Ekalavya.....

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.

Time....

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 Fortune Cookie....

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."

The Undeniable Moments...

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.

Roti, Kapda aur Makaan.....

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.

Now vs. Later...

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....

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?

Justifications....

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)

Catch 22....

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?

How are you doing?

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?

Ignorance... Revisited.

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.

Respect and Pity...

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.

Superstitions....

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.

A few drops of water....

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....

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.

Tell me your dreams...

Is it wrong to dream? It is one thing to dream, and an another to chase it. Wouldn't it be better to simply sit laidback and let time takes its own course. Why does it so happen that following your dream also comes with the heavy price of pain, hurt, tears and suffering?

As much as I love the concept of "The Alchemist", I seem to have these questions. Answers from my readers are more than welcome.

A different post at a different point of time.

The Lens....

The human eye would undoubtedly be one of the best when it comes to the quality of the lens and the visions captured by it. Stored in the memory of the human brain, the pictures are often unerasable and deeply imprinted. The memories could be good or bad. What the heart understands, the mind does not and is merciless. Sadly, we take such wonderful functions for granted at times. The true incident cited over here, highlighted this fact in a rather embarassing manner for the author.

One of my friends had purchased a new state-of-the-art digital SLR camera with amazing features. We were naturally enthusiastic and had wanted to capture the beautiful small crescent and an adjoining "small" star on a night sky. What we finally managed to obtain was in no way comparable to what the human eye had captured. It merits mention, that we were amateurs in photography and didn't know the features provided by the camera as we would have desired. Nevertheless, the human eye would still be the best camera in the world.

Often, we are moved by wonderful photography. Photography is a medium where in a person can communicate with an another soul what he/she wants to convey. It is mostly a personal statement. While it is a good practice to appreciate the pictures captured by a camera; over reliance and dependence on a camera would only make us not appreciate the beautiful visions captured by our own eye.

Further, the vision gets modulated with the state of the mind. A beautiful vision might appear blurred due to a frenzied and frustrated state of mind. A worried mind is similar to over exposing a camera to light. We would then obviously fail to appreciate. I would treat this incident as a gentle reminder to me and to my readers to have that smile and look out for the beauty everywhere through our very own eyes.

Disasters..

Nature has its own catastrophic way of getting back at mankind. The Tsunami disaster that more than just shook South-East Asia earlier this year; and now the Hurricane Katrina. I must admit, the author had only vaguely heard of the tsunami (was an important quiz trivia in those geography talent quizzes) and didn't really know the modus operandi of the hurricane/other cyclonic storms. Both these events have been devastating for sure. Lives and property have been lost. All this would be a not-so-gentle reminder, that, despite what all that mankind can do, nature still holds the upper hand. Irrespective of the sophisticated weather-monitoring systems in vogue today, such disasters continue to happen.

One gratifying thing that I noticed during both these difficult times, was the spirit of humanity in action. Sadly, the same spirit lies pregnant inside the womb of "My life, my blues, my family, my work, ...etc" most of the times. Sometimes, I do wonder if human beings have lost that vital sense to think beyond just their lives. No, no, I am not advocating any of anti-Roark sentiments out here. But then, do we do anything at all towards Mother Nature - to whom we must be more than just grateful. Do we acknowledge and count our blessings. Definitely not, in most cases. It's always the life of a cribber. Nothing could possibly satisfy us. There is always a yearning and a craving for something beyond the present. I guess I am digressing out here. I will address this in a separate post.

Coming back to disasters!! The world has come together in providing relief efforts, and thankfully, most differences are forgotten. Is'nt it ironical. The world needs disasters to stop fighting and come together. The affected regions receive attention and finances too. There is an unprecedented spurt of development in those regions. This is in a way good. But again, one of the ironies of life. If no disaster were to happen at that place, that place would have been rusting its way to under-development. This was coming straight from one of the relief camps of Tamil Nadu, after the Tsunami disaster. Villagers living just outside the affected regions, were wondering, as to how unfortunate they were because the Tsunami didn't affect their lives. They felt that the relief efforts post-Tsunami would really benefit their "fortunate" neighbours. Strange are the ways of the world.

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Hurricanes are beneficial too. They provide rain to those regions in the world which would otherwise have been very arid. Nature's feedback mechanism of driving the heat from the hot equatorial regions to the tropics helps in maintaining the heat balance in the earth.

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This blog is dedicated to the people affected in these two disasters. Sadly, nothing can be done about the lives and property lost. The survivors need great fortitude in beginning a new phase of life. Here's wishing them "All the very best".

Health Consciousness...

As a sequel to the previous post. It merits mention that the author felt that it was high time we looked for the inner beauty in ourselves and others. This article presents a different viewpoint on the subject of physical well-being.

Is it wrong to be physically conscious. Is it all right to wallow in self-pity over our seemingly ill-toned and ill-structured bodies. Is it not time now to do something about them.

Yes. It is time. But then, why should one do it? Is it to get into the books and looks of the people around us. I would say a definite big NO to that. The only sensible answer would be - for our very own physical well-being. Obesity is known to cause certain fatal complications later on in life. Moreover, a well-toned body gives that divine peaceful easy feeling. Exercise keeps one active too. I have seen 60+ men jogging their way to glory. So looking at it at the micro level of our very own self, we need to have a well-toned body.

But then, in some cases, people desperate to put on weight stay lean despite their eating a lot of junk stuff. On the other side, people desperate to lose weight remain as they are despite their compulsive dieting (which at times reaches heights of paranoia). In such cases, I guess we need to learn to accept ourselves as we are; and yet continue to exercise to keep ourselves "fit".

Well, Why do I seem to contradict myself, every now and then? Its all got to do with paradigms.

PS: Btw, for those factors beyond our control and influence, like our skin color, we have to be happy as we are. Commenting on the beauty of a person based on skin alone is down-right vulgar and shameful.

PS2: I have known of instances where a person with spectacles looks down upon an another because she/he is wearing spectacles. An inexcusable case of double standards.

Money (Revisited)....

More at the micro level of the self. The reader can refer to an earlier post for the author's views on the same at the macro level.

Does possession of money necessarily translate towards a paradigm shift where in a luxury becomes a necessity. Is it a case of "sour grapes" for the "lesser fortunate" souls who do not have money. Is man (for that matter, an woman) ever contented with the money he/she has. Is it wrong to be a materialist. Is it worth spending vulgarly on those "necessities" when a definite change can be brought about in an another's life. Who are we to help others - are we breeding parasites?

Opinions on these confounding questions are more than welcome.