Just passing through...

When I asked a friend of mine, D at work if he had his " breakfast" in the morning (he has a live in girl friend) his eyes did not light up. No smiles. Not many folks at work know what I mean when I ask about his breakfasts in the morning.

It did not take long to figure out what had happened. I wore my agony uncle cap and explained to him that betrayal and deceits lose their impact when you take a 25,000 ft view of it. That is where the art of detachment comes in. Detachment from everything worldly takes you to a different level of consciousness.

When we go to a new place as a tourist, we go through all kinds of experiences. We meet all kinds of white, black and grey people. We also encounter some sweetest people along the way. These folks unintentionally or by design provide us with what we later call “ experiences”. In the midst of all bittersweet experiences we never lose heart, we never lose hope, as we know all this is temporary and soon we will go back home. That very thought of things and affairs not being permanent keeps you going every day.

That is how one should look at life no mater where you are. Nothing will remain forever. No betrayal will stay longer than you want it to. You will do excellent if you remind yourself that " I am just passing through..."

My 8th grade teacher introduced me to a book called " Himakaten" from Shafiq-ur-rehmaan. In that book he writes that he wants to live his life like a tourist. He wants to observe the life from a distant. I reckon this was his way to safeguard against daily betrayals and shocks.

So next time when someone hurts you very deep…say it to yourself “ I am just passing through” and see the magic work for you.

ps: BTW I am too just passing thru!!!!

Nostalgia...

Every year fall brings back memories of the not so distant past. - My student days at Georgia Tech. Those were the days.....yes, those really were the days!

When I was not sure if I would be able to complete my MS. When I had no money - no car - no job, nothing. I remember asking Nagesh Kukunoor to help me buy the basic grocery and he was always happy to pick me up and take me to the Kroger at the Howell Mill Road. I used to buy the " basic" stuff like egg and bread just to get by, to stay alive. Those days a telephone call to India was worth $2.40 a minute. I used to call mom only for a few minutes just to hear her voice.

I do not know if those winters were very VERY cold or I had no proper winter clothing. Those long and cold walks to the class rooms were not that bad as my mind had the sunshine of the future to keep me warm.

Time flew linto the thin air. It always does, and here I am trying to understand where and when did life slipepd out of my grip? Where did all those moments go that were going to be with me forever? Why do I feel it was not worth it? Why does life offers everything but - stability?

Stability.....

zindagi main...

" Apni Zindagi main tum ne kiya kiya? Kisi se sacche dil se piyaar kiya? Kisi dost ko nek salaah di? Kisi Dushman ke bete ko mahobbat ki nigha se dekha? Jhaan andhera tha wahan roshni ki kiran le gaye? Jitni der tak jiye ...is jeene ka kiya matlab tha? " --- Krishn Chandra

If you are ...

IF YOU ARE GOING THROUGH HELL
Keep Going !!!!

Humsafar..

I dunno why but this poem started descending on me last night. It is not complete and it may never be.

Chaha tha bas ik humsafar
socha tha na par ye magar
Woh jab zindagi main aayega
kuch lamhe aise sath layega
jin ke sath jude honge
woh din jin ki shaam nahi hai
raaten jin main chaand nahi hai


in aadhi adoori raton main
in uljhi uljhi baton main
Kaise koi ji sakta hai?
Zahar kiya .................

the World is like this....

A dear friend who is a regular reader of my weekly jivings told me not to blame the World. It has been like that for ages. It will be like this when no one would know where my grave is.

No humble - simple human being can get a good deal here. Period. They will sc-- w you at the first available oppurtunity. The opening line of Jagjit Singh ghazal goes like " Sar jhukaoge to Patthar Devta Ho jayega !"

Look at President Jimmy Carter. How many Amercians respect him? He is the MOST human President alive today but he is seen as weak and sissy just coz he did not bombed the hell out of Iran during 1979 hostage crisis. Wolrd by default does not like fair minded - kind hearted- sensitive - humble human beings. This is the truth and you better accept it.

Look around at the Local - Regional - State - International arena and it will not take long to figure out what I mean.

Lonliness..........

Rashid left for New York yesterday and I am alone once again.

He is an old friend and we have known each other for over 20 years. It was so good to show him around and to catch up on this mess called life.

Initially I was uncomfortable with the thought that he would be with me day and night. I was afraid that soon he would discover my insecurities and battles that I am fighting these days. As the time passed I began to appreciate having him round. having someone in my empty apartment. My lonliness was gone.

No that fast.

Now that he is gone, I am noticing how lonely I have been all this time. Its been ages that I lived with some one. My God - what the hell has happened to me that I chose this life of lonliness. Why lonliness stopped bothering me? Why do I feel at home not having anyone around? I thought I was a very social and exteremly friendly person who could make friends out of starngers in no time.

It is late morning here and I hope to find the answer to these questions.

Barbaadi...

Apni wajah-e-barbaadi suniye to maze ki hai
Zindagi se yu khele jaise doosre ki hai !!!
- Javed Akhtar

Every Morning...

Every Morning in Africa a deer wakes up.It Knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.It knows it must run faster than the slowest deer or it will starve to death.
It Doesn't matter if you are a lion or deer, when the Sun comes up you'd better be running.

Read in an MBA forum. good Stuff.

This is THE END...

This is the End of Innocence .....
- Don Henley

Jab kabhi bhi kisi se ...

Ustaad Nida Fazli used the most simple words to say the most complicated issues of all times.

He suggests...

Jab kisi se kabhi gila rakhna
Saamne apne aayeena Rakhna !

Thats all.....

Javed Saab....

It seems like he knows what I am going through these days. I could not belive when I heard this song from Kabhi Alvida na Kehna. Each and every word in this song is worth a million dollars and mroe.

Mere man ye bata de tu
Kis aur chala hai tu ?
Kiya payaa nahi tu ne ?
Kiyd dhondh raha hai tu ?

Jo hai ankahi – jo hai ansuni
Who baat kiya hia bataa ?
Mitwaa kahen dhadkane tujh se kiya
Mitwaa ye khud se to na tu chupa !!

The pitures are from Jekyll Island, which is about 270 miles from Atlanta.

Main aur meri Aawargi !!

Phirte hain kab se dar badar ab is nagar ab us nagar
Ek doosre ke hum safar main aur meri aawargi
Naa-ashna har reh-guzar naa-meherban har ek nazar
Jayen to ab jayen kidhar main aur meri aawargi ?

Hum bhi kabhi aabad the aise kahan barbaaad the ?
be-fikr the aazad the masroor the dilshaad the
woh chaal aisi chal gaya - hum bujh gaye dil jal gaya
nikle jalaa ke apna ghar main aur meri awwargi !

jeena bahut assan tha jo ek shaks ka ehsaan tha
hum ko bhi ek armaan tha jo khwaab ka samaan tha
ab khwaab hain na jaarzoo, armaan hain na justaju
yun bhi chalo khush hain magar main aur meri awwargi!
----- Javed Akhtar ( Tarkash)

R.I.P.

Har Phool ki kismat main kahaan Naaze Urusan ?
Kuch phool to khilte hain mazaron ke liye bhi !

F E A R ...

F E A R = A PERCEPTION that you do not have choice at any point of your life.

Get over it.

Kaise kahen hum...?

Kasie kahen hum piyar ne hum ko kiya kiya khel dikhaye
Yu sharmayee kismat hum se khud se hum sharmaye !!

Baghon ko to pat jhad loote, loota hamen bahar ne
Duniya marti maut se lekin, maraa hum ko piyaar ne
Apna woh haal hai beech safar main jaise koi lut jaye

Tum kiya jano kiya chaa tha kiya le kar aaye hum ??
toote sapne, ghayal nagme, kuch sohle kuch shabnam
Kitna kuch hai payaa hum ne kahen to kahaa na jaye

Kaise kahen hum piyar ne hum ko kiya kiya khel dikhaye?

SP

What would you do if you were not afraid ..?

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

OK...

So...uh...what exactly are you waiting for?

This isn’t a dress rehearsal...

Wake up!

Here’s the deal: What we can be, we MUST be.

Period.

There’s no getting around that one.

So, turn off your TV. Put down your drink. Get off the medication.

Quit numbing yourself. The pain’s not going away.

Not until you thinkarete.

“thinkarete”?

Yep.

Gandhi got it. Einstein got it. Mother Theresa got it.

Tiger gets it. Gates gets it. Oprah gets it.

The Greeks got it.

Get this: Guys like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle said that if you want happiness you better live with areté--a word that literally means virtue or excellence but has a deeper meaning...something closer to “constantly striving to reach your highest potential.”

areté.

How beautiful is that? It was one of the highest ideals of Greek culture.

It should be one of ours.

Tragically, it’s not.

We seem to be more interested in resumes, accolades and 401k's.

Speaking of retirement...

Who came up with that? Work like crazy doing something we're not passionate about so we can accumulate enough money to pay the bills from our stress-caused illnesses while we complain about what we should have done when we were still young.

Hmmm...We can’t quite figure that one out. Seems like it makes a bit more sense to go ahead and dare to live now...

Why not thinkarete?

Live to your highest potential--moment to moment to moment.

Not in the mood?

Fine. Then live with regret, anxiety, and disillusionment.

Your call.

Think about it. When do we feel most alive?

Exactly. When we’re being ourselves--our highest selves.

You want happiness?

thinkarete.

Dream. Grow. Stretch yourself.

Rip off the tie. Jump out of the cubicle.

Dream. Think. Dare to be crazy.

What are you waiting for?

thinkarete.

Are you crazy enough to think you can change the world?

Good.

Now go out and do it.

Live. Love. Smile. Hug. Laugh. Dream. Do. Create.
Have fun. Be intense. Be audacious. Be unreasonable. Act impeccably. Breathe.

Be you. Be different. Get paid to do what you love. Dance in your underwear on your way to work...

Why not?

Ditch the tie. Escape the cube. Leave the 8-5. Trash the resume.

Ignore the critics. And the cynics. Burn the corporate ladders. Laugh at the ceilings.

Quit the bitching. Open your mind. End the laziness. Overcome the fear. Transcend the conditioning...

Why not?

Move the world.

Change the world.

Push the human race forward.

Whatever you call it, go out and do it.

When?

Now.

Not when you have enough money or once you do this or do that. That’s nonsense.

It’s not gonna be easy, but go out and live your dream. Now.

You deserve it.

And, if that doesn’t move you: The world deserves it.

thinkarete.

( Courtsey - Thinarete.com)

The bottom line...

Check out how much it is costing to keep a country liberated....
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

Think about it ...!!

“How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?”
~ Satchel Paige

Lonsome Dove!

Life in San Fransisco would still be just life. It is funny the thing that you are after are most are likely to disappoint you. As I see, the only healthy way to live is to enjoy these small llittle every day things...

(Robert Duvall to Diane Lane in Lonesome Dove)