It was not until the night of 27th that I noticed a nip in the air and the hitherto cool breeze now having turned a tad cold.
That evening, on my once-in-a-while-solitary-walk-in-the-park, often the moment in time for deep reflection, I noticed a different hue in the night sky, layered in shades, rather gradients of gray and black, dotted with pulsating twinkles of stars, several light years away, yet powerful enough to make themselves visible to the eye - one of the many paradoxes of life itself, in the connotation that what one sees is not always where one arrives at!
If you have listened to A Change of Seasons by Dream Theater, the musical marvel where one remembers "a time when the frail, virgin mind watches the crimson sunrise and imagines what it might find", you know that "life is filled with wonder and the feeling of the warm wind blowing, with an inherent need to explore the boundaries and transcend the depth of winter's snow!"
That "I'm much wiser now, a lifetime of memories that run though my head, those that taught me how for better or worse, alive or dead, I realize there's no turning back and that life goes on the offbeaten track!"
I'm forever in awe of how intricately woven life is, changing with times and seasons, maturing the living with every single passing moment, constantly adherent of its purpose!
And I'm wondering, "Where am I going today?"
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Road to Self-Realization
There is neither in this world nor the world beyond, happiness, for the one who doubts
-- Srimad Bhagavad Gita
The road to self-realization is laced with some of the most effective deterrents, I believe, often playing it hard on the people who choose to traverse it! It is an ongoing process, quite like living life every day anew until the end, and hence should not be confused with a destination one arrives at, after a length of travel.
I had the good fortune to visit The Ramakrishna and Sharada Math, last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the call, trying to understand at first hand the people who were part of these illustrious associations and their austere lives engaged in a perpetual and undeterred quest for self-realization!
Perhaps the most difficult thing, for someone such as me, is to renounce material possessions and worldly comforts in the pursuit of spiritual excellence. Therefore, to see people younger than me, having already done so and embarked on such a fruitful journey was unsettling yet promising!
If anything, it is the mind, which is the chief constituent of any decision making exercise, that needs to be reigned in, in order to make free will differentiable from acts as a result of cause and effect - or so I believe!
Leaving these splendid places and returning to the humdrum of my routinated life, having savoured moments of unequaled comfort and solace, the lesson was certainly not lost on me that the knowledge of the self and its realization are known to the one who thinks of them as the unknowable and not to the one who thinks he knows!
-- Srimad Bhagavad Gita
The road to self-realization is laced with some of the most effective deterrents, I believe, often playing it hard on the people who choose to traverse it! It is an ongoing process, quite like living life every day anew until the end, and hence should not be confused with a destination one arrives at, after a length of travel.
I had the good fortune to visit The Ramakrishna and Sharada Math, last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the call, trying to understand at first hand the people who were part of these illustrious associations and their austere lives engaged in a perpetual and undeterred quest for self-realization!
Perhaps the most difficult thing, for someone such as me, is to renounce material possessions and worldly comforts in the pursuit of spiritual excellence. Therefore, to see people younger than me, having already done so and embarked on such a fruitful journey was unsettling yet promising!
If anything, it is the mind, which is the chief constituent of any decision making exercise, that needs to be reigned in, in order to make free will differentiable from acts as a result of cause and effect - or so I believe!
Leaving these splendid places and returning to the humdrum of my routinated life, having savoured moments of unequaled comfort and solace, the lesson was certainly not lost on me that the knowledge of the self and its realization are known to the one who thinks of them as the unknowable and not to the one who thinks he knows!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Happy Birthday Asterix
By Toutatis! The sky hasn't fallen yet, and, along with your friends in Gaul, you continue to fascinate me. I first read your adventures while in class IV, 1988 to be precise, the first of them being The Magic Carpet, a marvelous account of your travel to my country - India!
What a way to begin, eh?
Now, having known and absolutely loved you for 21 years, which is a sizeable portion of my lifetime, I wish you a very happy birthday.
May you find a lot more of those greeny legions to paf away! Many more scrunchy-muchy mouthwatering boars to eat and many wonderful places to go to!
And in the words of your creators - nothing less than excellence… and fits of laughter! That's what you truly are!
Footnotes:
My tribute to the late René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, whose vivid imaginations created an iconic character who continues to be idolized and adored by young and old!
Biographies of the authors as stated by the official website.
Image Courtesy - The Official Asterix Website
Image Description - The evolution of Asterix, titled Evolution, from the evolution series
Asterix - The wikipedia entry
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A time to remember
Diwali eve was a get together time of wonderful sorts. My good friend Sourin invited me over to his home to partake in his daughter's 5th birthday celebrations! An accomplished singer and a music exponent, I've told you about him and his band sometime before.
This time around, I was witness to his usual exuberance in expression of warmth and bonding that comes so easily to him and his family, always forthcoming and readily able to come together with people, even at first meeting!
A little after I arrived, some of his friends, hitherto unknown to me, aficionados and experts in music and matters of the world, presented themselves! Usually taking sometime to break the ice, I found myself amidst a group of friends with an instant sense of connect - one like never before!
After a round of introductions and talk about each others' lives, fellow-guests, and the host, many a passionate pursuant of music in one venue, broke into momentum enthralling the rest of us with verses of Tagore in the voices of Kishore, to mention a few that is!
Not many of us feel happy in the pursuit of something that is non material, but it is imperative to understand that true happiness can and will be a result of intangible quantifications! Also important it is, to know that to connect with people, one requires an open mind, the ability to establish relationships - worthy in themselves, and the good sense to appreciate the other in a measure that is of true recognition!
As for my expression to summarize the evening, I feel appropriate to render it in the words of the famous American humorist, Will Rogers, that "A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people."
This time around, I was witness to his usual exuberance in expression of warmth and bonding that comes so easily to him and his family, always forthcoming and readily able to come together with people, even at first meeting!
A little after I arrived, some of his friends, hitherto unknown to me, aficionados and experts in music and matters of the world, presented themselves! Usually taking sometime to break the ice, I found myself amidst a group of friends with an instant sense of connect - one like never before!
After a round of introductions and talk about each others' lives, fellow-guests, and the host, many a passionate pursuant of music in one venue, broke into momentum enthralling the rest of us with verses of Tagore in the voices of Kishore, to mention a few that is!
Not many of us feel happy in the pursuit of something that is non material, but it is imperative to understand that true happiness can and will be a result of intangible quantifications! Also important it is, to know that to connect with people, one requires an open mind, the ability to establish relationships - worthy in themselves, and the good sense to appreciate the other in a measure that is of true recognition!
As for my expression to summarize the evening, I feel appropriate to render it in the words of the famous American humorist, Will Rogers, that "A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people."
Sunday, October 18, 2009
On the road not taken
For a thinking mind that reasons well, it is fairly easy to discern right from wrong! But to decide upon choosing among two rights, one is stupefied beyond reason to make an inevitable choice and can only safely do so in choosing the larger or broader right of the two - one that is for the sure purpose of the larger good! It is a situation akin to facing crossroads, knowing not which way to head!
Quite similar has been my predicament over the past couple of weeks! Torn between two rights, I have come to crossroads and remained to make an inevitable choice, one that will forever change the course of my life, the ramifications of which I cannot comprehend at this point in time!
Some of you are aware of my Mom's ailment, which continues to be in milder measure, thankfully. However, her inability has taken her away from home in Ooty and thus rendering Dad all by himself for the past several months, alone to conduct the proceedings of his business!
As this situation furthers, I feel it is my solemn duty to offer an unconditional and responsible hand of support and relieve him of his strenuous and demanding schedules. Now, this means my relinquishment of a position that I currently hold in an organization that has employed me over the past year and a half, something that I will be grateful for all my life!
So, after battling emotions for long, and having arrived at a decision, I walked up, two weeks ago, in a somber mood, to my boss and discussed the subject and tendered my resignation! It was perhaps one of the most difficult things that I've come to do, for severing an association, however short or insignificant, isn't by any means, an easy act!
I find myself swiftly reminded of Robert Frost's lines in The Road Not Taken!
That "I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."
Quite similar has been my predicament over the past couple of weeks! Torn between two rights, I have come to crossroads and remained to make an inevitable choice, one that will forever change the course of my life, the ramifications of which I cannot comprehend at this point in time!
Some of you are aware of my Mom's ailment, which continues to be in milder measure, thankfully. However, her inability has taken her away from home in Ooty and thus rendering Dad all by himself for the past several months, alone to conduct the proceedings of his business!
As this situation furthers, I feel it is my solemn duty to offer an unconditional and responsible hand of support and relieve him of his strenuous and demanding schedules. Now, this means my relinquishment of a position that I currently hold in an organization that has employed me over the past year and a half, something that I will be grateful for all my life!
So, after battling emotions for long, and having arrived at a decision, I walked up, two weeks ago, in a somber mood, to my boss and discussed the subject and tendered my resignation! It was perhaps one of the most difficult things that I've come to do, for severing an association, however short or insignificant, isn't by any means, an easy act!
I find myself swiftly reminded of Robert Frost's lines in The Road Not Taken!
That "I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."
Friday, October 16, 2009
Let there be light
We meditate on the glory of the Creator; Who has created the universe; Who is worthy of worship; Who is the embodiment of knowledge and light; Who is the remover of all sin and ignorance;
May He enlighten our intellect!
-- The Gayatri Mantra (chant)
Wishing you a very happy Diwali, one that, I pray, will usher into your lives unending prosperity, immeasurable peace, true happiness and a state of togetherness and belonging that shall never come apart!
Footnotes:
Image courtesy - Google Images
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Mighty Heart
Dear Mariane
I trust this note of mine finds Adam and yourself doing well.
I'm not sure if I should ascribe my reading A Mighty Heart on Danny's birthday to an act of coincidence!
Every once a while, there come people, who call upon themselves, mustering unseen courage, to show the world the elements of truth and choose to be the exponents of this powerful virtue! One can gather in such an illustrious league the names of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, who lost their lives while relentlessly pursuing the Godly mission of upholding the values of truth and educating the world about it.
I believe Danny is part of this list of people-extraordinaire, someone who saw it as his job, not any extraordinary mission, to bridge a gap between fiercely opposing cultures and their people.
Your day by day account moved me a great deal while making me recall the early days of 2002 when I relied on the BBC to bring me the news of Danny’s release, which I believed was imminent. Extremely pained by this senseless killing, I comforted myself in the belief that heaven is certainly a better place, now that he’s gone up there!
Above all, he was himself, doing what he did best and martyred himself in the tedious and painful process of constantly demonstrating unity and togetherness to a world that calls itself civilized yet remains glaringly devoid of peace or the very understanding of it!
Like the millions of those who have read and understood the courage and sacrifice of A Mighty Heart, I want you to know how grateful I am to you for bringing this chilling account for me to read, which under ordinary circumstances would have been safely cast away in a mourning mind!
Today, we continue to celebrate Danny's life as an epic moment in history, one that has had many good associations and causes attached to it, and in doing so emphatically tell the perpetrators of terror that while good people and their bodies can be destroyed by their meaningless massacres in the name of religion - not once, ever, can they destroy the will of the spirit which is higher than any cause or effect!
Nothing will give me more pleasure than to see Adam grow up to fulfill his father's prophecy of being able to change the world!
I pray that you, Adam, Danny's family, friends and colleagues find renewed courage and strength to further your lives in living the legacy Danny left behind.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Rakesh
Footnotes:
The Daniel Pearl Foundation
I trust this note of mine finds Adam and yourself doing well.
I'm not sure if I should ascribe my reading A Mighty Heart on Danny's birthday to an act of coincidence!
Every once a while, there come people, who call upon themselves, mustering unseen courage, to show the world the elements of truth and choose to be the exponents of this powerful virtue! One can gather in such an illustrious league the names of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, who lost their lives while relentlessly pursuing the Godly mission of upholding the values of truth and educating the world about it.
I believe Danny is part of this list of people-extraordinaire, someone who saw it as his job, not any extraordinary mission, to bridge a gap between fiercely opposing cultures and their people.
Your day by day account moved me a great deal while making me recall the early days of 2002 when I relied on the BBC to bring me the news of Danny’s release, which I believed was imminent. Extremely pained by this senseless killing, I comforted myself in the belief that heaven is certainly a better place, now that he’s gone up there!
Above all, he was himself, doing what he did best and martyred himself in the tedious and painful process of constantly demonstrating unity and togetherness to a world that calls itself civilized yet remains glaringly devoid of peace or the very understanding of it!
Like the millions of those who have read and understood the courage and sacrifice of A Mighty Heart, I want you to know how grateful I am to you for bringing this chilling account for me to read, which under ordinary circumstances would have been safely cast away in a mourning mind!
Today, we continue to celebrate Danny's life as an epic moment in history, one that has had many good associations and causes attached to it, and in doing so emphatically tell the perpetrators of terror that while good people and their bodies can be destroyed by their meaningless massacres in the name of religion - not once, ever, can they destroy the will of the spirit which is higher than any cause or effect!
Nothing will give me more pleasure than to see Adam grow up to fulfill his father's prophecy of being able to change the world!
I pray that you, Adam, Danny's family, friends and colleagues find renewed courage and strength to further your lives in living the legacy Danny left behind.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Rakesh
Footnotes:
The Daniel Pearl Foundation
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Misery in South India
News from the southern Indian states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh has been depressing! Incessant rains over the past several days have resulted in a number of regions being inundated and the loss of lives has been enormous and tragic!
It is estimated that over 200 people have lost their lives in the calamity and close to a million people stand displaced. The state of Andhra Pradesh has estimated damages due to heavy rains and floods at a staggering Rs. 12,225 crore!
One can only hope and pray that the prolonged suffering, which has reached unbearable proportions, will come to an end!
Footnotes:
Image Courtesy - NDTV
Image Description - A woman cries after failing to enter her submerged house at Garlapadu village, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) away from Hyderabad, India.
NDTV's photo account of the floods in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
Monday, October 05, 2009
Books & Bliss
Nothing is more fun than reading a good book, to me at least! Known for leading a very boring life and being very happy at that, you can well imagine my joy when over the last weekend, I splurged generously over of a dozen titles from Crossword - quite a collection indeed, to keep me going for a while!
Already having planned the merriment, I hurriedly watched the much talked about produces of Quentin Tarantino and Ayan Mukerji, back to back, and lost little time in hastening to Crossword next door!
The comforting quiet, enthusiasts milling about and soft instrumental melody playing ceaselessly through overhead speakers made a welcome and relaxing ambience - one I chose to settle down in the cozy confines of, beginning a long and enjoyable hunt for what I'd soon make mine with a joyous, rather elated sensation combined with the immense sense of pride and privilege of being able to own them!
About two odd hours, a dozen books and a sizeable sum later, I walked out of Crossword a very happy man and with good reason to be!
Was it not Oscar Wilde who said that "It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it?"
Already having planned the merriment, I hurriedly watched the much talked about produces of Quentin Tarantino and Ayan Mukerji, back to back, and lost little time in hastening to Crossword next door!
The comforting quiet, enthusiasts milling about and soft instrumental melody playing ceaselessly through overhead speakers made a welcome and relaxing ambience - one I chose to settle down in the cozy confines of, beginning a long and enjoyable hunt for what I'd soon make mine with a joyous, rather elated sensation combined with the immense sense of pride and privilege of being able to own them!
About two odd hours, a dozen books and a sizeable sum later, I walked out of Crossword a very happy man and with good reason to be!
Was it not Oscar Wilde who said that "It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it?"
Friday, October 02, 2009
Saluting the Mahatma
An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it
-- Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 1869 - January 30, 1948)
Footnotes:
Image Courtesy - Wikipedia
Image Description - Mahatma Gandhi on Juhu Beach, Mumbai, May 1944
Thursday, October 01, 2009
The Helmet Campaign
Fellow blogger Shahid Mukadam and I had a conversation on facebook recently on some nuances of blogging when he ventured to tell me of a tag he was creating! Not a fan of tags, I told him of how minimal tags should be part of ones blogs as they often do not elicit a good response, besides deter the reader from taking good note of the content, or so I believe! But, minutes later, when he told me the subject of his tag, I gave it a serious thought, enough to create a post out of it!
With over 1.3 lakh road accidents India tops the world accidents list! Here are some ominous facts pertinent to two-wheeler accidents in India:
Head injury due to two-wheeler accidents is the sixth leading cause of death in India (one death every 4 minutes).
120,000 head injury deaths occur annually in India, from two-wheeler accidents alone.
5 to 10 million of the population have had head injuries.
70% of head injuries are preventable, and occur due to negligence and ignorance.
Statistics never reflect the agony and misery faced by the individual family when the breadwinner is critically injured or dies.
Studies have shown that when helmet use is voluntary, it is used by 40-50 %; when compulsory, it is almost 100 %. Only 8% really have objection to using helmets - others don't use it because it is "not compulsory."
Two-wheeler riders are five times more likely to be killed in an accident than car or bus passengers. This probability goes up by 100% if one is not wearing a helmet.
Rs. 2,500 crore (1% of Indian GDP) is the annual loss due to road accidents.
So, any of that is enough reason to wear a helmet, if you are riding a two-wheeler! Nothing precedes the importance and value of your life!
And to lighten the tension, me being a non-rider, will rather wear one to prevent the thundering blows of my wifey! So much for the poor, meek husband! :)
Footnotes:
Road Accidents in India - A database
Image Courtesy - Asia Injury Prevention Foundation
With over 1.3 lakh road accidents India tops the world accidents list! Here are some ominous facts pertinent to two-wheeler accidents in India:
Head injury due to two-wheeler accidents is the sixth leading cause of death in India (one death every 4 minutes).
120,000 head injury deaths occur annually in India, from two-wheeler accidents alone.
5 to 10 million of the population have had head injuries.
70% of head injuries are preventable, and occur due to negligence and ignorance.
Statistics never reflect the agony and misery faced by the individual family when the breadwinner is critically injured or dies.
Studies have shown that when helmet use is voluntary, it is used by 40-50 %; when compulsory, it is almost 100 %. Only 8% really have objection to using helmets - others don't use it because it is "not compulsory."
Two-wheeler riders are five times more likely to be killed in an accident than car or bus passengers. This probability goes up by 100% if one is not wearing a helmet.
Rs. 2,500 crore (1% of Indian GDP) is the annual loss due to road accidents.
So, any of that is enough reason to wear a helmet, if you are riding a two-wheeler! Nothing precedes the importance and value of your life!
And to lighten the tension, me being a non-rider, will rather wear one to prevent the thundering blows of my wifey! So much for the poor, meek husband! :)
Footnotes:
Road Accidents in India - A database
Image Courtesy - Asia Injury Prevention Foundation
Monday, September 28, 2009
5 years 2 months and 1 week!
That's how long, or short, that I've been blogging now!
I began at a time when blogging in India was yet to catch up and in very nascent stages! Intended primarily to record happenings and places visited during my treks, I created Oblivion Redefined on Wednesday, July 21, 2004!
My first post, on the same date, wasn't very different to what I continue to echo here!
Titled 'All that is Human', it contained a thought of mine, rather a series of thoughts, that read, "I've always been a simple man, except for the fact of having been robbed of the idea of being simple. It is then that I understood that life is more to do with living and living well. And that is all that matters. The rest follows suit with natural precision and in a timely orchestrated fashion.
Why do we always seem to want another chance? Is it because of our gross inability to coordinate our own actions and their sometimes perilous outcomes, or is it because that we have taken for granted the gazillion human limitations thrust upon us?
Life is once, and once is enough if we can figure out how to go about it."
I'm sure you understand the unparalleled sense of pleasure involved in creating an online journal and even more of it when acknowledged by co-bloggers and other folks!
Today, a little more than 5 years and 4 blogs later, I look back on a wonderful and rewarding journey, one that has helped me see places, far and wide, understand people and communities, communicate within and across borders and realize the true spirit and value of cultural interchange - all at the instance of a technological marvel!
We Blog, Web Blog and therefore the blog!
I began at a time when blogging in India was yet to catch up and in very nascent stages! Intended primarily to record happenings and places visited during my treks, I created Oblivion Redefined on Wednesday, July 21, 2004!
My first post, on the same date, wasn't very different to what I continue to echo here!
Titled 'All that is Human', it contained a thought of mine, rather a series of thoughts, that read, "I've always been a simple man, except for the fact of having been robbed of the idea of being simple. It is then that I understood that life is more to do with living and living well. And that is all that matters. The rest follows suit with natural precision and in a timely orchestrated fashion.
Why do we always seem to want another chance? Is it because of our gross inability to coordinate our own actions and their sometimes perilous outcomes, or is it because that we have taken for granted the gazillion human limitations thrust upon us?
Life is once, and once is enough if we can figure out how to go about it."
I'm sure you understand the unparalleled sense of pleasure involved in creating an online journal and even more of it when acknowledged by co-bloggers and other folks!
Today, a little more than 5 years and 4 blogs later, I look back on a wonderful and rewarding journey, one that has helped me see places, far and wide, understand people and communities, communicate within and across borders and realize the true spirit and value of cultural interchange - all at the instance of a technological marvel!
We Blog, Web Blog and therefore the blog!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Republic of rudeness
Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram's comments on the people of New Delhi being rude and ill mannered, comes a little late and certainly very mild in expression!
Utterly poor in manners and etiquettes, I have come to experience this malady in person during my stay there for an extended period of 3 years!
It is a shame, a national one at that, to be known for the manner in which a people collectively behave so offensively, particularly at a time when race, nationalities, international borders and such nuances matter very little!
So, where lies the problem? Lack of education and civility? Faulty upbringing? Boorishness equated to manliness, as a result of a deep rooted sense of inferiority?
Or is it as a result of what most Delhiites are best at being - a recalcitrant hoi polloi?
Utterly poor in manners and etiquettes, I have come to experience this malady in person during my stay there for an extended period of 3 years!
It is a shame, a national one at that, to be known for the manner in which a people collectively behave so offensively, particularly at a time when race, nationalities, international borders and such nuances matter very little!
So, where lies the problem? Lack of education and civility? Faulty upbringing? Boorishness equated to manliness, as a result of a deep rooted sense of inferiority?
Or is it as a result of what most Delhiites are best at being - a recalcitrant hoi polloi?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Pièce de résistance
Presently reading the acclaimed 'Autobiography of a Yogi' by Paramahansa Yogananda, I find myself in uncharted territory with a drawn feeling of how much more I need to strive in order to attain a level of self-realization which is a quart of what is talked about in this magnificent book!
It is a work of art like never before that I have ever encountered and is constantly helping me understand the deepest nuances of my life better than before with a singular view of how much life is a part of the whole exercise of evolving into a higher state of being and realm, which most of us ardently seek and yet fail to attain owing to focus on intellectual appeal and sensory judgements alone!
What strikes me most, even as I border close to just a half of the book, are the striking similarities that this book elucidates in it, also largely mentioned in the works of Dr. Brian Weiss, with respect to life itself and those of Carl Sagan with respect to his thoughts and deductions of the ever intriguing cosmos!
As if that wasn't already enough to stir my ordinary mind, beyond words and expression, the magical experiences detailed as a result of the author's process of attaining self-realization shook me off, challenging the earthly concepts of time, gravity, instances, all of which are a certainly delightful treat to any reader, food for thought, in the clichéd sense to say!
And as for my new-found realization that I have been toying for quite sometime now, I'd better best describe it with the aide of the famous words of the Greek philosopher Socrates which read that "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing!"
Footnotes:
The Self Realization Fellowship - The Website
The online version of Yogananda's autobiography and the e-book on Project Gutenberg (under copyright)
It is a work of art like never before that I have ever encountered and is constantly helping me understand the deepest nuances of my life better than before with a singular view of how much life is a part of the whole exercise of evolving into a higher state of being and realm, which most of us ardently seek and yet fail to attain owing to focus on intellectual appeal and sensory judgements alone!
What strikes me most, even as I border close to just a half of the book, are the striking similarities that this book elucidates in it, also largely mentioned in the works of Dr. Brian Weiss, with respect to life itself and those of Carl Sagan with respect to his thoughts and deductions of the ever intriguing cosmos!
As if that wasn't already enough to stir my ordinary mind, beyond words and expression, the magical experiences detailed as a result of the author's process of attaining self-realization shook me off, challenging the earthly concepts of time, gravity, instances, all of which are a certainly delightful treat to any reader, food for thought, in the clichéd sense to say!
And as for my new-found realization that I have been toying for quite sometime now, I'd better best describe it with the aide of the famous words of the Greek philosopher Socrates which read that "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing!"
Footnotes:
The Self Realization Fellowship - The Website
The online version of Yogananda's autobiography and the e-book on Project Gutenberg (under copyright)
Awarded
Fellow bloggers Shravan Raghunath and Rahul Sharma have given me the Awesome Blogger and Blog Buddies awards respectively, for which I express my sincere thanks! As always, I dedicate these awards to all of my fellow-bloggers, in my belief that this world, the virtual world of blogging, is one of instant intellectual connect, bridging gaps of culture, race, religion, borders and time. Therefore in celebration of a togetherness that I experience here in the blog-world, I extend these awards to all of you, the wonderful people who make this world happen!
Friday, September 18, 2009
My Connection
No, this is not about that splendid little icon featured by the predecessors of Windows XP that allowed you and me to connect to the Internet!
Rather, I'm attempting to understand what is it that is each of our most sought connect, the feeling that renders a sense of joy, togetherness, or oneness, that is experienced when the mind engages with that avenue, person or passion!
For instance, I experience a strong yet unspeakable and indescribable connection while looking up at the night sky, something that I can be sure of spending a few hours doing, comfortably away from the maddening chatter of daily chores and the constant hum of cell phones, which I have slowly but steadily and clearly come to detest!
So then, purely for the sake of understanding, what really is your connect? Do write to me about it!
Monday, upcoming, is the festival of Eid and is also the International Day of Peace! I take this opportunity to wish all my Muslim brethren a very happy Eid, one that furthers the common ideology of peace and brotherhood above all else!
Most importantly, for me, it is a day off work! You can imagine my state of bliss already! :)
Have a good weekend all.
Rather, I'm attempting to understand what is it that is each of our most sought connect, the feeling that renders a sense of joy, togetherness, or oneness, that is experienced when the mind engages with that avenue, person or passion!
For instance, I experience a strong yet unspeakable and indescribable connection while looking up at the night sky, something that I can be sure of spending a few hours doing, comfortably away from the maddening chatter of daily chores and the constant hum of cell phones, which I have slowly but steadily and clearly come to detest!
So then, purely for the sake of understanding, what really is your connect? Do write to me about it!
Monday, upcoming, is the festival of Eid and is also the International Day of Peace! I take this opportunity to wish all my Muslim brethren a very happy Eid, one that furthers the common ideology of peace and brotherhood above all else!
Most importantly, for me, it is a day off work! You can imagine my state of bliss already! :)
Have a good weekend all.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Remembering Patrick Swayze
"If I leave this Earth, I want to leave this Earth just knowing I've tried to give something back and tried to do something worthwhile with myself."
-- Patrick Swayze (August 18, 1952 - September 14, 2009)
-- Patrick Swayze (August 18, 1952 - September 14, 2009)
Now I've had the time of my life
No I never felt like this before
Yes I swear it's the truth
and I owe it all to you
-- Time of my Life (Dirty Dancing), 1987
As a child, I first saw him in the movie Dirty Dancing, which took the world by a storm! Years later, his equally magnificient performance in the movie Ghost, with co-starrer Demi Moore, was among the finest I'd come to see!
The iconic Swayze attained his heavenly abode yesterday, after a long drawn, painful battle with pancreatic cancer! This post pays tribute to a wonderful soul, who immortalized himself in the minds of millions by his performances and charm!
Rest in peace sailor!
Footnotes:
Image Courtesy - Google
Monday, September 14, 2009
Time and I
I'm waiting for the starlight, seeking solace in the warm depths of the evening sky, while glossing over the bygones of the day. My mind is overwhelmed with voluminous memories that have been!
A silent breeze swishes the leaves of a peach tree parting them to reveal the fruits that are now intensely yellow. Birds begin their roosting call, chirping in plentiful monotones, while moths seek the last vestiges of light, unknown to themselves, if they'd last another day!
The cold melancholic air has a certain charm and brings forth dusk with its golden hued twilight. With it comes a sense of calm that has to be savoured in all its elements, slow and steady - pretty much a feeling that has to be invited to slowly sink in.
The elegance of nature is truly unparalleled and the mind is racing in exuberant bliss while the body is composed and still. Some contradictions, it seems can never be comprehended.
Gone too soon, I'm left with the feeling that dusky twilights are akin to eclipses, arriving in much fanfare and departing in obscured quiet - unannounced! Dotted twinkles of a few stars in the horizon assure more scenic demonstrations in the offing. Pleasant aromas of freshly brewed tea fill the air, in random staccato bouts, leaving the mind to decide upon the wanton cravings of the tongue.
But silence is even more addictive and impresses upon me to stand by, and relish the proceeding of time to savour some of the finest moments in life - those, if once lost, would never heed a call to turn back in time!
Some of the most blissful things in life, I've realized, are elementary!
A silent breeze swishes the leaves of a peach tree parting them to reveal the fruits that are now intensely yellow. Birds begin their roosting call, chirping in plentiful monotones, while moths seek the last vestiges of light, unknown to themselves, if they'd last another day!
The cold melancholic air has a certain charm and brings forth dusk with its golden hued twilight. With it comes a sense of calm that has to be savoured in all its elements, slow and steady - pretty much a feeling that has to be invited to slowly sink in.
The elegance of nature is truly unparalleled and the mind is racing in exuberant bliss while the body is composed and still. Some contradictions, it seems can never be comprehended.
Gone too soon, I'm left with the feeling that dusky twilights are akin to eclipses, arriving in much fanfare and departing in obscured quiet - unannounced! Dotted twinkles of a few stars in the horizon assure more scenic demonstrations in the offing. Pleasant aromas of freshly brewed tea fill the air, in random staccato bouts, leaving the mind to decide upon the wanton cravings of the tongue.
But silence is even more addictive and impresses upon me to stand by, and relish the proceeding of time to savour some of the finest moments in life - those, if once lost, would never heed a call to turn back in time!
Some of the most blissful things in life, I've realized, are elementary!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Turning 30 today!
Tintin, Campco, Rock Shock, Caran D'Ache, Calvin & Hobbes, Dollops, Shinkows, Misha, Superman, National Panasonic, Asterix, Big Fun, Milk Bikis, Leo, Glo Friends, Fusen, GW Basic, Kites, Macmillan, Hercule Poirot, Crazy Balls, Great Expectations, Marbles, Soccer, Ludo, Marshmallows, Carrom, MTV, Nimmy, Danny & Tinku (RIP), Kipling, 5 1/4" floppies, Tennyson, Duckback, Frost, Peppermint, Blake, Phantom Sweet Cigarettes, O'Henry ..................
All of this in 10950 days!
I feel I've lived over a hundred years now! Exciting, eventful and exhilarating! I'd like to thank my family, the most wonderful people I've ever known, for the unconditional support that they have given me, at all times, along with my friends and associates for being the magnificent people that they are!
And heres a lil tid-bit from the birthday boi! Remember my post titled What will you do? Yes, the same write-up that sought to understand what ticks us to go forward in life? Now, here's something that will perhaps be an answer to some of us! Do check out Kickstarter and be sure to read its blog!
Thank you folks! I love you all!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Composed upon Westminster Bridge
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This city now doth, like a garment wear
This city now doth, like a garment wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie
Open unto the fields and to the sky,
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie
Open unto the fields and to the sky,
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did the sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendor, valley, rock or hill;
In his first splendor, valley, rock or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
William Wordsworth's sonnet, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" was written, a little over two hundred years ago, on this day!
Footnotes:
Image Courtesy - Wikipedia
Image Description - A view of the River Thames drawn by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson for Ackermann's Microcosm of London (1808-11). Somerset House, St. Paul's Cathedral and London Bridge are shown.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Onam wishes
Satjugi tai manio chalio bali bavan bhaio
(In Satyayuga, you sported the incarnation of the dwarf, and fooled Bali)
-- Excerpts from the Guru Granth Sahib wherein Vamana is mentioned as the "enticer" of Mahabali
I received a dinner invite from a very unexpected quarter last week! When the matriarch of a very poor family, that stays in my landlord's property and watches over it, asked me if I would honour them by having dinner with their family, I readily and wholeheartedly agreed with an immense sense of happiness, a kind that had not prevailed on me even while wining and dining in the finest of bistros.
Amidst hot and sumptuous Bhakris, Subji and Modak, I made efforts to understand the suffering these wonderful people endured in their daily lives, while yet remaining resolute and cheerful in carrying themselves forward in the battle to win another day!
Their gesture to invite me to dinner touched me a great deal, and also served as a crude reminder, once again, of how fortunate I have been, being me! Humane gestures know no human divisions, don't you agree?
It is Onam now, the festival of harvest, in Kerala, a time of the year when the golden era of prosperity during the reign of King Mahabali is fondly remembered and celebrated in awe, happiness and oneness!
I'd like to wish my country-cousins, folks and all my friends a very happy and prosperous Onam and more importantly, urge every one of you to envision a sense of prosperity in your lives, in all that you do and reaffirm your commitment towards the spirit of solidarity and oneness, which is all that matters in the end!
(In Satyayuga, you sported the incarnation of the dwarf, and fooled Bali)
-- Excerpts from the Guru Granth Sahib wherein Vamana is mentioned as the "enticer" of Mahabali
I received a dinner invite from a very unexpected quarter last week! When the matriarch of a very poor family, that stays in my landlord's property and watches over it, asked me if I would honour them by having dinner with their family, I readily and wholeheartedly agreed with an immense sense of happiness, a kind that had not prevailed on me even while wining and dining in the finest of bistros.
Amidst hot and sumptuous Bhakris, Subji and Modak, I made efforts to understand the suffering these wonderful people endured in their daily lives, while yet remaining resolute and cheerful in carrying themselves forward in the battle to win another day!
Their gesture to invite me to dinner touched me a great deal, and also served as a crude reminder, once again, of how fortunate I have been, being me! Humane gestures know no human divisions, don't you agree?
It is Onam now, the festival of harvest, in Kerala, a time of the year when the golden era of prosperity during the reign of King Mahabali is fondly remembered and celebrated in awe, happiness and oneness!
I'd like to wish my country-cousins, folks and all my friends a very happy and prosperous Onam and more importantly, urge every one of you to envision a sense of prosperity in your lives, in all that you do and reaffirm your commitment towards the spirit of solidarity and oneness, which is all that matters in the end!
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