K.J. Yesudas Vs. Kishore Kumar

Dr K.J. Yesudas, the true Gana Gandharvan. The deepest, most beautiful voice music in India has ever heard. There is no doubt about that. His film-career spanned from the late 60's if I'm not wrong till even the late 00's. While his most notable but unnoticed achievement is bringing popularity to Classical music. Even yours truly can attribute to that. He continues to perform classical concerts, and due to his brand power in film, it automatically brings at least some audiences in just owing to that fact.  Yesudas has sung in almost every Indian language, although the luckiest state is the one he hailed from, Kerala. He's also been handsomely awarded by National, state and film awards for his performances and contributions. But there is a flaw...in my opinion. I think his singing lacked total immersement. I felt so most in the sentimental, romantic, or tragic songs. And also in some of the comic songs. There is a certain detachment to the the singing. You know he's singing a romantic number or a song of angst, but I give more credit to its outcome to the wonderful lyricists and equally excellent musicians of Malayalam film music. Which is also why I think he never was as great a success in other languages. Without the support of equally talented musicians, the passion in the voice, must have been caught missing. Which is where S.P. Balasubramaniam capitalized in almost every other South Indian Language.

Kishore Kumar on the other hand, was this eccentric, sometimes melancholic, and most times comic character, who seemed to be hiding a certain pain. And this pain came out, oh very vividly so, in the many sentimental, philosophical and sad songs he's sung. Like another contemporary singer Mahendra Kapoor once commented, Kishore grasped the emotion of the song very easily. And he was so talented, that he could even sing some classical songs by purely mimicking and learning from the music director. His talent was peerless as he dabbled (competently) in acting, direction, music and lyrics, although singer was what defined him. Obviously he could never have sung most Carnatic or Hindustani classicals. But the range of his songs crossed the barriers of masses and classes alike; he's sung songs of every genre. Even though his singing calibre would not have reached Mohd Rafi's. His voice though is the best Hindi film industry has heard. Kishore Kumar's best songs have come under music director R.D. Burman. A large part of the memorable songs in Kishore's collections are owing to Burman's music. Although Burman was his most ardent supporter too. According to Burman, Kishore was the best singer a music director could get. He'd mimic the song just exactly as the music director wanted it to be recited, thus giving justice to the vision of the song.

When I think back or listen to the songs sung by Yesudas and Kishore, while Yesudas' songs leave me with admiration of the singing talent, Kishore's songs touch the core of some feeling in my heart. And while this makes Yesudas hands down the Best singer according to me, Kishore will always be my favorite singer!!

Influences from WWE

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), which I knew most of my life as WWF (World Wrestling Federation), was something of an enigma, an inspiration for fitness, and hero-worship, when growing up in Mumbai. We used to collect post-card pictures, and make scrap books with these. We used to have card-games with these, talk about the wrestlers, imagine how matches between them would fare..all sorts of things..

I remember the top stars at the time, the early 90's used to be Bret "The Hitman" Hart, The Undertaker, Razor Ramon..these were the heroes, or the "face" as I recently learnt is the term used within the company. And then there were the villains (heel), like Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Owen Hart, Yokozuna! I was always a big fan of Bret Hart. His wrestling style clearly showed how he stuck to the basics. No high-flying moves, focus on the opponent's weaknesses, and never give up. Kind of how I am too. I'm sure he was a boring superstar..

After I think the 9th standard, I lost touch of WWF, and crucial career-defining studies (at least in India) of Std 10th and 12th took over. I remember the last match being Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels in WrestleMania '94, which he controversially lost. I watched this match with my favorite cousin, Biju Ettan. Throughout this era though, it was discussed but mostly agreed upon that the matches were not anyway rigged. There were some rules to follow, but the outcome is totally like a sport!

When I got back to watching Wrestling, in around '99, I was disappointed to see Hitman had been turned heel. There is an extended documentary where even he explains he had a lot of concerns about this move by the company. I saw Stone Cold Steve Austin win King-of-the-Ring. A bad guy with no respect but a lot of guts. I hated him when promos revealed how he was targetting the "old generation" that Hitman reflected, and the intense rivalry between them. I loved seeing how Hitman beat him in that match. And yet, since Stone Cold never gave up, he won my and the fans' respect.

I thought I was done with WWF after this, as Hitman's era seemed to have ended, but the WWE (which it was known as by then) had a real surprise storyline up their sleeve. The Stone Cold vs. Vince McMohan the boss was a damn good entertainer! Mind you, even at this phase I had no idea all these are cooked up storylines. And I applauded how Stone Cold won the championship against all odds from the boss, dumped all norms, and stayed himself all through. He defended the belt against the best contenders, the Undertaker, Kane, Mick Foley, The Rock. But sometime in between, Engineering studies got hectic, and I let go.

And since then, the guts of Stone Cold and resilience of the Hit Man have always stayed as cherished inspirations.

I recently found out how these are all storylines, including that entire fights are choreographed. I still am amazed how they do it...
But with that understanding though, I might never go back into it the way it was back in the 90's and early '00s.

But from a fan who really learnt a lot about inspirational qualities in life from examples of characters that were created, a Big Thank You to the WWE and a Bigger Salute to the Stars, the inspiring Wrestlers!!

The Road to Moksha

There was first, the search for Purpose. Two things have - perhaps partly, but surely - answered: 1) The worldly responsibilities; 2) The knowledge that Maya is like a game.  For I see that in my mind, the restlessness of a search is gone.

As knowledge grew, I'm realizing that this is, and will not be, our first visit here. That we never really lose our loved ones. We all are but one. And we keep meeting in subsequent births. This has helped, the knowledge from various aspects, the scientific (the book "Many Lives, Many Masters"), and the spiritual (talks and material from "Art of Living" and the Vedic material on the internet). It has helped to drop the fear of death, to have no regrets, and to as much possible per current capability, perceive the nature of life. It will all come around...

There is also a golden "method" I now have in hand, thanks to the "Art of Living" talks. To stay in the "Mode of Awareness". Not just when meditating, but in every activity of life. Sri Sri Ravi Sankar has explained, that it is this that helps dissolve the Karmic influences. Obviously there is much, much room for improvement for me. I'll do my best. Yoga and my attempts to reduce the need for sleep have helped. For deeper meditation, even though my office workload, and illnessess while the body builds immunity to the Bangalore weather, have delayed. But Adi Sankaracharya's point that Yoga and Meditation in itself do not help achieve Moksha, but indirectly help in creating the mental state to achieve it, have been both an insightful point, and an introspective one on how long this journey could be.

Or maybe not! As I write this, I'm thinking, I agree with Adi Sankaracharya based on two experiences: 1) Even great Yoga acharya's are known for sexual scandals, and not really directly achievers of Moksha. In itself, there is nothing wrong in sexual conduct and I'm not attempting to be judgemental about it. It's like my experience with artistes. When you hear them talk, when you learn their thoughts, you realize that no matter how great they are in their fields, be it music or film or in this case Yoga, their spiritual development has not hand-in-hand. So it takes something else.. 2) Sri Sri Ravi Sankar's exhortions that there is nothing like someday, suddenly, Enlightenment will come from somewhere. All the sadhana is like removing husk from the grain. What we are to achieve, already exists within. In this aspect, the insightful book "Siddhartha" also helped. Denying oneself will not help us "realize". Accepting all is what helps.

Among Vedic purusharthas, is also mentioned the goal of "Moksha". That it's not akin to running away from the worldly life. It's akin to how children love their small toys, and find their ultimate joy in it. While as adults we grow over it. It this this mode of realizing what the true nature of everything is, that helps their interactions with us in the world does not add up to Karmic bindings, be it good or bad! Foremost thing is to realize and accept, that everything, absolutely everything that's happening to us, is nobody else's fault, or even credit. It's the adding up of our own Karma. Difficult to realize, but one must also strive to achieve complete harmony and balance in all four purusharthas, that I believe is what would be the measure of a truly successful life. Everything in Life Just Happens, one can only have the Intent!

Where do you search..

Where is pilgrimage, it is here
Where is God, he is within
What do you search, oh dear seeker
Stay a fool, dedicate and then ask

There is a learning, from proof to knowledge
But proof is mithya, so your knowledge ever-changing
Instead of asking, can I see upon opening eyes
Open your eyes, and then see for yourself

Mohanlal's characters' personal traits

The guy's a talent! A master of his craft. And one needs to credit Mohanlal in that respect. Without stifling the freedom of what his other personality traits he chooses by free will. This will only help his creativity bear more expression not feel hindered or burdened by a social and public pressure.

Recently his film "Devasuram" was playing again on TV, and I noticed how the character typically also kept a white handkerchief in hand. And guess what, I found myself uninhibitedly holding one myself after that! Years before when I saw this movie, and noticed the character had his watch tied to his right wrist, it'd peaked my curiosity and I began tying the watch to my right wrist. I must admit I still prefer it to this day, although most work-days it's still on my left hand. This character of Neelakantan, in performance and embodiment, was done really very well by Mohanlal. I'm not sure even he realizes. A masterful, well-developed character!

 In another film "Varavelpu", I'd noticed how he kept touching his shirt pocket. This is a very typical, unconscious habit of Indian men, who in days of old when money was short, used to keep some cash in their shirt pocket. It was a way of checking that the money's still there! I'd seen my father and many others doing it unconsciously at various times in the day. And this fit so well with Mohanlal's characters in the film; a man who's insecure, having started a new private bus business recently.

I'd watched "Ravanaprabhu" when I was in the Infosys Mysore Guest House. And I distinctly remember the spring in my step when going for dinner later! The action-oriented character was played with such energy, you couldn't help but grasp a little of it yourself.

Then there was "Aham" where his bearded look, and deep, intense performance made me feel he was dissolving some pain from even deep within himself. I began loving the slightly bearded look in this film and in "Nirnayam", on Mohanlal and even myself, though never really got to learning how best to keep a beard groomed. And couldn't adopt one for myself...

I'm sure there are many other such roles where Lal's personality traits in a film have caught the viewer's attention. Or maybe just the fan's attention. But these are ones that come immediately to my mind right now.

Hats off to to the master-performer.

You are Everywhere

What is lost, if I am lost
What is created, if I was born
I was here, always here
In different form, that was not seen

All in Life, has just happened
And for that the world, is not enough
I do not ask, for miracles
For You and I, and Life is one!

See See..

See see, See that idly over there
You know son, it's not idly
It's not idly, it is Moon

See see, See that laddoo shining up
You know son, it's not laddoo
It's not laddoo, it is Son

See see, See that fluffy white ice-cream
You know son, it's not ice-cream
It's not ice-cream, it is Cloud

The sky spraying shower, is called rain
This nature's tub, is the lake

When this wondrous world exists
Why do you settle, for so less
Go out, explore, live in freedom
Life's not one, you'll get many others
Yet each one's best, so live with jest!!

Take a Hike!

It's hard to say, why religion exists? Hard to understand, why it becomes a mass-accumulator. Easy to see why people fall trap to its social herdings..it gives them an identity. Man is in search of an Identity, about who he is, all his life. Religion has the intoxic mix of spiritual and social gathering. We feel connected with the group socially and spiritually.

But see the toll it takes. It divides man from man. People get defined by their religious beliefs. And worse, sometimes that seems to hold true!

These days there's a new controversy: Hindu saints saying Sai Baba not be worshipped.
Regardless of anybody's opinion, why do they have to get didactic. This is not what religion, and especially the Hindu way of life, was meant to be.

Religion started off, and should've stayed as an individual's journey. An invidual's journey to self-realization. Social norms should have been kept separate and not intertwined with religious norms. In that I respect the Hinduism religion being the most tolerant; not enforcing the individual to any practice. I think it became a social accumulation more as a response to other religions who were able to exert influence around the world, by commanding mass gathering, fellowship and rules.

But regardless, every religion should not intervene with individual freedom. These days, the much-hated "western culture" has brought about that good. Little do they realize that people even in western societies follow strict religious norms. It's more an individual choice there though, than something enforced. And that's how it should stay!

Let religious influences, on either side of the pendulum, be discouraged, a heady concoction though it might be. Let religion be encouraged as an individual's journey, his/her search or pursuit.  Let religious intermingling be encouraged in all social institutions, celebrations, and even marriage. And those who dislike the idea, let's tell them to "Take a Hike!"

I am One..

I walk down the green, my shoes are clean
They chirp overhead, the birds at their best
I know the sun will, any moment now
I await the glory glimpse, the scenic crimson brim

I know that we are one, the Surya and the Son
I will forever desist, the hesitation and resist
To accept, to bind, to stifle, the kindling of the mind
To know that I am more, than just a beating heart

Are we Connected...from Before

Dear Son,  You amaze me. I wonder, and I'm almost getting convinced now. That we are connected, from before. Like I knew you were a boy even while you were in Mamma's womb. Even then when you look at me, and I know our souls speak. You seem to guess our feelings right. You like the small things I and Mamma say..you belong to us, we are the same family!!

And most of all, like today, you are equally fond of the very same songs that I love! These songs, some of them old film ones, some devotional, which for no reason have attracted me. These same songs engross you! Have we heard these, together, a lifetime before? Did we know each other, were we connected, once before...

Life is an eternity, from one birth to the other. Until we "realize", and choose to escape. I know now no fear of Death. It follows a period of deep rest. The anguish I choose not to carry, I realize the nature of Self is joyous. Does your love bind, prevent me from the next stage. Oh c'mon Pradeep, aren't there so many entanglements even before that!!

Musings from the book "Siddhartha"

The book Siddhartha, I heard from the then CEO-designate of Infosys, Mr Vishal Sikka. He kept quoting the book on various occasions. Perhaps this is his favorite book. I took it upon me to read it.

The book is philosophically heavy. The ones who'll find it most interesting are the spiritual seekers. Those looking for answers on why life exists, from the spiritual angle. Being one of those, I just enjoyed the book. At places I did not agree with the protagonist Siddhartha, at his thoughts and actions. You could judge one's own level of spiritual maturity when you realize certain early actions of Siddhartha, or how one aspects his point of views later on in life.

In a sense, the book also makes you instrospect. To ask yourself are you willing to agree or adhere to everything Siddhartha had to say, to follow his path, even if true. Remember, isn't it Siddhartha himself who says that no teaching can lead you to salvation. Each person's path has to be unique!

I see the reflection of the Hindu way of life, and how it helps one, through the experience of Life itself, to reach salvation; the concept of the four ashrams in Life. I also began to get a deeper appreciation why this way of life doesn't expect anything from the individual. No need for temples, idols, books, teachings. Although if you need any source, every kind of guide is available.

Siddhartha could never have achieved enlightenment by converting into a monk. Like he said, those teachings are good, but will continue to keep you as a seeker, as happened to his friend Govinda. For experiencing enlightenment, one has to go through Life, and still be able to see the transitionary phase of things.

This is where I also agree with the teaching of Sri Sri Ravi Sankar, that the only way to dissolve Karma, is "awareness". You have to live out your current Karma, but if you are aware of what's happening, you refrain from action that traps you further into the cycle. Or perhaps even leaves you (the self or the soul) alone as the observer, and not the doer. So you do not accumulate the effects (good or bad).

And that's where the teaching of the Gita was point-on: If you are already in the war, fight it. The time to rethink it has gone. You'll have to live through this Karma (or die, as could happen in a war). But being unattached, where you are not doing it for personal benefit or other's doom, takes you out of the loop. Leaves you with a chance to leave the effects (the war-wounds) with the body, and not carry it on your soul!

The Spider's Web

Walking in my shoes, Living in my Dreams
With Aims and Pursuits, my Life is Replete

I wonder Magic, is this whole world
Am neither real, nor anything around
How beautifully it has, trapped me in it
With each act I just, keep getting pulled in
There is one savior, it is my Breath
The minute it stops, reality begins

But still this world, I keep marveling
Has thrown it on us, the Spider'sWeb
And yet we wonder, what's going on
How can we know, until we look from beyond

Trapped in thy Dream

Imagine a situation where you are trapped in your dream. You can't come back, you can't wake up. That's what happened to Dilip. He found himself lost, and caged and trapped. He suffered inconsolably, controlled by a soul on vengeance.

His consciousness had escaped, as does everyone's in dream-state. While we can come back, to senses and this world; poor Dilip could not one day, his consciousness was held back. His wife when she woke up, she tried her level best. She could see he was breathing, but yet not waking up. Is this what they call coma, she haplessly wondered aloud...

Alas medical science, limits itself in its process. That seeing is believing, learning from intuition is nothing. So while the knowledge of "What" has progressed, the "Why" and "How" continues to confound. And while another soul could have rescued, someone needed to be told.  Instead they left him in bed, with glucose injected.

The wails and the sighs, could Dilip hear from within. For he was not gone, he just could not come back!!

This River Still..

This River still, bears its heat
It flows on merit, and mirth uphill
It glows in sun, and moonlight alike
It holds fire within, and coolness abright

I know it breathes, it speaks, it listens
It is I who speed by, not waiting by him
It is blue and is black, angry and is calm
It is all of these and yet, water is not these

It exists at same time, at source and sea
It teaches me verily, there is no such thing as time

Hear the Silence

I heard it in the silence, that rustle of the leaf
That beauty in space, of nature divine

I wet in the rains, I dried under sun
My Self was this creation, a glow innocent

So much to do, but no inkling to say
What words can convey, that heaven is earth

You sleep on soft grass, and still look upwards
Paradise is not beyond, it is just behind a veil

Why do we live life

I sometimes feel we should cut the crap out of this rat-race of career. Go back into the question of why are you doing this. Do not do it for your next promotion. This body, this life-history is not what matters. Do it for a real sense of bigger purpose. Let that purpose be to make life better for someone. Let the means be your work.

If you are rooted in who you are, what life is, what is really under your control and not, you stop getting too worried and worked up in office. In effect, you behave better with your colleagues, and give better output in work. You are more in control of the situation in this context, than any else.

Why do we live life? What's more important for us? What gives us most satisfaction, a blissful feeling? To me, it's family. My writing, my poetry. My meditation, physical exercises. Temples and the poignancy in their sandal, flower and fire scented air. Nature, greenery. The sun.

At work, I've felt so when a code I'd written executed successfully. I got this feeling when I score 96/100 in Mech in Sem 2, and recently when I scored 740 in GMAT. A sense of satisfaction of a job well done. I feel a drive to set a process straight, be it at home or work, and I strive towards it. I really like it when it completes well. It's not really a blissful feeling, as it is the second level feeling of satisfaction. I like it, but can live without it.

I see a lot of reasoning in the 4 ashrams of life. I think there will be a Vanaprastham for me, after Grahasthashram, which will again be secondary to Sanyas ashram. And to be clear, these ashrams reside more in the mind than the physical self. Although the physical seclusion would be ideal.

Life flies by. I was the same person when I was 15. I might have learnt, worked, formed family. But I am the same. And I think this applies for all humans. Matter is, if they realize it or not.

One realizes that shortcuts, negative manipulations, and actually even positive Karmas matter little because you keep getting pulled into a cycle. More importantly, negative karmas keep pulling you farther and farther away from realizing the truth, that's all. But someday, somehow, in some life, this Self will suffer through it. If one just realizes this, people would just put effort towards a goal, but with no attachment to it.

The result will and has to come. And even if it doesn't and when it does, it does not belong to you. You were always just the medium. Your purpose is bigger. It is that of the Soul, it is that of Life.

The Mode of Awareness

I recently heard an interesting talk by Sri Sri Ravisankar on Karma and Reincarnation. He spoke about how "awareness" can dissolve all Karma. It was thought-provoking...

The gist of his message was that if "you" (the Self) are observing yourself, your actions, your Karma, then you realize what's happening, what could happen, and you stay detached. The very act of being detached to your current Karma will ensure you don't earn future reactions to it, in effect "dissolving" it, and freeing you from the Karmic cycle. Easier said than done, of course?

But I tried it. Of course one should have firstly reached the level of spirituality to realize that this body is temporary, but there is a self within it, which has stayed unchanged, since childhood. The mind, the emotional maturity, the physical nature and features, always keeps changing, even if not always visible. But the Self stands apart, experiences, and carries impressions like Guruji put it. These impressions are the Karma that earn its effects.

So if we "position" oneself in the Self first, and watch what are doing and experiencing (and we are doing something every second, even if just watching what we are doing), then the first immediate benefit I experienced was relaxation. I felt the stress floating away. In an instant I realized this was just like the feeling of meditation. Indeed, this is what we do during meditation isn't it, separate "self" and observe. We just let the thoughts come and let go without any physical activity during meditation. So we are relaxed and are definitely not earning any Karma. The thoughts are good or bad, but it's in the mind. The self is detached.

The next benefit I realized, I guess which is a product of calming down and getting free from stress, is we prioritize things right than just rush.

Our physical movement is slower, but not really slow. The right word is graceful.
Our general  demeanor is to look at the surroundings with awe. The greenery, the small antics of a child, the humor in small things, the goodness of beings. It's as if the soul has opened its eyes and is finding everything new and beautiful.

This Mode of Awareness is also resembles the mode of creativity. When I'm writing this article, or a poem, I'm just letting the words flow by. My mind is processing it, but after the fact. The idea keeps on getting generated from the consciousness or beyond, and the mind's just shaping it instantly. Poetry, especially, flows most freely in this mode of creativity. Words are rhyming, phrases rhythmic. In this mode, I'm just sitting still, and communicating what's coming from within. That's how creativity arises anyways. We see it in music, in painting. And I think one is a subset of the other. Awareness precedes the mode of creativity.

And because we are in the mode of creativity, in general any work done is of good quality. Even when work needs analysis say, we switch to the analytical mode, but because we were in the more relaxed mode of creativity before this, we are less tired, less stressed, more relaxed.

The last, but the not the least, thing I noted was that it was not possible to stay always in this mode. At some point you get engrossed in what you are doing, and obviously the Karmic clock starts ticking without us realizing. I'm sure the gurus always stay in this Mode of Awareness. The realized beings always free of Karma although always in the mode of service and activity. This is perhaps where practice will lead us..

The travails of home-search in Bangalore

Having moved recently to Bangalore, I've been searching for a home to settle in. And oh the price-jolt that I got! I thought my years of savings will get me a dream villa, but the fact is it can only buy me a 2 bhk, and that too upon compromise, if I want to immediately move in.

I've been on this painstaking search, most evenings and weekend days and nights. As reality of prices set it, I compromised from villa to 4bhk, from 4bhk to 3.5 and now 3 bhk. I've been led around by fresh-constuction agents. A very highly commendable indiahomes.com to the agents who want maximum return out of minimum effort, and the so many generally good ones in between. Through these agents or through direct interaction, I met a lot of flat owners also. And all of them, such nice people. An Infoscion, other IT people, and people whose professions I may not know. But all of them, very smart, polite and good people. All very friendly, all cooperative, patient to my questions and queries.

It's been hard work. Losing weekends just watching one apartment to another. Driving long distances to and fro for these. Falling ill, perhaps due to travel in the sun, and perhaps the smoke and dust. The mental taxing due to the plethora of options and confusions thereof. Bangalore is at the hub of construction. It was a perfect analogy of "water water everywhere, but not a sip to drink".

In the end, the most credit was to family, especially my father-in-law, who help me most in the final lap. I guess this was part-guilt as his adherence to Vastu without workarounds was the main cause of making this journey so long. But I guess in the end it might turn worth it.

Although the apartment I've currently shortlisted might most likely be a good investment, I'm not sure I'd be too happy living in it. I honestly hope I adjust and let go and be more accepting of what's arriving. And more importantly, I pray to the auspicious moments and Gods to bless the next steps most.

The magic of breath

I heard Sri Sri Ravi Sankar say in a talk recently that our breath reflects our emotion. So amazing is that observation, yet something that's so apparent to us. Yet, what is said next was more important and contextual. He said, so through our breath, we can take control of our emotions again. For example, we breathe heavily when angry. So if we become aware of this when angry, and choose to take a deep breath instead, our feeling of anger dissipates. Try it, definitely works! And actually, we already do it to take control of our anger, don't we? Just that we never really thought that this can be applied to other situations too, for our benefit.

I've heard Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev also reflect upon breath. He said nature hangs on a fine balance. All it takes for us to lose our life, is just a breath away. If we breathe out and don't breathe in, life is gone. He too advised for more awareness and towards meditation, to just be aware of our breath. He said that over time we'll begin seeing the clean cut between us and our life, through breath.

The whole Sudarshan Kriya from Sri Sri Ravi Sankar's Art of Living is about breath exercises. Yoga's essence I recently surmised from Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's teachings is about prepping up our jeevatma (life energy) to rise through the nadis passing by the chakras in the body and join the parmatman (universal energy), which really is what gives us moksha. Looking at it the other way, this might also explain why we are performing the asana better by just focusing on our breath and keeping the mind empty. The reason si really the other way round. The asana is meant for us to get control over our breath and activate the jeevatma to rise.

Indeed the mystery of the breath is profound. And at least I have found it very useful to be able to focus on it easier, to just realize how just one breath stands between human life and death.

Musings from the book 'Many Lives, Many Masters"

This is the true story of a famous Psychiatrist's experience with a patient whose therapy sessions led the Doctor to change his views on reincarnation. The author came to realize how blessed his life really was, how masters from other dimensions look over us all, how souls collaborate across lives and help each other out.

For the lay reader, the best part would be that death really is a beautiful and quick experience, not a turmoil as many of us perceive it to me. It also tells us that we don't really lose out on our loved ones. We keep meeting them across lives.

I had a couple of questions upon reading the book, which were answered in readings thereafter:

- Howcome the patient was able to say her previous life was (say) in 1800 BC. If she travelled to that era in hypnotisation, through her subconscious, how did she know she was in a pre-Christ era. The Doctor has explained elsewhere that come to think of it, she's communicating all of this in English. So there is a super-conscious that is communicating all this to us. That super-conscious calculates where it stands in the prior birth and is communicating to us. This for me was a convincing argument.

- Howcome each of the previous births was of a human. I heard in a recent audio hearing by Sri Sri Ravi Sankar, that once we take a human birth, we don't really go back to our previous karmic cycles of other animals. We simply keep repeating the human birth, until we realize moksha. This answered my other question.

Overall, reading this book really leaves you with a good feeling. That we are not really alone. And that we don't really leave people behind. We do meet them in afterlife. Life is a continuous channel.

The findings were consistent also with my learnings from Hinduism, and my own observations of how Nature is functioning through the single law of Karma.

Recommended reading.

Musings from the book "Sadhguru"

I'd never heard of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev before my friend Vikas recommended some Youtube videos of his. And for the first time, I found a guru/yogi/mystic who could speak in intellectual terms so impressively. It was only later that I read and learnt that he hobnobs with the people on top; the ones who run businesses and governments. That he's been invited to the World Economic Forum. I read about the Isha foundation and that its headquarters is in Coimbatore, not far from Bangalore. Incidentally, a friend in Infosys also said he practices the yoga exercises taught by the Isha foundation and finds them useful.

Vikas also had lent me the book "Sadhguru", which was about Jaggi Vasudev's life. It was very impressive, and quite an honest and brutal account of Sadhguru's life. The author Arundhathi Subramaniam easily shifts between providing an factual, as heard, account, and clinically incisive analysis of Sadhguru's life and personality.

Some things I found very interesting in this book:

- Sadhguru is fond of snakes. That he could confidently catch them in his younger days. That he made good pocket money with it. And worse, that he had a snake farm in his house!

- Sadhguru is fond of fast driving. Be it motorcycles or cars. This is the facet that my (perhaps) judgemental mind finds disconcerting. A guru who still retains such fondness! Maybe he's just teaching us about the true nature of life; the spiritual and the material need not be different. Or maybe he's just a vividly confident person who has the gift of the gab! Likewise, his love for seafood, golf, good clothes, all challenge the usual image of a mystic.

- How the Dhyanalinga was consecrated. All the things said about how the chakras in the nadis (life energy streams within the spinal cord) of 3 people initially and later just Sadhguru and his disciple Bharathi were brought and woven together, and are now held on like a living energy force by the Dhyanalinga.

- The incident of his wife's mahasamadhi. While the mouna-guru's mahasamadhi is touching, this one again the "logical" mind finds hard to believe.

- The presence of disembodied beings around the ashram during the performance of practices for the Dhyanalinga.

- Sadhguru's memories and recounting of his past births. His justification of how he is here to fulfill the Dhyanalinga process

- About black tea curing the poisonous bite.

For sure though, Sadhguru has psychic capability as recounted by a lot of his disciples. He clearly has ready wit and impressive speaking skills.

I want to believe all that he says and has experienced, for I believe that is truly how life runs (energy chakras). I'd like to join the Isha yoga course some time.

Let's hope Sadhguru is here to guide as many souls he can. I'm grategul to God for such an opportunity, to learn from a master

Reincarnate

The flowers in the wind today, have flown once before
The rain drops fall down, for the water evaporates
I have been here once, I just don't recollect

I have been a cow before, a snake and a human perhaps
I have been the vegetable, the fruit and the stone perhaps
As matter moved from gross to subtle, I have stayed unchanged
This life is just the chakras, and the energy it holds

I must met have wife before, my son and I share bond eternal
My sister, well-wishers, they were all there, and so we share this love forever..
But ever wish if to be born that, I be my parents son again..

Poems for Shravan: Round and Round

Round and Round and Round and Round
Fan is going Round and Round
Shravan is watching up and up
Still fan is going, Round and Round

(Song for Shravan when we he was an infant on the floor while we were changing his diapers)

Friends of Tibet

Friends of Tibet, do not forget
This India that hosted you, for decades at end
There was a time your own brother stabbed
Drove you away, from your own abode

This friend stood by, without regret
Despite bullying enemies, and pressures outset
For India saw your soul, as one of its own
For India found your company, is for its own good

The journey of spirituality is beyond all religion
All caste and race, that humans can frame
It is but once, the journey of the spirit
And who but friends, can walk together best

There will be a time, when India be no more
Crumbled to the Himalaya, we would be forlorn
India hopes at that time, your humble self lives on
Guides us all, to divine glory for all

Meditation-1

Life is so busy..always. If we choose to relax for some time, it's for sure at the cost of something else that could be done. Our body and mind might choose to forget, but in this day and age there is never a situation where nothing else could be done. Or philosophically looking at it, there never was such a time.

But such time is important. Some time in the day where you just disconnect, or better yet, meditate. If a person as busy as Steve Jobs could find time for his long walks, so can you. It was a contributor for his success, and so will be the time you take off daily, for you.

It is in such times that man needs to introspect. Where am I, as a Jeeva (Life), heading. At these times, we let our individual souls (Jeevatman) connect to the universal soul (Parmatman). Our spiritual beliefs might vary, but every path concurs that each of us is special. We were created for a purpose. It was the universal soul that created each individual soul, for a purpose. Else Life needn't have been given a soul. And as humans, we were created with even more responsibility. Else we, like most other animals, wouldn't be given consciousness. The point I'm conveying is the need to reflect. On our actions, our thoughts, our direction, and sometimes maybe nothing. Just be receptive to any thoughts that come in, from the universal soul.

I can assure you'll see a difference. At the very outset, will be things you forgot to do during the day. Which is a sign that you just awoke your subconscious. Such thoughts while helpful have a tendency to distract us from the meditation. Might sound silly, but would be a good idea to keep a pen and paper next to you. Write down the reminder so you can resume meditation without the fear of forgetting it again.

Some advise the need to force your mind to an object, or the spot near the eyes (trinetra or third eye). Swami Vivekananda advised beginners to just stop worrying about all this. Let the thoughts flow. You'll see it flying aimlessly. Just don't get frustrated by it. Slowly bring them back to the present. At some point you will find your breath slowing. Realize it.  (to be cont)

The true approach..

The breeze in the air, when it kissed my breath
I knew not then, that it touched my self
I had been beneath, shaken disbelief
I knew not then, the sky is within reach

The human mind is, at once of limiting will
But the true conscious is, of nature expansive
The skeptic, judging mind, knows not what made it
Thinks this is it, disagrees with no limits

But why blame the mind, the soul had fed its thought
Would you blame the coal, if you had fed it fire

True awareness is the goal, and also the process
There is no end to reach, only a journey you will alight

Purpose beyond comprehension

There was a fruit, he thought why he lives
Listless, he fell, to die in crash, and separation
But then came a beautiful boy, and biting fruit felt nourished
Healthy, happy, the little boy, blessed the fruit after death

Life holds meaning, perhaps unknown
Life holds purpose, perhaps irrational
But Life is Life, it's bigger than us
To inquire, to balance, to be aware is ours
Destiny, Moksha, life-after is not

My Home

Where the sun blesses its first rays into windows
Where the sun sets with crimson lights on yard
Where two floors exist, one to sleep and one exist
Where gardens surround and children play

Where meditation achieves its supreme perfection
Where laughters fill happy parents, children, grandchildren
Where I come back, tired and happy
Where I wake up, where I build memories and die

In such a home dear Lord, do I want to live

The Mystery of Dreams

Dreams are those, that we catch afloat
No time, no space, no constraint that bounds
A hero one time, and fearful at another
With long lost friends once, but alone and exposed next

What makes dreams, what constitutes it
Is one lifetime, of consciousness less
Is sleep a must, is dream as death

Mysteries abound, that science know not
The why and why not, but only the what
Some answers lie within, some with the guru
And some somewhere else, in karmic dimensions..

The snake and the rat

Sk sk sk sk, sk sk sk sk Hissed the snake in menacing might
Chu chu chu chu, chu chu chu chu Mocked the rat in sheer delight
Flabbergasted, baffled beholded, this strangest sight did I in eyes
What confidence, what self-assurance, had the rat with death no fright

And what a war broke out between them, there are no words to describe
Hissed and jumped and standing hairs, both on me and rat beware

I was such a stupid fool to, think that I am nothing here
Each has to play by his strengths, with God and even Death no fear

So the rat tired this snake out, and ran afar laughing away
And so did I with smile on face now, and new courage come what may

Nature is Blessed, Bathed in Rain

Parched in thirst, a year long wait
Mud and grime, and bird nest waste
Trees long most, for that first rain
Which washes and brightens, both leaf and trunk
Which cares for and nourishes, the deepest roots

Water from the Gods, that sip of nectar
Generously dispersed, seated on clouds
We thank your gifts, masters in the skies
New life is born, by sipping this nectar

I stay hands folded, beholding this beauty
The leaves I have seen, were never this green
As a beautiful woman, who steps out of water
As a dazzling butterfly, who rests on a flower

Why the delay, O dear Rain

Why O dear Rain, are you so late
You seem to have forgotten, you were to be here
We are waiting parched, the fields and the flowers
As animals and birds, we all look upwards

Why O pure water, do you keep us parched
Your mighty showers, we look forward to bath
The clouds still spread thin, silver as old man's hair
We look for the young, lush black heavy clouds

The sun still scorns, an extended summer's dry
O mighty rains come down, do humble his pride
The children will dance, as will peacocks for you
The farmer will shower blessings, just shower water will you!

Devoted to You

My Child, I am, Devoted to you
As none other, I will continue to serve you
You are a gift, the greatest one from God
I will hold precious, and forever cherish

They say, you are made, of the five elements
Your soul was forever, the sages would say
But I believe no, a part was me
My love, my prayer, my devotion eternal

Your little steps, make leaps, in my heart
The time with you, I ever feel complete
Your little antics, keep me always in cheer
A spontaneous smile, it happily breaks forth

As you grow, your pictures I glance
I may forget a little, but not your birth
That cry you let you, had me in smiles
What irony it is, the mystery of joy

Driving in India: Kindly Adjust!

Having recently moved to India, the most infamous aspect, the driving conditions, had to be encountered sooner or later. And while in all the years before my move to US, I'd been on roads mainly as a passenger, this is the first time that I had to take up the mantle of being a driver. This was bound to be challenging, but is also kind of "fun" sometimes. Never knew I'd associate the word "fun" ever to driving in India. But the ability to weave through traffic is sometimes exhilarating.

The best part I did was to buy an auto-gear four-wheeler. I still believe two-wheelers are not meant for the main roads of India, shared by a plethora of quantity and types of vehicles. Best for odd-jobs, most of whose distance can be covered by service roads perhaps. From the other side, these two-wheelers are also the most concerning part of driving on our roads. They zip in and zoom past anytime, with no warning before criss-crossing or cutting the other vehicles. For their own safety, there need to be rules. That either two wheelers only use side or service roads, or be allocated a separate lane of their own on main roads.

The other admirable aspect I see is how four-wheelers, 99% of them geared vehicles, have amazing control over their vehicles, even when the gears have to be adjusted and changed each time we reach a speed breaker, or any such road hurdle, or above-mentioned dangerous two-wheelers. It'd have a taken a longer time to start driving, considering the record-number of vehicles on Bangalore roads today. Each time I take out the car, and traverse around perhaps one of the world's most challenging driving conditions, I thank the decision of having bought an auto-gear. A day will also accompany, perhaps, when India will not be so dependant on imported energy, or when hydrid vehicles are affordable. Until that day arrives, I'll keep my migration path to geared vehicles slow.

I keep telling my observations to Jyothi of driving on these roads. The reason why vehicles can ply on these roads is on the basic premise that people want to live. If a person has a death-wish, it's real easy to die on Indian roads. And with lack of systems in many places, it's not surprising to know that India is the road-accident capital of the world!

Drivers in most intersections slow down, let each other pass, sometimes frustrated and blowing their horns, but that is the only reason intersections are not regular, daily crash points. There is no lane discipline, and people are always accommodating each other or the more aggressive drivers, so everyone gets to go. Without this sense of cooperation, perhaps one of the world's most-dense per-capita traffic hotspot nations would not be able to function. And for that, we Indian drivers (and not the government) deserves all the credit!!

What could be done? Flyovers of course! Earlier I was of the option that the Singapore model of taxing cars to the hilt is the solution. But that cannot happen unless public transport reaches that level of affordability, service levels and hence convenience. If the government cannot make that happen, then construct flyovers, and construct/maintain roads where quality connectivity is needed. 80% of congested roads do not have flyovers. Why not have 1 or 2 levels of flyovers to resolve the issue. Use private partnership. Have tolled flyovers. Even if the busy/rich few use them, the rest of the common folk now have either an option, or at least a less congested regular road!!

As Birds Meet in the Sky

So many birds flying high in the sky

Cover vast distances under God's protective eyes

They meet each other once, and go their separate ways

For can they live together again, in this ever-crowded space

There is no constraint, there are no rules

The skies and the earth, are under one roof

Yet why the mind is bound, why is it so

Who taught it fear, and the social statutes

It is not strange

It is not strange, it is no wonder
That I am born, that I am scared

I was here before, what if I remember not
I have died before, what if I still deny

The waters in the ocean, have bathed me once
The forest fires, cremated me with honor

This earth I was born of, still kisses my feet
The tree I breathe of, grow even without me

It is still not strange, that worry gnaws my heart
For the lives that feed me, I keep burning to death
I scorched the earth and polluted the water
I brought harm to life, even lives like mine

It is no wonder, that I realize inside
I have destroyed, the future of my child
For I am this life inside, not the man on the mirror
For I created nature with purpose, and kill it with none

Gods don't judge the Drunk

A drunkard drinks not for content

He drinks because he is in torment

What hurts my mind, my heart, my soul

You will not know, you are not mine

Even the creator does not, judge the drunk

For he knows how, he suffers within

The drunk is drunk, for nature's fault

To drunk be better, than the pain that gnaws

A lost battle

I stay not awake, I am not claimed
I am whatever, I dare not even know
Life's many achievements, to me hold no meaning
For what we accept as truths today, tomorrow may be lies

Your running that race, pursuing that girl
Your winning that game, loving that child
Your money, your power
Your cribs, your opinions
Your desires, your passions
Your goading, your loathing
Your resentments, your fights
Your memories, your learnings
Your patriotism, sacrifice
Even your aims and thoughts

They all mean nothing, for with you they die
They all mean nothing, for life's a lost battle!

It is only Time that lives on, and it carries with it values
It carries with it soul, the output of your true self

Angst

Bereft of love, this a soulless body
Breathing its last, the end is now at doorstep

As a rosebud is thirsty, for the first morning sunlight
I have been forever, a peacock parched for rainfall

This is always, this not normal
This melancholy in heart
I say not thunder, I say not water
This is simmering fire

Outsourcing and War

Half a century ago, the world war was won, because the US redirected all its industrial might in building weapons. And since then the arms lobby have held special attention in this country. Why then are these lessons being easily forgotten when the US allows its industries to freely outsource their manufacturing might to China. Little does it realize that it is this manufacturing might which will weigh heavily in any conflict with China.

It is a different context when the industries outsource their software development and maintenance capabilities to India. In most cases, the controls (servers / licenses / IP) reside in the US itself. And software in itself being a virtual asset, it is easy to revoke such licenses, and take back control. Can anyone do the same with actual physical machines? And that too from an authoritarian nation? Why is there no concentrated, strategic effort to shift manufacturing capabilities to allied nations that believe and honor similar tenets of democracy and individual freedom.

The lack of people's will in government policy reflects in China's government actions towards both its citizens and foreign nations. For example, US intelligence establishment now rates organized hacking from countries like China and Russia as the biggest threat to national security than even terrorism. Why isn't such pertinent information not reflecting in sound, strategic countermeasures by the administration. While a democratic US is being railed back by its citizens even in the realm of ethical-hacking, it is not a level-playing field when there exists no such control in the hands of Chinese citizens.

The means to fight back are fair and clear. The Chinese currency still maintains artificially low exchange rates. Force it to be controlled by market forces as most currencies doing global trade do. Or cause a boycott of China using the WTO. Of course, political realities like China propping up the lion-share of the US debt does not help. They can cause a currency-war by selling it fast causing the dollar to fall also.

And that is why the "spread-the-wealth" strategy by pushing US companies to outsource or build manufacturing capabilities in allied countries, will be of more help. These companies are patriotic, and are just looking for a level-playing field. If the government directs them so, it should apply to all US companies in their field.

Such balance of power is of prerogative to avoid the looming total tilt in power (currency, military and hacking).

Lost in you..

I'll step aside, for I am drunk
In alcohol or love, it matters little

A rose blooms, for the sake of it
It does not ask, that you kiss it

So loath you must not, you dazzling beauty
Though you know that I, will regret saying this

The other side..

I ask not of you, to seek me in thy dreams
I beg for your sight, oh just once my knight

My aims are not for myself, my beauty or my health
I pray for you and that, your wishes become true

I feel love in feeling, I care not for gold and silver
Do not drape me in money,your smile is all I need

Inner fire

A burning hunger, a hurting head
A glowing ember, in depth of eyes

I know not why my hands have sweat
When this heart is ablaze on fire

These muscles are so poised and tense
Awaiting just their master's command

The will is strong, the reflexes sharp
We are all now ready, to take on heat

A Hung Parliament

Having grown up seeing a little bit of Indian politics, and especially having heard so much from elders around, I, like, most of the population, especially the youth, have come to disdain politics. But it's nice to see and be able to predict that something is about to happen. Let me put it clearly why I think so.

The first generation of Indians after independence were more in thrill of having achieved it, and thought it their duty to dedicate their lives to make the lives of the coming generations happy. They took it as the noble task thrust upon their shoulders. Most politicians and bureaucrats of the era also were of the same mindset. In that synergy and passion we saw in each of us, it was easy to write a constitution that erred in placing a lot of trust on the nation's ruling and executive classes (the legislature and bureaucracy). The rights checks and balances to ensure speedy justice were missing, and the result was a few rotten tomatoes started to take advantage of the loopholes in the system. The general population immediately did notice. That's one thing will hold true in our country. We will continue to be well-read. If literate, the first thing we'll catch on to, is the news. If illiterate, the news channel or gossip somehow. As if the collective conscious is wary of being cheated and ruled again by foreign powers. But this population, along with the good among the leaders (a majority then) chose to ignore these rotten tomatoes as a distraction in the path of nation-building. Most politicians of that generation had to be freedom fighters, who had sacrificed family and risked lives in the path to freedom. So they were well-respected. Pointing fingers at the class as a whole was unthinkable, and quite deserving so. Let's call this the Nehruvian generation.

The next generation of population is where the politician's games really began. Firstly, it is this generation that accepted the daughter of the longest-lasting Prime Minister as the new Prime Minister! Either this population thought politics was too difficult and best left to the current rulers (remnants of the colonial mindset) or that every section of society has its role to play (the ingrained caste culture). And just like her father had, it was only natural that Indira Gandhi began giving a free rein to her son. A story that continues till today. At the time, Sanjay Gandhi became a de-facto member of the party and country leadership. It is well-documented that many in the cabinet began questioning his role. Slowly this trickled down to the population en masse, who began to get restless. While war jingoism kept them at check for some time, things were slowly starting to get out of control. That's when Emergency was imposed. And people began to be haunted by rulers worse than the British. That the Emergency was imposed so well for so long, shows how well by this time party and government control had been entrenched in a select few who formed a coterie of yes-men. Proof is in the pudding. Even after losing the elections, Indira continued to be the party chief, the next PM candidate, and by a tinge of clever marketing (Mother India slogans), the next PM. Alas! That's where we as a country should've realized how badly we are destined to doom. It is in this generation really that the seeds of corruption flourished. Once power realizes that it is unquestionable, there is no other easier route to take than corruption. This is the generation when corruption started seeping into the bureaucracy and the police force. The economic class-divide in population was created in this generation. I squarely blame this generation of the population as the reason why corruption is rooted as an endemic virus in our society. The coup-d'etat this generation laid on us was to make Rajiv Gandhi the PM. Let's call this period the Indira generation.

Then came our generation that has lived through the Rajiv-Sonia generation. Despite all the hard-work, we found ourselves against the grindstone, and witnessed that those who got were rising to the top on their own, were those who at some time had circumvented the laws. Bounded by license raj and socialist regulations, we found ourselves falling into the financial crisis hell-hole. It turned out to be a blessing, actually a salvation in disguise. Liberalization flourished our economy and our lives. It gave us a chance to rid ourselves of not just the pre-dated economic policies, but the political class as well. But then what do we do? We let the Congress get away with bringing back Sonia as their chief. Why but why, but because the majority of population was too poor. Mostly hungry and just finding a means to earn their day's meal, they didn't have the time to focus on politics or the need for politicians. A simple message had to be given to retain power. And what better than beat the same drum as the one that made Rajiv-a totally inexperienced person in public service- the PM of this great nation. The drum of sacrifice of course. Indira had died for the country, and so had Rajiv! This cut was made by the double-edged sword of us, the urban population starting to despise politics and focus on improving our economic situation, and the non-chalant rural population struggling to stay relevant, even alive. Even a trickle, a false or short-term promise was enough to win the rural vote. The society around them seemed to have improved, so why not their lot. And that's how corruption got to be a monster. When the politicians found that this works! There were the rich and the riches to be made in the booming economy so the bureaucrats too toed the line.

But it's heartening to see that the next generation is not willing to be fooled. The luxury they have is the foundation of a good economy this generation has laid for them. It is this generation that came out to the streets in support of Lokpal. Anna Hazare, the last surviving Gandhian icon from 2 generations before ours, could never get this kind of support from our generation, as the next-gen has provided. We were just too busy building the economy, and I guess, are still warped in that, even while we have the chance to contribute. This next-gen has the confidence that things will be well economically, and they have the hunger to make change in politics, in the ruling class. Rahul Gandhi will never get it laid on a platter as Rajiv did. Good thing is Rahul has realized that, and not yet staked claim for the PM's post. Development without Corruption has been the mantra of the current generation and the leaders emerging are starting to chant this mantra to ours and the next-gen of young voters. We are on the right track, but just not there yet.

Wiser from their past follies, the rural have started rising, but yet not a clinching majority. After all, little can take priority over one's hunger. And the urban want to play a part, not let others decide their fate. And I salute this spirit. This is the spirit that India needs to take it forward.

India is at a crucial juncture in its political history. The next elections will show how much we are at distress within ourselves. The old not wanting to let go, and we not yet fully trustful of the new. As has been its fate for the most part since independence, so could it be after these next elections..A Hung Parliament!

Different Indian cities as hubs

There is no clear communication why cities in our country India are planned or lack planning the way they are being shaped right now. Why is it that the finance and movie industry are both in Mumbai. And now IT companies are also jostling for space and importing engineers in this already crowded city. Already the infrastructure was insufficient in the city. Most people still travel in packed trains. Instead of trying to make things better, lack of planning and letting things pan out by default is only putting more strain on scarce resources. This in turn is only making life more difficult for the ordinary population.

Due to lack of government planning and enablers, businesses will continue to invest in locations where at least there is some infrastructure. Plus what is more ideal for profit making than a packed market, both in terms of per-capita and head-count. So the businesses really don't care. They too have to bear the brunt of initial high-cost of capital investment but profits are huge to the ready market in close quarters.

Those who really pay the price are their consumers, us the general population. Not just in terms of a difficult, hectic lifestyle but also in terms of health. These include pollution and the increased stresses that crowded areas beget, not only in terms of civic facilities (space, water, air quality, crime, infrastructure) but also in economic terms (cost of living) and in terms of general well being (lack of time, quality of relationships, increased  competition, loss of balance with nature).

For a well populated country like India, ad-hoc city development is neither binding nor appealing. Planned city model is the model to go for. Firstly, in order to ease the strain on the city, the capital of the state Maharashtra should be moved into an interior location. Moving government, especially politicians is economically the path of least resistance, because legislature if it wishes to, can make money readily available. Political will as usual is another story. The incentive for politicians is improvement of government and their personal security, always difficult in a hub like Mumbai. The good for people is economic development of the area chosen including more jobs with direct government investment. The good for Mumbai is reduction of the concerned population and easing up on infrastructure.

The next industry to be targeted is the film industry. With a single sop of developing a twice as grand film-city in the interior of the country, say Madhya Pradesh, we should be able to attract gradual relocation. Having enough money and known to enjoy luxurious lifestyles, film celebrities and the industry as a whole are a manageable bunch for relocation, given the right carrots.
Mumbai is currently the financial hub and I think should continue to be so. Among other reasons the financial vein of any country needs to be given the it's easy-flowing path. If we were to put it in an idealistic sense though, every coastal region should have been exclusively made industrial hubs if anything, and not the interior parts of the country. Manufacturing invariably causes pollution, which instead of kept circulating in the interiors of the country, is best driven off by the wide expanses of the oceans. Of course, this holds true as long as fossil fuels and harmful industrial wastage aren't well taken care of.

While Mumbai is closest to heart as I was born and raised there, I'm sure every city likewise has it's strengths which we must balance for a good quality of life for the rest of the country. Bangalore, for example, like Mumbai has captured the brand imagination across the world of being the Silicon Valley of India, its IT hub. So we should focus IT out here and in adjoining cities. Every metro needs to carve its unique identity in the eyes of the world, and focus its strengths in those specific directions, than arbitrary, evidently chaotic development that we see today, which is crushing infrastructure and quality of life. For example Chennai can be the country's port city, Hyderabad the Biotech city, and Chandigarh Pharma.
This level of focus will also reduce the necessity of having each location marked as a city. We will be able to maintain the rural, agro-community once it is spared by these demands of urbanisation. Any migration, if necessary to an urban location, need not be the long-dreary life writh with sacrifices as it is today.

I believe it is this focus or balanced development for all areas of the country that can make it reachable for the ordinary Indian to get out of the clutches of poverty.

A Horror Story!

I landed at this wedding or wedding-reception, I am not sure which. It was of my college batchmate Jignesh. I was happy to be invited and had taken many family member - I remember a lot of women - and at least one close friend Ram along. It's here the strange event first started. The attender at the entrance asked for the invitation card, to confirm my name was among those invited. I asked one of those in our group for the card, and it was soiled! Someone began telling some excuse, but it didn't matter...my name was not visible on it. Blotchy green where it was meant to be! The attendant, perhaps overzealous, was not willing to take from our attire that we couldn't well be free-loafers.

A minor argument ensued. I was insisting I knew Jignesh; he was my college batchmate and if the attender were to take me to him, Jignesh'll recognize me. The attender stood his ground, while the ladies in our group began to lose patience and started murmuring. Frustrated, I just pushed my way into the marriage hall, the attender trying to hold me back. The hall was not filling yet. We seemed likely to be one of the first to arrive. Many of the chairs still lay folded. I rushed towards the stage where I noticed someone seated surrounded by some people. The face was not visible but it was clear that'd be the groom. As I approached near calling out to Jignesh, lo and behold! It turns to be Suhas, not Jignesh there! How can that be? Now, Suhas too was a college class mate, but he looks at me as if unable to recognize me. I tell him my name but that doesn't seem to help. Somewhat shocked, I start to walk back, this time the attender just keeping close to me. Did I mix up whose wedding I was attending? Or have I mixed up the names in memory. I still can swear I remember the face, it was Suhas not Jignesh. But I could've sworn the invitation card had Jignesh's name on it. And I think I even saw Jignesh's name at the entrance. How could it then be Suhas at the groom's chair? And why didn't he recognize me?

Half-way on the way back towards the entrance, I hear some loud commotion coming from the entrance. I and the attender rush, only to see the bride laying in blood. The marriage had been doomed!! And that's when I saw Her-Charu- for the first time! An angelic, voluptuous beauty. Dressed in light green top and a skirt, Her beauty was a distraction to the situation at hand. She was sitting beside the bride, with an intense expression. But somehow that expression didn't look shocked or scared to me, like that of the other ladies around. Had this lady killed the bride, no one was sure. And yet, the bride seemed to have been gutted by a knife, that was nowhere to be seen.

Ram said we'd had enough, it was time to leave. And so we did. It's one thing to be confused as in a dream, but another to see death in front of your eyes. And I kept feeling sorry for Suhas/Jignesh (in that frame of mind, I didn't cross-check what name was really written at the entrance).Things hadn't gone well that day, for really anyone.

******************

I do not know when, I met Her again. But the next I remember is meeting her in green fields. She was a tanned beauty, with glowing skin like former Bollywood heroine Smita Patil. I guess I remember this meeting, for it was the turning point. These fields I was meeting her at was next to the hill where her home was located. An idyll location, I always thought, up a hill, with a beautiful view of green and sun. But I never had visited her home yet. Apparently, after this encounter, while I was walking back to the highway, a friend who was driving past, saw me walking. I'd told him this is where Charu lived so he knew why I was there, and decided to just drive by. Apparently, upon driving a little further, he glanced up the hill and noticed Charu walking into her home. But then he claims a strange thing happened. When she closed the door, all the curtains, at least all the ones visible to him, seemed to push at the glass windows. An engineer himself, he found this very strange. If the wind was really causing this, then this should've happened when the door was open, and not quite some time after the door was closed. It was as if matter had converted to a force inside...

*****************

I must have visited a hypnotist, or friends might have taken me to a psychologist to forget Charu, for I don't remember how I took it, or what sequence of events occurred before that final day...

I remember going into Charu's home without her permission. She'd never wanted me to come there. Maybe I harbored an ill-omen, for I had taken my friends along, whom I asked to wait half-way on the way up to the hill. There was lush green grass and they could rest, although they preferred to stay alert. Some friends who were girls were also with us. Maybe they thought there could be a fight, and they would be helpful consoling her thereafter.

I went inside to confront Her. While I don't remember what was the original reasons for the confrontation, I remember I had bigger reason when I opened the door. There was no furniture in the house. It was this huge, empty hall with glass panes, curtains partly covering the view outside. Charu seemed to walk in from the another room. She must have got upset. I equally must have asking her what is all this. Whose house is this, and why is it empty. I must have cast all the doubts my friends had, I don't really remember the conversation or quarrel, because of the impact of events thereafter in my mind.

She got very very mad. Surprisingly not at me, but my friends. Upon learning they were outside, she ran out, with nothing less than a huge kitchen knife in hand. And what happened thereafter I don't want to recount. I remember watching helplessly, in shock, and just plunking down to the ground in disbelief. Here was Charu, mad in expression, slashing and killing, there was blood all around. She somehow seemed to be very strong, for none of the guys were able to hold her back or control her. She was easily overpowering and throwing them around.

I got to my senses, something had to be done. Something had snapped, and first thing was she'd to be controlled. But how? She seemed just too strong. Now that engineer-friend who was well-read about the psychic forces, and who'd convinced me that the blasting curtains didn't seem right, had also told me that sometimes when psychic force takes over, humans are able to do things which are normally physically impossible. So I knew running towards her would only get myself killed. Yet, something had to be done, but what, and how...

And that's when I realized. There was something strange about this madness in Charu. She was running after, and hurting, only the women among my friends. What, really? Yes that's what I was seeing. The guys were being thrown away. For some reason, she was not hurting any of the men. I had to take my chances. At least my life is perhaps not at risk, and some lives could be saved. I ran towards Her. She heard the running footsteps, and turned around. Our eyes met. She was breathing heavily, her face sweaty. But the eyes had that same intense look. Not one of fear, but that of a hunter, a mix of alertness, calmness and intensity. Seeing it was me perhaps, she didn't attack me. And seemed to calm down. But I didn't see it then. I was running tense towards her, not knowing what to expect. So the first thing I did upon reaching close, was to snatch the knife from her hands, which she didn't seem to resist, and plunge it in her stomach!!

Her expression never changed, tired sweating face and intense, and this time reddening eyes. She fell to the ground. Actually, I don't remember anything after that.

*************

Today as I sit here writing, trying to piece together the happenings, I think I can explain what was happening. But still not the when, or the why. Charu was crazily in love with me. Way before I had even seen her. At the wedding hall, because of perhaps the huge group with me, she thought it was I who was getting married. And anyways, didn't want to take chances. She just killed the bride-to-be. That last time we argued, she thought the girls among my friends are trying to break us up, take me away from her. And so in her madness she went about attacking them. Well, at least these seem to be the reasonable explanations.

But there is one last thing that continues to confound me. My friends refuse to talk about Her. Like I said, I must've been taken through some psychotherapy or I might have agreed to hypnotism at the time, to forget this entire episode. I don't remember any of my friends missing, or maybe even that was taken care of by the mind-treatment.
But much more crucially, no one wants to confirm that she is dead. Now why is that. Wouldn't it be more relieving to me, and to them, to readily assure me of that? That they refuse to confirm makes me think, that somewhere, most probably in some mental hospital, she's alive, and waiting, to be with me...

My love I miss you very much

Is nature vicious our life is such
My love I miss you very much

Have not seen you in a month so long
Don't know how to live along

My time is bad or test of God
I know not and I wait forlorn

The days I count and on lonely nights
I sob to console pain in heart

Shutting down Government...while laying seeds of a Backlash

Frustrating as it is with the US government shutdown since October 1 that nobody wants, there's nothing better to do than retrospect what has caused this fiasco.
Seems like the opposition Republican party is being held hostage by the conservative right to take a hardline stand. And the party seems to be willing to even commit harakiri to appease this bloc, rather than negotiate a compromise with the ruling Democrat party.
A situation like this happens when you are in the defensive. I believe the loss by that huge a margin in the Presidential election is directly responsible for this. The Republicans realize that they are being perceived as out-of-touch by the majority of Americans. There is a PR exercise being carried out to improve the party's overall image in their weakest areas, the Latino and African-American population. This is primarily being done by propping up leaders from those races in their own party-structure. But while those measures will take time, they want to at least hold-on to their voting base.
Obviously, this is where the conservatives come in. This group launched the Tea-Party some years back with the very intent to not yield or compromise, as the two parties have traditionally been. And the Tea Party's candidates began winning primaries and candidatures in the regions with a conservative leaning, sometimes even beating the party's preferred nominee.
What this extreme fails to realize is that a failure to compromise is not in the bigger interest of the party or the country. The conservatives need to learn that if they are to really be able to exert influence at the national stage, they should be willing to reach across the aisle. Either that, or the Republican establishment should be willing to risk a short term loss of support among extreme conservatives, with the bigger goal in sight (Presidential, Senate victories).
On the ground, I've seen how the shutdown has disappointed people across the aisle alike. The general talk among supporters of both parties is "Everybody knows what's happening", and the blame for the shutdown being squarely placed on the Republicans. This generation is more networked, and less easily influenced by party-leader talk. There seems to be a clear consensus that the Republicans were wrong in shutting down government because they did not like one law. If they truly believe in democracy, they should have let the issue settle after the mandate of repealing Affordable Healthcare failed during the Presidential elections.
Sooner or later otherwise, there will be a bigger backlash which will see the party wiped out of both houses, which is not in the interest of the party or the country. The hardline approach is the exact opposite of what should have been taken, during this crisis of lack of popularity.
The vast majority agree with the need for fiscal tightening, but going after the Affordable Health Care is conveying the wrong message.
The Democrat marketing machine made the mistake of calling this law "Obamacare". If the law were only touted with its actual name "Affordable Health Care" law, there would have been more acceptance. The common masses, from either party, could have been swayed by the appeal in the name itself.

An Elusive Love

O Beautiful woman, why didn't you come
In yearn for you, I lay wasted in dirt
In search of you, I lost out all trail
In your magical mist, even blindness is bliss

Why do you play, you hide and you tease me
Don't you see I, who hopes you will seek me
Not master of heaven, or earth but am brazen
This lover of yours, has nothing that will faze him

In jungle of life, with every twist of the time
At each trip and fall, you will reach out for my hand
My absence will remind, of this crazed lover's touch
I hope you will return, before I have to bite dust

Mindless violence

There was violence, in the train as on streets
People being killed, with reason as creed
I could not bear it, I put him at ease
At the right moment, pushed him away to reprieve

I got off the train, I have had enough
Madness in mob, no way to arrest
Someone followed, asking why the unease
I said my God, waits where there is peace

Ghosts of a love from past

She came to me, in sleep distressed
Comforted, took care of me to rest
She fed the same meal, I very much loved
She was no mirage, but the person I love

I lay in thought, my eyes awake
The night was clear, my mind at stress
She was a paramour, from another birth
Yet a soul that shone, my path with light

Tears dripped, my eyes had welled
So I was guided, not a fool in jest
The server said sorry, for the food I saw
I said no, it has her reflection aglow

The future of the wild

As the scope gets larger, with the human population exploding, I sometimes wonder, of the space left for wildlife. Today we see how the need for "jobs", and the need for more of everything, justifies destroying just about everything that existed in this planet for centuries. With every passing generation, the attachment to nature is less, which makes this exploitation of resources easier by rulers and profiteers.

Until today we have seen, some land areas vacated, national parks and forest preserve parks "restored" to give some wild their own space. But can it really be their own, when the air they breathe and the water they drink cannot possibly avoid being mixed by polluted chemicals from industrial waste? How far can you take them, and us - not yet out of this world - to escape these effects. It's better than the alternative, of animals not having a home at all, very true! But we are lying to ourselves if we think this isn't where they are heading.

But then, do we realize that the pollution, the destruction of forest-land, has a cost that would be borne by the generations after us? The very human life to sustain which we justify this destruction. What is the very purpose of civilization? How is economic growth measured at the cost of natural resources? Who really gave us ownership of these resources, and especially the non-human life around us?

We humans have evolved to our current forms through millions of years of changes. Every "creature" around us, has contributed to this evolution. In that sense, we owe them this consciousness, our evolution to our present forms where we are aware of "self". This is, even if you don't want to deal with the metaphysical, spiritual sense that the every living being in this planet has the same soul as ours, and equally considers it home as we do. Who, then, wrested upon us the authority to do what we please with the natural resources belonging to this Earth. We, ourselves? How can that be fair? How do we pay back what is due to those who originally inherited the Earth, and continue to live along with us?

Make no mistake, I realize that in our natural habitat (the forests), we were exposed to most unpredictable means of survival. "I think, and therefore I am" is very much apt. It is incredible how far we have come. But take a step back to realize, that in the pursuit of a safe place to continue our existence, we have tried to redefine how the world should be, through cultivation and village-life first, and the urban/concrete mix now.

Have we stopped to think and check, if we have really gone farther than optimum, to give meaning to our life? If every step forward now, is at the price of our "home", this Earth? If not, what is the end point, before we all can agree that further use (I call exploitation) of nature is to the net-detriment of the future generations, of human and non-human life? And in this "home" divided by man-made nation-states, how can we come together to this agreement, and to go back and restore what is already damaged? And will we ever, our minds blurred and trust lost, in judging each other through the lens of race, religion, patriotism, greed. How many more generations have to pass, before we realize what really matters?

To be pragmatic, the baseline is the parameters by which we define economic growth. For everyone understands that language. A price needs to be tagged for each natural resource, with due ownership distributed on all life upon land, water and sky. An honest measure of the effect, of using that resource, is needed. A fair assessment as this, in my view, will make it not worth the price to loot forest and land, might build a few cars less for spending more to create a balance in nature. This is not against science, but a re-evaluation of purpose. For example, it would prioritize inhabiting the moon or Mars over pointless defense budgets.

For sure, change cannot come, but in small steps. But will we ever start, and how?

A Simple Village Life

Behind this world so complex, lies a simple village life
It metaphors our choices, for glitter over stars

There is the option, to watch a calm and flowing river
To swim and bathe in glee, in a serene backyard pond
Yet we have turned away, with an endless aim in sight
Oh foolish one this time, is one that will not turn behind

The blazing sun bears witness, to the cowherd's melodious flute
And to cooling embers of moonlight, sing insects a different tune
Oh run away from here, this jarring deafening noise
To where the sun does rise, to chants of Gayathri mantras

Know No Fear

Where is that mind, held fearless and high
It now hides in fear, afraid to be seen

Do you remember, the beauty of rivers and mountains
They are thus with, their freedom of expression

Don't attach self to greed, it is just not your creed

Where fate rules alike, faith is always alive

Whatever happens will happen, no matter what you do

So just head-on with courage, and fear only fear

The senses do nothing, as self-inquiry does

For long there is pursuit, an endless cycle, for sense-pleasures. These include the sight, the smell, the taste, the touch, and the sound of something that pleases. And many of these are noteworthy, nay make life more worthwhile, more appreciative. But all these mean nothing, if one does not interpret. If one does not step back and introspect.

What gain is it, if one watches film after film, never stopping in between, snatching the time out of one's precious life. Film, like most forms of sense pleasures, are meaningless if one does not learn from it. Film is the perfect medium to give you a view of the world, the vast space which one cannot expect to cover and experience, in one life. But then, not matter how much of film one watches, one cannot expect to get exposed to all. What matters is to get the essence.

Just as reading all the books in the library are unnecessary when the main point has been conveyed, been absorbed.

I was watching this beautiful Bengali movie titled "Agantuk", where one particular dialogue struck me. When Dhritiman Chatterjee's character asks "The open sexuality, the cannibalism that you see among tribals, isn't that uncivilized", Utpal Dutt's character responds sarcastically "No it is barbaric, what is civilized is to wipe out an entire village with the single press on the button of an atom bomb. Uncivilized is where there is an oath taken to avoid the misuse of weapons". The character finds that civilization confusing where there are pillar-like skyscrapers, yet humans pulling rickshaws, a hint towards human exploitation.
Actually today's topic came from this very film. The character had spent a lifetime among tribals and came back to urban life, with his eyes forever open. His views clear and precise as only self-inquiry can achieve.

One must meditate each day, read each day, listen to the soothing rhythm of music, watch different media, but not forget the goal of it all, to instrospect after each, understand, love and appreciate, not necessarily in words. One must find meaning, to one's own, unique life, and devote himself or herself to fulfill that purpose. The senses have played their part then, self-inquiry has reached it's goal then...

Your own style

Continue to play in your own style
You are your own life
You are your unique style

Your style need not be else's
Your style need not agree with all

It is not you, but you were chosen
To express this range of the creator's ways
Your truth to your self, the only true style

My Child My Joy

What other joy is needed, when you are with me

It is blissful indeed, when I see you sleep

My child your strength, moves human will

Your innocent ways, drives away all ills

Watching you always, breakes a smile
Kissing your soft cheeks, pleasure I feel

Love, Joy and Happiness, words I don't mind

Because you have given me, the feeling of Divine

Of Mistakes Past

In life you pay for mistakes past, those past in this birth and last

I remember times, in a deep dark pit,

When I and you scratched words and kissed

I get dreams, of this life not, but lo behold of war-torn Europe

And someone reminded, of promises broken

May be courage, not lack of love then

That your wait, got alone and barren

There were lives lost, nobody thinks often

For true, it is very, hard to fathom

But each life had, a story told seldom

Stories that must complete, in next births for them

No Answer Enough

Why does my heart hurt, why is mind paining
The pain should have ended, the thorn has been pulled now
Is it so because, the wound is still bleeding?

Why did it happen, is one lifetime worth it
Why did God deceive, on the one thing I asked Him

If connecting dots, will give me an answer
Will that answer come with, the lost time and chances

A Child passes away and laws of nature beyond our understanding

This whole week, and perhaps for a long time to come, this tragic happening about a young boy passing away, will continue to be in my mind. I pray for his soul and for his family, and pray there is peace and solace everywhere.

The toddler Logan passed away a couple of days after being best man to his parents' wedding. A life we see in pictures, now no longer is around.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/497364/20130807/logan-stevenson-dying-best-man-christine-swidorsky.htm

We can never ever really feel, or console or compensate the loss of his parents.

And again, that gnawing question, why. How can the laws of nature be like this? And why does a child have to pay the price.

When we talk freedom, liberty - concepts I obviously stand for also - is there anything truly being "free". Aren't we all governed, dare say controlled, by forces, by laws of nature, by our very existence as humans on this planet.

I know there are philosophical answers to philosophical questions, but nothing will convince me that it's at least unjust where children pay the price.

May those forces, those Gods listen, that laws for humans, please be humane.
That some laws do, really need exceptions.

Lal and Charisma

As is usual with me, just yesterday I finished watching the Malayalam movie "Summer in Bethlehem". This is after about a week since I started it..phew. Now one of the things I'd heard about the movie was the cameo by Mohanlal. And I continued to watch the movie, there was no sign of the cameo. Being a movie of the musical-comedy-romance genre, I'd perhaps expected a funny entrance among kids. But with the entry of a gloomy Manju Warrier character should have made me guess. It was an intense role, and boy, was it "intense"!

It is just one scene of 9.5 mins, and rightly built up to be the climax of the movie. And a scene with many characters sharing the scene with Mohanlal: the jailer, Suresh Gopi and Manju Warrier. But the performance in those few minutes really underlined why he is one of the greatest actors in this country, of this generation. In entry itself the character shows spark (the background music also helped). The bearded ascetic appearance belies the mood that would be, of this scene. Lal eases the tension, and lives it up too. When he speaks of how by killing an evil industrialist, he really killed a whole family including innocent children, your eyes well up with his. When he just after says how he realized how communist "revolutionaries" miss the point that what you need to fix is the system, not the people, you can feel the searing passion. When he hurries from Manju Warrier to Suresh Gopi begging him to put the thali, the hurry is expressed in action and expression. Subtle, but only if you miss. Pure amazing otherwise!

I can't remember an even better cameo in any film, at least till now, even 2 days after I finished the film. Some people have it, what they call charisma. They are born with a talent. And when they make what they love their life's work, you can see the rhythm. Mohanlal, the actor, is one such. 

I have known and am willing to accept that Mohanlal the human may have deficiencies. But to expect him to be perfect will be like stifling him. It'll only kill the creativity within the artist. I've always said, there's no need to be a fan of any person, just his good parts. In this case, his acting talent.

Apparently all his scenes are spontaneously performed. And that, like the other great actor Amitabh, Mohanlal is a nervous wreck before his scene. But that's until the camera starts rolling and the sheer magic begins. Just sit back, enjoy and celebrate the performance.

Ironically perhaps, people might have walked out the movie theater equally or more remembering Mohanlal's cameo than the rest of its content. But then, Gods do take preference!