I'm sure all of us have heard about it at one time or the other. Believe it? No?
We'll see what you think at the end of this story..
There used to be a woman who lived down the street and she always made heads turn, for she was weird with very odd looking clothes. She never spoke to anyone, or even lifted her bent head when she walked in the colony. She was a music teacher at a high school, and always lived in her own world.
During one of my vacations when we had just moved to the town, there was a proposal that I learn music from her. As soon as my other neighbour heard it, she almost fell off the chair and said - no, no you should not even go towards her house.
Upon enquiring, we found out the following story.
Sumathi the music teacher had a niece who lived with her as her sister had died during child birth. So Sumathi had stayed unwed and was raising this niece. People came to learn music from Sumathi even at home away from her school. This gave Sumathi an extra income she could use. Sumathi lived in a small two bedroom flat on the second story in the yellow quarters very close to the fence of the colony that adjoined a small pond.
Sumathi and her niece Geetha got along very well - Geetha looked up to her as if she were her own mother. During the time Geetha had reached the first year at college, they found out that they were about to have new neighbours! They were excited as the flat opposite had not been occupied for a long long time. One fine morning, they heard the sound of the pressure cooker and some melodious music from a radio come out of the flat. Geetha the kid she was, immediately rushed to ring the bell. The door was opened by a middle aged man who had a smile on his face and a pleasant personality. He welcomed her inside and they were soon chatting as if they had known each other forever!
Lunches and dinners followed. At the end of a month, the neighbour Mr.Chary was almost living in Sumathi and Geetha's flat - going to his own house only to sleep.
In a matter of six months, it was obvious that Mr.Chary and Sumathi were very attracted and were seriously thinking of settling down together for the rest of their lives.
By the way did I forget to tell that Mr.Chary was a widower? Things moved at a very fast pace from that point on.
It was the month of January and one morning Geetha woke up feeling very sick. This continued for over a week before Sumathi insisted that they see a doctor. Upon investigation, it was found that Geetha was pregnant!
It was a shock for Sumathi who almost fainted upon hearing it - Geetha just kept crying and wouldn't budge into telling what exactly had happened.
More coaxing from Sumathi and with many threats, Geetha told her that one afternoon when Sumathi was not at home Mr.Chary had wandered by. One thing led to another and the worst had happened - he had mis-led the innocent young girl and had threatened her that she dare not tell anything to her aunt, who was so blindly in love with the sly man. He was trying to salvage a situation and make the best of it for himself!
Needless to add, misery followed - the two were not aunt and niece anymore. They turned into two women who were cheated by the same ruthless person, who was not only characterless but also thought he was clever to take advantage of the situation and be benefited.
On one dark moonless night, Sumathi woke up in the middle of the night to find Geetha absconding. She knew it...she didn't have to look far.
On his part, Mr.Chary had found out about Geetha's state and had forced her to come away with him. He needed someone to lead his life with and this girl was carrying his child - so why not? She was younger and would work for him for a long time - so it was a good choice to live an easy life.
Sumathi continued to live there - hanging on to the same house, same objects, smelling the perfume on Geetha's clothes. She had gone mad with the pain - she didn't know how to handle it.
Every moonless night she came to the cross roads on the street and made some offerings to someone - a red something, flowers, a pumpkin, some lemons and a black mass that was stretchy and shiny to some deity interested in these obviously.
She moved in the shadows all by herself carrying something under the sweater she wore. She wore either black or red colors on those days and was found sitting on the edge of the pond chanting something....
People rumored that she had turned to the dark forces to help her avenge her disgrace, her misery and her loss...she was hurt beyond all words. She was cheated by someone she had trusted...and she would not be quiet about it...
Anyway, that summer we moved again - and this time to a city up North to this town. I settled into yet another school - and enjoyed my new friends. We forgot all about Sumathi.
That Novemeber on one of our trips to a friend's marriage, we heard that her niece Geetha had died of Cancer...all of a sudden. She had died vomiting blood....she had died in his kitchen with no one to even notice her rotting body for three days...Mr.Chary was out on a tour..what an end...
Sumathi was found on her couch the same night with her wrist slashed, her artery punctured..and a picture of Mr.Chary in her lap...
Once I returned from the wedding, I ran up to the library near the vegetable market.
Found what I was looking for and turning the pages of a musty old book, found this excerpt...
Black magic or dark magic is a type of magic that draws on malevolent powers. It may be used for malevolent acts or to deliberately cause harm in some way. It is alternatively spelt with a 'k' (magick), this term is also known as black magic, dark magic, the dark arts of magic and dark side magic.
In fiction it refers to evil magic. In modern times, people who believe in or claim to practice magic use the term to describe the harmful magic that they consider immoral, as opposed to the good white magic.
Black magic would be invoked to kill, injure, to cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences to others. As a term, "black magic" is normally used to describe a form of ritual that some group or person does not approve of. Not everything that is called black magic truly has malevolent intentions behind it, and some also consider it to have beneficial and benevolent uses, such as killing off diseases or pests.
I shut the book and looked out...I felt a chill...I felt something...I saw from the corner of my eye...something had moved. I turned around and saw nothing and no one....was I imagining?
A shadow silently crossed the lawn...a beautiful young girl smiled at her own reflection in the pond...
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tyaga
One of the paths shown by our ancient Hindu scriptures to absolve oneself, and be removed from all attachments is by following the path of 'Tyaga'. Renunciation, giving up, letting go are some of the synonyms to this term.
Read below a paragraph from the Bhagavad Gita that talks about this:
(This excerpt is courtesy of the Gita society CA)
Arjuna asked: O Krishna, You praise the path of renunciation (transcendental knowledge or Samnyasa) and also the path of performance of selfless service (KarmaYoga, Tyaga). Tell me, definitely, which one is the better of the two paths. (Gita 5.01) I also wish to know the nature of Samnyasa and Tyaga, and the difference between the two, O Lord Krishna. (Gita 18.01)
Renunciation means complete renouncement of doership, ownership, and selfish motive behind an action; and not the renunciation of work, or the worldly objects such as wealth, family, and residence. Renunciation comes only after the dawn of Self-knowledge. Therefore, words renunciation and Self-knowledge (Jnana) are used interchangeably in the Gita. Renunciation is considered the goal of life. Selfless service (Seva, KarmaYoga) and Self-knowledge are the necessary means to achieve the goal. True renunciation is attaching all action and possession - including body, mind, and thought - to the service of the Supreme Lord Krishna. Thus Samnyasa cannot be given (by a Guru), or taken as an alms in old age as commonly practiced; it is the most advanced state of mind that has to be achieved by sincere Sadhana.
Lord Krishna said: Verily, there is no purifier in this world like Jnana, the true knowledge of the Supreme Being (ParaBrahma). One who becomes purified by Karma-yoga discovers this knowledge within, naturally, in course of time. (4.38)
Whatever goal a Samnyasi reaches, a KarmaYogi also reaches the same goal. Therefore, the one who sees the path of renunciation and the path of unselfish work as the same really sees. (5.05)
But, true renunciation, O Arjuna, is difficult to attain without KarmaYoga. A sage equipped with KarmaYoga quickly attains Nirvana. (5.06)
Selfless service (KarmaYoga) provides preparation, discipline, and purification necessary for renunciation. Self-knowledge is the upper limit of KarmaYoga; and Samnyasa is the upper limit of Self-knowledge (Jnana).
One who performs the prescribed duty without seeking its fruit for personal enjoyment is a Samnyasi and a KarmaYogi. One does not become a Samnyasi merely by not lighting the fire, and one does not become a yogi merely by abstaining from work. (6.01)
O Arjuna, renunciation (Samnyasa) is same as KarmaYoga. Because, no one becomes a KarmaYogi who has not renounced the selfish motive (sarva samkalpa samnyasi, Gita verse 6.04) behind an action. (6.02)
The sages define renunciation as abstaining from all work for personal gain. The wise define sacrifice as the sacrifice of, and the freedom from, the selfish attachment to the fruits of all work. (18.02)
We have used the word 'renunciation' for Samnyasa, and 'sacrifice' for Tyaga in this rendering. A renunciant (Samnyasi) does not own anything. A true renunciant works for others, and lives for ¾ and not on ¾ others. Samnyasa means complete renunciation of doership, ownership, and personal selfish motive behind an action, whereas Tyaga means renunciation of the selfish attachment to the fruits of all work, or just working for God. A person who does sacrificial services (Seva) for God is called Tyagi, or a KarmaYogi. A Tyagi who thinks that he or she is doing all works just to please God will always remember Him. Bhakti is defined as work done with love to please God. Thus NishkaamaKarma or Akarma --- work done just to please God --- is nothing but Bhakti. Therefore, it is mentioned in the following verse that Tyaga, NKY, or the path of selfless service to humanity is the best spiritual practice for persons living and working in the modern society.
Obligatory work performed as duty, renouncing selfish attachment to the fruit, is alone regarded to be sacrifice in the mode of goodness, O Arjuna. (18.09)
Renunciation of attachment to the sensual pleasures is the real sacrifice (Tyaga). The perfection of Tyaga comes after a person becomes free from the clutches of attachments and aversions and in no other way (Mahabharata 12.162.17). One cannot become happy without Tyaga, one cannot become fearless without Tyaga, and one cannot attain God without Tyaga (Mahabharata 12.176.22). Even the bliss of trance should not be enjoyed just for the sake of enjoyment. The Gita recommends renunciation while living in the world, and not the renunciation of the world as commonly misinterpreted.
Give up attachment, and attain perfection by renunciation is the message of the Vedas and the Upanishads. Lord Rama gave up His kingdom, and even His wife for the establishment of righteousness (Dharma). Selfless service or "Tyaga" is the essence of the Gita as given in the last chapter of the Gita. A person who is Tyagi cannot commit sin and is released from the cycles of transmigration. One can cross the ocean of transmigration and reach the shores of salvation in this very life by the boat of Tyaga only.
One may practice any one of the Nine Types of Renunciation (Navadha Tyaga) leading to salvation, based on the teachings of the Gita: (1) Renunciation of actions forbidden by the scriptures (Gita 16.23-24). (2) Renunciation of lust, anger, greed, fear, likes and dislikes, and jealousy (3.34, 16.21). (3) Spurning of procrastination in the search of Truth (12.09). (4) Giving up the feeling of pride of possession of knowledge, detachment, devotion, wealth, and charitable deeds (15.05, 16.01-04). (5) Rejection of selfish motives, and attachment to the fruits of all works (2.51, 3.09, 4.20, 6.10). (6) Renunciation of the feeling of doership in all undertakings (12.13, 18.53). (7) Giving up the thoughts of using the Lord to fulfill selfish material desires (2.43, 7.16). (8) Spurning of the attachments to material objects such as a house, wealth, position, and power (12.19, 13.09), and (9) Sacrifice of wealth, prestige, and even life for a noble cause, or for the protection and propagation of Dharma.(2.32, 4.28).
Read below a paragraph from the Bhagavad Gita that talks about this:
(This excerpt is courtesy of the Gita society CA)
Arjuna asked: O Krishna, You praise the path of renunciation (transcendental knowledge or Samnyasa) and also the path of performance of selfless service (KarmaYoga, Tyaga). Tell me, definitely, which one is the better of the two paths. (Gita 5.01) I also wish to know the nature of Samnyasa and Tyaga, and the difference between the two, O Lord Krishna. (Gita 18.01)
Renunciation means complete renouncement of doership, ownership, and selfish motive behind an action; and not the renunciation of work, or the worldly objects such as wealth, family, and residence. Renunciation comes only after the dawn of Self-knowledge. Therefore, words renunciation and Self-knowledge (Jnana) are used interchangeably in the Gita. Renunciation is considered the goal of life. Selfless service (Seva, KarmaYoga) and Self-knowledge are the necessary means to achieve the goal. True renunciation is attaching all action and possession - including body, mind, and thought - to the service of the Supreme Lord Krishna. Thus Samnyasa cannot be given (by a Guru), or taken as an alms in old age as commonly practiced; it is the most advanced state of mind that has to be achieved by sincere Sadhana.
Lord Krishna said: Verily, there is no purifier in this world like Jnana, the true knowledge of the Supreme Being (ParaBrahma). One who becomes purified by Karma-yoga discovers this knowledge within, naturally, in course of time. (4.38)
Whatever goal a Samnyasi reaches, a KarmaYogi also reaches the same goal. Therefore, the one who sees the path of renunciation and the path of unselfish work as the same really sees. (5.05)
But, true renunciation, O Arjuna, is difficult to attain without KarmaYoga. A sage equipped with KarmaYoga quickly attains Nirvana. (5.06)
Selfless service (KarmaYoga) provides preparation, discipline, and purification necessary for renunciation. Self-knowledge is the upper limit of KarmaYoga; and Samnyasa is the upper limit of Self-knowledge (Jnana).
One who performs the prescribed duty without seeking its fruit for personal enjoyment is a Samnyasi and a KarmaYogi. One does not become a Samnyasi merely by not lighting the fire, and one does not become a yogi merely by abstaining from work. (6.01)
O Arjuna, renunciation (Samnyasa) is same as KarmaYoga. Because, no one becomes a KarmaYogi who has not renounced the selfish motive (sarva samkalpa samnyasi, Gita verse 6.04) behind an action. (6.02)
The sages define renunciation as abstaining from all work for personal gain. The wise define sacrifice as the sacrifice of, and the freedom from, the selfish attachment to the fruits of all work. (18.02)
We have used the word 'renunciation' for Samnyasa, and 'sacrifice' for Tyaga in this rendering. A renunciant (Samnyasi) does not own anything. A true renunciant works for others, and lives for ¾ and not on ¾ others. Samnyasa means complete renunciation of doership, ownership, and personal selfish motive behind an action, whereas Tyaga means renunciation of the selfish attachment to the fruits of all work, or just working for God. A person who does sacrificial services (Seva) for God is called Tyagi, or a KarmaYogi. A Tyagi who thinks that he or she is doing all works just to please God will always remember Him. Bhakti is defined as work done with love to please God. Thus NishkaamaKarma or Akarma --- work done just to please God --- is nothing but Bhakti. Therefore, it is mentioned in the following verse that Tyaga, NKY, or the path of selfless service to humanity is the best spiritual practice for persons living and working in the modern society.
Obligatory work performed as duty, renouncing selfish attachment to the fruit, is alone regarded to be sacrifice in the mode of goodness, O Arjuna. (18.09)
Renunciation of attachment to the sensual pleasures is the real sacrifice (Tyaga). The perfection of Tyaga comes after a person becomes free from the clutches of attachments and aversions and in no other way (Mahabharata 12.162.17). One cannot become happy without Tyaga, one cannot become fearless without Tyaga, and one cannot attain God without Tyaga (Mahabharata 12.176.22). Even the bliss of trance should not be enjoyed just for the sake of enjoyment. The Gita recommends renunciation while living in the world, and not the renunciation of the world as commonly misinterpreted.
Give up attachment, and attain perfection by renunciation is the message of the Vedas and the Upanishads. Lord Rama gave up His kingdom, and even His wife for the establishment of righteousness (Dharma). Selfless service or "Tyaga" is the essence of the Gita as given in the last chapter of the Gita. A person who is Tyagi cannot commit sin and is released from the cycles of transmigration. One can cross the ocean of transmigration and reach the shores of salvation in this very life by the boat of Tyaga only.
One may practice any one of the Nine Types of Renunciation (Navadha Tyaga) leading to salvation, based on the teachings of the Gita: (1) Renunciation of actions forbidden by the scriptures (Gita 16.23-24). (2) Renunciation of lust, anger, greed, fear, likes and dislikes, and jealousy (3.34, 16.21). (3) Spurning of procrastination in the search of Truth (12.09). (4) Giving up the feeling of pride of possession of knowledge, detachment, devotion, wealth, and charitable deeds (15.05, 16.01-04). (5) Rejection of selfish motives, and attachment to the fruits of all works (2.51, 3.09, 4.20, 6.10). (6) Renunciation of the feeling of doership in all undertakings (12.13, 18.53). (7) Giving up the thoughts of using the Lord to fulfill selfish material desires (2.43, 7.16). (8) Spurning of the attachments to material objects such as a house, wealth, position, and power (12.19, 13.09), and (9) Sacrifice of wealth, prestige, and even life for a noble cause, or for the protection and propagation of Dharma.(2.32, 4.28).
Monday, July 28, 2008
Mr.God...Wake Up...
Mr.God, do you read blogs? Ok do you read this blog ever?
Alright am I getting too close for comfort? Chill..just a friendly banter!The know-you-me better kinda chatter..
I wonder what your routine is every single day. Wake up, make lists - give something, take away something, a little less, a little more for you...alright, I'll thrown in a bit more.No more and that's final! Is that what it it is and is that how you do it? Fun eh?
I admire you for how well you juggle things. Must be hard I'm sure going by how many things all these millions of people keep asking you for - the demands, the negotiations, the prayers, the begging and the zillion other combinations. Oh! mind boggling just thinking of it. Great job there though! Don't mind switching places - ah..ah..don't sweat - won't take it away Sir!
Before I forget, a friend of mine was trying to ask you something - so how do we reach you again? A phone, a fax, an email address, a postal address - which one do we use? All or none? I'm a bit confused, because nothing ever seems to reach you - and nothing ever bounces back either.
So, where does all of it go? You have a trash too? No hard feeling - I'm just pulling your leg...am sure you are super busy, and nothing takes a priority until it is super urgent. I understand...
Hey, also what do you do when you see that something is unfair and those people who create misery for others are walking free? Yeah, believe it or not - I saw them the other day...not a trace of guilt or remorse. Happy and carefree - so, what about them?
C'mmon I was kidding - didn't mean that you did it and created the bad situation. Was just asking what you did with them...you don't have to take offence for it. Mistakes happen - even if you created the mess, the humanitarian thing...err..rather the Godly thing would be to rectify it. To show that you regret the wrong deed. That should at least help the situation. What say?
Not sure how they do it in the place you live (heaven), but this is what humans with good values are expected to do.
Do you take vacations too? You must be planning for a backup I'm sure.Must be hard for the backup to play God and be demoted back again once you are back...power corrupts you know :-)
Anyway too many questions for you - write back when you find some time. Better still, post a comment...it works on my blog :-) Just kidding...:-) or maybe not..
BTW do you like coffee?
Alright am I getting too close for comfort? Chill..just a friendly banter!The know-you-me better kinda chatter..
I wonder what your routine is every single day. Wake up, make lists - give something, take away something, a little less, a little more for you...alright, I'll thrown in a bit more.No more and that's final! Is that what it it is and is that how you do it? Fun eh?
I admire you for how well you juggle things. Must be hard I'm sure going by how many things all these millions of people keep asking you for - the demands, the negotiations, the prayers, the begging and the zillion other combinations. Oh! mind boggling just thinking of it. Great job there though! Don't mind switching places - ah..ah..don't sweat - won't take it away Sir!
Before I forget, a friend of mine was trying to ask you something - so how do we reach you again? A phone, a fax, an email address, a postal address - which one do we use? All or none? I'm a bit confused, because nothing ever seems to reach you - and nothing ever bounces back either.
So, where does all of it go? You have a trash too? No hard feeling - I'm just pulling your leg...am sure you are super busy, and nothing takes a priority until it is super urgent. I understand...
Hey, also what do you do when you see that something is unfair and those people who create misery for others are walking free? Yeah, believe it or not - I saw them the other day...not a trace of guilt or remorse. Happy and carefree - so, what about them?
C'mmon I was kidding - didn't mean that you did it and created the bad situation. Was just asking what you did with them...you don't have to take offence for it. Mistakes happen - even if you created the mess, the humanitarian thing...err..rather the Godly thing would be to rectify it. To show that you regret the wrong deed. That should at least help the situation. What say?
Not sure how they do it in the place you live (heaven), but this is what humans with good values are expected to do.
Do you take vacations too? You must be planning for a backup I'm sure.Must be hard for the backup to play God and be demoted back again once you are back...power corrupts you know :-)
Anyway too many questions for you - write back when you find some time. Better still, post a comment...it works on my blog :-) Just kidding...:-) or maybe not..
BTW do you like coffee?
Friday, July 25, 2008
A Fence of Nails...
A very close friend of mine sent this to me - and I had to share it :-)
Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence.
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails
and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back
of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily
gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father
about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger,they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.
It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.
"A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us."
Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence.
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails
and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back
of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily
gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father
about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger,they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.
It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.
"A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us."
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Bharati
"Amma, I can't come today..." said Bharati standing behind the door in the veranda. My mom just nodded her head and got up to go into the kitchen - "Everyday it's some story or the other" muttered my mom under her breath.
I sat there in a cane chair sipping my coffee and watching the whole thing. Bharati turned and walked slowly towards the gate - I saw her wipe a tear with her torn saree.
I followed my mom to the kitchen and asked her - "Mumma, why are you so harsh with her?" And before I completed my sentence, mumma said "What do you want me to do? Everyday she has a story for not coming to work. I pay her a salary for work, and she has no commitment. You tell me for how long do I have to tolerate this?" I was silent. I had no answer for this side of the argument either.
The next three days passed by and there was no sign of Bharati. My mom tried to reach her through others who knew her, but to no avail.
At around noon on the fourth day, I went to the nearby store to pick up a loaf of bread, and while I waited at the counter to pay I saw a little girl playing with a bunch of boys. I recognized the shy smile - she was Bharati's daughter! The little girl had no care in the world - she kept wiping her runny nose and continued to chase her brother and the other lads. "Hey, where is your mom?" I stopped the girl and asked her. She just pointed in the direction of a house only to resume her chase.
I followed the road in that direction and entered a small alley that ended at a doorway.
The whole wall was painted a weird green - with a million drawings on the threshold and the ground in the front. I knocked on the half open door very hesitantly. What was I even doing here I thought. There was no response. I knocked again. There was a small faint voice - "who is that?" I replied - "This is me. Anita". There was a silence.I softly opened the door. Then I saw the dimly lit room, and was shocked to see Bharati lying on the cot. She looked like a shadow of herself. All curled up and wearing an even older, torn saree. She just seemed to have faded away in the last three days. Her eyes were puffy and red. They told stories of her own. Was there a doubt that she had been crying and that too without a break?
The room had a musty smell. Something very stale about it. Bharati sat up on the edge of the broken cot, and tried to regain her composure. She was silent for a few minutes and then looked up. Her eyes were full of questions. They were questioning my presence there. I didn't know what explanation to give. All I said was "I was just passing by and found your daughter so.... But, anyway mumma has been looking for you for three days now. Where were you?" There was no reply. She had bent her head low. In a soft voice I asked "Are you okay?".
All that happened after those few initial questions will always always remain in my heart and I will carry it with me for the rest of my life, in a very special way.
She started to sob softly. She stuffed one end of her blue saree into her mouth and sobbed. The sobs racked her being. It felt as if her heart would break open and her tears seemed not to do justice to what she felt right at that moment.
I was a little taken aback. I then looked around the room for something to sit on. It was a very tiny room, and at one corner was a stove and some vessels, indicating that it was used as a kitchen. At the far end was a small area that had a tap and a drain, indicating that it was a bathroom. Lastly, I saw a small shelf that had some pictures of Gods I did not even recognize. I found a small stool and I dragged it close to where Bharati sat.
I waited for her to get a gasp of air and when I thought there seemed to be some space in her sobs I asked her "Bharati, what is wrong?" She resumed her sobs. I coaxed again and she was silent. Then she said "Anita Didi (meaning older sister), I don't know what to do..." I again repeated my question.
Bharati's husband Bhushan worked as a watchman in a chemical factory nearby. And the factory was owned by the Singh family. Bhushan did not have a very reputable character to flaunt either - he was an alcoholic, who believed in torturing his wife in every possible uneducated manner. And they had two children from their terrible marriage, which was held on the last thread solely due to Bharati's efforts for the sake of the children. This, Bhushan always mistook for her helplessness and abused her even further.
I gathered all this information in bits and pieces in between sobs and gaps of silence. I waited for her to resume talking....patiently.I have to be honest that I felt waves of impatience and irritation, but those eyes kept me glued to the spot where I sat...
She then asked me a question I didn't have an answer to - "Didi, is it wrong to be bound to your morals? Just because I'm poor, am I not allowed to have a character?"
I looked at her perplexed, and she further went on to explain the situation to me...
Mr.Singh apparently had taken a fancy to Bharati, who in spite of bearing two kids looked half her age. Her smile and good humor made her a pleasant person in better times than this. On this one occasion when Mr.Singh's wife was away on a trip abroad to attend her sister's son's wedding for a couple months, Mr.Singh had found a lot of ways to bring Bharati to his house when he was alone. And on one afternoon last week, he had crossed all the limits and had held her hand while she handed him a cup of coffee. She was dumb founded and was too scared to say anything. This, he took as an encouragement and let his hands wander over her body - to places where the only man allowed was her wedded husband. She was shell shocked and silent. But after about a couple of minutes, Bharati felt a surge of anger rise through her, and with a force known to only a woman pushed against a corner, pushed him away with all her might.
He stepped back, and looked at her with a surprised look. "Are you out of your mind? what do you think you are doing?" He asked with scorn and arrogance. There was a silence followed by Bhaarti crying in a corner near the sink. "Sir, please don't tell any of this to my husband" She sobbed. He mocked and laughed "And why shouldn't I?" Bharati realized that Mr.Singh's level of decency was way below than her expectation. She mustered her courage and said "Sirji, I don't want to do all this - I just want the salary to raise my kids. Please leave me alone".
He laughed again "Yeah right - you know what? I'll give you a deal. Go back home today, and come back to me after five days. And after that one time I'll never ever bother you - I'll never breathe a word of this to anyone.I'll also make sure you are compensated enough for this. think about it. don't be fool..now go.."
Bharati had run home as fast as her legs could carry her...
And here she was - in front of me with a day left from her five days before she went back to him with an answer.
Bharati found her voice again and asked me "Didi, you tell me - what is the right thing to do. I don't want to do any of this, but I'm helpless too. Why can't the world just let me be..."
Was this woman's character less worthy just because she was poor, helpless and had the odds against her? But, when I thought again - what did she lose anyway if she went the other way - her marriage was on the rocks anyway. So, what did her morality leave her with?
I looked out of the tiny peep hole carved in the wall in place of a window...and felt warm tears course my cheeks.
Anita, I said to myself - haven't you run away from half the way around the globe just for the same reason?
Me - I had run away from where I lived and my work and my life. All because Mr.Shah the owner of my startup wanted to have some fun with me - he wanted to losen me up in his own words. The jerk! After all that I had done for him - I had stayed at the hospital when his wife mis-carried, let her cry on my shoulders when she was depressed, cooked for them when they didn't want to eat - and all that he had gathered from it was that I wanted to roll in the hay with him. He had missed the point completely somehow. I was angry, frustrated, and humiliated.
For what? I didn't know - probably because I was mis-judged and thought of as an easy ride - it hurt me to even think that I was easy....So, I left....far away.
Our lives were similar - sisters at heart. weren't we? The disparity in our worlds did not seem to matter...
I didn't have a solution for me - who was I to help Bharati? I walked out of the green house silently...
After a hundred steps or so, I stopped in my tracks - something clicked inside me. I turned around and came back into the green house.
I took Bharati's hands into my own and pulled her to her feet...
I sat there in a cane chair sipping my coffee and watching the whole thing. Bharati turned and walked slowly towards the gate - I saw her wipe a tear with her torn saree.
I followed my mom to the kitchen and asked her - "Mumma, why are you so harsh with her?" And before I completed my sentence, mumma said "What do you want me to do? Everyday she has a story for not coming to work. I pay her a salary for work, and she has no commitment. You tell me for how long do I have to tolerate this?" I was silent. I had no answer for this side of the argument either.
The next three days passed by and there was no sign of Bharati. My mom tried to reach her through others who knew her, but to no avail.
At around noon on the fourth day, I went to the nearby store to pick up a loaf of bread, and while I waited at the counter to pay I saw a little girl playing with a bunch of boys. I recognized the shy smile - she was Bharati's daughter! The little girl had no care in the world - she kept wiping her runny nose and continued to chase her brother and the other lads. "Hey, where is your mom?" I stopped the girl and asked her. She just pointed in the direction of a house only to resume her chase.
I followed the road in that direction and entered a small alley that ended at a doorway.
The whole wall was painted a weird green - with a million drawings on the threshold and the ground in the front. I knocked on the half open door very hesitantly. What was I even doing here I thought. There was no response. I knocked again. There was a small faint voice - "who is that?" I replied - "This is me. Anita". There was a silence.I softly opened the door. Then I saw the dimly lit room, and was shocked to see Bharati lying on the cot. She looked like a shadow of herself. All curled up and wearing an even older, torn saree. She just seemed to have faded away in the last three days. Her eyes were puffy and red. They told stories of her own. Was there a doubt that she had been crying and that too without a break?
The room had a musty smell. Something very stale about it. Bharati sat up on the edge of the broken cot, and tried to regain her composure. She was silent for a few minutes and then looked up. Her eyes were full of questions. They were questioning my presence there. I didn't know what explanation to give. All I said was "I was just passing by and found your daughter so.... But, anyway mumma has been looking for you for three days now. Where were you?" There was no reply. She had bent her head low. In a soft voice I asked "Are you okay?".
All that happened after those few initial questions will always always remain in my heart and I will carry it with me for the rest of my life, in a very special way.
She started to sob softly. She stuffed one end of her blue saree into her mouth and sobbed. The sobs racked her being. It felt as if her heart would break open and her tears seemed not to do justice to what she felt right at that moment.
I was a little taken aback. I then looked around the room for something to sit on. It was a very tiny room, and at one corner was a stove and some vessels, indicating that it was used as a kitchen. At the far end was a small area that had a tap and a drain, indicating that it was a bathroom. Lastly, I saw a small shelf that had some pictures of Gods I did not even recognize. I found a small stool and I dragged it close to where Bharati sat.
I waited for her to get a gasp of air and when I thought there seemed to be some space in her sobs I asked her "Bharati, what is wrong?" She resumed her sobs. I coaxed again and she was silent. Then she said "Anita Didi (meaning older sister), I don't know what to do..." I again repeated my question.
Bharati's husband Bhushan worked as a watchman in a chemical factory nearby. And the factory was owned by the Singh family. Bhushan did not have a very reputable character to flaunt either - he was an alcoholic, who believed in torturing his wife in every possible uneducated manner. And they had two children from their terrible marriage, which was held on the last thread solely due to Bharati's efforts for the sake of the children. This, Bhushan always mistook for her helplessness and abused her even further.
I gathered all this information in bits and pieces in between sobs and gaps of silence. I waited for her to resume talking....patiently.I have to be honest that I felt waves of impatience and irritation, but those eyes kept me glued to the spot where I sat...
She then asked me a question I didn't have an answer to - "Didi, is it wrong to be bound to your morals? Just because I'm poor, am I not allowed to have a character?"
I looked at her perplexed, and she further went on to explain the situation to me...
Mr.Singh apparently had taken a fancy to Bharati, who in spite of bearing two kids looked half her age. Her smile and good humor made her a pleasant person in better times than this. On this one occasion when Mr.Singh's wife was away on a trip abroad to attend her sister's son's wedding for a couple months, Mr.Singh had found a lot of ways to bring Bharati to his house when he was alone. And on one afternoon last week, he had crossed all the limits and had held her hand while she handed him a cup of coffee. She was dumb founded and was too scared to say anything. This, he took as an encouragement and let his hands wander over her body - to places where the only man allowed was her wedded husband. She was shell shocked and silent. But after about a couple of minutes, Bharati felt a surge of anger rise through her, and with a force known to only a woman pushed against a corner, pushed him away with all her might.
He stepped back, and looked at her with a surprised look. "Are you out of your mind? what do you think you are doing?" He asked with scorn and arrogance. There was a silence followed by Bhaarti crying in a corner near the sink. "Sir, please don't tell any of this to my husband" She sobbed. He mocked and laughed "And why shouldn't I?" Bharati realized that Mr.Singh's level of decency was way below than her expectation. She mustered her courage and said "Sirji, I don't want to do all this - I just want the salary to raise my kids. Please leave me alone".
He laughed again "Yeah right - you know what? I'll give you a deal. Go back home today, and come back to me after five days. And after that one time I'll never ever bother you - I'll never breathe a word of this to anyone.I'll also make sure you are compensated enough for this. think about it. don't be fool..now go.."
Bharati had run home as fast as her legs could carry her...
And here she was - in front of me with a day left from her five days before she went back to him with an answer.
Bharati found her voice again and asked me "Didi, you tell me - what is the right thing to do. I don't want to do any of this, but I'm helpless too. Why can't the world just let me be..."
Was this woman's character less worthy just because she was poor, helpless and had the odds against her? But, when I thought again - what did she lose anyway if she went the other way - her marriage was on the rocks anyway. So, what did her morality leave her with?
I looked out of the tiny peep hole carved in the wall in place of a window...and felt warm tears course my cheeks.
Anita, I said to myself - haven't you run away from half the way around the globe just for the same reason?
Me - I had run away from where I lived and my work and my life. All because Mr.Shah the owner of my startup wanted to have some fun with me - he wanted to losen me up in his own words. The jerk! After all that I had done for him - I had stayed at the hospital when his wife mis-carried, let her cry on my shoulders when she was depressed, cooked for them when they didn't want to eat - and all that he had gathered from it was that I wanted to roll in the hay with him. He had missed the point completely somehow. I was angry, frustrated, and humiliated.
For what? I didn't know - probably because I was mis-judged and thought of as an easy ride - it hurt me to even think that I was easy....So, I left....far away.
Our lives were similar - sisters at heart. weren't we? The disparity in our worlds did not seem to matter...
I didn't have a solution for me - who was I to help Bharati? I walked out of the green house silently...
After a hundred steps or so, I stopped in my tracks - something clicked inside me. I turned around and came back into the green house.
I took Bharati's hands into my own and pulled her to her feet...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Water
This maybe the one thing that we all take so very much for granted! But, do we realize that we are doing everything in our capacity to be reckless with it's use and wasting it, misusing it in such a way that the future generations are at a risk?
I'm sure you and me have at one time or the other have experienced the sheer pleasure of drinking water after being so very thirsty - nothing comes close to that satisfaction.
A couple months ago, when I hiked in Yosemite I did it with no food or water with me. And believe me, after about 3 hours into the climbing, I could see nothing but water everywhere. There was a river around me, but it's water was not potable. The thought that came to me was - Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink!
The contamination, the wastage and everything else that happens with regards to it, can really worry you if you look into the data!
Save it - it is precious!
The benefits of water are innenumerable - here are some links. There are many more:
http://www.yoga-for-health-and-fitness.com/benefits-of-drinking-water.htm
http://www.benefits-of-drinking-water.com/
http://www.gardenandhearth.com/fitness/Benefits-of-Drinking-Water.htm
Here is a poem on it from Pablo Neruda:
Water
Everything on the earth bristled, the bramble
pricked and the green thread
nibbled away, the petal fell, falling
until the only flower was the falling itself.
Water is another matter,
has no direction but its own bright grace,
runs through all imaginable colors,
takes limpid lessons
from stone,
and in those functionings plays out
the unrealized ambitions of the foam.
Pablo Neruda
I have to also give you some facts and figures on this life sustaining liquid:
Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor. About 1.460 petatonnes (Pt) of water covers 71% of the Earth's surface, mostly in oceans and other large water bodies, with 1.6% of water below ground in aquifers and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation.[1] Saltwater oceans hold 97% of surface water, glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4%, and other land surface water such as rivers, lakes and ponds 0.6%. Some of the Earth's water is contained within water towers, biological bodies, manufactured products, and food stores. Other water is trapped in ice caps, glaciers, aquifers, or in lakes, sometimes providing fresh water for life on land.
Water moves continually through a cycle of evaporation or transpiration (evapotranspiration), precipitation, and runoff, usually reaching the sea. Winds carry water vapor over land at the same rate as runoff into the sea, about 36 Tt per year. Over land, evaporation and transpiration contribute another 71 Tt per year to the precipitation of 107 Tt per year over land. Clean, fresh drinking water is essential to human and other life. However, in many parts of the world - especially developing countries - there is a water crisis, and it is estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability.[2] Water plays an important role in the world economy, as it functions as a solvent for a wide variety of chemical substances and facilitates industrial cooling and transportation. Approximately 70% of freshwater is consumed by agriculture.
And, here is the Song for the Day:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=apidVtBk5hI
I'm sure you and me have at one time or the other have experienced the sheer pleasure of drinking water after being so very thirsty - nothing comes close to that satisfaction.
A couple months ago, when I hiked in Yosemite I did it with no food or water with me. And believe me, after about 3 hours into the climbing, I could see nothing but water everywhere. There was a river around me, but it's water was not potable. The thought that came to me was - Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink!
The contamination, the wastage and everything else that happens with regards to it, can really worry you if you look into the data!
Save it - it is precious!
The benefits of water are innenumerable - here are some links. There are many more:
http://www.yoga-for-health-and-fitness.com/benefits-of-drinking-water.htm
http://www.benefits-of-drinking-water.com/
http://www.gardenandhearth.com/fitness/Benefits-of-Drinking-Water.htm
Here is a poem on it from Pablo Neruda:
Water
Everything on the earth bristled, the bramble
pricked and the green thread
nibbled away, the petal fell, falling
until the only flower was the falling itself.
Water is another matter,
has no direction but its own bright grace,
runs through all imaginable colors,
takes limpid lessons
from stone,
and in those functionings plays out
the unrealized ambitions of the foam.
Pablo Neruda
I have to also give you some facts and figures on this life sustaining liquid:
Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor. About 1.460 petatonnes (Pt) of water covers 71% of the Earth's surface, mostly in oceans and other large water bodies, with 1.6% of water below ground in aquifers and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation.[1] Saltwater oceans hold 97% of surface water, glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4%, and other land surface water such as rivers, lakes and ponds 0.6%. Some of the Earth's water is contained within water towers, biological bodies, manufactured products, and food stores. Other water is trapped in ice caps, glaciers, aquifers, or in lakes, sometimes providing fresh water for life on land.
Water moves continually through a cycle of evaporation or transpiration (evapotranspiration), precipitation, and runoff, usually reaching the sea. Winds carry water vapor over land at the same rate as runoff into the sea, about 36 Tt per year. Over land, evaporation and transpiration contribute another 71 Tt per year to the precipitation of 107 Tt per year over land. Clean, fresh drinking water is essential to human and other life. However, in many parts of the world - especially developing countries - there is a water crisis, and it is estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability.[2] Water plays an important role in the world economy, as it functions as a solvent for a wide variety of chemical substances and facilitates industrial cooling and transportation. Approximately 70% of freshwater is consumed by agriculture.
And, here is the Song for the Day:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=apidVtBk5hI
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Another Song...
Love to hear this one - listen on...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yK_y_TqjkNc
BTW, the full moon is here - have you looked out yet? Take the time - everything else can wait...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yK_y_TqjkNc
BTW, the full moon is here - have you looked out yet? Take the time - everything else can wait...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Black...
The color itself signifies a very strong something to me...what when everything swirling around you makes it one big ball of black - where the yesterday, the today and the tomorrow seem to concur and become one! One undecipherable tangle...
Questions, questions and more questions - the more I suppress them, the more they want to surface.I cannot carry on the pretense of ignoring them...and why should I? I'm no saint...well, I was not honored particularly and in a nice way either when I was one...so..why now?
Every night when my head hits the pillow, I take a few hours to fall asleep. Thoughts of the past, the present and the non-existent future pull me in a thousand directions.All competing with one another to drag me into an abyss.
The one tiny blip, and the one big question that kills me is "Why was I chosen to play a role in this game of ...? And, why was I punished in the end?" Why me? Every sentiment of mine was ridiculed, and every good intention was tossed in the air - why me? Was there a dearth of fools on this planet Earth that I was chosen? I have never harmed anyone knowingly - so, why was I chosen for this dastardly act? And all of this just because...
Even hatred, and in-difference are hard to come by - in the end everything gets masked by those very bloody good intentions - good for all.One can't even hate? Am I incapable of even hating someone? Why be rendered so useless, and be nauseated at the very memory of all that was the past, and all that was painted black?
Forgiveness - did you say? Sounds good to hear - have you done it even once yourself?
How do I balance the frustration of being caught in between these strong currents? How do I explain to myself why I was punished for doing what I did and for something I did not...to what do I owe the highs and the lows when I touch the borders of lunacy and when everything inside of me threatens to break free - and threatens to break through those false wisps of...
Was it wrong to be right? Or is it right to be wrong?
Which of them is right? Do you know?
All of those thoughts are mutually exclusive. Nothing follows even a pattern - I envy them! At least they are their own masters! Unlike me - bound and slaved to them! Even time has no cure or effect on them - they fly, swim and race in perfect solitude - unabashed!
When all else fails, I try another trick - a game I play with myself! In some weird corner of my mind, I reign control. I sneak in there to challenge it, pull it out and then toss it at the wall - hard and strong - with all my force. It breaks, shatters and is blown to smithereens, and then reveals itself.You know what color it is? Black - just plain black.A big mass of Black...
The people, their thoughts, their make believe worlds, their fake smiles everything makes me wonder - there is someone up there watching, and laughing his head off. Fools that we are! It is funny that we go back begging for reclamation to the person who punishes us - why? No idea. And, he remains silent - because he is God. He has no answers and will not take any of your questions. And he is associated with the color White - really? Shouldn't it have been Black? why? Ask him not me...
This is not me...but when challenged, when bitten, I want to stand up - stand up to fade the Sun away - turn the White to a Black. And when believed in, I can turn the very same Black to White! I fake it to myself you think - maybe I do? But then, what are my choices? Are my tears not tears? Is my pain not pain?
But, all that I want to do now is swim through the murky waters of my thoughts...I'm gasping for air, and that's all I know...
The whole Black and White - there is no room for it here, because they do not and cannot co-exist in the same time period. They never have - it was us who thought they could.It was us who created a make believe world - and the price for it was paid...paid in unimaginable ways...
In a strange way, I wish God could read what I write for him and what I think about him. He would probably then realize that it is time to wake up from his deep slumber, and do what he is God for...maybe he will cry then...will they be tears of blood? who knows...
Buried deep in the crevices of my mind, my thoughts, my memories, and my questions dance in tandem - then they blip! The night has fallen, and I'm engulfed in another endless dream only to wake up more confused - only to shudder that it is not real.
At that hour of the day (or is it night?) I look outside and see that it is Black...silent and Black...
Questions, questions and more questions - the more I suppress them, the more they want to surface.I cannot carry on the pretense of ignoring them...and why should I? I'm no saint...well, I was not honored particularly and in a nice way either when I was one...so..why now?
Every night when my head hits the pillow, I take a few hours to fall asleep. Thoughts of the past, the present and the non-existent future pull me in a thousand directions.All competing with one another to drag me into an abyss.
The one tiny blip, and the one big question that kills me is "Why was I chosen to play a role in this game of ...? And, why was I punished in the end?" Why me? Every sentiment of mine was ridiculed, and every good intention was tossed in the air - why me? Was there a dearth of fools on this planet Earth that I was chosen? I have never harmed anyone knowingly - so, why was I chosen for this dastardly act? And all of this just because...
Even hatred, and in-difference are hard to come by - in the end everything gets masked by those very bloody good intentions - good for all.One can't even hate? Am I incapable of even hating someone? Why be rendered so useless, and be nauseated at the very memory of all that was the past, and all that was painted black?
Forgiveness - did you say? Sounds good to hear - have you done it even once yourself?
How do I balance the frustration of being caught in between these strong currents? How do I explain to myself why I was punished for doing what I did and for something I did not...to what do I owe the highs and the lows when I touch the borders of lunacy and when everything inside of me threatens to break free - and threatens to break through those false wisps of...
Was it wrong to be right? Or is it right to be wrong?
Which of them is right? Do you know?
All of those thoughts are mutually exclusive. Nothing follows even a pattern - I envy them! At least they are their own masters! Unlike me - bound and slaved to them! Even time has no cure or effect on them - they fly, swim and race in perfect solitude - unabashed!
When all else fails, I try another trick - a game I play with myself! In some weird corner of my mind, I reign control. I sneak in there to challenge it, pull it out and then toss it at the wall - hard and strong - with all my force. It breaks, shatters and is blown to smithereens, and then reveals itself.You know what color it is? Black - just plain black.A big mass of Black...
The people, their thoughts, their make believe worlds, their fake smiles everything makes me wonder - there is someone up there watching, and laughing his head off. Fools that we are! It is funny that we go back begging for reclamation to the person who punishes us - why? No idea. And, he remains silent - because he is God. He has no answers and will not take any of your questions. And he is associated with the color White - really? Shouldn't it have been Black? why? Ask him not me...
This is not me...but when challenged, when bitten, I want to stand up - stand up to fade the Sun away - turn the White to a Black. And when believed in, I can turn the very same Black to White! I fake it to myself you think - maybe I do? But then, what are my choices? Are my tears not tears? Is my pain not pain?
But, all that I want to do now is swim through the murky waters of my thoughts...I'm gasping for air, and that's all I know...
The whole Black and White - there is no room for it here, because they do not and cannot co-exist in the same time period. They never have - it was us who thought they could.It was us who created a make believe world - and the price for it was paid...paid in unimaginable ways...
In a strange way, I wish God could read what I write for him and what I think about him. He would probably then realize that it is time to wake up from his deep slumber, and do what he is God for...maybe he will cry then...will they be tears of blood? who knows...
Buried deep in the crevices of my mind, my thoughts, my memories, and my questions dance in tandem - then they blip! The night has fallen, and I'm engulfed in another endless dream only to wake up more confused - only to shudder that it is not real.
At that hour of the day (or is it night?) I look outside and see that it is Black...silent and Black...
Friday, July 11, 2008
Ozymandius - Is That You?
Just when you think you were thrown and blown away by the rough seas, just when you think you have seen the worst, just when you think you had been tainted by the worst worms of the world, just when you think the canvas was black, the dots, the lines - all merging into one big mess, in a tangle of thoughts - decipherable...I stumble upon this...thrown my way.
What can one say?
...and then there she was in resplendent glory, confident n' dignified...dignified and commanding ....with the world eating out of her hands ...holding sway over the millions who came to see her ...to befriend her, listen to the princess ...mesmerised...and if this princess were to come home ...would the ordinary mortals ...would they have the strength and the capacity to stand the overwhelming magic of her presence...and finally when she comes n goes ...n goes having conquered the world without even a drop of blood been shed ...but nevertheless devastating everything in its wake...what would you call this ??!!...a humble tribute to long lost years by a person ovewhelmed by genuine lunacy .....???...or would you call this ...nay her...Ozymandius the King Of Kings ...nay the queen of queens ...???...overheard someone - someone who could not dare to face lady Ozymandius calling this .... You ?
What can one say?
...and then there she was in resplendent glory, confident n' dignified...dignified and commanding ....with the world eating out of her hands ...holding sway over the millions who came to see her ...to befriend her, listen to the princess ...mesmerised...and if this princess were to come home ...would the ordinary mortals ...would they have the strength and the capacity to stand the overwhelming magic of her presence...and finally when she comes n goes ...n goes having conquered the world without even a drop of blood been shed ...but nevertheless devastating everything in its wake...what would you call this ??!!...a humble tribute to long lost years by a person ovewhelmed by genuine lunacy .....???...or would you call this ...nay her...Ozymandius the King Of Kings ...nay the queen of queens ...???...overheard someone - someone who could not dare to face lady Ozymandius calling this .... You ?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Kabhi Kabhi...Aisa Hota Hai
Someone sent me this song yesterday...so here it is for everyone to share (turn up the volume):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XvW4HOKcnPs&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XvW4HOKcnPs&feature=related
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Seasons And Beyond
A foggy day with a slight drizzle always brings out the urge to write in me. A cozy corner with a book and a cup of coffee - who cares for the world?
A bright summer day, fills everyone around with an energy to chew up every single problem around them.
And Ah! The rains always make me nostalgic and at the same time bring out the element - after all I'm a water girl you see!
The affects of the seasons have always intrigued me - everyone seems to dance in tandem with it's every rhythm.
I could go on about the affect of these seasons on the humans, their psyche and what have you. But, something stops me from going that route. These thoughts are common place. I want to share more than that.
Have you ever felt that you want to say so much, but didn't know where to start? Claustrophobic and confused? I'm sure all of us have been there...I feel that way with this on my hands today.
I'll take leave of the seasons in the real world for now, and take you with me to read about something that goes a tad beyond what meets the eye.
I have always liked this poem by Keats - sharing it below:
The human seasons
Four Seasons fill the measure of the year;
There are four seasons in the mind of man:
He has his lusty Spring, when fancy clear
Takes in all beauty with an easy span:
He has his Summer, when luxuriously
Spring’s honey’d cud of youthful thought he loves
To ruminate, and by such dreaming high
Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves
His soul has in its Autumn, when his wings
He furleth close; contented so to look
On mists in idleness—to let fair things
Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook.
He has his Winter too of pale misfeature,
Or else he would forego his mortal nature.
1820
A bright summer day, fills everyone around with an energy to chew up every single problem around them.
And Ah! The rains always make me nostalgic and at the same time bring out the element - after all I'm a water girl you see!
The affects of the seasons have always intrigued me - everyone seems to dance in tandem with it's every rhythm.
I could go on about the affect of these seasons on the humans, their psyche and what have you. But, something stops me from going that route. These thoughts are common place. I want to share more than that.
Have you ever felt that you want to say so much, but didn't know where to start? Claustrophobic and confused? I'm sure all of us have been there...I feel that way with this on my hands today.
I'll take leave of the seasons in the real world for now, and take you with me to read about something that goes a tad beyond what meets the eye.
I have always liked this poem by Keats - sharing it below:
The human seasons
Four Seasons fill the measure of the year;
There are four seasons in the mind of man:
He has his lusty Spring, when fancy clear
Takes in all beauty with an easy span:
He has his Summer, when luxuriously
Spring’s honey’d cud of youthful thought he loves
To ruminate, and by such dreaming high
Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves
His soul has in its Autumn, when his wings
He furleth close; contented so to look
On mists in idleness—to let fair things
Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook.
He has his Winter too of pale misfeature,
Or else he would forego his mortal nature.
1820
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