WHEN THE SEASON REFLECTS HUMAN PERSONALITY

Scene 1: It was a bright sunny winter morning. The soothing rays of sun affectionately caressed the grass, the leaves, the bark of the tree and possibly everything it fell on. The warmth of the sun gently sapped the wind of its chill. Birds chirped in the bright blue sky and the children played in the park downstairs. All basked in the glory of the sun.

Scene 2: The fog has thickened. Icy winds slyly chill you to the bone. The untimely rain dampened the spirits and any ray of sunlight (read hope). The birds duck themselves under a window pane. The smog, the rain & the wind has a dubious femininity- beautiful, mysterious yet merciless. The man on the pavement shivers helplessly trying to withstand the onslaught of the merciless winters.

This absolutely mystic and opposite shades of nature depicted in one season has undercurrents of unpredictability and also shows the varied range of its existence. I am urged to think how wonderfully, man and nature seem like mirror images of each other. Warm and benevolent and then cold and merciless- winter in its paradoxical shades reflects how beautifully similar it is to what we call split personality of mankind.

MYRIAD FORMS & POWERFUL SOUNDS

I can hear it fall gently drop by drop and settle itself on the leaf. I can feel its magnanimity when it flows royally. I can relate to its naughty and free form when it drops down like a ‘fall’ and sometimes even feel the tranquility of it in a puddle.

The beauty of water lies in its myriad forms and sounds.

The sound of raindrops pelting, almost deafening and incessant; enthralls all life forms.

The sound of the river –loud and powerful permeating the air subtly conveys the magnanimity of it. The river is considered pious in some places and therapeutic on some occasions. The constant sound of the water gushing along in a river overpowers man and sometimes says, ‘I rule the land and am worthy of worship’.

Far on the highway I see a waterfall, water racing down free, loud, mischievous, and frothy white. Hitting against the rocks, mist all around, softening the edges of the rocks with its aggression, dominance and force. Amidst the lush trees, I hear the wild sound of the water interspersed with the docile sound of the wind. I am awestruck by its wild and carefree form.

It has rained, the water has settled. In my balcony I see a small puddle of water. Silent and still, glistening in the sunlight.

I look at it and smile in amazement, at the paradox that exists when you look at the wild waterfall or the powerful river and now this silent puddle. Such diverse form and sounds makes me wonder about the unfathomable variety that exists in just one illustration of nature.

It makes me relate it to the inexplicable temperament of mankind- profound and beyond comprehension. Sometimes wild as the waterfall and sometimes calm like the puddle. Man and nature similar in a lot ways yet pools apart.

WHEN WORDS ARE TOO MORAL TO UNDERSTAND

We often come across words that have multiple meaning and can be customized as per our understanding. Words like faithful, happy, peace, honesty- all of them have great moral significance with diverse ramifications.

More important and far tougher is the practical use of these words. However an irony exits there too. It might be difficult and utopian to understand and practice  but we seldom realize that in simple things and in daily life the meaning of these words can be realized.

Peace for example doesn’t only mean ‘no war’, amicable relations with neighboring countries, no bloodshed. These are just instances, larger than life, where we wish to see peace. Peace exists in the tranquility of the morning when you breathe clean fresh air, soak in the sun and hear the sound of birds chirping. Peace exists in making someone smile when the person is feeling low. It exhibits itself in talking things out when misconceptions exist. It presents itself in each and every amicable bond we share. It is nothing more than a state of tranquility and calm that we all strive for in life.

When we are restless, walking on the road of negativity, using our brains to manufacture suspicion, insecurity, jealousy and more of those negative emotions what gets disturbed is our own inner peace.  

I read somewhere that it we who control our life condition and it’s we who elevate us to be a calmer and peaceful person. Easier said than done but yes if we are determined to find peace something in us will make us work towards it. When I want to go out at night to let my hair down and I have tons of work to do, the mere want to go will make me put in double the effort in my work and ensure I go out and have a good time.

If we can use determination to our advantage in our professional life then why can we not use it in achieving inner peace and a state of mental tranquility?

What am sharing here are not pearls of wisdom but a highly practical thought which revolves around the fact that ‘words’ that according to us are utopian and too moral for us to accept are actually simple if we really come doing to understanding and putting them to use in our life.

RISHIKESH- FAITH & RELIGION ALL IN THE NAME OF THE RIVER

The gurgling and overpowering sound of the Ganges permeates the fresh & clean air. Far away you can see the trees swaying to the tune of the water. Bells ringing, people chanting; it almost seems like the mighty river rules both man and nature.

While the river rules the land, it’s here where religion and faith seem to converge. The natives of the land seem to worship the river and make religion their business. Old women fervently chanting at the Ganga Puja, foreigners dressed in yellow and orange, bedecked with Rudraksh beads seem to be under some spell. It’s hard to say if this spell can be called faith or religion. It almost seems like people here have surrendered to a power. The purity of the water & the power of the river has left all spellbound.

Religion has become the livelihood of the people here. Pious music, ornaments, religious books, incense sticks all sold in the name of religion. Millions throng to this city from faraway lands, in the name of what? Faith or religion or is it to see the pious India? (Traditionally known as the land of snake charmers).

The concoction of faith and religion is at its concentrated best in Rishikesh. It’s hard to decipher where one ends and the other begins. While religion seems to be more commercial, faith seems to be the spiritual undercurrent that governs all.

Sitting at the banks, when the cold water touches my feet and the bells in the temple chime, I begin to decipher the difference between faith and religion. I begin to understand that faith is beyond the realms of reasoning. Faith is like the river Ganga- no one knows precisely when and where it originates from and where it ends. The only overpowering truth is that it exists and is a driving force.

Faith is the river itself and religion, devotion, divinity are the paraphernalia which are nothing but manmade, superficial and commercial entrapments.  At the heart of it all resides the belief and the faith that is as pure and as natural is the river. It has no religion and has no reason for its existence.

WHEN YOU LOOK LEFT & RIGHT FOR HAPPINESS

We often hear people say ‘you made my day’ or ‘meeting you was so much fun’ and similar such statements which denotes that we as human beings attach happiness to situations, people and activity. It might be true that meeting friends and loved ones makes one feel happy or an instance makes us feel ecstatic, but seldom do we realize that this happiness is momentary and the source of this feeling does not lie in us. The source of this happiness is external and hence the feeling is momentary.

Opinion on this varies but, the truth is, that happiness lies within us. In our heart, mind and the environment WE create.

The rain this year created havoc in our lives. The overcast sky, the glistening raindrops, smell of the rain and the cool breeze would soothe ruffled nerves and give joy to some. On the other hand, some found the rain depressing and gloomy. This is a perfect example of how we perceive our external environment differently and associate the feeling of joy and sorrow with it.

When bogged down by daily chores and stuck in the rut of life we tend to let the circumstances and situations overpower us. Our happiness and sadness at that point is not governed by us, it is dictated by the situation.

It’s important that we step aside and adopt an inside out approach. Delve deep within us and find the resolve to be happy. Create an environment for happiness not just for us but for everyone around us. Only if you are a happy person will you be able to share happiness.

If you are a negative person who cribs and complains, you are unconsciously creating a similar environment around you which reflects the same. This is when you start depending on external sources for happiness. Sources that will give you joy, which unfortunately is short lived.

With the break of dawn you wake up, consume fresh air and soak up the sun. You reconvene with yourself and connect with nature. Sync up your mind and soul and make a simple resolve. Open your eyes look at the beauty around you. Be thankful for what you have. Offer gratitude for what you are blessed with, seek forgiveness for the wrong you have done (Am sure there will be coz you are after all human) and acquire strength to do the right thing and make your environment happy and peaceful.

I am by no means trying to preach. Neither am I saying that you should become religious. What I write above are not pearls of wisdom, but often while walking on the road of life we tend to forget the simple meaning of introspection. We are so busy running that we forget to pause, breathe and take a sip of water to rejuvenate.

Introspection and looking for peace and happiness within oneself is the ‘pause’ we all know that we need to take but for some strange reason we don’t. We spend most of our lives looking at what others have done and seldom look at what can I do to restore happiness & peace  for myself.

 At the end of the day, happiness is infectious. You tend to spread it only if you have it. So smile J J

THE DOUBLE EDGED SWORD

People often say that actions speak louder than words and undermine the power of words. They can create and devastate. They can touch you with joy and drown you sorrow and pain.

There are people in this world who are gifted with a blessed tongue. When they speak they shower pearls and flowers. Their words are like manna dew, they sooth the ruffled nerves, fulfill the latent desires of love, care and affection. Everyone loves to be loved and showered with affection and care. These are basic needs of a human being, sometimes kind words and phrases and sentence can show that love and give that warmth.  Selection and usage of words is an art. An art which cannot be acquired, it has to be by birth. It’s debatable to question the authenticity of the words. Despite their genuineness, they have the power to influence.

Sometimes it’s strange and scary to see what these words can do. They can make you fall in love, seethe with anger, make you green with jealousy. In a way it can transport you to a make believe world which is diverged from reality. They have a mystical way of painting a picture without a canvass or paints. Create a world which in reality might not exist. It’s a drug that can a give u a high and transport you to a world you dreamt of.

Now let’s flip the coin, words can rip you, make you bleed and cause pain that no medicine can cure. Words can cause wounds. Harsh and mean words have the power to break relationships.  A person with a pure heart and honorable intentions if chooses words rashly can witness unfavorable repercussions. Harsh words are often a result of anger and are not measured and calculated. Here too words can cause untold misery just like they created a garden of love. A person might not mean a word of what he says but the listener understands what is spoke and not what is unsaid. Words used in anger might carry no meaning but by their sheer intensity can create havoc.

In a nutshell, the character of words is questionable. The mastery with which it is crafted can never give you an idea of what the intent is, thereby questioning its honesty. Words shape opinions sometimes true and sometimes false ones. Words give pain as well as joy. They have the ability to make you experience the extremes. Words at the same time can very well create a make believe world of anguish or ecstasy. In all scenarios, actions might speak louder than words but words have the power to move to create ripples.

Thoughts in Dhanaulti

It took me eight hours to reach heaven. The land which spoke volumes about purity and tranquility was symbolic of the peace we seldom find in the hustle bustle of city life.

The long and shapely oak trees, the chirping birds and the daunting hills all whispering in my ears, “This is my land and here you shall live the natural way. Come and experience simplicity in my lap”.

The trees overpowered the presence of mankind. The loud rustling of leaves dominated any other sound that you would want to hear. Amidst the noisy and rebellious wind the birds were chirping and were party to the dominance of nature.

It’s beautiful to see how nature in its purest and simplest form is like a child. Innocent and unblemished. Happy and rebellious wind is like a naughty child playing, chirping of the birds reminds me of the peels of laughter in childhood and the purity of the air is like the innocent and simple heart of a child.

I feel like a puppet in the lap of nature, the wind playing with my hair, and I somewhere begin to believe that nature has numerous untold tales hidden in the soil and the trunks. Tales of life the way God meant it to be.

Life was meant to be as simple as the luscious trees, happy like the chirping birds and carefree like the rustling leaves, but as we come down the ages, nature retained the meaning f its existence and with held the simplistic form but mankind fell in the rut of a commercial a life.

WHEN THE DREAMY EYED SPOKE…..

A sunny afternoon in Delhi. The market crammed with people, the atmosphere choked with the hustle bustle of a city life. A regular summer week day and suddenly change in scene: green grass, cool and clean breeze, dense woods, the sweet smell of rain and the purity of the rain drop glistening on a luscious leaf.

The people have disappeared, replaced by a happy and simple couple enjoying by the lake. The hustle bustle of the city has given way to the chirping of birds and the soft rustle of the leaves. A regular summer workday has been ridiculed and shunned in the face of a tranquil and content life wherein mankind blossoms in the lap of nature. The man sees his child grow, and the women experience again the innocence of childhood with her children.

A simpleton living, in the lap of nature, away from the capitalist realm of reality. A dreamy eyed man with his close knit family basking in the glory of a content and peaceful life. He looks at his children being nurtured and groomed by mother earth. The flora and fauna become their best friends, teaching them the naughtiest of pranks and sharing with them the deepest nuances of life.

The family earns enough to have a respectable life; they do not have ambitious dreams and unfulfilled wants. They have happily given up materialistic cravings for the love of nature. They live in their cocoon and let the universe be their guiding light.

On a sunny afternoon in Delhi, I a realist saw life from the eyes of a dreamer. For a minute I felt the cool breeze, for a second the chirping birds soothed my nerves. Life from the eyes of a dreamer has the power to make you smile and make you live that selfless life, even if it is make believe, yet it makes you experience existence which is naturally simple & beautiful.

UNLEASHING THE MIND BY THE BEACH

The sultry wind lazily circles around me. The sound of the waves overpowers the noises of the city. It seems to engulf the monotony of daily life to show its supremacy. The sand beneath my feet is soft and soothing. Sticking on my ankles the waves touch my skin and beckon me to play with them. They tempt me to let loose and enjoy the moment.

I am at the beach, lost in the expanse of water, earth and air. The sand beneath my feet, the moist breeze and the crashing waves have intoxicated me and taken me with them to unknown territories. The choppy waters make me think of younger days when life was a heady mix of freedom, rebellion, mischief and innocence. The waters recede and crash and the sound of waves fills the air.

The obedient sand has been forced to settle down in the face of the dominant waters. The beauty of it still lies in the soothing effect it has the impressions it creates despite them being removed by the waters again and again. The sand reminds me of womanhood. A perfect woman embodies the spirit of the sand. Calm in the face of turmoil, persistent and doesn’t give up in adversity. She always lends her comfort to those who need it and finally is brave enough to move on and fearless enough to create impression again and again knowing that they won’t stay long and the tide of life will wash them away.

The air that encircles me brings with itself various aromas of life. The stench of fish speaks of the rustic yet natural life in the territory.

Far away I see the fisherman, the bhel puri walla, the chuski walla, the kids making houses of sand, the couple walking hand in hand. I see life in its various forms that whisper in my ears the mysteries and realities of life. The fisherman’s existence signifies that the key lies in finding ways to sustain and survive. The children building sand homes remind me of how we never seize to give up, the chuskti walla is silently saying that while you are alive enjoy every moment and the bhelpuri walla urges me to..spice up my life make it worth living.

While the beach is the supreme, the all powerful, the source of sustenance for all these life forms that live around it. The fisherman might die, the chuski walla might go away and the bhelpuri guy might shift base but the beach will always be there. The constant factor in the setting - the almighty!

Simple Pleasures post 3: THOSE PEELS OF LAUGHTER AND THE CRAZIEST THINGS YOU HAVE DONE

Simple pleasures lie in those beautiful moments we spend with people we connect with. The moments of mad laughter, the instances when you have done absolutely crazy stuff, the slow minutes when you lean on your friend’s shoulder and cry your heart out.
Am sure all of you have some dear one who is your best friend who has seen every facet of you. In the hustle bustle of our busy lives, its strangely peaceful to travel down memory lane and relive those moments when you bunked work to spend the day together or drank endlessly on a friday evening or just simply went for those long endless walks.

Those wonderful moments when you spend almost every waking hour with that one friend, talking about the vaguest thing that existed or was a figment of your imagination.

When we are living such moments we seldom realize that they will become an intrinsic part of our memory. It’s only when we have lived these moments do we see how beautiful they were and how it strengthened the most pure relationship that exists today i.e. friendship.

Moments when we haven’t cared about going back home on time or completing some pending chores or meeting professional commitments, moments of happiness, fun or emotional intimacy with our best friend are those beautiful glimpses of life that will always remain.

Today those friends might be beside you or might be far away but somewhere you always know that when you need them and reach out to them they will be right back in your life. Such is the power of those simple pleasures we experience which make strong bonds for life.

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1733337peaceful

Simple Pleasures Post 2: FLYING HIGH IN THE SKY

http://welovebirds.org/

Looking at the bright blue skies and somewhere far away I can hear birds chirping. Some of those wonderful creatures have perched themselves on the branches and some are flying carelessly enjoying the true bliss of freedom.

Looking at birds in the expanse can be one of the most enthralling experiences. They are the true personification of freedom. Sometimes perched and sometimes gliding, birds are the most elegant and vibrant creations of the Almighty. The hues celebrate color, their form is symbolic of variety and their life is reflective of strong and firm self sustenance.

If we observe them carefully, they teach us the true meaning of persistence and survival. Flying miles for food, nurturing their young ones with utmost devotion and yet being truly free, are only some of the learning we can imbibe.

It’s truly amazing how much we can learn if we simply observe these speechless creatures. 

Just watching them flying high or perched on the trees, fills me with tranquility. The sense of respect and humility overpowers me and I realize that in the simple pleasure of observing simple creatures lies the true meaning of life.

Simple Pleasures Post 1: WHEN LIGHT FILLS UP LIFE

I can see my surroundings lit up. An ambience of joy is spreading cheer. In a distance I see children playing, and elders exchanging pleasantries. The torturous summer is bidding farewell and a refreshing chill in the air is welcoming the winters.

Yes my friends it’s close to the month of October and November and the spirit of festivity is spreading happiness. Some of you must have guessed by now what I am talking about. It is the time of Diwali that is lighting up the world. The warm festival celebrated by Indian in all parts of the globe.

The ritual of dipping diyas in water, filling them up with oil and lighting them to decorate our homes is the most delicate and intrinsic feature of the festival.

The fragrance of lit diyas is comforting and pious. The flickering wig is under cutting the darkness and filling our lives with light. It is illuminating our homes and welcoming positive energies in our lives. It’s this light that spreads equality and bridges divides between the haves and the have-nots. It spreads the same light that lights up a hut and a mansion. Suddenly in the dark skies all we see is a thousand of flickers that makes all look one.

A small and mostly a routine ritual in all Indian homes but it’s this simple pleasure of lighting up a diya that makes Diwali so special. Decorating our homes with ultimate authenticity and Indian taste that makes it look splendid. And spreading light by lighting up a small diya conveys the greatness that lies behind simple pleasures we all have in our lives.

Coming up next...series on simple pleasures of life....

Watch out for more. Till then happy reading

When silence speaks....

Its early morning, the rising sun beams takes away the chill from the air. Flowers are beginning to bloom and you can see the nature welcoming a beautiful and bright day. The silence of nature is speaking volumes about the beauty around. The bright leaves and the sun rays are spreading their charm.

That my friend; is the tale of silence which nature speaks and we often fail to hear. Stuck in the rut of city life where we wake up to the noise of the water pump and the honking of the horn on the road, our mind is too frantic to observe the silence of a morning. Running from pillar to post, completing chores we are always in a rush to accomplish things. The peace of the day ends before it begins.

But what is it that we are missing out on? Is a question we seldom ask ourselves.
We are missing out on the most precious moments in life which are best lived in peace and tranquility. We are missing out on the feeling of peace and contentment which the silence of nature and the beauty of a morning give us. Lazing in the sun on a sunny winter morning, sitting in the garden during a summer sun rise, are moments in life when we pause and look around. We see that nature speaks and laughs and emits noises which are like music to our ears and a balm for our ruffled nerves.

It is important that we break away from the clutter and soothe our nerves. While this might sound too philosophical, but this is exactly what yoga does. Relaxing your body and sensitizing your senses can be done best in an environment which promises peace and tranquility.
Highest sense of awareness, concentration and introspection need the serenity of nature.

The silence of nature speaks a thousand words that have a calming effect. Some say, it’s therapeutic, I say it’s the simple joy of life in the lap of nature.