I may sound utterly narcissistic if I consider myself as a gift to my father on my parents' wedding anniversary which falls today! But being here in Ooty, elated beyond words and thoughts, like a child, I feel just as that!
I can't tell you how wonderful it feels, despite the biting cold that I have come to loathe!
But home is home and thats where the heart is! Perhaps, for the same reason that Kurt Cobain sang "I'm worse at what I do best, And for this gift I feel blessed, Our little group (tribe) has always been, And always will until the end," in his legendary Smells like teen spirit marvel!
Boy, this sure smells like childhood!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Adieu Pune
A certain epoch of my life now comes to an end!
The time has come for me to head home to Ooty, leaving behind Pune, the wonderful place that has been my home for the past year and a half! Having lived here, although for a relatively short while, I've come to form some very close and lasting associations with remarkable people, who have time and again reassured me that good people in today's world are neither passé nor a rarity! To them I'm indebted for having made my life colourful and happy without condition.
I cannot say enough of the remarkably healthy lifestyle that I have enjoyed during the course of my stay in Pune, one that has most certainly put me into a very happy state of physical and mental being. A life of contentment and peace is what I've been blessed along with, as I said before, the wonderful people, who will hold immense significance in my life ahead.
Something else, which is an invaluable asset, that I take along with me is the improved level of spiritual connect that I have acquired, a gift that I attribute purely to the goodness of the place and its people, much less to my efforts! Here, my reading and blogging have also come to witness intensity and good routine, something I'm not sure will continue in the days to come, with the same level of vigour, although not going to be lost on passion - I assure!
I go home a renewed man, more refined, patient and blessed with a wider perspective with the privilege of having lived a stately life so far away from home. Pune will forever be very dear to my heart and will be cherished dearly for being the avenue that facilitated a personal and professional growth with no impediments whatsoever!
So, with a heavy heart, I bid goodbye to this wonderful place and the magnificent people I'm associated with, who will continue to be an integral part of my life!
On a closing note, I'm reminded of the track Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, something that I believe is apt to be mentioned here, considering the occasion and the expression that I convey on its account.
"I need your grace, to remind me, to find my own! All that I am, All that I ever was, Is here in your perfect eyes!"
I'm praying that, during my last moments here, my emotions don't get the best of me and that I feign a happy face while leaving - an effort, I know well from past experience to be a marathon task involving great difficulty!
PS: I've not been able to visit your blogs lately as a result of some hectic last minutes, which I'm sure you understand! Nevertheless, do please accept my sincere apologies! This is to continue for a few weeks to come during which time I shall be travelling.
The time has come for me to head home to Ooty, leaving behind Pune, the wonderful place that has been my home for the past year and a half! Having lived here, although for a relatively short while, I've come to form some very close and lasting associations with remarkable people, who have time and again reassured me that good people in today's world are neither passé nor a rarity! To them I'm indebted for having made my life colourful and happy without condition.
I cannot say enough of the remarkably healthy lifestyle that I have enjoyed during the course of my stay in Pune, one that has most certainly put me into a very happy state of physical and mental being. A life of contentment and peace is what I've been blessed along with, as I said before, the wonderful people, who will hold immense significance in my life ahead.
Something else, which is an invaluable asset, that I take along with me is the improved level of spiritual connect that I have acquired, a gift that I attribute purely to the goodness of the place and its people, much less to my efforts! Here, my reading and blogging have also come to witness intensity and good routine, something I'm not sure will continue in the days to come, with the same level of vigour, although not going to be lost on passion - I assure!
I go home a renewed man, more refined, patient and blessed with a wider perspective with the privilege of having lived a stately life so far away from home. Pune will forever be very dear to my heart and will be cherished dearly for being the avenue that facilitated a personal and professional growth with no impediments whatsoever!
So, with a heavy heart, I bid goodbye to this wonderful place and the magnificent people I'm associated with, who will continue to be an integral part of my life!
On a closing note, I'm reminded of the track Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, something that I believe is apt to be mentioned here, considering the occasion and the expression that I convey on its account.
"I need your grace, to remind me, to find my own! All that I am, All that I ever was, Is here in your perfect eyes!"
I'm praying that, during my last moments here, my emotions don't get the best of me and that I feign a happy face while leaving - an effort, I know well from past experience to be a marathon task involving great difficulty!
PS: I've not been able to visit your blogs lately as a result of some hectic last minutes, which I'm sure you understand! Nevertheless, do please accept my sincere apologies! This is to continue for a few weeks to come during which time I shall be travelling.
Monday, November 16, 2009
A rendezvous with the writers!
I've been wanting to meet fellow blogger Shahid for sometime now. Having built a good rapport via blogging and once-in-a-while chatting up on common interests, soccer and journalism being among them, I needed to meet up with him before leaving here!
And so we decided to do just that on Saturday last, over well recommended and consequently enjoyed mughlai fare, which was truly appealing to the foodie in me, or rather - the foodie me, if I have to state facts correctly, that is! I had the pleasure of meeting up along with Shahid, Chandni and Sumedha, the wonderful ladies, one of whom I've spoken about in a previous post!
What a wonderful meeting, rather occasion, it turned out to be! Guarded, with the best foot forward in disposition, something that I believe I still need a great deal of polishing upon, I was quick to return to my informally normal self having been made to feel extremely comfortable by the awesome trio who I was meeting for the very first time!
It took no time for Shahid and I to get along like fuel and fire, engrossed in conversations on Eminem, the corporate world, blogs, food, culture, politics, religion and of course soccer, much to the discontent of the ladies, who were, unwillingly distanced, due to the teen-boy tech talk!
Shahid is very passionate about interacting with people and thus is high on interpersonal skills, something he hopes to capitalize on while kick starting his professional career shortly. He also has a distinct other facet, a more serious one that is maturely cognizant of the philosophical and metaphysical aspects of life – the astute thinker that he is!
Terribly brief yet enriching, and exceedingly congenial, I left with a feeling akin to having met with an old friend, and revisited bygone times!
Remember Louis Armstrong and his marvel What a Wonderful World? To all the good times that I have always associated this masterpiece with, I'm reiterated in the belief that the world is indeed a wonderful place, down below 'the skies of blue, and clouds of white, the bright blessed day and the dark sacred night', more so for the brilliant people that make this, truly, as 'I think to myself.... a wonderful world!'
But Shahid.......... surely Chelsea rules!!! ;)
And so we decided to do just that on Saturday last, over well recommended and consequently enjoyed mughlai fare, which was truly appealing to the foodie in me, or rather - the foodie me, if I have to state facts correctly, that is! I had the pleasure of meeting up along with Shahid, Chandni and Sumedha, the wonderful ladies, one of whom I've spoken about in a previous post!
What a wonderful meeting, rather occasion, it turned out to be! Guarded, with the best foot forward in disposition, something that I believe I still need a great deal of polishing upon, I was quick to return to my informally normal self having been made to feel extremely comfortable by the awesome trio who I was meeting for the very first time!
It took no time for Shahid and I to get along like fuel and fire, engrossed in conversations on Eminem, the corporate world, blogs, food, culture, politics, religion and of course soccer, much to the discontent of the ladies, who were, unwillingly distanced, due to the teen-boy tech talk!
Shahid is very passionate about interacting with people and thus is high on interpersonal skills, something he hopes to capitalize on while kick starting his professional career shortly. He also has a distinct other facet, a more serious one that is maturely cognizant of the philosophical and metaphysical aspects of life – the astute thinker that he is!
Terribly brief yet enriching, and exceedingly congenial, I left with a feeling akin to having met with an old friend, and revisited bygone times!
Remember Louis Armstrong and his marvel What a Wonderful World? To all the good times that I have always associated this masterpiece with, I'm reiterated in the belief that the world is indeed a wonderful place, down below 'the skies of blue, and clouds of white, the bright blessed day and the dark sacred night', more so for the brilliant people that make this, truly, as 'I think to myself.... a wonderful world!'
But Shahid.......... surely Chelsea rules!!! ;)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Cyclone Phyan creates an emergency
All is not well since the advent of Cyclone Phyan, which now threatens to wreck havoc in the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat!
Worse still, is the trail of destruction it has left behind in my home town Ooty, in the southern India state of Tamil Nadu, over the past few days! It has been reported that over 70 people have perished in the ensuing squalls of rain in Tamil Nadu, of who over 40 are from Ooty.
My Father, who at the moment is in Ooty, talks about a scale of destruction that has not been witnessed ever before. Even as I gather momentum to write this post, I'm told that access to Ooty has been completely cut off, with all transportation systems coming to a grinding halt!
While I hope that the District Administration, assisted by sections of the Indian Paramilitary Forces, is able to execute relief and rescue operations smoothly, I cannot refrain from thinking about my impending trip to Ooty, scheduled in less than 2 weeks from today!
I know not how to express my condolences to all the bereaved families whose lives have been rudely affected due to this calamity - an indelible mark that will stay on forever, with many bitter memories associated with it!
And, here in Pune, the mayhem appears to have only begun now!
An update - The BBC has reported that Ooty has recorded rainfall of 600 cms over the last three days and that 250 houses have been damaged as a result thereof!
Worse still, is the trail of destruction it has left behind in my home town Ooty, in the southern India state of Tamil Nadu, over the past few days! It has been reported that over 70 people have perished in the ensuing squalls of rain in Tamil Nadu, of who over 40 are from Ooty.
My Father, who at the moment is in Ooty, talks about a scale of destruction that has not been witnessed ever before. Even as I gather momentum to write this post, I'm told that access to Ooty has been completely cut off, with all transportation systems coming to a grinding halt!
While I hope that the District Administration, assisted by sections of the Indian Paramilitary Forces, is able to execute relief and rescue operations smoothly, I cannot refrain from thinking about my impending trip to Ooty, scheduled in less than 2 weeks from today!
I know not how to express my condolences to all the bereaved families whose lives have been rudely affected due to this calamity - an indelible mark that will stay on forever, with many bitter memories associated with it!
And, here in Pune, the mayhem appears to have only begun now!
An update - The BBC has reported that Ooty has recorded rainfall of 600 cms over the last three days and that 250 houses have been damaged as a result thereof!
Monday, November 09, 2009
Ich bin 'ein' Berliner
I follow the Moskva, Down to Gorky Park, Listening to the wind of change!
-- Wind of Change, Scorpions, 1990
It has been 20 years to the day that the Berlin wall has ceased to exist. There perhaps isn't an instance in history where so much cheer has marked the bringing down of a wall, particularly due to the bitterness that it brought up in dividing people of the same region, race, nationality and flock!
Coincidentally, I'm reading 'The Berlin Wall,' by Frederick Taylor, which is a word by word account of how the wall went up and came down, and to those of you interested in history, I recommend it highly!
Today, as the Germans celebrate the "Festival of Freedom" on the anniversary of the fall of the wall, it is important that we as world citizens take cognizance of the numerous walls that have sprouted up dividing us more than ever before in baseless discrimination and senseless ideology, and direct our concerted efforts to tear them down!
But the question remains, do we have the will to tear down these walls?
Finally, in case you didn't know........ here's a tidbit. Remember the famous track Wind of Change by Scorpions? It was sung in celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the many political events that Europe came to witness during the time!
And, as far as Ich bin 'ein' Berliner goes, I'm not too sure if JFK wanted to showcase himself as a jelly doughnut than the Berliner that he wanted very much to be, at that time!
-- Wind of Change, Scorpions, 1990
It has been 20 years to the day that the Berlin wall has ceased to exist. There perhaps isn't an instance in history where so much cheer has marked the bringing down of a wall, particularly due to the bitterness that it brought up in dividing people of the same region, race, nationality and flock!
Coincidentally, I'm reading 'The Berlin Wall,' by Frederick Taylor, which is a word by word account of how the wall went up and came down, and to those of you interested in history, I recommend it highly!
Today, as the Germans celebrate the "Festival of Freedom" on the anniversary of the fall of the wall, it is important that we as world citizens take cognizance of the numerous walls that have sprouted up dividing us more than ever before in baseless discrimination and senseless ideology, and direct our concerted efforts to tear them down!
But the question remains, do we have the will to tear down these walls?
Finally, in case you didn't know........ here's a tidbit. Remember the famous track Wind of Change by Scorpions? It was sung in celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the many political events that Europe came to witness during the time!
And, as far as Ich bin 'ein' Berliner goes, I'm not too sure if JFK wanted to showcase himself as a jelly doughnut than the Berliner that he wanted very much to be, at that time!
Friday, November 06, 2009
An invitation!
This is a first! I'm inviting you to take a look at a poem written by a fellow thinker, who has relinquished her poetic skills, momentarily I hope!
So when Shahid decided to showcase her creation, I decided to do my bit by making a mention of it here and thereby invite all of you to take a look and write a thought or two of what you feel about it!
Please visit Shahid's post titled A poem by Chandni Bahl, written on what is perhaps one of the most addressable issue on people - distances between them!
As a courteous gesture, I have disabled comments for this post and request that you leave your thoughts in the place I take pleasure in directing you to, via this post!
I wish you all a very happy and safe weekend!
So when Shahid decided to showcase her creation, I decided to do my bit by making a mention of it here and thereby invite all of you to take a look and write a thought or two of what you feel about it!
Please visit Shahid's post titled A poem by Chandni Bahl, written on what is perhaps one of the most addressable issue on people - distances between them!
As a courteous gesture, I have disabled comments for this post and request that you leave your thoughts in the place I take pleasure in directing you to, via this post!
I wish you all a very happy and safe weekend!
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Innocent or Guilty
This, I'm sure is a welcome departure from my usual heavy and serious opines. Thanks to Shahid who tagged me, I decided to do this with some pun packed!
I've flouted all rules of engagement here, but don't blame me for your imagination! ;-)
Asked someone to marry you? Innocent
You think I ain't got better things to do than to ruin my peace?
Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Guilty
Maybe this question should have been directed to a certain someone in Chennai who sings and forgets his clothes in the washing machine
Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent
What makes you think I might act like Jim Carrey?
Ever told a lie? Guilty
Isn't life itself one big lie?
Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Guilty
Plenty - There seems to be a thin line of difference between love & lust!
Kissed a picture? Guilty
Desperation it seems, knows no limits
Slept in until 5 PM? Guilty
Ask me about it!
Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty
U bet! If I don't dozed off on my desk, folks would be surprised, rather I'd be surprised myself!
Held a snake? Innocent
Been suspended from school? Innocent
Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent
I wish I did, actually own one!
Stolen from a store? Innocent
Been fired from a job? Innocent
Done something you regret? Guilty
Plenty - They say it's important to learn from others' mistakes, coz you may not live long enough to make them all! But, I'm trying!
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Guilty
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent
Is snowflake the name of a girl?
Kissed in the rain? Innocent
Sat on a roof top? Guilty
Yeah, stargazing!
Kissed someone you shouldn’t? Guilty
Many times - haven't you heard that variety is the spice of life?
Sang in the shower? Guilty
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent
Shaved your head? Innocent
Had a boxing membership? Innocent
Sometimes I wish I had! Considering the people ...................................!
Made a girlfriend cry? Innocent
Been in a band? Innocent
Shot a gun? Guilty
Err..... what kind? ;-)
Donated Blood? Guilty
Yeah - and hoped the guy who got it survived!
Eaten alligator meat? Innocent
Eaten cheesecake? Innocent
How sick can that be?
Still love someone you shouldn’t? Guilty
Sigh!
Have/had a tattoo? Innocent
Somebody once told me that tattoos are a permanent mark of temporary insanity! I disgree!
Liked someone, but will never tell who? Guilty
Too many people, much less time and too much of an ego!
Been too honest? Guilty
How do I change? Any tips?
Ruined a surprise? Guilty
Plenty - think about that pleasure you get doing that! Remember Calvin & Hobbes?
Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterwards? Guilty
Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty
Even Bob Marley said "Good friends we lose along the way!"
Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Innocent
Joined a pageant? Innocent
Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Innocent
Had communication with your ex? Innocent
What a waste of time that can be!
Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Guilty
Thank God for that! Hic!
Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty
I've flouted all rules of engagement here, but don't blame me for your imagination! ;-)
Asked someone to marry you? Innocent
You think I ain't got better things to do than to ruin my peace?
Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Guilty
Maybe this question should have been directed to a certain someone in Chennai who sings and forgets his clothes in the washing machine
Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent
What makes you think I might act like Jim Carrey?
Ever told a lie? Guilty
Isn't life itself one big lie?
Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Guilty
Plenty - There seems to be a thin line of difference between love & lust!
Kissed a picture? Guilty
Desperation it seems, knows no limits
Slept in until 5 PM? Guilty
Ask me about it!
Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty
U bet! If I don't dozed off on my desk, folks would be surprised, rather I'd be surprised myself!
Held a snake? Innocent
Been suspended from school? Innocent
Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent
I wish I did, actually own one!
Stolen from a store? Innocent
Been fired from a job? Innocent
Done something you regret? Guilty
Plenty - They say it's important to learn from others' mistakes, coz you may not live long enough to make them all! But, I'm trying!
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Guilty
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent
Is snowflake the name of a girl?
Kissed in the rain? Innocent
Sat on a roof top? Guilty
Yeah, stargazing!
Kissed someone you shouldn’t? Guilty
Many times - haven't you heard that variety is the spice of life?
Sang in the shower? Guilty
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent
Shaved your head? Innocent
Had a boxing membership? Innocent
Sometimes I wish I had! Considering the people ...................................!
Made a girlfriend cry? Innocent
Been in a band? Innocent
Shot a gun? Guilty
Err..... what kind? ;-)
Donated Blood? Guilty
Yeah - and hoped the guy who got it survived!
Eaten alligator meat? Innocent
Eaten cheesecake? Innocent
How sick can that be?
Still love someone you shouldn’t? Guilty
Sigh!
Have/had a tattoo? Innocent
Somebody once told me that tattoos are a permanent mark of temporary insanity! I disgree!
Liked someone, but will never tell who? Guilty
Too many people, much less time and too much of an ego!
Been too honest? Guilty
How do I change? Any tips?
Ruined a surprise? Guilty
Plenty - think about that pleasure you get doing that! Remember Calvin & Hobbes?
Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterwards? Guilty
Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty
Even Bob Marley said "Good friends we lose along the way!"
Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Innocent
Joined a pageant? Innocent
Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Innocent
Had communication with your ex? Innocent
What a waste of time that can be!
Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Guilty
Thank God for that! Hic!
Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty
Monday, November 02, 2009
Passers by in Life
Seasons and life have among themselves pretty much the same meaning, in the sense of how they further and remain a cyclical process. The same can be said about the elements of nature too! But when you add people to the equation, there is a vast change in the composition, something much like the law of entropy that was elucidated by Stephen Hawking in his famed Theory of Everything! And just in case you don't know what entropy is, go no further than understanding that it represents the "potential for disorder" in a system!
I spent a small part of the weekend reading In Spite of the Gods by Edward Luce, a book which is said to contain some of the finest analyses of India's strange economic and socio-political growth and tipped to be an insightful read by India's former Chief Executive - Dr. Abdul Kalam, among many others that is!
But that was momentary! As I sat trying to fixate my focus on the book, in the same park which is the venue of my once-in-a-while-solitary-walks, my eyes wandered in observation of people who had gathered there at sunset to either spend the remainder of the weekend in solace or as in the case of little ones - to be engulfed in the blissful togetherness of recreation! It seemed each one of them had a definite agenda in place for the evening to conduct!
Calm and composed, to me, each of them seemed to be engrossed in a journey of sorts - of comprehension, perception and anticipation, such as in wait for something that was to come and that no amount of preparation could help them face that seemingly oncoming blight, if one ever existed, that is!
I was then reminded of a quote, by Chuck Palahniuk that The Times of India carried yesterday morning, which read that "If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...... Would you slow down or speed up?"
I spent a small part of the weekend reading In Spite of the Gods by Edward Luce, a book which is said to contain some of the finest analyses of India's strange economic and socio-political growth and tipped to be an insightful read by India's former Chief Executive - Dr. Abdul Kalam, among many others that is!
But that was momentary! As I sat trying to fixate my focus on the book, in the same park which is the venue of my once-in-a-while-solitary-walks, my eyes wandered in observation of people who had gathered there at sunset to either spend the remainder of the weekend in solace or as in the case of little ones - to be engulfed in the blissful togetherness of recreation! It seemed each one of them had a definite agenda in place for the evening to conduct!
Calm and composed, to me, each of them seemed to be engrossed in a journey of sorts - of comprehension, perception and anticipation, such as in wait for something that was to come and that no amount of preparation could help them face that seemingly oncoming blight, if one ever existed, that is!
I was then reminded of a quote, by Chuck Palahniuk that The Times of India carried yesterday morning, which read that "If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...... Would you slow down or speed up?"
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Winter comes calling
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?"
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?"
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!
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