Saturday, November 5, 2016
Monday, July 4, 2016
The man whose name should have been 'Endurance'
Pt. Seshagiri Krishnappa Hangal, Anna (meaning brother), as me and everyone fondly called him, was my grandfather and a man to be truly looked up to for inspiration, for the saintly life he lived. Every time I think about this great soul, a tear rolls down my cheek, not because he faced the lifelong hardship of having to rely on crutches to walk and move around, but for the unfathomable reason behind his willpower and strength. I wondered as I spent more time with him, what gave him so much strength to endure pain and suffering like any other person, while he himself was crippled since childhood!
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| The handsome Seshagiri Hangal in hues of young and old along with his beautiful mother, Radhabai Krishnappa Hangal |
The fondest memory I have of him is that he gifted me my first 'glaze' or 'cork' ball cricket bat and every time I went to my ancestral home in Dharwad to meet him, he enquired enthusiastically about the cricket bat and ensured that it was being used well. His attention to details was remarkable and he enquired about the wellbeing of everyone, and not just those close to him. His compassion was ever present, and that is why it made everyone really sad to have seen him lose memory in the latter stages of his life. To quote one of his life experiences, a cat after much seeking and not finding help, came to our ancestral home in Dharwad. The cat was so fond of him that it never ate unless he fed it with his own hands. With his tender and loving hands he nurtured the cat and made it feel loved. This was one among several instances where my beloved grandpa gave love to every being looking for love. In his final moments, God almighty must have taken note of such acts of kindness, because he passed away, having made a permanent home in mine and everyone else's hearts.
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| 94th birthday, October 10th 2015; Anna's last birthday with us, now etched in our memories forever!!! |
My grandfather struggled all his life so that those close to him did not suffer. Ills and pains of the body are one that we can invariably learn to live by, but my grandpa had to face harsh circumstances and severe challenges from a society that struggles hard to look beyond the external appearances of everyone and everything. The endurance of such immense mental agony was never to be seen on his beautiful face as he always wore a smile, a smile so bright that it lit up the whole universe. So that is why my friends, I choose to remember this great soul as a man who walked this earth on 'one' foot and accomplished more than anyone could imagine, one who really should have been named 'Endurance'. Yes, each and every enduring moment I come face to face with, I will remember Seshagiri Krishnappa Hangal because he teaches me how to live without self-pity but with great pride, without hate but deep love in our souls. That gives me strength which cannot be explained in words. I hope you will too.
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| Padma Vibhushan Smt. Gangubai Hangal and her daughter, Smt. Krishna Hangal were my grandfather's best life companions. Truly inseparable in spirit!!! |
Love and Peace
Friday, March 4, 2016
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
An industry perspective: Prime factor that has proved counterproductive to
the growth prospects of solar industry.
Open source is the buzzword today, has been for quite some time
now and it is buzzfeeding your imagination on a constant basis. This is
especially true when it comes to applied sciences and more so in the field of
engineering which involves critical processes i.e. design and development.
Products and services from one company/brand can no
longer monopolise the markets, because, very soon a better version of that
product/service has already made the cut in the market. And the speed of
reverse engineering and innovation is so fast that it is faster than the speed
of light. Ah, you may say nothing travels faster than the speed of light, but
do we know that? No, we don't, really! Anyways, useless arguments aside, open
source innovation is not just good, it is very good as customers can decide
which product or service best meets their requirements and which does not! The
customer/consumer no longer has to bow down. However, something that is very
good has the tendency to flip to the darker side. And this is absolutely fatal
as Oscar Wilde says 'A little sincerity
is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely
fatal.' Replace sincerity with goodness and you have it. :)
The solar industry, both solar thermal and solar
PV industry has witnessed and experienced the flip-side of this open
source in-thing approach to developing products and services for the markets,
especially in India. India is a Jugaad country, and everyone here, me included,
look for cheaper alternatives to the standard more expensive ones. At the
start, the markets were not flooded with mobile phone makers and the only
brands available were Nokia (which was once synonymous with mobile phones),
Motorola, etc. Now, there are so many options available, it leaves even the
more conservative and clear headed consumer utterly confused and the more
confused ones cannot make a decision. What has this got to do with solar
industry one may ask? While open source innovation has helped the mobile phones
market, it has vastly hindered the growth of the solar market. Whereas the
mobile phone market had established manufacturers such as Nokia and Motorola to
start with, the solar industry in India had small time manufacturers and system
integrators working on critical products and services. This has cost the
industry BIG time. There is no problem if an individual or group of
individuals, driven by the passion for solar energy is serving the markets with
newer products and services. Newer, however, does not mean better! The problem
therefore lies with the quality and reliability of these products and services.
Most of these products don’t work and this means, no service or shoddy service
approach by integrators. This acute lack of customer focus has transformed the
solar industry sector into something of a non performer. Several times I have
heard customers say, solar products don’t work, take them away. Convincing the
customers otherwise has been the biggest challenge to solar players who are
working hard to clear some of the misconceptions created by small time
integrators.
The bottom line is that open source innovation of
hardware is a highly challenging prospect, which comes with a heap of problems
and if they are not tackled at the root level, we will create immense mess in
the name of awareness. Only recently, IIT Bombay has started a competition for
design of solar lanterns, one which aims at addressing this problem. Much needs
to be done in this regard as standard practices in product development have
been violated; skewed benchmarks have been set when it comes to pricing of
products & services and financial outlay of projects. A much more
deliberate approach is absolutely necessary for the solar industry to become a
prime sector, one that creates jobs, delivers energy security and thrives in
the long run.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Fished out from memory
Oh my dear grandmother!
You fed me juicy fish,
And fulfilled my wish
You told me to eat the fish's head to make my wits sharper
But the very thought of it made me nauseous and lather
Eat the fish's head will you? You said again and again
Though we never came to terms,
I am still sorry for not holding up my end of the bargain
Now there is nobody to tell me to eat what I do not feel like
Yet, I am ready to overcome this feeling of disgust and dislike
Oh my dear grandmother!
You fed me juicy fish,
And fulfilled my wish
You told me to eat the fish's head to make my wits sharper
But the very thought of it made me nauseous and lather
Eat the fish's head will you? You said again and again
Though we never came to terms,
I am still sorry for not holding up my end of the bargain
Now there is nobody to tell me to eat what I do not feel like
Yet, I am ready to overcome this feeling of disgust and dislike
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Why do you enchant me? Why? Why? Why?
I am head over heels for you.
Your presence to me is like heavenly manna dew.
The primordial essence that resides within you,
has completely enchanted me of which i have no clue.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The all elusive answer
I was looking out of the window staring into the beautiful nothingness of space, gleaming under the brilliant rays of the bright sun. I was suddenly reminded of this corner in my old room which is actually very dark, lit only by a bright patch of sunlight that peeks into the room. The patch of light always seemed to enjoy its space with tiny dust particles dancing with joy in the backdrop, expressing their happiness and gratitude to the bright patch of light for helping them “come into light”. The tiny space that this patch of light occupied was sometimes taken by shadows of clothing hung outside, birds that once in a while perched on the railing in the balcony. With its space under threat, the bright patch of sunlight struggled to take back what rightfully was ‘its space’. Sometimes whenever the wind blew the clothes swayed and their shadows occupied the space of the ‘bright patch’ and at times it was the shadow of the birds chirping and singing. And then I used to wonder “was the space that this tiny bright patch of sunlight occupied illusory or real?, because whenever a dark shadow was cast on the bright patch it was only the projection of physical objects outside, then why was this patch of light struggling and fighting so much for its space?” I never got a reasonable answer or explanation to my inquiry... until...
Staring as I was... at nothing... my attention was soon to be awoken by the voices of children playing in the park that was visible from the window. It belonged to the school located within our community. The park had an enlightened lush green look on the outside! It had just rained and the brilliant rays of sun seemed to form a halo around it... was such a pretty sight indeed! The park scene looked prettier from my window with exuberant children making those hard to ignore shrill noises with their youthful voices. Their laughter was addictive like the smell of earth after those rains. I at times went for a stroll in the park for fresh air, but mostly for a smoke. Whatever it was, that park always refreshed my being. Well my times at the park could be seen as high points in my life during those mundane and boring days.
At that time it was surprising to say the least because I had never before seen so many children in that park. For sure I knew that the school had a small intake of students and even smaller attendance every day, but that day was something I couldn’t fathom with the large assembly of children in the park. I walked down the stairs of my house and slipped just as I was about to get down from the last step. I was soaking wet, but nothing happened. In the past, I had broken bones when I got involved in fist fights with friends or foe, or just while playing cricket or football. That day you could call me lucky because I was not getting any younger and my bones were getting brittle by the day.
I stepped out of my house and walked right into the park. I had no time to look at the surreal beauty of nature that surrounded me. I was far too curious to know what was going on in the park. It seemed like children were registering themselves for some kind of event. I pitied them as I felt they were being brainwashed into joining the event; the thing as a child is that we are all prone to being brainwashed into walking the path of the herd, what we call ‘peer pressure’ starts from our childhood and it follows into our adolescence, then into adulthood and finally into old age. I looked closely into the registration form that was being filled by one of the kids. I did not ask him lest I should scare him away... I had not shaved for months now and with terribly curled up long hair the kid would certainly get scared... However, the kid himself spoke up “hello bro...” he said... I was taken aback, hello bro??? I heaved a sigh of relief and felt nice that he did not call me uncle (or something to that effect!) but was nevertheless thrown into a state of shock by the generation gap... hello bro??? I smiled at him, doing my best to control my laughter. Hi! I said to him “What’s your name bro? I asked, giving him a friendly nudge... “I am Andhakaar bro! I know it’s a weird name but that’s what I got from my intelligent parents”. “It’s a nice name Andhakaar.” I said trying to pacify the already agitated kid. “How old are you?” “I am 13” he said. So what brings you and your bros here buddy? “Hmm...” Trying to recollect something, he said “Nothing much bro, we are just enrolling ourselves for the football coaching camp which starts tomorrow. If you are also enrolling for this bro, beware! We play really tough and rough game so bring your shin-guards and all other guards that can guard your vital body parts!” “No buddy just came to watch what was going on here.” I was silently pleased with myself that kids of today showed so much love for the beautiful game “Joga Bonito” as they call it. I myself love the game and so I empathised with the kid’s passion for the game. Ahhhhh...
I heard a painful cry... it seemed like that of a child. I heard the cry but could not find the person who was crying. People standing around were equally perplexed. I wanted to get to the bottom of this and find out the truth. I patiently looked around and at last I found a child almost the same age of the exuberant Andhakaar, whom I had met earlier. This child was crying and the cry was so painful that it pierced my very being and sent a cold-shiver down my spine. In my experiences with life I have never felt, seen or heard anything more painful than the ‘cry of the child’. Then I realised; the emotional person that I was, I would end up getting into a soup if I did something to help the kid. Nevertheless I asked his name. He said his name was Ujjwal. “What are you doing out here Ujjwal? Where is your mother?” I asked him... He said “I have no mother or father. Never seen them...” After sometime he said “but I love playing football. I too want to enrol for this camp. Can you help me?” He asked... with the tears rolling down the cheeks, becoming one with the mucous from his nose. The cold-shiver became more piercing... I asked myself what I should do. I knew I was an emotional person; however emotions are hardly a matter of consequence in the modern world. Nevertheless I listened to my heart. I got him enrolled for the football camp and the gleam in his eyes were enough to tell me why everyone, everything, every being is always struggling to survive, trying to look for its space in this oceanic existence.
As I walked towards home, I kept thinking about that tiny bright patch of light trying to struggle its way out, into the space that it truly deserves and whether its fight for existence was nothing short of what Ujjwal was going through in his life... I can never really answer whether the space that we are fighting for is real or simply an illusion. It is all about accepting things the way they are and letting the sun illuminate that patch of darkness in our lives rather than defy or go against them. The least that I can do is extend my hand into that helping space.
I could not help but imagine that patch of light at that moment. That patch of light “a ray of hope” for us; this walk of life is hard but one who fights will have his rights, I said to myself.
Staring as I was... at nothing... my attention was soon to be awoken by the voices of children playing in the park that was visible from the window. It belonged to the school located within our community. The park had an enlightened lush green look on the outside! It had just rained and the brilliant rays of sun seemed to form a halo around it... was such a pretty sight indeed! The park scene looked prettier from my window with exuberant children making those hard to ignore shrill noises with their youthful voices. Their laughter was addictive like the smell of earth after those rains. I at times went for a stroll in the park for fresh air, but mostly for a smoke. Whatever it was, that park always refreshed my being. Well my times at the park could be seen as high points in my life during those mundane and boring days.
At that time it was surprising to say the least because I had never before seen so many children in that park. For sure I knew that the school had a small intake of students and even smaller attendance every day, but that day was something I couldn’t fathom with the large assembly of children in the park. I walked down the stairs of my house and slipped just as I was about to get down from the last step. I was soaking wet, but nothing happened. In the past, I had broken bones when I got involved in fist fights with friends or foe, or just while playing cricket or football. That day you could call me lucky because I was not getting any younger and my bones were getting brittle by the day.
I stepped out of my house and walked right into the park. I had no time to look at the surreal beauty of nature that surrounded me. I was far too curious to know what was going on in the park. It seemed like children were registering themselves for some kind of event. I pitied them as I felt they were being brainwashed into joining the event; the thing as a child is that we are all prone to being brainwashed into walking the path of the herd, what we call ‘peer pressure’ starts from our childhood and it follows into our adolescence, then into adulthood and finally into old age. I looked closely into the registration form that was being filled by one of the kids. I did not ask him lest I should scare him away... I had not shaved for months now and with terribly curled up long hair the kid would certainly get scared... However, the kid himself spoke up “hello bro...” he said... I was taken aback, hello bro??? I heaved a sigh of relief and felt nice that he did not call me uncle (or something to that effect!) but was nevertheless thrown into a state of shock by the generation gap... hello bro??? I smiled at him, doing my best to control my laughter. Hi! I said to him “What’s your name bro? I asked, giving him a friendly nudge... “I am Andhakaar bro! I know it’s a weird name but that’s what I got from my intelligent parents”. “It’s a nice name Andhakaar.” I said trying to pacify the already agitated kid. “How old are you?” “I am 13” he said. So what brings you and your bros here buddy? “Hmm...” Trying to recollect something, he said “Nothing much bro, we are just enrolling ourselves for the football coaching camp which starts tomorrow. If you are also enrolling for this bro, beware! We play really tough and rough game so bring your shin-guards and all other guards that can guard your vital body parts!” “No buddy just came to watch what was going on here.” I was silently pleased with myself that kids of today showed so much love for the beautiful game “Joga Bonito” as they call it. I myself love the game and so I empathised with the kid’s passion for the game. Ahhhhh...
I heard a painful cry... it seemed like that of a child. I heard the cry but could not find the person who was crying. People standing around were equally perplexed. I wanted to get to the bottom of this and find out the truth. I patiently looked around and at last I found a child almost the same age of the exuberant Andhakaar, whom I had met earlier. This child was crying and the cry was so painful that it pierced my very being and sent a cold-shiver down my spine. In my experiences with life I have never felt, seen or heard anything more painful than the ‘cry of the child’. Then I realised; the emotional person that I was, I would end up getting into a soup if I did something to help the kid. Nevertheless I asked his name. He said his name was Ujjwal. “What are you doing out here Ujjwal? Where is your mother?” I asked him... He said “I have no mother or father. Never seen them...” After sometime he said “but I love playing football. I too want to enrol for this camp. Can you help me?” He asked... with the tears rolling down the cheeks, becoming one with the mucous from his nose. The cold-shiver became more piercing... I asked myself what I should do. I knew I was an emotional person; however emotions are hardly a matter of consequence in the modern world. Nevertheless I listened to my heart. I got him enrolled for the football camp and the gleam in his eyes were enough to tell me why everyone, everything, every being is always struggling to survive, trying to look for its space in this oceanic existence.
As I walked towards home, I kept thinking about that tiny bright patch of light trying to struggle its way out, into the space that it truly deserves and whether its fight for existence was nothing short of what Ujjwal was going through in his life... I can never really answer whether the space that we are fighting for is real or simply an illusion. It is all about accepting things the way they are and letting the sun illuminate that patch of darkness in our lives rather than defy or go against them. The least that I can do is extend my hand into that helping space.
I could not help but imagine that patch of light at that moment. That patch of light “a ray of hope” for us; this walk of life is hard but one who fights will have his rights, I said to myself.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
You and me
You are present in my heart
Through your timeless art
Your thoughts flow in my dreams
Like the fresh river streams
The innocent smile that you always wore
Has spread childlike happiness to my innermost core
Your music became the voice of my soul
When i began to see life as a whole
You felt pain and underwent suffering like an ordinary being
But your saintliness was for me to see in your simple living
I really miss your artistic rendering to the evening raga
This has been brought to a close by the ending of this saga
Why i cannot write any longer, i have no clue
It could be that this art fails in front of you
As the heaven welcomes your coming to immortality
The mother earth beckons my awakening to reality
The sadness in my life after you have gone
Is for you to live and sing an eternal song
Through your timeless art
Your thoughts flow in my dreams
Like the fresh river streams
The innocent smile that you always wore
Has spread childlike happiness to my innermost core
Your music became the voice of my soul
When i began to see life as a whole
You felt pain and underwent suffering like an ordinary being
But your saintliness was for me to see in your simple living
I really miss your artistic rendering to the evening raga
This has been brought to a close by the ending of this saga
Why i cannot write any longer, i have no clue
It could be that this art fails in front of you
As the heaven welcomes your coming to immortality
The mother earth beckons my awakening to reality
The sadness in my life after you have gone
Is for you to live and sing an eternal song
My legendary grandmother's celestial abode.
The doyenne of Hindustani Classical music Gangubai Hangal passed away on the 40th anniversary of the moon landing (July 21st 2009). The very next day (July 22nd 2009) was the cremation, which was also a day when the total solar eclipse was observed. As one of her many grandsons, I have the sweetest memories of being with her in my childhood. While I was present during the last rites, I could not stop relating her grand arrival on this beautiful earth with certain celestial occurrences.
In the form of moon she landed on our soil and when the time came she became the moon and left the earth. On the subsequent day, her blaze of glory was for all to see, when the sun was spectacularly eclipsed by the moon.
Her lasting impressions of life and legendary music is going to be there with mankind forever.
- Bharat Barki
In the form of moon she landed on our soil and when the time came she became the moon and left the earth. On the subsequent day, her blaze of glory was for all to see, when the sun was spectacularly eclipsed by the moon.
Her lasting impressions of life and legendary music is going to be there with mankind forever.
- Bharat Barki
A journey that was not the same
* - Grandmother in Kannada
After the days without Ajji*,
When we left Deshpandenagar
For boarding the train to Hyderabad,
Those loving and caring hands
That always waved at us were missing,
‘Ganga Lahari’ wasn’t the same.
When we moved on the road and took the left turn to the main road, and
While beating that path to the station through the Circuit House
Deshpandenagar wasn’t the same.
The journey to Hubli railway station
Through the Desai cross until the railway station, the
Time came to a standstill and we were not moving.
With hearts heavy and eyes swollen
Our life fallen,
The way to railway station wasn’t the same.
After we reached the railway station, where
On the platform we had walked several times
With Ajji and her cherished companionship,
The Hubli railway station wasn’t the same.
Throughout the journey on the railway tracks,
The train was moving but our souls were moving
Back,
As if the world tumbled, and
Toppled.
We were broken.
The journey to Hyderabad for us was never the same.
Then the train reached Begumpet station,
There were women and children, and men walking on the platforms,
We found them lifeless,
Just as the flowers without fragrance,
Like calves without the cows,
Children without their MOTHERS.
The station wasn’t the same.
The road to our home,
That was brought to eternity by Ajji when moved on it,
Wasn’t the same.
Our home wasn’t the same
When we reached,
As the doors and the walls
Were not echoing Sa Re Ga Ma....
Oh! When I reached my office, and I tried
To open my computer, I was scared!
I felt, as though, my computer would crash,
Or, it wouldn’t open at all
I was numbed and trembled
As I typed the password.....
My fingers on the keyboard would shake uncontrollably
The password ‘ganga’ was keyed in
Without ‘GANGA’ in the world!
My computer wasn’t the same.
- Dharmadasa Barki
After the days without Ajji*,
When we left Deshpandenagar
For boarding the train to Hyderabad,
Those loving and caring hands
That always waved at us were missing,
‘Ganga Lahari’ wasn’t the same.
When we moved on the road and took the left turn to the main road, and
While beating that path to the station through the Circuit House
Deshpandenagar wasn’t the same.
The journey to Hubli railway station
Through the Desai cross until the railway station, the
Time came to a standstill and we were not moving.
With hearts heavy and eyes swollen
Our life fallen,
The way to railway station wasn’t the same.
After we reached the railway station, where
On the platform we had walked several times
With Ajji and her cherished companionship,
The Hubli railway station wasn’t the same.
Throughout the journey on the railway tracks,
The train was moving but our souls were moving
Back,
As if the world tumbled, and
Toppled.
We were broken.
The journey to Hyderabad for us was never the same.
Then the train reached Begumpet station,
There were women and children, and men walking on the platforms,
We found them lifeless,
Just as the flowers without fragrance,
Like calves without the cows,
Children without their MOTHERS.
The station wasn’t the same.
The road to our home,
That was brought to eternity by Ajji when moved on it,
Wasn’t the same.
Our home wasn’t the same
When we reached,
As the doors and the walls
Were not echoing Sa Re Ga Ma....
Oh! When I reached my office, and I tried
To open my computer, I was scared!
I felt, as though, my computer would crash,
Or, it wouldn’t open at all
I was numbed and trembled
As I typed the password.....
My fingers on the keyboard would shake uncontrollably
The password ‘ganga’ was keyed in
Without ‘GANGA’ in the world!
My computer wasn’t the same.
- Dharmadasa Barki
Friday, July 10, 2009
Work but Rest
GOD (restfulness) is DYING but SATAN(restlessness) is Alive!
They reside within us, LAUGHING and giving each other a High Five!
They have come to an agreement by saying let us mutually Survive.
This is what Nieztsche had said of which i have only come to Revive!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The arc of transformation.
He struggled to come out of the womb , when he did come out it was truly wonderful, but really strange. His mother was surprised and so was his father. The doctors were amazed and the nurses baffled.
Amidst all the jubiliation of his birth there was an element of tragedy, which was the root cause for everyone's surprise. All thought that this baby was abnormal, an aberration. Some even felt that the boy's birth was a curse upon the family. The boy's aunt said "how strange that such a curse could befall upon a happy family like ours! What ill have we done that God has punished us thus".
The baby's mother began to cry at the utterance of these words. No mother would like to hear something bad being said about her children. This was no curious case in that respect. Her husband began to console by saying "After all he is our child, whether he turns out to be a boon or a curse is now immaterial to us, we will love him as much as we hate the curse that has begun to haunt us. He began to weep inconsolably". With the new born baby in their arms they emraced each other. Whatever was to happen it was now just the two of them to face it. They were two but they felt miserably alone..
During his early years the boy had only his mother, who nurtured him well. His father was almost always out on work. He was a dean at the local medical college, and held a high position and respect in the society. Expectedly, everyone began to distance from his family after the birth of the baby boy. He nevertheless maintained his integrity and dignity in the society for the greater good for his family. The family sure did crave for some attention and care, but they began to learn to live with what was presented to them, a baby boy. They loved him very much.
Only a crying baby gets the milk, and when the boy did cry his mother was either away doing chores or fast asleep. She was hard on hearing. Mother's intuition carries her as far as to feel every breath of her child, in this case however she had to excuse herself for the weakened intuition.
There were little signs of the boy being wierd; all this made his parents ask one another "Our boy seems perfectly normal, it is strange that the whole world around us and including ourselves believe that there is something wrong with him. He is so adorable(hugs and kisses).... how is this possible?" The local priest had told them "Indeed, your boy's birth is a curse, a curse upon the whole of humanity" This made them miserable and utterly confused. They did not know what had gone wrong. WHY?
As the boy grew into his teens none of the other children dared to play with him, they were instructed not to. He wanted to play like everyone else.
There were all the genuine traits of a humble human being in him. He was gentle, kind and very helpful to everyone around him. Once he saw a man beat his wife in front of the public, while everybody looked on, he went straight upto the two of them and resolved the matter by giving each what they had wanted. The wife wanted that her husband quit drinking, and the complaining husband could not, because he had no job. He immediately went up to his father and got him a job at the local medical college.
It was a big loss for all those who were not being touched by his nature. At school, he was the blue-eyed boy of many a teacher, but they dared not show it, lest they be outcast from the society. All this fakeness, made the boy smile deep inside. The whole society had become castrated for they could not see the real beyond the visible. All were stuck to their past, a rotten past.
From child to boy to a man, he grew up to be very handsome. From the prettiest of the girl to every other women, were taken aback by his looks and awesome demeanour. Yet again, they were not instructed to venture even a mile close to him. Once a girl tried approaching him having dared the unthinkable, but as soon as she came within two feet distance she was spotted by a woman who knew her and she fled for her laugh. At the sight of this he broke into a thunderous laughter that could have been heard miles away. He said to himself "The world around me gets funnier than the last time i saw it, and i become more and more wise." (Even i cant figure out the reason for his laughter and why he felt so)
He had now graduated from university. He was now an able professional in arts, having specialised in music. He could play any instrument, equally well. He had surpassed the level of genius. He refused to perform in any of the concerts, smiling all offers away. He was so much at ease with his music, that he could create probably, the greatest compositions ever. He had always wished to dedicate his music and compositions to his wonderful parents and play along all his life for himself and nobody else. He had come to the understanding that he did not have to please anyone without an iota of self-centredness in what he believed.
He took very good care of his parents, who had nurtured him to be what he was. His gratitude knew no bounds and he poured all of it through compassion and care. He could not bear to see his parent's agony in seeing the state of their son, who may never find a match. "Dont worry Ma... Pa.... an individual is responsible only as far as he can, so your cause for worry is causing greater worry to me, for which i refuse to be a part of, becasue all our worries are only projections of the crazy mind." And so they broke into laughter.
His musical genius came to be heard in far-off places. People from north to south, from east to west wanted to meet him and learn from him. There were some who like blood hounds and parasites, wanted to milk riches through his talent. With so much price being put on him he eventually decided to sell his talent and therefore himself. His understanding of not having to please anyone seemed to be going down the drain. He felt as if he had sold his soul. While all this was happening he fell in love with a girl who did not mind being called a sinner for falling in love with a cursed man. Everything around him seemed to be changing, but he was wise enough to be handling any amount of change. He sold many records and became rich and famous, but the society and the local priest still considered him to be a pariah. He grew old with his wife and at the time of his death, there were so many people around, just as there were at the time of his birth. He looked at them and said to himself "The world was stupid, the world is stupid and will remain stupid forever." Having said this, while everyone around him were crying, he broke into a laughter that shook the very foundation of humanity. Everyone were amazed at such a sight and were convinced that he was indeed a curse to the humanity.
He struggled to come out of the womb , when he did come out it was truly wonderful, but really strange. His mother was surprised and so was his father. The doctors were amazed and the nurses baffled, because he was laughing loudly at them. And this began the curse when "THUS LAUGHED ZARATHUSHTRA".
Amidst all the jubiliation of his birth there was an element of tragedy, which was the root cause for everyone's surprise. All thought that this baby was abnormal, an aberration. Some even felt that the boy's birth was a curse upon the family. The boy's aunt said "how strange that such a curse could befall upon a happy family like ours! What ill have we done that God has punished us thus".
The baby's mother began to cry at the utterance of these words. No mother would like to hear something bad being said about her children. This was no curious case in that respect. Her husband began to console by saying "After all he is our child, whether he turns out to be a boon or a curse is now immaterial to us, we will love him as much as we hate the curse that has begun to haunt us. He began to weep inconsolably". With the new born baby in their arms they emraced each other. Whatever was to happen it was now just the two of them to face it. They were two but they felt miserably alone..
During his early years the boy had only his mother, who nurtured him well. His father was almost always out on work. He was a dean at the local medical college, and held a high position and respect in the society. Expectedly, everyone began to distance from his family after the birth of the baby boy. He nevertheless maintained his integrity and dignity in the society for the greater good for his family. The family sure did crave for some attention and care, but they began to learn to live with what was presented to them, a baby boy. They loved him very much.
Only a crying baby gets the milk, and when the boy did cry his mother was either away doing chores or fast asleep. She was hard on hearing. Mother's intuition carries her as far as to feel every breath of her child, in this case however she had to excuse herself for the weakened intuition.
There were little signs of the boy being wierd; all this made his parents ask one another "Our boy seems perfectly normal, it is strange that the whole world around us and including ourselves believe that there is something wrong with him. He is so adorable(hugs and kisses).... how is this possible?" The local priest had told them "Indeed, your boy's birth is a curse, a curse upon the whole of humanity" This made them miserable and utterly confused. They did not know what had gone wrong. WHY?
As the boy grew into his teens none of the other children dared to play with him, they were instructed not to. He wanted to play like everyone else.
There were all the genuine traits of a humble human being in him. He was gentle, kind and very helpful to everyone around him. Once he saw a man beat his wife in front of the public, while everybody looked on, he went straight upto the two of them and resolved the matter by giving each what they had wanted. The wife wanted that her husband quit drinking, and the complaining husband could not, because he had no job. He immediately went up to his father and got him a job at the local medical college.
It was a big loss for all those who were not being touched by his nature. At school, he was the blue-eyed boy of many a teacher, but they dared not show it, lest they be outcast from the society. All this fakeness, made the boy smile deep inside. The whole society had become castrated for they could not see the real beyond the visible. All were stuck to their past, a rotten past.
From child to boy to a man, he grew up to be very handsome. From the prettiest of the girl to every other women, were taken aback by his looks and awesome demeanour. Yet again, they were not instructed to venture even a mile close to him. Once a girl tried approaching him having dared the unthinkable, but as soon as she came within two feet distance she was spotted by a woman who knew her and she fled for her laugh. At the sight of this he broke into a thunderous laughter that could have been heard miles away. He said to himself "The world around me gets funnier than the last time i saw it, and i become more and more wise." (Even i cant figure out the reason for his laughter and why he felt so)
He had now graduated from university. He was now an able professional in arts, having specialised in music. He could play any instrument, equally well. He had surpassed the level of genius. He refused to perform in any of the concerts, smiling all offers away. He was so much at ease with his music, that he could create probably, the greatest compositions ever. He had always wished to dedicate his music and compositions to his wonderful parents and play along all his life for himself and nobody else. He had come to the understanding that he did not have to please anyone without an iota of self-centredness in what he believed.
He took very good care of his parents, who had nurtured him to be what he was. His gratitude knew no bounds and he poured all of it through compassion and care. He could not bear to see his parent's agony in seeing the state of their son, who may never find a match. "Dont worry Ma... Pa.... an individual is responsible only as far as he can, so your cause for worry is causing greater worry to me, for which i refuse to be a part of, becasue all our worries are only projections of the crazy mind." And so they broke into laughter.
His musical genius came to be heard in far-off places. People from north to south, from east to west wanted to meet him and learn from him. There were some who like blood hounds and parasites, wanted to milk riches through his talent. With so much price being put on him he eventually decided to sell his talent and therefore himself. His understanding of not having to please anyone seemed to be going down the drain. He felt as if he had sold his soul. While all this was happening he fell in love with a girl who did not mind being called a sinner for falling in love with a cursed man. Everything around him seemed to be changing, but he was wise enough to be handling any amount of change. He sold many records and became rich and famous, but the society and the local priest still considered him to be a pariah. He grew old with his wife and at the time of his death, there were so many people around, just as there were at the time of his birth. He looked at them and said to himself "The world was stupid, the world is stupid and will remain stupid forever." Having said this, while everyone around him were crying, he broke into a laughter that shook the very foundation of humanity. Everyone were amazed at such a sight and were convinced that he was indeed a curse to the humanity.
He struggled to come out of the womb , when he did come out it was truly wonderful, but really strange. His mother was surprised and so was his father. The doctors were amazed and the nurses baffled, because he was laughing loudly at them. And this began the curse when "THUS LAUGHED ZARATHUSHTRA".
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Will to Life.
How do the newly born, cute little turtles once hatched, somehow find their way into the sea? All that the mama turtle does is lay the eggs and goes its way. How Cruel?
Once Willful, the young turtle asked her friend, "Willless is there life after death? I dont know he said, maybe there is life after death. Why dont you ask and seek the answer yourself, he continued... after all we are intelligent individuals with enquiring questions such as this one! " Willful walked on the shore restlessly, desperately trying to find a quick and satisfying answer.
Willful and willless were the of best friends on the beach. They shared experiences, good and bad. They almost always spoke for long hours, discussing life and lliving.
Willless spoke "Riding the 'right tide of life' is not easy with the wrong way of living. One can lead a life in which he/she has got all that was desired without bothering about the way he/she took to lead that life. In short life and living should be in harmony, otherwise people around us are going to suffer, we will lead a life that we wanted, at the expense of others's suffering. And while others around us are suffering, it is apathetic to enjoy ourselves". "You are a loser Willless that is why you speak thus", Willful said. You have not experienced anything in life. And so she walked off.
Willless sat there, contemplating over the element of truth in the words of Willful. He was a very wise person, so he swallowed the bitter pill and embraced the moment of truth.
I am going Willful said, you can come along if you want, declaring her wish to end the sad conversation which was really far too condescending and patronising for her liking. I am going into the woods to seek the answer myself as you just instructed me. "Dont" Willless said " No you dont start all over again i am going to be what i will be" shouted Willful. Willless thought "she will find her answers" and headed to the ocean to continue his job and make a living.
And without for once paying heed the she turtle darted into the woods. There the she turtle faced many challenges and faced them boldly. An innate strength of character paved way for her journey into the quest for the answer. Life and living were both great friends to her.
Once, while she was strolling in the woods she saw a few snakes eat small baby turtles from a turtle NEST. She stopped and looked on helplessly while her brothers and sisters were getting munched for a feast. Their heart getting ripped apart, melted the soft heart of Willful. She said to herself "How cruel nature is, a being stronger is allowed to get away with such a heinous act, CRUEL! CRUEL! CRUEL! she wept" She wept for hours and days, days and months and then she finally declared "I have found my answer she beamed with joy" Life after death is totally irrelevant to me. "According to me everyone must live this life, this moment fully and when it comes, embrace death totally. I have come from being nowhere to being now here!". This is the greatest day of my life. I am fulfilled.
She wept again with tears of acceptance of the truth that, WILL TO LIFE is inseparable from the nature itself. "Life goes on she said to the whole world, it does not care for your enquiring questions, your philosophies, and all that bunkum; Nature knows only one thing well, that life in any form has to continue and this is the only eternal truth. Life is full of suffering and suffering is constant. The realisation of the suffering brings bliss, she concluded.
How do the newly born, cute little turtles once hatched, somehow find their way into the sea? All that the mama turtle does is lay the eggs and goes its way. How Cruel?
Willful: Nature is not cruel or kind, it is just the way it is! The nature shows the way (to us turtles) towards survival. You can call it collective conscious or Will to Life, nature will try and protect its children, its species, but when the moment its weaknessess and helplessness are exposed, Nature will watch the death of one life, for the birth of another. This is the way it is!
Once Willful, the young turtle asked her friend, "Willless is there life after death? I dont know he said, maybe there is life after death. Why dont you ask and seek the answer yourself, he continued... after all we are intelligent individuals with enquiring questions such as this one! " Willful walked on the shore restlessly, desperately trying to find a quick and satisfying answer.
Willful and willless were the of best friends on the beach. They shared experiences, good and bad. They almost always spoke for long hours, discussing life and lliving.
Willless spoke "Riding the 'right tide of life' is not easy with the wrong way of living. One can lead a life in which he/she has got all that was desired without bothering about the way he/she took to lead that life. In short life and living should be in harmony, otherwise people around us are going to suffer, we will lead a life that we wanted, at the expense of others's suffering. And while others around us are suffering, it is apathetic to enjoy ourselves". "You are a loser Willless that is why you speak thus", Willful said. You have not experienced anything in life. And so she walked off.
Willless sat there, contemplating over the element of truth in the words of Willful. He was a very wise person, so he swallowed the bitter pill and embraced the moment of truth.
I am going Willful said, you can come along if you want, declaring her wish to end the sad conversation which was really far too condescending and patronising for her liking. I am going into the woods to seek the answer myself as you just instructed me. "Dont" Willless said " No you dont start all over again i am going to be what i will be" shouted Willful. Willless thought "she will find her answers" and headed to the ocean to continue his job and make a living.
And without for once paying heed the she turtle darted into the woods. There the she turtle faced many challenges and faced them boldly. An innate strength of character paved way for her journey into the quest for the answer. Life and living were both great friends to her.
Once, while she was strolling in the woods she saw a few snakes eat small baby turtles from a turtle NEST. She stopped and looked on helplessly while her brothers and sisters were getting munched for a feast. Their heart getting ripped apart, melted the soft heart of Willful. She said to herself "How cruel nature is, a being stronger is allowed to get away with such a heinous act, CRUEL! CRUEL! CRUEL! she wept" She wept for hours and days, days and months and then she finally declared "I have found my answer she beamed with joy" Life after death is totally irrelevant to me. "According to me everyone must live this life, this moment fully and when it comes, embrace death totally. I have come from being nowhere to being now here!". This is the greatest day of my life. I am fulfilled.
She wept again with tears of acceptance of the truth that, WILL TO LIFE is inseparable from the nature itself. "Life goes on she said to the whole world, it does not care for your enquiring questions, your philosophies, and all that bunkum; Nature knows only one thing well, that life in any form has to continue and this is the only eternal truth. Life is full of suffering and suffering is constant. The realisation of the suffering brings bliss, she concluded.
How do the newly born, cute little turtles once hatched, somehow find their way into the sea? All that the mama turtle does is lay the eggs and goes its way. How Cruel?
Willful: Nature is not cruel or kind, it is just the way it is! The nature shows the way (to us turtles) towards survival. You can call it collective conscious or Will to Life, nature will try and protect its children, its species, but when the moment its weaknessess and helplessness are exposed, Nature will watch the death of one life, for the birth of another. This is the way it is!
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