Moments so Far ...

Make your anger very expensive, very precious. Nobody should be allow to buy it at any cost. Make your smile cheap. Just let it flow without being asked for. It is the only expression which is closest to your core nature. अपना गुस्सा बहुत मेहेंगा कर दो. दुनिया मैं कोई उसे नहीं खरीद पाए. वहीँ अपनी मुस्कान इतनी सस्ती कर दो की वोह यूँही प्रकट होती रहे.  ज़िन्दगी मैं तृप्त रहो. यही सबसे बड़ा गुण है.  हम भिखारी की तरेह सबसे कुछ न कुछ मांगते रहते हैं. जब कोई भिखारी हमारे सामने आता है तो हम क्या करते हैं. हम चुप चाप रास्ता बदल रहते हैं या फिर गाड़ी की खिड़की ऊपर कर लेते हैं, उसकी तरफ देखतें भी नहीं हैं. प्रकृति का भी व्योहार कुछ इस तरेह से ही होता है.  कहते हैं जो ध्यानस्त होते हैं, वेद और ज्ञान उनकी तरफ ही अग्रसर होते हैं. जैसे पंडित मंदिर मैं दिन भर वेदों का उच्चारण करते हैं लेकिन फिर भी दुखी  दिखतें हैं, उनके चेहरे पर न तेज होता है न कोई चमक.   ज्ञान मांगने से या फिर दोहराने से नहीं मिलता है.  Knowledge comes to those who are in meditation. The c...

I was sick and resting on this Eid, a day before Ganesh Chaturthi, with blanket over my head. A call came on land line for me and my daughter gave the call to me. He : I am from Aditya Birla Group. [ I guessed he must one of those agents selling health insurance/ financial planning/ mutual funds or my latest relationship managers ] I :  Quickly tell me. He: I am from Income Tax department. [ By now I got confused and his temper went up in well rehearsed manner. I hope Aditya Birla is not training their troops to indulge in scaring unresponsive prospects.] He: I am SK Nanda, a senior income tax officer. Is this the way you talk to me? I am coming to your home. Is this your address? Is this your name? Tell me your house nearest landmark. [ I was really confused with the income tax stuff as Income tax department has recently sent notice for no reason, Our CA explained that with computerization the frequency of notice sending has increased and response ...

We have been talking about the Indian youth and Indian middle class for so long. With the advent of diverse career opportunities we have really transformed our lifestyles from being localized to government quarters to freely spending money. We have been lazy to vote. Thus, there was no love or affair with the political class. We were happy to pass the days until Anna Hazare pricked our nerves. He took an issue which has touched all of us. Its like the air around. We don't complain about air whether its stale or fresh or polluted or sticky. We have to breathe. Same way we paid bribe from traffic cop to post man to policeman to government bureaucrats to either get our work done or to escape punishment. An issue that did not pinch us much. We talked about it in isolation, over the tea/coffee and went back to life. Anna Hazare sat on a platform called as India against corruption. He was visible. He was on empty stomach. He was clean. He made us wonder. Why is he wasting...

I was experimental in my youth. We had the attitude of tasting everything indiscreetly and then learn from them. We believed that you must see, hear, touch and feel everything. The emphasis was on sensory pleasures. Nature was outside. Treks and hiking were the norms. Mountain peaks were location of peace. I went around believing that nature was the best teacher. Keep your eyes and ears open and move your fingers around and mother nature will take care of your learnings. We never realized why we felt so exhausted at the end of each trip of senses. We just wanted to get rid and drop dead to rest. Anything that led you to deep sleep was considered as cool. But again, the next few days would be tiresome and hangover would continue to haunt us. We would really not understand why our experiments with senses and objects were failing miserably. The hills were always lush green after monsoon. We cherished them and captured the moments on camera. We created printed photo alb...

It was raining hard. I came back into the car. Something fell on top of car from above, not heaven. I wondered lightning and dared not to open the door. Is it safe to be inside or outside of car if lightning strikes on the tree under which your car is parked? After few secs opened the door and checked, found the tree shedding some dry weight. I was still twisting the key. For the first time in 5 years the twisting key did not start the engine of Maruti Swift. I had no clue in the world. I twisted some more. The wipers moved in slow motion. Stopped them. I ran to the security at the parking entrance seeking help. Do you have any cab driver around? Do you know somebody who can fix a car? Do you have umbrella? All negative. "Today is Saturday, Sir, Nobody is around, rest of the days there are hundreds of cab around". Somebody from behind quipped in "There's a Hyundai showroom on the main road, why don't you go and check with them for mechanic?" It wa...

We look up to him. We seek his words. We seek inspiration and get from him. We did not witness Mahatma Gandhi. We are witnessing Gandhi incarnate. His humility, honesty and courage stands out. He decides to move and the nation follows him. He decides to fast and nation is with him. He brought in Right to information act. He is bringing corruption to death. He is not a sports star, not a business house, not a film actor. He has single focus. He will live and die for India and its people. A social activist. No accumulation. No money. No cars. No airplanes. A simple life. A simple house. A simple village. A former soldier who is shaping India of tomorrow. Issues he takes are the issues that hurt us all. Healing he brings will soothe us all. The beauty of his protest is that you don't have to do anything. Just be there. Just pray. Just sing. Just dance. He will carry the pain of thinking, planning, execution. In a society in which we seek nook and corner for rol...

A nation which had given up. A nation which had no hope in the system. A nation which believed in nothing. कुछ नहीं हो सकता , क्यों वक़्त बर्बाद करते हो, सौ रुपये दो और आगे बड़ो,  ज़िन्दगी मैं और भी गम है,  यह सौ रुपये बचा के क्या करना,  फालतू की कीच कीचक क्यूं करना.  Senior citizen narrated their times of less corruption. Youth wondered was there ever a time of less corruption.  The common man sweats and burns his blood everyday of his life.  He wants a little money to buy some bread. He wants a little money to buy some education for his kids.  We created a generation of whales who learnt only to gulp big money.  Huge monsters. You dare not raised your voice against them.  They were your representative. They were your killer too.  Murderers. More than the money they made you hopeless.  More than the society they forced you indoors.  You just bothered about your life.  You just cared to meet both ends meet.  What ...