Monday, December 22, 2008

A hard teacher

Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt!
Meaning is something you build into your life. You build it out of your own past, out of your own affections and loyalties, out of the experience of humankind, as it is passed on to you, out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you believe in, out of the things and people you love, out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something!

The ingredients are there. You are the only one who can put them together into that pattern that will be your life.

Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you. If is does, then the particular balance of success and failure is of less account!


John Gardner



During a trek on January 01, 2004, I took this picture of what is a part of the Ketti Valley. It is easy to notice the completeness of nature which has a great sense of meaning. Like I said before, every part of nature makes tremendous meaning despite not being as eloquent as us human beings! We struggle and squirm to find a purpose without realizing that our existence itself is a first level of that purpose. Nature, very unlike us, is complete and isn't burdened by the onus of having to seek a purpose or define a meaning! We, on the contrary, spend time, effort and resources to attain a state of being while not realizing that that state is not a destination to arrive at but a manner of travelling!


Awarded

Bharath Natraj and Vivek Venkataraman were very kind to give me the Lovely Blogger and Kreativ Blogger awards respectively! I am thrilled at their gesture and wish to sincerely thank them for recognizing my blog and the ideology it coveys!




I will now roll-over these awards to the following fellow-bloggers in recognition of their blogs and more importantly for the message they convey to the world at-large!

They are;

Magiceye
Usha Pisharody
Silverine
Kat; and
Chirag

Wishing You a Merry Christmas!

49 comments:

  1. You totally deserve it!
    Nice PIC. (Once again)

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  2. appreciate the gesture and the award rakesh but sorry as i accept no awards. the only award that i care for is your comments on my blog! thank you again and please - no offence. hope you understand.

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  3. Yeah!!! That's a nice pic!! and congrats! you deserve them,, Ketti valley, There is an engineering college!! ooty engineering college! I know for sure that it is not in me to be an engineer! really considered getting into the college jus because I can be in ooty for 4 years.. People talked me out of it... Just an old stupid memory hearing the name...

    At times it is also what you give to others and what others make in your life too,,, Loved the thought...

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  4. Dear Rak,

    Hard teachers teach good, i feel..

    and Nature has to be..

    else man will be uncaring disciple, or even an unruly master...

    Good post, Congrats on the award too...

    Wish you and all in the family a Merry Christmas!

    wishes,
    devika

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  5. das a cool pic..

    *Nature, very unlike us, is complete and isn't burdened by the onus of having to seek a purpose or define a meaning!

    das very true actually..Its we humans who hav bcum soo morose tryin to figure out wat our gain is gonna be wen we are in quest of stuff.I always wish I cudb born as another living being once again if der rly is that concept of a re-birth jus enough to be living in a world free of all the pretensions and the like..

    congrats on the award.. :)

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  6. "...out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something!"

    Love these lines and specially the last bit. Lovely picture, have lived there many years ago (Wellington) ...it's a gorgeous place!

    And Many, many Congratulations for the awards you have won. May many more come your way :)

    If you'd like to make your comments appear on the same page, as the post, go to,
    'Customise' => Settings => Comments => Comment Form Placement => Embedded below post => Done :)

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  7. Balance is the key,
    balance between our needs and desires...
    Nature is the true teacher..
    nice post Rakesh..
    wishes...
    and congratulations..
    mip

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  8. Oh i totally believe that meaning is sumthing u build for yourself... totally...

    and about the bike :)...nice if u dnt ride then...we can be on the same bike :)..

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  9. Meaning is something you build into your life this is so true....

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  10. Nice picture..
    We human beings are in the quest of finding out the meaning of our lives.What do I mean to myself,to others....what does others mean to me...what is the meaning of my life.. and so on..
    Good one....Many congrats on the awards won.

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  11. congrats for your new awards :-)

    I which you a Merry Xmas and a Happy new Year... and keep on with your great blog.

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  12. Hey Congrats man. I have become dormant but i will say a big thank you for finding me worthwhile for passin on these wonderful awards. Next post whenever it comes i shall let u know. Thnx again....

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  13. that is the best teacher of all. what is we are today is becoz of that!!

    congrats & wishes!!

    ;-))

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  14. You are great Photographer too.. and good writing as well..

    Keep it up..

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  15. Hi Rakesh! Sorry for the absence, but these last weeks were a nightmare. Just dropped by to wish you a great season! Hope to be back before 2009... ;) Merry Christmas and Congrats on the Awards!
    Meanwhile Blogtrotter is starting its new adventure in India. Enjoy and have a great week!

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  16. Congrats on all these well deserved awards, Rakesh!

    And thank you for gifting them thisaway too :) :)

    Shall be back in a few days, to pick them up, and also to finally sink my teeth into some lovely posts I know I have missed, in here.. :)

    Till then, au revoir.. :)

    And a Merry Merry Christmas... :)

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  17. Vivek

    Many Thanks pal..... I feel elated!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  18. Magiceye

    Absolutely understand! No worried @ all..... And, as you rightly said, no award could equal the pleasure of a comment!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  19. Bharath

    Thanks so very much dude....Appreciate your comments!
    The Engg college in Ketti is CSI which stands for Church of South India
    A friend of mine passed out from there a while ago!

    Good place it is..... atleast well located!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  20. Devika Chechi

    Totally agree.....Hard teachers teach good and yes nature has to be so, considering the evil we human beings have propagated
    Thanks very much for the Christmas wishes......belated wishes to you and family too!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  21. MM

    True....nature is very unlike us humans who tire endlessly to find a purpose without realizing our selves within!
    How I too wish to be re-born (as a different person) in a free world, one that is near perfect!

    I guess it would remain a wish and not anything more.....since we cannot travel back in time!

    Thanks for the Christmas wishes.....belated wishes to you and folks

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  22. Indian Home Maker

    Thanks very much for your encouraging comments! Greatly appreciate them!
    When did u stay in Wellington? Were you part of the armed forces?

    Wellington continues to be a remarkable place.....one that is unspoilt largely due to the presence of the Army there!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  23. MIP

    Yes indeed, balance is the most essential element without which all else is a failure!
    Unfortunately, it is balance that we human beings so much disregard!

    Thanks for your comments

    Appreciate them!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  24. Samby, my friend

    True you are in your belief.....for meaning has to come from within!

    About the bike ride....sure thing, I'd love being the pillion with the camera!

    ;)

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  25. Rakesh

    Correct....meaning is something that one builds into life.... this is ongoing and always subject to improvement!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  26. Old Monk

    Thanks very much, as always!

    As you said, we are forever searching and remain worried.... not realizing that we could do away so much of worry by ending the quest and just living our lives!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  27. Tr3nta

    Thanks very much for your wishes.... Hope you had a good time during Christmas....belated wishes!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  28. Chirag

    Good to hear from you, after so long! Please don't stay away from your blog too long!
    Missing your posts big time!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  29. Satheesh

    Yes, we are what we are due to nature and our circumstances!

    Thanks very much for your wishes....

    Compliments of the season!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  30. Jay

    Thanks so very much for the very encouraging and appreciative comments

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  31. Hi Gil

    Hope you had a good time during Christmas! Thanks very much for the wishes!
    Do have a great holiday season!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  32. Usha Ma'am

    Thanks very much for the wishes and Many Congratulations to you too!

    Belated Christmas wishes!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  33. Folks

    Wishing you all a very happy and fun filled holiday season.

    Do take care of yourselves, spend time with your dear ones and above all else, stay safe always!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  34. And is that anyways someone by Name Robin, mechanical engg... Who is working now in Doha..

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  35. Nope Seeker! This is a childhood friend called Tanzeem (Tansi), who is now across the Atlantic!

    I also know another friend from school called Vimal who passed out from here and also taught here for sometime before heading elsewhere!

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  36. i love nature and am saddened by all the abuse humankind imposes on it...

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  37. True Polona..... I wonder if people realize that nature is an irreplacable resort and that its destruction is an irreversible act!

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  38. Hi Rak,

    To your response to Polona...

    Based on my research on nature and natural phenomena...

    Nature is not destructible as such within the foreseeable timeframes; but natural phenomena causes changes to it, and its occupants..at times destroying many thousands in a split second..:)

    as you said in one of my posts...Man as a species has overgrown and now Nature feels the pressure to release some of it,

    You agree there?

    wishes,
    devika

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  39. Took time out to read it properly today.

    John Gardner's quotes are really wonderful.

    One thing I really like about your space is the wonder of the written word, that you share from every so many sources.

    Thanks for that :)

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  40. Devika Chechi

    Right when you say "Nature is not destructible as such within the foreseeable timeframes", but equally intriguing to note how our surroundings have changed far more than expected during the short span of our lifetimes!

    "Natural phenomena causes changes to it, and its occupants..at times destroying many thousands in a split second." Yes, how else would poor nature exercise control over the swelling human population!

    Also, aren't these occurances more of a result of what we do?

    Rakesh

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  41. Usha Ma'am

    Thanks very much for your very appreciative comments!

    Yes John Gardners quotes are indeed fabulous and very meaningful!

    Regards

    Rakesh

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