~ Life as it is...~

Today was a different day, having gone through the rigmarole of life, varied thoughts came to my mind – visiting hospitals and seeing the miserly of mankind brings forth certain revolting questions to your conscious mind.

Everyone at some time in life wonders what happens after death. Throughout history, some of the most thoughtful minds have advocated that life does not end with the death of our body but continues on via a process known as reincarnation. In the Western world, followers of the Orphic religion in ancient Greece were the first known exponents of reincarnation. They were succeeded by Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato and a host of other philosophers. 

The Vedic literature of India advocates that the “Soul”, or “Atma”, gives life to the body. Life does not arise from a particular combination of material elements as some modern scientists theorize. At the time of death, we leave one body and enter a new one. That is what we call reincarnation. 

The concept is not as alien as it might seem. We can observe that we change from one body to another throughout our lifetime. Our body at birth is completely different from our adult body. Yet throughout these changes, the conscious self remains the same. Similarly, the conscious self remains the same at death and transfers from one body to the next in the cycle of reincarnation. 

Recent studies by Dr Ian Stevenson have proved beyond doubt that cases of reincarnation have happened throughout the world. The conceptualized theory spoken by the Lord has been materialized in the physical world, it is us who have to have an stern single minded faith in him and his maya! 

Our present body is the result of a long series of actions and reactions in previous lives. The law that governs this is known as karma: every action has a reaction. Our previous actions have produced our present body, and our current actions will determine our next body.

Only in the human form can we free ourselves from the endless cycle of reincarnation, of birth and death, by re-establishing our eternal, loving relationship with Lord Krishna. As Krishna states in Bhagavad Gita 8.16, “From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one attains to My abode. never takes birth again.” 

So when you find someone as articulate as your next door uncle who is currently hospitalized waiting his turn to be reincarnated, the unfathomable faith in the truth of afterlife and getting born again rises to no self-doubt – he is firm advocate of this theology and lived by it.

 

~ ALI...~

 He came running upstairs and whilst he was in a hurry, he didn’t respond to my customary “Hello” and went of in a whisker… he was running late and had to do his task well in time and that was to wash the utensils so that we can all have a cup of evening tea – He is employed by an office lady who seems to be helping him in find an employment while he goes to a temporary school.

The best part being “ALI” as he likes himself to be called, is a reticent fellow, all of 15-16 years of age. His mother is a homemaker and father a factory employee who masters in knitting and stitching. Just yesterday when he came on a tight timelines – As I asked him why he was in such a hurry, his caring reply had touched my heart… “Madam, staff and you must be waiting for evening Tea…” , this he spoke in a smiling gesture and we all sitting there were somewhat touched though none of us showed that in an overwhelming emotion.

In next 10 mins, he was almost through with the utensils which he had washed in a flurry of dashing noises symbolic of his eagerness to serve us tea – The fist time I met him and said a “hello” to him, he dint replied but passed it as reverting reply… I was immediately told to have tea made by him… As I am a “TEA- totler” of sorts, with an elegant knack of good aromatic tea populated with ginger, I took up the challenge to taste its aroma.

Ali doesn’t like study and wants to open his own food stall, he is saving money and plans to hit the turf in next couple of months, and you know what… “He wants to begin with a ‘Tea Stall’ of his own. His passion to cook some fine delicacies also came out of the woods when one day he made us all eat one of my favorite recipe “ Rajma Chawal” … it made my day… As my perception of India got justified… This country is full of exemplary talent the only flaw being the pedestal… if Guys like ALI get a hand holding, he can be a full-fledged entrepreneur in some years…. And who knows “Chaayos” is a thing of the past…

Mind it, I have had a tea cuppa there too… with all exotic flavors one can get in that mega Tea restaurant, Ali certainly can be a tough challenge to their founding fathers….

As he was done with his chores, smilingly came to me with an expectation and that was of his feedback. As usual, I gave him 10/10 for his Midas touch, his shyness and smiling glance always add flavor to each cup we all have… Ali you are what you are, all we want us is to see you doing something good in times to come… You have been certainly bestowed with talent .. marketing is what is need of the hour… lets see when this gets open to the world….

~ A Happy Multitasker...~

They both were sitting in their natural calmness watching the roadside traffic passing by. The Gent was smoking his “Biddee” (a village smoke as we call it in India, though it is a cult in itself for habitual smokers!), that his wife shouted in her raw vernacular tone – none of it was able to be understood by me or my pal who I had accompanied to have a taste of ‘roasted Corn’ as the aura demanded so.

He came back running whilst h crossed the road in no time, seeing in me and my friend a prospective customer, quickly he asked me “ Kitni Bhunoo” (How many should I roast?), in the same parlance I revert “Dou” (2 )! And he was quick on it.

As he was doing his work, an unknown visitor approached him, a girl all in her teens and happily asking “Papa, mere liye bhi ek!” 😊 …(Father, one for me too!),. The next step was sure to qualify him to be a doting father, he immediately scanned his sack of maize and effortlessly selected the best amongst the lot – I jokingly said” You could have roasted this one for us!”, he laughed and reverted “ This was specially saved for my daughter.”

This tinge of love was all he could give to his daughter as he sat on the footpath and tried for a decent earning. I further enquired about his daughter’s education – “Sulekha, studies in class 8^th in a nearby government school. She plays with her new found friends in neighborhood park in the evening. In the morning, I change my profession to be a Car washer, in the afternoon a rickshaw puller and this time as I cannot see much, I change track and be a roadside seasonal vendor – now it is maze, after some days when a trace of winter sets in , I will have a cart of winter specialties as roasted pop-corn and groundnuts.”

As he game me my buy and was paying him for his sell, I asked him where the family was from – he said was born in Delhi when his parents had migrated from Bengal. “My wife is originally from UP and we met here in Delhi” – no wonder the camaraderie between both him and his wife was visible. As a family powerhouse, she was all in support for her husband and was busy helping him in his makeshift pavement shop.

As I understood, they are a happy lot with not much demands from life – the smile on the faces is a testimony to throw back at life what it has offered them – they are certainly from the downtrodden strata of society BUT happy – an oxymoron now days. We see such people around our vicinity and on carefully observing them, we can surely take life lessons for us to tread a path of joyfulness in life and respect what life has to offer us…. In theory this looks good, but start to lookout for such people around you who live in the practicality of such thoughts…It Is tough to exemplify but not impossible…  

~ Give to receive...~

It is about satisfaction and when you see people living in deprivation and destitution…you seem to be way ahead of what providence has given you , do you really value it though?? – Ask this question to yourself not as a sense of comparison but with an open thought

The simple thing in life is a struggle for them…the next meal would come on plate or no in itself is a challenge.

Everyone is in search of that inevitable “Truth” – Who am I and what is the purpose of such a living will confront you once in a lifetime, mostly during the mid-phase of one’s life.

Ample talks I have had with many and the crux converges to basic necessities of life – food, clothing, social security and a secure bank balance, anything much above than this is actually not a necessity but greed. India hasn’t had the phenomenon of “Philanthropy” much to the tune of the west where big business tycoons and companies commit billions towards various philanthropic causes but the trend is catching up of late, when you read big business houses such as Wipro and Adani committing huge sums of money that they simply “don’t Want’ to embark on a new business venture but sounds prudent to give it all away for social causes which they think is much more important and beneficial to the society.

When Jackie Chan donates almost his entire gamut of his wealth and persona and wants his children to just start afresh and live life with a sense of learning – it definitely defines a different set of minds quite unlike many others who want their children to just sit on readymade throne of their parents and bypass any struggle and grill of life. As our prudent oldies often say... “ Your are getting because you gave once…time and dimension is not known to you but someone has a perfect record!” … If you intuitively perceive what this means, you will have ample of examples which fits the bill, you did receive many things just for “Free”… doing just nothing or did not run after it!...

There are zillion souls struggling for a singular meal which they cannot afford for themselves or their kids, they are honest and also hardworking but still lack the acumen to become competent or rich to beat penury, the life thus lived is full of deprivation and destitution, but they keep going as they are not left with a set of ample choices!

As life culminates, what I have observed of people who have had phenomenal posts and job titles over their career spans, just sitting idle and guessing and asking some of life’s intricate questions …such as “ What we came here for?” , “What next?”, “ what so much hard work or running-around was worth it?”

Don’t know if such a contemplative  bug has hit you…for me it indeed has….