A Nation in Transit

We are a country born out of a deluge of multi cultural influences spread across a few thousand years. And like every other nation, we aren't perfect. But what we have is a rich history, deeply enmeshed in our modern lives, supported by a tenacious value system and a steady undercurrent of spirituality.

Mark Twain had once called India the "..cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition..."

- Given the present state of her affairs, I am not sure India would recognize herself in us today.

Nonetheless, the optimist in me would like to believe that beneath all the superficial filth and dilapidated health of its governance, underlying the pregnant silence before the storm, there may be a semblance of a new India waiting to be born.

Tour de Force

Overheard in a cafe -

Few people who appeared to be friends meeting after decades exchanging notes about where they are at this point in their lives. Some talked about kids and families, others about their latest adventure at whatever jobs they were holding. My ears picked up a thread - "I keep going to New York twice every year", he said. "Oh, you must be doing so well for yourself!"

At this point I tuned off and began drifting to the idea of success and its relative perception for people. I am always amused when making a couple of international trips per year is associated with the premise that you must have arrived in life!

Here's my personal barometer for my own success as an individual -

On a Road Less Travelled

When little kids like me enough to wave and blow kisses from their tiny schoolbus window..

When I have more than one girlfriend vying for who drops by with comfort food as I lay in bed thinking I am going to die of common viral fever...

When a long lost friend reconnects with a warmth that is associated with the closest of buddies...

When neighborhood urchins uncharacteristically offer me a solitary Jasmine flower...

When colleagues at work know exactly when I am in need of that cup of coffee ...

But mostly when I get up every morning, with a smile on my face, with a passion in my heart and a song on my lips!

Leaping Back

Its true.

Humans survive. Life goes on. Positivity beats human frailty hands down. Breathe in..breathe out. The mind walks the talk of the devil. And yet, the spirit beats all odds.

What begins as a few body cells fighting for supremacy becomes a battle for survival. The mind revolts and wants to surrender. The body, frail yet fighting still. The spirit rises from the ashes and comes forth to hold the fort and calls out.

Friends, family, strangers...all rally for that one step a day. How strange that when it all appear to be floundering in despair that life suddenly takes on a purpose?! The will to see another day, the call to return to one's faith, the need to smell the roses one more time....ah to be alive!

This one is for my friend L, who is fighting the deadly C - a tribute to your positivity and your strength my friend! I am already making the plans for that trip to Brazil and Mexico with you - you better be ready! Love, Light and Laughter to you. Hugs and oh so many more hugs!

Get well!

..looking through life...

The Quest

Stumbling my way through an insipid existence I always felt the need for a Manual to life. Where all others seem to be doing it effortlessly, even pretending to enjoy the experience, for me living appeared to be a chore that simply had to be done. 

Looking back...that was a million years ago..I am thankful for those moments of constant questioning and the occasional languid season of reckless living. For those were my moments of being born...the soul signaling the I for all that was to come and learn.

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." — Rumi

Rapture!

What some see as my adventurous life, is a quest for finding the answers that began many moons ago in another lifetime. I am happy that the trail has led me to new discoveries both within and without. The quest continues....

Soria Moria by Theodor Kittelsen (a painting depicting a famous Norwegian folklore)

My perception of the self keeps changing with my most recent experiences but as of today, I most identify the self with this character out of the Norwegian folklore!