~ In the Weight Of Time…~

 He has a catchy smile and greets you with his self-taught gratitude, often with a “Namaste”. Manu Uncle, what most people call him,  is an old man with a self esteem and derives life’s inspiration from the school of life itself. Blessings come from him quite often as you greet him and you suddenly a sense of a catchy feelings gushes your spine to have an elongated conversation with this old man….

He has been a visitor to the park for quite some time now and has picked a particular spot in a DDA park where he usually stands and loiters around and spends much of his time of the day. He never invites anyone to make use of the “service” he provides free of cost but with a notion that nobody would avail it for free …almost everyone pays him out of respect that he commands. He comes with a weighing machine every morning and neatly places it at a particular corner and expects people – who are jogging or having a morning health drink – to come and get to weigh themselves in lieu of anything which they want to give him. Some give him a fruit such a banana that they are having, some offer him a morning tea cuppa, many offer him a sandwiched breakfast, he never denies the goodies though and cherishes them with fervor!

He is a well-respected man as many appreciate his nature and cheerfulness, he gels well with all sorts of people, without fail at a particular time he comes on his trade-mark bicycle… cycling about 5 kms from his shanty…to spend the entire day in his “dreamland”…what he calls is jokingly….

On enquiring about his well being and pondering about his past, you will come to know that he is not alone in this world but has a son who is happily married but does not stay with him. His wife died long back and he made it a point to not be dependent on his son for a living, so be it , here he is with his daily weighing machine which earns him enough to stupefy many about his survival in such tiring circumstances.

Come winter’s and you will see him jam packed with all sort of woolen clothes which are generally donated by people who know him – though the size does not suit him in person, but the purpose is solved.

His ever-smiling nature and all salt hair gives him reverence by many, even if you wont pay him after a shameless use of his weighing machine, you will see him smiling as ever, that is the nature of this man.

Today I met him after long time, he instantaneously recognized me and asked me about my well-being. His sweet smile tells me that he is happy and living without any burden of life – On days when he doesn’t turn up, he is missed by many as he is cynosure of discussion for the sundry. Manu uncle keeps himself up-to-date about politics and what is going on this world, a rare and unique feature for a man of his age but it is his hobby to read the morning newspaper which he brings with himself everyday – he told me once that he is a graduate in Hindi and has been working as a workman in a daily newspaper – it is from there that the bug of reading bit him and turned him into a voracious reader or sorts! After retirement, his self esteem didn't allow him to sit ideally at home and be a burden to his son and soon took to his next profession...

Many such souls bring a sense of hope and talking with them touches your soul – don’t know but you feel the goodness of such beings, they are no way connected to your sphere of life or for that matter your area of interest or work but somehow you “bump” into them in life and feel like talking to them… this is what makes this life a journey to follow…

As once Shakespeare so famously said, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women are merely players…”, the idiom holds ground when you start to observe and live in its real being…. Talk to such people out of curiosity while you shed your inhibition and shyness and you will feel that everyone in this world and society is a character of sorts fulfilling his life’s task, doing peculiar things for their living… when the director says cuts… you wont find him at the usual place you used to see him….that is what you call life…

~ The Year that was…~

As this year ends to a close, today is the time to reminisce the sweet and sour memories of time which many of us won’t be able to forget in our entire life… the test of time for all of us were tough and many of us were left in a guineapig like situation and became a mute spectator of life which quietly unfolded in front of us….day by day, minute by minute…

So how was it? many would say it was bad , indeed it was, business shut down, people loosing there source of livelihood and foremost loss of our near and dear ones…we saw it all happening in front of our eyes…we were helpless and could not have done more that we had already done. Medics preparing to safeguard life of the infected and in parallel we had scientists who were applying their mind to create a defense against this tiny enemy, but we failed miserably….

Some were born and many were lost, some smiled while others wept, we saw it all…but were helpless. The sirens of Ambulances knocking on our ears, the cries of humanity were unanswered…seconds just clicked one by one and we were forced to move on…that was the year…

So what did this onslaught tell us and what we got from all the hoopla of this enemy of humanity? Did we learn the subtle lesson what nature is trying to tell us…? The innumerable killings and the loss of value system amongst us have to result in such a calamity, it had to come and it came for us to see. The question is “ Can this be tamed by us?”, only time has the answer and none of us are clairvoyant to speculate that… we can always be positive for a good outcome but do we know when this would end – it is a tough question to crack!

As the new year unfolds and we rise in hope and aspire to follow our dreams which we had set for our lives, we can just say “ All the very best to ourselves and our near and dear ones” and thus try our best to achieve our objectives of bringing life back on our tracks….

With this hope and a sense of positivity, I beget just one question we should ask from our conscience…what was the one lesson we did learn from the past year numerical? And if we have learnt that well, have we vowed to ourselves to not repeat the same for a future course of action…. The answer remains with you… till then….  “Wishing all my readers a very Happy & Prosperous New Year….”

~ The Lonely Supper…~

 He sits on the passenger seat and has his favorite meal. His auto is parked in a dark silo under a tree and it is exactly 8 pm. I happen to pass by his auto as it is a time for me for my evening vista, probably the only time of the day when I feel the resplendence of evening fog (or may be smog) with a grilling chill.

He suddenly stopped me and asked me about the time as if he was time bound to have his dinner. I responded with the all the correctness of time to which there was a smile with a thanks. He seemed to be educated as his gestures and etiquettes is a proof of that. I didn’t want to end our meeting in such a short fluke, so insisted in asking about his whereabouts. 

He was quick to respond but wanted to have his dinner first, the time he used to have it everyday was “8 pm” and it was soon followed by a cellphone call by his newly wed wife. As I stood, I could hear the first question which popped up “ Have you had your dinner?”, my stranger was quick to respond with a shy whisper – which was an indication of him not being too comfortable in front of me…

It was a sweet gesture to which he responded with a smile towards me, I didn’t want to disturb the newly weds with their sweetness of their newfound romance. I walked away but with a sea of thoughts. It was a lonely supper but brimming with loving affection of someone who has prepared it with dedication and sweetness, the only irony being that it had to be partaken in all of its aloneness!!! The sounds of vehicles passing by had no meaning to both of them and may be they were lost in their own world of romance….

As I crossed the road and started to walk towards my destination, my inquisition pressed me to look for the last time towards the event which I had just lived and I could see the dim light of auto which he had lit up in order to have his evening supper…. Or may be it was the light of his mobile phone which was an instrument of hope and bondedness for the two souls to have their dinner together…. With these thoughts I moved on not before smiling at the scene which was a going to stay in memory for times to come…

~ Achieve Silently..Live Silently...~

 Have you ever talked with the silence of nature? And did you ever observe the mega-gifts nature is providing us everyday under the veil of silence….but we are the ones who are the noise makers…

Nature works in its own magnificent silence, you will see a sapling growing into a fruit bearing tree in no time, all in silence. The light from sun and the moon reaches us in silence, without making any noise .

Working in silos, your subconscious mind starts talking to you on varied subjects which your eye observes subtly. If you notice things are happening as you observe them ‘Not happening’ – be it your life or otherwise, tick by tick time is passing by and you observe its various dimensions.

Do one simple experiment out of your daily razzmatazz of life - Sit silently or go to some lonely place having a patch of tranquility, your brain would automatically start soothing down and would throw less encumbered thoughts to oblige, observe the thoughts which pour in, after constant practice, you will realise that you form a connect with someone inside you and suddenly you are getting towed down towards the silent sounds of this grand design....

The nature has no sound but since million of years it is existing, giving life to various flora and fauna. We came to life a specific objective and nature was our spear header – It constantly speaks to us but is silent – this sounds to be quite oxymoronic but it has a certain amount of truth. Just sit silently and observe your being, under influence of silence, your thoughts would start talking to you – who is this person who wants to give you the silent message of grand design.

Nature has achieved so much for all of us to prosper and live in harmony, still it is silent! It shows and outpours its benevolence in such a subtle manner that it does what it does but we do not see it happening

How many of us have the power and the capacity of talking in silence with our creator? Not many, but those who have does not speak much 😊 …they are good observers of nature’s happenings. All the existence is there around you but not a word speaks, people are taking birth , many are leaving us, all of our achievements, aspirations are just left behind as a matter of reverence. 

Just the other day on a casual talk someone spoke to me “ Who would die happily , a rich man or a poor man?” , after much debate and counter arguments a conclusion was made and it was  , though the question had its own answers which many would differ. 

But under weight of logic, a poor man has happy ending, coz he has nothing to loose and has no material burden he is leaving behind on the other hand a Rich man slogged although his life to acquire his riches and material wealth and when he did, his time is up and it is others who would be the real beneficiaries of his efforts…. Though sounds logical , this small discussion has a cerebral thought…and that is don’t be vociferous about your achievements at the end of the day you have to leave everything and gets single out to leave this world…. Silently you will come and silently you would go..in between is just a egoistic noise…

~ Finding a Purpose…~

Finding your true purpose in life is certainly an arduous task. The mind being the culprit always is on the haywire and is in constant want for food for thought. Many a time you start asking about the value and the cause of your being here – you are not doing anything different which have not actually been done by your ancestors – may be they were more prudent that you are today nor you have that wisdom of the eternal which our early forefathers had.

Bereft of answers, you ask the void “What is the purpose of my life?”

The void answered “ What if I told you that you are truly proving your purpose when you sit with your old parents and give them a patient hearing, you walk the talk with them and answer their questions, even if it makes no sense to you.”

“Or you are fulfilling your purpose when you polish your father’s shoes or give your mother aching knees a nice massage! Or you make them a surprise lunch/ tea and place in front of them their favorite snack of the day!...

We don’t have to do great things during the day to make the grand design believe in us – we are surely being here for a greater purpose, the vastness of our achievements may look miniscule in front of small gestures of gratitude such as helping an ageing lady cross the road while you hold her hand or placing  a cup of milk in front of a street dog who never had thought this would happen in his nomadic life…

You achieve your purpose in acts of silos and not boasting about what you are doing in your daily living. Remember your every act of kindness or cruelty of thoughts or actions are being looked upon with great eagerness, someday, somewhere your might face same situations, so act with great thought as if you are giving to the world which might come back to you in same fold.

The main problem with us is that we are trying to equate our purpose with materialistic achievements which make our chest swell with honour, pride and false ego. Remember the universe is not very interested in your achievements, it has much more to give than to receive back!

Your life itself is sustainable due to its benevolence, the air , water, food is all a miracle happening in this universe, we didn’t created it! When you choose to align and act with compassion, kindness and gentleness of your thoughts and actions, you are giving back to the same universe so did you receive… you consciously achieve your true living and purpose for which you were being send, you need not look any further… your heart will give you enough signals of feedback from the universe!

~ A Sitting Confluence… ~

Passing through a nearby park in a prominent mart my eyes captured something extraordinaire which we all have seen or read in fancy stories but have probably not seen in practicality – my idea of a dream coming true came out today, when I could see an open school being run by the students themselves.

The arrangement and the sincerity of learning was palpable, and I could see an earnest discipline in running the classrooms which had some peculiar students. Almost all of them were form the unprivileged section of society, many of them were being given books and stationery to work upon.

Small tasks were assigned to the students who with all cherish got engrossed to accomplish, as if it was there final exam of life and death. The pulse was such that many of the passersby including myself could not ignore such a beautiful happening. The quest for learning was matching with the sincerity of teaching. Students were made to discipline and were being asked questions from the very books they were given, with everyone scrambling through the texts, trying to find the answers first and impress upon their teachers!

Many of them were toddlers barefoot whose parents might be fighting their own battles to exist , an affordable schooling for their kids is a far-off probability. The sheer excitement and resplendence of the atmosphere was making it as a cynosure of all eyes. The chirping of classrooms, the peeping in each other’s copies and the feeble whispers amongst their peers whilst the teachers were top of their voice gave the moment its uniqueness. Many of the students seems to be lost as if they had turned up just to have a sight of a classroom which was never to be seen – there were no walls, windows or blackboards to count on , no chairs or benches but plain floor – for them this became the definition of a classroom.

A sense of galore hit me with thoughts of a bright future for these souls. They are doing the best they could have done in the present predicament they are in, Kudos to some of them who have taken the initiative to setup open school such as these which exemplify that when there could be a cult in education if we all take the initiatives and ponder upon new ideas to exemplify such examples!

Who knows in times to come we hear a magnificent story about a budding entrepreneur or a engineering marvel being churned out by these very initiatives which today seems to be so miniscule at sight.

At least the foundations have been laid down, though the journey seems to be arduous full of impediments of time and circumstances that these students shall go through due to their deprivation, still many of them would become shinning stars in their journey of life, lets hope this happens and we read their achievements in newspapers in coming years… Amen.!

~ That's Life...~

 A recent visit to the hospice came out to be an eyeopener for me. For many it is a place which no one wants to visit in a lifetime as the scene of despondency amongst the caretakers waiting outside of their dear ones make you feel nervous and helpless.

Suddenly your thoughts plunge to a degree of assumptions and lateral imagination about life – what goes out that we die and what are doctors struggling to rectify to keep the ‘Soul’ inside the body and not make it leave to another dimension. Just sitting in the calmness of situation, a sudden unfortunate panic struck the ambience and the aura turned frantic with nurses and doctors talking amongst themselves in hush-hush tones – seemingly, something urgent was warranted – the patient had posed a challenged to the medical science and doctors were trying their best to save a precious life.

I went inside the ICU where my near and dear one was admitted and I could see a flurry of doctors and nurses assembled near a bed, where laid an octogenarian who had almost giving up on his breath – he was being given experimented with all the latest scientific instruments to bring to life and set his parameters to normalcy. 

Just beside him was a child who was getting nervous whilst he saw all the scene first hand – there was no one trying to help him achieve the calmness – suddenly the nurse cajoled him and tried to divert his mind to other things – asking about his condition and that how he was feeling, but be whatever, the child was still reluctant as his mind and thoughts was still engrossed in the scene he had just witnessed.

The next bed was where my close relative was admitted, though of middle age, he was calm and composed and knew about what had happened – he said in all vivaciousness “ That’s Life, many of us would end here!” – the child noticed his statement and questioned both of us “ Uncle, we are born in a hospital and would die in a hospital” , now this line was unexpected from a young man who had just witnessed a live passing away of a life… We tried to cheer him up – “Lad, know that you have a limited time in life, enjoy your life to the fullest, be humble, be observant and live very moment with awareness of thought that you can be called back any time…”

He agreed amongst the calmness that had dawned upon the ICU, suddenly, the body of the old man was whisked away and a new bed was placed for the next patient to be admitted in ICU… that’s life reverted the young lad… no wonder, he had understood the deep meaning of our talk….

~ A Slippery Story...~

She sits in the middle of stack of slippers, many of them scattered all over a well-entrenched periphery – that is what she calls her ‘Shop’ – exuberating confidence and a knack to sell, she is talkative and a charming smile.

I happened to visit her place with an aim to buy bathroom slippers and suddenly the ‘Shopkeeper’ caught my eye out of confluence of people roaming around in our weekly flea mart. The zig-zag movement of people was causing a subtle hinderance in observing her from a distance – though I wanted to reach the little peddler – her comatose sitting stance and observing her customers and keeping a strict vigil on her sell was her key stroke – Apparently, she was well trained by her mother, who happened to be sitting next to another makeshift shop – selling artificial jewellery.

The only time she got up from shop was to give her earnings of her sell – which happened to be intermittent. It was my turn to select a set of slippers and I asked ‘him’ the price and which amongst the lot were best suited for me.

Her tomboyish looks gave her a cascading look of a ‘Boy’ – as I addressed him, she was quick to respond – “Uncle, I am Girl” – realizing my fault, I immediately corrected myself and said an apologetic ‘Sorry!”

I asked her name in all humility, she responded with a haughty laugh “ Uncle, Laxmi!” – a sheepish smile engulfed me to the point of a subtle embarrassment, I then started the conversation “ Beta, do you study?”, she responded “ Yes uncle, I study in class 4^th in a government school.” I can sense another coincidence, she was actually sitting in front of her school across the street to which she told me further “Uncle, that is my school!”

I was overtly impressed with her vividness , in between she was quick to respond to other customers queries – her multitasking skills were really impressive – How an almost toddler all about 8-10 years of age was single-handedly spearheading a small enterprise – dealing with biggies and answering their varied questions with an unequivocal confidence. She knew price list of every variety of chappas as if she had learnt it by rote, you ask her any set of slippers and the cost would come as a prompt reply!

Suddenly she looked at me and asked “Uncle, take these chappals, this would fit you and it is of good quality – the color green is good too!” I was rendered speechless, I checked the size and it exactly fit my foot – what a good Samaritan she was – almost perfect in her art and behavior, I could see a budding entrepreneur in a decade, who knows what she turns out to be, though many people will shun off my decree as of today – I know the journey would be tough but not at all unachievable!

She wasted no time to pack the slippers in a newspaper and a polythene bag and quick she was to hand over to me with one hand and taking a Rs 50 note on the other. Suddenly she lost interest in further conversation and focused her sight on other customers who happened to be a lady carrying along with her a girl child as equal age as my little salesgirl… The lady seems to be proudly telling her daughter “See such a confident girl, at your age she is singlehandedly running a shop!”

These words made me feel proud but as well as a little stoic to the current scenario, her family situation made her work at this tender age, but she had taken this in her stride and had taken the challenge upon herself to help her family to bring comfort to them whilst she worked part time along with her studies.

Looking at the confluence of people around me , I could see so many “Laxmi’s” who had donned the hat of a part time salesgirl and unknowingly taken the entrepreneurial part, this came as a blessing in disguise, the confidence and experience she showed is a sparkle in her aura of life… Well done Laxmi, keep the spirits high, your choice of slippers for me are of utmost importance, for when I wear them, deep in my heart I bless you for giving me this gift,... I wish one day your balancing act of studies with your entrepreneurship might lead you to a unicorn… who knows... time is the best answer….

~ When the Path Crossed~

Living in our mental silos, we often brand and limit ourselves to precedents which make a mockery of our living. What makes good use of our commonsense is hardly followed and all the pre-historic notions are driven in our minds.

Doing my evening walk, I came across an unusual precedence when I observed a gesture of a young lady in her mid-20’s. She was brisk walking in all comfort but suddenly she stopped and turned back and start walking in complete opposite direction. Seeing her doing this, my eye caught the reason of her behavior and it came out to be a ‘Black Cat’ which had suddenly crossed her path – the poor creature seems to be anonymously talking a stroll in her ambience, oblivious to the ‘humans’ who could mind her crossing the aisle and going to the other side of the park.

Suddenly a gush of imaginary thoughts came to my fore. Why did she behave the way she did? What was she taught of such a beautiful animal which is petted with so much care in many parts of India and the world? Her conduct was synonymous with her knowledge about the kitty and quite obviously the legend stories she might have heard from her grandpa which would have put a deep fear on her psychology about a Black Cat’s sudden spurt of crossing the path – which according to legend bestows an ominous sign of miss happening coming our way.

Quite amazingly, I started to grimace on the situation to which I was a cool witness, I was the next one to cross the path and suddenly I became the first as she had backtracked! I did it with quite an ease and more of pride and brought to rest the mental turmoil which the situation had put me to 😊 – Today, I did it with all my honour and removed the shackles of my mind towards such a unparalleled moment.

What is the use of education and commonality when we can’t give due credit and an explicit living to animals around us – we categorize them into gloomy signs of miss happenings that force us to believe in the power of malevolent. When in night the dog’s howl, our minds are retracted to something unpleasant and we start to believe in a soon to happen misfortune.

Are we really living in 21^st century with such dogmas of our mind and percepts? The cat must have felt pride for a moment that humans didn’t make her run out of danger that they showcase and her crossing the path in an untimely fashion had actually made them turn away!

She made her style statement with ease and went into the bushes undeterred by human presence – but not before making me think about many of us  and  our reaction to such an incident, had this happened to us, do you still have crossed the path with no thoughts or you had taken this as a smooth gesture with a ‘benefit of doubt’ moment about the kitty as she has an equal right to take a night stroll as many of us… the eternal debate continues…

~ Be a Google Map…~

On the eve of Google’s 23^rd Birthday, I was just thinking about as to how time just passes, it was just the other day when for the first time I tried to make use of it for my searches – It had clearly mandated itself and had beaten Netscape Navigator or Yahoo search – the two prime search engines of their times.

Google has taught me many a thing in life via its crawlers and search engine optimization techniques of late. As it progresses keeping in pace with time and changing customer preferences – off late it had developed keynote products such as Google Maps – a tracking tool which we all use so very frequently as our travel guide – but Google map has a feature extraordinaire, which many have not thought it would be ingrained in its behavior and that is its robotics human tone, which is so very polite and accommodative in whatever way we behave – even if we don’t listen to its soft composure. 

Have you noticed how Google Maps never yells, condemns, or castigates you if you take the wrong turn?  It never raises its voice and says, “You were supposed to go LEFT at the last crossing, you idiot! Now you’re going to have to go the LONG way around and it’s going to take you SO much more time, and you’re going to be late for your meeting! 😊...

Learn to pay attention and listen to my instructions, OK???”   IF it did that, chances are, a lot of us might stop using it. But Google simply Re-Routes and shows you the next best way to get there. Its primary interest is in getting you to reach your goal, not in making you feel bad for having made a mistake as it knows that you are at mercy of her intelligence and are mostly dependent on her instructions and guidance. 

So what we get out of such a behavior from an AI programmed human voice – It is humane!!! , It has that composure of not shouting or raising its voice on the mistakes we do – It shows us the value of patience and composure , should we don’t follow her repeated instructions.

That tends out to be a great lesson for all of us in real life -  It’s tempting to unload our frustration and anger on those who have made a mistake, especially those we are close to and we take them for granted as our family members, our fellow beings, knowingly fully well that the will mellow down to our anger . On the other hand , look at Google, it still absorbs all of your silly mistakes and makes a wisest choice  of not raising its voice and insists on helping to fix a problem and not to blame. – That is the key takeaway I got today whilst I drove to an unknown area knowingly fully well that I have a polite assistant by myside who will ignore my mistakes and still be polite in its talk towards me and keep on guiding me till I reach my destination. 

So next time if you go to uncharred territories and are expecting a  "Re-Routing" moments with yourself and your family and friends, be a Google Map to your children, spouse, teammate and all the people who matters and you care about, you will observe a Sea Change in life happening and many of their problems will converge towards you for your Google Map experience …Happy Mapping!!!

~ Talk to Him...~

When someone talks to you in the silence of the night, you need to pay heed to the sounds of silence, it is the real you, your conscience which is trying to tell you something, listen to its nudges, the voice always has something extraordinaire to tell you. All your life you have been roaming around in the aisle of lost world, looking for those invisible answers to questions which humanity has always been looking out for.

Your best friend has home inside you – it is your conscience which has always been with you but you have been making fictitious friends outside only to be jolted with the vicissitudes of time. Many a time your friends have left you once and for all and you have fallen prey to the silence of time, but the “Real” friend has always been with you, all you need is to sit idle in solitude and start observing the messages you get from deep inside your mind – these talking’s will settle a sea of uneasiness which has been making waves of uncertainty in your life – make yourself best friend with the conscience which resides in you- it is always truthful and does not lie for it is "Godly" – Start practicing this art of talking to your own self , to find comatose in your daily living. As it has always been said, you need to spend time in awareness in order to connect to the oneness of your own self, the peace that it brings would amaze you.

Far from the pulls and pressures of this frantic world, you will start to enjoy your living in tranquility. The anxiety will vanish and you will not need many friends to kill time as you have found one – Your inner self which has always been speaking to you since time immemorial, but you have always ignore the sounds within, thinking it to be a whimsy to be called a mere hallucination.

Start practicing this art of listening and responding to your inner self and you will feel the real difference in you thinking and behavior over a period of time, your perception about mega changes in life around you will be changed and you will act as a natural observer of changes which are happening around you.

All you need is to sit somewhere in complete silence and with a conscience mind, start being receptive to the words which flow, observe the talk that they do, they may come with any topics involved – of your like or dislike but you need to capture them and start a conversation with them by answering them in full throttle – as and when you develop such a habit, you will observe the change in the  dynamism of your personality – it will be a completely different you ! and believe me it is not that you will see for your own self but will certainly be commented upon by the people you will meet or make friends with in future – so at the end I again type “ be receptive to your inner voice” – there is certainly someone inside who wants to guide you and take you to the higher realms of your living !