Sedated Bliss

The inspirational story of Shreesh Maharaj

2011-01-16T20:37:00.003+05:30

Jan 2011

i am writing after a long time and more so because of an urge to share a beautiful story of someone whom i consider to be one of the biggest success stories in life. This is the story of a person called Shreesh Jadhav, a monk and teacher who resides in Belur as a member of the Ramakrishna Mission where he is also known as Swami Sarvottamananda but more often as Shreesh Maharaj. There is pretty much written about him on the internet as i found out so instead of replicating his story , i'll simply provide some links to give a background. Here's how it all began for me:

Sometime around in 2008, on a Sunday morning, i happened to chance upon an article in the Sunday supplement (the four odd pages on glazed paper called 'Times Life') of The Times of India. The article was written by an ex IITian, Mr Rahul Awasthi who got to meet Shreesh after a long time and was very impressed with what he had achieved. Click here for the article. In addition to read all the comments on the above article click here. The comments by Mr Amitabh Thakur who i later learnt was the ex SP of Bhubaneswar, my hometown, and Mr Sandeep Kumar are particularly informative.

There is another interesting article by Sandeep Pandey who later went on to win the Magsasay award and was also one of the instrumental forces behind the Right to Information (RTI) act. This article mentions that Shreesh had sat on a strike with him at IIT for the cause of the mess workers (also mentioned by Mr Awasthi in his article). To read the article click here. He was also recognized as a distinguished alumni by IIT - click here.

Ever since i read that article by Mr Awasthi in The Times of India, i had an intense desire to meet him. But never having lived in Kolkata for more than a few days each time i went there for holidays, this possibility always seemed to elude me. However this time as i happened to be there throughout the Christmas and New year period, i decided to fulfill this wish. Around new year i called the guys at Belur who connected me to him. He jokingly told me that no formal procedure or appointment was needed to meet a 'sadhu' and hence i could just drop in. So on the 2nd of Jan 2011, a Sunday, I hopped on to a bus at around 4.30 in the afternoon from the Esplanade bus stand in Chowringee in central Kolkata to meet Shreesh Maharaj. By around 6 pm i was at Belur Math. He invited me to his office and asked for tea.

The first thing that struck me about Shreesh Maharaj was his warmth and his cheerfulness. In the course of our discussion he told me that Rahul Awasthi was his hostel mate at IIT Kanpur. They lived in adjacent rooms. Rahul had challenged him that he will eventually succumb to materialism and that is why he was shocked and impressed when he had come to meet Shreesh. Shreesh also told me that Rahul published the article without asking him. On asking him what prompted him to become a sadhu, he said it wasn't any particular incident but rather a chain of events. In fact in his college days, he said he used to go to temples with friends and blasted the priests whom he thought wanted to monopolize religion to themselves.

Regarding the mess workers strike (refer to the links above), he had an interesting story to tell. Apparently, the entire IIT establishment was against him for challenging their might. But the professors of the Computer Science department were all in his support. As per him there was a reason for this. Computer Science being a relatively new subject had all young professors who were as hot blooded as him and very much willing to go against the neo-classicism of the professors of the other established departments like electrical, mechanical, civil etc whose professors were all old and thus wanted their stranglehold to remain across the system. To the younger lot , Shreesh was a means of challenging the establishment. But there is something even more interesting as i was told. When Shreesh was on strike, the old professors tried to expel him but they could not because Shreesh had very very smartly applied for leave and had been granted the same b y his CS department for the duration of the strike. Thus the CS professors argued on behalf of Shreesh saying that how can someone be booked for indiscipline for actions while not in session. The support for him was just too much for the big shots and they had to relent although that cost him the president's gold medal at IIT as pointed out by Mr Sandeep Kumar as a professor gave him a 'B' in sociology to take his revenge. However, as pointed out by Mr Awasthi, the strike was a success.

I also asked him how he felt when his Phd research had been plagiarized He paused for some time (i presumed he felt hurt) but was gracious enough to tell that he had moved on and it didn't matter any more. As an afterthought, he said he is sometimes amused that why did he do a Phd in Computer Science when he was perhaps destined to be a Sadhu. I added perhaps so that he could teach the subject to others at Ramakrishna Mission's engineering college. He broke out into laughter. I learnt that he was to go to Coimbatore for some teaching assignment. He attributed all this to what he termed 'Karma Yoga'. As per him all should be engaged in some socially productive work, a monk included. He also tole me that he still is in touch with all his mates who pay him a visit when in Kolkata. As a matter of fact Sandeep Pandey had come to meet him recently. All in all i could sense that he was a very content man who had eventually found the formula for happiness. I took his leave and wished him well in his noble endeavor.

On my return journey, looking outside the bus window i could not help but reflect on the fact that Shreeshs' example is testimony to the inescapable fact that while there might not be anything wrong inherently, in pursuing our goals, whether materialistic or not, at least some of our life needs to be spent for the upliftment of others who might not be that well endowed or fortunate. Perhaps it need not always be with money but maybe some of our time, or maybe partially if not in full measure, no matter how small or insignificant the effort might be. And perhaps the effort need not be anything more than the minimum that one can offer within ones ability. Somewhere during my way back, i am reminded of Rabindranath Tagore's quote - Life is given to us, we earn it by giving a part of it to others. It leads me to conclude that the opposite of love isn't hate. It's apathy.

As i wonder whether Shreesh Maharaj be called a success story, given that he has not made much money in his lifetime, i figure that how rich we are is not defined by how much we have but rather by how less we need. Henry David Thoreau had once said - That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.

I reckon by that measure, Shreesh Maharaj is the biggest success story of the IITs, even more than IITians who went on to make millions.

The life of Shreesh Maharaj is a wonderful example of an indomitable spirit, undaunted courage of conviction and above all, loftiness of character. In a world where much of our activity these days is nothing more than a cheap anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life, Shreesh Maharaj stands tall with his head held high.

As i get up in the morning, to start all over again the endless cycle of chasing that ever elusive goal of success and riches and money that we all have been so effectively programed to achieve, i am reminded of a punchline which i had seen on TV while watching cartoons as a kid:

"Tom never gets Jerry - not in his lifetime".

Shreesh Maharaj, makes one realize how true it is...

NB* i recommend every one to meet this good soul at least once in your lifetime. If anyone wants to know how to get in touch with him, let me know. i'll be glad to help.

Mother's day special

2010-05-08T00:50:00.002+05:30

May 2010

In continuation of my tryst with movies for special occasions here's one specially for mother's day (hyperlink below).

Under The Same Moon (La Misma Luna - Spanish)

Listen for the stream

2010-02-20T05:29:00.001+05:30

February 2010

Listen for the stream
that tells you one thing.

Die on this bank.
Begin in me
the way of rivers with the sea.

Jalaluddin Rumi
Translation by Coleman Barks.

A few good Valentine movies.

2010-02-12T18:19:00.004+05:30

February 2010

Valentine’s Day is the usual time of the year when cupid strikes. Emotions (and passions eh!!) are on a high. People start planning weeks before. And from what I’ve noticed growing up, the plans often follow a pattern according to one’s age. The common ones that I’ve figured in the order of aging are:

For the 9th graders who’ve just started out - An ice cream at the mall.
For the ones in college - A movie and dinner.
For newly weds - A movie and dinner (candlelight).
For couples with small kids - Add an evening at the park and cut out the candlelight.
For couples with teen aged children - Nothing. This is interesting coz I can relate. My parents grew up in West Bengal on communist propaganda where frugality was virtue. To them Soviets were heroes and this was American strategy to enable their greeting card companies gain a foothold in other markets (Archies wasn’t around then) and spread capitalism around and obviously their thoughts din make any sense to me at all. I remember nothing special happening between them on this day. It was jus like any other day all because of their belief system.
For parents with grown up kids: Watching their kids make it out and then wish that only if such things existed in their time too and if they cud turn the clock back.
For old people - Sex on steroids!!! (Ok, this was to make u laugh ! Trust me i’m not paid to promote Viagra !!! Now lets get back to work).

I find the third category most appealing (nothing to do with me personally since I don belong to that category in the first place). But here I’m gonna leave out the dinner part or the candles (both very romantic indeed but some other time on them) and talk about the movies.

So here are my recommended valentine movies. The basis on which I’ve chosen them is not cinematic excellence (that explains why there isn’t ‘Gone with the wind’ or ‘Casablanca’). In fact the movies that I’ll mention are pretty average academically. But the only reason I’ve put them here is that they have that ‘feel-good’ factor. They leave behind a soft mushy residue which u think about at night when u sleep (and admit it fantasize putting urself in the boy or the girls place !!). To make a long short, they just make ur day! Also I wont be writing bout movies that are famous and in all probability u must have seen already countless number of times in Star Movies and HBO. That explains why u won’t find movies like Pretty Woman (voted as the best Valentine movie of all time), You’ve Got Mail, Noting Hill, Nine Months etc. There are also movies which are famous but which i din like at all like 'When Harry Met Sally' and 'Sleepless in Seattle'. But rather I’ll write about movies that may not have been very famous but are upto the task as far as that ‘feel good factor’. They are soft, mushy and do make a dent. Also I have avoided movies which have a sad ending for it obviously doesn’t make any sense seeing them on Valentine’s Day. That’s why I din mention Titanic (get the point now). Also, let me give the disclaimer that these are the best Valentine movies only among the ones that I have seen and can remember at this point and not necessarily of all time. There might be other great movies that I might have not come across so please don treat this list as exhaustive by any means. Lastly the order I’ve mentioned them is in the order of my liking with the most liked ones at the top and decreasing onward.

Tum Bin (2001): This movie tops my Valentine list. And yes i am aware some of u may not agree and i respect that too... But remember nowhere am i saying that this is the best love movie on earth. Its just that on Valentine's day, it'll be a very good watch. Some of u must have seen this on TV. I have a soft corner for this movie. The movie, although not a blockbuster, maybe because it starred all newcomers, nevertheless did decent business. But believe me u can’t judge a movie by the money it makes (Swades flopped right!). The songs (and almost all of them) were very melodious. In spite of very high emotional drama, this has a happy ending. Shot in Canada, the visual effect is absolutely stunning. Every actor has done justice to their role. According to me, a perfect Valentine movie. While i cun find any formal trailer, i am giving a few decent links below of whatever i cud come across (the second link actually more for the beautiful song). Watch it if u haven’t already. Most of u will like it. And that’s a guarantee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpXRsjj827s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0UgsSBG9K8

Stuart little 1 (1999) and 2 (2004): This is an exception I admit because it’s famous. It really doesn't matter what age you’re in, u’ll like this movie. The reason I mention part 1 is because its shows love within the family (this compels even a cat to take on his mates to protect Stuart). If at all u decide to watch both, see it in sequence to enjoy it the most. The reason I mention this as a Valentine movie is because in the second part Stuart actually gets smitten by the bird (Margelo I guess) and determined to save her from the clutches of the ‘Falcon’ even risking his life. This was the movie that had the very famous song ‘I’m Alive’ by Celine Dion later included in her album ‘A New Day Has Come’. Just watch the video of this song where u have Stuart flying his tiny airplane to fight the Falcon and save Margelo with the entire New York City watching and cheering for him. That was really romantic – and brave. Although Margelo leaves Stuart at the end, the reason I mention it here was because when Stuart's dad asks what was the silver lining he replies ‘She’ll be back in spring’. And that to me was a happy ending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L2rz7oHpF4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo78SPZbFTs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdOnonnkbbI

Wimbledon (2004): John McEnroe and Chris Evert play commentators in this movie in a special appearance. The DVD cover mentions it to be a romantic comedy. But don get swayed by that for according to me I cun really understand what was so comical about this movie. To me it’s a beautiful romantic drama that really touches your heart. In fact I wud advise don even see the trailer coz it completely distorts the theme of the movie which eventually turns out to be so different. Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) is at the end of his tennis career current ranked a hundred something on the ATP circuit who’s never won a tournament in his life. He decides to play Wimbledon one last time. When the tournament begins he meets the women’s top player Lizzie something (Kirsten Dunst) who is in top form and is like the Maria Sharapova of tennis. Inspite of his failing form Lizzie sees a feeble glint of potential inside him. Paul makes a last ditch effort to win Wimbledon and along with it, the heart of a rising superstar. Watch this. Trust me you wont be disappointed.

Little Manhattan (2005): Its all about first love. This beautifully narrated movie tells the story about Gabe, a 12 year old who has fallen in love with Rosemary Telesco. They both live in ‘Little Manhattan’ area in New York City and hence the name. Shot on location this movie will create nostalgia and make u recall the various emotions we undergo when we like someone for the very first time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YkdKgyK1kM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTeatI6pYtM

Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993): Agreed. u’ve heard of this. According to me one of Shah Rukh Khan’s best movies. I really liked his innocent acting here. I wud recommend this movie to anyone who is alone this year or has had a heartbreak recently, for this movie very sweetly portrays moving on and that there is life even if u don always win in love. And who knows, u may even end up with someone as good, if not better! Suchitra Krishnamurthy looks very fresh, sweet and innocent. Lastly the songs are good too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDF08vSoLhc

Choti Si Baat (1975): I sometimes wonder why does every great movie need to be an epic and what happened to the art of simple storytelling. Amol Palekar was an actor whose movies were so simple and yet so elegant. In this movie, he plays a simple guy who is madly in love with Vidya Sinha but due to his innocence is a moron when it comes to love. To add to it there is Asrani who also fancies Vidya and hence adds to his woes, spoiling his plans every time. Amol needs help. And he gets help from Ashok Kumar who is an ex serviceman and a Mr. know it all from whom the entire world seeks suggestions including Amitabh Bachan who plays himself in a one minute special appearance. In the end the old man’s training pays off and Amol wins the heart of Vidya. This is a very light hearted movie so don’t expect heavy emotional drama. But trust me, it’ll make u’r day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqSmkcsdebA

Jerry Maguire (1996): Yes this movie is famous too but the reason I mention this is because of great lines in this movies. The line ‘You Complete Me’ said by Tom Cruise to Renee Zelwegger was voted to be the most romantic line in movies once. Also Renee’s reply ‘You had me at hello’ was equally impressive. And of course Cuba Gooding’s ‘Show me the money’ and ‘I love black people’ added some light moments. One of the scenes I remember is when Tom Cruise is about to leave his job and asks who wants to join him, Renee joins him without any second thoughts and sticks with him. Lastly the kid is the cherry on the cake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKoKYk4jC84

Last Chance Harvey (2008): This will probably appeal to middle-aged people. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thomson play two middle aged people (probably in their fifties) who happen to meet in London. Both are losers in their personal lives. They manage to connect and despite a few hiccups bring happiness into each others lives. Shot in London, the locales add to the movie. There is no concrete storyline as such but it does leave u happy at the end of the movie. A decent watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNT2MFVYARE

Music and Lyrics (2007): Hugh Grant seems to crop up again (after ‘Nine Months’ and ‘Notting Hill’ mentioned above). But if there is anyone who really makes this movie worthwhile, its Drew Barrymore (she actually looks so pretty in this movie, u just kinda miss everything else !). Hugh is a once-famous rock star who had a rock band in the mid 80’sthat dismantled in the early nineties. Now he makes a living by composing the odd jingle and singing at fairs. Until he meets Drew who is employed to water his plants ( I wrote pants the first time around – cant stop laughing). While Hugh is good at composing music, he just cant write lyrics anymore which is holding him from making a comeback. However he discovers precisely this talent in Drew when she accidentally fills in an incomplete line while he’s composing. Hugh requests her to help him to which she agrees. However when Hugh pressurizes her to mould her lyrics to suit a Britney Spears like star who he plans to team up with in a forthcoming concert, Drew walks out feeling very hurt. Hugh does something pretty amazing to win her back – and in the process realizes that he is not that bad after all. Again while this may not be a cult movie, on Valentines Day, u wont probably dislike it either. Maybe my liking for Drew Barrymore was too strong to resist missing this out. Incidentally, this was released on Valentine's Day !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiEoMwwk5uM

Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007): After 'Top Gun' (1986), Tom Cruise was already a superstar and around 1990, he acted in a movie called 'Days of Thunder' (just for some trivia, this is said to be where he and Nicole Kidman fell for each other). TRRP has been inspired (or maybe simply copied) from this movie (see the trailers). But with a twist! While DoT is more about racing in addition to the emotional drama, TRRP has shades of very powerfully shown family bonding and love and for that reason i don mind mentioning it here as Valentine watch. TRRP is the story of a racing driver RajVeer (RV) who falls into a bad patch in life and his path toward getting back. While this movie may seem to be a sports movie on the periphery, it might as well be about bouncing back when life hits u below the belt (and believe me, people do bounce back in life - remember Sourav Ganguly’s man of the series return in South Africa after a year in the wilderness – that was bouncing back like nothing else). The racing car was just a medium to carry this theme. It cud have been anything else all the same. Being a Yash Raj banner, this movie had all the glam and glitz (shot in New York City). The songs were very nice too. But what really makes this movie so amazing is the support that RV gets all along from his wife (Rani Mukherjee – this is the only movie in her entire career in which I liked her) his two kids who were like two cherry blossoms in the movie, and even his friends and neighbors who chip in with whatever they can. It makes u realize that when the chips are down, our loved ones really cushion our fall. To me, that was the high point of the movie rather than the racing part. Lastly, if this is a perfectly watchable movie with ur entire family and if u r married, ur kids included or for that matter anyone who stuck with u when it was raining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhUhuDW_jOw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbDZUZA6SgA

Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2007): Both movies were critically acclaimed but to me the first one was a disappointment. But the reason I recommend it is because the second one somewhat makes up for it. The second is a sequel which is shot in real time nine years after the first. In the first part, two strangers meet on a train in Europe. In the course of a conversation, the guy develops a liking for the girl and requests her to get down in Vienna where he is supposed to disembark where they can explore the city together. The girl agrees and hence begins their story of one day after which both go their own ways. The only reason I recommend the first part is coz it’ll help u appreciate the second part somewhat better. In the second part, they meet again after nine years in Paris and the story explores another day. In the course of the conversation they both realize that they both still have a longing for each other. This is very beautifully reflected in a song that the girl sings to the guy over tea (I found it one of the high points in the movie and very sweet indeed). This time, as the day approaches its end and its time to move on, the guy makes a different decision and some interpretation (in all probability a happy one) is left to the viewer. Ethan Hawke does full justice to his role but Julie Delpy, the actress levitates the movie to a different league altogether with her brilliant performance. A somewhat serious movie which will leave some residue in ur heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rN6D3PcYB4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr86en7ses8

Sublime.

2009-10-12T01:46:00.001+05:30

October 09

for what shall i wield a dagger, o lord?

what can i pluck it out of

or plunge it into

when you are all the world?

-A prayer originally in Kannada (a south indian language), addressed to Ramantha (Shiva) by Devara Dasimayya - 10 century south indian poet.
Came across this by sheer accident on the internet. I had one seen this on my trip to Kerala earlier this year in a bookshop on MG Road near Tipu Sultan mosque in Trivandrum. I was told they had a branch in Kesavadasapuram too (if any Keralite ever reads this post, i'll be indebted if u can get in touch). It was a book on south indian poetry translated by an Indian American. God knows why i din buy the book. But its a decision i really regret.

Moving on...

2009-10-12T01:21:00.002+05:30

October 09

A past post written in a fit of disappointment has made us make amends. It was like a 'Dil Chahta Hai' (I guess guys almost always make up !!!). The post is history. Felt really good that the baggage is gone.

Coolest Valentine Quote

2009-02-14T02:00:00.002+05:30

Love is when you tell a girl that you work in Satyam and she still accepts you.

Source: The internet.

Happy Valentines Day.

Analyze this !!!

2009-01-28T01:08:00.001+05:30

January 2009

Have u ever wondered that in a world of six billion people, all it takes is just one - to change your life forever.

A journey to remember – scenes from an airport

2008-12-15T20:17:00.003+05:30

December 2008

An airport is a very interesting place to be in. U get to see all shades of human emotions on full display. And let me tell u that these displays are unadulterated and genuine. Besides I reckon if u are at an international airport like Dubai, I realized culture or for that matter where we come from has a definite bearing on how we react to situations. The Americans swear, the Australians take it easy, the Japanese are surprisingly calm even under tense situations, the Africans (old fat Nigerian ladies in particular in their traditional garb) shout at the top of their voice cursing the airport staff. Had there not been smoke detectors, they wont mind performing voodoo to incapacitate or even kill the airport staff they have a grudge on. On a smaller scale I got to see a mixture of all shades of these emotions at the Delhi airport recently.

I have to catch an afternoon flight to Bhubaneswar. While I had company on the onward journey, I am alone now. Left to fend for myself in a city I have never been to before. Last night was spent in a hotel close to the airport. I got up early to complete some pending work and hence am somewhat tired and sleepy. I decide to arrive at the airport early to avoid a long queue. Thankfully the q is manageable. I join it. It strikes me that standing is my fate for the next hour or so. The thought itself is sickeningly nauseating. I console myself . Its gonna be ok. The line is movin afterall. My alter ego says a snail moves faster. I surrender myself to providence and decide to trudge along.

Suddenly a thought strikes my mind. I decide to look around to see how my fellow beings fare in what seems to be a never ending wait for some while there are others too who wished time cud be bought (people who were saying goodbyes that is). Separation is painful indeed. I have been thru these situations and can hence relate. Maybe its good that im alone in my journey. On second thoughts, maybe not. A couple are bidding each other good bye. The small kid changes laps between the parents. A final kiss on the cheek from the dad and its time to go. The couple hold hands for one last time and leave. The kid's too young to figure what's goin on. He probably knows he is safe in his mothers arms.

As the line moves ahead a very pretty Kingfisher ground staff walks by announcing something indiscernible in a heavily accentuated voice. The old balding man in front of me salivates. I sympathize with him all the same knowing I might be in his shoes a few decades later. Someone shouts at this point saying where is the Indigo ground staff. The whole line bursts into laughter. The line moves on.

As I approach the security check, people are getting restless. The extensive checking in the wake of the Mumbai incident irritates a few. Some plead the security guys to be fast. Their pleas are met with indifference and apathy. Makes me wonder why does it take a terror attack to wake up these guys. But what is even more annoying is that the scanners in one of the security check booths isn't functional and hence a manual check of hand baggage further delays things. A Mongoloid (Japanese or Korean I guess) appears clueless. I hear a few 'maa behen ki gaalis' which seems to be on the tip of the tongues of Delhites. I don blame them. When emotions are on a high, people slip. I clear the security check on my turn. It's a big relief. My aching legs look for a place to sit. I take a seat. The empty ones beside me get occupied soon. There is some time left for the flight. I decide to continue gazing at people.

Kids play around. Some cry. The ground staff keep announcing "This is the last and final call for……". There is this indigo girl roaming about who gets a lot of well deserved attention from the crowd. Instinctively I try to find the old man. There he is – salivating again. Most of the other old men ape him some even in the presence of the old ladies by their side who counter with a look of rebuke. Im reminded of the saying 'Men don't stop trying' and smile to myself. The only thing I fear in life is old age. And that too a lonely one without someone by ur side jus like the old man. Its an age when u cant rock the bed anymore, u'll feel shy to hold hands in public, go on long drives and take turns in driving, mumble sweet nothings in each others ears. But I guess having someone to rebuke u for the faux pax gives u a sense of belonging. It tells u that u r still wanted and there is someone who stills wants ur undivided attention. Now whether the men looked at the pretty girl to satiate their carnal desires or deliberately to make their spouse jealous – I don know. But believe me somehow it made very cute scene all in all.

My flight's departure is announced. I again get into a queue. Being a programmer by profession I think why cant I join a stack which follows LIFO (last in first out) instead of a q. Whatever. The q is faster this time around. Soon after I board the plane. Its almost empty. I take a window seat at the back. In time the flight takes off. And then it hits me. Im lonely and this time there aren't many people to look at and analyze. I don have my earphones with me. The view outside is just white. Im dead. Instinctively im reminded of my onward journey. At least there was someone to talk to. I look for someone to sit beside. Where's the old man I think !!! Alas, not on this plane. Given the display of his libido earlier on I'm sure he had a lot of tales from his youth to narrate. I accept my fate and let my mind wander freely. Look back at my life and introspect. Dream of the good days, the bad ones, the painful ones, the people I lost and gained and lost. The people I suddenly like. The ones I wished weren't there in the first place. I think about the future too. I have plans. Big ones at that. I try to make a roadmap. Sometimes good decisions can be made in the peace and quiet of untroubled moments I say to myself. While I try to seize the opportunity, a hostess interrupts me. I take a can of Orange juice. It tastes like medicine. I leave it. This is getting worse. But I have nothing to do. Except sit back and let my mind wander aimlessly. Somewhere I fall asleep.

Suddenly im interrupted by the speaker. The plane prepares for descent. I fasten my seatbelts. As I deplane, im overcome with relief. The worst is over. In time im home. That night as I lie in bed my mind instinctively wanders to the happenings of the last 24 hours. A sudden plan, a company by coincidence, the onward journey, roaming on the chilly streets in Delhi at 1 in the night looking for an open internet café (i actually found one in another hotel), the events thereafter, the couple separating at the airport (somewhat touching), the ground staff and the old men gaping at them, my loneliness at the return journey – it was a mixed bag but some did leave an indelible mark on memories. I smile and retire myself to a night of blissful sleep.

???

2008-09-14T23:51:00.001+05:30

September 2008

"When I am with you, we stay up all night
When you are gone, I can't get to sleep!
Praise God for these two insomnias
And the difference between them."

Jalaluddin Rumi - Persian Poet (1207-1273).
Source: 'The Essential Rumi'. Translation by Coleman Barks.

PS * For those in Bhubaneswar, u may get it at The Modern Book Depot.

Once i was a poet

2008-07-13T01:06:00.002+05:30

July 2008

I used to be an avid reader at one point of time gorging upon anything I cud lay my hands on. I like poetry, short stories and novels, exactly in that order. I read novels but only upto ninth grade after which my attention span shortened as happens with any teenager. After all who had the time for 300 plus pages when u had the Biology book in hand with the reproductive system and the anatomy of girls explained, a chapter that I finished at the beginning of the academic year itself – at that age they were far more interesting. Besides u had outings with friends (read new found freedom) and to an extent serious stuff like academics and career (yeah, I was a good student upto tenth grade – its only later that somehow the seriousness died). But yes, short stories and poetry find a place in my heart to this day. My favorite short story is ‘Love across the salt desert’ by K.N. Daruwala. Incidentally it was a part of our English curriculum in senior high. It told the story of how a ‘Najaab’ brought ‘Faatima’ into his village crossing the Rann of Kutch in between. The day Faatima entered Najaab’s village, the rain swept away three years of drought.

Coming to poetry, there are two that are my all time favorites. ‘Upagupta’ by Rabindranath Tagore (the original Bengali one and not the English translation by Tagore himself) and ‘Buddha’s Death’ by Romesh Chander Dutt (a Bengali again).

‘Upagupta’ is a brilliant depiction of human emotions. In it, one of Buddha’s disciples Upagupta, while preaching in Mathura meets a very beautiful prostitute who tries to lure her. But Upagupta being the sacred man that he was replied that he will come to the whore some other day when she wud need him more. The lady probably mocks Upagupta to let such an opportunity pass by. Decades pass. The prostitute is now old with gravity having taken a toll on her skin. She has nothing to offer now. Her youth has faded away and her entire body is polluted with disease and pestilence due to her past lifestyle for which she has been banished outside the walls of the city. Alone, old and in great suffering, the lady lies on the ground silently awaiting her death. There she meets an old man who takes her head in his lap and caresses her forehead. Astonished, the prostitute asks the man that who was the merciful one that still cared for a human being the whole world had discarded. The man replied, saying he had come to her as promised years ago as she now needed him more than ever. The old man comforts her till the prostitute dies in his lap to the best of what I can recall. Tagore wrote the original poem in Bengali as ‘Abhishar’. Later he translated it into English but it wasn’t half as good as the original one. According to me Rabindranath was to poetry what Sarat Chandra was to literature. He is any day much better than Shakespeare (I really dunno why the world is ga-ga a about a man who stole his plays while working as a curtain puller in a theatre company in Avonshire).

My all time favorite poem is ‘Buddha’s death’ by Romesh Chander Dutt. Again it was a part of high school curriculum. It was one of the poems in the book ‘Flights of Fantasy’ that we had to study for the boards (ICSE students will know better). It is a solemn tribute to the greatness of the Buddha. The storyline goes as such – The Buddha preached across lands in his young days along with his friend and disciple Ananda, his message of truth. In praise, all the heavens showered flowers and incense upon him, hailing the greatness of this man. But the Buddha tells his friend Ananda that he cannot be pleased by showers of sandal and heavenly praise, but rather, by the devotion and truth in people he preached. The Buddha din seek glory in such things.

Years pass and the Buddha is now old and weak and lying on his back waiting for death to come, with his friend Ananda by his side. The Buddha is now approached by a Brahman who had come for a far off land to meet the Buddha and seek wisdom from him. Ananda stops him saying that the dying Buddha was not in a state to preach and hence the Brahman shud return. Buddha overhears this and tells Ananda to let the man come, saying that the Buddha never returned anyone empty handed. And thus at the cost of inflicting pain on himself, the Buddha taught the truth to the man and passed away. The whole theme of the poem was like - Even in death, the Buddha had passed his test.

One of my paid jobs as a youngster before I formally took up employment happened soon after I had given my engineering entrance exams. There was a considerable gap between the exam and my first day in college. An earning opportunity presented itself during that time that not only gave me money sitting at home but also brought out something that I am somewhat proud to this day.

There was an old retired professor of Oriya who lived downstairs. After retirement, to keep himself engaged, he had taken up an assignment with the National Book Trust to translate selected pieces of Oriya literature to English. The man was learned and somehow we got to sit in the evenings discussing literature and trading whatever we knew of our domain. In the course of these evening discussions over tea, I learnt a lot about Oriya literature, mostly medieval, but of other periods too. Believe me, I never knew that Oriya literature actually had a beauty of its own. To cite a few examples I learnt about Bhima Bhoi and Bhanja Sahitya (literature written by Upendra Bhanja, an exponent of Oriya literature). Some of the stuff were a discovery in itself. For example a book by the name ‘Baidehi Bilaasa’ has its every word beginning with Ba (a syllable in the Oriya alphabet) including the title as one can see. Or for that matter there was a poetic novel where every line was a palindrome. I remember the opening line which was like – ‘Sari nahi kaala kaahin naarisa’ meaning my time is not up but where is the lady of my heart. This line is a palindrome in Oriya. I also read another piece where the lords namely Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva were praised. If u dropped the first letter of each line the praise goes to Brahma, the second to Vishnu and the third to Shiva. I also had some insight into the ‘Gita Govinda’ by Jaideva on which the entire Odissi dance is based. According to a recent and well proven stream of thought, Radha was not a living character but a mythical being who had been first written about in the ‘Gita Govinda’ which is basically the tale of the courtship of Krishna and Radha as reflected in Odissi dance.

On the other hand I told the old man about what I knew about English and to some extent Bengali literature and he seemed to relish it and from what I figured, quite impressed. One day, the old man said that he was contemplating of not taking translation assignments anymore as it was taking up quite a bit of his time and besides, he din need the money anyway. I used to be free in those days and thought if I cud try his job. I told the man so. He replied that I cud try translating a small piece as a trial to see where I stood. I did. I remember it was the translation of a brief 12^th century text written about the prevalent social, political and religious beliefs of that time mostly centered around 'Jagannatha' (the predominant deity in Orissa) and the devadasi system, by a ruler of the Ganga dynasty that ruled this place at that time. I remember handing it over to the old man with eyes full of expectation, more for the upcoming opportunity to make a fast buck than the praise for a good job that I thought I had done. The old man reviewed it for a day and in the end said I exceeded his expectations and I cud start earning. I dived into the job head and shoulders. The next few days kept me very busy. I used to work late nights too. Each day I encountered words written in archaic and poetic Oriya I had no clue about. Wherever I needed help with these words, the old man readily helped. The translations took me around a month after which I knew the end of the job was near as the entrance results were due soon. The old man liked my job and I can say to this day that some of the stuff in NBT is courtesy yours truly.

I din take up another assignment as I wasn’t sure if I cud complete it. But the turnout of the job was that my stock of words in poetic Oriya had increased to a substantial extent. It was then the thought suddenly occurred to me – Why not translate my favorite poem to Oriya! Incidentally Buddhism was more of an offshoot of Hinduism until Ashoka conquered Kalinga. It was from here that Buddhism spread all across the world and has today become a religion in itself with a following that far exceeds Hinduism.

Although it was exactly the opposite of what I had been doing all these days, I did it. It took me three days. I tell u what, translating a poem is much tougher than writing a poem urself. The biggest challenge was to keep the theme and the mood intact. I showed it to the old man who liked it and said I had done justice to the original one and jokingly said that I was encroaching upon his territory. The tragedy was that soon after I lost the school book which had the original English poem (my guess is that the folks at home sold it to the man who bought old newspapers for recycling). Days went by and I did try to recover the original poem but met with no success. Soon I forgot and moved on.

A few days earlier while cleaning up some of my old papers in my file, I suddenly came across the translation. It brought back some nostalgia at least. This time I decided to search the original one in earnest. I Googled the stuff and found it. I have reproduced both the original English poem and my Oriya translation below. For those who don’t understand Oriya, the English poem wont disappoint u believe me. And as for those who know, they obviously can enjoy the best of both worlds.

Buddha’s Death

Thus in many lands they wandered,
Buddha and his faithful friend,
Teaching truth to many nations,
Till his life approached its end.
And they say, along the pathway,
As the saintly Master went,
Fruit trees blossomed out of season
And a lovely fragrance lent!
And that flowers and sandal-powder
Gently fell on him from high,
And came strains of heavenly music
Gently wafted from the sky!

But the saintly master whispered
To his beloved and blest,
“ ’Tis not thus , O friend Ananda!
That the Buddha’s honored best.
Not by flowers or sandal-powder,
Not by music’s heavenly strain,
Is the soul’s true worship rendered,
Useless are these things and vain!
But the brother and the sister,
Man devout and woman holy,
Pure in life, in duty faithful,
They perform the worship truly!”

Night came on and saintly Buddha
Slept in suffering, sick and wan,
When a Brahman seeking wisdom,
Came to see the holy man.
Anxiously Ananda stopped him,
But spoke Buddha though in pain,
“He who comes to seek for wisdom
Shall not come to me in vain!”
And he to the pious stranger
Told the truth in language plain,
Taught the law with dying accents,
Stopped and never spoke again!

Romesh Chandra Dutt.

The translated text has a few words in Oriya which the average Oriya reader may not understand. So before reproducing the poem here are the meanings of a few Oriya words used in the poem:

Tathaagata – Another name of the Buddha
abirata - at peace with, content
mudrita - sleepy / dying eyes in this context
mahakaarunika - the most generous
bipra - brahman
pranipaata - salutation, surrender
abaruddha - abrupt ending

I had named the translation as ‘Buddha Debanka Mahaparikhya’ meaning ‘The Buddha’s Test’

Sisya gahane bohu sahachara saha, Goutam Tathaagata
Kete janapada bhrami bhrami abirata
Prachaarile se parama sata, Mahabaani ahinsara,
Upanita hela sese taanka bela, abasara ghenibara.
Sakale dekhile, prabhu Buddhanka gamanakaale,
Mannjarithila phula taruchaya, pathe pathe akaalare.
Barasila dhire chandana renu, patha hela surabhita,
Aakasu aasila bhaasi, sulalita sumadhura sangita.

Eha dekhi prabhu Buddha na hele trupta, bhaasile bachana dhire
Suna Ananda mara priya parijana, ye sabu nuhe sanmaana mara tile.
Phula chandana, madhu sangita taana,
Na haba ethire ma aatmaa upaasana.
Hrudaya jeuthi kalusha mukta,
Subha karma re jaa jukta
Sneha bhakatire sikta jeuthi mana,
Jathaarta puja seithi ma hue jaana.

Buddha jibane, abasesa dine, aasila grahana bela,
Hoile se khina byatha bichadita, tanu hela durbala.
Hele asakta gamanare, bisraamile tarutale,
Hoile sajyasahi,
Esamayare aasi upagata hele, Brahmana jane tahi.
Kahile sisye aasichi mu duru, gyaana aaharana aase,
Jibi Buddhanka paase.
Sisya prahara Ananda bhaasile, pherijaao tume ebe,
Prabhu Buddha ta asakta ati, gyaana kipari ba debe.
Mudrita nayane mahakaarunika, hoi gale bichalita,
Nele nispatti debe upadesa, jadiya thile pidita.
Kahile turate sisya priya Ananda ku paase thaari,
Aase je mo paase, gyaana abhilaase, byarthe na jiba pheri.
Aasile bipra Buddha samipe, karile se pranipaata,
Sumadhura sware, sarala bhasare, sunile dibya sata.
Ehapare krame, maha prabhunkara, swaasa hela abaruddha,
Mahaparikhya re hele uttirna se mahapurusa Buddha.

While the old man is no more today, thanks to the job he gave me, I did something that makes me somewhat proud to this day. Hope u liked the poems.

Realizations Part 2 - The anatomy of love.

2008-07-10T23:23:00.002+05:30

July 2008

“It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” - Samuel Butler

I know better. I had my first crush in ninth grade…. and lost it. The girl was senior to me by a year and the goddess of my world. I never let her know. We went our own ways. She is probably the mother of four kids by now. Kompaani’s story seemed to be similar and hence I cud relate. But my friend’s story gave me an insight in human emotions. I realized a few things. Not that all the realizations were new to me. I knew some of them anyway. But my belief in some was reinforced.

Love speaks the same language all across:
Whenever I recall the chain of events from that day and some thereafter, I find that the thread of emotions is the same, whether in feel good movies or in the somewhat unglamorous lives of simple people like my friend. Just like most other people wud have behaved, my friend’s behavior was very predictable and human. He too nurtured hopes in his heart, worked hard to give them shape, was shattered when they din work out the way he desired them to, tried not to let his suffering overshadow his happiness for his love, camouflaged the turmoil in his mind with a fake smile and u get the drift…. U can more often than not, see a common pattern in most people when faced with this situation. I guess love knows no boundaries as far as emotions are concerned. It’s the same in everybody.

It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but what is more painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let that person know how you feel:
We Oriyas are probably the most hypocritical lot on earth who wud rather prefer incest than agree to let our kids marry someone from a lower or different caste even if he or she may be otherwise suitable.
But even otherwise it's tough living with coughed up emotions

Love is the biggest motivation on earth: Bobby Fisher to this day remains the only American to have ever won the World chess championship and considered to be the greatest chess player of all time. At the age of 16, he dropped out of high school simply becoz he cun stand everyday, his crush going around with some other guy. Years later, Fisher had enough name in the circuit but still wasn’t the best. In 1970 at the age of 27 he met his girl again in a Jewish ghetto. The girl was impoverished, and after many failed relationships, lived with a man who wasn’t her husband. There Fischer for the first time expressed that she was his crush since childhood. The lady said it was too late in life as she had cancer. But before dying all she wanted, was to see this man as the best….. And as they say, the rest is history. The girl died six months before Fischer’s world championship match with Boris Spassky. Folklore had it (courtesy the bellboys assigned to his hotel room) that Fischer quit smoking four months before the match (1972) so that he cud improve his concentration, lived alone in a hotel room for those four months with a girl’s pic on his desk where he practiced his moves day and night relentlessly without letup. He did it not to impress the girl as she wasn’t there anyway, but all the same he did it only for her. None knew of this except his manager and his best friend and practice partner in whom he confided who let the word out after his death early this year. Even in his pics from that time u wun find any hint of the fire within this man. He camouflaged it with his smile. And as for the reason why he hid it, it was becoz he din want the world to know of the impoverished state of the girl at death and her checkered past.

U know u have found love, when u want to be ur best, when u push urself harder to live up to someone. And that someone is the person who is gonna make u a better person than what u can ever be by urself. Someone who builds or breaks ambition inside u by his or her presence or absence. Maybe that was the reason Fisher quit smoking for four months. But if u still wonder why I wrote all this here, well maybe that was the reason why my friend worked eighteen hours a day.

You can close your eyes and ears to things you don’t want to see and hear, but you can’t close your heart to things you don’t want to feel:
Emotions can pierce through our hearts without making a hole in the flesh. As I said earlier, hope is eternal. We live in it. Although my friend knew of the caste problem, he still saved for her in the hope that something works out.

Someone can walk into your life and it is not until after they walk out that you wished they were back:
I had heard somewhere that sometimes we get so busy gathering stones that we miss the diamond. We take people for granted. Its only when they go, we realize that they have left an indelible mark in our lives.

We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love:
Someone should sue Disney for planting the ideas in little kids’ heads that every girl or boy has a prince charming or a damsel and everything ends up happily ever after. Sitting in that room all I cud do was watch helplessly as this man cried his heart out. I guess he din have much choice either.

Love is sacrosanct:
The wedding happened. Days went by. But never for once did Kompaani speak ill of the girl or blame her for his state. You know you love someone when you want them to be happy even if their happiness means that you're not part of it. People we loved always remain sacred and holy to us. We stand by them when someone speaks trash bout them. We go to any length to maintain the sanctity of our emotions that once prevailed in us.
It's amazing how someone can break you heart or tread on your dreams and trample them underfoot, but you still love them with all the little pieces that remain.

There is a time for departure even when there's no certain place to go:
There are things in a past that u hold on to. Things that can’t be denied. Emotions that are irrefutable. Images that remain a treasured memory forever. People who will be ur last thought when u die. But at some point of time u have to let go and live for other people and not urself anymore.
Trying to forget someone we love is trying to remember someone we never met. I guess moving on is easy. It’s just that what we leave behind, that makes it so difficult. But then again the saying goes – ‘Love will find a way’. When the mind is healed completely, the wounds on the body don’t hurt anymore……Or on second thoughts, maybe they still do.

Kahlil Gibran once said “Life is a bridge. Cross it, but build no house on it”.
We don't stop loving someone. We simply learn to live without them.
Kompaani lives on. But he doesn’t work eighteen hours a day anymore.

Realizations Part 1 - Monsoon wedding.

2008-07-10T23:12:00.002+05:30

July 2008

Monsoon is that time of the year when nostalgia somehow runs high. After all, dampened souls can cry their hearts fill in the rain without anybody noticing their tears. It is also the time for weddings. A time when two people find redemption in each other, be it for money, security, sex, love, companionship, providence, adjustment or simply a helpless surrender to fate. But for some it’s also a time for heartbreak, if it’s not the way one had intended it to be. A time when tears down our cheeks are enough to bring a deluge in itself, sans the rain. A time when we wish we cease to exist. A time when we curse God for our lot. And surprisingly also a time when some people rise above themselves in an amazing display of character as I witnessed in one of these weddings and gained many a realization in the process. Here goes the story:

There is a tea vendor in my locality by the name of ‘Kompaani’ (I have his pic somewhere in my Orkut or Picasa albums). A young lad junior to me by two-three years, hardworking, honest, good guy and basically quite serious about life. He runs the local ‘chai ki dukaan’ as I mentioned earlier which is a stone’s throw away form my house. U might imagine the crowd at his place in the evenings when people come for tea or an evening snack. I don get to meet him on most weekdays when I’m away at work but I make it a point to pay him a visit in the weekends and spend some time with him over tea. And whenever mom is out of town, I take him and Paanu (works for us) to eat out (he incidentally is Paanu’s best friend and hence the attachment). The guy is doing quite well going by his economic background and limited education, has his own bike and runs his family that lives just behind his cabin. The guy like any other lad of his age, dreamt of settling down with a nice girl and live happily ever after in conjugal bliss. So far so good.

A few days ago, on returning from work, I saw a marriage invitation on the desk. It was from an old man in our locality who sold vegetables in the local market. He was getting his daughter married and had come to invite us. Mom had taught stitching to the girl, something mom herself had learnt back probably in her home science honors days I presumed. Hence I knew the girl. She was a nice, decent girl by all accounts.

Mom asked whether I would go. I decided to go as I thought it would be a great opportunity to meet some of my friends who drove autos or ran betel or chai shops like Kompaani himself (social bonding is quite strong around the old town area where I live). Everybody knows everybody. It’s a small world here. I like making friends with these people and have a decent rappo among them. Though downtrodden, these people stand by u in times of need. To cite an example, the local auto driver just needed a call to attend to me when I ran out of gas midway while returning late from office. It was past midnight but the guy came. The surprising thing is that I usually don pay him any more than the actual fare. I guess all they crave for is recognition as equals in a somewhat divided society. That is all I gave them and I guess that was enough for them.

The wedding was on a Sunday. I came to know from Paanu that Kompaani had been invited and Paanu had told him that we would all go together. So in the evening at around seven Paanu and myself went to Kompaani’s house to pick him up. We found him lying on his bed in his small room. He said he wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t join us. I said the chicks at the wedding might make him feel better and pulled him out of bed. And that’s when I saw it. The guy was crying. The silent crying I mean. His eyes were wet and his body shaking. And that’s when it dawned on me – he loved the girl.

He burst out and broke down. His body was shaking even more and the silent suppressed crying had been replaced by the crying of a child who had been denied his toys. I was speechless. Maybe I was overawed by the sudden outburst of emotions and didn’t know how to deal with them. Or may be I freezed like a eunuch. Paanu comforted him and after some time the guy regained his composure. He said he feared that his emotions might get the better of him and that might create a scene at the wedding. Hence he didn’t want to go. But all the same he didn’t want to spoil our plans and so requested us to proceed. At that point of time, for once I thought of skipping the wedding to express solidarity with him but went anyway.

This was the wedding of a vegetable seller’s daughter, so obviously it was a simple affair. But what really touched me there was the fact that the emotions were all the same as those in the big weddings that I had attended as well. The girl’s father personally came to greet us at the door of the pandaal. While Paanu departed to help with the arrangements, I decided to catch up with the community people. It felt good meeting the guys after a time. Ant then it happened. Around 40 mins into the wedding Kompaani arrived. Neatly dressed, tears gone and smiling (probably fake). He delivered an envelope to the girl’s mother which probably had some money and promptly came back to me. I jokingly asked if the lure of the wedding girls was too strong to resist, hoping to add some cheer. I guess it din help much or may be it was a bad joke on my part. After some time we had dinner together. It was somewhat different to have a sit down dinner with people serving you rather than the do-it urself stuff that happens these days. While the menu had only four items, the hospitality made a big statement in itself. I told u these poor people have a big heart! After some time we all met the father and thanked him and left.

While returning, none of us spoke much. I decided to accompany my friend till his house. It was 10.30. Kompani told us to come in and prepared paan. I knew that he wasn’t in the slightest mood to do this. Probably it was just a gesture of thanks. I decided to stay back for some time. I somehow felt that if the man could find someone to discuss, it might just lighten his burden. So I asked him why didn’t he ever tell the girl or her parents. After all I had come to know that financially, there wasn’t much of a difference between the groom and my friend. Probably they wud have agreed. He replied saying he never had the courage to do so. The reason was the girl belonged to a higher caste. But then they say hope is eternal. We live in hope. That is what makes us go through the drudgery that is today in the hope of a better tomorrow. He told me he had saved a decent amount to improve his standing if he were ever to ask for the girl. She was the reason he worked so hard, keeping open till midnight and opening at 6 the next day. Didn’t want to miss a single penny. All his hard work had gone down the drain he said and started cursing himself for not keeping his emotions in check. After some time he broke down again. This time I didn’t want to stop him. I guess it’s tough to live with coughed up emotions. Sometimes it helps if they find an outlet. Besides I figured the tears that I wished to wipe away will run unchecked in my absence. A teardrop is insignificant in a pool of water, but it can touch the soul as it runs down someone’s face. When he was stable I left, but with a heavy heart...

That night while I lay in bed, the images of the day flashed in my mind one after the other. I figured every thing in the chain of events had some message. I had made many a realization in the anatomy of love.

Pain

2008-05-01T01:29:00.001+05:30

May 2008

Have u ever felt like hurting urself outside so that u dont feel the pain within. Broken arms and legs can be mended but there is nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that.

Zindagi dhoop, tum ghana saaya.

2008-02-02T02:23:00.000+05:30

February 2008.

I dont seek the treasures of the world.
I dont seek the pleasures of the flesh.
If your black deep shadows cover me against the scorching sun of life,
I dont seek to bathe in the bright colors of the rainbow.

The CNN debate.

2008-02-02T01:33:00.000+05:30

February 2008.

Today was one of those rarest of rare days when I wasn’t working on a weekend. Hence I got up at 12.30 and straightaway went for the remote to watch the India Australia T20 match. But I somehow settled upon the Democratic debate on CNN. What started as just an intention to take a peek into the two contenders for the American president ended up in two and a half hours of my undivided attention (I forgot the match totally !!!).

And boy what a debate it was !! Two people who may hold the destiny of a nation in their hands being thoroughly grilled by their countrymen before they decide to pass on the baton to either of them. And then what struck me was the stark contrast of the state of affairs in our country when it came to electing the president or the prime minister where the peoples’ will is totally overlooked and often subverted (Kalam vis-à-vis “some” Pratibha Patil). And it made me admire the great country and democracy that America is. That is how a nation should be, I thought. Here was a country where the future president had to walk on fire and prove himself worthy before his countrymen before being elected and in comparison ours was a nation where an unknown lady became the head of the largest democracy in the world on the mere whim of some Italian who din bother to give an ear to the voice of its people. A lady who had absolutely no stature or locus standi whatsoever was elected (appointed rather) over a rocket scientist.

One of my favorite movies happens to be ‘Swades’. It had a scene in it where Shah Rukh Khan is asked whether he believed that our country was the greatest by virtue of its ‘Sanskriti and Sabhyata’. What he replied was further confirmed today when I saw that debate. Only our culture and all that bullshit won’t take us anywhere unless other things that matter in the present are put in place. One of them is our electoral process which is fundamentally flawed and needs to be overhauled. I wish we had a debate on Star or Times where Sonia or Manmohan or Rahul pitted their wits against Advani or some other hopeful which the people got to see and only then vote (I wun hv voted since thay all appear the same to me) but at least the citizens can put things in perspective before making a choice (The ‘Lead India initiative is a good step in this regard). No wonder why America is called the greatest democracy and why is it called ‘the American dream’. All the same I felt helpless and thought the minimum I cud do was write about this so that I can spread this thought to at least a few people who read this. Maybe greater things are to come.

As for the debate, I must admit I had really underestimated Obama until I saw this. He was awesome. There really must be something in this man that is making it so tough for Hillary despite the rich legacy of her husband.

The American president Woodraw Wilson had said ‘We are the citizens of the world’. If only we stopped looking at that great nation with eyes of envy and suspicion and imbibe the good things that happen there. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but I wish someday I see this again on CNN except that it hosts the debate for the Indian elections. Amen !!

From the arabian sands

2008-01-16T22:56:00.000+05:30

January 2008

First things first. I got the feedback that my previous posts don’t carry a date and hence this blog suffers from the lack of a timeline. Well the only reason I dint include them earlier was coz I usually wrote them over a period of time – around 2-3 days and hence thought that tying a post to a particular date may distort things. But all the same I do see a point in the feedback and hence have decided to write the month before every post (as u can see above this). As for my previous posts I have done the same with them.

Its been quite a while since my last post and a lot of water has flown under the bridge since then. Firstly I write this from a foreign soil, and every gasp of my breath craves to go back to my motherland and smell the air of its soil. I really find it tough to believe sometimes that we human beings become so intricately attached to the stuff we grow with until at some point they become as good as soulmates to us.

Dubai is by all counts a mind blowing city . I would say it’s a case study in the human history of development. A perfect example of how to build a metropolis from virtually scratch out of sand. It competes with Singapore and to some extent Hong Kong and Tokyo (I still wouldn’t include Shanghai ) to be Asia’s global cities . But while Singapore has built itself inspite of the absence of any natural resources whatsoever Dubai has had the benefit of having tons of oil to itself and thereby enabling the administration to run the city on oxygen (without any tax payers money that is). But this doesn’t take away anything from this place. Afterall there are north African nations and even asian (ever heard of Brunei!!) floating in oil with the higher powers being among the richest on the planet but people go hungy there. But not Dubai. King Rashid is almost worshipped by the people here and he has lived up to it. He made sure that the money from oil was ploughed back into the system. You just have it all here. From the world’s costliest hotel to the world’s tallest tower to the world’s largest mall. Its all in the superlative. And all in the space of 35-40 years.

As for the people u find them all here. Hindi is everywhere and so are Indians (7 in 10). And somehow Filipinos go everywhere. Keralites with their usual ‘Yaai cyame tyu the middle yeast to yearn mani (as in Mani Ratnam)’. Enterprising people indeed. They are the single largest community here.

But I don’t know why inspite of all this the mind wants to go back to India (if only the TCS people could listen!!!). There is nothing like India in the whole world. Indeed home is where the heart is !!!

Thoughts of a troubled soul.

2007-11-28T22:24:00.000+05:30

November 2007.

Why do good things in life come with strings attached? Why can’t they be just unadulterated? Can the lunch be actually free sometimes? Why do we almost always have to read the fine print in between the lines (and the clichéd 'conditions apply' with the asterix before it). Why does life throw installments at us in carefully calibrated measurements with the unfailing precision of a great mathematician? Why doesn’t the earth stand still for sometime so that we can complete that rain dance with our beloved in our dream before the alarm rings? Or for that matter, why doesn’t it miss a spin so that the long awaited warm embrace of two people in love happens sooner? Why do we see the water in the desert and yet it vanishes into thin air as we approach? Why can't we choose the color of the rainbow we want to slide down from? Why can't the Almighty for once forget his laws and just roll the dice !!!.

The rockstar who sweeped the streets.

2007-11-28T00:19:00.000+05:30

October 2007.

I grew up with the usual lessons that most parents give their kids in the hope of making them rock stars at work - Do ur work properly and the attention will follow.
There r 2 kinds of people, those who quietly do the job and those who look for attention. Try to be in the first category. There is less competition there.
Do the job with the right motive etc, etc.

These are the few statements that i can remember along with the occassional "thats what Krishna said to Arjuna in the Gita - karma without expectation right!" stuff which incidentally had little or no effect on me. Now before u get me wrong, what i mean is that it was perfectly okay if i din get any attention for a job well done (as that hardly happened anyway !!!) its jus that i was too lazy to stick my neck out and go the extra mile to get that attention. As long as it was just about up to the task, i was happy. Not that anything has changed. But believe me that is what actually makes us rock stars at work.

The extra hour that we put when all have left just to ensure that the report stands out. The fifteen minutes early that we get up to ensure that we don eat agenda time in a meeting to set up the projector. The little faster that the Australians run to steal 3 where there wud have been only two otherwise (Ricky Ponting once said that they play to win while others play not to lose and that is why they rule Cricket). It’s always that extra hour, that little more, that last stretch, the last dive that often makes the difference.

But alas, I believed that attention for a job well done was the domain of the rich and the famous. After all I grew up hearing my peers say "dad arrives late but he gets promoted late too. doesn’t his boss notice !!!". I myself thought why somebody can’t write a book bout mom who juggled work and home seamlessly - doesn't anybody notice for God's sake!!! Until someone changed that belief.

If u come to the area where i live in Bhubaneswar (its the coolest place on earth lemme tell u) in the evening, u'll notice that the din of the day has left its mark. Dried leaves scattered around. Cow dung and the occasional excreta of local stray dogs (don ever mess with them - they are as good as lions with strangers and i love them for that). Cauliflower leaves (the local marketplace is nearby so it’s quite a busy area). Chips packets (empty though!!) scattered by children who play in the evening. It’s all there. But surprisingly, it’s all gone the next morning. The lanes are spotless clean. The cow dung is no more there and so is the other bric-brac. I was always intrigued by this. Who after all did the magic!! Out of sheer curiosity I decided to check out. So one Saturday, after getting up, the first thing I did was go out to the lane. And there i got my answer. A frail old man around in his mid fifties was sweeping the lane with a broom with a long handle (the ones that enable you to stand and sweep). He was wearing a khaki trouser and shirt and a sleeveless jacket with 'BMC' written in bold meaning ‘Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’. The interesting thing was that a short fat lady that was his wife (that’s what i supposed initially and later it turned true) was sweeping the nearby lane. Instinctively i gave him a call saying 'o mousa' which is generally how we address old people in this part of the world. He smiled as i approached him. As i struck a conversation with him, his wife approached us out of curiosity or maybe presuming something was wrong. It was fine i assured her. They told me that both worked for the BMC and had 3 daughters all of whom were married. The couple had fulfilled most of their responsibilities and were leading a quiet peaceful life and i did see a feeble glint of contentment in their eyes. The only complain was from the lady who was totally frustrated with the old mans drinking. She told me he had a bottle of 'jinjara' (a country liquor costing bout 12 rupees a bottle usually consumed by poor people). Probably that explained the man’s frail constitution compared to his fat wife i thought. The wife went back to her lane and I retreated too but not before noticing how methodical and meticulous the old man was bout his work. It was as if there was art in sweeping streets. Slowly the dirt vanished and so did he. I never met him later except for once or twice maybe where we just smiled at each other. But his work never escaped my eyes.

Then suddenly things started changing. The lanes were no longer as clean as they used to be. I ignored thinking age was finally catching up with the old man so he can be excused. But one day when i stamped on cow dung at night, I reckoned it was time the old man needed a spanking. So again on a Saturday I stepped out, but the old man wasn’t there. I did see his wife though in the adjoining lane. From her i came to know that the old man was no more. The drinking had finally got him. There was this young chap who had been assigned to my lane but evidently he wasn’t as good. The lady went back to her work and I strolled back pensively.

Martin Luther King had once said - "If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the host of Heaven and Earth will have to pause and say, ‘Here lived a great sweeper, who did his job well'". Well for once, I decided to agree.

The best unknown movies.

2007-11-27T23:58:00.000+05:30

Aug 2007.

There are two passions in my life. Literature and movies. While i've given up on the former, the latter still holds its sway on me. So in this post i'll list some of my favorite movies. But there is a difference. I won’t be writing bout movies which we all know and love. Deewar, Anand, Godfather... u get the drift. Famous stuff which are bound to be favorites. But rather i'll kinda restrict it to movies which may not have created a rage but are really beautiful. U probably may not have even heard of some, but if u can, do see them. Believe me u wont regret. And if u've seen and liked any of these, drop in a line. Here it goes:

Bagh Bahadur - 1989: Directed by Buddhadev Dasgupta, this movie won the National award for the best movie in 1990. The lead character was played by Pawan Malhotra (a power actor in the same league as Raghubir Yadav, Ashish Vidyarthi types). It tells the story of Ghunuram who makes a living by playing a tiger in the annual village fair and nurses the dream of getting the local village beauty after earning enough money. But his life is torn apart by an outsider who gets a real tiger in the village to display and in the process manages to impress the villagers and the damsel of Ghunuram. In frustration and as a last ditch effort to salvage his pride, Ghunuram decides to take on the tiger in front of the whole village. One of the best i've seen.

Target - 1985: Originally written by Satyajit Ray and directed by his son Sandip, this tells the story of Rambharosa (Om Puri) who plays a servant to a zamindar (Mohan Agashe - bikta hai sona mitti ke mol - Trimurti alongwith SRK). Rambharosa never misses a target on hunting trips with the zamindar. One day the zamindar chances upon the voluptuous wife of Rambharosa and molests her. When Rambharosa protests, the zamindar slices of his shooting hand. Rambharosa starts practising shooting with one hand and when the time comes makes the zamindar his target. It’s a pity that a person of Om Puri's caliber has to play a regular cop in movies like Don which don do any justice to his abilities just coz he has a family to feed.

Aur ek prem kahani - 1996: A Hindi movie which starred the top south indian actors of that time - Heera Rajgopal, Ramesh Arvind and Revathy(Amitabh's wife in Nishabd). Although this movie had a slightly adult theme, I remember watching it as teenager and even managing to comprehend and appreciate it in spite of a very complex emotional theme. Heera is a doctor and also a budding singer with a promising career who lives in erstwhile Madras along with her parents, a tenant (Ramesh) and her servant (Revathy). In due course of time Heera and Ramesh fall in love and decide to marry once Heera returns from a singing assignment. While Heera is out of station, Ramesh, in a moment of weakness has a one night stand with Revathy. Revathy presumes that it was an act of love but feels really used (thinking just becoz she is a servant) and begins to cry when Ramesh insists her to take contraceptive pills (what a scene, it almost made me cry and made me realize the acting prowess of Revathy). When Heera returns, she finds both Revathy and Ramesh missing. Years later all three meet but with a beautiful twist in the tale which is best left to you guys to watch. I can say that this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. This is a brilliant depiction of human emotions, weaknesses, loyalty, pain compromise etc. I would say that true to its name, I have never seen a better love story or read one like this. I guess I need not say more.

Aadmi aur aurat - 1984: The second movie produced by Doordarshan after the critically acclaimed Sadgati (another great movie as per mom which was made in 1981 and Directed by the great Satyajit Ray which won him a National award. Try out this too and if possible, save a copy for me as I have yet to see this). This entire movie has just 2 characters who call each other aadmi (Amol Palekar) and Aurat (don’t know who). It so happens that aurat is a pregnant lady who suddenly starts getting labor pains while she is crossing over to the next village or something and in a totally desolate area with not a soul in sight except for aadmi who eventually comes to her rescue and takes her all the way to the distant clinic in a long journey without taking any advantage of her desperation. While the story in itself is quite simple, the notable thing is how aadmi keeps the aurat awake throughout the journey by encouraging her to take all the pain keeping in view the prize ahead. Almost 90% of the movie is bout this journey through this desolate land. After seeing this I really appreciated both Amol and the lady for brilliant acting. A must watch. I just wonder what has happened to Doordarshan !!!

Saudagar - 1973: A movie with an Urdu look and feel but written and directed by Bengalis (there was a time when they ruled Bollywood), this was one of Amitabh Bachchan's best movies and incidentally, made before Zanjeer catapulted him to superstardom in the same year. I reckon the budget of this movie wouldn’t have exceeded even 1 lac in those times. This tells the story of a Mohammedan named Moti (Amitabh) who climbs palm trees to extract the juice and sells jaggery made out of it by his new wife (Nutan) who puts her heart and soul into the job to make Moti succeed. But that is all he has married Nutan for. To make a pile of money on her effort and then marry the local village beauty thus deserting Nutan once he has made enough money to pay the new girl’s (Padma Khanna) father. In due course Nutan remarries. Moti 's new wife turns out to be a good for nothing and ruins Moti 's business. When in poverty Moti goes to Nutan and begs her to teach his new wife her skill so that he can live. In spite of the brutal treatment meted out to her, her goodness of heart prevails and out of humanity she teaches her the job.

Pushpak - 1988: Although not a much unknown movie, i'll take the liberty to mention it here. Being a silent movie there isn't much of a plot, and hence not much to write. Kamal Hassan and Amla weave a magical tapestry to make the movie speak for itself.

Katha - 1983: A movie which is very close to my heart. Actually shot on location by Sai Paranjpe in a Mumbai chawl with the real chawl people playing the residents, Katha tells the story of 'Rajaram Purshottam Joshi' (It was after seeing this movie that I admired Nasiruddin Shah) a honest simple hardworking man who believes in walking straight and turning right. Rajaram also nurses in his heart the hope of marrying Sandhya (Deepti Naval) who is the chawl's damsel. However Rajaram meets his nemesis in Bashu (Farookh Sheikh) a suave man who knows all the tricks of the trade and manages to woo Sandhya with his style thus leaving Rajaram heartbroken. In a world where nice guys finish last, what happens to Rajaram ? Incidentally i have a copy of this movie. Lemme know if u want to see.

Of Parineeta and the city of joy.

2007-11-27T22:55:00.000+05:30

July 2007.

Quite long ago I had seen the movie 'Parineeta', probably Sarat Chandra's only classic with a happy ending. If u see the movie, the beginning that is, u'll find the voice of Amitabh Bachchan giving a very illustrative and poetic account of this city alongwith mathching shots in the background. According to me that rendition of his, alongwith the background shots captured the mood and beauty of Kolkata to perfection. The reason I'm so intoxicated by the beauty of this city is coz I have just left it for my hometown Bhubaneswar, after spending around a month there. And I have seen it all. And believe me in these thirty odd days, this city captured a piece of my imagination. And although my first love still remains Bhubaneswar to the core, I can't excuse myself from describing the enchanting beauty of this place. Some of the stuff worth mention, I write below:

Traffic and Trams: I repeat I've seen it all. I lived in this huge mansion exclusively inhabited by Parsi families (my aunt is married to one and hence the privilege). It was located in the most central part of Kolkata namely Moulali. And needless to say it was bustling the whole day. Buses, trams (more bout that below), taxis, people on the move, u have it all. Even the metros are crowded now and do little to help. The city just never slept.

Culture: Nostalgia still prevails here. The mansion I mentioned above is almost 70-80 years old but still would put many houses of today to shame. It really has class with its high walls and windows the size of doors. What i intend to say is the architecture of yesteryears is still there in most parts of the city with British influences very much apparent. And the Parsis are indeed one of the most peace loving communities as I saw. Pity its dwindling with only about 500 odd left in Kolkata.

Intellect: There was a saying once upon a time - 'What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow'. While i dont intend to put a stamp of greatness on myself, but one really has to have some minimal intellect to appreciate this city in the truest sense. After all, this was the place where the freedom struggle started and the Congress was born. Greats like Ram Mohan Roy, Vidyasagar, Michael Madusudan Dutta (according to me the greatest Indian writer of all time though very few people know of him), Sarat Chandra himself, the list goes on, are connected to this place. Lastly this city has produced three Nobel laureates. I guess I need not say more.

Presidency college: Satyendranath Bose (of Bosons and Bose-Einstein Statistics fame) hailed from here. This man was awarded 110/100 in his math exam as he had not only solved every question but also in every possible way. Einstein wrote his reco. Jagdish Chandra Bose taught here without taking his salary for three years as a mark of protest as he was paid three times less than the British professors while he considered himself as good as them. The British had to relent after 3 years. That was some courage of conviction. Netaji, its most famous alumnus (the greatest Indian ever) had slapped a British professor for insulting a fellow Indian peon. A board on the staircase mentions this with pride in the exact location where it happened. And it all happened in this institution.

Trams: Probably Tokyo and Hong Kong are the only other Asian cities that have it. And believe me trams are some nostalgia. I traveled in them extensively just for the ride. My favorite route was the one that ran parallel to the Ganges shore with Babughat and Princep Ghat on one side and the Maidan on the other and the Calcutta skyline (Chatterjee and Tata building) beyond it. Take this route during sunset and its like honeymoon in slow motion (sorry I had to put this in a corny way to make u feel the bliss of trams!).

Howrah Bridge (the old one): The busiest bridge in the world. Not a single nut and bolt has been used. It’s all sealed. Probably now u can fathom why I mentioned traffic above.

The Maidan: I guess u wont find such a huge open space in the midst of bustling traffic right in the middle of the city in any other place in the world. They say it’s bigger than Central park in New York City. The Ganges is on the left and downtown on the right. Probably the only place in the country where Football rules instead of Cricket in the evening. There is a Taanga ride (horse-driven-carriage) that people take in front of the Victoria Memorial near Eden. Believe me, for those 10 minutes, you feel like a royal basking in the adulation of lesser mortals on the street.

Roshogolla and mishti doi: The first one is often used to signify a beautiful girl. It’s so beautiful indeed!

City centre: There’s something for the youngsters too. On the weekends the entire young crowd, the software people in particular gather here. And you do find love in the air! And yeah, the largest Pantaloons is in Kolkata too, though in a different area. You get spoilt for choice.

Boat ride in Princep ghat: This is how Rajesh Khanna expressed his love for Waheeda in Khamoshi (Woh Shaam Bhi Kuch Ajeeb Thi) and Sharmila in Amar Prem (Chingaari koi Bhadke). A 30 minute ride costs 100 bucks. But take it from me it’s worth the ride. U get to pass under the Howrah bridge if u pester the boatman a bit or lure him with some extra money. The boats actually have a lantern hanging from the arched structure and the boatman uses just the long bamboo to row (this made me realize why some things look so appealing when done the old fashioned way).

Propaganda: Rather communist propaganda. You see the red flag everywhere. The strikes though openly criticized by the 'intellectuals' are secretly reveled by them all the same (with me as a partner in their crime). Gorky Sadan, Lenin Sarani, Tolstoy Bhavan - these people just love Soviets. If Castro dies i guess they'll get the corpse here. One of the last strongholds of Communism in India. Lastly where else wud u find Che Guevara right from college walls to almost every T-shirt worn by students as if it were uniform as a mark of protest against something they dont like. It really confirmed what I had heard often - that Che is the most tattooed and T-shirted face on the planet.

Park street: The half century old restaurants are still there. And u still have the Flury's (Sanjay Dutt treats the whole family here - sorry I can’t get off this movie). A slice of bread still costs a fortune. These guys supposedly openly admit to having opened this exclusively to fool rich foreign tourists living in Park Street. Oh and yes, there’s Moulin Rouge too!

And lastly, the Durga puja: This takes the cake. People actually dance like Sanjay Dutt in Parineeta. And the women actually do look like Vidya Balan (that’s what you call 'take home material'). It’s electric. I have faced a traffic jam at 3 in the night. I don’t think any other festival or carnival livens up any other city like what the puja (pujo in local dialect) does to Kolkata.

They say that if u live in a city long enough, u eventually begin to like it. Well in my case, it took just one month to make me fall in love with 'Anandonagori Kolkata' - The city of joy.

Here I go !!

2007-11-27T22:34:00.010+05:30

June 2007.

“Pople say we use 10% of our heads. The truth is we use 10% of our hearts.” – Owen Wilson in ‘Wedding Crashers’ (2005).

Well it is this above line which finally inspired me to vent my coughed up emotions into this blog. When I say emotions I mean those of the heart and NOT of the head. More so becoz my heart rules my head and not vice versa. And that is probably the reason why the url reads ‘cardiacmusic’ and not ‘cerbralramblings’. Why so? Well maybe coz in this world while the logical and the algorithmic (incidentally I write code for a livng – but not the rocket launching types) somehow finds an outlet, the delicate and finer things in life are often trampled underfoot. Hence my endeavor here shall be to post the feelings of my heart and forget bout the head (don’t have much of it anyway!).

As for the name of this blog, it isn’t that I smoke pot or something but it’s rather just a representation of the fact that for some unknown reason to me I seem to be at my creative best in the quiet hours of the night when I feel sleepy. Hence this is when I write. The pic to some extent represents this. Probably this is how I plan to seek solace in my twilight years when I need redemption in life (as u can see, all I need then is a loincloth and some cannabis - remember that is how Coleridge made ‘Kubla Khan’ and ‘Xanadu’ immortal right!). The tranquility of nocturnal hours hence are a bliss to my long suppressed soul which somehow finds utterance when I write my heart out. Hence the name ‘Sedated Bliss’.

But my only regret is that it took me a bit long to do this. After all Becker won the Wimbledon at 17, Gates wrote the tic-tac-toe at 13, Dell had his own BMW at 17, Steve jobs started Apple at 21, Greame Smith captained South Africa at the same age, Mozart wrote music at 4. Beethoven played the viola at 8 – the list is endless. And it took me a bit longer than them (what airs huh !!) to start a simple blog! But I plan to make amends. As they say – better late than never. I’ll try to live up to the few minutes of fame that u shower upon me whenever u read this. And meanwhile, if u feel the need to say something, blurt it out. Welcome on board the small deck of my boat in the quiet becalmed waters of my life.

And lastly, if u find anything wrong with the spelling or grammar, just ignore it as long as u get the implied meaning. Afterall when u write with ur heart, u don use a word processor, do u !!!