Monday, December 15, 2008

Where am I ?


It is indeed a good experience to see Jackie Chan's movie. Most of them are full of comical fights and quick apt reactions. "Who am I", is one such movie that gave a similar enjoyable experience and made me go thinking of the title of the film and its relevance in today's world. So many a soul have wondered about the word 'I' in the title.

Indeed it is food for the mind to understand one's existence in this world, the purpose and the destiny that each has in store. So many articles have been written on soul, mind, self, God, destiny; indeed its human nature to question the real and accept the surreal. Man's existence lies in the fact of his ability and readiness to question himself. Nature has made such a wonderful creature ie a human and endowed superior qualities like intelligence(confirm with call center professionals' list of stupid questions), ability to adapt (ability to create hostile situations too!), ability to question self evaluate (examinations losing their credibility); the list can go on.

At this junction, I feel blessed just to study the environment or surrounding around me. 'Where am I?', is in fact a relevant question for me given the current times and things happening in the world. Its not just about the bombs exploding and killing innocent people, its more than that; its something to do with trying to terrorise the human mind and prodding it to distrust the other soul. What good will come out of all this distrust? Man is driving the economy or is the economy driving the man? Aren't we running after the stock market, which probably is after just a market; a place to shop but not stop. I am sure it is not going to take care of mother nature or our future generation.

Why is it that along with the distrust and no clear destination for mankind, do we still continue to keep our eyes closed to the real truth? Only HE knows.

Our daily needs have no limit and we keep on craving for more and more. Our grandparents lived in a different era where men and women had different roles in the family and society. Their needs were basic and they craved for more; this was achieved successfully by the next generation, our parents. Indeed they had all that their parents had and to top it all they also managed to get more materialistic things. But their wants did not end there, they left the seed of wanting more in their children. Did we not get all that our parents had and tried to do even better by having still more materialistic comforts ? Are we not facing the problems of exercise and obesity ?

The problem of dissatisfaction still remains, only its nature changes. We are still in want of something. What is this something ? Is it materialistic comforts or is it physical well being or is it the spiritual well being ? None as an individual can take us to the destination, and to make matters worse, we don't know what is the destination and the journey. Saints have come and gone and spoken about the combination of all the three does lead to salvation. Our mind is too small to understand the true meaning of salvation, but doing our bit in keeping our mind, body and soul rejuvenated, is what leads to true happiness.

The journey that we undertake is what defines who we are, where we are. Let the journey be the destination and not a means for the final destination. 'Where am I ?' is not a question asked by a person who is lost, it is rather for a person who wants to go somewhere.

Monday, December 1, 2008

The two Pigeons




I really wonder the way Pune looked 15 years ago; I had heard of people wearing sweaters in summer mornings and the winters being chilly and the landscape near the city was lush and green. Thats what I heard, never saw; for I came to Pune when the economic growth of people and Pune was on the upswing and the city was witnessing a drastic change; a change not only in the weather but also the culture. I still remember the summer vacation that my aunt invited me and my sister to her new home and what a cool and green pune city was !



Times change and so do people and so do situations ! I am now happily married and settled in my own house in Pune. My husband is a 'cosmopolitan naturalist', he manages to keep greenery around him by using potted plants. Our little daughter is no less; she brings her muddy feet in the house and loves to knead the mud instead of the flour. In addition to these two, our house is warm and inviting; be it friends or neighbours or the two pigeons who have made the bathroom window, their home.



Every morning, I can see their silhouettes
Against the window, and at day break,
They fly in the open inviting, bluish orange sky.
They come back now and then
To rest on the window till refreshed again.
Once or twice, I have observed
Only one bird sits on the abode
Not because the other lost its way
But because it was busy till the whole day.


Working towards finding two square meals
It flew away farther than the hills,
Isn't this what we are facing in our life ?


Letting life slip by when we are toiling all the while?
On our way to glory,
how many of us do worry,
About the missed togetherness
and the cherished close tenderness !


Am I not the pigeon and waiting
for the other to come home?


With so many thoughts, you can well imagine that the life has become complex indeed ! The green pastures are now replaced by dark roads and a concrete junlge stands in between. What refreshes me the most is the existence of nature, though scattered. Do we not take efforts to have the greenery around us? Thats because we feel a part of nature. The desire to be a part of the whole eternity and our longing for togetherness with nature. Its very refreshing to see the birds flying daily out of their homes in the morning and coming back in the evening.


My window friends give a whole new dimension to me and my husband's relationship, our home, our flying in and out of the house and cherishing the togetherness.