Some left and some right

 In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin yang  is used to describe how polar or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn.

Some soul to heal the spirit
Some spirit to heal the soul
Some whole to put the parts
Some parts to put the whole

Some pain to hold the love
Some love to hold the pain
Some gain to know the loss
Some loss to know the gain

Some map to draw the world
Some world to draw the map
Some gap to bridge the boundary
Some boundary to bridge the gap

Some tears to stop the smile
Some smile to stop the tears
Some fear to feel the strength
Some strength to feel the fear

Some sea to love the ship
Some ship to love the sea
Some others to let alone be
Some alone to let others be

Some money to make the rules
Some rules to make the money
Some honey to bring the bees
Some bees to bring the honey

Some light to hold the darkness
Some darkness to hold the light
Some fight to bring   the peace
Some peace to bring the fight
   
Some lies to win the truth
Some truth to win the lies
Some eyes to meet the opposites
Some opposites to meet the eye.

The bad good food....

 Fish, to taste right, must swim three times – in water, in butter and in wine. —–Polish proverb 

 The appetizing proverb painfully brings to life the biggest irony which life plays on us -

“Good tasting food is bad for health
Bad tasting food is good for health” 

Indeed , what can be more painful. It seems as if an ancient pharaoh curse places upon the human generation – "Thou shall eat only to live but not live to eat." The moment you try to add taste to any dish - it either shoots up in calories pushing your belly size or it either becomes the worst possible thing you could do to your liver.

What wrong did we do the universe in its initial days that it ironically jewelled us with the sense of smell, taste and sight but snatched from us the bliss to devour a beautiful meal? The moment we glide a tasty morsel down our throat, our mind starts to distract the joy by popping up images of a treadmill .And what can be more unfair in life than the fact that - the delicious taste which lasts for an instance or two has to be followed up with a workout of an hour or so. Is it an ultimate punishment for our instant gratification of materialism or is it the settlement we have to pay the sins of our past lives.

“A dream to live and eat merry
A dream to wine and dine the cherry
A dream to gourmet endless under the sky
A dream which we are, alas forced to die” 

And all our advanced technology cannot help us to solve this quandary. We can slice microchips, hundred times thinner than the human hair but we cannot come up with something which will slice away our belly fat. If only while the human body was evolving there was a mutation which made the body burn down the excessive fat automatically and immediately – what a yummy life it would have been. Imagine devouring all culinary dishes one after the other without an iota of a worry to become fat or chubby. Technology and human body indeed have scope to develop more.

“Butter Chicken will kill me for sure,
Bitter guard juice is the only cure,
Spicy, tangy and sizzle i have to abhor
Boil with no oil only I am to devour
Not fair for sure."
 
Another fact one fails to understand is in spite of all these inhibitions, we have created one delicacy after other. From the fathoms of ancient scriptures to the naive interactions with new societies – all have produces new culinary dishes. Or perhaps it is the restriction that we can only enjoy a limited amount of dishes, inspires us to make more and more exotic and delicious dishes.

“Eat I cannot all of it
But eat I shall, as much I can
You can call me a glutton
But I am not sparing any mutton
Call me if you want to - a couch potato
But i will still devour all the Lasanga Tomato
I will consume all the Curry spice
Until the moment I am consumed by life”

Etched in Time

A thing of beauty lasts forever. In the last few months, In the last few months I have felt this saying literally come to life.My last few months have been embedded travels to diverse historic places.

A visit to these fascinating places and timeless artefacts brought a strange thought to my mind – We visit these historic artefacts in our contemporart times and marvel  at the ancient society which once thrived n these lands. We wonder what was the dream which  possessed these people so as to produce generation-surpassing monuments.
However we should relaize that at some point in the past  commonplace mortals would have toiled to put in place these immortal monumnets.Little would have a stone carver , toiling under the sun thousands of  years ago chiselling away at the stones in order to earn his/her daily meal ,  imagined that an ordinary worthless stone would, a thousand years from now be an object of wonder and amazement  for the yet to be born generations.

For instance – have a look at the snapshot of the Halebedu Temple walls – a temple constructed around the 12th AD by the Hoysala dynasty. The temple passed to us the architectural acumen of a long past generation. The bodies of the thousands of people who made this temple have long been turned to dust but their efforts have been etched in time forever.Th eof the Hoysala dynasty drew a die but the stone temples stood the test of time,

Till now we have discussed about the past, now let’s look into the future. Imagine about 1000-2000 years from now (assuming the earth and life does not collapse before that ) when our generations would also have become a thing of the past and new generations would discover some of the objects and artefacts of  our times – what would they interpret of us ?

A lot of these interpretations might also depend on what things the future generation find?

Maybe one of our countless sky scraper might survive the test of time and still be erect in the time of the new coing generation.This tall building  might make them awe in delight – “How could the older generation make such tall precise buildings when they did not have the developed quantum tools (soemwhat just as we say now  - How the ancient peopel moved such big stones to make the massive temples without having the developed electric and mechanical tools).

Our countless weapons might make the new generation wonder why we had so many weapons which could destroy the earth multiple times. Was it because we were fighting with other planets?  The new generation would wonder how we managed to interact with extra territorial life with our limited mechanical physics (just like we wonder how did the old cultures already knew the secrets which modern physics is unravelling today)

The new generation might get hold of the facebook wall data of one of us ,see 1400 people in the friends list and imagine that they have found something related to a past  influential king / leader who guided people with his/her words (or rather) scraps of wisdom. The last scrap on these walls  might be analyzed by the new generation as a clue to understand how the old  generation perished.

Only time will tell what the future generations would interpret of us. But we would no longer be there to listen.
Only our artefacts would speak of our times,
Only our artefacts would keep us etched in the coming times,

The symbol of life

While surfing through the Internet, I came across Ankh – the symbol of life. This symbol was first conceptualized by Egyptian culture. Further exploration of the topic made me realize that symbol Ankh depicts the origination of life – It is a symbol for the initiation of life.

The interesting topic made me wonder – “What could be the symbol of our whole life?”

Many symbols came to mind but none of them seemed to fit the subject perfectly. Then suddenly a symbol popped in my mind which I had seen in a book of Fritjof Capra –   The Turning Point.

The symbol is -

 This symbol represents our life and its various stages perfectly. The horizontal axis in the symbol represents time .The vertical axis could represent various aspects of our life - our energy trend, our activity trend, our flexibility trend, our inquisitiveness trend and so many other things.....

In the beginning there is nothing, then life originates. With the passage of time we begin to accumulate and build knowledge, wisdom, strength, independence, and a personality. We do new and different things. Initially this happens at a slow pace, then we get an acceleration a s denoted by the symbol.

Then with the passage of more time we begin to reach the top part – the plateau. We begin to slow down. Our spirit, mind and body no longer yearn for adventure but for stability. We start getting into a routine. We tend to become less flexible and inquisitive.

Then slowly it starts to decrease – the downward trend begins .We no longer have the energy of the past, our minds cannot accept concepts which we do not already know. Finally the day comes when it is all over.

The symbol might seem to be showing a disappointing pattern of leading life. But it is actually the natural pattern - we cannot avoid this pattern. Part of this pattern may be forced by us on ourselves due to the hindrances of our mind but part of it also forced on us by our body.

What perhaps we can try is to skew the pattern as much as we can and extract the most out of our life.

 This skewed pattern shows us that we continue to live
with a young body, mind and soul until a very late stage .
This can be achieved if we keep ourselves
physically and mentally fit.

                                        
                                              This skewed pattern also prevents the fall
                                              by keeping a healthy body mind and soul,

Perhaps the best possible way to achieve something like the above two patters could to follow a lifestyle depicted by this graph –
trying new things , different things, periodic vacations ,periodic activities which break the routine etc etc from time to time.

PS --  If you have any other symbol which you think would stand for life , do share the same.

Yeh hai Mumbai meri Jam !

In India, Traffic jams are a procedure of everyday life. The saying goes around here - If you are not consistently stuck up in traffic, then you are not really moving around a lot. In fact , in India , one requires to dedicate specific time slots daily for meeting traffic jams. Only once in a blue moon it so happens that the roads are sparsely populated.
However a blue moon is a rare thing. And if one is living in Mumbai - the most densely populated city in the world, then the blue moon simply does not exist. In Mumbai, just like in any other city in the world, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west but the traffic always rises in the north , south , east , west , up (air space congestion) , down and in any other direction that you can come up with.

Living three years in Mumbai has helped me accumulate some  observations which can be of aid when it comes to Mumbai traffic.---

1 . While in Mumbai , one should always carry a hygrometer(a device which measures moisture content in the air around us) with him/her. The intensity of Mumbai Traffic is directly proportional to the moisture content in the air.
As absurd as it may sound, the claim for hygrometer is well supported with data --When there is moisture or worse a slight drizzle in the air, people drive a fraction slower than their usual speed just to be careful to avoid any slippery incidents (Indian roads are supportive of the idea of driving fast). This reduction in speed is cascaded to the traffic behind and eventually brings the traffic to a complete halt. Some fools worsen their speed and hence the traffic by getting all romantic while admiring  the clouds and the rains while driving.
In fact with time and experience, you can deduce from the hygrometer reading the amount of time that you have to be stuck standstill in the traffic. A reading of 60 % (slightly above normal moisture) means that you are to be standstill for 18 minutes. So why not leave the car amidst the traffic and grab a few eatables from the roadside shop? A reading about 80% gives you ample time to catch a good 40 minutes power nap in the car. Anything about 95% should be seen as an opportunity to catch a 2 hour movie in the nearby theatre.

2. Many inexperienced with Mumbai traffic rules make the fundamental mistake of thinking that a queue in Mumbai means standing one behind the other.In Mumbai , a queue means standing one besides the others  and if there is less space then the definition of queue is extended to mean pushing others away and then standing one beside the other.
You don’t want to me more late than you already are to reach home, do you? Then you need to adapt your concepts regarding the queue.

3. Regularly play carom , snooker or billiards .You should gain expertise on one of these games  before you hit the Mumbai roads with your vehicle. These games develop your idea of tricky angles and deviations. This knowledge is critical while driving – you never know when you may need to squeeze in between a few cars to move ahead. Or worse you may have to deflect yourself at an angle when some novice is trying the same squeeze with may end up in his somersault.

4.Always carry good quality ear plugs with you.  For even though the traffic is jammed for the next 5 kms ahead of you, the person just behind you is always convinced that he/she is stuck in this traffic only because of you and if somehow you get out of the way ,  he /she  would whizz to home in 5 seconds . Hence this person keep honking the horns of his/her car ceaselessly.After the few minutes , the ceaseless honking with be accompanies by ceaseless cursing and swearing. Without a nice pair of ear plugs, you will be distracted with all this noise while you are busy swearing at the person ahead of you.

Happy Driving !!!!

The Little I

This post has also been posted by me as a guest author on Little Lights . Little Lights blog is owned by Marilia Magdala.

Little Lights in the sky
Little stars twinkle my eye
Little moon above so high
Little eyes can see so high.

Little wings of the butterfly
Little rain drops falling by
Little chirp of the bird that fly
Little cloud in the sky.

Little sound the wind with fly
Little grasshopper jump so high
Little nut of squirrel shy
Little rabbit runs so why .

Little sound of train go by
Little dog to catch insect try.
Little cat on tree so high
Little plane up in sky.

Little cow chew and mow
Little seeds the farmer sow
Little egg the chicken lay 
Little frogs croak to say

Little leaf on the ground fall
Little tree will grow so tall
Little dew on rose so small
Little sound of the church toll.

Little little the world so all
Little little I will know it all
Little little I see with the eye
Little little learns the Little I.

The Two of Me

There are moments in our life where we stare at defeat and difficult times.

We are at the crossroads - we do not know what to do.

At these times, our inner self seems divided in two - our  I and You.

We stop , listen to both and we think..........

Then

Some of us follow the I 

and 

Some of us follow the You.  

The Me – I

A fear hides in the heart
That dreams would die only as dreams
Unfulfilled ambitions yet
And soul would depart
Body would lay satisfied
But wanting soul would still scream.

Even then , 

No more dreams now I strive to pure

No new dimensions I try to explore
Too many constrains the free will found
It killed the dreams, I lived to bound

Past boundaries have punctured the heart

More failures may rip it apart

So I live now this vegetative life
Daily chores and no delight
No excitement in life for sure
But at least pain I bear No More !


The Me - You

You may fear to die,
You may not - I cannot say
But you fear to live
One by one you kill each day

Intense pain is better
Slow pain to death – Never!
Dormant life is sin for sure
So precious life is 
Vegetation is no cure .
 

Attempt and action 

Coulld bring joy 

Could bring sorrow
But they bring an alive tomorrow
Dream and decision 

May give pain 

May give gain
But they make you live again. 

Inaction is state of defeated mind.

A champion lives each moment

All the time.
 

Today you vegetate
By taming your soul
Tomorrow the body
With age will tame you old
Before you decay
Yourself you cure
One life, Do More !

The Full Cycle

Mari - Have you ever ridden a cycle in your life?
Sam - Yes
Mari - Do you still ride a cycle?
Sam - No

If we reflect upon our life and try to recollect the most cherished moments that we have experienced so far in our journey, we would discover that the majority of these moments were part of our childhood phase. Those indeed were the good old days! And if we dig a bit more into the cherished moments of our childhood, we would, without doubt find that a few of these incidents have a bicycle embedded in it.

The cycle and its cousins have a very special relationship with us. They touch and shape every stage of our life.

We might not realize, but the cycle; in its various forms influences us in so many ways-------

When we are born, a distance relative of the cycle – The Cradle surrounds us with its protection. The Cradle helps us to journey around the world even before our legs take up that responsibility.

With the passage of time, we grow out of the cradle and climb on the Tricycle. It is our first independent vehicle. It is we who control where to take it and with what speed to drive it. It is a friend which helps us explore the world, a friend which rides with us through impossible curvy and crooked places, a friend which takes many a falls with us but a friend which always is ready to go wherever our infant imagination wants to take us.

As we grow up a bit more, the tricycle becomes a thing of the past and out comes the Bicycle. The Bicycle is a big step in our life. When we dash on our bicycle, it gives us a taste of the speed, which is required by us to move ahead in life. When we fall down from our bicycle, it gives us a taste of the pains that life has to offer. When we complete our first bicycle ride without anyone’s support, it gives us a taste of thrill, freedom and confidence required to live.
Then as we grow up even more, we abandon the cycle and its relatives for the more comfortable means of commutation. The Cycle, from being a tool of discovery ends up being just a piece of decoration. And with time, the piece of decoration decays into a piece of debris for us.

 We abandon the Cycle and throw it out of our house and out of our life. But the cycle, which was our best friend, is not able to come to terms with the fact that we have given up on the friendship. It desperately tries to come back to us, albeit in the form of a exercise equipment in the gym but there also it hardly gets any extended attention from us.

With time the Cycle realizes that it is not wanted anymore. It then waits patiently and watches us live our life. It watches and sees that the day has come when life has caught up with us, it sees the day has come when our limbs have began begin to fail us.

At this lonely stage of our life, when not many people want to talk to us, we can but only  sit down and reflect on our past days and realize that one friend is still waiting for us in the junkyard outside the house – Our old Bicycle.

But alas, when we could, we deserted it .Now, even though we want to, we cannot cycle anymore. Our body no longer has the strength to do so .We can only think about the time when we cycled and take pleasure in the vicarious thrills.

Our eternal buddy, the Cycle realizes our state. It stays aloof, as it is angry with us for we deserted it for years together. But eventually , for the sake of friendship it decides to come back to us and free us of our loneliness and helplessness --- The Wheel Chair helps us to journey around the world even after our legs have given up that responsibility.

Mari - Have you ever ridden a cycle in your life?
Sam - Yes
Mari - Do you still ride a cycle?
Sam – No
Mari – Would you ride it in the future?
Sam -  I ………………