The Well...

Filled with despondency… I really was. June 13-14 2008. Friday the 13th was bad as the day is.
Whilst coming home, my mind was racing with thoughts…Thoughts that caused disconsolateness...
Nox arrived, away from the Sun.
My lachrymal gland worked overtime that night.
T’was now 11-ish. Nothing to do. Put on the radio on my mobile. Dean Martin playing on 107.1 FM.
Then suddenly, I came across a well. It was nearing dusk.
Melancholia taking over.
Descended down the well.
Staring down at the bottom of the well.
Now I know why people meant that phrase…
It’s so sad to see the bottom of the well…
A well’s disfigured life with all the trash at the ground…
You feel your own life moving towards it, towards the junk..,
Waiting to bide time till it takes over.
I saw many dead at the bottom…
I cried…
Fate had decided itself.
What’s this fluttering around?
A Butterfly to keep me company till I descend?
It was a Black Butterfly…But so beautiful!
As I was descending, I saw it rest on the surface of the water.
My legs now touched the surface of the final frontier.
Slowly now I thought… resigned to Fate…
The Butterfly took in its wings, sat.
There was no reflection of it…
I kept on watching, waiting for the reflection…
I could see no one except the sky.
The Sky!
It existed…
The fact that it manifested was proof enough of its existence, waiting to be touched.
The B’fly raised it wings.
Flew skywards..
Saw up I did.
Far away I was from up.
Hope
It still existed…
I just needed to trust it…
And for no rational motive, I did…
Came the Butterfly, overgrown now to size dragon-like…
Lifted me from my descent… by its claws
And raised me high
Oh, what a beautiful feeling!
To touch the untouchable sky…
Flipping in air, to music
Screamed I…
And opened my eyes, Dean Martin had stopped; Tom Jones was now playing…
My ticket was redeemed…
Switched Off my mobile; went to sleep.
Woke up, things were unchanged.
But,Now,
There was Hope...

Rendezvous with Mr. Helios

Me:
“Well, Hello!Seeing you after a bit, eh Sol….All this rain and everything. Howz u been hiding behind the clouds?”

Helios: “Heh! Hiding eh? Oh well,I’ll take that. Been so different you know;Was at my fullest glory in May..and now, come June, I’m eclipsed by the clouds. Job hazards,one of them, this is!”

M: “Oh ya… But man, no offense, but there are many people over here that are glad that u into ‘hiding’. You were shining so hard this year between March and May that people wished that you went away…Of course you shouldn’t… but still…people were saying that!”

H: “Hmm…I know. Heard from Brother Zeus that day whilst I was in Greece the other day. Also Narad Muni… Felt a bit down that night. But then, It was night.”

M: ‘Ya, I know.. very depressing.’

H: “But what the heck, I gotta go back to work the next day anyways. Work is worship…at least for me!’

M: ‘Coming from someone who’s worshipped all over the world, that’s humble!’

H: ‘Ya Sid…You see, people will attack you all the time-be it at work or off work. Some would rather want me sinking in the ocean in the West and never come back. But then, you know, no matter how tiring the day was; you should just get back on our feet and start shining the next day!”

M: “Wow…but then, people will start all over again. They’ll say ‘Oh, here he comes again “

H: “Yup… they will.. and so may their sons and daughters and grandchildren. Understand, my dear brother, that if you are doing something with the right intentions, you will never go wrong!”

M: “Heyy?!! That’s what my friend said too! What a coincidence!”

H: “Then you surely have made a good friend Sid…I know… and may the heavens bless your friend” “Coming back to what I was saying… Yes, if you do something with the honest of intentions, no one…not even the greatest of Gods can punish you”

M: “Greatest of Gods… who’s that?"

H: “Let’s leave that shall we… unless you want religious riots or something!”

M: “Ok Ok…”

H: “You know Sid… The fact that I have to hide myself from the world is the result of my own karma!”

M: “Uhhh!!! You!! And Karma… explain dear brother!”

H: “You know, when given a chance to do something we like, how we tend to go to the highest limits to shine brightly?”

M: “Ya…I think”

H: “Well, when its March, I sorta shine with too much pride. You know that…At the same time, As I am shining, The waters of Oceania (The Oceans), The Seas, and every water element on terra firma evanesces. And when all elements of Nature coincide,(Geography and Science taking over), It rains! So you see, my actions lead to my own judgement. The more I shine, the more it shall rain. The more it rains, the less I am seen."

M:
“But then don’t you see that everytime?”

H: “I do…initially, I objected to the Rain Gods. But then, as I grew older, I realized one thing… They couldn’t hold me back for long. I realized that Gaia had thought things out well. She knew things which not many did at that time. She told me ‘Helios, What you are going through is understandable. But despair not, thy moment shall arrive. The Circle of Life is just. “Pactum serva ; Keep the faith”” M: “Oh ok…”

H: “So after a long drawn monsoon, when the clouds exhausted all their might, It was my turn to come back; just as the laws said I would. For my patience, I was rewarded…reward being the chance to shine sometimes during the monsoon. And as a token of my goodwill, I gave birth to the rainbow.”

“So you see Sid, its important to know that resurrection is possible through hope… by being true to yourself and your own self first, and then to others. What you sow, you reap. The laws of the Universe work in ways strange for the common man, but they work fine. Believe in them, but believe in yourself first.” M: “Hmm… You speak wisely, as always Helios.”

H: “And remember Sid, arrogance will get you nowhere…You know what happened between me and the wind sometime back right?”

M: “Yea..I remember reading about it in my 1st standard English text book. But that was way back in 1991-92 yaar… Care to refresh?”

H: “Hmm..of course…T’was during winter when I met Mr. Wind (blowing away a bit arrogantly that day). He came upto me and said “Ha…Sol! They call you powerful! Obviosly they haven’t seen the best of me yet!”. I said back, “Dear Wind, There is no one greater or smaller. We are all equals.” Obviously that didn’t go well with him and he challenged me. He saw this villager wrapped around a blanket (This was around 6:30 morning btw). Said he, ‘Aditya(I was in India this time, hence he called me by my Indian name), I Challenge you to blow away the blanket from the body of this man!”. I sensed his arrogance. I told him to proceed first. He started with great pomp and pride.. Blowing away at that man…But the more he blew himself, the more determined that man became to catch the blanket. Half an Hour passed…and then the Wind said (with its arrogance intact) “Think You can do better??!!!”

M: “And??”

H: “And what? I just had to shine. (I’m hot , you see!). No sooner I came, than that man took off his blanket, and proceeded onwards to his destination. So you see, the larger the pride, the easier it is for someone to bring you down”

M: “Gosh… That was nice…Of course we didn’t have you account of how it happened, as well as the moral of the story…But It was nice to hear that again…especially after 17 years!”

H: “Well, its night now, and you gotta have dinner now. Go fast or mum will blame me for keeping you all night. I’ve got nothing to do now na…except shine in the southern hemisphere.. but that shift’s ok…It’s the northern hemisphere I am worried about, especially with the Developed nations who are almost screwing things up. Heh!” “Take care Sid, go now… And remember, Life gives you a chance to come back-be it next morning or the next season…but you do get a chance.”

M: “Heavens bless you Helios….Shine on!”

H: “Cheers…!"

Serendipity and its after effects

Hello again… Back after a hiatus, I am…

Ever since my last entry, many things have changed. Ok, not too many, but quite a few.

You ever have that moment of serendipity wherein you meet a person who actually echoes most your sentiments, thoughts and views?Agreed, it ‘may’ not always ‘that perfect’, but the fact that this is known among yourselves, is what actually makes it work!

You come across someone randomly in life, and its almost as if you’ve known that person for a lifetime! It may sound silly for some, but you know what they say… the reality lies in experience!

And what an experience it has been!

Somehow or the other (??.. heh!), there seems to be cheerfulness in your day-to-day activities… Of course, you will crib about your boss and work everyday, but apart from that, everything seems so lively, so nice.

You wake up hearing that person’s voice in your mind, that person’s last conversation with you, that person’s laugh, the jokes et al. You mind has to decide as to what has to be given more importance- between choosing your toothbrush correctly or thinking about that person’s laughter. Maybe, that person is laughing coz You haven’t chosen your toothbrush correctly.

Time goes… you sit down and have tea/ breakfast. If you have amul butter and bread, you start smiling.You read the papers and smile. Your mom/dad notices the same. They see you reading the national news. They’d be thinking “What’s the good news…especially in National News??!!”. They’ll never know, neither will you coz u ain’t reading the news…You just on the same thoughts as before.

You leave for work. If you are the sort of a person who is always in his/her own world, then u may relate to this better. You are walking down the street, towards the bus stop. You come face to face with an acquaintance after a long time, and its someone with whom there was absolutely any good vibes with. Yet, you smile at that person unknowingly and ask ‘Hi, How’s u?” and pass on. I bet that they might be confused for the rest of the day.

Then you reach office. You greet the boss ‘Good morning’. They think ‘Ha! That smile will wear off in a few hours!(snigger!). You start to work. 6 hours into the day, that smile’s still there. That’s when the bosses come almost close to passing a decree” No one will smile/ keep smiling/(add anything with cheerfulness here)/ etc until close of work”. But they know they can’t…coz the smile’s so freakin’ infectious, that its already reached 90% of the working organization (The rest 6% being the bosses and the 4% being absentees/ on leave etc!) . They know you have won, yet they say “U do a lot of ‘Hasi-Majaak’. Concentrate on your work. You are a/an (put your work position here). You should be professional!” And that’s when you know that you have really seized the day…Carpe Diem!

You leave office, joking with colleagues about what the bosses had to say. The colleagues, then, find sanctity in knowing that such things do happen at office.You walk home…or you take the bus home. If you walk home, then it should be relevant to you (Maybe!).

You see all sorts of people… rich, poor, middle class…and yet their faces so stony! A lady drops her water-bottle down, and u go forward pick it up. She says ‘Thanks’…you say ‘Aaah! Chaal-se’. I dunno what the lady’s reaction would be, coz you see, I am still thinking about that person since morning.

You come home with that same smile (sometimes you don’t…’tis ok!). Mom nags…”Go have your bath fast and sit early for dinner so that everyone sleeps early”. You just stare back at her and smile. It may sometimes piss your mom off at that moment, but after that its so much better for her to be smiled at.

You dutifully have your dinner, read the papers, do something you may have pending…and by the time almost everyone sleeps, you put your office “bhramandhwani’ to good use. (That, btw, means ‘mobile phone’ in Marathi…ya really!)

You call up that person. You share your day with that person. That person shares that day with you. Then, with great sweet thoughts, you go to sleep. And just before your last “open-eyed” moments before sleep, you start to think about that wonderful effect that person has got on your life.

Many won’t understand why this has been written. Neither should people start “over-thinking” and try and find its hidden meanings…coz it has nothing hidden!

WYSIWYG! (What You See Is What You Get)

We may not always have the same situations for each person. What I am trying to say here is that we all will, One day, surely come across such a person. You may notice it at the 1^st time itself or it may take you a lifetime… but rest assured that moment will come.

Destiny, Fate, Kismet…they’re all there for a very good reason. Believe in what has to be believed. Fate might make your health bad one day..but remember, that it will be for a very good reason!! Trust me, I Know!

So believe in Destiny. Don’t try and be too dependant on it coz Destiny has 2 things that can overpower it-A person’s free-will and destiny’s honesty itself. Great things have happened to great people because of destiny’s hand. So, start believing in hope, that things will be alright in the end…

As my dear friend would say “Touchwood!”

Changing

Change:

Verb# make different; cause a transformation,Alter,become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature,Become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence,Lay aside, abandon, or leave for another,

Noun#An event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another

2 sets of definitions that provide an insight into this word...

Why is it the most feared word by many people-young and old alike? Why do people stop thinking the moment something changes?

People....

People change very quickly.
A relation can suddenly change its meaning overnight… be it a child growing into its teens or a parent entering their 50s…

People change.

You may have had a buddy who you thought would understand you throughout your life. That person does understand you, but in a different vein.

You may have had friends who you thought understood why you are so… now, they are gone…

You may have had a perfect Father-son relationship with your dad when you were a kid.

However, some years down the line, now... you detest him, though you hate to.

You had friends… Now they are nowhere near.

Someone you loved all your life... now you don’t.

Some one who you thought you loved… Now you don’t…

People…do change.

Why you ask….why do people change at the drop of the hat?

Then some stupid voice in your head says “Ask yourself why you have changed!”

You then try to find out what made you say that…

Then what follows is a beautiful cycle of pure confusion…

You think that someone changed because they had an indifferent attitude towards you. You then change your own behaviour towards that person. That person, on the other hand, thinks you have changed and that person changes their behaviour towards you.

This goes on and on…

So who is really at fault…? Me?

Half Yes, Half No….

You try telling people your point of views, and somehow you may put off so badly that it hurts your self belief.

During times when you never understood what was going on, no one came to tell you what was..That's when you learn stuff the hard way .

So even if You say,’I don’t care what u think’ people will have something to bite-back with…

See…noticed the change?

Think why…

If you are already pissed off, then don’t read… you’ve done more harm to yourself already.

People change…

Those people…plus a few more…

But those that matter…

And the few that almost did….

Wrenches the heart…. Takes away all life…

I don’t want you to know…

Coz the people who are a part of this are the same people who will never read this…

And the people who read this are people who don’t know me yet…

So, I have come to the conclusion- Change is inevitable...

No matter what you do, you must learn to deal with change...

Coz the world doesn't care if you missed the bus... it only cares about taunting when you do...

And if You do miss the bus...

Rent a new one!

God Bless.

"You say you wander your own land
But when I think about it
I don't see how you can
You're aching, you're breaking
And I can see the pain in your eyes
Says everybody's changing
And I don't know why

So little time
Try to understand that I'm
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But everybody's changing
And I don't feel the same

You're gone from here
And soon you will disappear
Fading into beautiful light
Cause everybody's changing
And I don't feel right

So little time
Try to understand that I'm
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But everybody's changing
And I don't feel the same

So little time
Try to understand that I'm
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But everybody's changing
And I don't feel the same"

-"Everybody's Changing"/Keane

Faith!

This came to me in an email forward... I feel I must share this with everyone...
An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty.

He asks one of his new students to stand and.....

Prof:So you believe in God?

Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good?

Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?

Student: Yes.

Prof:My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him.

Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm?

(Student is silent.)

Prof:You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?

Student:Yes.

Prof:Is Satan good?

Student: No.

Prof:Where does Satan come from?

Student:From...God...

Prof:That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student:Yes.

Prof:Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?

Student: Yes.

Prof:So who created evil?

(Student does not answer.)

Prof:Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?

Student:Yes, sir.

Prof:So, who created them?

(Student has no answer.)

Prof:Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you.

Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?

Student:No, sir.

Prof:Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student:No, sir.

Prof:Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student:No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof:Yet you still believe in Him?

Student:Yes.

Prof:According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist.What do you say to that, son?

Student:Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof:Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student:Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof:Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof:Yes.

Student:No sir. There isn't.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat.

But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that.

There is no such thing as cold . Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat

We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy . Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it .

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student:What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof:Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student :You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make
darkness darker, wouldn't you?

Prof:So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student:Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof:Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student:Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.

Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof:If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student:Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.)

Student:Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?

(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir.

With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof:I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH . That is all that keeps things moving & alive.


this is a true story, and the

student was none other than.........



APJ Abdul Kalam, the former president of India.

Redivivus

Credulous, I was, to fall into traps unknown….
Put myself in peril….
My soul’s dead long back…I feel
Dead the day I was born….
Naïve, stupid…. Avoirdupois…
Kind, Caring…..Gentle…
Lost battles, won battles…
Happiness evanescent…
Sadness lasting…
Jejune, my will was…
My nebulous life, now mondegreen…
Rambunctious my way of living…
Lassitude leading to things many…

Came a standstill…

Loved …and spirit broke of mine…
Nowhere to ask….now of me

Lied did I to myself…
To others….
A pseudoecho….

Avarice for happiness reverberates I,
Through valleys of concrete…
Not heard…

Gloom stays near…

The panacea,I realize, is me…

Let go…
Let go...
And I shall…

Peregrination … I must

Coz ‘people’ around me, I avaunt..

Ask me not why I wrote this…
People who know seek none…

Life’s too short to be dp’d;

Memento vivere
ad astra et ardua per aspera

Redivivus….

The Pianist and the Roads

The Pianist was running down the street...
He didn't know which road to take to cross the bridge....

He came to the 1st of the roads...
promised him a freedom...
said "Never"

He came to the 2nd...
promised him a hope
said he..."Never"

He came to the 3rd...
promised him a life immortal
said he..."Never"

He came to the 4th...
promised him an eternity
said he..."Never"

He came to the 5th...
promised him youth
said he..."Never"

He came to the 6th...
promised him all riches
said he..."Never"

At last,he came to road 7....
Asketh the road...
'Why decline so good their offers?"
Only then I promise u

Said the Pianist
"Ace:Freedom...from what?
My Music??
Never!"

"Deuce: New Hope?for what?
What I already hope??"
I'd rather Hope what I hope always...
We hope when we want things..
so craving and desires.... result in hope;credulous!

"Terzetto:Life immortal?
when death is so beautiful??
Never!!"

"Quatern:Eternity...of what??
Troubles...
Desires...
Life??...
You mock me...
Never"

"To Cinque:Youth....Ha!
So,essentially, I can't grow up....
I can't marry...
I can't drink beer....
I can't drive....
I can't do things i would want..
I'd have no feeling of what it is to be old...
so then,what is life???
hmmmph...never!"


"The 6th...the hexad...promised all riches
But what abt the poor....
whose riches i'll take?
free money.... without achievement!
amounts to stealing my conscience!
No...again!"

"Septet...You look wise...
Tell me Your promise...
If your offer is material....
I'd rather not cross you...."

"Septet says....
I promise you...
I will just let you cross"

The Pianist knew.....
The Pianist crossed...

The Pianist got what he wanted...

That is...

To cross a road across the bridge!

On the Paths-Part I

Walking down the lane of life...
Oh...so much strife....
One step I trod... the first time...
seemed to ask...why's there no rime...

Rime's nay coz it ain't the last....


Hearing the sounds of Gaia,
Echoin' against her terra firma....
pristine,her voice...so pure,
It was..her..great allure...

Trudging on its path....
travels endless...
existence existed...
Heard the nocturne....

I came to a tree...
Oh...was it free?
Roots take away its freedom...

I asked the tree..."why aren't you free?"
It looked in glee...It didn't answer me....

Glad question thy ask....
It said...
Roots aren't for me servitude....

I ask thee to know....
what would life be without them..
For Man,woman and child.... they are just 'roots'
For a sapling flora,
They are more than your worth....

Imagine.....
A day without support....
A day without legs...
A day with all weakness...

A day that most fear...

That,my friend, is what our roots are...

submerged,yet strong...
growing with us all day long...

They breathe life.... for us

....

I camped along on this night...near the tree...
the tree of so simple...yet full of wisdom....
against its warm barks i rested...
for another day the morning next....

As I lay,watching the owls on its hands...
thanking for a place to sleep....
slumbered too I did...
With lesson I know I need....

Roots.....

they do more ,than stay behind...

So for all the roots in my life....

Nik,Xau,Gary
Sam,Dumbo,,Ray,Fabe...
none in order...

A Deep thanks.....

Cheers!

I dunno what to write!

I don't know what to write today. I am completely blank today..
I thought I would write about the BSE Sensex going down and down...but then,It can always come up again tomorrow.

I thought I would write about the Indian cricket Team's pathetic performance at the Motera Test(76 all out!)...but then realised We can still square the series in the next match...

I thought of writing about the increasing inflation rate...but it can always come down tomorrow...

I thought of writing about f1 Racing,and how it is getting a tad boring.... but then thought of waiting for this season to get over....

I thought of writing about pessimism.... but realised I am a bit optimistic today....

Then...

I wrote all of this.

Shashi Tharoor-"Why some engineers become terrorists"

Hello...
Today in the Sunday Times of India, I came across a column by Shashi Tharoor "Why some engineers become terrorists",the link to read it online is given below:

Shashi Tharoor-Why some engineers become terrorists-The TOI 30.03.08

And here are my comments to it,which I have already posted to the editor online.

Dear Editor/Mr. Tharoor,
Your views on "Why some engineers become terrorists" made an interesting read. It also made me ponder.I am not an engineer,so I don't know the reason why...But,can this question also not be possible,that why some Terrorists go on to become engineers??
After all,by being a literature student,one can't possibly get access to the knowledge of how to make an effective bomb,right? So,as far as the study of the correlation between Engineers and terrorists goes,I don't agree with the conclusion.
As far as humanities in engineering is concerned,It seems a good idea.But it should not only be restricted to engineers alone..After all,not all 'terrorists' are engineers .Also,let's not make it too theoretical that it becomes 'just an other subject in the curriculum'.
Well written Mr Tharoor...
Regards,
Sudhir.