Has anyone been counting the number of terrorist blasts that shocked the nation in the last year or so?
Mumbai has always been the favorite target.. and the softest. The sheer quantum of commuting population makes it easy for the terror spreading extremists to play their deadly blood shedding games.. Delhi has the advantage of steep security owing to its high risk buearocrats. The North East ripples with violence on a regular basis but unfortunately doesn't get the coverage reserved for Kashmir...Bangalore wasnt spared but has been relatively safe from any large scale attacks so far. But Hyderabad was less fortunate... terror struck twice with apparent ease. Ajmer followed suit and now Ludhiana.
Extremists are striking at will at locations that fancies them without any resistance. Can you imagine this happening in the US or UK and not have serious repercussions across the world? If you look at the attacks in Kashmir and the rest of the country cummulatively, doesnt it feel akin to a full blown terror campaign? Are there any statistics on terror related attacks? The figures might startle us...
Does anyone realise that this country is at war? An insidious seceret deadly war striking at the very heart... threatening to rob the peace and integrity of this country? Are we truly a free nation when the common man steps out of the house not knowing whether he will be able to return safely? The attacks happened in our very own country not some distant unknown city across the globe. People who died are our fellow Indians. And they could have been you or me or some body close to us. Yet we just blinked our eyes a few times and switched the news channel...
The government has been analysing the blasts and fingers have been pointed. The wheels of diplomatic slandering are set in motion. "The law takes its own time" they placate us.. and at the end of it all the victims wait indefinitely for justice. Sometimes for years. Children wait for a safe world without the fear of being orphaned or maimed. While the rest of us are just too busy with our daily life celebrating the rising stocks indices... securing our lives and those of our kith and kin, unaware of the Damocle's sword that hangs precariously. All is well as long as we have our necks buried in sand so the enemy that we don't see doesn't exist.... until the day our neck is on line. It doesnt matter as long as we are not affected. To quote Phil Collins,"Its just another day for you and me in paradise". The victims, innocent and unwary, in a moment lost their lives. The mourners they leave behind are scarred for life. Some lost their only offspring to the havoc... others lost the sole earning member of the family... some had gone out to enjoy the evening with their family members not knowing that it was to be the last time... others had gone to pray at a tomb of a saint who preached peace and non violence. And life goes on for the rest of us.
What can we do about it other than express our anguish? Yes the government at the centre and the state need to beef up security and meet the threat head on... Terrorism is the bane of our times and needs special treatment. It won't just fade away. Terrorism is like a fire and a fire needs three components to cause damage... heat, oxygen and fuel. Cut off any or all of these and you can extinguish the fire... The extremists are the fuel. The hatred is the heat and oxygen is the money that sponsors terrorism. The government needs to tighten our borders so the extremists find it difficult to enter our country. But fighting the war of terror cannot be only the governements concern. We also need to chip in. We need to motivate our youth so they don't fall into the trap of extremism. Religious intolerence is the mother of exrtemism. Lets cut off the heat by erasing the communal hatred from our hearts and learn to love one another. Remember, when terror strikes it doesn't see ure caste or religion. Its a war against humanity. And did you know that one of the biggest channels of raising money for sponsoring extremists is through pirtated CDs and drugs? If the buying stopped it would definitely have an impact.
And above all let each one of us be responsible for our protection by becoming more cautious of our surroundings.. If you are in a crowded place it might not be such a foolish idea to look under your seats or in dark alleys for any mysterious unclaimed bag... Your action could save your life and those around you.
When our country fell prey to the Colonial exremists the common people stood up against them united and demanded their birthright... to breathe the air in a free nation.. to live in a country thats govererned by the people.
I t s p e r h a p s n o w t i m e f o r a n o t h e r r e v o l u t i o n .

Long time since i visited my page... well new fads and fashion are always grabbing your attention.

How much can one do in 24hrs....

Now thats some thing to ponder on.. why cant we have more hours ina day.. how about 48... so two rotations of the earth make one day..

so we have two sunrises and two sunsets in a day.. case u miss one....

and u can sleep for 12 hours without feeling guilty... thats only 1/4 th a day....

a month has only 15 days... so ure pay cheque arrives sooner :)

a New year is only 182 days away...

and u can browse all that you want.. there's just so much time to kill.

Life meanders on the path of destiny..

To the distant unknown...

Moments just whizzing and whooshing past..

Leaving you older than yesterday....

While u go on in your mudane life

And search for a meaning to your existance!

Why are we so insecure about our identities?
Why are we scared to mention our religion? or caste? or sex... or nationality?
WHy this fear of persecution....
What kind of a world is this?
Why feel we are superior or inferior when God made all equal? Did you come with a passbook in your hand that said you have special priviliges in this world to look down on others????
"Let him throw the first stone... who has not sinned"

what happens to u when u learn to drive!!!

ure confidence goes up... :)
any vacant spot to others looks like a parking space to you...!

you shop less... only to places where there is parking and never on weekends and evenings! so you save money which you can spend on gas! :P
global issues starts making a difference to you!....for instance the price of an oil barrel ..
you will know the location of all local gas stations
you have to become a chauffer for others...:( often when you where eying the couch to sink into!
most likely when u need to be dropped somewhere..............no one who knows to drive will be around :((

your cool quotient goes up! ;)

you feel like God!!!!!!!!

What would life be without wishes? Its like the fragrance of a flower... not the real thing but enjoyed all the same.

Like some one said, you are never given a wish without being given the power to fulfill it. Hmm… well that’s not entirely true.. We do have dreams that sometimes never come true… that by the very nature of its elusiveness intrigues us and attracts us which we chase after like a mirage in the desert - to the point that we are totally obsessed with it and raise it to such heights that we convince ourselves that our happiness depends on the fulfillment of that one all consuming desire. Sometimes the desires remain unfulfilled, and we recollect it wistfully, dreaming of a life that could have been. Should we be fortunate enough to eat the fruits of the said desire…once fulfilled, it doesn’t take much time to relegate it to anonymity with hardly a moment of thought spent cheering or mourning. That’s life.

The lines of a ghazal comes to my mind…

Duniya jise kehte hai… jaadu ka khilona hai

Mil jaaye to mitti hai, kho jaaye to sona hai!

The world is a magical toy. What you get is dirt.. what you lose is gold!

We only need to look at our personal experiences to realize the wisdom of these words.

Those who have read “Gone with the wind” would draw a parallel in the story. Scarlet who is obsessively in love with Ashley (only because he loved another woman and thus became unattainable) discovers at the end that it was never Ashley that she loved or wanted or needed but Rhett whom she mocked and derided all the time.

Sometimes in retrospect we realize that receiving what you didn’t want or conversely not getting what you scrambled after, was a blessing in disguise.

How many would answer that truthfully?

Sometimes the fulfillment of a desire brings with it untold misery. Have you read the story of a “Monkey’s paw”? The “monkey’s paw” had the power to bring three wishes come true and a family of three is amused by the story. Ridiculing it they laugh and wish for a 1000 pounds and forget about it. The next day, the son who is working in a factory meets with an accident and perishes. The compensation his parents receive for the death? 1000 pounds. Well, guess it pays to be careful before you blow the lash off your palm with a wish or fall on your knees spotting a shooting star. Many a fulfilled wish brings with it many a regret.

Anyways, all that said and done, there are some times sweet little wishes or needs that entered the realms of our consciousness and quickly forgotton which comes true in mysterious ways… Beware all you skeptics, for here we are at the threshold of the mystic.

These sweet wishes that come true often go unnoticed in our busy life. Like, has it happened to you that you wanted to buy a book and with in days a friend drops in with a gift for you… precisely the book you wanted! Or you remembered an old school friend you lost touch with and within days she calls you up out of the blues!

Well, I have been thinking about buying a hair band to tie up my hair when I sleep. I normally don’t but now that my hair is long for the first time in my life, they get awfully tangled and I felt the need to do something about it. Meanwhile, my brother in law bought an Easter egg for his pretty neighbour but at the last minute chickened out. And left it behind when he left for his place of work. So post easter and post his departure we did the honors of breaking it open and out came goodies among which there lay … a blue hair band!

Sometimes, don’t miss the trees for the forest!!!

Since when did sitting idle doing absolutely nothing, go out of fashion?
One fine day some jerk shot a pistol and the race started…. no one has had the courage or the time to stop or get off from the speeding locomotive since.
We run like the rabbit in the fabulous wonderland of dear lil’ alice. “ I am late”… “I am late”... Late to work… late to get back… Late to live. As if there’s a carrot dangling in front of our nose… we run to get away from home then dance on a hot tin roof with bare feet… before running from work to get back home.
When was the last time u just sat on a couch and do nothing? Just spend few moments with your thoughts… but it never happens for just when you were thinking to collapse in that bean bag that you had been eyeing for three years now, along comes a busy body who wants to know if you don’t have anything better to do and hands u some errand… I have a strong conviction that its got something to do with envy…
Sitting and dreaming can be good for health. Its also called relaxing. Or at a glossier level... meditation. Be aware. Just be with your thoughts. Observe them as they make their appearance on the stage of your mind, put up a show and are thrown out by the “next bunch of actors”!!! Thoughts that leave you in splits... angry enough to kill a mouse…or sad and teary eyed… sigh..
Ghalib said… jee dhoondata hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din.. bhaithe rahen tassavoor e jaana kiya hue… the heart searches for moments of idleness just to sit and think about a loved one…
From the time you wake up at the bidding of the alarm in the middle of the most enchanting dream, you r rushing to get somewhere… funny, for at the end of the day you always find yourself in your bed. Its like we were running away from it to get back to it!
Imagine a space where you just sit alone and think…or dream or snooze…as may be the individual preference. There should be such a place in the house or at work where you are allowed to go and do nothing… without feeling guilty! And where no one is allowed to ask you anything…only “ mein aur meri tanhaayee”( me and my solitude)…just for a while for like all good things, it must come to an end. Just an oasis of blankness in the desert of schedules and deadlines. You can't forever remain in the oasis for you must trek the desert in search of your treasures… but a pit stop to refuel … just to switch off from the world and connect to your inner peace and solitude. Just to say hello to your self.

Ek lamha seher e zindagee ke beech
Jab tanhayee mein khud se poocho tum..
Kyon janaab? Sab khairiyat hai?
Aur phir ho jao duniya mein gum.

A moment in the midst of this desert like life
When we ask ourselves in a quiet moment
“My friend, how are you?”
And lose ourselves in the world again

Music and spirituality

Music has the ability to take you in to great depths within yourself. Music is a harmonious part of nature. There is a rhythm in everything and music has the ability to penetrate in to the various levels of your existence. While you can hear music through your ears, and through your intellect you can listen to it through your soul and there experience meditation through music… when you become one with music.
A person who loves music, who either listens to it or is a musician, cannot be too far from spirituality. No matter what kind of music he deals with. Music is the easiest way to experience spirituality.
And if you feel like running away from music, then that is because it has become noise. .. an irritant in an already cluttered world... A beautiful rose in a garden full of weeds. You need to pull out the weeds before enjoying the beauty of the rose.
Why does music effect you so much… because it affects your emotions… most genre of music leaves you feeling emotional. Have you noticed it? You may feel melancholic or ecstatic listening to few notes…We are drawn to a source of music. Either preferring to sit and listen or sway to its beats. It is impossible to remain unaffected by music. Listening to music is like meditation .. you have to start from a superficial level and slowly sink into the depths… until you lose yourself in it…
It is believed that the right brain is responsible for creativity and emotion and the left brain is responsible for logic, analysis and spatial reasoning. The left brain processes data in a linear, or sequential manner. The right brain processes data simultaneously, and because it is mute, does not connect plausible explanations immediately to each step in the process, but instead trusts the left brain to later link the reasoning behind beliefs or decisions. (from wikipedia)
What this means is that when we listen to music we tend to use both the hemispheres of our brains. So listening to music is good for you. It helps you strike the right balance. This is the reason why we have the tradition of satsang.. or singing devotional songs in a group. This is also why we have masses in a church. Positive thoughts and emotions from a group of people is a huge wave of positive energy which benefits everyone who experiences it. No one can deny that attending a satsang leaves one feeling better.. happy, full of some inexplicable joy… and a quiet wave of peace.
Have you been to a music concert? The Music composition filters in to your ears .. creating a wonderful tapestry with all the design elements.. there’s harmony, contrast, different textures.. and tying all these is a spirit that touches you deep inside… You as a listener are only sitting and listening but you get carried away in its waves… high and low… It is a blessing to be able to enjoy music. And it’s a bigger blessing to be able to sing or play music. Notice a face that is playing music… there is deep concentration … and a strange sense of peace and joy. That can only be experienced. Music is a service. The singer wants to impart joy to please a listener, to help him share the spirituality and to eventually become one. The music, the renderer and the listener…
We usually listen to music in the background… like an attachment to our activity. And our mind becomes a playground of musical notes and the thoughts related to the activity … each vying for attention… Next time you listen to music when you have spare time, sit in one place. The music should not be too loud as to superimpose your senses and not too soft as to get lost in the surroundings… close your eyes, and listen. To every note… every beat… every nuance. And thus you breathe in the present moment. You are living in the present. And that IS joy. Slowly sink in its embrace, listening through your ears... and then through the intellect.. next it touches your thoughts and emotions…leading to a great sense of relief and joy… finally climaxing into a state of thoughtlessness.
That is meditation.

A book review - The agony and the ecstasy by Irving Stone
(Biography of Michaelangelo, the Painter, sculptor and architect of Florence, 1475 - 1564)

Who hasen't heard about Michaelangelo?
The guy who did the fresco at the Sistine chapel.. where a semi naked "old man" created a beautiful (and naked) "Adam" with his touch... its beautiful. well when something gets as talked about as The fresco.. or the likes of The Monalisa the hype is just so much that u know it but u wonder what the fuss is all about.. there have been so many masterpieces... so whats so great about this one...
if u know a lil bit more about the man, then he is also famous for "David"... another nude male standing alone on a pedestal.....
then of course if u have touched architecture, u might also be aware of the fact that this guy designed the famous dome of St. Peters, the heart of the catholic world....
thats all i knew before i started reading " the agony and the ecstasy".. a brilliant narrative biography of the genius of a man we know as Michaelangelo.
You might as well specify his full name... Michaelangelo Buonarroti. Thats because in the painting world there is another famous namesake.. Michaelangelo Caravaggio (1573-1609). (http://www.christusrex.org/www2/art/caravaggio.htm)

He took the art world by a storm with every work of his becoming a beacon of light.. inspiring and showing the way to generations of artists who followed... the book traces the life of the maestro and also attempts to read the artist's mind as he set to create his wonderous masterpieces.. be it the sculptures that he breathed life into ... which was his self proclaimed passion second to no other art... or the splendid frescoes.
with the artistic midas touch, whattver medium he chose, he even penned down few sonnets, he quite simply excelled....
AS you read the book and sift through the description on various works, you might want to see the work of art in question to better understand the effect of all those thoughts and deliberations which probably went through the artists mind (recreated exceptionally well by Irving stone)

The link http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/giorgio.vasari/michel/michel.htm will help you immensly to relate the words to the art itself.
You might also want to visit http://www.christusrex.org/www1/sistine/0-Ceiling.html
...just to have a jaw dropping experience!!!!

Do read the book to understand the thoughts and hard work behind the most beautiful art specimen... as an account of the history of Italy during the Rennaisance... or just to savour the human mind and its ability to create such breathtaking beauty...

King for a day

The beat of the drums in unison,
The pipes blown rhythmically.
The throng of believers all around .
The gold that adorns me.
Yes, I’ll have it all.
For I am a king today.

I should be happy for the honor
But a heavy price I did pay.
The agony, etched in my memory
Still chills the bones.
I remember too,
The unheard cries and moans.

Silver chains cover my bruises.
Embellished imprisonment.
And the captors shall line up
To seek my blessings!
There will be ceremonies for me
And, deities to kneel before.
And few nibbles of food.
A token of appreciation and more.

But all I long for is to go back.
To my mother and friends.
Under the blue skies
Amidst the trees and vines.
All I want is to be myself.
Unbridled. Unhurt.

-Bkn
1999-2001

When was the last time you got wet in the rain...

When was the last time you saw the sun rise...

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Is this the beginning of the end?

No evidence of tigers in Sariska: WWF-India
2005-02-15 NEW DELHI,
NEW DELHI, - A World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-India expert team has found ‘‘not a single sign of evidence—direct or indirect—to indicate the presence of tiger’’ in Rajasthan’s Sariska reserve.


[January 04, 2006]
Indian tigers could be wiped out in 10 years
(The Sunday Telegraph Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)A NEW SURVEY of India's tiger population has established that there are many fewer of the animals than previously believed, prompting fears that increased poaching could lead to their extinction within a decade...
..The Wildlife Trust of India has revealed that there are few or no tigers left in at least six of the country's main reserves. According to official statistics, Namdapha in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh had 61 tigers in 2002 but the trust assesses that there is only one animal now left. In Buxa in West Bengal, where 32 Indian tigers - also known as Royal Bengal tigers - were reported in 1997, none is thought to remain.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/jan/1260248.htm

The year 2005 was particularly critical for the survival of tigers. An enquiry confirmed the worst fears that the entire tiger population of Sariska was annihilated inter alia by organised poaching. Investigations by Rajasthan police revealed the existence of a gang of poachers that killed 21 tigers in Ranthambhore during last two years. Seizure of skins and other body parts outside Panna, Periyar and the Sunderbans showed that the network extended to protected areas in different parts of the country.
http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/portal/2006/01/294

If I had only known

If I had only known it was our last walk in the rain
I'd keep you out for hours in the storm
I would hold your hand, like a lifeline to my heart
And underneath the thunder we'd be warm
If I had only known it was our last walk in the rain

If I had only known I'd never hear your voice again
I'd memorize each thing you ever said
And on these lonely nights, i could think of them once more
And keep your words alive inside my head
If I had only known I'd never hear your voice again

you were the treasure in my heart
You were the one who always stood beside me
So unaware, I foolishly believed that
you would always be there
But then there came a day when I closed my eyes
And you slipped away

If I had only known it was my last night by your side
I'd pray a mircle would stop the dawn
And when you smiled at me,I would look into your eyes
And make sure you know my love for you goes on and on
If I had only known, If I had only known

The love i would have shown

If Ihad only known

CRAIG MORRIS/JANA STANFIELD

Even this will pass away

Once in Persia reigned a king,
Who upon a signet ring
Carved a maxim strange and wise,
When held before his eyes,
Gave him counsel at a glance,
Fit for every change and chance
Solemn words and these were they:
“Even this will pass away”…

Fighting on the furious field,
Once a javelin pierced his shield,
Soldiers with a loud lament
Bore him bleeding to his tortured side,
“Pain is hard to bear,” he cried,
“But with patience, day by day,
“Even this will pass away”…

Struck with palsy, sore and old,
Waiting at the gates of gold,
Said he with his dying breath
“Life is done, but what is death!”
Then an answer to the king
Fell a sunbeam on his ring;
Showing by a heavenly ray,
“Even this will pass way”

Theodore Tilton

Have you ever watched kids on a merry go round
Or listened to rain stopping the ground
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight,
Or gazed at the sun fading in to the night?
You better slow down, Dont dance so fast
Time is short, the music wont last

Do you run through each day on the fly,
When you ask "how are you?" Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next 100 chores running through your head?
You better slow down, Don't dance so fast
Time is short, the music won't last

Ever told your child, We'll do it tomorrow,
And in yout haste not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and say HI
You better slow down, Don't dance so fast
Time is short, the music won't last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there
When you worry and hurry through your day
Its like an unopened gift thrown away
Life is not a race, so take it slower
Hear the music before the song is over.

Poet Anonymous

Happiness comes with contentment.
The only purpose in life is to find happiness. that IS why we are born..

As you have lived life there were different things that you swore would keep you happy...
You were happy when your daddy got you a new doll...
You were happy when you topped your class...
You were happy when she said yes!
You were happy when you moved into your new house.
You were happy when you drove a ferrari...

Aren't we just moving from one experience to another? running after cotton candy pleasures???
As we meander through these labyrinthine experiences, running after and finding "treasures" that bring us ephemeral happiness, we reach a stage where the happiness we eventually experience is for ever... we are no longer thirsty but quenched of desires and restlessness...
a state of permanence where you dont want anything more and nothing less.
Like every river, which is destined to become one with the ocean, thus are we meandering through life to meet the cosmic Oneness.
Till then we must wait and trudge on the path of life.. stumbling , falling... learning.

Most of us fleet through our lives without living. We engage ourselves in acts that we are not happy doing... stop and ponder on the things you are doing right now.. are you happy?
life is this moment. the present. not day after tomorrow...
We live like we are stuck in our present.. tied up to our past.. we live like we have no choices..
But i believe that life is what you make out of it...
I believe that destiny churns up what we really want.
And we have in our power to make choices.. and to choose differently.
You don't have to live with bad choices...
Remember... mistakes are the stepping stones to success.
" You are never given a wish without being given the power to fulfill it",
provided you know what you want in life...
We have the power to be happy.

We have the POWER TO CHOOSE.

"How long will we remain content celebrating our potential even as we restrain ourselves from realising it?.... We must shed the fear of the unknown and have the self confidence to take risks, to experiment, to think and act differently....

DEVELOPMENT MUST BECOME OUR NATIONAL OBSESSION."

Prime minister, Manmohan Singh, writes for India today, 30th anniversary issue.

merry christmas and a happy new year 2006!

lets hope we all realise at least a part of our potential in the new year

cheers!

i like the concept of GOD. it makes me smile. happy. It really doesnt make any difference whether He does exist in fact. or doesn't. It is nice to think of a strong power that causes everything to happen and controls everything, who holds on his whims the dissolution of the entire universe.

if you have questions regarding what happens to us after death or what is consciousness or where does the soul of our body reside, do read CELEBRATING DEATH by DR. JOHN MUMFORD.
it helps answer some of those queries of the seeker...
worry not. it is not morbid but spiritual in content. a must read for the spiritually inclined.


i would like to quote (not necessarily verbatim) from the book.

there are five kinds of bodies or five components of the human existance...

physical also annamaya kosha: the physical matter made up of five elementswhich seekd nourishment in the form of air food water... this body runs with calories from the food we eat along with other minerals water and oxygen. this falls in the realm of physical science.

etheric body also pranamaya kosha:this is a matrix of pure energy that supports and feeds the physical body . this runs on prana (chi or the holy ghost according to your belief)it is a system of pranic irrigational channels or nadis and there are key nodes (referred in acupressure. the phantom limb that amputees experience can be attributed to the etheric body.

Astral (emotional) also manamaya kosha:it is a body glued together or held by emotion or feeling. the so called illusion or maya inducing being.

Mental body also vijnamaya kosha: the intellect or buddhi capable of logic (note that it exists beyond the physical body)

Spiritual body also anandmaya kosha: The spiritual body which is our essence and our consciousness. that part which is one with the cosmic consciousness. into which it must merge in the end being purified of the taints of all attachments to other bodies.

world space comes as a boon to music lovers... imagine about 40 channels
of music crossing all genres that one might be interested in... if that
isnt elexir then what is....no i am not getting paid by WS to say all this. but then someone
passionate about music would know why i am all excited...

indian and western classical... hindi film songs old and new.. pop, hip
hop, techno. retro rock jazz alternative rock and a few regional music
channels. for the well informed u can also catch up with the latest news on
BBC CNN and NDTV.... case u have a spiritual frame of mind u also have
couple of those including art of living where u can listen to lively talks
sprinkled with humour by sri sri ravi shanker..

what better way to kick start the day...

does that whett ure appetite???

check out www.worldspace.com

happy listening

a wee bit of an idea
fleets into my mind.
its beauty and simplicity leaves me enthralled...
where did it come from?

as suddenly as it appeared,
it promises to dissolve itself
into the limitless ocean of my consciousness
cluttered with thoughts numerous
entering unabated unsolicited thru' the senses

i spring up to record it for eternity
but my mind loses its grasp on the force of the idea
it slips away from the bondage of my mind
and disappears with out a trace...

here i am left musing

on just a shadow of something

i knew was beautiful like a dream

that wakes me up filling

my heart with hope and joy

but only the fragrance remains,

lost is its being.

i mourn the death.

May be it will rise again

from its mysterious womb

in some other moment of time

in a different mind.