a book be embraced and experienced by many more readers, courtesy a library?

Americanness I - Coffee...

2006-04-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

A series of posts - complementary to the Indianness articles, about life in America. Does the concept Americanness exist.

I must admit when it comes to my ignorance about the delights of various types of coffee. Having been brought up in a family with "filter coffee" as the norm, all these talks of cappuccino, frappuccino, latte, mocha, machiato, espresso, and the likes were confusing. There was that fear of public ridicule for not knowing the basic stuff about coffee. Heeding the recommendations of friends, willingness and daringness to try out new varieties, prompted me to simply go ahead and give them all a sip.

Starbucks, with its presence everywhere, in the US was, is and would be the experiment station. This is not to mean that India wouldn't have offered me the means to sample such varieties at Barista's and Coffee Day outlets. Let it suffice, that the author was not in a position to experiment then. Since the experiments are being conducted in US, this post is being included under the section "Americanness". Purists might claim that coffee is not american. That way, there is nothing called American - for US is veritably a country of immigrants that has embraced many cultures and traditions to come up with its unique blend. Further, agreed that most of the terms and coffee varieties are of italian origin.

So, the bottomline is, out of fear for what others think about our ignorance, we might not end up clarifying. So, ignorance just piles up and at times, it does become late to go back and ask. But then, I did finally summon the courage to ask a petite barista of the fairer sex (beautiful can also be an adjective to further qualify the lady), as to what these varieties meant and how different they really were. She was kind and courteous enough to reply. Moroever, she added that it was their duty to enlightenten the world (read people like me) about coffee.

Cappuccino is 1/3rd foam, 1/3rd espresso and 1/3rd milk. Latte contains more milk and less froth than cappuccino. Frappuccino is truly american Starbuck's version of frozen cappuccino. Mocha includes cocoa. Espresso is the pure shot. People who serve coffee are known as Barista's. There is a Barista club. Barista's are commanded to take pride in being Barista's. There is this exact temperature and pressure to be applied to make the espresso. How a lower temperature might end up making it sweet and the higher temperature sour, or vice versa (not really sure).

The post on the Indian Coffee can be found here.

The Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki....

2006-03-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

Please do not be surprised with this seeping in of a post with heavy political overtones. The thought for this post came up after a discussion over lunch with my American colleagues.

Imagine this.

You are a young child, say a teenager. You have a debate at school. You are asked to defend the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on a purely rational basis. What would you do?

Having been brought up in India, this same topic would have assumed an altogether different angle. What makes it harder for the American children, is their need to justify the savage act of their previous generations. The war reached such horrendous proportions, that at that point of time, hurting the enemy in any manner was an acceptable solution.

How would a German justify what the Nazi's did to the Jews. How would a Spaniard/Portuguese justify the horrendous acts of his/her forefathers with the rape of Latin America. How would a Japanese justify the rape of China? How would one justify the aftermath of the Partition of India? How would one justify the slavery and harsh treatment meted out towards Africa? Infact, how can anyone justify the acts of the imperialists, dictators and terrorists?

Well, no justifications, whatsoever. Have you ever thought of this? The world has never been peaceful. There has always been a simmer of discontent, violence and war. It is no different now from what it had been all this while.

We need to find that peace and harmony amidst all chaos.

The Importance of Sinning....

2006-03-23T10:20:00.001-08:00

How does one know what to avoid without getting burnt once?

From the lust, dawns the love.

From laziness, comes the dynamism.

From the profane, comes the sacred.

From the cynic, comes the sensitive soul.

From the rejection of the self, comes the acceptance of the self.

From the base metals, comes the gold.

From the pain, comes the ecstacy.

From the impure, comes the pure.

From the sin, emerges the virtue.

The circle of life - a complete circle.

PS: Getting burnt is a process in itself.

One need not stop with just one experience.

Not all experiences are the same.

We just get cooked better the next time.

Bournvita....

2006-03-19T16:49:00.000-08:00

White....

2006-03-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

The definition of pure white.

The play of colors - snow with the dark wood.

The game of hide and seek.

A beautiful day in paradise.

A fairy tale.

Madras...

2006-03-11T23:20:00.000-08:00

The city you might very well fall in love with. Nothing spectacular about the city. Yet, charmingly seductive in every possible manner. If you hate it, please do re-consider your decision. Everything in the world deserves a second chance.

Elliot's beach, Kapaleeswar Temple, Parrys Corner, Saravana Bhawan, Adyar Ananda Bhawan, Spencers, Mount Road, Gemini, L.S.S., PTC, 29C, Landmark, December Season, P S Senior, Luz Corner, Ranganathan Street, Nalli's, Marina Beach, TTK Road, Music Academy, LB Road, Adyar Signal, Cooum, Murugan Lending Library, Valluvar Kottam, IIT Madras, Raj Bhawan, Sathyam Theater, Vijaya Stores, Madras Central, Kalakshetra, East Mada Street, Marundeeswar Temple, Thiruvanmiyur, "1 Express", Velachery, Tidel Park, Egmore, Cancer Institute, ICF, Avadi, Ambattur Industrial Estate, Guindy, Tambaram, Alaipayuthey, Electric trains, Adyar Bakery, Madisar Mami, Iyer, Iyengar, Street Cricket, Chepauk, India vs. Pakistan, Light house, Mahabalipuram, Nanganallur, Sapthagiri Express, Trisulam, Meenambakkam, Nungambakkam, ATP Gold Flake Open, Palimar, Traffic Jams, Theosophical Society, Banyan Tree, Narada Gana Sabha, Summer Season, Kancheepuram Sarees, Jasmine flowers, Two leaves, Rising Sun, Dravidan Politics, TN Express, Stella Maris, Madras Book Fair, Pori, Kadalai, Veg. Puffs, Coaching Classes, Masilamani Street, KSR, Santhanam, Govi, Balsu, TRS, DOTE, Aavin Park, Sathya Studio, Ranga Road, Rex Fashions, Krishna Cafe, Narasu's Coffee, Leo Coffee House, Sangeetha's, Water Lorries, Telugu Ganga Project, "Hot, Hotter, Hottest", Cyclones, and what not.

The lonely crusader....

2006-03-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

We are all alone in this journey called life, seeking answers to our very own questions. At times the questions themselves change. However, the answers are never the same at any point of time. Every person's experiences are unique and each face has a story to tell worthy of respect. No matter what the connectivity is between two souls, it is indeed difficult to share happiness and pain of a person. No one can truly share both of them. A harsh statement but perfectly true in almost every sense.

Important people at times cause hurt in our lives because of this very expectation from them - that they can and should share our happiness and pain. Deep down, that expectation is there. It is best not to expect anything from anyone; no matter how special or important they might be in our lives. I suppose this approach would work out the healthiest in all relationships - be it between mother and son, father and daughter, sister and brother, friend and a friend, soulmates(?), husband and wife, and what not.

Solitude becomes the most cherished, and yet painful possession for all of us. Yes, we are all alone! Our experiences are limited and what the important people in our lives can do for us is also limited. The same holds for what we can do for them. However, the joy of living is a blessing, and it is our foremost and the most important reason for existence. This is not being selfish. If we are happy, people in our lives are also happy. As Paulo says in his book, "By the River Piedra, I sat down and wept",

"Joy is sometimes a blessing, but it is often a conquest. Our magic moment helps us to change and send us off in search of our dreams. Yes, we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times, and we will experience many disappointments - but all of this is transitory; it leaves no permanent remark. And one day we will look back with pride and faith at the journey we have taken."

Netaholic....

2006-02-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

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....

2006-02-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

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...

2006-02-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

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....

2006-02-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

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...

2006-02-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Vande Maataram....

2006-01-22T19:36:00.000-08:00

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, will be one year old tomorrow. An important occasion for me - a year that lead to a remarkable metamorphosis from a cynic to a regular blogger. This has been an important part of my journey so far and often, the journey is more rewarding than the final destination itself.

It will not be wrong to admit my addiction to blogger. Further, having those counters that dole out loads of statistical information keeps the narcissisctic "me" happy. Some google search terms that invariably land up on one of my posts keeps me amused. I have made quite a few real good friends out here. I have a few readers who visit my blog on an almost daily basis.

I might not be regular at times. I have removed my blog twice, in moments of frustration and claustrophobia. I am a normal person, too. I have my own share of ups and downs. But nevertheless, I am really glad that I stuck it out till the end, and this one year has become a reality.

STATISTICS

#1 Started January 23, 2005

#2 No. of Posts 88

#3 Counters ON June 17, 2005

#4 No. of unique visitors 1884

#5 No. of pageloads 6432

Signs of a humble beginning. I must admit, that this blog has helped me in a lot of ways than one. A big thank you to all my readers.

Vande Maataram

A photoblog by yours truly and dedicated to the feminine face of God - the Mother.

PS: A special thanks to AM, for not liking the original name of the link for the photoblog. I must admit, those moments of remarkable enthusiasm and genius from my side. :) (just an extra n at the right place for the transformation from rangasphotos to rangasphotons) Electrons and Photons belonging to the author must make the author a seemingly uninteresting and nerdy character, joker and cartoon. Oh! How I love this paradigm.

PS2: A special mention and thanks to Abilin, for encouraging me to start. It all started with a chat conversation.

Failures....

2006-01-18T21:49:00.000-08:00

What do we do with failures?

Why should they happen?

In hindsight, there would have always been a better way of doing things.

Who knows, the failures could have been avoided.

Why is it difficult to accept failures?

What makes it difficult?

Is it the ego, peer-rejection, shame, loss of face, or

Is it the stigma.

Why is it that everyone wants success in life?

What is success?

Who defines success?

What exactly is the purpose of life?

The "undeniable" embraces each one of us, repeat, each one of us at some point of time in our lives. No one is special. We are all united in our struggle towards facing the "undeniable". Each "undeniable" event is unique and distressing in its own way. But thankfully, each event is transitory and fleeting. There is so much dynamism in life that good things happen too. But then, it doesn't take long for a good thing to become a bad thing and vice-versa.

Moreover, it is easy for others to say - you will get over this bad patch. Take things in the right spirit. Whatever happens, happens for the best. I know, highly positive way of looking at things. But then, at some point, you just want to sit and ponder over all that has happened. Sometimes, you want to share the pain. And sometimes, you want to talk about your failures. I am sure everyone will agree with me, that we ourselves are victims and perpretators of this "crime".

When the "undeniable" happens to us, our friends and important people rally around to be the life-support systems. They talk about the beautiful things in life, which could make life all the more difficult for us. On the other side, when the "undeniable" happens to others, we might step in into that role of a mentor and sermonize. Wouldn't it be better to be left alone and leave others alone. I truly don't know. Guess a right mix of both will greatly help. But then, what the right mix is, is a truly vast grey area and a rather very thin line of divide too.

Lastly, we might not realise and recognize the failures of others. Behind every success in a man/woman, there lies a string of failures known only to a few persons. Sadly, the world fails to acknowledge this bare fact of life; and failure makes a person out of him/her. Having talked so much about failures, I guess "learning lessons" would be a better substitute for this word. This post only reminds me of the proverb that we learnt during those early days of childhood - "Failures are the stepping stones to success". A wise saying, ironically forgotten till failures come by, knocking at our doors.

Why does the world (us and them) forget the failures, the tears, the struggle, those moments of inexplicable emptiness, anxiety and self-introspections ... ?

Superstitions....

2006-01-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

This Friday happened to be the 13th too. The number 13 brings jitters to many. Each one has his/her own set of idiosyncratic superstitions. Why are we so superstitious? There has to be a reason for being superstitious.

Is it because of the fact that we always want "good" things to happen to us in our lives; and we critically tend to analyse as to why "bad" things happened the way they happened. The analysis of the past will reveal the reason why it happened. Ironically and funnily, these reasons are often flimsy. The actual occurrence of the "bad" result is in no relation to the flimsy excuse. Yet, we normally tend to not repeat the so-called reason again in a similar circumstance. Is superstition a part of a learning curve where we do not repeat our mistakes :)

Just the very fact that the failure of an event is blamed on a flimsy reason (the poor scapegoat) leads to this idiosyncratic superstition. Psychologically, the mind is in a better and more positive state of mind. The positive state actually leads to the success of an event and not the superstition. But then, as long as it works, is it not right to be superstitious. I do not have an answer to this fundamental question. Does being superstitious really help one in his/her endeavour. Moroever, it is the attempt to actually not admit one's fault when the scapegoat is around.

PS: Hmmm.. one of those posts that are highly incoherent and vague. I am sure that most people tend to be superstitious in their own, sweet, little, funny ways.

Of daughters and sons....

2006-01-04T22:25:00.000-08:00

This is an attempt to break the routine of writing about posts that have the philosophical tinge. One of my very good friends, who has been a thick friend through and through, during both the good and bad times, felt that I needed a break; a departure from writing about not-so-beautiful topics. Here, is this attempt, or is it really so? :)

There was a time, say, once upon a time; when daughters were looked down upon as a financial burden. Birth of a daughter signified worries and financial problems for the family. The dowry and the practice of having a "decent" wedding for their daughter forced parents to spend their entire life savings on a single afternoon. She was therefore, veritably a burden. Moreover, the culture and society of India had this extra problem of taking care of the girl child once she came of age. While the girl was grappling to come in terms with the hormonal reality, here was the added security and advice (all in the right spirit and earnest) that added an element of worry for her parents. {It is an altogether different issue that boys were also grappling to come in terms with the hormonal reality}.

Moroever, the daughter has to go to an another family. She is literally wedded to the new family. Who knows what is in store for her? What kinds do the husband and in-laws turn out to be? So, she has to be beautiful (well, can everyone be physically beautiful?), well-educated (hmmm...), needs to know music (either singing or dancing!), needs to have a well-balanced opinion towards everything male (the other can flirt, the other can ogle at beautiful women, the other can lust; the other can drink/smoke, while she has to be devoted (yes, devoted) to her male). Disgusting, right? That was the way it all was. Now these MCPs are giving way to those feminists, yes, feminists who have taken the plunge.

So what happens now. The girl is well-educated. The girl is talented when it comes to co-curriculars. In the name of feminism, girls are quite open these days with flirting, lusting for Brad Pitt (nothing wrong in it, right?), drinking or smoking socially (a fashion of the times), and want the so-called significant other to have a well-balanced opinion towards everything female (I don't know as to what constitutes as "female" out here). Equally disgusting, right? So, where is all this leading to? The author feels that both need to develop a healthy respect for each other; and both need to act their own natural selves, instead of being swayed to the tunes of MCPs and femininists.

Coming back to the original topic of discussion, nowadays in the nuclear families, children are limited to two, and in some cases one. The most interesting case is when there are two children in a family. Gone are the days when the girl child was a burden. A daughter is equally precious these days as a son. (A very welcome development; but still not universal). The author waits for the day, when, the growth of a foetus is no longer monitored for purposes of female infanticide but for the genuine purpose of its well-being and health, amongst all sections of the society. This will be a sign of true progress in a society. Take these cases of two children phenomenon in the families. #1 Daughter, Daughter; #2 Daughter, Son; #3 Son, Daughter; #4 Son, Son.

Cases 2 and 3 though different, are more or less similar. However, the interesting feature is in Cases 1 and 4. I have seen families with two sons having that desire for a girl child, who is seen as a delicate, beautiful creation on earth who can do a host of wonderful activities in the field of music and dance. Most must admit that a girl performing bharatanatyam gracefully is preferable any day. Similarly, I have seen families with two daughters having that desire for a son, who is seen as a different kind of a beautiful creation on earth. He can have the thread ceremony and can be made to learn the say, mridangam or tabla. Have you ever seen a girl play the mridangam or tabla (no... maybe the fashionable drums). It merits to be a sexist when it comes to arts and aesthetics. :)

Sometimes, their unfilled desires become blatantly obvious that the author finds it downright humorous. Their reasons are more often than not, justified too. What can one say? The grass is always greener on the other side. To be honest, this is a brutal generalization and might very well be unwarranted. It is an altogether different issue as to how close these siblings turn out to become as they "grow up".

PS: By the way, one of the sayings used to bless a newly wedded wife (very common in rural parts of India) - "May you be the mother of a thousand sons". Highly indicative of the bias against daughters. This bias continues to sadly exist in most parts of India, not necessarily rural.

A 2006 Offering....

2005-12-31T10:47:00.000-08:00

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, has decided to come up with a new blog "Endaro Mahanubhavulu" - dedicated entirely to the domain of music. It merits mention that the author is a neophyte when it comes to this vast ocean of music. Kindly treat his opinions with a pair of tongs - because they might very well be technically wrong.

The blog aims to generate an awareness among the reader about the various beautiful things that thankfully continue to exist today. It will mostly touch upon the aesthetic and emotive aspects of music, rather than the technical aspects itself. There are a host of amazing sites that do justice to their very philosophy of existence.

All kinds of music will be given a fair treatment out here. Be it the two forms of Indian Classical Music - Hindustani and Carnatic; Indian Folk music, Western Classical Music - renaissance, baroque, romantic, impressionist, etc., Jazz - smooth jazz, those early days, bebop era, cold era, etc., Rock and Roll, Contemporary Music, Film soundtracks, Celtic music, Arabic music, Latin music, African music, Oriental music, etc.

The author cannot know everything. To be honest, his knowledge of all these forms is very very limited; indeed difficult to measure even on a ppm scale. There are so many people, who have been immersed in this field of music, for their entire life-time, and yet who have so much to learn. Music is a true ocean. But then, the best way to start is to start. The author sincerely hopes that he can learn as much from this project as the readers themselves.

It is not intended that some form of music is given preference over the another. I apologise beforehand for such events. Moroever, I respect people of all kinds - be them atheists, agnostics, spiritually inclined but not religious, the religiously inclined, etc. Whenever, a post seeps in with a dominating feel for a particular religion, that is more so because it has to be with the spirit of the music piece.

The posts will contain appropriate references to books, sites, persons, etc. Shameless plagiariasm will be adopted if entirely necessary, with proper acknowledgement to the source.

PS: Endaro Mahanubhavulu - a pancharatna krithi of Saint Thyagaraja. Salutations to all the great men (and women!) in the universe for their contributions to music.

PS2: A Happy New Year!

PS3: If you are interested in this ambitious project, and want to team up with me, I will be delighted. A task force dedicated to the annihilation of ignorance and darkness! :)

2005 : The year that was....

2005-12-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

2005 is almost coming to an end. The winters of 2005 will give way to the spring of 2006. The new year is welcomed with hope, the sweetest of all. In hindsight, I am sure it must have been a mixed year for all of us.

Some dreams materialized.
Some dreams became lessons for life.
Some events brought inexplicable joy.
Some events brought tears and pain.

So many friends made.
A few friends lost.
So many people came into our lives.
A few farewells.

Life is like that;
A pair of opposites.
The yin and yang of life.
Both co-exist!

Wishing you all a very happy new year. May 2006 see you doing all those things that you wanted to do.

PS: 2005 saw the transformation from a cynic to a regular blogger in me. Blog-hopping has been a pleasurable activity. I have come across a few blogs that have been heavily inspiring. There are so many talented writers in their own worlds in this world. It merits mention to mention these blogs that I visit on an almost daily basis (in strict alphabetical order).

Abhi's Summary of Lifetimes
Akruti's Alochana
Ammani's Filthy, Funny, Flawed and Gorgeous
Eroteme's In a garden called life
Sagnik's Random thoughts

A special thank you!

The Merry Season....

2005-12-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya wishes its readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah (another festival of lights in this world).

Lead, Kindly Light (the motto of one of my many establishments of schooling :))

Indianness X - The December Season....

2005-12-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

Madras, the metropolitan city of India metamorphoses into a musical and spiritual seat of intense intellectual activity during this December season. A city known to have only three types of climate - hot, hotter and hottest truly comes alive with its now unbeatable and unparalleled musical climate. It is not wrong to say that December sees Madras becoming a Carnatic music stronghold at its best.

Living legends, established contemporaries, budding talent; basically musicians of all kinds - perform, enthrall and inspire an audience on a purely intellectual and musical basis. The rapport that the musicians share with the rasikas is inexplicable. It needs to be that way. The rasika needs to be musically tuned and technically sound to appreciate the concerts better. This might very well drive away the ignorant many from such concerts.

The author finds this beautiful city and musical heritage grappling to come in terms with the harsh reality. It should not lose out on this tradition because of lack of patronage from the rasikas. It is an altogether different issue that the Carnatic form with its strong foothold on the devotional and spiritual aspects of Hinduism, is in a better state; than its counterpart from the north - the Hindustani form.

This question also brings a smile to the author's face. How would this Carnatic fortress respond to Hindustani concerts during its prime season? As usual, I have digressed from the topic of discussion. So, what is the reality?

Most concerts have limited audience. A rasika is becoming more of a rarity. Such atmospheres are depressing for the musician, the sabha as well as the rasika.
An increasing divide between the musician and the appreciative audience. Classical music is becoming more and more esoteric day by day. It is indeed ironical that a light music function or a rock/pop concert by a world-famous band draws a huge audience willing to pay as well as "appreciate" them.
The Americanization - has its own share of merits and demerits. What can the musicians do if their music finds a greater and much more appreciative audience in the US? The honorariums will be higher (thanks to the supremacy of the USD) and their preference is perfectly justified for music is also their prime vocation.

But then imagine this purely fictional anecdote. A typical scene in a contemporary(?) South Indian household during the December season.

The fledglings have grown wings and flown. The elderly couple continue to live in Madras for sentimental reasons. This is the much awaited Marghazhi season. The couple is highly enthusiastic and is brimming with eager expectations. Let me call them Shri and Shrimathi.

Shri and Shrimathi wake up early every day (say, 4:30 AM). Marghazhi tunes(Tiruppavai's) are playing in the background. The servant maid comes at 5:00 AM and has made the kolam for the day. The milk-man has come and has delivered the day's quota of two aavin milk packets. After having the required dose of pure filter coffee, the couple go out for their daily walk (as recommended by the doctor and their children; few know that the walk is the most anticipated activity of the day for the couple).

The HINDU has arrived by the time they are back. Shri goes through the concerts for the day. Shri jots down a few concerts he is interested in. Shrimathi is not happy that her opinion was not considered. They have a friendly quarrel arguing as to which concert for that day will be the best and worth attending. After having chosen the concert, sabha and the musician who will grace their evening, they spend the rest of the day with coffee, prayers, lunch, siesta, coffee, etc. The unavoidable discussion on the current dismal state of musical affairs comes up.

5:00 PM. Shrimathi dressed in a Kancheevaram pattu saree with appropriate jewellery and a string of jasmine flowers on her hair is ready for the evening. Shri, has one look at her, and blushes and feels all young once again. Both are fortunate to have one another, especially more so when the fledglings are in the US! The couple go on a romantic date to the kacheri. 3-4 hours of bliss. The musician enthralls them with a virtuous display of Ragas, Krithis, Ragam Tanam Pallavi's, thillanas, etc. and the couple is so happy to be musically alive.

A day well spent. Who really cares as to what the world thinks? Retired life, a prime time of their lives, to make up for all those years of hurried life - corporate success, children, financial worries, etc.

..... Such simple pleasures in life make life all the more beautiful, wonderful and worth living for.

The walk of life.....

2005-12-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

I am surprising myself these days by becoming hyper-active on the blog front. :) Here I go, again...

Today witnessed the Winter Convocation of Graduate and Baccalaureate programs at Texas A& M University. I was there; witnessing the ceremony as five of my friends had the walk of their life. It must have been a proud moment for them, dressed in academic regalia and being conferred the degree for their academic achievement. Nothing else seemed to matter. They made it. I know of the pain that they had to undergo in the process. Success couldn't have been sweeter. I was happy for all of them.

Strange are the ways of life. How years of academic commitment transforms into a 10 second magic moment? They are now the proud holders of the degree that they must now do justice to. The very field that they have got their degree in needs them so as to help sustain progress and discovery. Some were fortunate to have their family witness the event. Others were fortunate to have their friends support them. For some, those who were alone, they were made to feel special courtesy the august gathering and ceremony.

A few observations:

Most of the doctoral degrees were conferred to People's Republic of China.
A strong Indian presence was felt in the MS programs.
The academic regalia for Texas A& M University with its strong traditions was magnificent; guess every school has its own rich tradition.
Convocations are a great moment of joy, pride and nostalgia. Unfortunately, my baccalaureate alma mater is known for its tradition of not having convocations.

PS: This post is dedicated to my friends, Aravind, Gopi, Vishnu, Radhika, Sathya and Mandar for making it to this occasion. Mention must be made of Nitin, who couldn't make it due to personal commitments. All the very best to all in their journey of professional life.

Purpose of Life...

2005-12-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered - what is the purpose of our lives? Further, have you ever noticed these -

We really do not know our own selves.
We really do not know what to do.
We really do not know what we want.
We really do not know what makes us happy.

I hate to generalize, but I guess, there are no unique constant answers to these questions. The answers keep changing. The more we take out time for our own selves, the more we begin to realize as to which way we want our lives to be headed.

An academic/ professional/ personal achievement will seem to be the main reason for happiness. But once, that goal is achieved, the human wants more. There seems to be no end to his greediness. Or if you look at it the optimistic way, there seems to be no end in his quest for the elusive perfection. But, then, is the quest always pure? Doesn't he begin to give in to the materialistic value of gold, deter from his path, and forget about alchemy.

Lastly, when one talks of a purpose in life - why should that be necessarily related to the development for society or doing something ground-breaking to help the lives of many? Why cannot leading a contented happy life be the main purpose in life? When one thinks of a purpose, it is usually big. The dreams are big. Few materialize and few don't. Recently, came across this Zen saying somewhere, The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and undistinguished.

The people who actually make things happen, do their divine pursuit, without actually making much ado about it. Guess, in the big scheme of things, it is always the individual who counts. This is not being selfish. If he/she is happy, then the world around that him/ her is happy and happiness pervades all over.

PS: I really don't know as to what sense this post makes.. but then, here I go...

A personal note from the author...

2005-12-10T23:01:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,

This is the first time, that I am writing from a purely personal standpoint in this blog. I am currently on an interesting journey in life - a process of rediscovering oneself; where I need to do justice to my own self, my value sytems, my family, my friends and my passions. I would be writing as and when appropriate in the true spirit of Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya. I further promise that I will be as honest and frank as possible.

I am not a saint.
I am a normal human being.

I love beautiful things.
I have my own list of "hates".
I have my own share of defects.
I have my own share of pluses.

I am not a nice person at times.
I can be a nice person at times.
I can be a very good friend.
I can also kill the best of friendships.

I thought I understood people.
I thought I knew what I wanted.
I thought I knew what love was.
I thought I knew what friendship was.

I lust for erotic women.
I long for exotic women.
I commit sins.
I am virtuous in certain aspects.

I like to help people.
I take help from people.
I can be considerate.
I can be abysmally cruel.

I need to learn a lot
I can help others learn
Selfishness is a sin.
Selfishness is a virtue.

What am I?
I really don't know.

The purpose of writing this post is to highlight the difference in persona between the author and the real me. The author has written about beautiful things in life. He has freely commented on certain ways of life of the people in a cynical fashion. The reader is encouraged to keep in mind that the real me is way off from perfection. It is best not to confuse the author with the real me.

I do apologise for the tones of arrogance in the author's attitude. The real me also needs to - do a lot of groundwork, soul searching, correct defects, change ways of life for the better, learn from the life-changing lessons, connect and relate to people, love people, appreciate beautiful things in life, etc.

The undeniable affect and embrace the lives of each one of us, and the real me is no exception. The attitude with which we face the undeniable makes us stronger for the better.

All the best to everyone in this journey called life. Life should be and is beautiful, no matter what happens around us. Whatever happens, happens for a reason, for the best and at the right time. Our faculties of understanding are so very limited that it is best to let time take its own course.

Love,
Ranga

PS: This blog is dedicated to one of my best friends in life - Ms. Barathi; for her definition of a friend and all that she did as a friend. She had taken so much trouble and pain in the process and went out of the way to help me out when it really really mattered.

PS2: This is further dedicated to all my wonderful friends, who are there to share my joys and sorrows; who like me as I am (the nice and yet not-so nice person); who are so generous in giving me valuable lessons; who teach me about wonderful things in life, etc.

PS3: Such friends in life make life all the more beautiful and wonderful. I need to learn a lot from these friends of mine and do justice to the concept of a friend.

A hazy shade of winter....

2005-12-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

Grey skies;
Chill winds;
Downpour;
No sunshine.

Thus begins the dawn of winter. So, what lies ahead?
Springtime, yes, the lovely springtime.
Seasons, cherished for all the 4 seasons.
Each being wonderful(?) in its own sweet way.

Warrior of the Light....

2005-12-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

A witness to this event.

Dr. Shankar P. Bhattacharyya, had been invited to play the sarode and provide an introduction to Indian Classical Music, at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, College Station. This was part of the outreach program of the church towards world religions.The audience was a limited 15 Americans, enthusiastic about spirituality and with a willingness to learn about other religions.

Sarode captivated their hearts and they wanted to know more about the sarode and the Indian Classical Music systems. Naturally, there were a few misconceptions about the religious connotation of music. Music does not have any religion and the universal aspect of music could not be better emphasised than by what happened today.

Dr. B played an early morning raga, Jogiya Kalingra; and a romantic night raga filled with pathos - Kirwani. I am sure that each member of the audience must have connected with the music in a unique and different manner. The effect of sound on human emotions would make a good topic for research.

A step in the right direction. We need to reach out to such people. The onus is on us, we Indians ourselves. India is not all about cows roaming around streets, and people roaming about in elephants. Sadly, this is often the image that people have about India, courtesy the biased news coverages.

PS: References 1 and 2 for the Sarode.

PS2: The title of the post, is a well-known terminology used by Paulo Coelho. This was used to signify the warrior of the light in each one of us.

A Celtic Bonanza...

2005-11-30T00:18:00.000-08:00

Event : A Celtic Christmas
Group: The Boys of the Lough
Organizers: MSC-OPAS, TAMU
Date: November 29, 2005
Attendance: Rudder theater, almost full

The Boys of the Lough, gave the audience an aural treat of traditional Celtic music from Shetland, Ireland, Scotland, etc. with added flavours of Scandinavian music too. They further included a few non-religious music pieces. What made it all the more special was the variety of instruments at display (both visual and aural). Some of them were encountered by the author for the first time in his life. The ensemble included Mandolin, Citter, English Concertina, Fiddle, Flute, Whistle, Button Accordian, Melodeon and the Guitar.

Inferences:

1. Instrumental music is truly truly universal, transcending across all possible human barriers. The Hare's lament conveyed melancholy and despair while the Wren Polka No's 1 and 2 conveyed emotions of joy and excitement.

2. Music continues to prove its global appeal. It exists in a myriad of forms, both classical and non-classical. Each region in the world has evolved with some music form or the another. The author must admit that it is difficult to not compare the music forms for their sophestication, appeal and merits.

3. Such evolution from the fundamental notes emphasises the need for a strong fundamental basis for everything that we do in our lives.

All in all, a cherishable experience and a blessing.

People in our lives...

2005-11-25T03:02:00.000-08:00

#1. Why do so many people come into our lives?
#2. Why do some people go beyond their means and limitations to help when it really matters?
#3. What does a friend mean to you?
#4. Why do some people knowingly/unknowingly help someone chase his/her dreams?
#5. Why do some people come as omens and provide us with valuable lessons and go away?

Everyone has a role to play in our lives. It is upto us to realize, acknowledge and thank them. Thanksgiving time. A simple thank you to one and all. In the end, it is just the individual who matters and his/her journey is what counts the most. Difficult though it might seem to love everyone, the universal fact is - "Every face has a story to tell worthy of respect and compassion".

Happy Thanksgiving!

The obvious....

2005-11-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

What do you do when the "obvious" is not obvious to you?

What do you do when "intuitive" brings the fear in you?

I have often come across people, includes my own self, who throw around these words for added effectiveness whenever they talk (be it technical or non-technical). What does one do in such moments of despair? Attempt not to destroy the ignorance at the cost of acceptance among the circle or become an object of ridicule for not knowing what you should be knowing about in the first place.

This is an experiment that often proves to be enlightening and useful. Keep asking questions till the so called "obvious" things lose their obviousness. The outcome of the experiment is usually the same. We would realise that the entire world is a sham and the person (who becomes the guinea-pig by making those "obvious" and "intuitive" claims) is equally hollow and empty as one can be. It is not possible to know about all the things in the world. What one should call for is a change in the attitude of the people.

Respect a person's questions, both profound and silly. Accept your ignorance if you are truly ignorant. It doesn't really make sense to be in the veneer of a "know-it-all" when you actually do not know much. Guess this becomes all the more important for people involved in the domain of teaching. What does one do when a motivated and enthusiastic student with a keen willingness to learn asks simple questions that in fact takes one out of the blue?

As we progress in life, we get so very accustomed to the happenings, and we unfortunately forget the founding fundamental assumptions that we started with in the first place. We accept things as they are. We fail to question things. We fail to think outside the box. We are getting more and more entangled into a limited domain as we grow up. Is it the fault of the person or the society at large? I would end this post with this quote,

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.

This topic might have been covered in a different sense in this post. However, this question troubles the author a lot. Hence, he doesn't see as to why he shouldn't write once again about the obvious and intuitive aspects of the world and wait for answers.

A few drops of water....

2005-11-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

The author was a witness to this amazingly funny event. Let me give a gist of the incident.

People were running here and there.

Some people were angry with themselves

Cos' they had forgotten one of their possessions

Seemingly prized and invaluable.

People who had that same accessory

Were proud of their own selves.

They had done something spectacular that day

And vanity was their virtue and sin.

How they looked down upon the first set of people?

Btw, what was the author doing out there?

He had lost that same "valuable" possession recently.

Yet, he was happy watching them and ...

Or so he thinks;

Or is it a case of sour grapes?

Now, let me not hold the suspense further. It was a slight drizzle on a hazy winter morning that lead to this chaos. Would a child have behaved in such a fashion as the adults in question. Believe me, this was of a truly universal nature and almost everyone out there, irrespective of caste, creed, sex, nationality, etc. were the "extras" in the comedy/tragedy. That "valuable" possession happened to be an umbrella and the "hero" in the comedy/tragedy. Most of them were in such a hurry that the author was wondering as to what they would be doing once they reached their final destination. How would the act of simply doing nothing and allowing the few drops of water caress their entire physical being seem to them?

Growing Up....

2005-11-15T09:42:00.001-08:00

Why does it seem that everyone around you has grown up while you happen to be the eternally same soul? When you look down deep within yourself, you would realise as to how much you have changed. There is nothing permanent in life but change. This is very much true even amongst the dearest of friends. People who know one for eternity or know someone to the "T" would be more than surprised with the changes in someone.

I guess I need to write more on what I mean by growing up. As we grow up, we meet more and more new people, who definitely influence us. We become relatively more "mature" and world-conscious. And, yet, as adults, we seemingly begin to lose the inherent quality of a child - to ask and be curious about everything. "Life has become boring" is a complaint amongst many of us. It has become boring because we have made it so.

Anyway, getting back to the original topic of discussion, people change. So, how would it be to meet the people of the past? People whom you knew so well, and who knew you well too. Would it be plain joy or would there be apprehension too. Would each one understand the other again, now that both have changed a lot. What makes it all the more interesting is that each thinks that only the other has changed. I guess with mere acquaintances it doesn't really matter much. We would be happy to have met them. Period. Ironically, it is with the important people or the people in our circle of life that the many questions arise.

Lastly, why do so many people come into our lives?

PS: The reader is encouraged to read this and this for the sake of completeness.

Languages....

2005-11-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Why do languages seem to be more of a barrier? Each language has its own repertoire of beautiful works that it does seem highly impossible to appreciate their inherent beauties. To heighten the misery, there are these prejudiced and heavily jaundiced opinions on certain languages.

To add more salt into the wounds, certain works that were meant for ease of comprehension and for the layman; have become esoteric in nature to the people of today. While transliterations do thankfully exist, none of them do justice to the original work of art/ literature.

To name a few, (a not so comprehensive list)

Thyagaraja Krithis in Telugu - highly philosophical in nature, yet comprehended by a few fortunate souls
Purandaradasa Keerthanas in Kannada - ironically, simple in content and beautiful in compositions, meant for the layman
Tirrukural in Tamil - words of wisdom from Tiruvalluvar
Kabir, Rahim and the vocal compositions of Hindustani classical music in Hindi - profound philosophy in supposedly "simple" language
Rabindrasangeet in Bengali - the songs of devotion, love, romance, nature, and patriotism
Pablo Neruda's odes in Spanish - all types of love - both divine and materialistic find sweet mellifluous expressions in his poetry
Rumi, Hafiz and Khayyam - beautiful poetry in Persian; when the transliterated works are unimaginably beautiful, then what can one say about the originals.
Ghazals, Shers and Shayari's in Urdu
The Gita, Vedas and the Upanishads in Sanksrit
and so on....

What can one do with his/her ignorance of the languages? Doesn't instrumental music sound as the solution?

A Taste of India....

2005-11-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

Event : Swaad 2005

Organized by : AID-TAMU

Venue : Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Date : November 3, 2005

Attendees : 600

AID-TAMU pulled it off in a grand spectacular fashion their biggest fundraiser yesterday - the annual Indian food festival at Texas A&M University with a set of around 30 dedicated, enthusiastic and motivated volunteers. The theme of this year's Swaad was "Festival of Lights" to coincide with Diwali. Organizing the event was a nightmare for the organizers themselves for cooking an assorted variety of exotic Indian dishes for 600 people was no mean achievement. The author was fortunate to have been a part of the volunteer team and was also responsible for the ambience/decoration of the hall.

AID-TAMU strived to bring about a taste of the magnificently rich and diverse Indian cultural heritage to the people of Bryan/ College Station community. The hall was decorated with a lot of lights of all possible kinds, with the prime objective, of lighting up the entire place. Handicrafts for sale, Mehendi tattoos for a reasonable price, Art exhibition consisting of collages and photographs, Rangoli, etc. were part of the learning tools about India provided by us for the attendees. Soft instrumental music (mostly Indian classical) was playing in the background. Further, there was a video show "Transcendental Emotions" that depicted the universal emotions of love, yearning, frustration, pathos, joy, bliss, etc. through the medium of songs from Indian Cinema (right from the 1950's to present).

The event was a grand success. The author was fortunate to have interacted with two American ladies, aged definitely 70 and above. They told him that they were fortunate to have been there and how much they had enjoyed everything that we had offered. People outside India need to have the right image of our own exotic India and the onus lies on us - the Indians - both the resident and the non-resident ones. Sadly, I have encountered people ( read some Indians ) who do nothing but criticize and comment on the problems of the country. What they fail to realise is that criticism without action is not the solution. It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

I am sure, that this event, would have been a great learning experience for one and all of the volunteers. Nevertheless, there are a few issues that need to be addressed and improved upon for the future Swaad's.

Happy Diwali...

2005-10-30T23:53:00.000-08:00

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya wishes its readers a very happy Diwali.

It is possible to bring a light into our own lives and other's lives in every possible, seemingly small and insignificant way.

Music - the road to salvation....

2005-10-24T23:35:00.000-07:00

The author was treated to two scintillating Hindustani concerts this weekend. The concerts vindicate the truth that music is the road to salvation. The world couldn't have been any better. Nothing else seemed to matter. It was like a flying dream. There are certain things in the world that cannot be expressed. Expressions of Silence would be the best approach. Nevertheless, I want to write about these concerts and the musical aspects in my own humble way.

Hindustani Classical Music, with its highly romantic concepts of Ragas for the moods and the time of the day, does touch the heart of a person. This post is not meant to denigrate other forms that exist in the world. The emphasis is on the Hindustani form alone. All other forms converge to the road to salvation.

What was special about the two concerts was the universal nature of the recitals. Instrumental Khayals, could be appreciated by a western audience too. Languages often prove to be a barrier for the proper appreciation of music.

Concert #1 A Sitar Recital

A contemporary sitarist, of the Maihar Gharana, Sri. Partha Bose enthralled an audience of around 150 people, with his virtuousity on the sitar. Sri. Gourisankar accompanied him on the tabla. He started off with an elaborate essay of Raga Patadip, an afternoon raga. He ended with a light classical composition on Raga Khammaj.

An interview with Sri. Partha Bose can be found here.

Concert #2 Sarode, Sitar and Jugalbandhi Recitals

Dr. Shankar Bhattacharyya, a disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Sahib since 1982, treated us to Raga Zila Kafi, a late afternoon raga, a mixture of Raga Kafi and Raga Zila. He followed with a short composition of Raga Tilak Kamod.

Sri. Indrajit Banerjee, a senior disciple of Kartick Kumar, a senior disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar, played three different Ragas - Desh, Charukeshi, and Piloo.

We were fortunate to witness a Jugalbandhi of Raga Manj Khammaj by these two musicians, that definitely reminded me of the great Jugalbandhi duo Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Nikhil Banerjee.

One word that would best describe the performances - sparkling.

***

Words failed me. I was speechless. Silence would be the best way of expressing the aesthetic and emotional impact of the concert. This brings me back to the question of surrender. Is it all right to emotionally surrender to musical compostions? Is it all right to be just musically alive and break down each composition for a detailed analysis of the technical aspects. I feel that it is all right to emotionally surrender to a musical piece within the gambit of the technical aspects. Sounds vague, right? Well, music has been a road to spiritual bliss and emotional contentment. The rasas and the bhaavas of the compositions are for us to discern and appreciate. It is a circular loop. What starts with feelings and moods has to converge back to the same.

***

Isn't it a wonder that music had, has and would continue to hold its own appeal among the people of the world. Life without music, unimaginable and frightening.