~ My Morning Friends...~

 There is so much life around, living just near you, with silence, having its own intelligence, may be much greater than you – If you have sat down and have put your intellectual arrogance aside, you will find the vast flora and fauna talking to you in their own sense – problem being, we don’t catch their signals of understanding.

Squirrels, dogs, birds, ants, insects ..all live in unison, though predatory in nature , they ensemble a unique diversity bestowing us with their remarkable grace ...they paint the flora and fauna with their presence, the chirping, howling, and what all noises...they certainly observe you and somewhat know you as a regular "visitor" in their life and vicinity...

Off late, I have made some good friends in my neighborhood park which is full of variety of tidbit animals replete with life – they have their own timelines, when to make noise, when to sleep and vanish from scene and when to reappear - they certainly follow the holistic timeclock and are living and behaving in tandem with sunrise and sunset – that is what you call universal intelligence which is spread all across in every sphere of life.

As a daily practice to feed them, now that they know me, they eagerly await for my presence under certain pickets where they reside – I couldn’t believe myself when i saw them appearing out of nowhere whey I approached with a bottle of water to be fed in their mud bowls and also the food which they so sumptuously cherish – unlike we humans, they have no tantrums in eating and relish almost everything which is put in the bowl – they certainly know the importance of every bit of food and are aware of the concept of no wastage.

The time spent with them is extraordinaire, the peace and tranquility you get to connect with them cannot be jotted down in words – making friends with them and earning their faith was indeed an arduous task, earlier they used to cling on to the upper echelons of trees well beyond your reach and in obscurity but now with passage of considerable amount of time, they stepped down and though with a distance, they observed me with a rant.

Surely, nature has its own intelligence, with limited sphere of influence and a restricted mind as compared to us, these small friends of mine surely bestow me with their love and grace everyday by their benign presence, they wait, make noises as if they are saying a “Hello” or a “Good Morning” , they wag their tail to show their love and acceptance towards me – now that they are not afraid of my presence in their vicinity, they like to roam around freely but also aware of other predators such as dogs, cats who stoop on them as they get a chance – its all happening there – the execution of food chain, universe happens without your intervention – My Mornings turn out to be blessings when I go and meet them every dawn.

Thanks my friends, as I write about you as you come to my mind during the day and also in the dead of night , eagerly awaiting the next morning meeting with all of you – surely we share the same mutual feelings, not before me deciding what to feed them the next day – the preparation thus begins, until I meet them tomorrow again with the same zeal of life and effervescence…

~ Fear of GOD...~

 India is a diverse land with brimming with different cultures and attitudes and varied way of life’s – All of us have different faith systems and beliefs – the only commonality I could vouch on is “Faith” and “ Fear” – None has seen GOD but he is ultimately there, all pervading the universe and the landscape we all live in – we cannot entirely deny his presence with absolute truth but can surely believe that he is just there who created all of the living and inanimate things for us to live and enjoy life…

Recently, I came across a man roaming around in street, quite ordinarily dressed – the one which many of you must have seen especially on a Saturday seeking alms for your benefit – as you pay your humble obeisance to “Shani” Bhagwan” [ Lord Shani] and seek his mercy – for sure, he is the much-feared demigod and no one wants to face his ire.

Every Saturday, one finds serpentine queues of people holding all the paraphernalia to oblige “Shani Bhagwan” [ Lord Shani] as a mark of respect and seek his blessings and ofcourse his mercy from his ire…It certainly is a weekly ritual and I know set of people who have been doing since ages and now that it has become their routine…

As he approached me to pay the “Shanivariya” [As we call him, a pseudonym for the man who collects alms on name of Lord Shani”], he was  prompt to move forward his tumbler filled with oil with immersed coins – as I paid him my share, he smiled and was about to turn around to move to other devotees – I was quick to break the conversation open to him – as I meekly asked him a question that came to my mind “ Kab se kyeh kaam kar rahe ho?” [ Since when have you been doing this?] – he was quick in his reply as he had strict timelines to gather day’s kitty – “2 Saal hog aye, pehle papa kartey they” [ since two years, as my father earlier used to do it!”] , seems to be a business to me, as I thought internally. 

My conviction became resolute with each passing second – we all fear God, and have been groomed to obey to his rules and regulations – and seek mercy if we have done anything awkward or against the rules. “Aapka Naam kya hai”, as I asked futher, he replied with same zeal “ Shri Pawan Prasad!” –“Log Darr ki wajah se dete honge aapko daan!” – [ People must fear Lord Shani and give you alms!”] – he sheepishly smiled and replied “ Nahi toh! – unko Shani Bhawgan pe vishwas hai and unse muradein maangtey hain…bahut shaktishali hain Shani Bhagwan.” [ No, people believe in Lord Shani and thus seek his blessings!] –  with all his answers and explanations, he was making my belief with every passing minute…

As he walked away in a hush- hush , his aim being to maximise his collection, he was not much interested in any further conversation, observing so I said “Jai Shani Dev!” and seek God’s blessings – don’t know if I did it out of fear or as a mark of true reverence…

~Life's twist and turns...~

 In my pursuit to meet maximum number of souls visiting planet earth and talking with them, knowing them has been a great quest – all have different vagaries of life and are trapped in different situations, scenarios and trying to achieve something different. 

Many of them I have met have intrigued me because they have simply chosen to tread the path to unearth the world’s greatest mystery “GOD. The Unknown”, and in doing so they have achieved some remarkable feats – some have walked miles barefoot and have done endless “Naam -Jaapa” , for others paying obeisance to “HIM” every day for hours, meditating in his endless form has been a feat in itself. 

People call them mendicants and call them other names, but in a recent chance meeting with a retired school teacher, my percept got entirely changed – how can a well learned school teacher, who has been in such a noble profession changed his mind to seek alms and start his pursuit to search GOD …what stance made him change his comfortable retired life – with no financial or family liabilities, he took this path on his own as he was contemplating it for quite some time after sudden death of his wife and son in a freak car accident!

I met Ravi Prasad ji as I got his name in due course of my conversation with him – he was just walking down the street at a religious congregation that I had gone to - his style of asking for alms was different as he was not forcing himself or insisting too much to give him – he just stood outside the tent and was a keen observer – his robes and sport shoes intrigued me as he had a ‘semi -mendicant’ look and that he somewhat studious and from the material life and had not been a renunciate earlier.

All these questions encouraged a strong inquisition in me and I was quick to approach him to have a conversation with him – I invited him in but was not successful and he was desisting in going in but was happy just standing outside – As I enquired about his antecedents , he was frank in answering my questions – he as a retired professor of psychology in one of colleges in Ranchi, Bihar and had ‘Quit’ public life after a devastation in his life – Now in search of the almighty to find the “Why” , he had a sense of anger but pacification at the same time – but his quest grew bigger and bigger when he saw big congregation of people clasping to their individual faiths – some dancing, some kneeling down while others just sitting and in contemplation – he had choosen an altogether different but tedious path to renunciation or to be more close to GOD. 

As I asked him the trigger point of his renunciation the world and leaving all behind and walking an unknown and difficult path, he was clear for his quest was genuine and had to be quenched before he call it quits form this worldly existence – he had gained knowledge but still considered himself to be a novice in this path of spirituality – a tragedy had changed Ravi Prasadji as he lost his loving wife and his only Son who was adolescent to a car accident – his only question to the grand design was “Why ME?”…quite unexpectedly, life had changed gears in a quick succession and with no contemplation or preparation, he was left alone in this world …totally shattered …. This lead to his taking a bold decision to take to this path…he had donated his house in Bihar to a NGO and had almost nothing left to himself..

AS he told me “For Whom should I save or keep? ..I have no family left…It is me and myself… My needs and wants are almost none…miniscule to live on paltry sum everyday on people’s donation of little money or food… I am done with my material life ..now it is the quest for spirituality and to find answers to the most intricate of questions about our living…!”

I was mum and was in observance of this man whose life was a real example of what life can bring forth as we live… All our plans and accomplishments can be at set to nadir if situation changes overnight…no zeal to aspire for big things… and do this and that…

As I prostrated before him and he game me his “Ashirwad”, I moved on …filled till the brim with alternative thoughts of life…are these signs for me to ponder about life… surely they are … a serious contemplation took over and I went inside of myself…engrossed in my own living and my thoughts…What can life be like sometime, with all of its twists and turns… anything can happen anytime, sure meeting Ravi Prasadji is a repeated eyeopener for me as I knew beforehand…what life can offer the next second…

~ Life & Death...~

 “Ah! It’s a Girl…” the vehemence on the doctor’s face was as ecstatic as it seems to be – a new soul had just arrived in the family and everyone was elated and anxious to see and have a glimpse of the new “Guest” – My Friend Rohit was in tears, he could not believe that he had just become a father to a Girl child and now he

Rohit has always been a spiritually inclined soul and closely observes the happening in and around life… “See Sanjeev, as I have always believed…the greatest magic of life is Life and Death…Souls are coming in this material world (“Mrityu Lok” as we call in Hinduism) and so are they departing when their journey is over and they have done their Karmas… 

I have been blessed with this soul for whom I would just be a custodian and nothing else…We think we are the owners of our children. This is grossly wrong percept..” – the depth of these thoughts were quite palpable as my friend was in a different tangent …actually a great miracle has had happened in his life…coz just a few months before his daughter was to be born, he lost his Dad to a fatal disease…He couldn’t stop his exit from this world despite his best of the efforts and spending a fortune…

Surely, Rohit had a point for ponderance, we are living everyday with a thought that today is not our day and that someone else will exit this world and die his/her death …What makes you so confident? Is it the empirical living that you have been getting awake every morning to rush to office  or do your daily homely chores … We all have taken ourselves and our lives for granted seemingly ignorant to the fact that one day “Death” would arrive at your footstep and no one in existence can stop or alter it! 

Same is with Birth, the soul which is bound to be born, be it in any form, plant, animal, humans, insects, microcosm and what not would be born at an appropriate time, you can not stop it to germinate either…. So between these two “Mega Events” of one’s life, what is it that we need to do ?

This is again a complex question to answer as many of us have different perception regarding this thought – some fall back on purposeful Karmic Dharma ( do your deeds and fulfil your Karma as mentioned in Bhagwat Gita) or many of us just wander around and give ourself in hands of destiny without giving a simple thought to free will….the percept being…whatever is written would happen… we didn’t choose where we were to be born and we will never know where we would die….

 To some extent, this school of thought has some depth but the concept of free will is also enumerated in the Bhagwat Gita ..where Lord Krishna vehemently delivers his sermon as “ You should always perform your Karma as you cannot escape this worldly existence / Maya created by me without sitting idle…But don’t expect the fruits of your doings in accordance to your liking… “

Another moment of elation was soon to come in Rohit’s life when the Nurse called us in and handed over the newly born in his hands …he could see the “Miracle” in front of his eyes in flesh and blood, the little one blushingly smiling as if she knew her father beforehand…

 I being the looker, the feeling was filled with emotions…here I was a witness to a father and Daughter’s first meeting in this material world…. As I thought, Rohit has rightly observed the working of this world….Somebody is leaving with a heavy heart…Someone is coming with a blissful smile….the Miracle will go on for ever…!!!

~ Meeting with a Porter...~

 He came and stopped by abruptly without a knack and gentle asked “Pithoo?” – with no shame and eager for work, his smile as he spoke these words made all the difference….His age with salt and pepper look showcased his predicament to be a hard task master though he had still taken his situation with a pinch of salt.

As I turned around and said in affirmation, he grimaced and started to untie the robes around his waist – the sole purpose was to tie a punch of suitcases and bags which were part of our travelling kit. It was mundane task for him as he slowly and meticulously arranged all the bags in his trolly and started to try the knot with a soul purpose of not loosening every bit and thereby avoid falling.

But behold! He didn’t negotiate at all “as one of my friends gently whispered in my ear – “How much has he asked for this service?”. To be frank his gentle presentation and style of marketing himself was taken over by petty business thought – I really didn’t care if he overcharges at all as seeing his age and the amount of sincere effort, he was doing was for everyone to see and understand.

But still as my friend again insisted, “Please negotiate with him first?”, he might overcharge us for all of this!” – I patiently waited and let him do his work with ease – after some time when he was done with his “Packing”. I asked him “Bhaiya kitne loge?” [ Brother, how much you will charge?] – He turned around and laughed and quickly responded “ Bhai, jitne bhi aapka mann kare!” [ Sir, whatever you feel like!]

He was making me his fan with each passing moment – here was a man in his septuagenarian age but with the zeal of life and with almost no greed! – his predicament was too visible and for sure he had earned respect and not much money – As I loosely negotiated with him, to his favour and further asked him his name and that where he lived and since how long he has been working here .

With a smile he politely answered, “ Mera Naam Saiffudin Khan hain” [ My name is Saifuddin Khan and I live in Kashmir and have been working here for last three decades , doing this when I was in mid 30’s].

As As I further enquired about his family and kids and there well being, he was charmed and with a shy smile, he spoke about his 3 sons and 2 daughters who were all settled and living their married lives, he never wanted to be sitting idle and be a burden on their earnings and that he had well tuned body and wanted to work till the very end of his living....

As the deal was jammed, he told us to start moving along with his tugger and efficiently transgressed through narrow streets avoiding heavy traffic and pedestrians – his skill was too efficient and almost unmatched – of course his experience was at display! – Walking through 1-2 kms as we reached our destination, he seemed to be little exhausted but was not complaining – of course his age was overtaking him day by day and the need of earning was the pull of his life – as he unpacked our luggage and cleanly piled up bags just like a professional coolie, the next moment he was expecting his remuneration.

As I paid him what was negotiated, he had broad grin on his face – he looked satisfied as he asked him – why not “ he was simply overpaid” not because of the neatness of work he did but just because of his attitude and persona – as he turned around to say a final goodbye, I invoked him to a final talk.

“Bhaiya, apna cell phone number dete jao, next time aayenge toh aapko fone karenge pakka, hum thodey time par attey rehtey hain yahan par!” [Sir, please can you give me your cell no, we keep on coming here quite often and the next time we are here, we will surely call you!]

He smiled again and the satisfaction on his face was quite evident, he quickly pulled up a card and showed it to me and said “ Aap yeh likh lo, mein pada likha nahi hoon, aap ispe call karlena mein hazir ho jaunga!” [ Please, note down this number, I am not educated, you can call me at this number and I shall be available.] 

As I took the snap of the card, we all said a final goodbye to this beautiful human being – the last line he told all of us was blessing which came direct from his heart “ Beta, Humeinsha Khush Raho!” [Son, Always Be Happy] – I he had made our day …to end with such a positive note, and as we boarded our train back to our dwelling, I kept on seeing his pic on my mobile – surely some souls are never forgotten… I am eagerly waiting for the next meeting with Saifuddin Sir… till then, this small meeting will remain in my conscience for long, next time I meet him, he would be reminded of our last meeting with relevant pics and also his presence on the internet via this blog!!!