LESSONS FOR LIFE.

The last few months of being out of active work has taught me a lot. It has taught me 2 see other people idling away in a new light.Compassion has replaced cold logic.. I n short I feel for them. It has made me understand why Boredom is the biggest danger to survival.I can comprehend why PI (in the movie Life of Pi)  says he could not have survived mentally without the Tiger.
 I have reached out to people from the past whom I felt I should have connected a bit better. I have tried my hand at all social technologies which hitherto would provoke only disdain.

You are responsible for your decisions or the lack of them but others may have had tough luck.

Sabbaticals, even the forced ones, make you leaner and fitter physically and mentally as you take to sport and culture.

Choice is a luxurious necesscity and must be treated as such.


People who stick with you during this time are your friends.People who do not stick with you just need time to come around.

Conversations have an extra set of ears.

You get to understand depression and deal with it through humour.

Its not worth talking about the negatives, nobody is interested. It is more than worth writing about the positives in your lean period. They are lessons for life.


 

EXPENSIVE WAY 2 GOD

If you want 2 get up n close 2 Srinathji having money unfortunately helps.
Officially contributing 2 one of the Bhogs (1k 2 5k) is the way2go. Paying n signing up for Brahmasambandha is best as you r taken to the inner sanctum after a cold bath and still wet.You cant get closer than this if you r a normal mortal.
Standard greasing (abhorable) is rampant at all levels - right from local touts, pandas, Japatias to the inner temple pandits and Mukhyaji. In the last 2 categories u can buy prasad directly from them.
Can't really blame them. Temple pays them pnuts but gives them lots of prasad(sweet and salt offerings of food made in pure ghee, the loving lord generally eats 56 items-the rarest and freshest being given 2 those high in hierarchy. So they sell the prasad either 2 u or 2the shops outside
who in turn sell it 2 u.
Your family pandit known as the GOR is the one who is the real tout.He knows all the prices and brokers a deal as unfairly as possible. You cant get away from him bcoz he'll find you no matter what.
Whatever u do u dont forget the Japatias. They are the ones who brandish their scarves like weapons and use them too. Just when you have pushed thru the mob, bribed thru your way to your level and am about 2 b rewarded with a blink and miss darshan of the lord Srinathji ..WHAP! You have been given a Jhapad with their cloth scarves right on your face(Hence the name JHAPATIAS). You have been JHAPPED.U better move or risk another one.As it is you will b pushed out by the hordes of Bribers right bhind you..each body part separate if you resist.In fact this wisdom is passed on from generation 2 generation that looking after the Jhapatias is the most cost effective way to an undisturbed 60 secs of darshan.
Now for a recap. Chek in n call you GOR. If he contacts u 1st he will add the effort 2 your cost (i.e. his Dakshina). Reach on the time he sets or pay more. Remember he is not being patient he is simply
adding a fee. If u r a VIP, he will wake u up. He will now take u in the wee hours and lead you thru closed doors past waiting hordes of devotees and make u wait in the marble courtyard.If u r a VVIP he will take u past more closed doors past the VIP bribers and BHOG devotees in to the inner courtyard just outside the temple door. VVVIP? U get 2 wait in the room where corridor where the Temple Musicians wait.This door opens 30 secs earlier than the others. VVVVIP? U get 2wait right outside the inner sanctum. Only a curtain now stands between u and the lords.
The last piece of advice. Work on your fitness and dont forget the jhapatias.

PROGRESS IN PAVNA

Had gone to Club Mahindra Pavna,Lonavla recently.Went for the lakeside hill trek with a guide.Came across a village of 2 huts. Askd the farmer and went in. Took my eyes some time to adjust. Out of the darkness appeared two images ..one boy studying in the darkness and a small girl sorting grain in another corner. The boy was in 10 th and wanted 2 b a teacher! 20 mins downhil fm a resort and 90 mins fm a megapolis there is no electricity!
  People here are so used to snakebites that they are well versed in the first aid and cure.

ANNA

Yesterday my father and I went to visit Azad Maidan, the branchhead of Anna's movement in mumbai. There was nothing electric about the atmosphere as I had anticipated. People of all ages were there. The few on stage were urging the few more in the maidan to join a rally proceeding to Murli Deora's( Congress MP) house to ask him to clarify his stand on the LOKPAL Bill.

A few were distributing pav wadas , few were eating them, a few were fasting and a few were shouting slogans.There were many clicking away; police and journalists were equal in number. There were many like us --just being there .

SMSs were flying thick and fast, pamphlets on the bill were being distributed and the Gandhi topis were already over. We registered ourseves and donned Anna's badges.Candlelight Marches are not for me as I firmly believe that lighting a candle gives people an excuse to wash their hands off incorporating any real changes in their personal lives. And yet here I was... being with a group of strangers doing something I dont normally do. There was nothing electric here but when I returned I felt fully charged. I was part of something that felt right.

To many like me thats all that matters!

THE BATTLE OF BOMBAY- 26/11

Everyone knows the face of Kasad- the only terrorist to be caught and alive. So much has been written that any more words would probably be lost in the sea of angst and tears.

.

One of my friends commented that india is paying for its corruption.Spot on I say. The bulletproof vests were rejected and passed.Potbellied police are no match for these highly motivated terrorist commandoes. Make no mistake -outdated equipment and faulty protective gear has caused the the first few deaths of our brave.BUT THE REAL PROBLEM IS POLITICAL APATHY AND POOR INTELLIGENCE. The bulletproof jackets had been rejected earlier and the guns are still archaic.There was no transport waiting for the NSG guys when the aircraft landed in bombay. Precious minutes were lost (nearly an hour) before a BEST bus was scrambled to take our saviours to the battle area! 61 years of BABUGIRI had ensured that no one knew who was in control!

One thing haunts me though. We salute the brave once they are dead but dont look after them when they are alive.We curse the politicians and even made a CM resign but we will not turn out in large numbers to vote.We salute the brave sons who died but prod our sons who want to be brave to take the CAT instead.We will not tolerate people of a different language but we will tolerate the language of terror.

We need to change.We do not need to light candles or send smses to show our solidarity. We need to be brave enough to be less corrupt, educated enough to sink our religious and regional differences and enlightened enough to vote out the inept.

The time to stand for a minute in silence is over.It is time to walk the talk or walk the plank. The BATTLE OF BOMBAY is over but the WAR of preserving what the brave died for is still on.
We have lost the battle , it is time to prepare for war.NOW.

FLASHES OF 'FIREFLIES'

--THE GLOW-WORM WHILE EXPLORING THE DUST NEVER KNOWS THAT THE STARS ARE IN THE SKY.

THESE PAPERBOATS OF MINE ARE MEANT TO DANCE ON THE RIPPLES OF HOURS
AND NOT TO REACH ANY DESTINATION.

WHILE THE ROSE SAID TO THE SUN, "I SHALL EVER REMEMBER THEE," HER PETALS FELL TO THE DUST.

WHILE GOD WAITS FOR HIS TEMPLE TO BE BUILT OF LOVE,
MEN BRING STONES.

THE GREED FOR FRUIT MISSES THE FLOWER.

I LEAVE NO TRACE OF WINGS IN THE AIR, BUT I AM GLAD I HAVE HAD MY FLIGHT.

THE LAMP WAITS THROUGH THE LONG DAY OF NEGLECT
FOR THE FLAME'S KISS AT NIGHT.

"LET ME LIGHT MY LAMP," SAYS THE STAR
"AND NEVER DEBATE IF IT HELP TO REMOVE THE DARKNESS."

LET THE EVENING FORGIVE THE MISTAKES OF THE DAY
AND THUS WIN PEACE FOR ITSELF,

GOD IN HIS TEMPLE OF STARS WAITS FOR MAN TO BRING HIM HIS LAMP.

FEATHERS IN THE DUST LYING LAZILY CONTENT

HAVE FORGOTTEN THEIR SKY.

THREE EVENTS

THREE IMPORTANT EVENTS TOOK PLACE IN INDIA ON 21 OCT 08 SPILLING OVER TO THE WEE HOURS OF THE NEXT DAY.
CHANDRAYAAN-THE UNMANNED MISSION TO THE MOON.
AUSSIES WERE CRUSHED IN THE SECOND TEST MATCH AT MOHALI BY INDIA.
RAJ THACKERAY, A LOCAL POLITICIAN, WAS ARRESTED,FREED ON BAIL AND ARRESTED AGAIN.
OF THE THREE EVENTS ANY SANE NATION WOULD RATE THE EVENTS IN THE SAME ORDER AS ABOVE. AS I SURFED THE NEWS CHANNELS I REALISED THE REVERSE TO BE TRUE. RAJ WAS SPLATTERED ALL OVER , HIS FOLLOWERS BEING COVERED LIVE AS THEY WENT ON A RAMPAGE DESTROYING PUBLIC PROPERTY. THE NEWS CHANNELS WERE ADDING TO THE MAYHEM BY DISPLAYING THE ISOLATED INCIDENTS OCCURING AT DIFFERENT PLACES TOGETHER ON THE SCREEN IN A CONTINUOUS LOOP.
CRICKET WAS ALLOTTED A COUPLE OF MINUTES OF FOOTAGE AND CHANDRAYAAN WAS A MERE FOOTNOTE EXCEPT ON ONE CHANNEL. LOCALISED CHAUVINISTIC VIOLENCE GAINED PRECEDENCE OVER SPORT (EVEN CRICKET) AND SCIENCE. NATIONAL SHAME WAS MORE NEWSWORTHY THAN NATIONAL PRIDE!
5.2 DAYS TO CONQUER THE MOON. 61 YEARS AND STILL COUNTING TO GET OUR PRIORITIES RIGHT.