Hmmmm - How beautiful??

It has been cricket fever throughout the world, more so in India. Cricket is played in every by lane, and for the last one month in every one’s mind and heart. India really played well - first beating Australia, then the die hard Pakistan team, and finally Sri Lanka - a great final(e) and dream come true. At office as everywhere it was always intense and animated discussions on cricket.

Discussions were on how Sachin, Yuvaraj and Zaheer played and also on how some others did not play. Praises followed by criticisms and suggestions were all one could hear. Many of us armchair critics responded to the happenings on the field with great élan coupled with little knowledge on how is at the centre stage with the whole world watching. But that’s what it is in this cricket loving country where cricket is almost a belief and a faith.

Here we were at office discussing the semi finals between India and Pakistan, and Sachin had just got out at 85. Disappointment looming large in everyone’s face, talk centred around what would happen in this crucial match and what fate had in store for India. The discussions turned so animated that many of us talked about how even being in a good position –‘ India had the ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory’, others were critical of Sachin’s shot, some others on how Dhoni was out of form and still some others of the impending defeat. Tempers were rising, and someone lamented as to how we could lose to Pakistan.

There was this young girl at my office called Pradnya who was listening to the conversations, and smiling at all of us. I was intrigued by her nonchalant look and remarked ‘ What Pradnya, what has Sachin done and what’s happening?’ Her reply left me blinking but more insightful. Admittedly, I became wiser and enjoyed the world cup final much more than I would have. Thanks, Pradnya for your wise words - 'After all it is a game, Sir.'

My uncle - my Appapa

An era of two sisters and two brothers has come to an end. The last of them, my uncle, breathed his last yesterday.

A very simple soul, who lived life straight from the heart and what he perceived things as. He operated life based on a set of values and principles dear to him, and rebelled against anything he thought was unfair. Simple as he was, he had very clear distinctions of right' and 'wrong.' Reflecting on how he lived, I have learnt a lesson that 'life is simple, but individuals make it complex.'

My uncle was a very affectionate, caring and loving human being with no malice at heart. Life was every moment to him, and his dealing with these bore a direct corelation to what his mind and heart dictated then. He would yell at me and spank me if he found me mischevous. But all that disappeared the next moment and he would shower me with chocolates or take me for a movie. I remember he had taken me for a basket ball match when someone pushed me. He was up in arms protecting his nephew. Spontaneity came naturally to him and that is who he was.

Though eighty, he lived life as if he was eighteen. Nothing unduly bothered him and he had the natural penchant to take things in his stride and see life as a sequence of events happening one after another. His love was shown through his anger, and all of us accepted him the way he was since he had no hidden agenda. He had a large circle of friends and was involved in a lot of social, educational and religious activities. As a mark of respect and condoning his death, the educational institution of which he was a founder has decided to close the school for a day.

All of us will truly miss him. While bidding good bye, he has passed on the baton to all of us to continue the rich traditions and values that he and his brothers and sisters espoused. I can only on behalf of the entire family assure him that we will leave no stones unturned to continue lighting the flaming torch. That, I guess, will be a true tribute to him. I will personally miss you, Appapa.

May his Soul rest in peace.

Child is the father of man

A little girl walked daily to and from school. Though the weather this particular morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her trek to the elementary school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning.

The child's mother, concerned that her daughter would be frightened and possibly harmed by the storm got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school.
As she did so, she saw her little daughter walking along happily but at each flash of lightning the child would stop, look up, and smile.

Stopping the car, the mother called to the child to get in with her. As they drove toward school, the girl continued to turn toward each lightning flash and smile.
The Mother asked, "What are you doing?"
The child answered, "Well, I must do this, God keeps taking pictures of me."

Its how you look at things ...

Once an unhappy young man came to an old master and told he was very sad and asked for a solution. The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. "How does it taste?" the Master asked. "Awful," spat the apprentice. The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake.

Thereafter the two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."
As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?" "Good!" remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master.
"No," said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things... Stop being a glass. Become a lake!"

Giving ourselves wings ......

Here is an interesting story my friend Sridhar sent to me and I thought of sharing this with you.

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons
from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he
had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be
trained.

Months passed by and one day the head falconer informed the king that
though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the
sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had
arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to
the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task
to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the
palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch. Having
tried everything else, the king thought to himself, "May be I need
someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of
this problem." So he cried out to his court, "Go and get a farmer." In
the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high
above the palace gardens. He said to his court, "Bring me the doer of
this miracle." The court quickly located the farmer, who came and
stood before the king. The king asked him, "How did you make the
falcon fly?" With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, " It
was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird
was sitting."

We are all made to fly -- to realize our incredible potential as human
beings. But instead of doing that, we sit on our branches, clinging to
the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but
these remain undiscovered. One conforms to the familiar,
the comfortable, the mundane. Life then tends to be
mediocre instead of exciting, thrilling and fulfilling.

Moral of the story, thus, is to destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to the glory of flight.

Story Telling

There was once a disciple of a great teacher. Day after day the disciple would sit at the feet of his teacher listening to his instruction. Many people would come to visit and inevitably the teacher would engage them by telling a story.

One day the disciple asked; "Guruji, why do you engage people by means of stories? Why don't you just give them your teaching straight out?"
The Guru answered: "Bring me some water."

Now the disciple knew his teacher to be a very formal and disciplined man. He had never asked for water at this time of the day. Nevertheless, he went immediately to fetch it. Taking a clean brass water pot from the ashram kitchen, the disciple went to the well, filled the pot with water and returned. He offered it to his teacher.

The Guru asked"Why have you brought me a pot when I asked only for water?"

Happy New Year

I was reading a anecdote written by Bob Perks and thought it appropriate to start with my posts in the New Year.

"Time, faith and the love of my family and friends," he said. How wonderful. Somehow, from the moment we met, I knew we would connect. His response was perfect. His answer was mine.
It is that time of the year when we reflect back on accomplishments and failures. It is a wrapping up and an unfolding all in one.

The sentimental fool that I am keeps me deep in thought filling my days with mood swings easily compared to riding a roller coaster. Oddly, I love those ups and yes, even the downs. The happy thoughts remind me that life is good. The sad thoughts remind me that life is fragile. In the end I hope for more happy than sad, but still come out on top when the ball officially drops on New Year’s Eve, if I can at least find balance.

You may think this strange, too, when I say some of my best years turned out to be the years when I struggled, lost, failed and retreated into the darkness of that final night of the old year.
Job loss, car repossession, debt, divorce, a failed business, cancer in my family, death of loved ones, depression, all made life nearly unbearable. Still, the light of the new day, the new year, always seemed to be brighter than any other.
It was in falling down that I learned how to climb.
It was in losing that I learned how to win.
It was in struggling that I found strength.
It was in darkness that I learned to see again.
So, why was this man's response to me so perfect? This man had just lost his business. This man was struggling with finances, self-image, and hope. He was standing on the edge of a dismal past and desperately trying to see the possibilities in his future. Instead of dismissing everything as failure, he chose to acknowledge the most important parts.
I asked him, "If you could take something with you into the new year, what would it be?"
"Time, faith, the love of my family and friends," he said. "If I have time I can begin again. I can build again. I can start over. If I have faith, I know I cannot fail. If I have the love of my family and friends, I have purpose."