A Journey- from Innocence to Survival

It was an unusual day. Our times, on the verge of the millennium, it was not a way of life to go out with friends independently. One of the first few times was a movie outing with a close friend. Enjoying the thrills of Titanic, the day turned out pretty eventful.

When I spotted him, I know he was a 'nice guy'. A smart fellow, decently dressed, emanating respect and courtesy, naturally thoughtful, he approached the two of us. And as I look back, it was destined for us to meet and yet be apart.

All along, he has always been there for me- just a call away! Ready to guide, to share, to be a mentor... All that a growing teenager would want, he provided and that too, in a very safe space. Unable to distinguish categories at that age, he is a friend and more than that, he is a man I respect a lot. A few men have the demeanour of being looked upto in my life and I am proud to say that he is one of them. I have seen him as someone who is a special part of my life, sharing a bond that is unique in ways more than one.

As life progressed and "settling" myself took priority, I called him rarely. He has always been fine with anything- from calling him everyday to just one call each year on his birthday. Never did I hear a tone of complaint in his voice. At times, we are unconscious with our behaviour and have no idea of what we are doing. 

We meet often now (often- once in few months!). I have seen him digress from what the real him is. I wish I could tell him, "I would love to have that guy back who I met 14 years ago." He seems far away from who he is. There seems to be layers that he allowed to be covered with all these years. Time, metro life, experiences and women have turned him into a reckless person, someone whose existence is mainly for survival. From being a man of extraordinary sensitivity and thoughtfulness it feels that he has left his being far behind. 

One day, he will be back and I hope that day comes sooner, rather than later. Love has the highest frequency and each event in life makes us closer to loving more and not the other way around.

Your people want to tell you something... Dear Sun, don't drift away. It is time for you to "return home" and radiate your light...

Swach Bharat

Being judgemental and opinionated by nature, many human beings would say or do things that may have little relevance in the bigger context of the world operations.

As citizens of India, we would (and still do at times) wonder why India could not be as clean as Singapore and why it did not develop at the rate Singapore did. The action plan implemented by Singapore after it got independent status from the Britishers was quite different to that of India. Although they faced similar problems of poverty and management issues, they adopted a strict and a no-nonsense policy that turned them around in less than four decades and made them what they are today. We can not refute the difference in the count of people for each country- the vast population of India and the cultural diversity that we interact with pretty much assimilate the world into it.

As kids, we were sworn in by our school authorities not to throw garbage on the road and I remember following it from early days of my life itself. Needless to say, I had to go through comments like, "Are you mad, no one cares.", "there is so much of garbage here, what difference will it make if you don't throw?", "I can't let my car be dirty so it is better to litter on the road" etc. I stuck to my view of no littering. AT that time, I just knew of a neighbour who followed the same policy. Today, I see people being receptive to it. They might not follow it but are respectful that someone else does. People who go out with me definitely know that they can't throw things out of the window, on the road...

With Mr. Narender Modi launching "Swach Bharat" ("Clean India") Campaign on the birth date of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, the country seems to be on a upswing in terms of some REAL development. I would never negate the importance of economic and political aspect; the development of people's mindset, for me, is what develops a nation, in reality. In the awe of Mr. Modi, many people are likely to take up the initiative of cleaning their cities, their work places and their homes...

Let us see if governance like that of Singapore is required to keep it clean or a campaign launched by the Prime Minister is enough. I am sure he will not hesitate to administer a fine on the people who litter on the road if they don't "get it" in this polite and a humble manner...

Along with cleaning our surroundings, why don't we take a step ahead and clean our past, clean the "garbage" of our lives, clean up with people and give up grudges that have never served us and will never do? Think about it!

Emotions Un-plugged

My profession is my life and there is nothing that defines personal and professional life for me... And it is not a complaint! I love it like that. My field of studying human behaviour to produce valuable results encompasses a job of 10 to 5... And hence, with time, observation of human beings is a part of me now.

Having a fractured foot, I went to see the doctor today morning for a review. There were a lot of patients there, some sitting there impatiently waiting for their chance to come, others fiddling with their phone. Some movement at a little distance caught my attention and bought an instant smile in my being, in spite of a painful fractured bone. A young man held a baby around his chest, walking back and forth the path in front of the reception. In the crowd of about 60-80 people who were sitting in the basement of that hospital, I could not take my eyes off them. I figure out much later that both he and his child was average looking so their physical beauty has nothing to do with the one of the most beautiful moments I have seen in the world (nature is very beautiful; humans protraying such beauty is  indeed a rare sight!)


So tempted to take their photograph; I decided not to breach their private moments by capturing it without taking consent. He was just walking in a small area and constantly talking to his child (seems a girl child; not too sure though). The baby was very small, perhaps 6 months old. He was constantly chatting with him and it seemed as if the baby could understand it all and responded as well. That was a scene of absolute unconditional love for me. A few times, he tickled her on her foot, and she smiled back, being flly aware and participating in the conversation with her father. Then he would go back to speaking with her and tell her stories, may be, and she was there with him at all times. It even looked to me as if they were one, just two physical bodies, otherwise one being. This went on for about half an hour that I waited there. Few minutes later, his wife came out and started chatting. Just moments later, he was back to spendin time with his baby. He started to play with the baby now taking her in his arms and she smiled.

Their bond seemed so eternal and sacred. I felt a warmth in me that ran from head to toe, having experienced emotions flowing without any apprehensions and expectations. It was like a pure pristine diamond, flawless and complete in itself, not wanting anything from outside.

The picture of the young man and his baby would linger onto my mind for days to come. It was one such moment for me when I felt nothing else matters- all their is love, unconditional love and happiness is then just a by-product...

Image courtesy- 123rf.com

A traveller, a wanderer, an explorer- I define myself as these and you might hear me say- if given a chance, I would just roam around the world and never settle.

Sitting in a cafe here with strangers around me. Not a single  familiar face though as I look around, all friendly ones!) and all Israelis (naa, I am not a racist! Nope!!!). The English music adds to the ambience with the paintings of Ganesha and Buddha put all around. Just reading messages on whatsaapp, a moment of truth occurs- this gets as close as it can, to the DIVINE. Pure and simple, just mere writing it down undermines it and I wonder how can I ever explain what I just wrote...

You know its' just a feeling of being complete and sitting in the presence of the Divine- it is a, The, Space of Expansion. Have no idea how am I getting it here- amidst conversations, smell of "camel" smoke, a foreign language and a glass of lemongrass tea in my hand. 

And as  look up to see the cafe yet gain, the faces look so familiar and peaceful. I am sure, each is fighting his/ her own battle and yet they seem just fine... As it is said "all there is is... Just Now!"- and how on earth will have you have something that bothers you in the now!!!

-Connected-

Strangers saying hello; bumping into each other at meal time or evening coffee or even a stroll and then sharing their life, dreams, passions and thier authentic true self; even food spakes volumes about human beings and their natural urge to connect.

I once heard that a soul intreacts with the same soul birth after birth and given that all of us are from the same source, same light, we are always connected yet separated; like the spokes of the wheel- each spoke is what makes the wheel work with perfection. Any flaw anywhere will not lead to 100% efficiency. And yet as the biclycle (bike etc.) keeps moving, the spokes remain connected, yet separated... Not knowing that unknowingly, they touch and do make a difference all the time.