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Showing posts from 2017

Old Monk in New Bottle

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And the mystical monk landed on the shores of the Wiseland, which he had left four decades ago in the pursuit ‘Enlightenment’   A sea of people had come to receive him… what if ‘atheist’ government had issued orders to ban monasteries and forced many ‘monks’ like him to return to their motherland… This mystical monk was sure of the ‘grand reception’ in the Wiseland, his motherland… He had hoisted his sails when the wind was just right… The monk had harbored the thoughts of offering sermons and discourses to the men of Wiseland as he guessed they would be in the need of ‘Wise words from the mystical man’ He had prepared to talk about Life, God, Spirituality, Relationships, Meditation, Laws, Beauty and Death ‘Wait, hear us out before you speak, said the First Citizen of the Wiseland ‘We have heard a lot of discourses. We know Sermon on the Mountain. We have heard of Vedas and yes, also read the ‘Prophet’ by The Kahlil Gibran’…. ‘We are a civilized country. We are litera

Dan Brown Origin revisited

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Dan Brown Origin revisited God created man in his own image. And man, being a gentleman, returned the favor… And yes, Dan Brown, most certainly, has extended us this fervour with his latest title, Origin. And here goes my maiden book review. Let’s be clear at the very outset, I may not adhere to the norms (?) that go with the conventional book reviews and secondly, I am clear, Dan Brown’s readership doesn’t depend on my viewpoint! That frees me as a book reviewer and writer. Right from the word go, Dan Brown thriller is all here to ‘shatter the foundations of religions that have been haunting human race ever since its dawn’. The author does a remarkable job in delivering what he has set out for, ‘shaking foundations to the core’. As it’s an outspoken thriller, Origin is gripping and enthralling that keeps your curiosity alive till the last page of the book. ‘What Next?’ Brown doesn’t let you down on this. Brown must have given a rise to the new genre of fiction cal

I am nice person…

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Am I a nice person? Oh, each of us is trying to be one. Let me tell you I decided to be one. After all, it was just a matter of decision. Of course, each of you, who knows me directly, is entitled to one’s own opinion. According to me, I had become a nice, ‘balanced’ and a level-headed (?) person! It might have taken some time for others to understand that degree of ‘transition’ in me yet it was evident. I didn’t throw tantrums. I never raised my voice out of anger. My voice pitch is naturally high, it’s a different story. I was always kind to both all sorts of people, nice and nasty. Yes, I returned nastiness with nicety. With the sudden change, it was nice to meet a ‘New Me’. That New Me was gentle, as fresh as daisy always. That New Me was smiling even things didn’t go the way she planned. That smile was like a magic wand as they say, smile and the world smiles at you. New Me didn’t blame others. Instead of asking “Have you not understood what I said?” she asked “Am I ma

Off the mark (!)

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It was a big day for the family members of the little one.  The household had some get-together organised. Yes, it coincided with the result of the toddler! It was probably her first year at the school. Needless to say, like all, this baby had managed to pass with flying colours.  The scorecard was catchy. It enlisted little lass’ achievement. It also described in detail how the baby participated in school activities.  Come on, after all, it was a kindergarten. Grades don’t matter. The school knows. Parents know. Yet there was a scorecard. The family concluded that finally the little one had learnt to share and also acquired ‘necessary social skills’. As the guests arrived for the get-together, they also had a look at the scorecard. All of them said grades don’t matter. Yet they read it carefully. Some said it’s immaterial. Some said it’s a beginning of a bright future. Some had a word of caution, here is the real beginning and studies are tough now on. Yes, all of them were talkin

What can I say?

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What sounds logical? A.     ‘New mothers should quit their job and be with their children for initial years’  B.      ‘As expenses mount after child, a mother needs work even more post-delivery’ Was she right? A.      ‘In spite of being tortured, she pulled on with stressful marital relationship and things look alright in her life. She made a right decision’ B.      ‘Fed up with abusive relationship, she finally gathered courage to call it quits. She is more peaceful now’. Your answer decides what kind of person you are. A (in both cases):  You are opinionated and judgmental, conventional B (in both cases):  You are liberal If AB and BA: You have a personality disorder (?) It’s not a quiz, don’t jump to conclusions. Well, don’t merely dismiss it as some gossip. Perhaps, gossip is something that always happens to others. What happens to you is always a serious matter. In above cases, there is nothing logical and right per se , but again that’s according to me.

A small sip

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Sheer look can get you hooked! Though it holds true everywhere, we are talking about nicely displayed delectable delicacies. Mouthwatering dishes tempt you and it’s a temptation you would barley want to resist. Otherwise, why would Oscar Wilde say, ‘I can resist everything except temptation’? Of course, there are a few folks who are trying to resist everything in the enlightening enterprise called control. Thus, those who have exercised such control or mustered a greater courage of not surrendering to temptations will not be lured. More than exercising control, I am more into the natural side of the matter. Food temptation, especially dessert, comes intrinsically to me and any resistance is naturally ruled out. My love for ‘healthy’ food provides a thoughtful junk to chew along with its nutrients. Of late, my affair with smoothies lasted a little longer; rather it simply refused to die down. Smoothies! Connoisseurs know what I am talking about. A healthy beverage topped with

A must read autobiography of a writer

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A few letters scribbled here and there, some blank spaces, many pauses…sentences evenly spaced out. So many smilies! I didn’t want to judge the book by its cover as it made a point through a refrain; read between the lines….    This autobiography by an anonymous author arrested my attention. I wouldn’t call the auto-biographer (a self –coined term) an author as the person made it specifically clear that his/her bonding with writing was strong but that person didn’t  want to be recognised as a writer. Perhaps, the very term writer denotes typical name and fame; the trap which doesn’t belong to writing. Writing throws light on innermost thoughts in the deep caverns of mind. Yes, a lot of this writing had rather come from an unconscious mind! No wonder the book had no specific structure, no theme, no characters. It wasn’t the story of anyone yet it was everyman’s narrative.    The autobiographer had a lot to tell. A few success stories and some were written off… While I turned p

What’s in the bag?

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Practical makes man perfect! Lesser said the better on what theory does to men!! Yes, and it is hilarious when a high degree of theory is applied in ‘trivial’ experience. Yes, you win half the battle when you scale down enormity by calling it ‘trivial’. This is how it began for me when I lost a bag in a cab during my recent outstation family visit. First things first, no wallet, money or important documents lost. Thus, I didn’t understand the gravity of the lost bag. It was a busy day with me visiting my dear ones with my little daughter. Yes, it was a bagful of things, some gifts, some food stuff, clothes, my charger… At my cousin’s place, after settling down, I told her little son, see what I have brought for you…Alas, this was the point I noticed I had probably left the bag in the cab. Of course, we had a prolonged discussion, someone suggested to give it a try if I could spot the cab downstairs, as there were ‘some good cab drivers’ too would return forgotten things. While othe

Happy Valentine's Day

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My dear valentine…these three words attract as much attention as other three letters, I love you…everyone wonders who’s someone special to that someone? If the man or woman is married, oh, then curiosity is heightened. If it’s not better half, who is it, dear valentine? Eyebrows are raised when such words come to the virtual public places like social networking, blogs… Thus, there is a lot of clamour and glamor around Valentine’s Day. Swanky celebrations greet us everywhere with love amiss albeit! Love, that four-lettered word has so much attached to it. Sweet memories, sentiments, sensitivity, yes, and also heartbreaks, betrayal, perhaps, bitterness and what not? Some learn their lessons and move on while many have love tooth in the head. Man loves being loved. Who likes to love really is another story. More than loving the other, we end up loving the image of lover we have in our mind. The renouncers, renounce that laborious love for the love of the God as if He is allergic to l

In the course of learning…

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Each of us would love lessons that transcend halls of learning. Nevertheless, we value a piece of paper that awards us degree than ‘life lessons.’ Better we would reserve the next two quarters of life for such learning unlike Oscar Wilde says, “I wasted one-fourth of my life in education learning how to waste the next three-fourth.” Thus, the moment we enroll for a professional course, the sword of rich rewards and job prospects is hanging against our hefty investment. Declaimer: returns and investments are subject to individual perception! Alas, learning is not possible when so much is at stake, time and monetary investment, scholarships, job prospects, competition, reputed institute, campus interviews…man the list is endless. Those who have bagged the job would enroll for some course for upgradation and learning takes a backseat again…we all know how tough it is to balance this tightrope walk. As my life wasn’t any different from a Plain Jane whose life was not as aspiratio

You or me?

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You or me? Which came first, a chicken or an egg, a man or a woman? Well these could be among the world’s unsolved riddles but they aren’t the only. Perhaps, a tougher one is; you or me? All our lives, we have spoken and heard this refrain, why should I? This question mark, we think, puts an end to everything and yes, here it all begins. Put the ball in other’s court and we are ready for the blame-game… Of late, I was drawn to many such you-and-me conversations. One such incident made aware of the whole affair that boils down to you or me. The other day, I came across an acquaintance who praised her ‘trustworthy’ maid. She said we could even hand over the house keys to her and go anywhere. She also said that the maid went an extra mile to work beyond KRAs at times! Thus, whenever I heard housewives cribbing about ‘untrustworthy’ maids, I put forth this example. “I am ready to trust a maid provided I get one,” one of them once promptly told me. Her problem was ‘genuine’ as

A bird’s eye view

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It could fly high and live in its own paradise. Yet catching us unawares, this winged wonder alighted in our home. An eclectic mix of a love-bird and a parrot, this beautiful guest chose to stay a little longer than we expected.  We refused to cage his freedom, and yes, he too, didn’t find an escape route out of the open windows and doors. Living with a bird could be indeed different! The little birdy made his existence felt with his chirpy little sound.  This was the guest we perhaps loved the most. It found its own space on the bars, ceiling fan, windows and corners of the home. No ego issues, no welcome and no arrangements. The birdy was much more self-sufficient! Happy with a few grains, he ate little…we tried many offerings, yet he stuck to his healthier grain. Though his food was open whole day, he ate only when he was hungry. No indulgence! Needless to say, he was an early bird who woke up with sunrise. Flying all over the home and playing with caned sofa and a wooden