Yardstick..

Travelling in auto is pain but probably some of the best thoughts occur then, simply because you are not focusing on driving and can’t help but sit back to enjoy your thoughts. These thoughts are fed everyday by different scenarios or probably the same scenario that looks different every day. There seems to be some lessons to learn, attitudes to adjust, silly recollections to make you smile or other myriad emotions.

This is the reason why I don’t like to be on calls while travelling and prefer to watch the scenes unless it’s my mother’s call who thinks everything is frantic enough to be tenacious till you answer her calls. There are so many days that I have watched someone riding a cycle or lugging some goods or doing any kind of menial work and I think about the income disparity. I wonder why they have not been provided an opportunity to earn well and instead they struggle that way.

I am more inclined to think that way because I have seen the current generation being the first to complete their education in my village though they don’t struggle in similar manner. I like the development but it irritates me that not everyone has caught up with the growth. I was not being superior or judgmental but it used to hit me hard that life is not fair.

Then I realized that am comparing growth and development based on yardsticks defined in my world. Work is just means to an end irrespective of how much it pays and how low in strata you are. Their earnings are no less significant than mine and their lives are no less comfortable than mine. They fulfill their duties, have happy family and pave the way for next generation to enjoy the benefits they lacked. Their objective or destiny in life is as important as mine and what looks like a struggle in my vision might be blessing in theirs.

No kind of disparity will exist where you need to sympathize or empathize or look down if you basically learn to respect people and what they do. Physical form of work is probably healthier and less stressful than sitting at a desk in front of a system. Amount of money in the bank is definitely not a yardstick to define happiness or security if you lack the familial surrounding or peace of mind.

I felt the world tilt back to normal with another silly thought put to rest.

Remain Positive

Life as they say can be viewed in two perspectives....positive or negative...it's as simple as that.We keep looking for assurance from various sources ranging - motivation from friends, success that feeds our ego or confidence, materialistic things, astrology or even spirituality.
When we remove all the layers of complexities that we add in our lives, we can see the basic need that drives us. The need to make us feel good about ourselves and our life...what we do not realize is that it can be done with simple change of mindset. Remaining positive.

The effect of pessimism or negative energy is its behavior like the spread of fire...quick and destructive. It does not take long to subscribe to it whereas there is significant investment required to remain positive. I am not talking about materialistic investment but in the form of patience and hope. Invest in time to change your perspective and belief to build hope...there is a strong saying that "hope is the last to die" and that by itself shows that nothing is better bet than investing in hope.

We need to remember that we are bigger than our problems...sorry if it sounds like egoistic statement but its the most humble approach to life. We need to value our life more than our problems so we cannot let problems defeat us. Initial or the most contributing step is to strongly believe that you can overcome the problems and rest will fall in place.

hard to think of a title:)

I come this far to blog something (its been so long since i even thought about writing) but i feel reluctant to jot down anything...i feel as though am opening a pandora box, unleashing demons (obviously the emotions within) that are so uncomfortable to even acknowledge...whats with me? why am i ready to be dishonest with myself? I am getting caught up in reality and I hate that. Life would be crucifying and so boring if i start living in the real world...my imaginations are the fodder for my soul...I am not sad, just bored, with everything...work, personal life and nothing seems to excite me....not books, music, friends, family or imagination.

Breakaway

What would it be? urge to break away from the routine of life is pushing the other thoughts away from my mind...the only components i need are awareness of what i want, courage to pursue it and strength to bear the consequences...i dont even know what i want but just the inner turmoil that am not living and just pulling along as days go by.

How complacent am i? this is not what i want to do and there is no sense of fulfillment...how i wish i was different..an artist lost in her paintings, author living in the magical world of her book or someone creative who would live for what they are doing and find the hardwork as enjoyable as the final product.

I wonder if am at the dither end of finding the right path or there is some more wrong paths in my journey...as days go by, destiny seems far far away.

RIGHT NOW...

I wanna...

• eat pankcakes
• ride a cycle on a sleek highway with no vehicles passing by except other cyclers and walkers.
• watch an extremely funny movie in a theatre with popcorn
• sit near a sparkling lake with just silence around
• see a miracle such as snowfall in my village with the streets paved with white snows, villagers walking around in winter clothes, houses glistening with snow, pretty and cold landscape and me with a cup of coffee sitting in the porch and enjoying the view.
• take an early morning walk in marina or eliots beach with light drizzle.
• Sleep while mum and dad's voice is heard while they converse on any random topics with each other.
• Night show in Prarthna theatre outdoor with Uncle and Aunt, Brother and Cousin (me and them...Trio) and the small gals...fun to watch movies there with the family or the long drive to the village with uncle and aunt, we (trio) gossiping in the backseat about the music, roadside shop names and people's expressions, making faces at some vehicles.
• spend a day with my brother and my cousin...like the old days watching movies on star movies on every friday night by bringing our mats, blankets and pillows and dozing off in the hall after the movie gets over very late...comfort of their presence while watching a ghost movie so i can hold on to them during those ghastly scenes.
• experience those moments when you babble with close friends and take off on non stop laughter riot:)
• Long night talks till dawn with friends...

Sigh............

So it rains…

I have been waiting for the downpour in this scorching heat, praying fervently for that shower from heaven…unexpected but at the right time, during the afternoons when the frequent power cuts test the limit of human tolerance to bear the heat.

It is not the relief it brings with the coolness nor the good will to the farmer community, my reasons to need it are just aesthetic…maybe not the right word to describe it but have you ever seen rain, violent fall against environment with no buildings, paved roads or streaming traffic of vehicles and people?

When there is nothing to obstruct the journey from sky to earth with its endearing counterpart, nature as the only landscape…I have no words to describe the wonder it arises in the soul. The humility of being so small against the world and the cloudy horizon like a disappearing vacuum…it could only be called beautiful. The rhythm of the fall with the drum beats of the thunder seems to wake the wilting trees to dance merry to welcome it.

It's the vision I recollect when my days are long and night are never ending. The view from the doorway - of the coconut trees, huge meditative statue of lord hanuman openly drenching in the shower, rain fall and the stretches of green fields. If I turn around, then there is the long dry river bank acting like our private beach, vast hills and the miniscule village with rain making the landscape divine.

I do not need footwear to step into this rain since the grounds here are not littered with the city debris…just water, mud, leaves and the smell of rain…I could drench in its purity and awash my soul from the embitterment of living. Alas, I regret the fall and the cast on my leg that shall not permit me to embrace the joy but just watch as it goes by.

Illiteracy as bygone term…

The other day, I read this article on the education system in our country, specifically the literacy rate vis-à-vis the world average for the children...I need to take a very optimistic view while I say this, maybe I am being unrealistic but does it make sense to even have a yardstick such as world average here? Should the education not be the right of every child born in our country?

I know that am ignoring the facts such as poverty or inequality or the basic fact that even birth certificates do not exist for many children and here I am questioning our education system. If the seeds are not sown today, then where is the question of redeeming the society in the future? How do we make such an impact without laying the foundation of education? Eradicating poverty, increasing per capita income and to be termed as ‘DEVELOPED’ country (sarcasm meant…btw, I do not pay heeds to such a terminology or demarcation as developed and developing, that would be another topic all together to discuss), removing the inequality due to income, caste and gender…how is all this possible without bringing in education as basic need for all.

Maybe its time the government realizes that setting aside 3-4% of GDP is not the solution for increasing the literacy rate. The requirement is not another reform group to suggest what to do and the study report collects dust in the corner of the bureaucratic office…A conscious decision from our political groups not to compromise on the education or its budget…if there are resource constraints, there are always ways to make things works creatively…we have such wise men who have survived the political games to reach the top and have sharpened their shrewdness to remain there…why are they not using those wonderful grey cells to generate this basic improvement?...The most simple way to increase our primary education in the urban area is to follow what graduation colleges do to earn more money through the evening batches…use the similar strategy in school where the schools in city could spare their teaching resource and infrastructure to provide free education for a small group of children who are below the poverty line after the regular school hours are over…while the school teaches and sets the basic morality in their students, maybe they should act upon it and stand as someone who just does not preach but acts upon it too…the government can tie in this as one of the requirements for giving permissions to run schools or meet the standard laid for them. Its part of this noble profession and being socially conscientious would set the pace for the learning of the future generation. I am sure there are many such ideas that could be put in place which can eradicate the biggest evil…lack of education.

While the ways to make education accessible is very important, even the type of education provided to reach the mass carries a significant role as well…what the child needs to develop has to be recognized and the fact that education should support but not hinder their personality is vital. Being a literate, who can read and write, vote with awareness, open mindedness for accepting the required developments in the society and to make the choice of vocation that aid their desire and interest should be the ideal objectives for providing education to every child.

Maybe this would help us achieve the state where we do not talk only about our glorious valorous past but the state of achievement of the present generation…then we can truly stop paying tributes to the British rule that laid the foundation and recognize our countrymen for taking it all the way through.