News – The window to the world

It is at times exciting to read the news in the Hindu. Today was one of those days, where every news articles I read seemed fascinating.

Our society is evolving so rapidly. Health, Technology, Innovations, Freedom everything is progressing to something better. There is the negative side to it like the Global warming, Terrorism, the threat of Nuclear weapons, Global poverty or the rising food prices etc.

However, when I think of the changes in myself I can definitely find a correlation to the society. A man is a microcosm of the family and a family is a microcosm of the society. What we experience in our daily lives is a reflection of what’s happening in a small layer in the society.The change within me is monumental when compared to how I was 4/5 years back.

Well, without dwelling too much into my personal life, just sharing some of the articles I enjoyed reading today:

Freedom that women are enjoying these days regarding their marriage and choice of partners

Reversing the onset of Type-2 Diabetes in 15 minutes through a non-surgical method

Billie Jean King talks about the difference between a good player and a champion

Innovation can leverage change, says Gates

Social networking to check on job seekers, India

Happy reading! And ya, Happy Republic Day

Knowledge

A new world, new dreams, new aspirations and no limitations.

Let your minds soar high and enjoy the creation with all its beauty.

I have never learnt so much as I have learned the past 9 months. I live in a different world. There were many obstacles and not-so-good events during this period. I want to outgrow them. My mind is so conditioned to certain things.

I am really fortunate to have Appa who gives me advice at the appropriate time (it’s a different thing that I never follow his advice and keep getting back to him with bigger problems) and puts sense into me everytime I take a wrong step. It was his birthday yesterday. Such a special day. Dec 27th, 2009 will always be close to my heart as I was celebrating his birthday the first time. My life and world has grown now. Appa, MSS, my colleagues, the devotee Mami’s, my roommate Ranjani they all have become such an integral part of my life as I stay away from my family. Thanks to them, I never miss my family even for a minute.

But there is a sixth sense in me that tells that this new year holds a surprise for me. Something really good is going to happen. I can already feel that.

The beauty of faces?

Have you been in a situation when you are very angry with someone and have decided to scold them left and right and when you meet them you actually forget everything about the scolding and hug them and talk so cheerfully as if you were never angry in the first place?

This has happened so many times with me with friends, relatives, colleagues etc. When I am angry I may shout or tell all these fancy words but I realise just a moment later that I don’t “mean” those words. Sometimes I get frustrated with people’s behavior and I tell within myself I am not going to smile at them today. But the instant I meet them, there is a HUGE grin on my face.

Is it a capacity not to be angry on someone?

I personally think it is the beauty of seeing a person face-to-face. To see that a person you are meeting is just like you with dreams, fears, hopes, vices etc.  Whenever I meet a person face-to-face, I forget all my grudges or anger on them and feel like establishing a life-long bond with them.

Its a weird world I say. And a weirder me.

So the next time I see any of your faces you know I am genuinely giving a HUGE smile like this

Decades

What a ride this past decade has been. From being a shy adolescent of 15  to a mature young woman of 25. It has been a rollercoster for sure.

Experienced so many things this decade: Fear, love, uncertainty, boredom, happiness, parties, discos, friends, books, sunsets, silent nights, great discussions, even warmer people, new cities, new continents, flying overseas, dreams, fantasies, crushes, tears, nostalgia, coffee, tamil, drawing, words, philosophy, god, faith, late night talks, huge telephone bills, heart-attack to parents :p, career, workplace, colleagues, weirdness, losing/gaining weight, sarees, loneliness, thoughts, rebelliousness, stubborness, jealousy, new home, living alone, ambition, breakups, heart-aches, those pimples, the first grey hair, fashion, jeans, learning, compassion, brother’s marriage.

The list continues. It amazes me. I am SO looking forward for this coming decade 2010 – 2020. As I will step into adulthood. As I will step into new responsibilities, new roles, new places, I have a wishlist.

Not my personal wishlist but a dream I first saw in the hearts of the city of Birmingham in Alabama (in 2007-2008). A dream for which I came back to India. A dream which sounds utopian and unrealisable to many (and myself too).

The dream is to see India without poverty by 2020. A beautiful, prosperous India. The land that defines me and my aspirations. A land I love the most. Which is my soul.

Wishing everyone (who I meet or don’t meet) that all your dreams, wishes, aspirations come true in the coming decade. May you all have good health, prosperity, riches, happiness and more and more this decade.

Every human heart beat is a universe of possibilities. Let every heartbeat of this decade resonate prosperity and goodness for all the people around the world.

Vicks inhaler

The past 3 days have been suffering with a mild cold. Yet, my head was heavy, drooping eyelids and running nose.

That’s when I opened my medical kit to find something that would give me relief. And what did I find? The remedy to my nose, my saviour – the Vicks Inhaler.

Such a brilliant piece of invention. Kudos to the person or team that invented it.

I was reading the contents of the inhaler and was surprised to see natural ayurvedic ingredients which I am listing below:

1. Pudina ke phool 41.54% (Mint flowers)

2. Karpoor 41.54% (Camphor)

3. Wintergreen Tel 12.27%

Wow, such a simple mix, yet soo effective. Have to read more about the above ingredients. Till then happy inhaling

Silence is All

Silence is all, say the sages.

Silence watches the work of the ages;

In the book of Silence the cosmic Scribe has written his cosmic pages;

Silence is all, say the sages.

~ Sri Aurobindo

The present state of Education in India

There is not enough that can be said about the pathetic state of Education in India. Those who have done their undergraduate Engineering degree know that pretty well.

Reading the book on Education written by Sri Aurobindo, he describes precisely the state of Indian Education. It actually makes me laugh so much.

It would hardly be a good technical education for a carpenter to be taught how to fell trees so as to provide himself with wood and never to learn how to prepare tables and chairs and cabinets or even what tools were necessary for his craft. Yet this is precisely what our system of education does. It trains the memory and provides the student with a store of facts and second-hand ideas. The memory is the woodcutter’s axe and the store he acquires is the wood he has cut down in his course of tree-felling. When he has done this, the University says to him, “We now declare you a Bachelor of Carpentry, we have given you a good and sharp axe and a fair nucleus of wood to begin with. Go on, my son, the world is full of forests and, provided the Forest Officer does not object, you can cut down trees and provide yourself with wood to your heart’s content.”

Why is everyone still subjected to this kind of education when we know that there is no benefit from it? I remember a slogan on one of our friend’s t-shirts in college -> “I was born intelligent but education ruined me.“

High time for the education system to change at all levels. Really. I find myself sorely lacking in many aspects of life and dealing with people even though I have finished my post-graduation. I want the future generations to have an education where they discover themselves and are not subjected to the torture in the name of Education.

Snapping off ties

The last 2-3 weeks have been very exhausting for me. Physically, mentally, emotionally. I am down and trying to dig in and find the “ray of hope” within me to keep going. There is an aim or ambition I always set for myself (usually for my career) and that’s the only thing that keeps me driven and motivated. Even that “aim” or “ambition” is burning out like a candle that slowly melts away leaving behind smoke.

There was a beautiful relationship I had with a friend. That got snapped off. All of a sudden. Even before I could realise, there is “nothing” more. Though the friend has given up on me, I still have hopes that our relationship will revive. Not because I want it but because it was SOOO beautiful and fulfilling, it is hard to believe it got broken in the first place. Ofcourse there were ups and downs as in every other relationship. But the “downs” in this relationship was never between “us“, it was always external factors that played the spoilsport.

This was a friendship I dint want to give up at any cost. With this tie snapped off, I feel empty & hollow. As if I have to start a new life. So if you are reading this, do wish me luck that the relationship I lost is regained  I would be too happy. Infact I would get back a lease of my life.

I feel like the runner in a race who trails last. He’s tired, he knows he’s not going to win but yet continues running to reach the end point.

Because of this flagging enthusiasm, I am falling down in every aspect. I have been trying to read Tamil since past 2 years. I am able to read stories and novels. But I am too slow. Also I don’t yet know how to write Tamil. Sometimes comments from people does flag me off. I will not give it up though. I have to learn Tamil well. There is no way of “giving up”. Even if it takes me 10 years. Learning a new language is always a long process. I even want to learn “Telugu”. I can just read and write the Telugu alphabets. Being in Hyderabad since childhood and hopefully to retire in Hyderabad when I have grandchildren, its good to learn to read and write the language of your hometown, isn’t it??

Also, I have been ignoring my 2 wheeler driving. I got a beautiful “Dio” from Reva on October 3rd. I had learnt how to cycle just in the month of February this year. So a 2 wheeler was the next step. I tried driving it and the very first time I went and hit my apartment gate so badly. My head, shoulders, knees were badly hurt. And a kind of fear set in me to take the bike out. So I decided I need to learn the bike under some guidance and took to driving classes. The tutor I have Revathi miss is a very sweet and patient teacher. She has a “Sunny Zip” (a nice cute 2 wheeler) and I started practising on it. Now the problem is, I can drive the Sunny Zip very well because it is sooo light-weight but I am scared to drive the Dio as it is a bit heavy. Ofcourse, that should not matter at all. But you know “fear” has no reasons. It is just there. And with all the emotional turmoil I have been facing, it becomes difficult to “concentrate” and have the guts to take the vehicle out by myself. Added to it, the Pondicherry roads are just TOO bad. There is hardly any proper Tar road in and around my house. So you see even the Dio is lying there all by itself.

In the meanwhile, since I had learnt cycling so recently, I wanted to do it more. You know when you lose out on a skill for many years and when you learn it, you always feel like showing it off So to help me go around Pondy & ya to keep me fit and trim, I got a cycle for myself. It’s the only sane thing I have been doing the past 3 weeks. Really. When I am on the cycle and when the breeze hits my face, I feel like I am flying in air

To top it all, I have not been telling about all this to anyone. So I finally decided my blog is the best place to share it all as I always do.

Can’t say the cliched dialogue that I am feeling “light as a feather” after writing this post. I just know that writing out these things will make me get a hold on myself. To realise that one day in the distant future, I would come back and read this post and smile at how funny I am when I am down and out.

Ok, so keep tuned in to my blog. I love to crib. I love to share. I love to enjoy. And ya I love to dance. So let me continue this journey of life with little sugar and spice. Take care my blog friends. Accha tho hum chalte hain. Alvida.

Books for November

Indulging and reading books is one of my favorite hobbies. Not even a hobby, it helps me sustain and grow.

To know about worlds, cultures, animals and people I never could have imagined to visit personally. I would love to read in Indian languages too to broaden my perspective. I have taken the Tamil route first. Would love to explore Hindi. Infact, I have a novel called “Nirmala” written by Premchand in my collection. Any suggestions for Hindi or Tamil books are welcome (Oh ya, English too.)

So here is the list I want to explore this month

1. From Third World to First by Lee Kuan Yew

2. The Upanishads by Sri Aurobindo

3. Hopefully, the Count of Monte Cristo

Happy November reading to all!! May you all find the right books to enjoy this month.

Idea vs. Attitude

I was reading these notes on “Anachronisms” from the Karmayogi.net website.

I came across a sentence that made me think. I am quoting it below:

An idea can be given up more easily than an attitude, as an attitude is the result of emotions endorsing an idea at the stage of an opinion. Going deeper down, an attitude acquires a physical form and becomes rigid

Why are ideas more easily given up than attitudes?

This is an interesting perspective. I have met people with great attitude also have great energy, are more positive and cheerful towards life, have more friends and their life seems brimming with energy. A change in our attitudes can do wonders. I will give an example from a personal experience.

I am a very late riser. It’s the most difficult thing for me to get up before 7 or 8. I had to go to driving classes which started at 5.30am. I was nervous the day before of how I was going to manage it at 5.30am. I then made a resolve, when the alarm rings at 5am, I should get up with a smile and joy rather than curse that the day begins so early. And I couldn’t believe myself, the very next day I got up bright eyed and all cheerful at 5am and went to the class with so much energy. This worked for 9 days of the class. In between there were rains and I got back to my usual habit of getting up late. This attitude is so difficult to persevere.

But with persistence any attitude can be changed. What is your opinion about it? Do change of attitudes result in great results?

Have you given up an idea and found it easier than a change in your attitude? I would love to have answers from you all.

Think and have a great Thursday!!