~ Life for Us...~

As the festive season embraces us all and the closure of another Year in everyone’s life entails our being, thoughts pour in my mind regarding the life and times lived in this year – some fond happy and sorrows that everyone has, some dreams achieved and many not, the year was full of frantic laugh and sometimes deep sorrows.

But generally, I am not thankless being – this is life and things will happen when they ought to – over a period of time, you will all start to know how life works, it keeps on happening at snail’s pace and listen to none – the only thing we can do is to oblige its command. 

As a reminiscence of time, this year, there were lot of people who met you and with whom you may have made friends with – new partners with new thoughts and dimensions but synonymously lot of the previous ones may have left you or you may have lost touch with – that’s perfectly OK as this is the true definition of life…it is all about Change that will constantly happen, come what may!

Life in its true meaning is a combination of scenarios that it will throw at you – many a times, you will turn out to be winners and at times you will going to loose, which surely will make you humble and bestow you with teachings.

Life for all of us will certainly not be a bunch of roses always, there would be times of bricks and bats too, by all inevitability life will move on as it stops for none…

Whether you exit on this planet or no makes no big difference to the existence, you just came to live and delve into your karma…earning some karmas and living some, at the defining moment your achievements and aspirations wont be gauged as they never will be , but In all certainty, what good you did to make other’s life comfortable and what good you did to this world will be taken stock of.

As this Year ends in its final dusk, all I pray and hope from the “Grand Design” is to bestow me with the rightful intentions of being humble and doing greater good to achieve my Karma and that the people Iife’s I touch and try to change…I hope this happens soon…. till them as a mortal being I pray and expect….

~ Punditji, a Life of Wisdom ~

Life is just nothing but a confluence of souls in body form – born in different scenarios and difficult-ease situation, every one of us are facing our own challenges. But in its vignettes, Life still deserves to be lived with zeal and zest…My approach to live with its impediments and love-hate situations comes from the observation of people around me, they are continuing and living life with the faith that one day will be different and would be as according to their own wishes and fantasies – god knows if ever that day would come and they would achieve and have their way of approaching life as they think –

Thinking so about these thoughts, I meet strange people living life with all its magnanimity – “Punditji”, is one such soul that I often meet, he sits on his favourite couch and sells potatoes and Onions in our weekly flea mart.

For me, he is the epitome of knowledge, for his whitish – grey hair tells his story of struggle and various life’s juggling – he has been an auto driver, a street hawker and now from a considerable amount of time a Vegetable Seller. His one liner about life is too profound to be considered again – specially when one falls in that scenario trap that we all face on day-to-day basis. He is a proponent of life’s simplicity and always proposes to ease things out whilst one is living. Living his history, he is always in a comparative analysis of time lived – for him now a days people have no patience and always are on the run, they are having fanciful expectations and aspirations from life and that they are not eating a healthy food.

All of his observations is a testament to the diminishing health standards of society we live in where life expectancy is sharply falling – never have ever heard of sudden heart failures and other health hazards – youngsters are as prone as oldies.

Punditji has a unique personality as he always sits in the ‘Lotus’ pose and has a lukewarm water flask as his benchmark – he had switched to drinking lukewarm water since a decade now – and it is his ubiquitous style that he has no ailment at 75^th years of his existence.

Sounds interesting to ears when I heard this, he is simplicity entwined in modernity and a role model for me, the struggles of his life have been unique too, he has raised three sons and a daughter with whatever meagre he has earned in life and all of his children are well settled in life… a feat in today’s world…

Last time when I met him, I had a question in my mind which I asked “Punditji, isn’t it time to retire? , now that every responsibility you have fulfilled and that there is nothing more to be done. He laughed out loud and said “Son, there is always a responsibility on your shoulder, even if your family responsibilities are off, there is responsibility towards people around you and the society for its greater good… Moreover, till the almighty wants me to work and keeps me hale and hearty, I will always work as it gives me my self esteem and my honour…and moreover to meet varied people” ….

Truly, Punditji is a happy man… and would remain so as he has made his life to be in all its simplicity with less needs and great thoughts….!

~ Three to Tango ~

It takes Three to Tango! This is what it seems to be when you see these musketeers roaming around here and there passing time. The school is over today and they are their own masters – though they have certain aspirations, though small and fit in their dreamy world.

If you are trying to open them up by initiating a frank conversation with them, in all probability they will shy away – a cheeky laugh will follow and they would be looking at each other with an expectation to speak up and that who does that first amongst them 😊! 

Just the other day they were playing and engrossed in their own small world, I was meeting them the second time and they instantly recognized me – as I enquired about their schooling and generally about their life, one of them spoke up meekly – “There is no school today!, winter holidays” , to which I reverted,

“Then what is the plan for the day guys?”…

Again came the voice “Uncle, we will just chill and play to our heart’s content and we have nobody to call and bother !” .

“What about your parents?” , I enquired.

The Cheeky one , who had just now found  his confidence talking to me replied “Uncle , both have gone to work and house is empty! 😊.”

Surely, all three were king of their own worlds today and were playing their heart out with a sense of contentment – There were no limitations to their being gaudy and had all the time in this world to be their real selves.

I asked the youngest of them about his name and he smilingly replied “My name is Ramesh” and on further enquiring I got to know that he indeed had no parents and was orphan and was just clinging on to life with both the other buddies he had befriended just months back – the other two being real brother and sister, their parents took Kishore as their third child and was taking care of him – though he was not sent to school.

As Kishore spoke “ Uncle, I will go to school from next session, I love going to School and I love books!” – those words brought a sight of relief and I talked about the importance of going to school or any teaching centre.

The conversations soon turned into a playful one and then I asked what games they were playing – amongst them, who wore a school uniform and went by one name “Kishen” shyly replied “Uncle we have just now created a game out of a single Brick that we found” and now we will pass our time with this brick! , All three musketeers were smiling ear to ear in tandem.

No wonder, we they had understood life better in this tender age and that their daily living had taught them the value of resources and also to remain satiated and in humour with whatever they had in life… As I said a final “Goodbye”, all three were effervescent and reverted with full vigour – they had made me their friend – I promised them a small token of gift that they needed for them to play when they have such occasion – I am sincerely looking forward towards the next meeting and spending time with them – the purity of their thoughts took me into another tangent… being a child is always mesmerizing and finding little ones as a shade of your past living is an honour…

~ Silence, all there is… ~

The only thing which is speaking continuously in the universe is ‘Silence’ – the ultimate no-voice of the existence is keeping itself with the ticking time. So what is silence – to understand its demeanor , you will have to sit in complete oneness with yourself and with absolutely no thoughts – if it is possible – what you call the ‘No Mind’ situation! , Now that is just similar to attaining the Samadhi and the most closeness  you can have with GOD but to hear his voice , you need to be  like him.

On the material level, Silence is always trying to talk to you and showing its way to live a life beautifully – for that to be a lifelong experience, you need to observe the existence deeply and with a different sense of perceptibility – see the plants, animals, wind blowing , earth rotating at 1000 miles /hr – do you hear any voice? NO but it is all happening. It is happening because someone has designed things in that manner for it to happen . It is only we who are taking things for granted – as when we were born and took to managing our life, we saw things the way they are , not even thinking as to how such great miracle is happening without any known direction or without any instructions!

Another tinge of ‘Silence’ can be found within one’s own self – you and me have the same sense of silence withing which we see outside – things are happening all by themselves and they are not guided by any one second by second – though there must be some great force or divine conscience or intelligence which makes it happen without we knowing it – or rather we have not paid much attention to such changes  - the heart beats on regular intervals, you breathing, liver, kidneys, spleen and all the important organgs doing their gags in tandem to keep you alive as if they have been instructed to do so – all this they do ‘Silently’.

Sitting in the park and just observing the beauty of world around me, a strong force of thought tinged me to jot down these words – look at the sky – so vast and blue, holding key to all of your hidden questions – It makes you realise that you are just a small ‘dot’ in this big great grand design of living and existence – very miniscule and tinny not to be seen if we go just a few thousand kms up in the sky with zillion other stars and planets and universes – yet everything is perfectly grafted and placed not to disturb each other – life propagates here and might be so in such arrangement on other such galaxies and universes.

As they say you have a whole universe inside your being so as you have outside – to experience that dash, all you need to do is to sit in compete silence and talk to that “Oneness” who always wanted to communicate with you and guide you to a whole new world for which you were made to live In this beautiful universe speaking the language of ‘Silence’….

~ A Morning Breakfast...~

I always look forward to meet him during my spiritual sojourns twice a year, as the train culminates early in the day, quickly I rush to my hotel to freshen-up and have a tea cuppa with bread slice spread with butter, all done in a spik and span haste by the man I intrinsically adore!

He has gone old – as I know him almost since a decade, for nothing for him has changed, not even his clothes and his persona – I still strongly remember once on my very first meeting with him as a customer , he did not pay and heed towards my request of providing me with a cup of sugar-free tea and slice of bread laced with a butter or anything worth eating with my favourite beverage – he kept mum, as he still do, was totally engrossed in fulfilling an order of another customer who was eagerly waiting for his roadside “Breakfast” whilst it was dawn of the moment. 

I still don’t know his name as I never asked for it, this time when I had the privilege to meet him, he was being assisted by his younger son as he was teaching the ‘business’ of roasting bread on raw flame to him and also of applying a thin layer of butter on the load of bread… Both father and son duo were reticent and minding their own business. As the shops were about to open, their makeshift rollable stall was asked to shift forward for the convenience of customers who will footfall in the huge showroom when the whole mart is up and running.

As my breakfast was ready , I asked for the price that I had to pay, quickly came the voice “ Rs 50” – the father was quick in finishing off the conversation as he had another customer lined up to be served- surely both father and son were doing brisk business standing on the by-lanes. 

Post my breakfast, I commented, “ uncle the tea and bread were sumptuous and tasty, every time I come here I always have it from you as you start my day with aplomb!” – he gently responded by a cheeky smile and so did the son – I asked the young man, what you do to which he replied “ Bhaiya , I have finished my graduation and now assisting my father in this business..” As i continued, "dont you want to work in an office?, now that you are a graduate?" , he quickly nodded his head in a vociferous "No" ...I could sense his love and affection of his father's hardwork over the years and wanted to take this forward...

Truly serving bread and butter to all and sundry was their business which they revered since times immemorial, and more so they did this with utter dedication! 

As I said goodbye and thanked them, they smiled and reverted…” Jai Mata Di”….knowingly or unknowingly they were serving humanity…now that I came back home, I try to apply the same trick to have the bread laced with butter on the raw flame emulating uncle but in vain… no wonder, over the years, uncle has created a craft for himself and a patent which nobody can snatch for him even if anyone wants to…

As I eagerly wait for my next visit, the taste of that morning breakfast still brings passionate mouth-watering feeling but I simply cant match the palate served in that early hours of the day with love and affection…the await continues...

~ His Black World…~

It is one of the important organ of your body and engages you with the world – the world and situations that  you see and feel , “Eyes” as it is called may not be the penultimate piece of art that God has added in your body but is no less, ask those who are deprived of vision and have no colours in their life and have to exist with only the darkness of life and its many facets – Black is the only colour attributed to the unlucky those.

In my recent religious sojourn, I came back to terms with this fact that “Eyes” that we generally ignore are so important. The Individual who doesn’t have it know the true value of being visionless and being blind. I could see one such unfortunate soul sitting on the periphery and engrossed in his own living, having a flute and a gunny sack for alms, he was young enough to have missed the vision of the beauty of world. Looking at the calmness of his face, it was quite obvious that he had accepted the life he had been bestowed upon – though not having a sight was not a damper for him, for he was an excellent flute player and the sounds were melodious and captivating for every passer by – out of reverence for the artistic talent that he had, he was being paid and certainly NOT for his compromising situation and that he was disabled – Indeed he was commanding respect for his talent.

As the person that I am, I could not hold myself to just start a conversation with this young man.

What is your Name? I asked as I caught hold of his hand gently.

Pat came the reply “Ravi” and where do you live and what made you come on this pilgrimage?” , he was respondent and replied, “ I love Matarani ( Goddess Durga!” ) and that is why I am here to pay obeisance to her and playing flute and sometimes singing her Bhajans (Devotional Songs)”

He was thoroughly confident, and all by himself as he had come from a far-off place, making arrangements of his stay and also his departure.

As I asked, “Ravi, are you not scared of being looted or being mauled because you can’t see and can be taken from granted…”

He had a cheeky laugh and replied “Bhaiya, Ma Durga is my sole carrier and She is the one who is looking at everyone…”, such was the confidence he was exuberating. Alas, I went speechless and seeing his immense faith had no option but to watch him for some time whilst he started to play the flute with melody! 

Ravi’s life motto has been based on two sublime words… “Inclusion” & “Acceptance” – he has softly acknowledged these one word idioms in his life and that has given him the satisfaction and immense confidence in the way he has started living and conducting himself. Music for him has been a constant companion which gives him solace and respect in the society. It is is internal meditation as he tells me and it certainly cheers up his somber mood when he is feeling low.

One question that I asked him was “Have you ever SEEN your parents?” – He was little hesitant in answering this question and passed on my inquisition as a gentle smile, though he later did accept that he is born blind and do no know how people look like.

Surprisingly, he is a graduate and he did all his school and college via Brail learning and is in the midst of finding a constant job – A government job could be a certain add-on and he is hoping to find one someday.

Ravi certainly is a no eye catcher – he is just another disabled man who we quite often ignore and miss for his situation but beneath lies a deep sense of struggle and compassion, he doesn’t want any free alms but an equivocal respect like any other able-bodied beings.

As I started my journey again saying a friendly “Good Bye” and an “All the Best” as he got up to move, his confident smile complimented my greetings – surely, he was a soul I met by chance, internally he taught me a life lesson, come what may…just keep walking. Situation will change…

~ Care that she needs ~

She is sitting idle looking in the sky with expected eyes – the body has wearied out and limiting her to frequent movements – I have seen her in her prime, she was a school teacher, “Gita Aunty”.

She has been a school teacher in a Government school and I have seen him running here and there with her two sons – Ankur and Samar – the family always boasted about their academic achievements as one was soon going to be a doctor and one an engineer – both from prestigious colleges , which was a dream of a typical normal earning middle class family, which still is!

Every time we used to meet her, she would surely talk about her two sons fairing well in college and also enquire about us – visibly she was in love with her two sons, her husband was always away as he was in a transferrable job , we could hardly find uncle around her much! 

Now that she is all alone, Uncle has passed away a decade ago and both of her sons are happily married but ironically not live with her anymore – life is totally different for her – The usual boastings have gone mellow and now the challenge is with upkeeping hale and hearty sans any caretaker – that is a big change Aunty is facing.

In the park, while talking a walk down the aisle, the speed has gone slow, the big steps have converted to smaller ones – the pain in the joints have turned excruciating as I see her often grimacing whilst she walks… All this has lead to one penultimate question of life which every parent wants knowingly and unknowingly when they grow old …”Will my Children take care of them when I will be along or would be old enough to help myself?”

Though only time has the answer to this question, the society is turning oblivious to our “Oldies” and they have been left alone many a time – career aspirations, internal conflict and many other reasons can be attributed to this decimation of family now a days .

Just the other day I again had the opportunity to meet her as she was strolling slowly and I asked her the same question “ how about both of your son’s , are they fairing well and do they call or visit you often?” the face soon got a sense of dejection as I could see her mood changing , as she answer's with a sense of melancholy “ The elder one sometimes call when he gets time , the younger one has almost forgotten me and that he is doing quite well in America and is Busy with no time to call!”

In this answer I could see the dejection life had offered her at this moment – the same lady some years ago was all in praise for the success of her sons and that they are achievers and now when she is in want of them, if not both but atleast one, there is no one to take care of them.

The maid comes and cooks – certainly she is the most vulnerable citizen of our society and is cynosure of all eyes for criminals as she stays alone .

Writing about her , my mind is still pondering about what life has offered her at this fag end of her living – all through her life she struggled to make ends meet and raise two sons with honour and provide them more than enough for what she and her husband could have actually afforded and now when she is all alone living  in seclusion, she is hapless…. No one to take care of her… there could be any medical emergency which she can encounter and for sure there would be no one at that sensitive moment of her life….

Seeing such examples, one’s conscience makes one think… What life is for people like her … they can be termed as “Victims' of Success…” and this is the success which has made them alone at this stage of their life… May God help them and be with them when need be….

~ Sans Legs, but Running…~

No legs but still working hard to live life of dignity! – there are enough inspirations around our daily lives that gives us a kick to keep walking the daily churn and travesty of our Destiny!

Just had an encounter with a man on a makeshift wheelchair who was not begging and held his dignity upfront – he was selling Chole Bhature and wafers in a neatly crafted cart that he had build with his own effort – his pride was living his own terms and not dependent on anyone nor he wanted that anyone should take pity on him for thinking him to be ‘differently abled’. 

As I was pulled towards his charm, I ordered a Chole Bhature and some wafers to satiate my temporary hunger – he took some time which gave me an opportunity to scrutinize his working singlehandedly and with all the effort, soaked in sweat for the humidity Delhi has now a days – he was not repentant that he was being grilled by the almighty or his lost destiny to make ends meet – but was thankful to the almighty for he being able to earn a dignified living – A proof of his mindset was a picture of a Hindu God that he believed “ Lord Hanuman!” ,that was neatly pasted on his cart and was just prayed upon, as I looked at the incense ash that was not cleaned since his morning prayers.

He was surely a struggler but his immense faith and respect in God was immense too – a thorough example of people who came to eat at his cart for the sheer taste of it!

As my turn came to have the Chole Bhature that he had neatly prepared and packed, I asked him his name to which he replied “Sanjay”, he was quick in setting an arrangement for me with onion, chutney, chole and Bhature and a slice of Mango pickle – so quick it was that I was oblivion to the fact that the plate was eat-ready and was nicely placed in front of me! – Sanjay was a man of few words and didn’t have much time to chat! The money he took for a plate of Chole Bhature was just worth it and I quickly became a testimony to the quality of food and the class of service he was giving singlehandedly!

It was my first meeting of sorts with him and though I didn’t want to ask personal questions, I intently did! – “Sanjay ji, how did this tragedy happened?”, with a smile he just said , “Sir it was an train accident, I fell of it while boarding it as I was doing it in a hurry oblivious to the dangers around it , hence this happened!”

I could not stop myself to praise him for his endless efforts and he was appreciative about it – though it hardly mattered to him whether he was been ridiculed or praised for his predicament, he certainly believed and accepted that it was his fault and now that this has happened, he wanted to still live the way he wanted to and not being dependent! 

As he packed my plate of Chole Bhature, he again smiled and thanked me for giving him an opportunity to serve him – now this melted my conscience, it should have been the other way round as I quickly reversed the pleasantries…. As I said “Sanjay ji , it is people like you who are role models for many people around you whose lives you have touched knowingly or unknowingly by your sheer gumption and that we should feel proud and honorable to see you as perfect example of life lived with resourcefulness!

As I walked away, I could not take my eyes off , he got absorbed in packing the next order in a haste, for sure, he didn’t had the time to chat as it was peak lunch hour and that he knew this fact very well…though bodily he is not complete but the completeness in his stature makes us all believe in the positivity of life… “Sanjay ji…you made us aware of the acumen on has and that how this life is to be lived…be whatever comes your way…”

~ Why Me...~

 Why Me? Has this question often knocked on your head? Be it when you had aspired to be something and achieve a goal or a target which was very close to your being and it did not happen? This question is the obvious outcome of the result but there must be something grandeur which made it not happen to you – many a time the answers which you were seeking from the almighty come to you with a semblance of truth.

Why Me surely has different dimensions many a time – there could a situation or an event which has peculiarity with you and only you are the protagonist of whole story weaving around that situation. Many a time the situation is build to guide you towards something or shackle your ego and all of your airy feelings and post this, you bump into the ground! 

The situation would be such that would catch you unawares - it could be a test which is being bestowed on you for your betterment or simply testing your aura and to prove your behaviour in life!

Let me be honest, I have been tested umpteen times by such situations and believe me many a time I fail – sometimes there is something going at the back of my mind and the situation occurs such as someone comes expecting a favour and you are engrossed in such a complexity that you are unable to help him / her – realizing so , you see that the time as gone and when you start looking for the person, he/she is gone! – you fail yourself actually!

Today, I think I somehow passed or kind of little bit I made my way to peace within myself….A street urchin holding a set of pen in his hands came to me and told me if I needed some – as the quality of pen’s were not upto the mark, in previous such instances they simply Don’t work! – I took the privilege of saying “N0” – though he insisted again – “Bhaiya, Le lo please.” [Sir, Please buy some.], to which I again denied. As he took turn and started walking.

Something in me kicked and I shouted and called him back – don’t know what within me asked me to converse with him. He came back and I asked his name “ Bhaiya, Mera naam Arjun hai!” [Sir, My name is Arjun].

Kitne pen chahiye ? [How Many Pens do you want]

I told him “Give me two, but they don’t work!”

He rapidly replied “Nahi Bhaiya aap chala ke dekh lo, sab chaltey hain.” [ Sir, all of them work perfectly, please scribble somewhere for yourself to see.”

He was right, both of the selected pens were functional and working fine.

I asked “Which Class do you study ?”

Quickly he replied, “Bhaiya, 4^th Class.”

Before I could have asked another question, an impromptu question he asked with all expectations.

“Bhaiya Rs30 mein 2 kile Atta Aaajeyga?” [Will I be able to purchase 2 kgs of flour from this money?]

He had absolutely no clue as he opened his palm and showed me Re 20 note that he had just earned!

I was speechless and he tore me from inside – I asked “Beta Aapke Papa kya kartey hain?” [Beta what does your father do.” , he reverted “Bhaiya who ghar par hain, lachaar hain, aanko se dikhta nahi! – [Sir, he is at home and helpless as he can’t see from his eyes and is blind, mother is a housewife., I work partime and study and try to support my family.!] 

Obviously, he was paid more, the smile on his face meant everything to me! Hoping that this was much to buy 2 Kilos of flour!

As he tried to walk off, there was a temple nearby and he just stopped there and went inside for few seconds and bowed down to the deity – I was just flabbergasted – he had actually THANKED the almighty for small token of help and that today he will be able to provide food on the table for his family, may be!

I felt ashamed at myself for not saying “Thanks” for doing so much …but today I say “Thanks!” to HIM for choosing me for this little honor with a sense of expectation that next time I shall be completely prepared for such chance meetings with souls who come specifically to test my being!

For the rest, are you prepared to be the 'Why Me' moment... don't worry, one day you will be the choosen one, in the midst that does not happen, prepare yourself to get pass this test of life...!!!

~ 23 and Counting! ~

“23 and counting!” – I am aghast on the way I am hearing the news of suicides which our youngsters are doing in Kota – a small town in Rajasthan, notoriously famous for cracking the almost uncrackable IIT and NEET entrance exams! Hearing such news, my conscience goes for a toss and I think “ is it the only aim of life , to be at the top?”

They seem to be toddlers of life for whom the only aim is to be a doctor or an Engineer, for many the burden of aspirations has been put on them by their parents – many of whom themselves were both moderate students and were not able to crack the elite exams! 

Time and again I read that it is a Rs 10,000 CR industry or almost $1.5 Billion – the moolah seems to be much and so is the competition. Lakhs of students come for fulfilling their dreams and make it Big in the world of corporate life or to start their own business as it is a well-entrenched phenomenon in India.

Securing a seat in IIT is a sure shot ticket to land of dreams – America or for opening their own companies – Startup as the call them in today’s jargon and getting to the headlines of majority of English Newspapers! For sure there is a heavy price to be paid in this razzmatazz of life and earning big, many flounder and are not able to take the pressure of paying heed to books for almost 18 hours of day – the insecurities follow suit and they succumb to the huge burden of their own airy aspirations.!

All I can say is that “Please give Life a chance as It is for sure a beautiful journey , the best part is nobody knows what twists and turns it brings in due course !” – anyways if you end your life, for sure you will not get anything as you don’t exist anyways , but your near and dear ones will surely be on the receiving end and will live with a huge sense of anticipation and may be guilt as why this happened or that they could have stopped it by not putting unrelenting pressure on you.

See around, are everyone is a doctor or an engineer – “NO” there are zillion such souls who are more successful that an IITan or a doctor from AIIMS ? are not people with mediocre education have achieved cult status through sheer hard work and being patient? 

 I strongly feel that the panacea lies in right education , first at home and then in School / College. If we look around, there is no education which teaches us to cope with failure – only counselling comes in this regard – think twice, have you ever seen a teacher telling his/her kid “ Don’t worry , If you fail then also you will be big enough!” – the seeds of fear are sowed in these classroom sessions, everyone is injected with a sense of fierce competition as if life is race and everybody should be a numero uno!

I only want to end this note by saying again “ Life life to the fullest as it is only once that you can as you are, you will surely be born again but not in the same era / family/ situation / city/ country, may be but today what you are – you have been give a beautiful gift – cherish it wholeheartedly and wait for the right ball to toss a Six ..but for that to happen, at least you should be on the Pitch….

~ The Freedom of Independence ~

What does freedom mean to us? It is not sign of just physical liberty but also mental one – freedom of speech and action and our wholesome living was adjudicated by our constitution but where the society has gone now – we are entrapped by narrow domestic walls of our thoughts. The liberty is deemed to be locked in thoughts of referential living . 

We abide our living by our narrowed thinking and actions – what others have achieved or are doing form the base of our talks and thoughts – the cult of existence have changed a bit towards our strong material desires – we want everything in the world which satisfies our ego and makes us feel proud , be whatever it takes to achieve it .

We lost our freedom to attain peace whilst we live and share our relationships with each other – we chose our relationships and are bonded by our minds to ignore many – such is the freedom of thoughts' the society carries –

Not many of us our lucky, especially after Covid, there have been many losses of life and livelihood, how many of us still care about those who need our help and assistance on regular basis till they get their lives back on track? Do we care or are we more sought after our freedom to enjoy and care less for such souls! How many of us have conquered the bondages of our thoughts and have attainted freedom of thoughts to go all out in the society to help them?

The act of freedom has different definitions for many of us – for some the liberty which we get to act is the real freedom , for others it is an expression of saying “Yes” or “No” to anyone and portray our sense of ability – Very less are people who think and are responsible in expressing and executing the true freedom to be a kind and generous human being obliging to others with a sense of responsibility.

Remember this idiom “Power begets Responsibility” , and this holds true for all of us who are thoughtful of their new found freedom as they enter adolescence age! The scourge of suicides and the young going into act of depression is an aftermath of insane freedom laden with high aspiration of parents… why not give our young ones attainable goals and a sense of freedom to attain those with mild effort and enjoyment? 

Give Life a Chance, what if you don’t become and engineer from an IIT, or a Regional engineering college, or you don’t qualify NEET and become a doctor? – What makes them think that there is no career path if one could not be so – look around so many non-IIT’s or doctors have made it big in life without such degrees…. As I always say… “Give life a chance!” …. Go with your freedom of expression and thoughts and try a different path… We are here to live not to end our lives…

What stops us to have a egalitarian society which holds something good for all of us? That is the true freedom to live…

~ The Haircut that was ~

You often find yourself in situation which makes you think about the world around you – the people living their life with all zeal and facing the heat of their own varied situations.

He came with his young son, who was of playful nature and seem to be have matured before his age deemed so, he made his father sit in the chair as if he was acting as his support system and a guardian angel. As I was comfortably sitting and having a haircut, both father and duo had no choice but to wait for their turn to have a haircut.

Soon the conversation broke out between my hairdresser and the new customer as he asked “How are you sir? And what about your health? What did the reports say?”

With a flurry of questions being bombarded onto him, he was little taken by surprise but he didn’t loose his smiling stance and asked his son to go out a play for  a while – though I felt that this act was on purpose and sensed something was strictly wrong with the man.

As he replied one by one to the questions thus asked by my hairdresser, “ I am otherwise fine, but the reports tell me otherwise, the doctor after having look at the reports and declared its malignant Cancer!” – now this man speak this with a melancholy in his voice… but also with a sheepish smile, as if he had lots to tell and complaint at the Grand Design.

“That’s life!” was his stoppage words before he had tears in his eyes but also balanced his emotions with a smile. As I felt like an unwelcomed listener, I could see and sense a deep sense of melancholy and helplessness in his life.

Suddenly, his son came back thinking so that now it was time to get the haircut done and also to take care of his father – His son had suddenly turned adolescent and a caretaker of his father, realizing  what his father must be going through – as he saw a tinge of sadness and a drop of tear in his father’s eyes, he hugged him and tried to motivate him with all his demeanor – the scene had stopped time for all four of us in that room!

Here was a father who wanted to live and that life had made him confront a situation he was not prepared to tackle – there were responsibilities to be fulfilled but the grand design certainly had other plans for him!

As he spoke again to the barber, “Sir, I have never had smoked a cigarette or have drank liquor, still I am facing this tough problem…. I have an elderly mother of 75 years of age at home and this young son who is in class 7^th, life has just stopped midway for me…!”

As I got up from my seat, with my haircut done, I turned around and tried to give him composure – “Sir, believe in HIS plans, certainly he has planned situations for everyone, may be to teach and sometime reprimand our being – the karma has to be lived and just pray for your goodness and that you should be able to fulfil all the family commitments and responsibilities!”

As I exited the barbershop, the forlorn face of the man was in my thoughts – could life be so unpredictable and this can happen to anyone of us – the randomness of life was my subject of anger and started to question the grand design about what I had just seen!

The quietness of time was all over my being, after some moments of anxiety the calmness took over and the answers started to flow …”Who am I to confront HIM and his HIS plans? …were you born by asking him or has things shaped up according to your will? , these intriguing question had no definitive answers and may be each one of us have to tread a different path to know about thus – as my thoughts subsided, I just put in my prayers for that lovely and simple soul for his betterment and that he should pass this test of time with courage and strength and that his young one and his family remain of steadfast support to this testing hour!

~ Who did it..~

For Centuries, the search for that mystical being is on, various civilizations have perished leaving their signs of what they perceived HIM to be, that unknown source is our fall-back buddy, especially when we get tired and cant get a reprieve from our day to day challenges whilst we seek our aspirations.

Do we really need HIM? and if yes for what? Just to materialize our demands every now and then or to just thank him for such beautiful life he gave us to see his creation. He manifested us in our thoughts – always remember you could have born into another family or for that matter in another life form i.e of an animal species but why you were born as a rational human with brains – answer to this question is out of reach for almost everyone and very few achieve that ultimate goal of life.

Here everyone is a seeker and is adjusting to life’s ever changing situations – We all have things to achieve and have huge demands and aspirations from that grand design -,once one target is done and dusted, we cling on to the another one – this cat and mouse game lasts till the very end of our living , in between comes the calling – “Who created this whole creation? And who is controlling it ?, why our best of the efforts don’t pay heed to our wants?” – These intriguing questions come to everyone’s mind as many a time in life things don’t go as according to our wish – It is then that we fall back on concept of Almighty – that supernatural force beyond our existence.

Religion comes in the picture and various scriptures and texts follow suit. Many of us have had the tinge of religious writings and stories which we might have read ourselves or have listen from our grandfather and Grandmother, the concept of GOD originated from the books which form the core philosophy of our Religion. Having gone through such scriptures or stories, our belief system got cemented and now we are ingrained in believing that GOD is someone who does ALL the happenings and mis-happenings of this world.

Whatever answers we are seeking or whatever accomplishments we need to conquer – after doing our bit, our final prayers are “God it is in your hands now…”? Just because most of the intriguing and complex questions of this universe and of our living are incomprehensible – we don’t find answers to their complexity – Scientists, the best brains and mostly who are atheist’s stop to a certain point of research beyond which they are not able to see compelling answers to their research – Who created the stars, galaxies and how come they are moving in a perfect harmony? How did life began on earth and how come so much water got formed?

For the spiritualists, the question becomes more intricate – who created the soul and where does it go after it leaves the body – scientists are still searching for the scientific proof of the spirit. When one leaves the body, what goes out that does not come back - though with the best of the medical brains and equipment around, you cannot make a dead man alive...There are zillions of questions with no straightforward answers – just assumptions, as beyond a certain point human mind does not comprehend for an absolute answer….

It is this mega fact that brings us to the proof that there is some perfect grand design working in tandem with the universe and controlling the situations and scenarios of life… be it ours or other animate or inanimate objects… so much of perfection and perfect placement of things around us cannot be done without someone creating it… after all everything cannot be a beautiful coincidence. and much of thought and belief resides in “God” …thus for many of us …the search is on… the lucky ones would find where he resides… be inside or at some distant place, the question remains so “Who did it?” … the search is on…

~ Just Write...~

Have you every thought of communicating with yourself and writing your thoughts on a piece of paper and revisiting those after a while... Just pen down the various vagaries of life you have gone through – obviously you can hide the no show events and the gross mistakes that you made in your earthly journey unless you are incisively honest like The Mahatma’s Autobiographical “My Experiments with Truth!”.

Because telling your story is essential to your close ones, of course, people around you will more or less live a life just like you, in many cases have the similar circumstances and rock up the same situations and struggles, happier moments that you have gone through.

As someone said Blessings come in many Disguises, this idiom is so true in your living – spearhead the events of your life with full throng – tell people what were your best achieved moments and what were not – where you faltered and where you achieved the triumphs – of
course making mistakes in between – the multitudes of life remain more or less the same for many of us.

Writing can be conversationalist, the thoughts churn from within – certainly there is another you in you whom so certainly you talk with just often! There are moments that you want to show to the world how you feel about this living – what have you achieve and what not – what have you observed and what according to you is right or wrong – writing is the power to broadcast to the universe of how you feel while you live – don’t succumb to the thoughtful injuries within, after all you are a human being and capable of taking plus and minuses of life at the same GO!

Write , for it is therapeutic and surely a stress buster – every time you don’t have anybody alongside but YOU yourself… talk and jot down the talking’s and see how beautiful you feel form inside… as they say that the best friend of you is ‘YOU’, then who else can describe your inner self via jotting down few words of how you feel – after all you are Destiny’s child – what if you are not a millionaire or insanely famous – you are human like them sans all the fame BUT with same level of feelings and emotions.

Writing can take you to that supreme level of thoughts and ecstasy to prove a point that there lived You in flesh and blood and that you thought the way your writings gesture – you live beyond your death and so is the case with famous men and women who live through their writings and the words they penned whilst they lived

Write for it is the most beautiful gesture and the gift you can give to your near and dear ones and to let them know how you thing about this grand design of life and situations around you –  how you thought of your family the unknown people  you might met only once and would never meet again – you can freeze the situations through the ink – after all , You have every right to “Write” for everything we do in this life demands a note…

~ A Contented Soul...~

Everyone has his own definition of God and living – and it is so ingrained in our subconscious mind that whatever we do, we are in constant conversation with our inner self, reacting to varied situations and believing that all is being done by HIM and that he is our doer – after all, this is the baseline of all the scriptures of various religions and decree.

Satinderji was no different, he is an autorickshaw driver and owns his prestige which he tells with humility but proudness, you can sense this oxymoron when you elongate your conversation with him. From a trip back from Himalayas, one is in a different perceptibility of Mind-Body-Spirit and his immense knowledge about the ‘Other World’ – one may feel at first percept that how can an Auto-wallah have such thoughts and wisdom of life and its living, but having chatted with him during my short stint with him made me change my thinking 360 degrees.

“Bhaaji, we all are descendants of that Supreme being and have thus come to this form of life to do our Karma and pay back in honour to his divine will – now that much materialism has occurred and everyone is running to be something in life, we have lost our track – our endless struggle to achieve the greatness of life has steered our path and that for sure has turned us in the wrong dimension that we are now living.” – Only a man with hardships and true test of time can exemplify this thought as him as most of them have no time to sit and beguile the goodness of what life has offered us.

Satinderji was certainly a man of interest and that he is on the road ( in this hot weather of Delhi) but still reminiscing his creator and also balancing his act of feeding his family and be a father, son, husband, brother – this certainly is not less feat in itself, especially when we see broken families and secluded parents left to fend for themselves – this is life of modernity that we have created for ourselves!

He also has a different perspective of life and death and about all the places of worship, for he thinks that HE resides in one own self – believe me, out of endless spiritual books that I have gone through, such wisdom comes after connecting with your inner self and acts of meditation and being in solitude, but Satinderji has learnt from life – for him Life on road is the best teacher, you meet so many people with different vicissitudes and problems – juggling and making ends meet – with different philosophies but at the end have one commonality – i.e. their belief in someone out there who created this chimera of life and death…. Just coming from a spiritual journey myself and still with the tinge of meditative stance, these words felt like pearls of wisdom from a man on the road – he was not much educated and had no standford or Hardward degrees but had the understanding of life – doing his Karma without much expectations.

As finally my short journey was going to end and it was time to pay him – I asked him two questions

“Satinderji , are you happy from life? To which he smilingly replied “Sab udi Marzi, jo who Chahey!” [Whatever is HIS WISH and whatever HE wants…]

The second question was “What is your expectation in life….?” To which he again smilingly replied… [ Koi Chah nahi hai …mein khush haan, mere toh vi neeche bade log ne…Bahut Shukurguzar haan udda [ I have no expectations from GOD, I am happy whatever he has given me , there are people much in struggle as I see them and I am thankful to HIM for whatever he has bestowed on me!]

The moment of truth had just arrived for me as I passed thinking about what I had conversed with a common man but certainly a very satisfying soul….!!!

~ Love for God...~

Some encounters in life are a remembrance of a lifetime...such was a recent talk I had with a lady who was in a different life trajectory. Her love and devotion to God was phenomenal and that it was coming from a lady of 45 years or more age from Japan who was once running her own small enterprise – having a lovely family, though not married but having lots of siblings and loving parents – in short, she was all accustomed to a good family life but what was the “tinge” troubling her , which led her to take this arduous path to find god and a true meaning of her life and existence.

I asked as I was glancing through the “Sri Krishna” Krishna books she held in her hand to be sold on whatever token price one wanted to give – the idea was to just not sell it for free as they would be taken for granted…. She responding each of my Proust question.

“Are you happy that you left your country and your family for the cause you truly believe in ?” 

“Yes, don’t I look happy and effervescent….the journey is worth it, my love for my Guru and God is unending and I have got meaning to life”, thus she spoke.

“Also, I had a very good job in Tokyo and that I had a good circle of friends but still a there was emptiness in my life, something for sure was missing and I could not figure out what was it, till I took an excursion to Rishikesh and there I met my guru who had an ashram here…”

These words were not fairy tale story from any book or a movie that I was watching but a real-life account of a woman from Japan “Kazue” was her name (meaning peace and harmony) …

The talks went ahead and suddenly on the spurt of the moment she said “You know you are lucky!” – I immediately asked why …” Because you are born in India and have got an Indian body! but you guys don’t realise the significance of being born in this land….” , I felt proud but little ashamed too as I know what her point was , we are all dwelled in the layers of materialism, ignorant of the fact this all is “Maya” and one day will vanish…. But we live in the oblivion of this thought as if we are here till end of time….

Words of wisdom coming from a westerner was music to the ears….but had lot of depth, she was actually on a different tangent and had a mesmerized feeling with God…

As I asked her again “Don’t you miss you family who raised you and who wanted you to be beside you in old age and at fag end of their life…?”. She quickly replied with a smiling face…

 “They know where my happiness lies and they are happy because what I wanted to do in life, I am doing…I left a well paying corporate job and a life of comfort to live a life of ascetic in all devotion to the Lord… and this is my path of my choice…they are indeed happy!”  The time was passing by quickly and she had to go to her ashram after buying fruits and vegetables from the flea mart…as I just enquired from where she gets the money from to buy these things…she again smilingly reverted…” From the books that I sell here….” until she for the last time said “Hare Krishna…. God bless you….” She turned and quickly vanished into a sea of humanity…. I stood there just for a second…thinking how it must be if I was to take this stand…. Leaving it all for Bhakti and  devotion…Can I…??? ..The pulls of MAYA is much … may be as of now I might not be prepared…but would certainly be looking out for time when I call quits…

~ Love You Life...~

So what it feels like the same everyday…with the same set of work that you do and with the same daily chores – the result is super boredom and a stale monotonous life which you can drag till you grey your hair. One such thought came to my mind and for sure this led to an adrenaline rush in the spine ..am I going the way everyone goes and lives life and then regret what we actually didn’t do or still we got a chance and we didn’t had the courage or the bent of mind to not go for it!

My writing of this piece of blog is just one of the key things that I always wanted to do, not that I thought of sharing my being in the world out there but to also know what everyone feels the same as I do…after all we are all humans and share more or less the same genetics. 

As a morning exercise aficionado and an early riser ( thanks to my family who always pushed me beyond limits to see the early sun!), I have found ways to start my day with a zoombastic frame of mind and in that effort have made some super souls who have been gone through the grill of life – no wonder they have tons of experiences to share on a tea cuppa that we sometimes have after our exercise and brisk walking and running… soaked in sweat which I always call the best perfume a man can shower…our endless talks brimming with life’s wisdom always have key takeaways ….the talks never end but time slips endlessly, no wonder I have met some of the best people in the world...who share their life's moments and guide you on matters which otherwise are complex to solve!

One key take away I surely want to share with all of you is that “Live the Moment!” as the next tick of time may not allow to do things which you thought of doing right now…the laggards that we generally are, get up and tweak your daily routine, go for long walks, even if in solitude, there is a surety that you someone inside you will always be in conversation with you – the miracles of nature are just waiting to converse with you and make you a happy lot – all you need is open your self and dedicate your being in the lap of time!

Done so, you will feel a different you! Happy and feeling good from inside – do what you want to do in your spare time – write, read a book, do yoga, play some sport,  watch your fav movie, call a friend you didn’t had time to talk to – seize the moments and uplift your living with positivity.

I again reiterate, make friends with old people as it has two strong positives… one, as they are your seniors and are brimming with life’s wisdom – they are the best teachers ( I always say, all schools prepare and motivate you for that go getter attitude BUT no school teaches you how to handle failure and negatives of life…), these are your best masters and teachers, for they have upfronted the challenges which came their way – A continuous engagement with oldies will make you more aware of life, will prepare you for upcoming challenges and impediments and mature you to handle them with alacrity !

Second, you will never regret not spending time with your Dad, Mom, Grandfather and Grandmother when they suddenly leave you as their talk will always resonate in your mind and you will still have beautiful memories of them – the internal blessings they will shower on your will be intangible and help you in life as they manifest in different forms!

At the end just one line to sum up all  …”Love life as it is one time affair…you will never be born again with the same body, mind and name… live it fully !!!”

~ Life's Moments...~

 Have you ever looked for those ‘different moments’ during the day when suddenly you encounter an anonymous being whom you don’t know – he/she comes only to you for some help or assistance, don’t know why – there are many people around you but you become the chosen one to be asked for alms or any help that he/she may be seeking.

Remember this is the test of your true character and how you react to that quick situation define our true being – this one of sort event would occur anytime, sometimes repeatedly – if you don’t pass the test. Suddenly when the occurrence has happened you would realize that sometimes you were harsh or showed attitude or ignored the askance – though this was not the need of the hour – but by that time the testing moment has just passed and you become that hapless soul again.

I have been a party to such repeated occurrences in my living, a recent case I am jotting brings to me the lesson which years ago someone taught me – true to his living, the noble man exited this world as a much contented man with no frills or regrets leaving behind his success stories and nobility which till date I keep on hearing from common friends.

It so happened that when I was at a flea mart buying tomatoes which now days are damn cheap Rs 20/- per kg and we all being in the habit of selecting the best lot whilst I was chatting with the vendor, a sudden voice from behind was heard – “Bhaiya, 1 kg tamatar dilwado” ( can you buy me 1 Kg tomato), turning back I could see a wheelchaired man in his mid 40’s whose one leg was amputated and that he showered a smile on me expecting me to do what he requisitioned. As I told the vendor to select the best tomatoes for him and simultaneously asked him if he wanted money… his surprise reply was “ bhaiya Paise lekar mein kya karoonga, jo chahiye maine maang liya..” [Brother, what would I do with money, what I wanted, I asked!]. 

This line had  loads of meaning and teachings for me and may be for all of us. After profusely accepting the pack of tomatoes, he steered his wheelchair slowly with a smile, not before showring a streak of thanks to both of us ( me and the vendor)..as he moved, his image made me stay there for a while and his words kept on moving in my head… “What I wanted, I asked, I don’t want money….” , though living a tough life and handicapped, the gentleman wasn’t greedy , he actually asked for what he required… do we all have that streak of acceptance ? I strongly doubt our intentions…thanks life, that different moment was an added life lesson… keep on making me learn all this… as I always say … be a student of life and not of books …for books give you knowledge…life gives you wisdom!