The Perfect Window

I look at the world through a window! A window which has no bounds; which is much bigger than the biggest in the world; a window through which I jump from one world to another; one which gives me the insight into my own thinking and connects with that of others; one through which I jump and travel through space by the sheer power of my imagination; a window which connects me to me.

The window is beyond a particular time, place or generation. It offers magnificent view of life in all its hues; generation after generation people playing their roles to perfection; passing the baton and yet remaining in touch; keeping their mark intact; beseeching the younger ones to take note and create new mark.

The window carried me through my early life in my village ‘SAKURRU” in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. At a time when most children of my age were content to play around and make merry, providence willed that I look at the world from a different mold. Though I never knew the world beyond the next town, something opened up imaginary vistas for me and that was the time when my window was born. The window became my escape beyond the boundaries of circumstances; when I fell down in the middle of a stream and looked heavenwards; when things which I wished  to possess went out of my reach; when I reenergized myself and said “ I will live a  life full of life”.

“Life full of Life” The window kept up its promise. It led me through new places, circumstances, people and fortunes as easily as a river flows into the ocean; as smoothly as a bird glides on the air pockets; as truly as a child trusts its parents. Day after day, from the balcony of my modest dwelling, it continues to offer me a view into the world and the world beyond. It gives me an opportunity to see all creatures of this world even when I close my eyes.

The window is not external! It is within me.  It is my life’s compass. It has provided an excellent view and taught me where to focus. It has guided my life for the last six decades and is keen to go on as long as the providence wills.

Distant yet very Near

 

“Old flows into New” Sitting in my balcony which is full of creepers, I usually slip into my thoughts. The thoughts which bring my distant past very near to me as if the events, places and people are right in front of me and unfold a grand scene from an equally grand show. At times the past, present and future are so entwined that it becomes difficult to discern one from the other. When I try to get some clarity by starting from one end, I end up stirring up my entire life. Confused as well as amused I look at the entwined creepers in my balcony and it is they who speak the truth. They echo in unison “Old flows into the new year after year and generation after generation. If you try to pull a fresh end of ours, the old ones move too. The very old ones, though down are not done. They spring to life the moment you touch their younger ones; ever eager to be a part of the present and take you into the future”

“Is that what I am doing now?” I question myself and try to lay a bridge across the past, present and future.

“English” It was difficult for me even to dream that one day I will be able to come as near as I did now  to this language. Born in a village which had only one graduate, I found it difficult to be inspired to learn English. To be honest, I made it a point to even skip classes of the elementary school of my village.

So! What made me develop an interest in the language and excel as well? Let us travel down the memory lane.

Going by the academic qualifications, my father was not educated. But, driven by a strong sense of responsibility, he started educating himself in his heart’s desire; “music” during his early teens itself. He went to distant lands, earned a scholarship and perfected his musical skills which became a means of sustenance and succor to his loved ones.

During his stay at home in between the tours, my father used to  set aside a time for practicing ragas so as to prepare for the next tour. I used to watch his routine intently without ascribing any meaning and it drew me towards studies.  I found myself attending school regularly. On one day, Mr Gopalam, the only graduate of our village came to our school and spoke to us in English.

Was that the starting point for me in my long journey in the companionship of English? Was it the inspiration drawn from my father? Was Mr Gopalam a role model for me?

I did not know anything at that time. But looking back it can now be said that the main force behind my transformation was my father and Mr Gopalam helped lay the foundation.

Small Images! Big Memories!!

“Sixty has become Three Hundred and Sixty”.

Over the last few months I have had a strong feeling that my life has taken a full circle and that it took sixty years for me to reach the starting point. It may even be called as the end of one circle and that is the reason I have termed this stage of my life as “Sixty has become Three Hundred and Sixty”. The second circle has begun and I am back to my childhood. A childhood where my present matured mind is seeking answers to many questions which remained unanswered during my actual childhood and is trying to ascribe meanings to a lot of things unexplained. For this, I know that I have to get into my childhood in all earnestness in thought and form and come out once in a while to put my experiences on paper.

An image which is very strongly etched on my mind is that of my father returning home after long tours of musical concerts. He was a “Carnatic Sangeeta Vidwan” and used to perform at various places in and out of Andhra Pradesh and used to be on tours spanning few days to few months. One had to cross a small stream to enter our village and usually I used to spot my father crossing the stream on his return from tours; a Tanpura (a veena like instrument used to provide rhythm) in one hand and bedding in the other hand. What I felt immediately was a sense of joy and security. I am the last but one of my siblings and by the time I came to know the ways of the world, all my elder siblings had moved out of the village. Though my mother used to take good care of me and my younger sister, I longed for the presence of my father around me.  The short spells which I spent with my father are a real treasure; the way I used to hold his hand and go to our field, happily play around when he is tending to the coconut trees, listen to him practicing “Thyagaraya Keertanas” and be attentive when he is offering prayers to “Syamala Devi”. The way I used to cuddle up to him and listen to the stories narrated by him is something beyond explanation.

That was as far as I understood. What I didn’t understand at that point of time was why should he remain away from me for such long spells of time and why can’t I spend every hour of everyday with him. What I also didn’t visualize is how my life is going to be shaped by the longing which is inside me.

Looking back now I understand that the joy of seeing my father was because I wanted to be like every other child of the village; to be always alongside my father; to share joy, fear and difficulties; to feel protected; to be pampered; to show off small little achievements and be rewarded. The above might have sounded very small for those children who were fortunate to have their fathers live and work in the village, but for me it was a fortune.  Those children had other things of the world to be shared and enjoyed but for me “My Father was My World”.

My matured mind is now trying to take over and is saying “It was a great sacrifice on the part of your father; touring and musical concerts were a means to support his family and he did it with great love and devotion. Do you know that he too missed his family as much as you missed him? If you recollect the way he embraced you on his return and the quality time he spent with you is something which can last a whole lifetime. May be that is the reason you are being drawn towards your childhood now”.

I know that there are many images and many feelings to follow!

Daylight on a Dark Night

It was a loud thunder that woke me up from deep slumber at midnight one day. I opened my eyes with great difficulty, looked around and tried to get my bearings right. While I was still half asleep, there was another thunder followed by lightning and I was wide awake. I looked around the bedroom and found it pitch dark and closed my eyes again. A gentle touch from the window curtains which were taking a flight due to the heavy wind blowing from outside prevented me from going back to sleep. I got up from the bed, located the bed light and switched it on. It didn’t respond and I realized that there is power failure. While still sitting on the bed I tried to focus my eyes on the surroundings and could not see anything. A loud sound from the backyard made me jump up and I walked towards the door intuitively. To go to the backyard, I have to go through the living room, dining hall and kitchen which are crowded with sofas, chairs and tables and I started picturising the layout mentally.

The inner Compass. Under the normal circumstances, it would not have been possible to negotiate these obstacles in pitch darkness. However, I made my way through them as if I was wearing night binoculars. I was amazed that I did neither bump into any furniture nor hit against a wall. I walked as one who knows the layout as one’s back of the hand and felt very comfortable in reaching the door to the backyard.

I went into the backyard and found that a branch of the mango tree broke and fell to the ground which was the cause of the sound. Since there was nothing I could do in the thunder and storm, I made my way to the portico and sat in a chair. My eyes closed slowly and I turned into my inner self.

I found myself asking “How could you walk through all the above obstacles in pitch darkness? What helped you walk from bedroom to backyard as if you had a light in your hands?”

“It was easy” I replied. “I knew the terrain well. It is registered in my mind and I do not require any light to take me through a place which I know well; even in the face of darkness and obstacles” 

Wisdom Dawns upon me. “Well said” my inner self appreciated and went on “let us apply this to our lives; while going through life, many of us grope in the darkness in broad daylight and some of us walk through darkness as if it was daylight. Those who have made distinct plans in their lives and traversed the path mentally are very confident of embarking upon the journey at any time of the day or night; hail or storm; obstacles or hurdles. For those who fail to tap into their potential grope in daylight as well; the path is a blur for them; every small obstacle comes in their way and the destination and destiny elude them”.

“How do you rate me?” I asked and pat came the reply “Daylight on a Dark Night” leaving me to decipher the meaning and relationship.

 

 

The Moss

 

Wake up and Connect! It was the hour to wake up from deep slumber; to connect and be connected; with self, environment and the supreme.

It must have been three past midnight when I woke up and walked into my small garden; my little heaven; looked around with happiness to find the twinkling stars and the shining moon. The sky was as clear as it can be and the freshness in the air was breathtaking. There was an occasional sound of a bird turning in its nest and flapping its wings in happy anticipation of dawn.

I sat in my usual place, closed my eyes and was transported into another world within no time; a world within world; a world within me. I saw myself having a stroll in a garden which was full children playing merrily. It was personification of life and happiness. A small stream which was flowing almost in middle of the garden was sounding like the gurgling incoherent sounds made by a fully fed infant. There was a small bridge on the stream and many children were sitting on it, swinging their legs in the water and seemed to be rubbing something with their feet. Their faces were lit up with happiness and excitement of having found something new.

It was The Moss! I walked closer to the children and what I saw was truly amazing. They were rubbing their feet on the small and big stones adorning the water bed and were removing the moss from the top of the stones. As the freed moss started drifting in the flowing water, small and big fish swallowed it gleefully and were gathering around the feet of the children for more. The children seemed to be enjoying it and were full of happiness when the fish touched their feet playfully.

The Discovery! Slowly and steadily, the stones freed from the moss started showing their shining surfaces and it was a great discovery for the children. One of them took out a shining stone and was holding it high as if it was the biggest diamond ever mined. I went up to the child, sat nearby and smiled in admiration. “Uncle, I never thought that there could be such a lovely stone under the moss. I am happy that I am able to unearth one” the child said.

So is with Humans! By now attention of all the children was turned towards me. As if speaking to self I said “It is so with Humans as well. There are many layers of ignorance, disbelief, mistrust and lack of faith which hide our true selves. It takes conscious efforts to rub all of them from the surface and discover true self; shining, happy, confident and trustworthy; be a beacon to self and pathfinder to others”. They nodded as if they understood all of it.

The Hidden Treasure! I am sure that they must have carried a lesson with them; there is hidden treasure in all of us; in all the creations of the God Almighty; one has to believe and endeavor to unearth it.

Bare Feet!

01 Oct 2012; A defining moment in my life when I realized the depth and meaning of the word ‘Empathy’.

I was on a pilgrimage where I walked barefooted for about fourteen kilometers and it was this journey which opened my eyes to the deeper meaning of ‘Empathy’. I believe that it was ‘Divine Grace’ which channelized my thoughts in that direction.

While walking barefooted on sand, pebbles, stones and rough surface, the soul of my feet started aching and every small pebble or stone seemed to pierce through it. Though the pain was excruciating, it was overcome by the faith in the supreme and I kept going.

As I walked along, my mind wandered in to a different world. A world where we see a number of people who cannot afford footwear going through their lives barefooted and unnoticed by those who are more fortunate to possess footwear. It is only when a pebble or stone pierced through the soul of my feet did I realize what those people must be going through day in and day out. The sympathy which I used to feel for them before changed in to ‘Empathy’.

“I can feel your pain now” I cried out silently. From then on, I started thinking of various ways to put self in to the shoes of others and the more I thought, the more it said “Empathy is not only putting oneself into others’ shoes but also to know where it pinches and feel it too.”   

It was a great lesson! Life teaches many a lesson very silently, discreetly and expects its students to rise to the occasion and receive its teachings.

 I thank the divine grace for blessing me with this great lesson and hope to walk the path traversed by others to connect and contribute.

 

Expression!

During a vacation to a hill station, I was witness to continuous downpour for days together. The clouds expressed themselves to their heart’s content and lightened they were, started floating effortlessly in the clear blue skies. It seemed as if they were conveying a message “Express, share and lighten” 

The streams were coming down the hills with thundering speed, ever eager to reach their destination and hand over the baton to the rivulets. In their eagerness I saw honeybees collecting nectar from choicest of the flowers and coming back to the beehive to deposit their pride find. In an environment away from mechanical life, I heard the streams say “Expression is the key to fulfillment”. I could not understand as to why they said so, till I traveled further in to my thoughts. 

The rivers, by now fully fed, were gently swaying from bank to bank and in their forward journey carried fertile soil and minerals for the mankind. This is their way of expression, I thought.

Not to be left alone, the trees and plants bloomed with colorful flowers and delicious fruits as an expression of their love for other inhabitants of the Earth.

Birds! Of all species, sizes and colors were singing with a passion to equal the best orchestra or symphony of this world. Some birds were so elegant in singing that their rhythm resembled  movements of the best  music conductors ever seen.

What a way to express!  There are no barriers; no expectations; no ulterior motives. The aim is to express to one’s heart’s content and in so doing touch few hearts and lives. 

When clouds, streams, rivers, trees, plants and birds can express themselves, why do humans shy away from expressing? I thought.

Express, we do but with lot of constraints. We seem to be tied down by many self imposed limitations in expressing ourselves. Whether it is expressing happiness or sadness, jubilation or depression, triumph or turmoil, we seem to be sending constricted messages and not heartfelt communication. Our smile is created on the lips and not in the heart. What to talk of touching others’ hearts, our words are so feeble that they do not even sink into the skins of the listeners. When we express, we are always thinking of the returns and not the difference it has to make to the environment and the lives we touch. When will the mankind learn from the nature? I mused aloud.

While I was still in the above mood, a picture of a mighty river joining an ocean came in to my view, as if to say that “my expression to the mankind and the Earth is over, let me now communicate with the eager souls living in the water”.

Closer to me, a toddler happily tapping his feet in the rain water, put a paper boat in a puddle in front of his house and was clapping merrily. “Expression with no barriers!”

Men of All Terrains!

“I am good at driving a car. I will drive for a while”.

Those were the words of my friend who accompanied me on a long road trip to a place of scenic beauty. We had started early in the morning from the place of residence and I was driving the car for the best part of the day. We had stopped for refreshments and rest before we resumed our journey and that was the time he spoke the above words.

I thought it was a welcome break and handed over the keys to him. He settled down in the driving seat, started the car and cruised along on the highway like an expert. I switched on the music system, closed my eyes and started enjoying the slow rhythmic songs of my favourite singer. I could sense that the car was flying at high speed with my friend seemingly impatient to reach the destination well before our schedule. He was overtaking almost all the vehicles and was apparently enjoying driving and commending himself over his driving skills.

“Why should they have these villages on the highway”?  I heard my friend muttering aloud. I opened my eyes and saw that we were passing through a small village which spread on either side of the road. It was getting closer to evening and the village was abuzz with activity. Children were playing on the roadside, farmers and cattle returning from the fields, women heading towards their homes with a bundle of firewood carefully perched on their heads, elders sitting in front of their homes and enjoying a smoke. I was trying to digest the entire scene in its totality, when my friend applied sudden brakes and I plunged forward. I looked enquiringly at my friend and found him frustratingly looking at a stream of cattle crossing the road.

“Negotiate your way through”, I told my friend, since that is what I do. “Negotiate. Impossible, I am not made for that” my exasperated friend said and threw up his hands. I encouraged him to go ahead, but to no avail. I was sure that if he continues to drive any further, he will either hit one of the cattle or aground our car into the thick mud lying on the side of the road.

“Let me handle it”, saying so, I got down and we exchanged our seats. Village after village went by without any problems. Through the corner of my eyes I could see my friend looking intently at me, paying attention to the nimble coordination of my mind and body and the ease of driving through highways as well as narrow lanes.  After a while, I could see that he was mentally picturising himself in the driver’s seat and do exactly what I was doing.

“Why couldn’t I drive like you”?  my friend asked me. I turned my eyes towards him for a while, smiled and said “It is not your problem alone. It is a universal and governs the way we treat; highways and narrow lanes; steep climb and downward slopes; challenges and easy wins; tough situations and cake walks”. “Tell me more” my friend asked.

“Some of us think that life is like driving on the highway. They have a feeling that life is all about having the best of the situations, things, and people and when presented with challenges do not know how to handle. The picture deeply embedded in their minds about they being good drivers gets blurred when they have to negotiate their way through difficulties making them unable to find a way”

“So, what is the answer”? my friend asked curiously.

“The picture you had about you being an excellent driver has to be shed. You were judging your driving skills based upon highway driving and not through unruly traffic. Similarly, in life all of us can do well when everything is going smoothly and the conditions are perfect. It is only when the tide turns against us that our skills of handling our lives come to the fore. The cattle on the way are like hurdles in our lives. It is up to us to decide whether we would like to negotiate through them, stop our journey or crash in to them. It all depends upon how confident you are in facing new situations and handling them with expertise”.

“Men of all Terrains” my friend muttered loudly and started concentrating on the road.

Life is Beautiful!

Life is Beautiful!

It was twilight when I returned home one evening from a teaching assignment. When I turned my car round the corner, I saw a group of children gathered right in front the gate of my house, looking at something with lot of excitement and discussing animatedly. I stopped the car at a distance and walked up to the children. One of them noticed me and started off immediately “uncle, look at its color, it is beautiful, is it not? We spotted it on the roadside. It was alone and crying. We brought it here, gave some milk, patted it and it started playing with us. It became our friend and each one of us wants to take it home. That is what we are discussing”. I looked at the object of such a great excitement and it was a puppy. It was happily playing with all the children and every child was giving advice to the other as to how to take care of a pet. Their faces were beaming with joy and time seemed to standstill in front of their happiness.

Is life so simple? I was amazed as well as happy to see the children taking great delight in a seemingly insignificant object for the grown- ups and went for answers into my inner self.

My inner self said “Life is simple if you do not complicate it”.

As if coming from nowhere, I asked  “what complication? I am a grown up man with qualifications, material wealth, knowledge and an ability to solve biggest of the problems in life”. My inner self laughed and said “that is the difference between you grown-ups and the children. You always think big, are on the look- out for big things to give you happiness and are always complaining instead of enjoying. The children look at simple things in life, are excited at every small thing, object and living being and enjoy them as if there is no tomorrow. Have you seen their faces when they were playing with and discussing about the puppy? They were elated as if they made a new invention and were enjoying it. They were animatedly discussing about the future of the puppy as if they are its guardians. They forgot about their surroundings, about themselves and were only thinking about the puppy and nothing else”

“Would you have noticed the puppy”? My inner self asked me. As if answering its own question it continued “you would not have noticed it. Your eyes, which always dream of big things for your own self, your mind which keeps planning about the next step in the material hierarchy and your inner senses which have lost their ability to appreciate small things, would not have certainly noticed it”.

“You are exaggerating”, I said cried aloud.

“Let me clarify”, my inner self said and asked few questions. “How many times did you notice the smile or pain of another human being? How many times did you appreciate the beauty of the rising Sun, emotion filled twilight, the greenery in our concrete jungles, the beauty of the bouquet which you pass through daily in the reception of your office and the unconditional love of your near and dear ones? It will take a millennium for me to recount all the beautiful things which you are not noticing and are missing”. My inner self paused.

“I think you are right”, I confessed and asked “Why am I failing to notice the beauty of Life”?

“You Grown-ups have been conditioned to complain instead of enjoying. You complain about everything as if it is your birth right. On a sunny day, you complain of heat; on a wintry day, you complain of cold; when there are no rains, you complain of drought; when there are rains, you complain of having to be confined to home; if someone laughs heartily, you complain of noise; if someone keeps to himself, you complain of him being a snob. Can you pause for a while and ask yourself as to who has given you the right to complain about the things you have not toiled to create? Have you ever thought of bringing some improvement or happiness to your surroundings, things and people”? my inner self questioned.

Life is short. “Let us understand that this life falls short for you to appreciate all its beauty and if you start complaining about everything, you will leave this world with a frown on your face without ever seeing its beauty”, my inner self said. “Why don’t you appreciate the beauty instead of complaining? Learn to appreciate life. Greatest of the joys come from smallest of the things. Appreciate the air you breathe, a flower in your garden, a good word, a nod, a smile or a simple act by another person and reciprocate. Complaints, which have become your second nature, will start vanishing and you will start breathing life into life” it added.

“Life’s lesson from the children”. My inner self stopped as if it had said everything and I focused my attention on the children in front of me. I saw one of them tying a small string to the puppy’s neck and started taking it for a walk, while all the others were merrily following it clapping and dancing.

“I joined them” as if in a trance, forgetting all my inhibitions, pretences and the cover on my eyes, clouds in my heart and the clutter in my mind started evaporating.

“Life is Beautiful” I shouted to my heart’s content and took a big leap in to the air.

Mr Human Being!

During one of my teaching assignments out of Hyderabad, I went to a town to talk and motivate students ranging from High School to Post Graduate classes. The town being bestowed with an abundance of water was full of greenery and all the schools and colleges I visited in the town had plenty of coconut and banana trees. Windows of the classrooms offered an excellent view of those trees around and they took me into my childhood raised under similar surroundings and the trees seemed to strike a conversation with me.

We are Proud of our Existence! I smiled at the trees and asked how they consider their existence in a world dominated by man. They swayed their heads in the gentle breeze and said in unison “we are proud”. That surprised me because; these are times when man is leaving a trail of destruction all around with utter disregard to the environment, mankind and the tress saying that they are proud of their existence seemed strange to me.

What makes you think so? I asked. Being larger and taller it was the turn of the coconut tree to answer first. “I am worth a ton of gold whether I am dead or alive. Each and every fiber, product and organ in my body can be used as it is or recycled for a better product. People love water of my fruits; eat the fruits, make mats out of leaves; brooms out of the sinews of my leaves; coir out of my trunk, firewood out of my dried leaves, cover of the fruits  and trunk; beams to construct houses out of my large trunk and so on. Who else can benefit the society in such a fashion? Concluded the coconut tree”.  

What about you Mr Banana Tree? I cocked my head to one side and questioned. All of a sudden, as if from nowhere, a whip of sweet smell of ripened banana fruits reached my nostrils and the large leaves of the banana tree started flapping happily. “I am very proud, it said. I give bananas both raw and ripened which have lot of nutrients; leaves to eat as eco-friendly plates; stem and the flower to make curries and chutneys, my hide to be used by devotees to fill oil,wicks and use as lamps. I do not ask for fresh water. Even the water used for domestic chores is good for my sustenance”.

What about you Mr Human Being? I wanted to end the conversation and bid goodbye to the trees before this question could be asked. However, the inevitable was done and an eerie silence fell over the surroundings. Though I could not voice my opinion, my inner self was alert to the situation and started talking to itself. “I am supposed to be the protector of the environment; supposed to give more than I take from it; share my possessions with the nature and humanity with a pride of having been born as a human being; I am not supposed to bring my own destruction out of greed, jealousy and intolerance; what to talk about sharing during my lifetime, I should do so even while I am dead; when dead, I should readily agree to donate my organs which are of no more use to me as a dead being”.

Are You Proud of your existence, Mr Human Being? So asked my inner self.

Enough! Enough of that self criticism, I admonished my inner self and glanced around. As if they heard my inner voice, all the trees were nodding their heads gently and seemed to understand my dilemma.  I gathered my books and started beating a quick retreat when there fell a fully ripened coconut and a banana from the tress, beckoning me to take them with me as a souvenir.

Little Children; Large Hearts

 

“We do not raise our children alone.... Our children are also raised by every peer, institution, and family with which they come in contact;

Yet parents today expect to be blamed for whatever results occur with their children, and they expect to do their parenting alone”                                                                                                                                                     -- Richard Louv

It was a Sunday afternoon and after a hearty meal, I decided to sit in my verandah amongst the greenery and enjoy a nap. Just within a short while of my settling down into the cane swing, my body started relaxing and but my mid was alive to the sounds around when I heard, “If you don’t give us the bat, we will call “Teacher Uncle”.

Teacher Uncle! I must admit that I love this word because that is the name with which my young students call me fondly. Their parents and elders also call me so, but with a slight difference; “Teacher Sir”. I looked outside and found a group of children playing on the road. One of them, a boy, had a bat in his hand which he was holding tightly as if someone will snatch it. The expression on his face showed defiance and the children around were looking at him as if he had done great injustice to them. I knew that I will be called into the scene shortly and decided to go there myself.

He is not sharing the bat with us! On seeing me, one little boy walked up and said, “Teacher Uncle, you know that we are fond of playing cricket and he is the only one who has a bat. He has finished his batting and since he got out on the first ball, wants to take his bat and go home. It is not fair. Don’t you think so?”

Lessons by Environment and peers! I was impressed by the manner in which the little boy spoke and in it saw an opportunity to drive home few lessons of life. I went up to the boy who owned the bat and he looked at me with concern. I smiled at him, put a hand on his shoulder and said “imagine that you were to bat towards the end and just before your turn came up, the boy who owns the ball wishes to go home and you are left without batting. The bat is yours and everyone who batted with it decides to go home without giving a chance of batting to you. How will you feel?”. He thought for a while and said “I will feel cheated”. What you do you think the others are feeling now? I asked. “Cheated” he said and without waiting any longer handed over the bat to the little boy.

The larger picture! The environment we interact with and the society we live in is ever eager to teach and offer invaluable lessons. However, the life style we are used to, the bookish knowledge we acquire and a feeling of know-all, be-all shuts our eyes, mind and ears to all the learning opportunities around us. We get immersed in our own world, own thoughts to such an extent that we are oblivious to what is happening around us and in the bargain fail to learn very important lessons of life.

 Life is a parent! I am sure that the children would have learnt a very important lesson of life that “collaboration and sharing” is essential for our co-existence and should do so more often with a broad smile. Life, which is also a parent, has taught them a lesson that sharing makes their little hearts large and with it a capacity to share whatever little they have with a large number of people.

The Show Must Go On!

I was watching a street play just a few days ago and was astonished by the passion and fervor being demonstrated by the actors. They were consumed by the purpose; the intention or the end objective and not their makeup, costumes, lack of auditorium or the absence of very important people amongst the audience. It was a performance consumed by passion and not fashion.

As usual, while the show was on, it was my turn to enter my inner self and think. I reminisced that creativity knows no boundaries; whether it is a street actor or one with an Oscar award, the basic value attached to it remains the same. That is, performing with passion and to the best of one’s abilities.

Creativity! All creatures on this Earth have Creativity embedded in them at varying levels and interests. However, while some polish and shine it, others let it gather dust; some are passionate about finding expression to it and make use of the opportunities presented to them, while others wait for the right opportunity to knock at their doors; some are concerned about the ambience of the stage, auditorium and the accessories, while others can win over the audiences only on the strength of their performance and not due to any extraneous factors.

Perform by All Means! When I came back from my reverie, the street play had already come to an end;  faces of the actors were beaming with joy; the audience, who braved the hot Sun and were standing on the footpath, were literally giving a standing ovation. Could it be any better? I thought.

I started leaving the place when I heard someone say “The Show must go on; The Place and Accessories do not matter; what matters is the passion one brings to the Show”

Rain Drops

I woke up at mid of the night yesterday as if someone called my name loudly, opened the door and went out into the verandah. I was greeted by a stream of gentle breeze and droplets of rain. It was raining throughout the night and the streets were full of water. The plants in my garden were fully drenched, yet, they were swinging their heads merrily. That was the time, when, against the backdrop of the dim street lights, I saw the strings of Rain Drops gently sliding from Heavens to Earth and I did what is second nature to me. I entered my inner self.

Rain Drops! The most simple and benevolent act of God; given as a precious gift to the mankind; to quench thirst of the parched Earth; to fill reservoirs and rivers; to bring smiles and happiness to the mankind; to make the birds chirp happily and children play merrily; to transform the hills, forests and fields into lush green carpets; to bless all creatures with succor and sustenance.  

I looked up at the sky and found thick clouds filled with an abundance of water, wafting effortlessly in the sky. It appeared as if they were smiling at all the earthly creations of the God and nodding their heads in an understanding of how important the Rain Drops are to them. I caught their smile and with it a message.

Rain Drops! They go unnoticed most of the times! We run for shelter or put on our rain coats the moment it starts raining. Without realizing the good they do to the mankind and all creatures of the nature, we hope that the rain stops soon so that we can resume our chores. It is only when drought strikes us we do realize their importance and pray to the God for rain.

Similarly, we do not understand the value of simple yet important people and things around us when we keep receiving the benefits abundantly from them without having to ask. It is only when those people are no longer around or amongst us and those things are not available to us, that we start noticing their absence.

Mind you! I said absence and not value, because, while everyone might notice their absence, it is only a few who will miss them, understand and feel their intrinsic value.

The Journey

A successful journey or travel is associated with a lot of forethought, planning, coordination and perfect execution. We wish to be comfortable, enjoy ourselves and achieve objectives of the journey without any problems. We capture glimpses of the journey through the lenses of our eyes as well as a camera and preserve them for years to come. We rewind the memories when we are alone or with our near dear ones and relive the moments.

How many of us go into such details when it comes to our lives? Not very many I suppose. Is it because our lives are less important than a journey of sightseeing, excursion, picnic or pilgrimage? Is it that we are too busy and complacent to think and plan our lives ? Is it that we consider planning our lives too mundane an activity? Is it because for some, life is a challenge and they are busy in making the two ends meet or solve its riddles?

The reasons could be numerous and along with it the excuses as well. Whatever the case may be we must realize that it is our life and it deserves the utmost importance. It is a journey; not for day, week or months; it entails a life time spanning few decades. Though it spans few decades, it needs to be planned on a day-to-day basis. The underlying factor for the above is time. When we say life, many things associated with it come to our mind; one of them being time. How much time do I have is an oft asked question. It is so because, we wish to accomplish a particular task in time, before it is late or too late.

Focusing our thoughts on time and the things we need to accomplish during the lifetime will give proper perspective to our lives and we will be able to draw a to-do-list, plan, coordinate and execute well.

Life, especially the human life is a precious gift. Let us make its journey fruitful and enjoyable.

 

A Bird in Flight

A bird in flight is a beautiful sight,

With its wings outstretched, head held high upward;

Picture of the destination, etched in its brain;

Gliding on the air pockets, flying against strong winds;

Gathering all its might; flies high day or night;

Hurdles do not matter; they make it perform better;

We the Human Beings can follow suit, in the goals we pursuit,

Break all self imposed limits, realize own strengths and achieve great heights”

                                                                                                   -- by  Satya Sista

 

Count your Blessings

“Everything that Counts cannot be counted;

Everything that can be counted does not Count” 

                                                                                                   --- An old saying

 

Past Experiences are a Treasure for the Future. Whenever I think of the words “ Count your Blessings”, I can not help but recall the precious moments of a session I conducted way back in the year 2000  for a group of IIT aspirants on Goal Setting and Time Management. 

Blessed are those who know that they are blessed. I was talking of the various external limiting factors, which some consider insurmountable and their habit of taking shelter in those factors, for all their inactions and failures. I was facilitating the group to focus on the things, which are often taken for granted, since they have been blessed with those things, without any effort. I was also emphasizing on the way some perceive the most precious things of life as a matter of fact and do not try either to reciprocate in a similar manner or do not have the ability to leverage them to the benefit of themselves or the environment.  

As an example, I had quoted the love and affection of parents, near and dear ones and the never-ending efforts of the teachers and the well-wishers for the growth of their wards and students. I went further in saying that, in that very group, there may be some, whose parents may not able to afford the coaching for IIT or higher studies, but are still doing so, with a hope that their children may live up to their expectations and are blessed with a better life than they themselves have been leading. 

Self Realization, the best Teacher. The session continued for some more time, when suddenly I saw a boy sobbing uncontrollably. I walked up to him, put a hand on his shoulder and asked for the reason of his crying. Instead of stopping, he got up from his seat and cried out aloud. After some time he started talking and what he said can be applied to many amongst us. In his own words, “I hail from a small village and have no father. My mother walks for a few miles, changes buses and comes to the city to visit me every week. I am very impatient to her queries about my studies and health and want to see her off  as soon as my demands are met. I could not understand before, but, can do so now, see the pain and anguish in her eyes, as a result of my disregard for her love and affection”. He promised to himself that he would be grateful for the blessings he is receiving and to reciprocate in a similar manner in future. 

That made my Day since I was able to touch one boy’s life and his future. The moment had left an indelible mark on me as well. 

Blessings of the Organization we work for and the Society we Live should also be regarded as a blessing. The society one lives-in and the organization one works for are the result of the dedication and hard work  of many people. They had a vision not only for themselves or for their generation but also for the posterities to come. In so doing, they have ensured a sense of purpose, achievement and livelihood for all the lives they touch.  

It may be appreciated that one’s success both at work and the society, is not always purely due to one’s own intelligence or diligence. There are many blessings bestowed by the organization one works for and the society one lives-in, which silently contribute to the above success. Both the organization and the society provide an environment and a platform for expression of one’s strengths, perform, gain confidence and grow from strength to strength. 

Counting Blessings is not an End in itself. The people around us, friends, siblings, parents, colleagues and superiors are our anchors, on whose strength we steady our course and embark upon bigger voyages. How much indebted we are to our anchors is difficult to measure and the best one can do is to acknowledge it and return the good gestures by ourselves being anchors to many others.

 

 The act of acknowledging and Counting Blessings would find a definite fulfillment, if we, as individuals are able to further enhance these blessings, so that our future generations get a bigger platform to perform and lead a happy and purposeful life.

 

Dreams are Forever

“When I grow up I will become police and have lots of guns” 

“No No, when I grow up, I will become Sachin and have a big car” 

“When I become big, I will have ten cars and a big house” 

“I will be a Doctor, I will be a Teacher, I will be Daddy, I will be Mummy”

 

On a cozy Sunday afternoon, when I was enjoying my nap after a hearty meal, I was privy to the above conversation that was taking place amongst a group of children assembled in our portico. The topic of their conversation was obviously their plans for future and what each one wants to become. My immense interest in human feelings, values and life in general overtook my liking for a siesta and as usual, the above conversation made me put on my thinking cap and took me into the lap of my own childhood.

 

Pilot I will be. From the time I started understanding the ways of this world, I strongly desired to be a pilot. It was a very big dream, considering my beginnings. When I got a chance to undergo selection for a General Duty Pilot in the Air Force, I could not believe my luck. The joy was only short lived since I failed to qualify in the Pilot Aptitude Battery Test and thus permanently disqualified to be a pilot. That was the end of my dream to be a pilot. Though it took some time for me to recover from the shock, it taught me the most important lesson of my life “Dream Big and if failure occurs use it as a launch pad for bigger dreams”.

 

Though I could not become a pilot, I piloted my life well thereafter. … Because I kept my dreams alive.

 

Be proud of your Dreams and Share them.  We as children dare to dream big, sometimes very big and do not feel shy to share them with others proudly. However silly the dream may seem to others, we hold it very close to our hearts. But for many of us, as we grow up, the dreams start dissipating slowly due to myriad reasons and we end up in different domain altogether. The end result is that we even forget the fact that we had once dreamt of our future and if ever we remember, we are disinclined to discuss with anyone. Probably this is the fate of most of the dreams and the most important reason is our failure to hold our dreams close to our heart, share openly with our near and dear ones and develop a resolve to get closer to them with each step forward. 

Keep your Dreams Alive. Long time back I made a resolution that Dream I Will no matter what my age and stage is. Though with each passing stage and year, the content and context of my Dreams keep changing, I firmly believe that “DREAMS ARE FOREVER”. If today I am dreaming about my career, the future of my sons and fulfilling some of my responsibilities towards the society, after a few years it could be something to do with my grand children, spiritual, travel, social work, literary accomplishments etc. Dreams are the well from where we draw inspiration and strength to move ahead and one should ensure to keep that well always full. Do not forget that your dreams are precious and as we fondly keep in touch and an account of all our precious relations and things, keep taking a stock of your dreams now and then. 

Birdge The Void. The biggest drawback with human beings is the void between their outer façade and inner self. In our quest to please the world we carefully nurture our habits, language, outlook and expressions. But we are not so generous with our inner self. It is stifled, silenced and made to pay for all our worldly gains. In the bargain, people learn to go with the tide, robbed of dreams which they may call their own, however small dreams they may be.  The struggle to bridge the void between our outer façade and inner self calls for a lot of strength and resolve, but certainly is worth the efforts. Even if one does not succeed fully, the small success which one may have is enough to dream and enjoy the fruits like innocent children. 

Travel through your Dreams. Ever read the story “Alice in the Wonderland” and traveled through its fantasies? Must have and while doing so felt as if you are on a different plane altogether. Similarly, do take an occasional trip through the wonderful land of your dreams and enjoy the tour. It will give you an insight into the joys, accomplishments, stronger bonds and family ties which will accrue and the difference you are going to make to yourself, your family, this society and the world. When you return from touring your wonderland, you are rejuvenated, stronger and more confident to make your dreams real. 

“Wish you happy dreaming and a fantastic travel through your Dream Land”

 

-- Satya Sista

Life is My Greatest Teacher

“Life is my Greatest Teacher”

Born with no means of sound formal education, I looked towards Life for guidance and it readily accepted me as its pupil. It took me under its wings and gave me a glimpse of the world from a bird’s eye view and hovering over the higher reaches of the skies taught me few valuable lessons of life.

It taught me that self belief and confidence can make up for any shortcoming in life and proved it by taking me from scarcity to self sufficiency.  It introduced me to books as my classmates and the immense knowledge available in the world as the Library. It made me look inwards and carry out experiments within and made me realize that the most valuable tests and researches are done in a laboratory called “Mind”.

It taught me love and compassion for my fellow beings and made me realize that human beings exist only because of relations. It makes me  feel  its presence at every moment of my life; keeping  its soothing hands over my shoulders whenever I seem to be concerned it whispers  in my ears  “All will be Well”; nodding its head merrily when I do something good and encourages  me to do better.

In today’s world, where qualifications on paper mostly become the passport to teach, Life bestowed upon me experience and wisdom as qualifications to teach and be accepted by the education fraternity as one of them. It advised me to make the world as my classroom and taught the beauty of being a teacher.

Most important of all, it gave me a vision, to reach out to people of all ages and stages and make a difference in their lives; to be a beacon for all my students and guide them to a human destiny called “Purposeful Living”.

-- SistaSatya