What a beautiful song...made me cry when I heard it today...enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGEgLx6b_Tw
Friday, January 29, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
This Happens Too!
This evening, I went to a party. So what was special? This wasn't a normal party of sorts. Why? Because first of all it was a Yoga party and there, I met some very incredible people!
This is a wonderful couple who live near San Francisco. Every Saturday morning, they go buy fresh vegetables and by 11:30 AM they are ready with cooking lunch for about 25-30 people. Can you believe that they have thrown their home open to anyone who wants to walk in to come in, do some Yoga with them!
Literally anyone on the street is welcomed with open arms to come to their house, do Yoga and then share a meal. They have farmers, neighbors, college students and so many people from all walks of life. After the Yoga session, their is a silent lunch where no one talks. At the end is a sharing session where everyone sits together and talks a sentence on the theme of the day - today their theme was "what happiness means to you".
This couple have even emptied their home of all unwanted materialistic things - simply to make space for people who take the time to come to their home!
I was impressed just meeting these very simple, non-egoistic, wonderful people! Kudos to all of them!
I have spent half my life already and what have I done? Nothing really. Just maybe run after people who don't care if I'm even alive or not trying to please them, care for them, make changes in my life for them and...I have handed over the control, waiting all the time for them to put a smile on my face. These are all wonderful people too - but, we all need to live our lives to realize our own passions in the end.
Maybe my love for everyone around me is my own little contribution to this wonderful world!
There is so much more to life - isn't there? There is so much to do, so much service we can do...
One little step a day...
This is a wonderful couple who live near San Francisco. Every Saturday morning, they go buy fresh vegetables and by 11:30 AM they are ready with cooking lunch for about 25-30 people. Can you believe that they have thrown their home open to anyone who wants to walk in to come in, do some Yoga with them!
Literally anyone on the street is welcomed with open arms to come to their house, do Yoga and then share a meal. They have farmers, neighbors, college students and so many people from all walks of life. After the Yoga session, their is a silent lunch where no one talks. At the end is a sharing session where everyone sits together and talks a sentence on the theme of the day - today their theme was "what happiness means to you".
This couple have even emptied their home of all unwanted materialistic things - simply to make space for people who take the time to come to their home!
I was impressed just meeting these very simple, non-egoistic, wonderful people! Kudos to all of them!
I have spent half my life already and what have I done? Nothing really. Just maybe run after people who don't care if I'm even alive or not trying to please them, care for them, make changes in my life for them and...I have handed over the control, waiting all the time for them to put a smile on my face. These are all wonderful people too - but, we all need to live our lives to realize our own passions in the end.
Maybe my love for everyone around me is my own little contribution to this wonderful world!
There is so much more to life - isn't there? There is so much to do, so much service we can do...
One little step a day...
Thursday, January 21, 2010
What is it?
It's weird..the more we are afraid of something, the more it stays with us - haunts us, follows us and seems like a constant companion!
I know of friends who hate cooking - they end up cooking all the time :-) Friends who hate traveling, friends who didn't like their families...they seem to end up exactly in a spot they hate the most! What an irony may be an expression that may describe the situation. Co-incidence is another.
Just when you think you are happy with those little, simple pleasures - life throws a curve yet again! An irony or a co-incidence?
The more you give, the more you end up giving - always. Why? Is this an irony or a co-incidence?
What's the message finally? Never count your blessings? Never imagine yourself being happy? Never care for anything? Attachments are futile?
Anger is valid or that love and forgiveness are greater virtues that will prevail?
Or is it that silence is the only constant that will cross all frames of time?
What exactly is it? tell me if you know ...
I know of friends who hate cooking - they end up cooking all the time :-) Friends who hate traveling, friends who didn't like their families...they seem to end up exactly in a spot they hate the most! What an irony may be an expression that may describe the situation. Co-incidence is another.
Just when you think you are happy with those little, simple pleasures - life throws a curve yet again! An irony or a co-incidence?
The more you give, the more you end up giving - always. Why? Is this an irony or a co-incidence?
What's the message finally? Never count your blessings? Never imagine yourself being happy? Never care for anything? Attachments are futile?
Anger is valid or that love and forgiveness are greater virtues that will prevail?
Or is it that silence is the only constant that will cross all frames of time?
What exactly is it? tell me if you know ...
Monday, January 18, 2010
Parah Hoshiyaar!
We lived in a colony - this was while I was growing up, back home in India. Colonies are a cluster of houses, provided by an employer or the Government as a housing perk to all or most of it's employees with all the amenities.
My father moved from place to place building bridges and dams in towns and cities all over this particular state in India. It was from one of those postings that I have this vivid memory about :-)
The colony was close to a cement factory - with enough barren, plain land between itself and the factory. Health hazard they said! Health hazards didn't make much sense to our energy and age at that time. We simply played on the streets every evening with all abandon - running chasing cycle tires, jumping from tree to tree and doing everything else that I simply cannot visualize the children of today doing! Lack of opportunity or the fact that parents are more afraid than the kids is an entirely a discussion in itself.
We never went home till we were tired to even move a limb and our mothers threatened with everything imaginable :-)
Some innocents times those were...
And as the night fell and somewhere around mid-night would be the familiar shout "Parah Hoshiyaar", which was meant to alert any unwelcome intruders and an announcement in itself that there was someone that was alert, watching over! This repeated night after night - a job relentlessly performed!
The person who did this was called as the "Gurkha" !! The name itself again has it's own history and wasn't really a proper noun indicative of a person's name.
The name and the attire of this person were almost predictive! He wore 'Khakhi' clothes, wore a scarf around his neck and held a sturdy stick about 2 feet long in his hand. He also usually smoked. Hand rolled tobacco that was lit and chewed as he paced the colony through the night! Whether it was to keep him awake from shut-eye, kept him warm, or it was simply something that was done because it went with the whole image was any one's guess :-)
Along with the shout "Parah Hoshiyaar' came also the beat of the stick in front of every one's house - tak, tak, tak...three beats each!
It marked a time in the length of the night and also woke most of the residents up :-) The snoring would stop for a brief period, children would stop crying, students studying late into the night would feel re-assured. Maybe that's how the colony remained safe. What with everyone taking turns waking up to the shouting and the beats of the stick!
Even to this day, when I'm awake late into the night my sub-conscious expects to hear "Parah Hoshiyaar" and the beat of the stick.
Seems like another lifetime...
My father moved from place to place building bridges and dams in towns and cities all over this particular state in India. It was from one of those postings that I have this vivid memory about :-)
The colony was close to a cement factory - with enough barren, plain land between itself and the factory. Health hazard they said! Health hazards didn't make much sense to our energy and age at that time. We simply played on the streets every evening with all abandon - running chasing cycle tires, jumping from tree to tree and doing everything else that I simply cannot visualize the children of today doing! Lack of opportunity or the fact that parents are more afraid than the kids is an entirely a discussion in itself.
We never went home till we were tired to even move a limb and our mothers threatened with everything imaginable :-)
Some innocents times those were...
And as the night fell and somewhere around mid-night would be the familiar shout "Parah Hoshiyaar", which was meant to alert any unwelcome intruders and an announcement in itself that there was someone that was alert, watching over! This repeated night after night - a job relentlessly performed!
The person who did this was called as the "Gurkha" !! The name itself again has it's own history and wasn't really a proper noun indicative of a person's name.
The name and the attire of this person were almost predictive! He wore 'Khakhi' clothes, wore a scarf around his neck and held a sturdy stick about 2 feet long in his hand. He also usually smoked. Hand rolled tobacco that was lit and chewed as he paced the colony through the night! Whether it was to keep him awake from shut-eye, kept him warm, or it was simply something that was done because it went with the whole image was any one's guess :-)
Along with the shout "Parah Hoshiyaar' came also the beat of the stick in front of every one's house - tak, tak, tak...three beats each!
It marked a time in the length of the night and also woke most of the residents up :-) The snoring would stop for a brief period, children would stop crying, students studying late into the night would feel re-assured. Maybe that's how the colony remained safe. What with everyone taking turns waking up to the shouting and the beats of the stick!
Even to this day, when I'm awake late into the night my sub-conscious expects to hear "Parah Hoshiyaar" and the beat of the stick.
Seems like another lifetime...
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Life, Coffee And Friends
The most significant of my conversations with anyone have always happened over a cup of coffee. And below are some of the recent ones that have provoked my thoughts - hence sharing them with you :-)
A friend of mine was having a coffee conversation with me a couple of days ago and made a statement that struck me - "A good marriage needs a solid financial foundation". I sat there thinking if this was really true.I do see so many marriages around me go through the rough when a financial angle is thrown in to the mix of issues that every couple usually has to deal with!
Another scenario - different people, more coffee...interesting conversation...agreed the outcome could have been better :-)
So, there is this distant relative who is a bully - capable of talking crap to people older and younger than himself. So, he has a feast day writing some of the non-sense to this side of the world. If that was the crux of the discussion - No, it wasn't to be. The in-laws and the husband leave the poor girl who becomes an unwilling target to defend herself at all times. Nothing new there either. The story went on to conquer other angels leaving me wondering what does a marriage really entail?
How important is it to verbalize those unsaid expectations? Do they really matter?
Another conversation...more coffee...another friend...
Story is told - all is well that ends well. Leaves me thinking again - why do we always take the liberty of judging others? Is it even needed? Don't we have anything better to do with our own lives?
Life will go on and so will I :-)
Thoughts, friends, coffee - my constant companions. What are your's ???
A friend of mine was having a coffee conversation with me a couple of days ago and made a statement that struck me - "A good marriage needs a solid financial foundation". I sat there thinking if this was really true.I do see so many marriages around me go through the rough when a financial angle is thrown in to the mix of issues that every couple usually has to deal with!
Another scenario - different people, more coffee...interesting conversation...agreed the outcome could have been better :-)
So, there is this distant relative who is a bully - capable of talking crap to people older and younger than himself. So, he has a feast day writing some of the non-sense to this side of the world. If that was the crux of the discussion - No, it wasn't to be. The in-laws and the husband leave the poor girl who becomes an unwilling target to defend herself at all times. Nothing new there either. The story went on to conquer other angels leaving me wondering what does a marriage really entail?
How important is it to verbalize those unsaid expectations? Do they really matter?
Another conversation...more coffee...another friend...
Story is told - all is well that ends well. Leaves me thinking again - why do we always take the liberty of judging others? Is it even needed? Don't we have anything better to do with our own lives?
Life will go on and so will I :-)
Thoughts, friends, coffee - my constant companions. What are your's ???
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Yunhi Koi Milgaya Tha
A beautiful song that kinda says it all - a way to summarize our friendships, our relationships and everything else as we go through the motions of life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubQ9hrKO6XI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubQ9hrKO6XI
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