Amused, are you? well don’t be so, for we all are on different rides, in this amusement park called life.

It’s the biggest, and that is why we find ourselves at different levels with multiple rides.

Some may be exhausting, some may be frightful, and others may be enjoyable, but eventually they are just rides we will one day step out of.

The question is whether we step out voluntarily while still in life or involuntarily at the end of it.

Bhanu tirelessly stands in the kitchen and cooks and cleans morning to night without respite, then Rhea gets no relief from her irate husband and inlaws and gets whacked by them almost every other day. She lives in fear and gets up at 4 am in the morning to clean the kitchen before her mother-in-law gets up.

Just what is this? Did they choose the rides? The turns and twists seem never-ending, a merry-go-round which nudges you to breaking point every time it takes a round.

Then there is this professional friend Gautam, who works hard for a living but refuses to take help from his father, wanting to prove a point that he is a self-made man. He struggled hard day and night and grew old wearing horse blinkers.

Well, it’s that game in the amusement park where you are blindfolded and asked to walk around unaware of the road ahead.

We have Anand, who takes so many risks in life as if he were attempting the free-fall ride, and there is Anu, who enjoys her life to the core, asking for more.

She ends up depressed after trying all the pleasant amusement games, and even after many repeats, she is unsatisfied.

Then Chetan dies of a stroke all of a sudden, as he could not handle the stress of business

Sickness and terminal illnesses have become common, and one doesn’t know where to go.

whether to get out of this park or to remain in it till we depart.

The most amusing part of this park is that one remains and is a part of the place, playing his/her role to amuse the other.

But some want to get out and are not worried about where they’ll go, and then some want to get out but are concerned about where to go.

“What is this, dear friend? Where do we go from here?” asks Premila, who wants to get out but doesn’t know how.

She’s been working her way around and opting for a change from the daily grind with its pain and sorrow. She looked pleadingly at Pramod, as he smiled at her.

“You know, Premila, we are all in the same boat, but there is a difference, and you’ll know it if you stop pleading with me or another or look for respite from anyone you see or imagine to be more sensible and powerful than you.”

The day you just look at your situation like an outsider, you will also observe that the ride you had been on is just futile leading you back to the starting point where you restart again. All the way you try to amuse yourself by amusing others.

But the day you stop all of it and watch, then that third window opens up, where as you look in, you find the key to your way out.

Believe me, it’s only difficult until you pause and then stop. But then you don’t pause, stay in fear, and cannot see anything beyond your sorry state on that scary ride,” for someone says,

“Don’t stop Premila, for as soon as your motion ends, you will fall into a dangerous dungeon just below.”

Who said this to whom? Pramod asked her, and then he continued,

“Remember those short questions in our exams and those we learnt at the end of each lesson.

In the exams, I would scramble to answer those questions first, as it ensured we got full marks in those.

The paragraphs were given, where so and so said something to so and so, and I would answer them promptly; Alice told  Dinah her cat, etc.

 But however brilliant I am in getting this part of the answer paper right, I can’t get this one right. I guess it’s time to pause and look, for this is not in any textbook. Do you see this one?  Are you scrambling to reach out to which passage you read this or where you heard it?

Well don’t do so. Stop and see, and feel the senses, and as you pause they seem to be passing on this message to you,

“Feel, look, taste, smell, and hear, remember to use us all as we were meant to operate, not experiencing us with the sensations of your mind. So be present as you sense through us, and then you will pause to feel the warmth of the glowing sun and see its wonderous glow as you look at it, you will hear birds singing in their melodious voices, and that is when the taste of nature’s fruits tastes like nectar, and as you stand under the jasmine tree solely within, you will experience its fragrance.”

There you go, for now, you know, as you hear your heart, beat in rhythm to nature’s tune, and then in the same breath, you hear it say, ” Stand on your own feet, and when you fall, get up on your own, for you have your back to back you up and rely not on the other’s.

That is when the free fall of life will be a free fall of free will and not some frightful fall filled with fear and anxiety.

“So here we go, the answer to who said to whom is :

The mind told Premila, to frighten her into relenting and living a frightful existence, but the heart came in and showed her the way out, out of the fearful park of life where one lived a heartless meaningless existence.”

Pramod stopped and looked at Premila, who just looked at him silently, unable to answer. Still, it was clear that she knew the answer, for she had to turn to none other than her heart to guide her along the mysterious paths of life and across the various so-called amusement parks and themes, which led to frightful fearful and disastrous journeys.

As a fetus in the womb, she felt she was cocooned,

It felt warm and safe and cuddled and nourished.

She stayed, but then as the days slowly passed by, she grew,

Into an intelligent mass who knew

that her days were numbered in the shelter and that she was being nourished for a reason.

Was she willing to go ahead? or was there another way out?

But why did she want a way out?

Wasn’t she here out of choice, so why were her feet suddenly on ice?

Well, she suddenly felt she tossed her coins to make her choice.

She didn’t know then, and nor did she know now.

She was entering the world again, but without a valid visa; her visa had expired aeons ago.

Then all of a sudden, this mass of intelligence knew she had to get there, for it all came back to her,

In bits and pieces, the story of her previous life, she saw it hadn’t ended.

The truth was in front of her, and she knew she had to get back and end it all.

For the previous end hadn’t ended, it swayed around her, beckoning her back once again,

” Enter the whirlpool once more, and I promise you’ll reach the end of it all.

So it wasn’t by choice that she was here, nor was it the toss of coins that made a choice,

She didn’t have a choice; she was to come again, to end it all once and for all.

So this intelligence mass propelled herself out into the vast world.

She had come in as a fighter, and now she knew why she had chosen this particular womb?

Her purpose was to fight her way out, and the characteristics were displayed by the owner of the womb.

Genetics played its part as nature defined it well. But her fight was different, and so was her destiny.

Out into the vast world, she wailed aloud as she got out.

The doctors said it was a good sign, and her lungs were healthy, but she knew,

She consciously came in, and even as the umbilical cord cut the bond between mother and child, she didn’t let go of the cord connecting her to that universal mind.

She had entered a whirlpool, where every human came in as intelligently and naively as she did,

But it was only when they stepped in, did they know they had blundered, and they cried to be comforted by cuddles and kisses,

Then in the comfort and warmth of love they received, they forgot their blunder and instead learnt to plunder.

The illusionary world had a lot of attractive booties, available only so you could grab and flaunter,

But to whom? To the ones who’ve come in, like you and me.

Then, a few entered the world to leave it at once, the stillborns.

Their intelligence told them, ” Hey, you’ve erred in your choice to enter the world, and it’s a whirlpool here”.

Leave at once, and so they left.

A few of us are born fighters, so we stick on until the end, for we know it is not a midway game.

Easy said than done, for there comes a mid-life crisis when you think you’re all done.

Oh no, no, no, it’s just the beginning of a new adventure, for life’s whirlpool does have its adrenalin rush,

It comes about in a gush, leaving us begging for more, and then that more stalks us until we’re done climbing uphill without the top visible.

Then as we huff and pant and think we have breathed our last, it comes in a warm fresh breeze, inviting us to cool our heels.

Even as we do so, we realise we have cooled off for another day’s heat. Off we go, all of us, chasing, swirling and rotating like never before.

Until a day when our bones crack, our heartaches, and our body says stop.

Then that is the day we stop and look out the window and realise the chase and race was to culminate here, where we were. So was it necessary?

But is it too late, or is there a chance of us turning wise?

Are we connected like her to the universal mind, which says, “stop, my friend, use my intelligence, “

And if we do so, we’ll see that the whirlpool doesn’t exist, for everything is calm and peaceful,

And the intelligence we thought was ours was not intelligence but fictitious pieces of the worldly mind.

Filled with glitter, greed, falsehood and fear, a happiness non existing as it brings in sadness too. desire and pleasure, leading to grief and pain.

She knew it all, for she gurgled through the cuddles and love and found her way out of life’s jungle gym.

As she wandered away, she knew she was there, for, amidst the whirlpool of life, she felt the peace and calm, the warmth of love and the light of intelligence.

She was at the very end and reached back home, never to wander again.

” I want no more”, said Revathy, as she spoke to her friend Sudha one fine morning, I’m the privileged one; I have everything at my disposal. Why should I want more?” “Great, I wish I could have a temperament like yours; wow, you are evolved,” replied Sudha in awe. Pleased with her state of mind, Revathy went on with her daily life with warmth in her heart and a hopeful vision to a positive attitude to whatever hurdles came her way. Now it so happened that a few days later, she was on her way to pick up her Ganapathy idol for the celebration of the Ganapathy festival, a customary practice she followed every year. He was visiting her home, bringing peace and prosperity to last for the entire year, and her feelings were full of sanctity and purity as she walked down the street. However, that day, she saw a spine-curdling incident that shook the core of her existence and got her out of her cocoon to shove her out in the open.

Two hooligans brutally assaulted a little girl just in her teens, and everyone around was terrified but could not act for fear of being attacked.

Revathy was not one to lay off but knew she was no match to the cold-blooded duo.

They were two boys in their twenties with sharp razor-edged knives, so even if she braved it up and went ahead to save the girl, did she think she would stand a chance of getting her out of the mess, let alone they survive? Suddenly life didn’t seem as hunky dory as she thought it was, or was she bringing in her thoughts of it not being so? In all honesty, Revathy felt she had no option, for if she didn’t confront them, she would not be able to face herself later. Focussing on the situation, she walked up to the two boys, who were taken aback at seeing a fearless lady walk toward them with no expression. Surprised and curious, they stood still awaiting her next move as she walked past the crowd and stood facing them. Her eyes were filled with sorrow but had a tinge of compassion. What were they trying to convey? Suddenly, the two boys got out of their vicious trance and looked up, wondering what they were up to. The frightened girl reached out to Revathy and held her tight. She shuddered as she suddenly realised she may not have been here at this moment. This seemed nothing short of a miracle, for just then, as Revathy looked at the boys, they broke down weeping incessantly. Wondering what transpired, Revathy looked at them enquiringly, and then the taller of the two spoke, ” We saw this young girl on the streets alone and decided it was time for an attack, for we needed to do so. We were the odd ones in our gang of hooligans who told us we did not have strive or guts. So here was a chance to prove them wrong, for this girl was vulnerable and an easy target. The devil had taken over, and we attacked her, and seeing her shivering and vulnerable, only enticed us further. It suddenly dawned on us that we were vicious and could terrorise. We were in league with our league.” As Revathy looked at them again and questioned why they stopped, they looked at her in amazement,” We don’t know what just happened, but looking at you look at us earnestly, we felt we were at the wrong side of the fence. As we saw you today, we realised that you were in a league of your own; you followed your own heart, and your mind conformed too. We were just conforming to a league we didn’t belong to. You have guts and are full of strive; you knew you had to intervene and were left with no choice. This was when fear let go of you, and you stood so tall in front of us that somewhere we realised we fell short. Apologising to the girl, they walked away, but not before promising that they would be true to themselves. Revathy stood stunned as the girl clung to her, weeping and thanking her simultaneously. What had just happened? Was it a miracle, or was it just a call from within? Was life so hunky-dory that you could wield it around the way you wanted? Revathy looked on, and as she did so, she found the answer. So when Revathy declared loud and clear, I was all ears, ” It’s just as simple, for life only gives you what you want it to; unfortunately, what we genuinely want is hidden beneath layers of conformity, attraction, competition, conditioning, and acceptance by a society whose very base is the foundation of all the above. So right now, isn’t this what we all want? Wasn’t this precisely what the boys wanted? Everyone wants to be accepted in the group or commune they grew up in or were exposed to, but then beneath all that is one’s real self  with feelings and compassion. That real self did not mean to become any of the above, however the self got swayed, for it obsessed with celebrating, rejoicing, and enjoying false glory”. That was when it didn’t hear the trapped voice behind every conditioning and conformity, “Please hear me out, get me out. I’m trapped”. Revathy looked on as the girl hugged her again, thanked her, and then it became more apparent. In all his glory, Lord Ganapathy came up before her and told her to go home, for he was already there within her. I’m with you forever; he smiled and vanished, for you are wise in your want.” Revathy smiled and walked back home, knowing that with Lord Ganesha by her side, life was no more a secret; it was well defined.

 

Yes it will, and it did.

Faith is one strong propeller that propels one onto the land of the rising sun.

Have faith man; the night can never be dark enough to hide the rising sun.

But yes, a mind so pessimistically dark, can hide away the glow of the sun, in more ways than one.

For the sun shows up anyway, on a dark rainy morning, as the clouds think they have their way,

The sun looks on letting them cover its brilliance, with a smile, as if to say, ” Hey, how did the morning be, without me”.

So hide me all you want; the optimistic brilliance will never miss my light, come rain or shine.

Now is it you or me who miss the optimistic brilliance? Or is it some dark pseudo gentleman at the centre table making us think so?

Well, well, said you to me, ” Do you think I’ll ever miss being optimistic? It is the pseudo at the centre table playing games with our brilliance.

Ha ha ha I laughed loud, for this is what I just expected.

“Why are you laughing so loud ?” said you, and I laughed again but added quickly, “Well, you forget the pseudo is us, for aren’t we living in a sham pretentious world?

The pseudo occupying the centre, pushing the real us away, for do you think it’s dark here?”

Now as I spoke, both of us went in to see what I meant.

Occupying the centre, the pseudo sat regally on his chair and looked at each of us firmly; I looked back at him sternly, as he said, ” What’s up with you? Go on be brave and bold, don’t sit around for too long, you’ll stagnate.

What have you done in life, yes agreed you raised children, did your duty managed to contribute towards the welfare of your family, but was this all you came here to do?

Find your purpose, do good, be good, be fearless, and until you do so, you will not be able to meet the brilliance of the rising sun.”

Pointing out at you he said, ” And you are tired and frail, because you feel you didn’t get what you want, right?

Yes, if you feel so, you are right, and now get your butt off that chair and work on attaining your goal; until then, know that you, too, shall miss the sun’s brilliance.”

Both of us looked at each other, and then laughed simultaneously, for we suddenly saw that it was all a sham.

The monster on the regal chair had no business to be there and command us, so both of us rushed towards him, and in one swift scoop, he was out.

Out of the chair, out of our lives, and both of us, you and I sat in the brilliance of the basking rays, singing away to glory.

All of a sudden, we knew we were where we were meant to be, and fighting against this state of being, took away the brilliance of light.

It’s dark and rainy, and dark clouds seem to possess the day, but we now know the question, ” will the Sun show up? is baseless.

For you know as I do, its brilliance is here permanently, it’s for ours to see through the storm, and all I’ll say is kudos to the ones who can see it amidst the storm.

Some have the pseudo gentleman still within, and they’ll jeer and say, ” What does this one know, what we are going through, forget about the sun; I can’t see candlelight in the darkness.

Know for sure, friends; they are not the ones who can oust the dark sham out of their lives.

Well, let’s tell them once to oust that dark gentleman ruling within, and know then for sure you’ll see what we just saw and will say and do what we do,

The brilliance of the sun we see all along, for the silver lining behind the dark cloud leads us on.

Come rain or shine; we are what we are and care two hoots to the pseudo who says you are not what you should be, and you do not have what you should have.

For as the pseudo fails to exist, the light of being what I am and what you are is all that is required in the brilliance of being.

What is it!” I exclaimed.

Is it your bday?

Pausing and not knowing how to react, she looked at me in silence, staring at the curiousity which lit up my face.

Hey, you there, she shouted out loud; today is here!

I know I said, but so what? What’s new?

That is it you dumbo, you sure are a moron.

Today is new in itself.

Want to know how?

Well then walk the path with me right now.

Bored and tired of the usual grind, I readily agreed.

She was waiting at the steps, waiting for me, and as I stepped out,

I wondered where she was, for never before had I seen her as I did then.

Not sure that it was her, I waited too at the top of the staircase, staring at the silhouette of this girl.

Wondering if I was mistaken, and perplexed at what to do then, I heard her call out to me.

Relieved that the voice was same, and there was familiarity in her voice, I slowly climbed down.

But I didn’t know this one, who was she?And how did she know me?

She, however, bred familiarity in unfamiliar grounds, for she called me a moron and a dumbo, and only one who knew you could do so, but she just wasn’t familiar.

I didnt know her, and decided to walk along, with no mind of my own.

So I walked and walked with her by my side, looking around the scenic gardens on the way.

They were there every day, but today was special for as I walked, I saw the roses flowering out of their buds.

The marigolds and the sunflowers, all invitingly beckoning, ” Look at us, for we too are here, sharing space with you,

The lovely banyan tree invitingly gave me a shade under it, and as I sat down, the world seemed wild and vast,

Looking around for my unfamiliar familiar friend, she was nowhere to be seen, and it was clear she preferred to be.

I sat down and couldn’t care less where she was, for I had just learnt to be.

Looking around with new eyes, the fragrance everywhere seemed new, too; everything was all here, and so was I.

I sat there alone and then suddenly was no gnawing pain, for it was real with me being just here.

What transpired yesterday was dead to me, and what could be a tomorrow was unknown.

I sat between the colourful flowers, and the variety of birds some pecking at morsels on the grass, the others flying high, soaring higher and higher.

The ducks swam in their lake homes, while the swans regally waded along in theirs.

Then is when a gust of breeze swayed along reminding me of a yesterday.

It bred familiarity, and it tried with real gusto to sway me away into a gone by day,

I smiled and let it kiss my cheek, challenging it cheekily,

Hey there, I’m not here to sway between yesterday and the day after today.

This haven just now is all that I have and want, and I’m not letting it drift away.

Go ahead and find your way, for your sway cannot lead me away.

I sat back and smiled as it passed away, leaving me where I am, right here and now,

And then, as I turned around, I saw her smiling again.

It’s today, it’s a new day, and I knew what she meant,

Suddenly as I saw her as she was, I knew she was me, as I was now meant to be.

Do you feel you can make a difference to the present state of our being.?

Maybe by teaching, lecturing, and sending good meaningful forwards through social media and other platforms?

For if you think you can change another’s perspective, please rethink.

And if you still think so, you live in an illusionary world.

Life’s illusions are attractive, so we quickly fall into their trap.

And the net is vast, for everything falls in its ambit.

The thought that you work for a good cause doesn’t escape its clutches.

Please do not misunderstand; I am not talking about the help you give to one in dire need. That is when you act as you see.

It is humane and compassionate if you see someone suffering to go out to help, take him to the hospital on time, or if you see someone hungry, you offer them food etc.

But trying to be righteous by thinking of doing good, being good and thinking of others is “Humbug.”

It gives instant gratification to your ego, leading you to a fraudulent purpose and boosting your persona.

This happened to me a few years ago when I thought I was doing things for a good cause, a very purposeful drive.

A green environment, pollution-free, clean locality, a task which just needed the right tweaking and conscientious individuals who needed to put in a little of their time.

I spoke convincingly,

“Believe me, I promise we will change the face of our lane, and it will be quite simple if we unite”.

Continuing, purposefully, “I assure you it will not take much of your time, as we can take turns doing the needful”.

One of them replied rather vehemently,

“But you see, we are busy, our daily schedule is tedious, and we cannot be as accessible as you are, so I don’t think it would be possible.”

Undeterred, I said, ” Don’t worry, you won’t have to do much, but a little bit, as we are so many, and we could take turns. Please volunteer on the days you can, and on other days I’m sure we’ll have others to volunteer to.

I thought giving back to society and the community we live in was understandable, for we owe it for our stay here.

It sounded great. I wanted everyone to participate in what I thought was a long-term goal.

The lane ladies reluctantly agreed, and our group was called ” Go Green”. We then formed a What’s App group under the same name.

There were over 75 members in the group, and initially, there was a lot of excitement, with promises of co-operation.

The group served its purpose of announcing meetings, assessing progress, and assigning duties to each other.

Inspiration led us to believe that we would create an ideal model of community living to be replicated all over.

“Let us create a model in our locality so it can be replicated”, we often mentioned.

So we formed an ALM for our locality and worked day and night to organise things. We were 4 to 5 active members who took up all the problems our locality faced right up to the BMC and the officers in charge.

Smt Jyotsana Dighe was the corporator at the time. She diligently listened to our complaints and queries and set up meetings with department heads to listen to and solve our problems, helping us find apt solutions for the same.

For about three years, we worked relentlessly, from 2014-to 2017.

The problem of hawkers, segregation of wet and dry waste, traffic congestion in our lanes due to wrong parking, and opening of various pubs and restaurants in residential areas and a massive school on our street lead to congestion and disorder.

A cleanliness drive was organised to bring awareness, where school children enacted the effects of pollution and non-segregation of waste, in short, increasing civic awareness etc.

Waste composite methods were discussed, and the BMC began recognising and working hand in hand with the residents.

Weekly fumigations and dry garbage vans were organised to pick up dry waste collected in all societies.

Meetings were set up, with the BMC heads of all departments, like town planning, traffic police, waste management, sewerage etc., to lodge complaints and find solutions for the same.

Though we were 5 of us in the forefront, we still needed everyone to put in their bit, in their societies, in helping us implement civic sense, segregation of waste etc.

More critical, we needed representation in large numbers at the BMC to voice our complaints to ensure effective action from time to time.

The first few meetings in our garden and the society office were fruitful, discussing segregation, garbage disposal, and recycling.

Members joined in, and things seemed to be looking bright.

Then after a few meetings, suddenly, things fizzled out.

Somehow the message received by the members was distorted. They thought it was our responsibility to organise things since we were the initiators.

It was not their concern, it was our dream to live in a clean, pollution-free environment, and they were obliging us by joining in.

Soon we were bombarded with calls from members of different societies to help them get through the BMC for their specific societal issues.

We kindly obliged, thinking they would understand the general needs too, as they did their specific ones.

Then as we organised meetings with all the BMC officers of different departments to take up the causes of all issues ( Traffic police, town planning, garbage etc.) we faced, we needed their attendance, which was a big block.

They were not willing to come out of their cocoon and steered away.

Soon the Go Green group became another What’s App group, which forwarded soul-rendering messages with replies like WOW, Great and beautiful emojis.

“The ladies used it to promote their businesses and advertise on it, like”Pl forward to friends our latest designs etc., for more details contact so and so”.” etc.

That is when I realised that only realisation helps you change. I also realised that I had expectations from the others and that friends are a dooms call.

If I realised, as did the other four, it was ours to go ahead without expecting from the others.

We just had to do what we could and eventually did so.

That is when I realised there is no such thing as changing anyone or expecting anything from the other.

I asked myself, ” Why do you expect anything? and a new realisation set in.

Do I pause and think about them? Their state of being, and where they stand. For friends, conditioning, and past experiences define you as a person, unless you are willing to shed it all and see life as it is today.

Then the definition of you cannot be defined. You are new today and will see things as they are today.

No past can influence you, and no future is doomed, for you will be the change to a new change.

History will not repeat; foras we welcome a new era, it will change.

It’s simply that simple.

And as you move ahead on the long path in life’s journey, aware of what you see, you dodge the ferocious lion and the venomous snake on your way by changing your course.

But it is sad to see that most of us are asleep, and we cannot see the ferocious lion and the venomous snake.

We haven’t reached there yet, for we move about in circles, mechanically living life, cooking, cleaning, earning money, etc., and live in sleep, in a world of illusions,

And if you’ve moved ahead out of illusions and see the lion, tell the rest, ” Watch out there is one round the corner, ” they look at you suspiciously and say, ” Is there one? I can’t see it, though”.

Then they carry on their mechanical work relentlessly until such time when the lion overpowers, and an accident occurs.

And if you think things will change, do not think, for that is “Break time” dearies, until the accident is repaired, and then back to sleep for most of us.

The ones who awaken can join the bandwagon of the aware ones, who know that as the sun sets each day, theirs has not been wasted..

They have dodged the ferocious tiger and the venomous snake on their path.

Today, we are faced with the most ferocious lion and venomous snake approaching us in the form of environmental damage.

But we cannot see it, as we are ” Gainfully Occupied “, we pay taxes, and so are licenced to litter, spit, create dirt and pollution, wastewater, and power, and do all sorts of damages to the environment”.

If anything goes wrong, we have te government to condemn, and those who are stupid enough to take up such causes.

Believe me; they will not be able to change a thing, for we are the change.

Unfortunately, the ones who don’t understand the above, are in majority, and so we can get no respite unless our numbers increase.

” Sorry Mother Earth, as we see you breathe your last, can we do something?

Can we stop by and give everyone a piece of mind, telling them to stop any further damage to its giver.

But will they lend their ear?

No, said Earth, but it’s not too late yet.

Go ahead and transform yourself first, ” Be the change you want”.

It’s not OK, dear, but then you don’t get deterred, do your bit.

For as you do yours, the one next to you, sees you and is inspired as well.

Slowly and steadily, you’ll see a change, a new revolution will begin.

All I can say is that the only way to change, is to change, and if you know it, ” Just Do it.”

Change, but don’t waste your time telling the other to.

So saying, it faced the ferocious storm, which washed away most of its material elements.

Friends, your realisation is your change. Then , you will know of the poisonous snake or ferocious lion ahead..

Then instead of sleeping in the illusionary lullaby of countless heart-stirring designed to stir your heart outwardly, you will go inward and stop being distracted by them.

Then you’ll be content as you will see the actual content of what is.

“WHAT IS” is reality.

.The rest is all HUMBUG.

“Oh, just shut up,” I say as I push away the wandering mind which comes up again with those righteous thoughts of doing good.

“Come on, do some good work, join an NGO, form a trust, teach the poor, etc. it urges, and that is when I feel that I am not true to myself and want to establish a persona of the righteous.”

Pushing away such thoughts, I tell myself to mind my own, and surge ahead on my path, to raise my level of being.

This is my arena, and I will always act according to my state.

Then, mindfully minding my own, I realise I’ve done it all. It’s as simple.

For each one minding their bit is the only solution to a better world. The rest is all “HUMBUG.”

Is this a topic for a blog? I kept contradicting myself till I finally decided it was.

So here I am. Again I’m at a loss for words, and as the cursor moves on, I’m stuck where I am.

But the cursor propels me on, so the first question I ask the girl next door is, ” Are you Lucky”?

My young neighbour looks up at me and smiles, ” Of course I am.”

Expecting to write a tragic thesis on her life, I was stunned. ” Are you sure”? I ask her again.

Yes, I am, she replied. Am I dreaming? I asked myself

I see her and her husband slog for a living, and I wonder, ” Really,” I ask her surprised.

Startled, she replied, “Yes, I am lucky for I have all that matters—the love of my life and the food for living it up.

Here seemed to be a revelation which might unfold into the latest thesis of being in luck no matter what.

Inspired, I sat her down as she began.

“I got married two years ago, but within a few months of my marriage, my husband faced a crisis in his business, and all of a sudden, it seemed as if life had ended before it started.

In the beginning, I was devastated and questioned the concept of life, wondering when I would get relief from hardships.

Then I remembered my earlier days at the orphanage, where food was scarce, work was tiring, and I also remembered that I had tided over.

Living at the orphanage, we worked hard and went hungry most of the time.

One night as I lay in pain and discomfort, due to hunger, I decided not to fight it anymore. I saw my hunger and accepted it, ” Yes, I am hungry”, and I don’t know how to satiate it”, I told myself.

A ray of light came in towards me and the bunker bed I lay on, and then I saw myself on the bed I lay on.

Suddenly I felt we were companions, and together we could have a great night. So I told myself, ” Good night, sweetheart, have a wonderful night”.

Then, I drank a glass of cold water in a deft move and went into a slumber on the top bunker.

That was when I discovered a new world.

A world in my dreams. Maybe you could call it my body’s coping mechanism or whatnot, but this was it, sweetheart.

So every night in my dreams, I went to wonderland, where I lay under the open sky and stared at the stars, counting them as blessings. There was where I found Alladin’s little genie, laying out my favourite dishes.

I ate to my heart’s content and was satiated, and the next day always had me high on spirits, counting my blessings.

I had the bunk bed and it was exclusively mine.

Moreover, I was free to eat at no cost to my wallet or health, payment-free, and insured against cholesterol, obesity and diabetes.

So I guess today’s deal is what one can call being in luck.

Hardships seemed to have their value too.

What say, you dear friend?

I’ve become resilient and learnt to live life king size. For the grass is always greener on my side.

I was amazed and startled. I had nothing to tell her but only looked at her in wonderment.

Hearing her out, I remembered my mother’s precise words, ” Adversity has its advantages”.

They are not sour grapes but sweet ones if you realise them.

Then I look at my sister, Shilpa, who had five eye surgeries, two of them were cornea transplants, and faced with multiple health issues, smiling her way through all of them; a brave, kind-hearted soul, full of compassion and that is when I connected the dots.

It’s true, guys!! Strength is in the spirit to endure without it losing its essence. Resilience doesn’t come easy, but there are no odds when it does.

Looking at my writing, I wondered why I wrote what I did. Indeed this was not how I wanted to convey it.

This may not be what would generally be termed luck. But to me, it is to be lucky to be in an everlasting happy state of mind no matter what.

I wanted to bring out the factor of being lucky, having happy thoughts, attracting the correct energies, doing a lot of prayers chanting mantras etc.

They may sound nicer and more accessible than facing adversities that life has in store. But there are no shortcuts in the twists and turns of life.

Accept them, face them remembering their impermanence. They definitely are stepping stones to the path ahead, which is full of the highs and lows.

Friends’ life can be cruel and kind too, but lucky are the ones who feel blessed no matter what.

Maybe you would call it wishful thinking, but I guess when one has been pushed over an edge, the saving grace is a sledge, which helps you tide over.

The edge prompts a nervous breakdown, but to one who trusts, he sees the sledge at the edge and rests awhile.

Then as he regains his energies, a pathway opens up, leading him to a natural wonderland.

When errors turn into comedies, you know you are on the sunny side up.

Walking across the street the other day, I saw two children haggling over a silly toy.

I thought, “What a futile waste of energy?

But then, little did I know that they were meant to be. They had to expel energy to welcome it again.

Then they fought harder; the older child pushed, the younger one causing her to fall.

Undaunted, she rose and retook her stand. This went on and on, and one day as adults, they too realised it was futile.

When did the one day appear, sooner or later?

Did it happen soon enough for them to realise that errors are comical, or did it happen later for errors to convert tragical?

Well, friends, it’s time again.

Did I hear you say,” For what?

I don’t know for what, but this I do know, we’re at it exploring further.

As I write this down, I’m yet to traverse on the page below, which is empty, and as I look at the blanks, I’m conscious of not letting my words drown.

So here we go, staying abreast in the stream, we move on to another comical error.

The girl next door was stuck up, I was sure, for her upstart looks and snobbish attitude said it all,

She pulled an unoccupied chair off my table, breezing it away with a haughty glare.

My eyes red with anger, I got up to flare, when my friend beside me, said: ” Shh. be quiet”.

Undeterred, I turned around to tell her off when a loud noise startled me. Two hooligans entered just then, turning tables in a fraction of a second.

My flared anger ( Target revised) glared at the hooligans as I swore under my breath, ” How dare you?

But before I could attack, they came to the table next to me and dragged away “Miss Snooty.”

Then that was when I gaped, for before I ran to her rescue, she was on it, as she warded hooligan no 1, by punching him, at that vulnerable spot which was meant to hurt the most.

As he staggered and fell groaning in pain, the other one caught her unawares, and as she stood helpless, about to resign in defeat, I reached her.

Sensing I would attack him, the man let her go and pounced on me. Unawares and unprepared, I would have fallen prey if not for our snooty friend.

As soon as he let her go and caught hold of me, she bit his hand, gnawing into his flesh and held on till he was yelping, loosening his grip on me.

Then both of us signalled to each other through perfect eye movements. As our eyes coordinated, we managed to pin them down; she contributed with karate blows, and me with the forceful energy of my anger.

Soon the restaurant authorities took over, and as the hooligan’s game got over, ours had just begun.

I was faced with Miss snooty, who now appeared anything but snobbish.

We laughed, and as I laughingly told her, how I had felt about her. She answered, “It’s funny, but you appeared the same to me.”

And now don’t gape, as I let the cat out of the bag, for we had met earlier at Bela’s party, and as we argued over the political scenario then, we created an image of the other.

” The snob thinks she’s right and can’t see my viewpoint; who does she think she is blah blah and blah… I chattered on till I concluded, ” She’s a B….”

And she thought I was a self-centred wanna be who couldn’t be.

So we had erred, but we had the good fortune to reverse it. As we told each other our stories, we realised we were amid a comedy.

As I laughed heartily recollecting this episode, I stumbled on, “It’s time to convert your errors into a comedy rather than live in the darkness of tragedy.

Time and again, we meet people of all sorts, some suit us, our temperament and our thinking, but most often than not, most don’t.

Please don’t brandish them; go along, and listen to them, accepting them. Here is where we develop a relationship. A relationship to love and cherish. A relationship that is the core of living.

Relating to everyone and all around, conflicting none. Errors of understanding need to be understood, thus paving the way towards the light.

Remember the times when you erred and then understood that you erred. That hearty laugh, the light giggle, brings you to the sunny plane.

Then the times when relationships drew you apart, into the black hole of hate, hurt and conflict. One came and passed out of life most of the time, holding hurt and resentment. For what?

Was your life to begin and end tragically? Just because you erred and couldn’t realise the hurt caused by the error was nothing but your image of the illusion, you created, calling it life.

Well, wake up, dear friend, and make up with estranged friends and family. On your backside awaits two opposites, one confidant of your decisions, knowing you would choose it over the other.

The confidante one today is none other than the tragedy king, who, of course, makes his mark most often than not, but undeterred is the comedy king.

Yes, the comedy king versus the tragedy king. For king you are in your own right, but somehow tragedy always feels it has the upper hand.

That is when you may ask, why are inclinations towards the negative, making life a tragic one. Why are we inclined towards austerity, hardships creating a sorrowful existence for attainment of Nirvana?

Why are we so ready to judge people in the negative? Can we see ourselves for what we are before seeing the other?

What is the inadequacy I see in the other? Does it belong to me? Is it my own?

And then I see it as it is, I put everything aside, my idea, my view, my temperament, and then I go along calmly coolly, watching, aware, washing away earlier errors, as I move ahead, away from tragical paths, thus crowning the comedy king.

I see comics in life’s twists and turns, each one leading you to a new turn. It sometimes causes errors, but they vanish in your innocence of being, leaving you light and alive.

This post is dedicated to our dear friend Sneha Madhrani, whose death left a void in our lives.

I was sitting by the window, overlooking the home’s window, which was once hers, when memories flooded in.

Her bubbly, welcoming smile and pleasant demeanour never leave my vision, and this is when I question my reason.

Is my vision so limited that all I can see is just this? Is there more than what I just caught?

For death just seemed an extension of life. Here she was with us some moments ago, and now she just happened to go.

As I looked deep down, the void out here was in there too, but then suddenly, I stumbled on a block.

The block which blocked my vision did not let me see further, for the moment I craned my neck and tried to look beyond, it came in between and led me away, onto a path I could see.

The path I could see seemed cool and cosy; it was full of posies and roses, it was familiar.

Yes, I got back to the path and ways of the world, following the norms of society and the age-old theory, “life goes on doesn’t stop for anyone.”

The show must go on, so saying I went back to living life the way it was to be lived.

But then I paused, for something was amiss. Yes there was something I missed.

For seeing my beautiful, spirited friend dying, I saw the light she meant to convey.

Then as I wanted to reach out, life pulled a fast one, caught me in its grip with its glitter, trying to hide the bitter.

But I discovered better and shook myself, hard telling myself, “What you do?

Can you not see that life and death are but one, for as one passes over, it seems the night is over, as it’s the break of a new dawn.

But then how would you know? For your night is never over, you sleep through the day as if it is the night”.

“How,” I ask myself? Well, friends, it’s no different. ” For as the night passes over, comes the day, and if you learn to live life, you learn to die to it too.

The phenomenon goes on and similarly within us too. But since we have not learnt what life is, we’ll never learn what death is.

Sometimes I wonder, what is it that is hard to understand?

The fact that life and death are one or that as one comes in, one has to depart.

Oh, why oh, why are we so helpless and miserable?

But then, after all the hurt and misery, we get back to daily living, struggling and fighting against a tide that eventually arises as destined.

We struggle against an eventuality which is naturality, and forget about living altogether.

I sat silent and still, and then I stumbled on these beautiful words, which appeared as quickly and naturally as was meant to be.

(We put death beyond the walls, beyond the movement of life. It is something to evade, to avoid.

The question is what is living and what is dying? The two must be together, not separate.

If we learn about living, we’ll learn about death, and learning is in the now.) An extract from the biography of J. Krishnamurti by Pupul Jayakar.

It’s a new day, every day, life and death come in simultaneously. Once we learn to live now, we learn to die now too.

Living is dying, but we hold on to a yesterday, not here. So we cling to the past, not letting go. and live in it, dying to the now.

Can we walk through life as innocently as we came in? Can we shed all the experiences, the conditions, the knowledge as soon as we enter another walk in life?

If so, then we know that death is a part of living, for as we live in the moment, we die to it too.

Then the very fear we fear is the key to the lock of fearlessness.

The fear of not being is in our genetic makeup, and when we look at it consciously, we realise it’s a part of us, our very makeup.

So dear ones, let’s face it and live consciously today, dying every day, every moment to the past, then darlings, what we are is not what we became.

But purely so, we are able to be in the state of being, without the conflict of becoming, and when there is only the state of being now and here, there is no past and no future.

Then life and death go hand in hand, in the timeless zone.

As I conclude, I know for sure, dear Sneha, you are in the space of love and well being, and your smile will always remain a part of our being.

The future is not ours to see Que Sera Sera, The lyrics of this song, snapped a cord from within,

Will I be rich, pretty, handsome, successful, have children, live a life full of everything excellent?

I will; I won’t? Remember the game we played as kids ” He loves me, he loves me not, where we peeled petals of a flower, and the answer to our query depended on the phrase at the last petal pluck.

If at all the last pluck had the negative phrase, we’d start over, hoping this time it would be the positive one last.

Now dearies that indeed was dumb, or wasn’t it? Look at it in any way; it seems just the same.

Suddenly, a sweet realisation sets in, and that is, “what does it matter?”

Now if you really want to know what matters, then close your eyes and look within..

You’ll see dark space with a spec of colour, which slowly gradually lights up into bright space.

There you go!! You know now what matters.

Just follow the dark spec intently.

Today, we are blind to the morrow, so why hunt out for the morrow when you can see your spot today.

No matter what will be, your today is as you see it, right here and now.

When the focus shifts from anticipating light in the morrow, to working on the spec of colour today, there it is. A bright finish.

As you paint on the canvas of now, the focus on your hands holding the paintbrush brings about the beautiful hues of colour on the canvas; you feel a sense of wholeness. And as you love your painting, you know that this is what matters.

Then comes the morrow, with a wicked grin, eradicating the painting. But then, as you look at it destroyed, you suddenly wonder, ” Does it matter? “

Does it or doesn’t it?

You had your joyous moment and were one with the painting while you painted it, and you loved it, so that was what mattered. And now you’re on to another one.

You’re enjoying focussing on the present one, and then I come in and tell you the painting you made yesterday was ruined.

You don’t bat an eyelid and continue on your present one. I look at you in surprise, telling you to come and see the destroyed one.

But you continue with your work smiling at me. Exasperated, I leave.

Well done, my friend, you’ve understood the game of life. For what is yours is the moment you are in. And these moments make up the film of life.

Each moment is important in the frame of life, and all the moments together form the broad picture.

Then all that matters is the joy of doing, and not the joy in anticipation.

When you’ve done your bit, you sleep sound,

And then as I say Que Sera, you say,” Whatever will be will be”,

For the future is not ours to see, so what does it matter,

And then you turn over, enjoying your moment of blissful slumber.

This is living and life, hold on to it while it is here.

For as you hold on to it minute by minute, it never really goes,

For it goes on and on, from the sunny hills to the darkest tunnels, and as you take a deep breath in the dark, you realise it’s not as scary as you think it is, for you lived each moment, fully and wholly,

So as the light came so did the dark.

Well, I didn’t like it, did you? Ah, there you go again. Did I ask you to like it or dislike it?

But to just look at it, and as you see the dark, you accept it wholly, for that voice within says,

As you accept the light so accept the dark.

Seeing no way out I decide to go with that tiny whisper, for as I live here in the dark hole, I realise it’s a part of the bigger picture.

So as I see the big picture, Alas what do I see?

The black and white amalgamated as one, each moment moving on in the timeline of life. Some black some white, some dark some bright.

Where am I ? In it or away watching intently.

I moved out to watch, fellas, and I saw my role.

My role in the stream of life was to flow on, dare I hold on,

I know I won’t now, for I am satiated; I’ve had my fill.

The painting I painted today had it all. And as I observe the hand that holds the brush, It moves up and down,

No mind, no thought, just the movement of the brush on the canvas says it all.

Just the movement at the moment, was it all?

Suddenly different hues shaped up on the canvas

The dark, light, dull, and bright amalgamated to form this wonderful painting of life.

It’s the same within and without, and will remain so if unlabelled.

Now the understanding of the dark and light, gives solace to the heart, and with it follows Joy.

It causes my heart to skip a beat.

As I look up, something strangely catches my attention; it’s the biography of Krishnaji by Pupul Jayakar.

As I see his face full of passion and love, I feel the magnificence of his presence as I’m carried on to the realm of the real.