Celebrating everything

I remember this movie scene from "thambi". The head of the house decides to cut a tree in front of their house. He even works with a person to arrange to sell the wood after the tree is cut. The hero doesn't like this. So at night when all are asleep, he smears sandal paste at the base of the tree. He then adorns it with "kungumam", nails a photo to the tree. The next morning, he wakes up to see women praying in front of the tree and his father telling the person he arranged to sell the wood to that he can no longer sell the tree!

Another incident:  For a few days after I listened to "Manikandan Geethmala" the first time, looking at anyone wearing the "mala" to go to "sabarimalai" would evoke a sense of awe and respect towards that person. Suddenly, the fact that they were making this trip no longer seemed ordinary.

A third incident: This is actually a movie. Bill Murray is a news journalist who covers "Groundhog Day" every year. Needless to say, he is bored to death doing it and detests this ritual. Life (yes, the program run by the big G Himself) decides to teach him a lesson. I won't spoil the "how" of it - watch the movie yourself! In the end, he turns out to get enamored by the event and how he ends up covering and narrating the event for the rest of the town forms the story.

In all these events, the same incident was viewed as mundane and sacred in differing instances. It is a perspective. Once you view anything as sacred, you end up celebrating it. And there are also no boundaries or rules regarding what you perceive as sacred. You can go grunting to your bath or you can go dancing!

Personal goals

A lot of self-improvement programs ask people to list or create personal goals. Many people come up with objectives over the next few years for short term goals, and their end of life objective as well. But many of these tend to be in the physical realm. That is, reaching a position, or earning X amount of cash, visiting Y number of countries and so on.

It's fine, but I think a truly worthwhile personal goal should change who you are. For example, let us say you have a problem with religion or race (you are intolerant of a religion or race). Your day-to-day situations will be reflective of this. However, at places where you cannot express this, say at office, you will behave "socially" or "professionally". It is a struggle for you and the person on the receiving end. A worthwhile personal goal might be to drop this limitation.

An enlightening journey in personal goals would be to drop one limitation after another in series. This would also help [multifold] in the material objectives as well.

The Story of Stuff - Cap and Trade

Ann Leonard, who gave us Story of Stuff, is now back with the story of cap and trade, just in time for the meet @ Copenhagen. This is a 10 minute video, and is definitely a must watch.

I don't yet fully understand this - the video itself doesn't delve into details and additional research is required. But there is already a jittery feeling about this concept. In the first place, I really don't understand why middlemen are required to moderate this concept. The "carbon permit" concept in itself is crazy and I think it must be "carbon cap". Additional laws that move away from fossil fuels and over period to renewable sources are required. "Cap and Trade" looks dangerously like an eyewash.

There is a classic moment in the video where the corporation hands a CFL light bulb to the citizen and the TV flashes "all is okay". We all know CFL's are nowhere close to the solution. Nor is asking the citizen to switch off fans and lights before leaving the room. As good as applying band-aid on an arm that just got amputated!

Copenhagen is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I hope some inspired leadership takes charge of the situation and does something really tangible and sincere in the onslaught of an impending climate crisis. I am really hoping against hope. And much thanks to Ann for bringing this to light.

Global Warming - Do we really need to know if it is real?

I don't know who this person is, or how this video fell on my lap. But honestly, in terms of both logic and clarity, I have never had an argument so convincingly laid out. This argument doesn't even talk about the plausibility of man made climate change, but keeps it as an unknown. Yet the conclusion and the call to action is startling.

Now that I have seen it, I am heeding his request and passing this along. I think, you should do the same too (unless you are able to see any holes in his hypothesis, in which case I would like to know what it is)!

little things

little things? really?

1. the little drops of water on the windshield as the wiper washes them away
2. hot tea or coffee on a rainy day
3. first drops of rain that fall on you
4. the tear drops that fall down from a good melody
5. seeing your beloved after a long time
6. working with involvement knowing no one will ever notice you worked that way
7. an unexpected hug
8. the giggle from a friend for a joke you cracked
9. looking up at the sun and wondering where you would be without it
10. looking down at the moist earth and wondering where you would be without it
11. looking at the car lovingly after it returned you back from a long trip
12. looking at the sea crab jump into the ocean water
13. sitting silently and watching the waves kiss the shore
14. an unexpected call (sms or im ping) from a friend
15. early morning sadhana and the feeling of oneness with something you can't quite say what
16. early morning sadhana and the feeling of oneness with something you can't quite say what, and the wonderment of why you aren't keeping this up regularly
17. the exhilaration of intense physical activity
18. watching a dog roll about lazily
19. watching the cats eat snacks and wondering who gave them this appetite
20. the minute details on the body of an ant and the audacity of the one who put them there knowing very well no one might ever look at it
21. a full meal after a burning hungry stomach
22. a bus journey to a place without planning
23. the courage to do something that has been holding you a prisoner for long
24. walking for long not knowing where exactly
25. ice cream after dinner
26. speaking your mind without caring for the consequences
27. speaking your mind, yet taking care not to hurt the other
28. lying down on wet grass looking up at the sky
29. having your pet dog lick your face
30. kissing your grandmother on the forehead
31. kissing your mother on the cheek
32. leaving a gift on someone's desk anonymously
33. watching a squirrel eat guava
34. watching a master performer at work
35. gasping at the immensity of a mountain
36. trekking up a mountain and realizing how small you really are
37. watching a bird on the wing and wondering if you will ever get to do that
38. reading a good story on tinkle
39. reading a good blog post and feeling you know the author very well
40. riding a scooter and imagining the scooter is non existent
41. tasting something and disappearing into the taste
42. staying up late into the night without an agenda
43. sleeping late into the morning without an agenda
44. watching a master in "namaste" and wondering if you will ever manage an iota of that grace
45. watching a brian lara late cut
46. watching a federer forehand pass
47. watching an orchestra in full swing
48. an unconditional prayer
49. watching a polar bear and its cub play in the snow
50. watching some one in pain and feeling that pain as yours
51. watching some one in joy and feeling that joy as yours
52. watching the land fade away into oblivion as the flight soars up into sky
53. exploring something and figuring out how it works
54. an insight that came from clarity
55. an insight that came from intuition
56. temptation that prods you into indulgence, and deciding against since you know better
57. temptation that prods you into indulgence, and indulging without guilt
58. a choice made out of long term wisdom rather than short term gratification
59. a heartfelt thank you to some one
60. a heartfelt gesture without expecting a thank-you
61. a heartfelt thank you from some one
62. tears of joy on someone's eyes
63. tears of laughter on someone's eyes
64. a happy face
65. a peaceful face
66. the twinkle of mischief on the eyes of a friend
67. earthworms on moist earth
68. walking on the footpath, seeing earthworms on the footpath, picking them up and leaving them back on the earth
69. braking your vehicle to let the dog cross the road
70. braking your vehicle to let the pedestrians finish crossing
71. knowing you can honk and deciding not to
72. letting someone behind you ahead of the queue once in a while
73. getting onto a running train with skill
74. disembarking from a running train before it halts
75. laughing at your mistake
76. saying "i am sorry" and really meaning it
77. listening with attention
78. listening without judgement
79. watching your country lose a game and applauding the other country for playing better
80. watching a donkey on the road and realizing it must be important if the creator decided to invest her time creating
81. admiring the audacity of the poet who saw the creator in a crow's feather
82. reading verses from sublime devotion
83. feeling extreme gratitude for realizing how lucky you are to be where you are
84. that one burst of inspiration that pushes you to do something that is far greater than everything you've done this far in your life
85. when you realize anger is plain stupidity
86. watching the fury of a giant waterfall
87. talking to a child 
88. listening with rapt attention
89. talking to someone late into the night without any agenda
90. dancing with abandon
91. eating food knowing it was cooked with love
92. eating food knowing it tastes bad and still loving it
93. feeling a deep joy within that makes every little desire or ambition you've ever held seem meaningless
94. feeling a deep humbleness knowing your place in existence
95. feeling deep fear and yet sidestepping it
96. looking at a turtle and wondering about its wizdom
97. the croak of a frog on a rainy day
98. huddling inside a blanket on a cold night
99. watching a cow's eyes and wondering if you would manage half its humility

i am not able to word the 100th one properly :)

the sand clock

grain by grain the tiny ant moves home
doesn't see how much it collects
drip by drip, gallons flow out of the tap
all things meaningful and significant
get made or get lost in tiny pieces
the mighty ocean, after all
would come to naught if it thought
that tiny droplet insignificant

sivapurANam

Imagine having a treasure chest in your home and not looking at it for years together? That was my state until a few years ago. To think that my mother and grandmother used to read this very often (my grandmother, twice a day actually) makes it even more amusing. Actually, it was iLaiyarAjA who made me listen to this through his album thiruvAsakam. But this stops there. I might have never gotten to the point of reading/listening to this if not for him, and I am grateful for that. But the lyrics were rearranged in that album and after getting to read the entire "thoguppu", it actually feels like sacrilege! Nothing against IR, I am sure his attempt was sincere, but it's not gelling well!

Anyway, back to sivapurANam, the words are explosive. It is very hard to imagine how words can flow unabated like a river at such intensity. It is very obvious these words were not "thought out". It is also hard to imagine how someone in that consciousness could have managed to "pen them down on paper". Infact, legend has it that when mAnickavAsakar was singing these verses in bliss, Lord Shiva himself wrote them down and that is how we have them in written form.

The verses contain the same thing. Praises of the Lord. In one varying form after another. And it makes sense. A person in bliss just sings what he is experiencing. And what multitude forms of expression! And the pithiness is just deceptive. One small verse, he manages to explain the existence itself. For examples, "sOthiyane, thunniruLe, thOnRA perumaiyane..." (Dazzling light, Blinding darkness, the one who was never Created) or "Ekan, anEkan" (the One, who is also many).

There were places where he debases himself so much, that I found this a put-off initially. It is like some one who insults himself to just feel good. I always used to wonder - someone singing praises of the Lord, if genuine, would certainly not insult himself in such a manner. I latter read the interpretation in an elucidation. He was placing himself as part of the common humanity and taking their state as his own. That was a powerfully humbling experience!

It is said that he dissolved into light! His devotion was such - I don't need separate proof, I have the verses. Actually, it is said that, a device for devotion should be such that it should melt the person made like a stone. The one who is subtle can get moved by a flower or a dewdrop. That which melts a stony person is no ordinary device*. And this compilation is one! There is a reason why they say - "He who does not melt for the thiruvAsakam will not melt for anything!"

* - Sadhguru said this in context of the temples of Egypt. It made me want to visit them! :)

Note: A lot of viewers are coming here wanting the lyrics of sivapurANam. It is available here - provided you can read thamizh.

Sadhguru's talk at TED India

Nothing much left to say - he owned the stage!

The blue planet

The earth is in a very precarious position. On the one side, on a universal scale, it amounts to nothingness in size. On the other end, it is amazingly resilient. Given the uncertainty, where if the sun decides tomorrow, it can gobble up the earth in no time, it has already lasted five million years or so.

What is more, it is at that exact spot away from the sun in distance that sustains conscious life. It is also said that the water inside the earth got unlocked with precise timing to form oceans*. While I am certain there is life outside earth - by sheer probability from the vastness of the universe, there is currently no known concrete proof of conscious life outside planet earth.

This blue planet is truly a wondrous miracle. It is living two realities at the same time - potential overnight annihilation, yet this incredible colorful dance - like tightrope walking*. Somewhere, somehow, I feel that life placed the wrong sort of guests on this planet. The thing that keeps me in peace is that, tomorrow, if one smart guy nukes the planet, the earth will still be fine -just the humans would be gone. Another five thousand or ten thousand years later, after the trees and oceans and rivers are replenished, she will start from scratch - may be with a sigh! I do feel sorry for the forests, rivers and animals though.

Sorry Ma - we're too big for our shoes, and you must be smiling looking at us!

*1 - Too early, it would have vaporized into space. Too late, it would have inundated the planet without any feasibility to create life.

*2 - It is said that, if the earth was created on Jan 1st, the first humans walked in during Dec 31st, 11:45 PM!

*3 - A few years ago, I wrote a story about this. More like a rambling about what we're doing and what we can do!

Global Warming: Time lapse proof of extreme ice loss into oceans

To add to the existing "debate" and "ambiguity". I will do my bit to muddle the already existing chaos. Unless we get clarity on what's going on, aren't these evidences cause for a little bit of concern at least?

Things that hit us eventually

Things that we were stupid about
Things that we did not care about
Things that we turned our back on (passed the responsibility on)

The biggie (and the seemingly most unfair one)
Things that we were ignorant about 

Learning from (others') mistakes!

I remember that night I was standing in the balcony many years ago, holding a cigarette in my hand. I was playing out a deep dilemma whether I wanted to take in my first cigarette or not. My friend walked into the balcony, and was shocked to see the cigarette in my hand.

"What are you doing with that cigarette?"

"I am just thinking if I should smoke this or not."

"Why would you want to smoke that?"

"Just experimenting"

"Take my advice. My addiction with cigarettes started with that first one, and I am still struggling. Don't take it."

I did take it - his advice that is! And I am glad I did. Given how I handle things in my life, I am sure I would at this point be "trying" or "planning" to quit smoking. But is there anything wrong in experimenting? No! But why would you want to experiment with something that his been tried already and a historical legacy of the results are available? One reason I think is that "experimenting" results in "experience" which engages multiple dimensions of yourself to register the results. The pleasure or the mistake (pain/suffering) is stored and can be accessed, perhaps, without even thinking. The way of intelligence is different. It involves short-circuiting to the end result without experience. Which means it needs insight - shallow or deep depending on the circumstance. The deeper the insight, more are the vistas that are available for making decisions without experience. While experience is a powerful communicator of results, it is a very slow process of creation and evolution. With intelligence, very rapid strides can be made in progress (any form of progress - learning, spiritual or decision making) because bypassing experience allows leaps in the journey.

It is quite intelligent to rely on intelligence!

Creating a protective atmosphere

I feel that a lot of restlessness in the world might be loosened if only we took away some silly constraints we have. I imagine there are people who might feel a lot better if they just let out one high pitched scream. What are the possibilities of doing that today without being judged or labeled? I think even bathroom singing is an outcome of this fear of judgement.

All of this started when we asked children jumping around in the house to shut up. For a better world, I think we need to reverse this. At least in our homes. There should be at least one place where people can be without their defenses.

Help me

I takes a lot of courage to say those words.

One the one side, people might think it is a matter of finding the right person to say those words. Right person in terms of not exploiting or not looking down upon someone asking help.

But there is a larger obstacle beyond the first one - which is that of exposing one's vulnerability in asking help. This is nothing less than a stumbling block - because it involves putting all or a part of oneself aside in the process of asking help.

When you encounter such a person who can help you, the sooner you say those words, the better. And it need not be verbal.

a million shades of gray

the sky a giant canvas
on that cool dusk
a million shades of gray
splashed on it
as strokes of light and cloud
the mountain ranges afar
might have been silhouettes
the one with a peak perched on the peak
standing out on the sight
eerie to behold, 
an ominous tone it all struck
but a feeling of awe said otherwise
a thought it gave rise to
"only you can show off so much and yet be humble"

Note: I am glad I didn't have a camera then. Now it's all left to your imagination :)

Is Global Warming for real?

On the one end, we have people like Lewis Pugh swimming in the north pole, trying to gather the attention of world leaders to the momentum global warming is gathering. On the other hand, we have the people who can actually amass momentum towards the direction of reducing our emissions and in turn reduce the impact of (the hypothesized) global warming. But they are in very firm denial. Me, honestly, every cell in my body thinks GW is real. But I have no proof. I've seen people splitting their hairs arguing both sides of it. But there is a reality - and what it is, we will know in ten years from now. What if it is too late then? Seriously, either the deniers are sincerely convinced that the GW threat is a fad, or that is their pitch to maintain status quo. The latter would be such a crying shame!

The video below shows Lewis Pugh's talk at TED and a snippet of his north pole swim project. The footage that showed the polar bear and its cub brought tears to my eyes. This is such an amazing creation - and if we lose this from here, I will never be able to forgive myself. We have no capability to create an iota of this magnificence, so how come we are so irresponsible with the destruction!

Of love and righteousness

you have a thousand reasons to hate

but so few to love, oh silly human!

as leaves from the tree of life wither by

at the end of it all

"i was right" would be but just an empty shell

waiting to crumble into the sands of time!

Showing Appreciation

One of the biggest corporate mantras is to show appreciation. "Good job", "Keep it up" - these are ubiquitous phrases one encounters on a day to day basis. I am sure they mean well, but my feeling is that it inevitably degenerates to a process.

In life, it is said that everything proceeds from a be -> think -> say -> do paradigm. In other words, you "be" what you want to create, then you think about it, they say it (optionally) and then finally do. The "be" part is critical because it is vital energy for the action. I feel this "be" aspect is missing many times in the "showing appreciation" scenario. A vital connection between the appreciator and the appreciatee is missing as a result.

The fix is that all complements need to go through a "genuine feeling" quality check before they transcend into words.

* I made appreciatee up

Dhyanalinga, Death and the Andhra CM

My friend visited the Dhyanalinga yesterday, for the first time.

Inside the temple, the thought that crossed him was: this is a fleeting life and will be gone without a moment's notice. Why would that thought come to him? And when the news of the Andhra CM's demise came in, it only reinforced his thought, very strongly. He was almost teary eyed and was saying - "We do all these things in life. For what? It could all be gone in a moment!"

Very weird - the way the Dhyanalinga works. Unfortunately, I've been able to glimpse this only in fleeting moments. What does it take!

Note: It's unfortunate that the CM had to pass away like this. But we were talking about that as well in the office today. How could we not find him for 24 hours+? It looks like our technological skills are sorely lacking and reflects very badly on our state of affairs. And this is the CM! I hope and wish all that passed away in that incident passed on peacefully.

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Update - 5th Sep 2009: The next day, I saw the photograph of the Dhyanalinga on my friend's desk with fresh flowers in front of it. Whatever!

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When trouble strikes...

This is a rehash of my post in tamil:

When trouble strikes our personal lives - we have to take action. Life leaves us no other choice.

However, in the common lives we share (societal and environmental), any common issue is promptly ignored (in India this is 100% true). Throw into the mix incompetent or careless officials, you have a truly vegetating atmosphere. Normally, we do one of the things

- We learn to live tolerating the mess
- We seethe with anger, then move on with our lives
- We rot with the rotting mess

You can see this in multiple facets - traffic signals, irresponsible police work and what not. A negligible few (not so negligible in impact, as I learnt recently) learn to live without worsening the problems and do their bit to clean up. But this will work only if a sustainable mass takes this approach, and is the true long term solution. The rare few go down to the roots and clean up a problem completely.

I witnessed an example recently of Ramesh. The water in his mansion stay area was contaminated with fecal matter to the tune of 36%. I still cannot believe this percentage and the fact that the owner did nothing to address this. His account of how he faced so many hurdles over the past ten months overcoming abuse from police, the owner and finally rectified the issue is present in the following blog posts of his. He has even posted recordings of "police inquiry" and "water inspector inquiry" in his blog.

In spite of reading all this, I am in doubt if we can pursue the same course of action with the same courage and determination that he has. Perhaps, that is what separates people in quality!

1) The true face of Tamil Nadu police
2) A success from the side of Dharma