One of my dearest friends, DJ, had an urgent need to look for new accommodation. So we both found ourselves room hunting on a not-so-pleasant evening ( to be read as dirty, dry n cold evening). Our first halt was at this place with a Marathi "rector". She was so ferociously Marathi she could bite. While I ied my best to mumble a few marathi words I knew in response , DJ caring the least. At the end of our short visit, the rector declared the inevitable.."if you have to bring your brothers, they have to wait downstairs. Cant go up with you". Whoa !!! DJ dint have so many 'brothers', so that wasnt a problem anyway :P.
Our next halt was at this place which had a weird French-Indian name in a lane where even a man and his dog cant walk comfortably alongside. We parked our bike outside the gate and I started muttering my usual.."Oh God please dont have a dog pounce on me now" prayers while lil DJ pushed open the gate. We were looking around when Voila !!! There, in that slightly creepy moment, we had our first glimpse of Sha-La. Hearts stopped beating, mouths started opening and breathing stopped happening. Pulses weakened as we looked around for support. Who should stand in front of us but a voluptous young woman who was dressed to kill. Yes, she could kill even women. We managed a weak.."Room dekhne aaye hai" and she went in calling out.."ahooo.." (Marati housewives address their husbands like this). And who should come out but a thin, dark man with glasses as thick as Sha-La's lipstick (I would bet if she were ever given anaesthesia on her lips, it would never reach her veins). He was the caretaker.
DJ was excited about the place but I wasnt able to decide who( the man or his wife) gave me the creeps.. I convinced myself that it is Sha-La. The next afternoon, PG and DJ went again to see the room and PG convinced me that the guy wasnt as shady as I thought he was. DJ decided she loved the place and we went again in the evening to settle things. Then the Sh-La effect struck PG. Her memory and eyesight might have become temporarily busy processing Sha-La while she had a weird conversation with the caretaker which went like..
"Accha.. ShantaRam kahaan hai..?"
"Madam, me hi Shantaram hoon."
"Kya? to subah wo kaun tha?"
"Wo bhi main hoon"
"Kya? Aap ho? To aapne subah aapke chashme pehne the kya? oooooooooooooo"
While I stood sadly witnessing PG gathering her senses again :D
Anyway, DJ stays in the Sha-La apartment and we hear stories of how her saree pallu is always about to fall and how her lipstick is always so red and so thick... PG and I wonder when we will get over the Sha-La effect. A glimpse could paralyze you for life. Thats Sha-La short for "Shady Lady" :D
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Hope !
Sometimes, a series of failures can miraculously transform one's life. My most recent setback has brought to me, a new perspective to life and left me eternally indebted to some very special people. In fact, this blog post is dedicated to them!
I recently realized that 'a good friend' is someone who always, ALWAYS leaves you better than he/she found you. When I think of such people in my own life, the first person that comes to my mind is my mother. I do not understand how I did not realize this before but she has a refreshingly intellectual and spiritual way of helping me cope with my problems. She has already positively impacted and touched many lives around her in a variety of ways. While many ladies her age busy themselves in watching TV soaps, my mother spends her time learning The Gita, Yoga, reading great books,teaching the blind, serving in voluntary organizations and counselling school-going youth.
And then there is this set of extraordinarily awesome people to whom I always turn for positive energy - a few friends without whom I might have been non existent by now. I do not have their permission to use their names but whenever I see/talk to/meet them, I always end up aspiring to be a spectacularly wonderful human being, atleast to live up to their trust in me. They, like my mom, seldom emotionally sympathized with my problems. Instead, they assured me of my true potential and of the vast expanse of brilliant light beyond the seemingly dark situation.
As one such friend once told me - "Even when all appears to be lost, there is hope. You still have your brilliant mind, your healthy and wholesome body, your education, your knowledge and much more. This much is enough for you to lead a great life". How true !
Even in moments of distress, those words make me look forward to life because there is so much more to learn, so much more to give, so much more to love, so much more to be loved, so much more to see, so much more to understand, so much more to travel, so much more to read, so much more to laugh....the list goes on... yes! Life continues to be beautiful :)
I recently realized that 'a good friend' is someone who always, ALWAYS leaves you better than he/she found you. When I think of such people in my own life, the first person that comes to my mind is my mother. I do not understand how I did not realize this before but she has a refreshingly intellectual and spiritual way of helping me cope with my problems. She has already positively impacted and touched many lives around her in a variety of ways. While many ladies her age busy themselves in watching TV soaps, my mother spends her time learning The Gita, Yoga, reading great books,teaching the blind, serving in voluntary organizations and counselling school-going youth.
And then there is this set of extraordinarily awesome people to whom I always turn for positive energy - a few friends without whom I might have been non existent by now. I do not have their permission to use their names but whenever I see/talk to/meet them, I always end up aspiring to be a spectacularly wonderful human being, atleast to live up to their trust in me. They, like my mom, seldom emotionally sympathized with my problems. Instead, they assured me of my true potential and of the vast expanse of brilliant light beyond the seemingly dark situation.
As one such friend once told me - "Even when all appears to be lost, there is hope. You still have your brilliant mind, your healthy and wholesome body, your education, your knowledge and much more. This much is enough for you to lead a great life". How true !
Even in moments of distress, those words make me look forward to life because there is so much more to learn, so much more to give, so much more to love, so much more to be loved, so much more to see, so much more to understand, so much more to travel, so much more to read, so much more to laugh....the list goes on... yes! Life continues to be beautiful :)
Friday, March 19, 2010
Lessons From The Ramayana - 2
After Ravana abducts Sita, Rama and Lakshmana run hither and thither in search of her. One day, as they pass by the mountain, Rishyamukha, they meet Sugriva(a monkey-king) and Hanuman (his loyal minister). Sugriva's elder brother Vali had driven Sugriva out of the kingdom and had also coveted his wife, Indu. Hanuman introduces a bereaved Rama to Sugriva who agrees to help him find Sita provided he helps him defeat his brother, Vali and get his wife and kingdom back.
Rama asks Sugriva to invite Vali for a fight. While Vali and Sugriva are fighting, Rama hides behind a tree and shoots his arrow at Vali, killing him. During his last moments, Vali asks Rama - "O Rama, you are supposed to be the embodiment of Dharma(righteousness). You are respected for your fairness and adherence to what is right, in any situation. Pray tell me what Dharma is it to kill a person hiding behind his back? Have you forgotten the ethics of the battlefield? Do you think this guerrilla warfare of yours is justified?"
Rama solemnly replies - "Vali, you coveted another's wealth and another's wife by force. You are enjoying what is not yours. Because you are elder and much more stronger, you DOMINATED your brother, a rightful heir to a portion of this kingdom. In addition, you drove him out of this kingdom and pledged you would kill him if he entered here again. Every time he tried to win his right, you crushed him, slandered him, bullied him, got him beaten and drove him away again. You are even enjoying his wife because you feel you are the king and you have the power. O Vali, he who uses his God-given strength and skill to dominate over others, harass others and enjoy what is theirs is not to be considered a human being. He is indeed an animal. And animals are always hunted, not righteously fought as in a battle field. So the ethics of war do not apply to you. For whatever you have done while you were alive, you are dying an animal's death. This is what you deserve."
However strong one might be, one should never misuse his/her strength and take advantage of the weak. The body, the mind, the five senses, material wealth, knowledge, skills and strength are all sacred. He/She who uses any of these to bully others or rule over them is an animal. His/her show of power and apparent success in the physical world is but ephemeral. In the end, the judgment that would be pronounced on him/her would be ruthless - as unethical as his/her own life.
Rama asks Sugriva to invite Vali for a fight. While Vali and Sugriva are fighting, Rama hides behind a tree and shoots his arrow at Vali, killing him. During his last moments, Vali asks Rama - "O Rama, you are supposed to be the embodiment of Dharma(righteousness). You are respected for your fairness and adherence to what is right, in any situation. Pray tell me what Dharma is it to kill a person hiding behind his back? Have you forgotten the ethics of the battlefield? Do you think this guerrilla warfare of yours is justified?"
Rama solemnly replies - "Vali, you coveted another's wealth and another's wife by force. You are enjoying what is not yours. Because you are elder and much more stronger, you DOMINATED your brother, a rightful heir to a portion of this kingdom. In addition, you drove him out of this kingdom and pledged you would kill him if he entered here again. Every time he tried to win his right, you crushed him, slandered him, bullied him, got him beaten and drove him away again. You are even enjoying his wife because you feel you are the king and you have the power. O Vali, he who uses his God-given strength and skill to dominate over others, harass others and enjoy what is theirs is not to be considered a human being. He is indeed an animal. And animals are always hunted, not righteously fought as in a battle field. So the ethics of war do not apply to you. For whatever you have done while you were alive, you are dying an animal's death. This is what you deserve."
However strong one might be, one should never misuse his/her strength and take advantage of the weak. The body, the mind, the five senses, material wealth, knowledge, skills and strength are all sacred. He/She who uses any of these to bully others or rule over them is an animal. His/her show of power and apparent success in the physical world is but ephemeral. In the end, the judgment that would be pronounced on him/her would be ruthless - as unethical as his/her own life.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Lessons from the Ramayana - 1
A fundamental lesson that the Ramayana teaches us is the power, (rather the evil) of the tongue. Since it is such an important value to be learned and assimilated, it is depicted in the life of none other than Mother Sita herself.
Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya after Rama's triumph over Ravana. They have a brief happy interlude when Rama comes to hear that some of his subjects are questioning the chastity of his wife,Sita, the queen of the kingdom. As a king, he believes that it is his duty to set an example to his subjects and ward off anything that might cause unpleasantness to them. He sends Sita off to live in the forest, even though she was then pregnant.
Sage Valmiki finds Sita unconscious in the forest and gives her refuge. Sita laments to him.."O Acharya, what sin have I done to see this day today?" to which Valmiki says - "Sita, let us get back in time. When Rama went after the golden deer and you heard Rama's agonizing calls for you and Lakshmana, you asked Lakshmana to go seek Rama. Lakshmana refused to do it because he believed that there was some evil around and it was not safe for you to stay alone. He assured you lovingly that his brother is a mighty warrior and no harm can befall him. Did you give him a benefit of doubt then? Instead what did you do? You UNLEASHED YOUR LOOSE TONGUE on him. You said ..."O Lakshmana, I know you and your plans. You just ACT as though you have respect for your brother. All the while, your motive was to abduct me and take me for your own. I have now come to know of your true intentions. You are ready to let your brother die for your carnal pleasures. You are such a disgusting lustful person. Your poor brother trusts you so much and never imagined that you could eye on me. You liar ! You pretender ! You cheat !"..... O Mother Sita, you did not give Lakshmana a chance to explain himself.. that Lakshmana, who left his mother, wife, kingdom, wealth and comfort and joined you and Rama in exile. That Lakshmana, who stood guard while you and Rama slept peacefully in the forest. That Lakshmana who felt happy when you and Rama were happy. You insulted him, hurt him, wounded him. Because you were elder and you thought you had the right, you screamed all sorts at him. You made him shed tears. That is why, O Sita, today, your Karma of that day, drove you to this state. Someone else brandished their tongue against you and you have come to be in exile, for the rest of your life. Karma is powerful. Nobody can escape it. Even the people of Ayodhya, who , in their ignorance were instrumental in defaming you, calling you unchaste are now in grief. After you left, Ayodhya has become barren. No tree has borne fruit since. No crop was harvested since. People are dying of hunger. Hence, Mother Sita, whoever fails to give the benefit of doubt to someone else and uses the power of words against him/her, would meet with similar fate."
Sita realises what she has done and repents severely. Taking Sage Valmiki's advice, she starts penance on Mother Durga (the destroyer of all evils) and meditates to cleanse herself of the Karma she had accumulated. She then gives birth to two chivalrous sons, entrusts them under Rama's care and retires to where she originally came from - the earth.
Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya after Rama's triumph over Ravana. They have a brief happy interlude when Rama comes to hear that some of his subjects are questioning the chastity of his wife,Sita, the queen of the kingdom. As a king, he believes that it is his duty to set an example to his subjects and ward off anything that might cause unpleasantness to them. He sends Sita off to live in the forest, even though she was then pregnant.
Sage Valmiki finds Sita unconscious in the forest and gives her refuge. Sita laments to him.."O Acharya, what sin have I done to see this day today?" to which Valmiki says - "Sita, let us get back in time. When Rama went after the golden deer and you heard Rama's agonizing calls for you and Lakshmana, you asked Lakshmana to go seek Rama. Lakshmana refused to do it because he believed that there was some evil around and it was not safe for you to stay alone. He assured you lovingly that his brother is a mighty warrior and no harm can befall him. Did you give him a benefit of doubt then? Instead what did you do? You UNLEASHED YOUR LOOSE TONGUE on him. You said ..."O Lakshmana, I know you and your plans. You just ACT as though you have respect for your brother. All the while, your motive was to abduct me and take me for your own. I have now come to know of your true intentions. You are ready to let your brother die for your carnal pleasures. You are such a disgusting lustful person. Your poor brother trusts you so much and never imagined that you could eye on me. You liar ! You pretender ! You cheat !"..... O Mother Sita, you did not give Lakshmana a chance to explain himself.. that Lakshmana, who left his mother, wife, kingdom, wealth and comfort and joined you and Rama in exile. That Lakshmana, who stood guard while you and Rama slept peacefully in the forest. That Lakshmana who felt happy when you and Rama were happy. You insulted him, hurt him, wounded him. Because you were elder and you thought you had the right, you screamed all sorts at him. You made him shed tears. That is why, O Sita, today, your Karma of that day, drove you to this state. Someone else brandished their tongue against you and you have come to be in exile, for the rest of your life. Karma is powerful. Nobody can escape it. Even the people of Ayodhya, who , in their ignorance were instrumental in defaming you, calling you unchaste are now in grief. After you left, Ayodhya has become barren. No tree has borne fruit since. No crop was harvested since. People are dying of hunger. Hence, Mother Sita, whoever fails to give the benefit of doubt to someone else and uses the power of words against him/her, would meet with similar fate."
Sita realises what she has done and repents severely. Taking Sage Valmiki's advice, she starts penance on Mother Durga (the destroyer of all evils) and meditates to cleanse herself of the Karma she had accumulated. She then gives birth to two chivalrous sons, entrusts them under Rama's care and retires to where she originally came from - the earth.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The silent companion...
Hidden deep in my heart
like a rock on an ocean bed
is my silent companion
in day, and in night
It remains unseen
And it remains unfelt
in the crests and troughs
of my everyday chores
But in the stillness of my heart
and in the darkness of my nights
It surfaces to feeling
It floats to the shore
It envelopes me as mist
and condenses in my tears
It questions my self-worth
and identifies itself, as pain !
like a rock on an ocean bed
is my silent companion
in day, and in night
It remains unseen
And it remains unfelt
in the crests and troughs
of my everyday chores
But in the stillness of my heart
and in the darkness of my nights
It surfaces to feeling
It floats to the shore
It envelopes me as mist
and condenses in my tears
It questions my self-worth
and identifies itself, as pain !
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Word "Power" !.
A dear friend very recently spoke a few wonderful words to me ...
"Happiness and strength lie within you. Do not look for them outside. Find the strength you need within yourself. So don't feel awful when situations turn topsy- turvy, instead just get simply awesome because that is what you really ARE".
The last sentence, especially, continued to resonate and reverberate in my head long long after I heard it. It also reminded me of the power of words. The right words, spoken at the right time can create magic. The other day, after a really long time, S and I found some time to relax with some soulful music. This was very important for us because we were both feeling an inner urge to relax and slow down for a while, some welcome respite from our otherwise super hectic and tiresome days. One of the songs said -
"Ek Khushboo Aayi thi, Main Bhataktaa Jaata Tha,
Reshmi Si Maya thi, Me Thaktaa Jaata Tha,
Jab Teri Gali Aaya, Sach Tabhi Nazar Aaya,
Mujhme hi Wo Khushboo Thi, Jise Tu ne Milvaaya"
(Meaning: I smelt a fragrance and wandered in search of it. This silk-like delusion exhausted me a lot. But I realized the truth only when I finally came to You. The enchanting fragrance was right here, within my own self, and not elsewhere)
Well, a lot of things are easier said than done, especially good things. But I feel it is better to be inspired at least for a while than to remain unmotivated forever. Okay, at least you sleep well and sound after hearing nice stuff, don't you? (Holds true for me :) )
For patient, interested and curious readers, this is a nice link I recently tumbled upon. From my side, I strongly urge you to visit and READ the contents because the problem addressed is breathtakingly common.
Peace !
"Happiness and strength lie within you. Do not look for them outside. Find the strength you need within yourself. So don't feel awful when situations turn topsy- turvy, instead just get simply awesome because that is what you really ARE".
The last sentence, especially, continued to resonate and reverberate in my head long long after I heard it. It also reminded me of the power of words. The right words, spoken at the right time can create magic. The other day, after a really long time, S and I found some time to relax with some soulful music. This was very important for us because we were both feeling an inner urge to relax and slow down for a while, some welcome respite from our otherwise super hectic and tiresome days. One of the songs said -
"Ek Khushboo Aayi thi, Main Bhataktaa Jaata Tha,
Reshmi Si Maya thi, Me Thaktaa Jaata Tha,
Jab Teri Gali Aaya, Sach Tabhi Nazar Aaya,
Mujhme hi Wo Khushboo Thi, Jise Tu ne Milvaaya"
(Meaning: I smelt a fragrance and wandered in search of it. This silk-like delusion exhausted me a lot. But I realized the truth only when I finally came to You. The enchanting fragrance was right here, within my own self, and not elsewhere)
Well, a lot of things are easier said than done, especially good things. But I feel it is better to be inspired at least for a while than to remain unmotivated forever. Okay, at least you sleep well and sound after hearing nice stuff, don't you? (Holds true for me :) )
For patient, interested and curious readers, this is a nice link I recently tumbled upon. From my side, I strongly urge you to visit and READ the contents because the problem addressed is breathtakingly common.
Peace !
Friday, January 1, 2010
Welcome 2010
New Year resolutions have always been elusive to me. The harder I try to stick to them, the faster they seem to say, "good bye. Tough luck baby ! Try again next time(year)...". So, this time, I have chosen to not RESOLVE on anything but instead, pray humbly and sincerely thus -
" O Lord ! Starting now, whatever I do, small or big, important or inconsequential, please give me the strength and the inspiration to exhibit perfection and strive for excellence - because when I express perfection in my action, I am indeed expressing You, who are the ultimate perfect and complete in-dweller of all."
" O Lord ! Starting now, whatever I do, small or big, important or inconsequential, please give me the strength and the inspiration to exhibit perfection and strive for excellence - because when I express perfection in my action, I am indeed expressing You, who are the ultimate perfect and complete in-dweller of all."
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