~ The Game of Life...~

  

What became as my liking of an outdoor activity, Football as sport which I loved became my everyday binge. Hours were spent in sweating on the ground and besmirching clothes with mud.

But as growing up years were spend getting absorbed in the game, I unknowingly fell in love with the sport – so much so that I happened to think of serpentine moves and arcane tactics to score a goal. The next day and hour was thoroughly awaited to hit the ground. My Naani used to be precarious of the time when I had to step out, never to return for hours of sweat and toil not to forget the dilapidated condition of clothes and bruises on the body. 

The key question being what football has to do with "NOW" when I have well surpassed the age one can play it with equal aplomb. The answer is ‘Football’ has made me the Shakespearean character that I am in the world stage. The game is a strong interlude of maneuvering passes and strict discipline. It makes an individual a strong and forward-looking thinker with an ability to think beyond the rational. It bestows on you a sense of ownership and teamwork, cascades along many boundaries to show your true character as a leader and a playmate.

Finally, it makes you ponder with the game you played and gives you an opportunity to ascertain your follies today – those selfish instances that you were close to the goal and by all possibility you could have scored had you given the past at the last moment to your teammate who was left unchecked and in a pole position. The best part of the sport at the end of those ticking timelines is the analysis which one gets into – with heated debates and no potential outcomes, the bond with the team gets cemented – you also get to know individualistic weaknesses and start to work upon them slowly and steadily.

As they say the passion never fades away, life comes back at different times – There have been many instances that you still shake a leg and dribble past this young generation (in a par nearby before the Pre-Corona Era). You test your agility with the skills of years you have acquired on the field. If not, you have left your position to be a forward (considering the demanding position it is), you can well equip yourself to be a center half and be a strategist and give formidable passes towards goal conversions. The rhetoric of passes, the deliberate fouls, the friction between players of opposite teams all still becomes the part and parcel of the razzmatazz, such is the charisma of this Game.

 I have realized that I am in awe with this game and it is the on top of my list of to-do things when I will next spot the street urchins playing at their usual self in the park. Afterall, age has nothing to do with your love of life – I love football and would continue too do so till eternity!

The best part of playing this game is when people ask “at this age, how you maintain your sprint, focus and quick thinking on the field?” My quirky answer is “The football does not know how old I am. All you need to do is to stop yourself to stopping yourself to play the game.” – I thank football not only as a game but shaping myself into a person which I have become today!

~ Penning Your Life...~

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…

 

~ Bath of a Lifetime..~

 If God Exists, I expect HIM to be sane enough to have formed rules of life and those are called 'KARMA" - what your 'Sow' is what you will "REAP" - this postulate of living exhibits the life of people i see in my day to day observation.

If he DOES not Exist : there is no point praying to a non-existent entity and it is tantamount to wastage of time and energy - so in this case, all we need to do is to live life and tackle circumstances and situations as according to their occurrence, believing that this is a pure Karmic base happenings in our life and that we have to fulfill and adhere in a the way situation wants us to live.

In both the outcomes of this rational thoughts - Living the Karmic way is a unanimity  and one cannot ignore its applicability in real life - all you need is to co-exist with the situation and observe the outcome.

In recent holy dip in the Ganges during "Karthika Masam" , I could see scores of souls come from far off places during holy dip of the Ganges - on of the most sacred rivers of Hindus - to wash away their sins and get "Moksha" from the unending cycle of birth and Death - Their belief is unilateral and firm on one proponent " That Mother Ganges is kind enough to give exemption from punishment of any sins that we have done knowingly and unknowingly!" 

Again for the rational and thought provoking mind - the situation emulates to a scenario where a Murderer kills innocent being and realises that he has sinned and the only person capable of forgiving him is the JUDGE!

oblivious to the belief that the Judge himself is bound by certain rules of society and is bound to punish him as according to the criminal act he has committed...just apologizing and accepting his crime would not suffix - he has to "PAY" for the crime he has committed and has to serve the punishment in accordance to the act he is liable to be punished....

The verdict is clear....the laws of living have been clearly demarcated by HIM in a simple fashion - they are same for everyone who has taken birth on earth and who is acting differently to avoid punishment for the crime he has committed.

As we grow old and grey our hair, we will become a firm believer of certain facts of life which we have learnt the 'hard way' but in certitude , they are the real 'facts' and 'wisdom' you will take along with you , when you depart from this plane - though the holy water of the Ganges comfort you - it is soothing - it certainly wont purify your karmic wrong-doings - for that , the only penance would be to live your karma and pay back with full interest what you have sowed.....

~ Being Happy...~

 As I have joined many of the meditation groups and online spiritual forums I am constantly asked some question which have now become perpetual to my existence and that is " What is the purpose of our Life?"

Why on earth we are here for? – we are all doing almost the same things everyday and our creator has made us the same – what he wanted to achieve for doing all this – is it a dance of puppets that he sees from above as to how we behave and balance in our day to day lives…??

Of course these are deep thought provoking questions and almost all religions and its constituents may have not found the real answer – each one’s life has set scenarios and the answer to one’s living may vary based on that – e.g : for some life is bed of roses with good job or business, stable health and good and caring family – though that is just impossible in today’s world 😊 but still for such a being, the purpose of life is to “Enjoy the Goodies!”.

Similarly for those who are struggler’s – financially, personally – with even their best and earnest efforts, they are not able to stabilize their living and make day to day ends meet, life is a regular challenge – if you throw this question to him “ What is the purpose of life  your are living?” – to great measure, he/she would have a different opinion like “ to struggle daily, life has no meaning, living my Karma…”

For me the best answer I can pacify myself with this arduous question – I learnt from a toddler, who I just chanced upon in a park in my vicinity – though he was son of a street vendor, with no slippers and shabbily dressed, unbathed but he was “Happy” in this condition – he took no burden of his daily worries, though many would think that is a “Wrong Comparison” – How could you compare his life with us adults as we have so much complex problems.

To this my answers is “Exactly – there lies the hidden agenda which we all are just neglecting!”

Why cant we live on a day to day basis and be happy for whatever we have?? Why do we need MORE?? – once we have achieved something, immediately our brains are programmed to achieve the next ‘Target’ – that may be a 7 figure salary or more – if in business the target gets double the next year – for students, it’s the marks or ranking or cracking the BEST entrance exam which will zoom-start your career…We certainly dont want to count on what we already have...our health, family, job etc....We all want MORE…

This approach is not wrong considering the fact that it motivates you to do more and achieve the best and thus strive hard…But the burden of failure and anxieties along with it also accompany and damage your living and consciousness….The question of “What if I fail, or don’t achieve the next target” makes home in your mind….

That certainly leads to a troubled existence…and that is what is happening around the world…Be it individuals, communities and Nations…. Everyone has a set superficial target to achieve , come may what….

The worst part being once you are at the “TOP” the chimera breaks you down as you see no-one along with you to share your happyness…. No friends , you have left your family to achieve those great heights… you tend to be alone , arrogant and cynical to some extend…

So, for a moment, think twice today, what is that you take to ‘STOP” yourself to remain consciously “Happy”…. Many a time achieving mediocre heights gives us immense pleasure than living a life of luxury….ponder and one day you will realize these simple wordings…!!!

~ God - Where are You ~

We are funny people and play around as according to our own whimsical ideas and ideologies.. Be it whatever religion or faith we follow, we strongly 'FEAR' him and want HIS mercy at all cost ( though many of us are selfish enough to ask for material possessions instead of peace, tranquility and other non-material objectives which puts are life at ease and fills compassion in us).

What is the use of going to a place of worship if you start to ask for things which will possibly soothe you (though for a short period of time!) BUT did not ask for HIM - you don't love him but want his GRACE which should get after a short and selfish prayer....isn't it too selfish... ??? It certainly is but who cares???

Sit down a moment and start to ponder your long list of Wants that you dont have. after a thoughtful ponderance , you will have a page full of goodies that you are lacking...and want HIM to fulfill... almost all the prayers and mythological text is full of GOD- Character - specific goodies and boons can be given by specific Gods... for kids...worship this Diety, for Wealth worship this deity, the demarcated list goes on and on and seems to be Endless....

You never cared for that tranquility which in actuality is sitting within yourself. The peace and stability you are seeking at the outset is just inside you! - have you ever thought of talking to your being...HE is there wanting to have a conversation with you ...but you hardly care...you want a 'Place of Worship' to pay your deepest requests on specific Days ( Monday for LORD SHIVA, Tuesday for LORD HANUMANJI..)...this goes endlessly until the next Monday comes ...the cycle goes on and on....

On fine day , you will see yourself in front of the mirror and see that you have aged! , the hair have got salt and pepper, the skin has started to loose its sheen...but your world remains more or less the same...the Goodies didn't arrived, the prayers remained unanswerable! 

In the life I have lived, I have recorrected my faith by practicality of living ...for me the ideology of living is "KARMA IS LIFE" and "KARMA IS GOD"...if you are conscious of your day to day actions, you will feel elated, and always energized to do things....melancholy wont hit you...things would remain positive, there is no need to follow strict obeisance to pacify GOD ...He is omnipresent and knows each and every action of yours...who you are befooling?? HIM? who was ever there when you were not.... and will be when you will not be...

What happens when you don't get the results as according to your prayers and worship? I have seen people cursing GOD and changing their faith...on the worse side, I quite often see people keeping God's pic outside PEEPAL tree...fending for itself...getting corroded and ultimately disfigured...What an Irony..., the same pic and statue which was in your heart now becomes oblivious to you as it didn't give you the alms you had asked for ?

Life is uncertain for sure, in your living you start to make airy castles of achievements and aspirations...they may not fulfill but your unflinching faith should remain ...it should be unparalleled without any ifs and buts...Remember there could be far more problems that could have come in your life but they didn't. May be your "KARMA" was good and that have been rewarded but you will never oblige this fact. But one day you will 

Till then let the journey continue...you will learn in the midst of this beautiful life and for sure with age and experience your perception would certainly Change! Enjoy..!!!

Abdul - Boyish Aspiration

 He comes to me with expectations - an expectation that I will pay him some money and it will surely make his day - I indeed did and he went off with a grimace.

I wanted to talk to him and called him back - he responded with a sense of urgency expecting as to whether I would pay him more - but my intent was only for a small conversation regarding his existence and that what he does! - As a street urchin, he is in a playful mood and always on his toes, does practically nothing - their life is revolving around alms and goodies that people give them as they visit a famous temple around.

I caught his attention via some goodies that I had bought from market and started to converse, though earlier he was very reluctant to talk but soon our ad-hoc friendship blossomed and we started to talk

He was equally vocal and started to ask where I belong and from where I had come. I also started to follow suit and asked his name.

"Abdul" was his hesitant reply - after a small lull, he again started to sleep - " I am a localite and stay nearby and generally loiter around here for most of the day!"

As I asked "don't you go to school Abdul and don't you want to study?"  - with gloom in his eyes, he said "N0, as even if I wanted to study, there was no money in the house!"

He further stated "My father is a daily wager and I have three sisters - we hardly make ends meet - if I were to go to school, we could not afford school fee!"

His honest and deep answer was a thought to ponder for me - how many Abdul's we have here who long for education but the tyranny of time, they will never see a classroom and won’t ever wear a school uniform.

 

Abdul has dreams of being a Pilot, he feels like flying and gets excited when he sees an airplane flying - I asked him if he had ever sat on a plane - with a somber mood, he said " NO!"  as if he desperately wanted to take a ride!

Such coincidental encounters with strangers and souls who are not in any way connected to you are pointers towards a comparative life that we all are living - in our own panache, we generally forgot to see these invisible souls around us because they are living in penury - they are countless in numbers and are living in obscurity - living a menial and subsistent life - though many of them have a true potential to achieve big things and compete with us but their living scenario has made them live the way they are existing - with practically no or minimal help, they have got themselves entangled in the vicissitudes of poverty - a trap which they might not ever transgress! 

My encounters with zillion Abdul's are a remembrance of this dark reality of life and its offering and certainly makes me pondering towards the goodies life has offered us - the key takeaway is to live humbly and love and respect their honour and dignity and of course put your best foot forward to always help them with whatever we can - be it Money or in Kind , emotionally or by any other means , with a firm belief in mind that

'Someone is Always Watching your Acts and Intentions!"