Come rains !!!

I had to go out of the office today in the afternoon to have lunch with Mom and Rahul. It was after around one month that i was out on the roads of the city at such afternoon hours. The incessant rains since the last 20-25 days had made the weather absolutely miserable with the constant wetness and moisture. Along with it the obligations of work had me locked in the air conditioned interiors of a posh corporate house. So either inside and outside, i was stuck in constant feeling of cold and boredom with no brightness and sunlight to enjoy.
Let me tell you, i enjoy the rains immensely. There was a time when i used to crave for rains to come and make everything wet and cool. Somehow rains used to make the dullest of the things come to life and make it beautiful. Even the footpaths along the tar roads would look beautiful with all the fresh grass growing alongside. But that was when i was in Akola and everything around had a different aspect to it. Basically being a hot place, rains were always welcomed by all in Akola. Rains used to be minimal and for a short while and the sorroundings would remain considerably dry with rare cases of dirt and mud ponds. It would be enjoyed immensely for the short time it stayed and in that short while it would turn everything into green and splendour.
But when it comes to Pune, rains are a constant hazard making everything dirty wet. Roads, societies, gardens, bus stands, stations, public places are all converted into huge dirt grounds and the constant wetness makes it almost impossible to go out without nauseating about the surrounding. There is stench everywhere, there is shit everywhere. And due to lack of sunlight, there is constant feeling of boredom, decay and depression. So much so that at some point i had started to hate the rains which i loved so much. I had even got to point of getting a phobia whenever it rained heavily.
In such a situation, it was plasant experience for me when a warm, bright sunlight fell on my face when i was outside the office premises. The rains had stopped in the morning itself and sun was shining proudly since long, soaring the temperature by 8-7 degrees. The mood in the environment immediately reflected in my heart and i started enjoying every moment of my driving. The traffic was usual high but even all the drivers seemed to be enjoying this sudden change in weather. The wetness on the roads was considerably lessened and the trees and leaves were all shining and giving off a divine radiance.I remembered Akola. I deliberately slowed down my pace and took much more time to reach the destination. We decided to eat outside in the open to enjoy the weather. While having lunch, i was thinking about this sudden change. I wondered about the natural phenomenon called rains. Strange how it has different meaning, aspects and different repercussion depending on the place and environment.
Never in my life had i thought that i would somehow start hating rains. But after today's experience, i realised that rains are after all just that - rains, when water pours down from the heavens. Whether i feel wet or fresh all depends upon where i am and what i think. I am off to enjoy the weather for now, and i am sure that next time when it rains real bad and everything changes to wet, i will have at least a different perspective about it rather than complaint.

Ek chehra !!!

I am glued. I am completely and absolutely glued. I just listened to that marvolously romantic song from a long forgotten film " Takshak " .


Khamosh raat . .
Sehmi hava . .
Tanha Tanha dil apna. .
Aur dooor kahi roshan hua
Ek chehra . . .
Ye sach hai ya sapna . . !!!

What an absolutely delightful experience.!!!
It feels so refreshing that sometimes some of the most neglected or forgotten songs are rediscovered by chance.
This is one song i had heard long ago and thought as a boring run-of-mill creation from the mystero A.R.Rehman himself.
But luckily, i found this song in one of my common songs folder and just out of habbit of random selection i played it. And to my utter delight, that was something which woke out all my tired senses. Now i am playing the song continuously for the 35th time i guess.
My God !! the guitar, the violins, the strings and finally that remarkably honest voice. .
Mr Roopkumar Rathod has woven magic with that honest, rasp and deep voice . . not to mention the feelings he induces in it.

When you hear "Ek chehraaa " you feel like going Ga Ga over the mood.
The mood and the feel of the lyrics is so convincingly captured out of the voice and the rhythm. There is one moment when in the background an entire symphony of guitars is being played complementary to the voice. . and its like soaring to some unknown heights and then again falling in a cool water with a splash.
Thats amazing.
I then thought about other such long forgotten songs which instantly makes us believe in the magic of music.
Take for Ex. Jane do naa - from chini Kam
Kismat se tum - from Pukaar
Aey kash ke hum - from Kabhi haa kabhi naa

All these are some of the most sensitive and sensuous songs created from Bollywood which i think havnt got their due popularity.
But whenever you listen to them, they do blend in with your emotions so convincingly, that it becomes mandatory to accept their beauty and splendour.
I am off to find out more such songs now.
In the mean time - Ek chehraaaa . . . !!!!!!!

Kausani - In the midst of Himalayas

Kausani / Kasauni
Once Gandhiji was residing here in Anashakti Ashram for some time .
And he loved the place so much that he called it mini Switzerland of India .
True to this metaphor, Kausani has maintained its tranquill environment and uncomparable beauty up to the core.

Kausani is a distinct hill station in the Bageshwar district of Uttrakhand and takes long to reach definitely. The nearest railway station is Kathgodam around 142 KM from Kausani. There is a daily train from Delhi to Kathgodam.Once you reach Kathgodam the road from here to Kausani is itself a bliss to travel. A two lane highway between lush green chinar, deodar and chritmas tree, bright hills and zig-zag routes takes you to Kausani in 4-4.5 hours. The weather is cold throughout and max. temperature is around 23 degrees. Kausani itself is situated in the midst of Kumaon Himalayas. The greatest attraction here is the view of snow clad peaks of Himalayas 180 degrees straight. Its an absolutely beautiful part of nature where you can feel the vastness, hugeness and the divinity of the great mountains. The peaks are black rocks and white snow sometimes sneaking above the clouds too. The 180 degrees view is the reason why Gandhiji called Kausani mini Switzerland. There are no tourist spots here, but most of the tourist come here to enjoy the peaceful life and wonderful weather. You can also visit the Anashakti Ashram where Gandhiji stayed.

Another place worth visiting here is the Baijnath Temple. These temples are a gruop of around 14-15 old stone structures which were build in 2nd century. Baijnath or Vaidyanath - the Shiva temples come under the archeological survey of india and are maintained in the finest conditions. Its around 15 km from Kausani.

Nainital, Almora, Ranikhet and Bhimtal are nearby hill stations in this part which are famous.
So if you are looking for a long holiday, you can plan a week long span for Nainital and Kausani. I am sure it will be a memorable trip.

Imp. Points : There is no market in Kausani, therefore no chance of shopping. Spare that for Nainital or Almora.
Most of the hotels here are cottages and resorts emphasizing on stay with nature and tranquility.

Home Sweet home !!!

This is too much !!! Home as a jail ????? Thats an absolutely ridiculous statement to make.
I was nearly going to fall down from my chair when i heard one of my friends talking about her home.
She has been living away from her family since she completed her HSC.But recently, due to a prolonged illness she had to take a leave for 1-1.5 months and go back to live at home. But since the first day itself, she started complaining about her stay. Its too hot here, there is load shedding, i cant watch TV, i get bored, etc etc etc. I realised the significant change the life style in the city has brought into her perspective. She even went on saying that she feels like being in jail and wants to run away to come back to her hip and happening life in the city.
Hey hey hey . . . hold on. I can imagine the emotional and physical aloofness she might feel at home due to a prolonged stay away. But to call home a jail is preposterous and extremely unthoughtful of her. This even when she doesnt have any life long obligation to stay at home.
I thought about the small trips I get to have to my home since i joined my company. How i crave to get some more time to spend there everytime. I get excited at the prospect and start planning for it quite early. Two-three days before the journey, i start day dreaming about the things i would do at home. My plans change according to the seasons and the changes they bring in the activities at home. This may sound stupid, but this is completely true and the intensity has not decreased even slightly in the last two years and approxiametely 25-26 trips ( thats 1 per month i guess ) i had to home.
True, summer is hot, but with summer come mangoes and a variety of fresh "kairi" and "amba" dishes to eat. There is no TV due to load shedding, but it brings mom, dad, brothers, sisters, cousins, dada-dadi together for a fun game of cards or carrom. Nights are spent sleeping on the terrace. There are pillow fights, ghost stories and star watching. Water tastes sweeter and cooler in summers. .
And about other seasons. . well mine is a place where i get to experience extremes of all the seasons. If summer is 47 deg then winters are 7 deg straight. But no one can imagine the feeling i get when early morning sunrays touch my skin during one of those colder days.. Its exilerating. I can sit hours under the thick shadow of gooseberry tree in the afternoon watching the swirling leaves and small fruits falling when they make a "Tup Tup" sound. What a beautiful sight it makes.
I thought of the numerous afternoons i had spent there, studying.
I remembered the times when my mom and my Aaji would sit in the courtyard after lunch to enjoy the warm weather. If somebody asks me the most memorable memory i have of child hood i would tell this - Aai and Baba reading newspaper, aaji chewing beatle leaf and making a typical sound with her "Adkitta" and me and my brother making a clay fort for the coming Diwali. Thats something which makes me instantly nostalgic. Again there are nights to enjoy hot coffee and sleep under warm "dulai" .

Everything looks green and beautiful when it rains. But at home, i feel the difference when the droplets fall on the big leaves of papaya tree - 4 feet tall. Thats a beauty i am sure no one can imagine. I feel like the entire greenery has accumulated on this one big leaf and its glowing in radiance to show the world its freshness and purity. There is no electric supply at night due to heavy rains sometimes. But i enjoy it tremendously in the candle light when i am inside a cozy blanket and all i can see are the wet drops through the stainglass window. The sounds outside add to the ambience.
These are all insignificant things if someone thinks practically, but somehow i have memories attached to these simple things scattered all through my childhood and teens, and thats what makes my stay at home most memorable everytime i go there. These things have somehow shaped my emotional and physical well being and they cant be erased now. I have not even mentioned the things that make me feel emotionally liberated from all the baggages when i am at home. My home is my paradise. And i think everyone should feel the same about their homes too. Atleast people who are close to my heart. If not, then they dont realise the treasure they are missing in there lives. How can one expect people to be caring and faithful for others if they dont feel any attachment to their homes - which have the most significant physical part in their upbringing.
My friends call me crazy, but if a get a chance, i will settle down at my home - some 30-35 years from now.
But right now i have a lecture to give to my irritated friend - hope she gets at least 10 % out of it.

Bithday - A truely beastly blessing - Shashi Tharur

This is an article written by Mr. Shashi Tharur in The Times of India on his own birthday. Surely he makes an interesting point here



Why do we celebrate birthdays? This is a perfectly serious question, prompted by the fact that today happens to be mine. I will receive cards, phone calls and messages of congratulation from family and friends, all for having accomplished — what exactly? Nothing more than merely emerging 52 years ago. Whereas the person who did all the hard work that day, the one whose effort and sacrifice and pain resulted in the fortuitous event — my mother — will be ignored by all and sundry.

She will go to the temple, as usual, and feed the poor, as she has done on each of her children’s birthdays for decades. But no one will congratulate her for what she accomplished on that March Shivratri day more than five decades ago. Instead, the tributes will come to the least deserving beneficiary: the person whose only real challenge on that occasion was to be able to manage to breathe.

Yes, life is unfair, especially for mothers. And yet, it’s true that each passing birthday marks a milestone on the road of life, something by which to measure the way you have lived. Not that most of us use birthdays for that purpose: usually it is the occasion for a party, and for the more spiritually-minded, for prayer; some spend it with close family, others with raucous friends; but few use it to take stock of what they have done and where they are going.

Indeed, it takes landmark birthdays to prompt that sort of self-assessment. In my case, 30 did it: it was, after all, the age when my cricketing heroes began to think of retirement, and up till that point i had thought of age entirely in relation to the careers of cricketers, most of whom, in those days, were over the hill by 30.

So at 30 I took a long hard look at my life and concluded that there was a great deal more I needed to do to justify my presence on the planet. Thirty was far more significant a threshold than 40, which passed by scarcely noticed. When I was a child that would have surprised me, for 40 had used to seem forbiddingly middle-aged, the point at which all potential had been exhausted, the beginning of an inexorable descent into decrepitude.

But by the time I got there, 40 seemed to me to be an insignificant age, populated by striplings and rising stars and the leaders of tomorrow, rather than a turning point. Perhaps, it is a reflection of the enhanced longevity of our times that the mid-point has been raised: 40 is still young today, and 50 is the new 40.

But what does that mean? No one I know who has reached 50 seems ready to be put to pasture. The days when office-goers contemplated retirement at 55 are gone almost everywhere, even in the hidebound confines of Indian government service, which now expects its bureaucrats to toil until 60 (and rumour has it that may soon rise to 62).

During my years as a manager at the UN, I used to find it deeply frustrating to lose some of my best staff at 60, an age when many of them seemed to be in the prime of their professional lives and had never been more assured or more productive. (Some, particularly from developing countries, would attempt to claim that their original birth certificates were wrongly filled in or subsequently doctored, a claim whose plausibility was undermined by the fact that they chose to reveal this only when they turned 59.)

Then came 50: an alarming age which seemed to suggest the imminence of irrelevance. At 50, no one can plausibly be described any more as "young" (an adjective that had dogged me all my life), or as "up-and-coming" or as an exciting new talent. By 50, you should have pretty much made your mark; for 99.99% of the human population, you know that in the race of life you are closer to the finish line than the starting gate.

And so 50 tends to be a landmark you notice. Intrepid gerontologists may come up with long lists of people whose major accomplishments occurred after they turned 50, but in most cases, 50 represents the narrowing of possibilities, the closing of avenues, both personal and professional. Choices you haven’t made till 50 are no longer available for you to make.

Of course, there are professions where this isn’t true: Indian or Japanese politics, for instance, where you have to be at least 50 to be taken seriously at all. But even your body reminds you daily of the things you can no longer do without feeling the consequences. Comedians tell you that if you wake up after 50 and don’t feel a nagging pain anywhere, you’re probably dead.

But I'm still here, unless I’m struck by the proverbial bus between sending this column to my editor and waking up on Sunday morning. Fifty-two isn’t a landmark of any sort; it is an age of no particular distinction. It’s the sort of age which, if it were a cricketing score, would carry an asterisk, meaning "not out": innings still going on, much more to do, plenty of batting still to come. The new ball has been weathered, some of the uneven bounce in the wicket mastered (or at least understood), an intelligent estimate of the field taken, and the bowling sized up.

Of course, the bat is now a bit worn, smudged both from the fours that went off the meat of the bat and the nicks and edges that accompanied your scoring, but you’re still there and the great cosmic umpire doesn’t seem to be readying to raise his finger. Fifty-two not out! You squint into the sun. Would somebody please move that sightscreen?

God in a Gucci - Shobhaa De'

This is an article written by Mrs. Shobhaa De in sunday Times life for the column "God in a Gucci". I really couldnt find any other better argument on this subject. .


IT is important to de-link spiritualism from religion. I believe that a religious person can be deeply spiritual and not be seeking anything. Not even God. A spiritual approach to life is far more important to one's sense of well-being than blindly following religious texts and rituals. The idea of GOD is a reflection of man's own insecurity. The most pathetic aspect of this is the way in which we foolishly fight over 'our' gods. Claiming superiority of one over the other, as if these various gods are competing in some absurd religious Olympics, featuring winners and losers. Belief is personal and frequently irrational. Nobody has the right to question it. Or declare a race to the finish line. Why do we hanker after 'answers'? Who has them? Has anybody met God? Since I am not really looking for God, I don't feel the need to search for Him. Or Her. Or 'It'.

As for whether one can be wearing an expensive Gucci or Cavalli and still be deeply religious, and whether we can be sexy and religious, materialistic as well as spiritual, and whether one precludes the other, I would say, it is not a valid debate at all.

What a person thinks, feels, is the key to understanding the bigger picture. To equate wealth with evil is to confuse issues. Not every rich person in designer gear is morally decrepit, just as not every poor person in rags is a saint. Nobody has been able to 'explain' inequalities. These value judgements are childish and irrelevant. Besides, even the most evolved ascetic can slip up and make terrible mistakes. That is the challenge of being humane and human. To think of God as an allseeing, stern headmaster, punishing the wicked, and rewarding the meek, makes the Almighty sound pretty dreadful! These are small consolations we dream up for ourselves, that's all.

There are thousands of people who put everyday life on hold to go off in pursuit of happiness or spiritualism, outside the realm of daily concerns. It's a matter of personal choice. Who can challenge that? It is an individual option. Only someone who has taken this route can comment on its validity, that too, in a strictly personal context. What compels an individual to go down this path? Who knows?? I am sceptical at the best of times since I have yet to meet a 'genuine' fakir. Renunciation is for those who can't cope with domesticity and life's petty struggles or simply refuse to.

I abhor rules and regulations that dictate to me what I should do if I want to reach God. These man-made pre-conditions were created in a specific historical scenario to offer guidelines that would discipline those the state could not effectively subdue. They have little relevance in an age where individual freedom precedes virtually everything else. Religion offers a matrix for those incapable of thinking for themselves. Organised religion is politics by another name — a way to control people through fear and punishment. It is easy to manipulate the uneducated, ignorant masses by talking of God's 'wrath'. This gives God a bad name!!

Seeking God does not necessarily have to be about listening to the silence within. I am not attracted to silence. I like chaos and noise. I can generally reach the spot I need to within myself, by concentrating on it briefly. This can happen even in the midst of cacophony. I love visiting temples, churches and mosques. I feel energised by the atmosphere. Other people's faith touches me deeply.

People, the world over, get possessive about 'their' God and spend time looking for imagined insults, and reacting to them. A confident believer is not as easily rattled. If Cavalli decides to put some image on inner wear, does that make God any less important? Or does it reflect Cavalli's ignorance? True spiritualism frees you from such bondage. It liberates while it celebrates differences. When our very existence is so ephemeral, why look for 'concrete' proof? God can wear Gucci, a dhoti or nothing at all. It's all about loving an illusion.

Compilations

India is blessed with some of the most extraordinarily talented and creative writers. But most of their work is scattered somewhere in the pages of newpapers or magzines. While some part of novels or stories can also be worth pondering over.
In this section i have tried to collect all that I find interesting and something really worth thinking.
Enjoy Reading.
Hope you all like it.