Love. Celebrate. Pray.

In India, anything that is remotely associated with a wedding has to be on a grand scale! Past three days; life has been on grand celebration mode, courtesy, silver wedding anniversary of a cousin. Somehow, the rhythm of our home has managed to comply, all the demands of time and energy with great excitement that always surrounds such occasions. 

These last few days have been amazing with some of the most beautiful shared moments with family and loved ones. Non stop, healthy dose of fun and laughter being the main agenda, I am still experiencing the hangover. It is Monday already and I must face demands of work, clamoring for my attention. Frankly, I am not in mood to work as remnants of the lovely time with family are still lingering on my mind, tugging my heart strings.

I guess, the most delightful part of such celebrations is in sudden collision of kaleidoscopic nostalgia that comes tumbling out, wafting to you and gripping your heart what it recalls uninvited. The never ending conversations over meals, laughter and the stories narrated by everyone present during mehendi, sangeet and many other occasions, allow people to discover new vistas of belonging and nurtured energies that such celebrations stand for. 

The incredible journey of twenty five years of togetherness holds distinctive imprints of the spirit that resonates in the love shared not only between the couple but between family members and extended circle of loved ones who serve as a sanctuary where everybody finds a perfect comfort zone and are accepting of one another. It is a privilege not many are fortunate to earn.

The mehendi on my palms might fade with time. My emotional self that has spilled over at the times least anticipated during these three days of abundant love and sharing is going to visit me again. I am going to welcome it and thank God for showering so many blessings without ever having to ask for them. 

One step closer to Satori

Being a person who thrives in urban, metropolitan chaos; it is a reward to find some time alone, just by myself, doing nothing. I crave for absolute isolation and embrace it at every possible opportunity. 

When I get such chance, I completely shut myself from outside world and am happy with my cave like world, a womb of complete peace, deep inside my cerebrum. No books, cell phone, camera, music, television, internet or interaction with anyone is required. The only agenda, if at all, is to be alone with myself or be somewhere close to Nature. Recently, I stumbled upon my "silence zone" when hubby and son planned some "boys stuff" for themselves.

I went to Sanjay Gandhi National Park early morning on Sunday and walked leisurely. These experiences are always soaked with sacred moments of deep rooted piety. There is something amazingly different about the rambling of woods and grooves that are part of this wild world of forest which unfolds its mystery of obscure ruggedness. The disorder compared to the order of the garden in my building where I live, has an element of surprise. The neat and well manicured garden holds exquisite infinities of peace which is fascinating but so different from what the forest offers! The chirping of birds, slowly catching up with the new day amid the serenity of forest sounds, fragrances and rhythm is heavenly. 

I love to see intricate labyrinth of plants weave into one another and branches of trees bending and brushing against my face and ruffle my hair, when I pass. It is a sign of my presence being acknowledged! Forests exude solemn tranquility and one feels insignificant standing under the grand scale of giant trees. The strong fragrance of some plants and flowers, take you back in nostalgia of reckless, childhood days of gay abandon in the woods. 


On a routine day, no matter how hard I try to distance myself from all possible noise, there is a constant struggle in comprehending how much of outside world should I shut out and how much should I let in.  My mind is an utterly incoherent space, where there are fleeting moments of sanity and calm and before those moments settle down, they go scattering into other convoluted configurations. Albeit, my exterior composure will never let anyone have a slightest glimpse of the inner circus.  Perhaps, both wild and tamed are facets of emotion that need to co exist with compatible rhythm.  

The quiet surroundings of the forest, compels me to indulge in meditative self reflection. These are the moments of nurtured energies that translate into life changing spaces. Such moments hold me silent, transformed and tuned with myself, in some magical space. There is this strange equation of the quiet and the tumulous and I seem to be at perfect peace with it! I find that wonderful moment when everything in the universe seems exactly the way it should be.  Every single cell of my body, mind and soul, is in unison with the universe and its rhythm and there is nothing more left to be attained. That’s the divine moment when it feels as if I have attained Satori. 

Wounds of survival !

I was returning from the bakery after picking up the cake, ordered for the New Year party at my home. Looking at the crazy traffic and the crowded roads, I started walking faster; worrying if I would reach home on time before all the friends arrived. It was a struggle, walking amid the traffic to reach my car. The cacophony was growing way beyond the decibel levels any human being could possibly take! Suddenly, in all the chaos, I heard refreshing sound of tinkling of anklets; followed by some slow drum beats and glass bangles, heading slowly towards me. 

When I looked around, it was an imposing sight! There was a group of about ten people; some of them in vibrantly picturesque attires, playing drums and cracking the whip in air that made scary sound. It took me a while to understand what exactly they were up to. I was under spell of shock, looking at the children who were barely clothed on that cold evening. The group read curiosity and disbelief in my eyes and approached me with utmost politeness and requested to watch their performance. Before I could even respond to them, they lead me to a corner and I followed, as if mesmerized!   

  
It was macabre expression of most inhuman facet of life to watch two children doing stunts with the whips and knives. I urged them vehemently to stop their show, the moment I saw the children crack the whip on their bodies. It was painful to see the mark of wounds slashed on their tender back. When I offered them help, they seemed hesitant as they felt they hadn't performed enough to accept anything from me! Looking at my camera, they suggested if I wished, I could take their pictures. I was so numb from the moment I saw their stunts that I had completely forgotten I was having my camera with me.

I learnt that, they not only made a living out of whip cracking stunts but combined it with some amazing knife throwing techniques. The presentation of their stunts was very interesting and they threw some humourous patter to make the performance lively and encourage audience participation. The children occasionally got an opportunity to perfect their skills by participating in dangerous stunts that often left them seriously injured. 

I chatted with the leader of the group who seemed concerned with the difficulties they were facing with each passing day. He enthusiastically displayed some brilliant techniques of maneuvering the whip and knife, despite me pleading him to stop. He smiled as if his body had no pain at all! 

When I finally left, I was in tears. Something within me had snapped, watching the group inflict so much pain for the sake of survival! With each new wound marked on their bodies, their capacity of swallowing pain increased. Every single wound, bruised and battered by the whip, was yet another reminder of their experiences of isolation, inequity and potential savagery it entailed. Perhaps, their physical wounds would heal with time someday but what about the wounds that were permanently etched in their hearts? I doubt they had luxury of even visiting their inner pain.

Behind the vibrant demeanour, there was so much pain and yet the people I met were all happy and smiling. They had dignity to refuse any help unless they were convinced they had earned it! What a divine experience it was to meet this amazing group. Despite our completely different backgrounds, we formed some connection. I experienced a surge of emotions during this entire experience that is difficult to put in words. 


Life never ceases to inspire me and when I am fortunate to have such fascinating, chanced upon encounters it compels me to salute the human spirit. All I need to do is get out of my softly padded walls of comfort zone and embrace so many layers of life that is unfolded every single day! 

The great Indian political circus and midnight mayhem

While the entire country was gearing up to welcome the year 2012, there was a drama of epic proportion being performed in the upper house, in most disgusting manner. In the same week, on MMRDA grounds in Mumbai, a tragic turn that transformed Anna Hazare's movement into a fiasco was the absence of many of its supporters. What these two major events of last week revealed was the true character of our politicians, the core team of Anna's camp and the media.

I have already written about my views on Anna Hazare's "movement against corruption" in my article "A convoluted protest" on 22/08/11. Albeit, some of my friends found my stand on the issue quite brave, the questions I posed in my article, still remain unanswered. 

Last few months, the nation has grown increasingly concerned with Anna Hazare's movement.  The politically ambitious sycophants who made desperate attempts to position Anna as 'Gandhi of current times" have fallen flat on their face.  Mr. Hazare has barely projected even an iota of wisdom of the great mahatma in this entire movement. Watching him mock Sonia Gandhi and other politicians made many of his supporters cringe with shame, as the political games of his camp became evident in their eloquent rhetoric. The Anna camp was exposed and soon people realized how, for this "movement against corruption", corruption was never the core issue! It was shocking for the supporters who had apolitical minds, clean hearts and good intentions, to see the political undercurrents of the "movement" and they chose to distance themselves as they realized they were taken for a ride. 

Any Indian who has watched the debate of Lokpal bill in upper house would realize how our politicians seriously believe that the nation is full of morons and people would not be able to make out that their intention was clearly to sink the Lokpal bill. They did quite a clumsy job at that. Many of our politicians didn't realize that even irreverence needs to be packed well else people can make out what the real game is all about!

How can I forget the intellectual elite and their breed with its opportunistic methods that gained immensely with the endless debates and some fleeting moments of glory of becoming famous? Wonder, if they really care for the real issue. Sad, media doesn't get tired of them! 

It was a major blunder both by the ruling party (or was it a game plan, considering its penchant for appeasement politics) and the media to assign role of sole representative for the "civil society" to Anna Hazare. That lapse instantly put Anna to a Demigod stature which was catastrophe in waiting. All that followed from that point on, was nothing but a deadly game of cheap politics, ambitions and greed. To assume that this game is over is insane. We have much more drama in store in coming days.  

Watching the debate of the Lokpal bill in upper house has truly saddened entire nation. One is compelled to think if this the democracy we really deserve? With culmination of the New Year, I hope we invest some time in soul searching.  The only positive outcome, if at all, in this entire anti corruption movement was to bring to light the fact that there is large number of people who are willing to do anything for the sake of honest, accountable, transparent, corruption free and decisive government. There are people who are willing to participate in bringing change in the society that is inclusive, tolerant, humane and fair in its approach. May be its still just a very small section but it promises great potential to bring in the necessary change. 

You must be thinking that I am nursing some delusion.  I am not. Being an insanely optimistic person, I am NOT giving up my hope despite everything. It is New Year and its time to start with new dreams and beginnings. I am going to keep faith in my dream and participate in new beginnings.

Good bye 2011...

Its that time of the year when we look back and realize how fast the year passed! Its time to be thankful, celebrate and share all the blessings God has so generously bestowed upon us.   

There is celebration all around and for a change, everyone seems to be happy. The mood for the party has set in and I am busy planning for the same. A lot has happened in year 2011 that changed me as a person and I am thankful to life for that.

I must also thank all my friends, well wishers and readers of this blog for their wonderful support. The comments, mails and suggestions that I receive for this blog have helped me immensely to grow as a person and writer.  My heartfelt thanks for that!

Catch you in 2012 friends, with many more rendezvous with life. Till then, happy holidays and God bless you!