Of lives and livelihood…

Jeetu (Jeetan) is like most 14 year olds – Now, he must be 19 – Loved Cricket, Kishore kumar, Orchestra shows, Jeans, Flying kites….If he had time. He missed his mother whom he could not remember …but he could envision her – always – particularly during the rough patches – or when he had a show down with his father.

Jeetu had a flourishing shop where he assisted his father. The duo used to sell flowers & garlands for the dead – There small unit is at the banks of ganges where he serves the departed. Well that was his job since he became aware. Everyday he was witness to the ‘past, present & the future’ in different states of acceptance.

Then, in the evening, he would take 2 hours off – spent all of it in flying kites – as if this was the only way to dissociate with the world of the dead.

Jeetu was synonymous with fresh garlands – everybody wanted Jeetu’s garlands for their beloved ones – To show their appreciation & love genuinely.

Then, one day, Jeetus’ shop was closed – no flowers – The departed souls were really missing something eternal.

Everybody was looking for Jeetu – but he was busy – bidding adeau to his companion and father. He had no flowers for him.

Jeetu was back to work for the night shift – This time alone – Now, he could envision his parents. He was glad that he had a job.

Sukhdeo – An occasion for a smile

We are separated by a Highway – Amravati Road. The day starts with a wave of hand and that’s the way we acknowledge each other’s presence. By 8.30 am, Sukhdeo trudges in with the modest wares of his mobile shop. He sets up his shop and gets ready for the customers in the day time temperature range of 40 – 45 degree cent.

You might be thinking – What’s so special as to write a post? After all, there are millions of tea vendors out there. True.

Sukhdeo has a very modest existence – He keeps himself well with only a couple of shirts & pants and one slipper – His mother walks down in scorching heat to feed her son which he will savor while devouring the sports page of the local newspaper. At first, we would be amazed at his forecast of the cricket matches which was backed up by a complete understanding of the strengths & weaknesses of all the players. Cricket was a common thread between us & the super-analyst, Sukhdeo.

But, Is this the reason i am writing this post?

Smile is one of the most precious formations that lies between the 4 quadrants of nose, chin & the two ears. How many times do we see people grinning from ear to ear (like Julia Roberts in Pretty woman)? – Its becoming a scarce commodity in this fast paced robotic existence. Like everything else, we wait for a reason & a season to smile – But, then that’s the most unnatural demand on nature.

We are getting back to Sukhdeo.

Well, he continues to defy the trend. His jaws are in perpetual motion and apart from selling teas, Smiling also comes as a second habit to him – Although, myself & Shri would identify some undercurrent of pensiveness from time to time, Sukhdeo will brush it off without much ado. He makes a meagre Rs. 3000 / month (around 75 dollars) but then he might be the richest guys by Mother Teresa’s standards. For us, his smile replenishes our spirit, courage, and passion for a natural life every time we see him from our Office windows.

Well, That’s Sukhdeo for you – a common man with a big heart & an evergreen smile.

If the path was linear

If the path of life were linear – Then there wouldn’t be 4 seasons, either Sugar or Salt would be known to taste buds, Love & Romance would have been reserved for scholars, and human being would be speaking in mono-syllables – ‘But at best the life is a meandering mega-voyage’ – AND THAT IS THE GREATEST GIFT OF GOD TO HUMAN BEINGS .

Why is that? Isn’t life meant to be free of curved balls & sharp corners? Isn’t it supposed to be a smooth sail in calm waters? – May be.

But then the creator and the master architect has to engineer us on a micro-cellular level – And each hurdle we face in our lives helps in making us an organically superior creation of god who has better chances of communing with him than who were not so fortunate to be presented with the rough waters.

Doesn’t nature give enough evidence about the engineering of the almighty -

As the horse’s calf falls from a height of 5 – 6 feet after birth with the the only restraining element being the umbilical cord, logic tells it won’t survive – BUT IT RISES ON ITS OWN & SCRAMBLES TO REACH THE MOTHER – Just the nature’s way of conveying that the Horse’s legs are its wings. They need to fly right after birth.

Butterfly struggles for hours & days to break free from the cocoon – The extra effort pumps enough serum into its wings to fly as soon as it gets out – OTHERWISE, IT WOULD LIMP TO DEATH.

So, Let every struggle come as a benediction – Welcome it & not escape from it.

If your parents have made your life a linear progression – They have not done justice.

The fame of Success is temporary – The lessons of failure are permanent. They shape generations.

Champion swimmers practice to swim against the tide.

Bon Voyage!

Spirituality – Rituality sans spirit

Spiritual, Religious, Pious, God fearing, Devoted to serve the almighty , Life long servant to god- Just some of the terms we hear as eulogies or in epitaphs. Spirituality is sprinkled freely by the practitioners of all religion but then that creates a case for the true spirit of Spirituality! Being spiritual is 180 degree opposite to talking about spirituality -

• Spirituality can never be inculcated through sermons or preachings – IT IS TO BE PRACTICED – anywhere, anyway , and in any state – Its boundless
• There are no set of rules. There are no teachers & no followers. Its a jewel to be DISCOVERED BY YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
• Its a state of mind – a metaphysical state.
• Since its effortless – it becomes second habit – Source of pure joy for every second of our existence. Mother Teresa would have told you the same thing.
• Religion has no common threads with spirituality. In fact i would go on to add that Religion and spirituality are antagonistic to each other since Religion in its current forms – Confines, divides, & regulates the life of Humans – WHICH IS WHAT SPIRITUALITY UNDOES.

Giving, Forgiving, Compassion for all, All living forms are linked and are equal, Serving others – Some of the code words of Spirituality.

Thy name is ‘Rat’ & thou shall run to win!

‘Achiever’, ‘Go-Getter’, ‘Front-runner’ – Sounds familiar – Sure – Synonyms of success of our times. But, is it so simple? – The sound of success. The world admires this breed & indeed it is intoxicating. Everybody wants to run it or mentor a ‘rat’. The only winner is the race itself. Everything else just grinds to dust.

Parents, teachers, elders are busy producing assembly-line products fit to run this race. Childhood labors to a premature death even before the first summer vacation is planned. Vacations are meant for some training classes – essential for life. Adolescence & teenage years are spent in making flawless plans for the economic safety net. Rest of the race is on auto-pilot.

Is there a chance? Can we lower our speed limits? Can we learn the virtues of being a ‘CAT’ instead of being just another ‘RAT’ in the playing field.

Its the fight between Perception & Reality – between Wealth & Being rich – between Heart & Mind!

Hello Childhood!

Monkey Mind …..Hold firm

60000 thoughts per day. That’s what an average human mind conjures up every day. What does that mean?

- We are in constant motion – every cell of our body – No wonder we feel tired doing nothing. Negativity reigns in most of the cases where this mental treadmill is in perpetual motion. Is there a way to stop it or even reduce the speed? Yes, there is. But it takes time, persistence and immense discipline to stop this juggernaut.

Some of the baby steps towards this initial phase of self-control are:

• Look at others – Not at their good life – BUT AT THEIR PROBLEMS
• Consider yourself as part of the universe – NOT THE CENTER OF IT. Anything at the center of the circle is always forced to encounter 360 degree energy challenges. This creates a lot of resistance. Your goal is to become a frictionless component in the whole scheme.
• Observe the nature – It will give you clues to achieving calmness amidst chaos.
• Chaos & Disorder are natural – THE ABSENCE OF IT IS UNNATURAL. Babies will cry – if they don’t , then something is wrong. Young boys & girls will fall in love – That’s natural. So accept to live with Chaos. WHAT WE CHOOSE TO DO IS MAKING THINGS CHAOS-LESS & PREDICTABLE. We end up being machines rather than human beings.
• BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE – EVERY SECOND OF YOUR EXISTENCE. What we do is take things for granted.

So let’s start getting a hold the reigns of our MONKEY MIND with these baby steps.

More in my next Post. Happy living!

Spirit to die for

Every morning as i walk down to my office – I get a chance to meet a group of parents & children waiting for the yellow bus. This is a very special bunch of morningers for me.

The children are as sweet as they can be, bubblier than a bubble and always spirited – These are autistic & handicapped children.

Anxiety is written all over on the faces of parents – but these angels have no clue about it. Life seems just perfect for them. They don’t know that they have secret admirer passing by them every day. Inspiration, jest for life, courage, and joy are just some of the jewels that i gather every day on my routine to earn my bread and butter.

‘One day i plan to shake hands with them … I try every day… Will write if i am fortunate enough to do so – They are my Heroes’

: : : : : : : : : : :

Where am I?

The journey began – quite some time back. Its a life time for most – but is it? – In the whole scheme of things , its a ‘ Blip on the radar’. I knew where i started – but that’s all.

I think i know my destination and surely my path – I wish i was right. My job is to keep moving. Most of my precious moments are spent on making things predictable – or in becoming ‘like God’.

The moment is never understood. What we seem to grasp is -

• The past perfect
• The impending future
• and what is not right?

What we lose within our logical capacity is – ‘Now’ , What is right? , What is beautiful? , and How much we have?

By the time we get a hang of it, the journey is about to end.

“Now is the Moment”