Vande Maataram....

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....

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....

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....

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....

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 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....

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....

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.....

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...

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...

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....

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....

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...

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...

#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....

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....

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.

Languages....

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....

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.