~ Find Yourself ~

 If India is land of opportunities, it is equally a land of spiritual awakening – many yogis and Sanyasis have proved their mettle with a disciplined regime with a sole objective of achieving Salvation and to get out of the cycle of Birth and Death.

Puppet’s is the word which defines all of us – yet we are living unaware of this majestic truth whist we keep on living and doing our day-to-day activities.

In my recent spiritual sojourn to one of the greatest city of India ‘Vrindavan’ I could resonate with the feeling of loneliness and belonging – quite oxymoronic as it may sound, the truth is that we all are ‘Seekers’ from inside – whatever materialism you have achieved will fade away with time and you will fall back on seeking the ‘Unknown’ – try this yourself, all you need to do is to sit down and close your eyes and ponder upon this ultimate reality.

To start with, think of the best material passion you were mad about and worked hard to achieve it, almost killing yourself but once you have got it, slowly and steadily, the love for it fades away.

Have you ever though provokingly asked “Why is this change of mind over a period of time, why the best material possession you were so passionate about to own now has no value in life? “ – the answer to this intrigue is simple “ We all want to rise to a pedestal and discover our true self and answer the most important question “ Who are we and what are we here for? – they call  it the ‘Truth’ and finding it is the sole purpose of some.

In the ongoing ‘Maha-KUMBH’ we are witnessing a new wave of soul seekers, yogis and people from diverse backgrounds who are intense in the search for the truth – they have realized that there is something beyond the materialism that that they have achieved – a Aerospace Engineer for prestigious IIT -B turning yogi is not an insane way of life – something has ‘Clicked’ in him and his mind – and he took the path of Sannyas to find the true self. Similarly an Army officer from US had renounced the world after his son’s untimely death which made him turn towards his inner self and thus leading to path of Yoga and Bhakti. 

We all are mortal beings, people, situations, tangible and intangible things, relationships – will all change with time, but the ‘Truth’ will always remain and this is what we all are after – knowingly or unknowingly – we tread this life’s journey with a hope of tomorrow and wisdom that we have gathered with each passing day – remember, our forefathers had much more wisdom and used to live with unanimity with nature and God – no wonder, they aged with grace , less of misfortunes, less diseases and were pleased and satisfied souls – living with harmony with nature , they realized the meaning of their existence and knew very well the limited time they are here – we as young blood have the same opportunities to live the way our primitives lived – with the same methodology and life’s philosophy – else we will have to suffer the wrath of existence as it is powerful as it ever was – so live consciously and be aware of each passing second, with a soulful though ‘ you are not here for eternity’!

~ The 'New' about this Year~

 Finally ‘+1’ has been added to the previous year, and we have gone mad about it – everywhere we are enjoying like anything and feeling happy and elated as something magnificent has changed in this world or in one’s lifestyle – sounds negative , ‘nah’ not at all as this is an yearly feature – we all want to enjoy on moments when history takes a tick ahead – be it change of season – look at tourists who throng through the Himalayas for that year long retreat – or be it a festivity – we want to enjoy at all costs! 

As the clock ticked and we ushered in an era of uncertainty be it financial , political , climatic and otherwise, we hope that world turns out to be a better place when we reach last day of 2025 – considering the situation and the intent of powerful people controlling the situations, it is highly unlikely – so when I say that the New Year is just a change of date and year , the world will remain more or less the same, it is no magnanimity but prudence of a world and times lived here!

Many of us might have made better plans for us to execute – one must, but close your eyes and ponder, you did that exactly last year too – how many of them actually materialized and made you live life which you are doing it – but as a human percept, one does think positive about his/her living and plans good for his/her future – it’s a human percept!

As time ticks, situations and scenarios would unearth and make us live the way it wants us to live, planning is of course important but a certainty beholds otherwise – We would live the way we want to and also do our daily struggle for our own betterment – New Year is a sure shot catalyst, a time stamp which gives us an adrenaline rush down our spine to set new Goals and accomplishment we surely want to achieve before the closure of 365 days.

For me the only plan I have made is to ‘Plan No More and live in the moment!’ as that is the best learning I have taught myself – ‘Let Life Happen’ – At the two critical times of your life, no one took your permission or asked you anything – Be it your Birth or Death – you will not be asked either – in between the time, You have that freewill to explore, do stupid things and rise and fall and further plan – the humans that we are have been programmed the way society wants us to behave and we do exactly the same – so next time you are ‘stuck’ up in the mad rush of enjoying the New Year- sit down and deliberate what is ‘New’ that prefixes the stamp of time you want to live in future – make plans for sure, go for the kill, one must but be wary of something better or worse happing anytime in your life as that is what this Game of life is all about… 

Remember Many of those who made plans for 2024 are not there to see the beginning of 2025 and many of those who didn’t plan to see the end of 2024 were a witness to the 2025 melodrama….

Why Death is important ?

In my recent visit to the hospital, life percept changes when you observe the people visiting their near and dear ones expecting a miracle to happen for the terminally ill or age old patients who have a skimpy chance to get back to life…!

Though death is inevitable but necessary as it brings down curtains to one’s life – by the time death occurs, the body is withered out and is unbearable to various pains – the same body now demands rest and cannot bear more gruesome wrinkles on your skin

Asked by one of the octogenarian, one asks for death as it is just unbearable to live as a burden with the body – as an idiom “the biggest liability of your life in old age would be your health and body and it certainly would be NOT financial.” , the sooner one understands this , the better. 

Though an inevitable truth, you cant help it as it is so natural – This moment will kiss everyone in life, though for most of us it is an unwanted truth but this would be a sure shot certainty!

Just recently, I have had an unceremonious visit to the hospital and could see octogenarians lying as lifeless , being supported by all kinds of machines – be it a ventilator or a pacemaker, some home life is clinging to the body – to the amazement of it, the Doctor so practically described it as a “ an Artificial Life with in a Body!” for the sake of someone’s relative who doesn’t want his / her mother to leave the body and move to the other realm – certainly not knowing the excruciating ‘pain’ the body has to endure to keep the soul intact!

The subject is the body which has lost its capacity to sustain life but our emotions towards our near and dear ones run high and we are just not ready to say a final goodbye to our dying relative!

In this case, the children were quite understanding and they took the final decision to remove the ventilator support for their mother and let the expected happen, which it did!

Aunty was no more in flesh and blood though the first thought which came to our mind was a jest of life she carried when she always said “ Let me go in Peace whenever my time arrives…don’t make me cling to machines for injecting an artificial living… Death is beautiful too …!”

Her words have always resonated in my moment of dullness and melancholy, as an ultimate end everyone has to embrace death and leaving the body would be a cumbersome task which is a painful in itself but cant be skipped!

Certainly death is beautiful in its own way, it relieves the body from pain and gives peace and calmness to the leaving soul…why cling to the body which has obeyed you for ages and now has stopped doing so due to its inability to hold on – surely it has aged and is beyond its limits to cater to your day to day functions…. So why not say a timely and thankful goodbye to it before you say “Adieu” to your soulmate, family and friends, more so, the first relationship of you was your own body which culminates in Death… the proven truth of living…

So next time you see or are in a situation, pray for the departing soul and let go of her with smile and heartful thanks for time she has spent with you in this lifetime, ask the Almighty to guide the departed towards light and prepare the soul for its next sojourn, until your paths again meet in a lifetime in different situation and relations!!!

~ A Photostat Life...~

He is the man sitting in a dingy little room converted into a shop of photostat and printing – with offline shelves stacked of stationery and enquiring about him more, you will get to know that Mahesh – what he likes calling himself, he has been working here for past 5 years.

He loves his job and is punctual to the surprise of everyone, as he reaches to open the shop himself by 8 a.m regularly, without fail. Mahesh is all smiles as he received me on his shop – as I was enquiring about any photostat shop in close vicinity – it was urgent for me that day – suddenly I stumbled upon Mahesh and quickly asked him “ Photostat ho jayegi?” [ Is Photostat available?] – he answered with equally quick ‘Yes’ and with an ear-to-ear smile. 

The deal was thus done – in the midst of the act, I asked him questions about his life and where he belongs and what is the best thing about his ‘JOB’ that he does with so much fervour. As he was working along with, he was intermittently answering my questions but one thing constant was his captivating smile.

“Bhaiya, I am from Gurgoan and I travel 30 kms one side everyday to do this ‘JOB’, which I have been doing for past 5 years non – stop. I love this job as it gives me a stable income, the malik {Employer} is a happy go lucky person and he has given me full command to run this shop and hardly interferes in whatever decisions I take in my day-to-day functioning.”

He was a man of his words – as the job entailed paying change of rupee notes, here was a man who PayTm’ed me back a paltry sum of Rs 2/- which had remainder of the job, as I said “ Leave it!” he was quick to revert “ No Bhaiya, business is business, I have to pay you Rs 2 which he did!”

Asking about what future holds for him and what he think about future, he was very positive, “ Bhaiya , I am not married as now but soon will be getting married, I earn ok and I have told everything very clearly to my fiancée and she is OK with it as far as we both are happily married. – though one day I would like to have my own setup of printing and photostat!”

His meagre aims and aspirations and living satisfactorily in these times begets him of a title of a Saint in today’s time! – he is oblivious of people who are incessantly running after power, positions and titles and not paying heed to other important goodies life has offered them – health, family, wife, parents, kids, family and friends… as I always keep on chatting with people I meet everyday and try to form a human bond and strike a talking deal – I see loads of such souls who are living well beyond one’s means BUT are satisfied souls…a true examples to emulate in this age of run and noise!

~ Finding HIM ~

 In my quest of search for the self and trying meeting the unknown, I have found many such souls who took the same plunge and have so far achieved somewhat a tinge of that ‘Known’ we call called GOD.

Recently my stay in the hotel was fructified by closing in with a gentleman “Mangat Ram” as he vehemently pronounced his name – out of a lineage that he carried of his grandfather – on further prodding, he juxtaposed his name with his Grandfather – a true legion living his past!

Mangat Ram was a keep in a guest house that I recently checked in – he was quick to come to us to offer his services – though limited as age had taken over his body and he was incessantly limping whilst he walked – though the zeal was never low enough to not generate an adrenaline rush your spine – he was a chatterbox ( just like me 😊) and he started on an instant note – enquiring about me and where I was from.

I never though this man with his village look could be a deep dive in meditations and on an internal stern spiritual path – he had somewhat achieved the ‘silence of mind’ and boasted of being happy always, come what may – his smile was a true testament of his sayings!

Soon, he took custody of my baggage and lead me through a newly allotted room, he was at his marketing best – though seem to be less educated, he was good in selling the features of his hotel room at best he could.

He surely qualified for a tip as the room was on the second floor and he had done hard work, beyond his age, to life two full throttle bags and carried it skilfully and cautiously to my allotted room. As I paid him, to his gratification, the tipping point was bust, he soon started to talk with a sense of camaraderie and break the silence barrier between us – as he asked about my whereabouts and as to where I came from and what was the purpose?

The last question was of particular interest to me and I was quick to respond “ In search of myself and the Unknown!” – believe me, hearing this from my mouth, the guy burst into laughter, as something amusing had happened – I felt a little embarrassed on his reaction but was soon gathered courage to ask him “ Mangatram ji, What happened? Any joke that I have just stated?”

He was still laughing but chose to answer my question – he said “ Sir, I am still searching for him and could not find him, though I have achieved a tinge of HIM in my own self- believe me HE is there INSIDE all of us – spectacularly confiding in our genre and being – the only thing is that we don’t TALK to him , though he is always outspoken and guides us in our right’s and wrong’s – that “Inner Voice”is your own conscience which is ingrained for ever till you take your last breath and goes with your soul when you call it quits in life!”

 I kept mum for a minute – how on earth a semi-educated man was so knowledgeable and explaining life in such simple terms – he was beyond human anymore – though doing a job to cater to his family – Mangatram ji was a true exception as he earned a true badge of knowledgeable and Advaita for me!

More had to come – as I enquired about his credentials, he was loud and clear and not hesistant to spell the beans of his achievements and was vociferous about describing his life path – he was a doctorate in Sanskrit and had been studying the various Sanskrit artefacts since more than a decade – a deep meditator , a trekker and a solitude lover – he had renounced his family long back and didn’t like to talk about it anymore- nor was he in any touch with them.

I took a strong exception to this fact, as he counter- argued, “Sir, it was tough for me to balance things – my spiritual quest was much more aggressive than living a family life – though I had made ample arrangements for my wife and kids to live a normal life as I was a zamindar and have transferred my land to them.” 

“What is your future plans now?”, as I asked, he was quick to reply, “Sir, I am living here as a small peasant and the hotel owner has given me a small room to sustain – that is enough for me. My aim is to uplift myself spiritually and know the bigger purpose of life and its meanings!”

As he started to move out, in a laughing stance he finally spoke “Sir there are many souls wandering in Himalayas like me, who have been bitten by the spiritual bug – lets see who gets to know HIM. Please let me know if anything else is needed and I shall make sure you get it! – one request though – I won’t solicit calls in early morning and late evenings as that is my ‘Dhayan / Meditation ” time!”

As he squelched his slippers, the sound got dim and he just vanished before my eyes, the next few minutes was devoted to him and his talk – rarely will you get such souls living in such trajectory and fulfilling his soul’s quest – though I still firmly argue with myself that he should not have left his family for he might be termed selfish by society – no matter what he might think, he is truly living his destiny as we all are – some living the conventional way , others unconventionally!

~ What is Success? ~

 A very interesting conversation took place just recently on a trip to one of my favorite places in the Himalayas – the king of Mountains , a simple question was raised by a deep thinker friend – the question is synonymous with lives of many of us , and once in a lifetime we all stop and ponder and think aggressively to find the answers to this all pervasive question, “What is Success?”

The question itself opened a pandoras box amongst group of individuals sitting together and having a quality time – the time to ponder had just started.

One of us took the plunge and tried to answered my friend’s quest by simply saying “Dude, when you have everything at your disposal AND you can further buy anything your soul wants…start thinking that you are successful!”

No sooner this was stated, one of my other friend confronted his thoughts as if he took a serious offence of the answer which was given – for him success was NOT ONLY about moolah or materialism but quite a lot depended on being satiated soul and living a content life, free of disease and a life full of contentment – this seems to be quite a practical answer derived from keen observations from other people’s life  but it still lagged some gaps , as according to another gentleman in our group – who was keen listener and was absorbing other’s thoughts – as he started to speak about his take on success, he had a clear definition – for him Success is all about being satisfaction in whatever one is doing, mutually exclusive about the money one is earning or not – having time for the family and being healthy and foremost being humble and not beating a  trumpet  about one’s achievement.

Myself being the last one who was asked about the definition of success – for me Success is a continues process and not a definitive destination – it starts to living one’s life with humility and care and sensitivity for others, see around you – how much you are lucky – you are able bodied with no missing limbs, arms or eyes ! – is that not a miracle, you are not a paraplegic or having a differential abilities – this itself is a recipe of success – the second measure of success is to have ample time for yourself and your family – your parents, kids and other family members – sitting down on the dinning table with a giggle and making merry about day to day life’s situations! 

Sure, a certain amount of moolah is needed to have a life full of contentment but don’t be prey to over accomplishments – the more you will earn, the more next aims and objectives will be formed in your conscience and you will start to run after them – this will soon turn out to be a life’s never ending chimera which you will never be able to achieve, even at fag end of your life – so a final measure of success is ‘Contentment’ in your life’s current situation – you are doing your best and the rest will come as a measure of your karma and efforts.

Success is relative – one’s aim and aspirations and definition of success may not suffice with yours; be content, be happy and spend quality time on yourself and with your family and took care of the best gift from GOD i.e your Body – the recipe of success ends here – at least for me …. Rest it’s your call…!

~ A Life Anonymous...~

 During my Annual visit to the Himalayas, I have come across people who are living with their own stringent set of thoughts and actions – somehow during the course of their lives, they have encountered situations and turbulences which have made them adamant to situational living – their set of thoughts may sound weird but are exceptionally true to their sense of living and working fine for them, may be!

Prabhu Narayan is one such octogenarian who I have met quite few times – the first meeting being two years ago – he is an exceptional character with a demeanor different from many others – you can spot him with his genre looks and desperate eyes as he seems a class apart from the mundane surrounding, he stands. 

The hustle and bustle of mart does not bother him much as he is there for a mission – a mission which begets a bigger purpose of his living and the hidden sacrifices that he has done in his life.

This time when I saw him, I purposed the courage to meet him to ‘help’ him in my own little ways – by buying some pics and stickers of the ‘Goddess’ he so eagerly sells , reaching near him I could sense his despondant looks and a mild argument between him and a prospect customer who was arguing senselessly about the ‘high’ price of his sell.

As the deal broke down and the prospective customer moved out, I was in the queue – I was quick to buy some of the items he was selling but with a hidden purpose to engage with him , asking about his life, family and what he was all about. His reticence was his character, and as he spoke less to my lengthy questions , I was quick to decipher his character – truly a man of karma … as he told me that he was a Bachelor and purposely didn’t marry as he had adopted 10-12 orphan girls who he was a father, mother and a guardian – 2 of the girls had started to work after completing their education and the arrangement was soon turning out to be a successful NGO! – the zeal of uncle was unmatched as he lit up when he made profits through me , I could surely sense that at the back of his mind what was going on and what the evening would be.

As we were talking , a sardarji was a intriguing listener who sold bangles on the street and often saw uncleji loitering around – as I moved after purchasing necessary photos and pics, Sardarji followed suit and spoke that he knew him more than a decade and he stays close by helping orphaned and abandoned girls and is a school teacher by the day and a street vendor in the evening for 2-3 hours! – at this octogenarian age, the effort was no less than a miracle – truly he was driven by the ‘Divine Force!’ – the pic of which he was so zealously selling – totally comprehensible of the fact that it is the divine mother which is making him do things, which otherwise could not fit well at this age of his life…

Such are the souls living anonymously but quite enriching doing their Karma for the purity of humanity - no noise , no boisterous tantrums but plain karma as according to their means and effort!

Kudos uncle as reminisce you today and eagerly wait to meet you again when the Divine mother calls me again at her Abode!...till then pip pip!

~ AntMan ~

 I see him quite often strolling the lanes of park looking for ants and other small creatures – his only mission is to feed them to his contentment – the confinement of the park is a vast land of about 600 meters and being and octogenarian he has still strength left tread the aisle for a complete round.

He has been doing this for many years as I see him almost every day – his rapt attention is always on the ground beneath as he tries to find the anthills where he could spread wheat-flour mixed with sugar and also has a set of mash biscuits.

Knowingly or unknowingly, he is doing his and earning karmic impressions before he calls it a day from this world – the idiom “Give to Receive” is a perfect blend of his actions and his learnings in life.

His total white clearly combed hair says oodles of experience and so does the calmness and composure of his face as if he is fully satiated after going through every up and down life had thrown onto him.

Generally, I have seen him wearing the same clothes – a blue coloured kurta pyjama and having a carry-bag on his shoulders – the mystery lies therein – Mr X – as I don’t know uncle’s name, goes to his designated spot – generally trees having nests and ants having ant-hills beneath to ‘treat’ them to day’s meal – flour for the ants and biscuits, fruits and night leftovers of dinner.

The sight is worth a watch – no sooner does he arrives and makes a peculiar pooch sound, there is a vibration in the insect and birds ecosystem residing on the tree – the ants start to circle around endlessly and environment gets to vibrate of birds chirps and crows caws – as if they know that their feed has come 😊 .

Uncle has a different type of connect with his fellow beings – though both shower different language but still the emotions run the roost and there is a certainty of love and affection.

As you watch from a distance, you could see that his timeless devotion and effort day after day has borne fruit and now that he has made friends with ants, crows, birds and other flora and fauna of our neighborhood park, he is a sole personality who is mostly escorted by the canines – a tag mark which gives him a unique identity amongst many strollers.

At this fag end of his life, uncle has set his path on the principle of ‘Giving selflessly and without an expectation of any returns and rewards’ – the wisdom is a true practicality of our ancient books and philosophy of life – For all the effort he does, he is rewarded with pure love and satisfaction which is bestowed by the gestures of dogs, birds, ants, squirrels as they come running without any fear of their safety – All I can say is that Mr X is unique example of living in harmony with our fellow beings, not only humans but more so with other species – as I experience the ecstasy and calmness on his face, the idiom ‘Living in harmony’ has truly found its place in todays world of turmoil and enmity!!!

~ Pintoo - My Roadside Tailor...~

He is my Ad-hoc stich-man and occupies a pavement on the roadside, always chirping and laughing, his demeanor is effervescent and bubbly – many a time I see him sitting idle and talking to himself with a laugh on his face – I wonder whom he is talking with as visibly I could see no one – a ghost may be or some anonymous being which only he can sense – Alas, whatever may be ‘Pintoo’ as he likes to call himself is a great human being!

He is my new found friend, a trusted human being who is all by himself and does his stich work with perfection – mind you, he is polio ridden and can barely walk but alas, he drives a cycle which he bought with his ‘hard work’ and learn to balance over a period of time – life can be tricky and demanding at the same time and he is a perfect example of both virtue of his living.

How I met him is a tale in itself, just the other day, I was searching for a workman who could alter my kids school uniforms, it was a basic job which any low-end tailor could do and I was not expected to go to a full branded cloth showroom to have it done.

As I was engrossed in my worldly thoughts, I could see a young man sitting with his sewing machine and trying to mend some clothes which his customers had given him – the pile of clothes next to him made it amply clear that he was a master of his art and people had trust in his abilities.

Seeing his visible inference, I approached him and showed him what I was expecting out of him and asked him one stupid question “Will you be able to do it?” [ ‘Kar Paoge Bhaiya!”], he laughed and said “Kyon Nahi, yeh toh Roz ka kaam hai Bhaiya ” [Why not?, this is my everyday job sir!”] – his confidence was a stamp on the work he had earned from me and immediate I gave him the dresses which he had to be mended – as a concerned customer, the next concerned question was “ how much price will you take for this?” , he halted and gave a aimed look at the dresses and quickly calculated the amount of effort he would take to fix and amend the dresses – then he spoke with an unusual trance “ Bhaiya kuch bhi de dena 😊, pehle kaam dekhna” [Brother, give me anything you like, first see the work!]

I was impressed by his confidence or rather overconfidence as only time would tell as a benchmark of his words – as I asked him the time when I should come to collect it – he said “ 2 hours will be sufficient as I have other pending work” – as this worked for me and I was in no hurry, I left and expected things to be rightly fixed after the decided time.

Time passed by as I got consumed with my daily chores, suddenly I was reminded of the impending task and that led me quickly to Pintoo as he was sitting in his usually demeanour stitching and consumed in his own thoughts – though ever smiling – another ‘hi’ started the conversation …

“Ho gayi Pintooji?” [“is it done Pintoo?], as I asked, as his key panache, he replied in affirmative, smiling and reverted …”Sir, please check!” – as his confidence was exuding with conviction, I checked was I was looking and Pintoo lived upto his expectations – his work was perfection executed and he truly lived upto expectations.

He finally asked “Bhaiya, sab theek hai na, koi kami toh nahi reh gayi?” [Brother, hope everything is ok and as per your expectations.], I replied in affirmative and thanked him – as I asked him about his background and whereabouts as till recently, I had seen him occupying this place – his reply was quick …

“Bhaiya I am from UP and was a tailor in my village, now that there is not much work and I have three kids to raise, I cannot afford to be in my native village and is seeking opportunities here.” As he continued, “ I can’t afford a rented shop as of now so I bought my sewing machine along with and have set up a roadside shop to earn my bread and butter!”

Truly, Pintoo was fighter, affected with polio and with much effort, cycling to his ‘Workplace and home to and fro’ ,he was an example everyone can emulate – what human grit can make one achieve – the best part was still his ‘Smile’ – with such decrepit situation life had offered him, he was happy and living a more or less satisfied life….

As finally he was asked the final question “Pintoo, how much for this piece of work…?”, he stood by his previous answer “Bhaiya, jo aap theek samjho who de do…” [Brother, whatever you deem fit, give…], he had conquered me in a way… A man not greedy about Money in today’s world where everyone is fighting hard to earn that extra buck, Pintoo was a genre in himself…

I could not resist asking him one last question “Pintoo, why don’t you have a price of work which you do? there must be people who would give you much less than what your effort is…his plain and simple reply was “ Bhaiya, dene walla toh who hai , aap aur who log kaun hotey hain?” [Brother, who are you to give me, it is HIM who is responsible for what should be given to me], his answer was full of magical prudence and I kept on thinking about my new found friend “Pintoo” …hope what I gave him for his services was adequate and that his faith on HIM remained astounded….

~ Shona Shona....Dil mera Shona...~

 The Pooch is always ready to greet any visitor who gives her a glance and is little affectionate towards her – she is effervescent and always wagging her tail when she comes to you and greet you ‘Good Morning’ in her own style – believe me, it has become a regular feature – if you observe her, she has stories to tell but the language barrier is the only bottleneck which she has far surpassed now –  Just observe her face  and you will see a qualm and at the same time inquisitiveness of living. 

The Canine is a new found friend and she stays in my neighborhood park – her broken left leg is a testimony to the fact that she had to fight her existence between other dogs in the vicinity to make a remarkable space for herself – she is alone and has no partner – confined to a limited area, she can be seen around the open gym which DDA has erected in various parks of Delhi.

Almost everyone likes her for the calm she has and a loving acceptance she bestows when she would meet you – I have lately named her ‘Shona’ ( meaning lovable in Punjabi 😊) and she seems to be a true synonym of her name – now that she has also got used to this new word / sound in her listening, she comes running when called with this name.

Just the other day she was missed as I was looking for her and thinking where she has gone – whether she is safe or has been shooed off by other dogs who have a considerable acumen in the area – as I searched, my worst fears came true – I could see her howling in excruciating pain as visible she was distraught – I could clearly sense that she has been attacked and she must have fought bravely but had clearly been outnumbered by a bunch of bow-wows who didn’t want to add any other dog in the vicinity.

As I neared her, she slowly wagged her tail, sensing that I was no stranger to her, she howled with love this time as I caressed her – she felt a little warmth and slowly tried to stand, which she was able to after some time and much effort – Now that the time has passed and she has recuperated well and is almost back to her true lovable self , I see her roaming fearlessly in the park , now that she has established new found home.

Amongst my good morning friends ,‘Shona’ has become the latest edition , each morning I expect to see her hale and hearty and it is only when I have a glimpse of her that the day is ‘sort of’ to a good start 😊 – my only contention being that she does not like the ‘Parle -G’ biscuits that I intent to feed her with – maybe she doesn’t like sugary things – quite unlike other canines in the area, who always have a sumptuous feast of the poor man’s biscuit. 

May be next time , I would try something better off – a load of milk soaked bread or Chapati mixed with milk – and she can accept my hospitality in all earnest – till then I am cherishing my new friend… a soul which makes me happy in the morning and starts my day with a woosh and energy… Thank you Shona for that presence…!

~ Narayan - true to HIS name...~

Delhi is beautifully filled by zealous people – Lot of happy – Sad stories but in general, life carries on and the razzmatazz of the characters of this city makes this city a lively place to live and die – You get out and you will see people of all Colors, cultures and what not – they are always on the prowl – running in unison and also in a haste – someone rushing to office, some just loitering out and many have self-imposed deadlines to achieve – this is the stirring which one sees and gets consumed.

Just the other day, had to go out to meet a friend who has been back to India after ages and seeing the Rainy season and also the traffic snarls in Delhi, I found it prudent to take an Auto and set the ball rolling – the first halt which was just instantaneous was from a man who just laughed at me and just stopped near by – “Aajao Sahab” – (Please come Sir) – he had already made his first impression…

As I asked where I wanted to go and what my intention to pay him was – he was all inclusive and didn’t argue… a rare phenomenon in todays world – especially in city like Delhi, where you cant have such noble autorickshaw wallas who can oblige to what you say that you will give for a trip !

As the journey began, he himself broke the silence an asked “Sir kahan se ho?” [Sir, Where are you from?... though, I was not in the mindset to face this question as I was thinking about something better 😊 , I quickly replied “from Delhi!” !, he laughed and said “ Me too!” – as if is had asked, I murmured!

I could see lot of ‘Bhagwan’s Pics near his steering and could not hold myself back and asked “Do you believe in so many Gods?”, - as if I had open flood gates of the most profound question of his mind…he laughed out loud and kept doing so – to my embarrassment, I could see the traffic pass by peeping into our auto as if there was something interesting going on 😊 …

After a though, he replied “Sir, I believe in Karma an act of doing things without being adequately rewarded… as I believe in the percept of Bhagwat Gita – Do your Duty and leave everything to GOD..Don’t think about the award of your efforts as that is not in you hand….” – Sounds prudent as I knew this famous saying but then why was he having pics of so much of God and Goddesses on his dashboard – as I asked him again – the inquisition was too much for me to know as the time passed…

Bhaiya – this is for my passengers 😊 – he laughed again- as I am cosmopolitan I can get any type of passengers – of ALL religions and  ages , any customer of mine should not feel the inhibition of not having a pic of HIS faith…, I have had lot of customers , especially old ladies, who believe in a particular faith and if they don’t see the pic of her God , she asks me …” Don’t you believe in so and so?”

I started with one pic and now I have twelve – as I told him, that is why it became cynosure of my eye and I asked you this very question “ Do You believe in So many Gods? 😊 “ –

“Why are you always laughing?” was my next obvious question, he quickly shed the veil of this secret – Sir I am a cancer survivor and now that I am cancer free, I have started to live life with a different percept, I have seen death from very close quarters, and all this life I see around me is a mere drama…people living with false ego of accomplishments, boasting about their wealth, knowledge, beauty and anything they think can make them stand above other beings – all this is worthless – laying lifeless in hospital bed with no one around you and streams of injects in you body everyday , you gain the real knowledge of what life is all about ! “ 

Now whatever life I have, I feel blessed and thank GOD for what he has shown me as this changed me into something better…. My kids are well settled and me and my wife live in a one Bedroom house, - Contented to the core….no qualms and no regrets…! 😊

I immediately went into thoughtful mood – here was a man living in life’s ecstasy and feeling all the bliss …driving in pollution and noise all the time, internally he is so pacified about life and thankful to GOD that external percept doesn’t hinder his smile – as I was in my thoughtful mood , a honking sound from behind our autorickshaw irritated me, as I turned back , I could see a flamboyant looking young blood with his beautiful Girlfriend in a luxurious car  bonking and abusing my Auto driver and zooming past – as he didn’t had the patience to be given the way to overtake….

As a test of time and knowledge – “Narayan” kept quite and smiling… driving in his own sweet mood….” Ah , I never told you that the man showed his prowess as according true to HIS Name… the name of ‘Almighty!”…