There is this girl I know
She was so small some years ago,
but she looks bigger than me today.
There is this girl I know…
who makes everyone smile
wherever she goes
she has angels by her side
There is this girl I know...
who fears nothing that comes her away
except the silly mangy dog gone astray
There is this girl I know…
who has dreams in her eyes
her love and her words of compassion
humbles even the aged and wise
There is this girl I know…
who came into my life
one fine morning fifteen years ago
she’s my not-so little sugar ‘n spice!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
10 Reasons why I love Delhi...
1. The brilliant night-time driving on the wide well lit roads.
2. The fact that every colony has a shop selling Kathi-rolls, kebabs and momos!
3. How all the shopkeepers from the salesman at Shoppers-Stop to the guy selling kolhapuris(A kind of Indian Slipper) at Central Market to the fruit vendor reply to the call “bhaiyya”( Elder brother).
4. The crazy bollywood masala music on radio which makes you want to dance in the middle of the road.
5. The abundance of key-makers around every corner to ensure easy access to your home/car in the event you lose your precious keys.
6. Riding in cycle rickshaws in the rain in Delhi University.
7. The fact that you can wear a hot red lipstick, flip-flops and a Hawaiian print shirt OR a saree in the middle of the day while shopping and still feel comfortable.
8. You can be half an hour late for a meeting and still be on time.
9. The realization that you can stop your car anywhere on the road anytime you feel like.
10. The long green stretch from Panchsheel Club to Chirag Delhi Flyover.
2. The fact that every colony has a shop selling Kathi-rolls, kebabs and momos!
3. How all the shopkeepers from the salesman at Shoppers-Stop to the guy selling kolhapuris(A kind of Indian Slipper) at Central Market to the fruit vendor reply to the call “bhaiyya”( Elder brother).
4. The crazy bollywood masala music on radio which makes you want to dance in the middle of the road.
5. The abundance of key-makers around every corner to ensure easy access to your home/car in the event you lose your precious keys.
6. Riding in cycle rickshaws in the rain in Delhi University.
7. The fact that you can wear a hot red lipstick, flip-flops and a Hawaiian print shirt OR a saree in the middle of the day while shopping and still feel comfortable.
8. You can be half an hour late for a meeting and still be on time.
9. The realization that you can stop your car anywhere on the road anytime you feel like.
10. The long green stretch from Panchsheel Club to Chirag Delhi Flyover.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Karma Quotient
As I my mind dwells on the pages of the books I put down some minutes ago, I realize that my hands might have stopped turning its pages, but its words are still hanging like vapor on a humid day around my head.
It’s a little disconcerting when thoughts collide, not angry, brutal thoughts but just thoughts of existence, death and other things in between. So I have to take a minute here and perhaps come to an amicable solution.
Is it possible that my existing notions of karma being settled in this very lifetime are giving way to the concept of reincarnation of souls? I was always an apostle of the theory of the neutral playing field-whatever goes around comes around, and not in the next lifetime or the lifetime after that, but in this very life itself. But Hindu mythology, and others, particularly the author of the book I’m reading say otherwise. It is over a period of many lives that we settle our debts and make up for our wrongs. It takes time, and we come back again and again until that is fulfilled. So, as we all let out a collective sigh for that lie we told that morning and think it won’t come back to us just yet, I say think again.
Maybe, it is possible for both these thoughts to co-exist, I wonder. We have often heard of some past life encounters sometimes from an old friend whose neighbours aunt started calling out names of her Rajasthani grandparents in a former life, or courtesy the evenings news featuring some child in a rural village in Haryana speaking fluent French. Bhagvad Gita also validates the concept of reincarnation when Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that he would return millennium after millennium to restore order and re-establish principles.
“yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasyatadatmanam srjamy aham
paritranaya sadhunamvinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthayasambhavami yuge yuge”
Translation
Whenever and wherever a decline of righteousness and a predominance of unrighteousness prevails; at that time I manifest myself personally, O descendant of Bharata.
Apart from this reference there are several other references in the Gita that directly assert that the soul is eternal and it takes the human form over and over.
“acchedyo'yam adahyo'yam akledya'sosya eva ca
nityah sarva-gatah sthanur acalo'yam sanatanah”
Translation
As a person gives up old and worn out garments and accepts new apparel, similarly the embodied soul giving up old and worn out bodies verily accepts new bodies.
Source: www.bhagvad-gita.org
So, assuming that we do re-incarnate over and over until we achieve a higher learning curve, there has to be something that is applicable to this life as well. I mean c’mon I cant believe we run amock lawless in this life, thinking, hey-it’s A-OK because, I will settle it all in the next life, and even better, I won’t remember any of it! I think, there needs to be a cut off line as to what we can pass on to our next life and what we must settle here in this lifetime. Like you know, a minimum amount due kind of a feature we have in our credit card statements. Those initiated in the ways of plastic money would know what I’m talking about.
So lets say, there should be a dossier somewhere talking about various permissible wrongdoings we can set off in this life, and then those which are carried forward to next life, much like the accumulated depreciation for those familiar with the accounting world. So ideally, ideally we should try and restrict our offences to the Schedule A of the dossier (wrongdoings that can be set off in this lifetime) to ensure a comfortable life in the future. But, then again, comes the question, if we already committed say a Schedule B (wrongdoings that are carried forward to the next lifetime) offence say within the first thirty years of our existence, so one might think that since we anyway have to bear the brunt of that in the next life, we might as well go crazy committing Schedule B offences, right?
So we incorporate some clauses to make this right. For instance there could be a Clause A.1 specifying the number of Schedule B.1 (least offensive) offences that will ensure an increase in future lifetimes. Ex; If an individual indulges/commits “x” activities listed in Schedule B.1, then the number of lives he must appear in to absolve himself/herself (or to write off those activities) will be defined as LnB1= n+x/3, where “n” is the number of the lifetime in which he/she committed/indulged in that lifetime and “LnB1” is the total number of lives the individual must appear in as per lifetime “n” because of offense committed under Schedule B.1.
Therefore the increase in lives over this one by virtue of committing a Schedule B.1 offence can be written as:
LB1=LnB1-n ; where “LB1“ is the lifetime determinant by virtue of offence committed under Schedule B.1
Similarly we have;
LnB2= n+x/2; where “LnB2” is the total number of lives the individual must appear in as per lifetime “n” because of offense committed under Schedule B.2.
LB2= LnB2-n; where LB2 is the lifetime determinant by virtue of offence committed under Schedule B.2 (moderately offensive)
And;
LnB3= n+x; where “LnB3” is the total number of lives the individual must appear in as per lifetime “n” because of offense committed under Schedule B.3.
LB3= LnB3-n where LB3 is the lifetime determinant by virtue of offence committed under Schedule B.3 (most offensive)
Another clause that is of critical importance is Clause A.2. This would probably have something to with the quality of the future life as determined by the present one. So if an individual curtails his activities to Schedule A, although he will pay for his Schedule A offences in this lifetime, the quality of his future life(s) will proportionately decrease. (Like, even if you pay the minimum amount due on your credit card statement, you’re fine, but you still got to pay the interest on the remaining amount).
So we have Qn+1= Qn. (1/x); where “Qn+1” is the Quality of life in the life following the present life. “Qn” is the Quality of life in the present life and “x” is the number of Schedule A offences committed
.
KQ= {LB1(Qn+1)}+ {LB2(Qn+1)} + {LB3(Qn+1)}; where “KQ” is Karma Quotient by virtue of wrongdoings.
One might wonder, that there should be another element to the Karma Quotient. Which works on the basis of the good one might have done over the period of his/her life. We won’t dwell on that in the section because, by virtue of THAT I’m sure coming back as a rodent in the next life. I’m not ready for that realization yet. So watch this space for Karma Quotient-the sequel.
Considering the way our population is escalating, it would be difficult to work with the above algorithm and expect a fair answer to an individuals Karma quotient. There might need to be a case-by-case study, which might be beyond the comprehension of an artificial intelligence. And then again, the very comprehension of drawing up a Schedule A and B of the dossier will have the best of philosophers stupefied. After all is there a universal right and wrong? Is there a universal truth or lie?
Perhaps, that’s why we have a God.
It’s a little disconcerting when thoughts collide, not angry, brutal thoughts but just thoughts of existence, death and other things in between. So I have to take a minute here and perhaps come to an amicable solution.
Is it possible that my existing notions of karma being settled in this very lifetime are giving way to the concept of reincarnation of souls? I was always an apostle of the theory of the neutral playing field-whatever goes around comes around, and not in the next lifetime or the lifetime after that, but in this very life itself. But Hindu mythology, and others, particularly the author of the book I’m reading say otherwise. It is over a period of many lives that we settle our debts and make up for our wrongs. It takes time, and we come back again and again until that is fulfilled. So, as we all let out a collective sigh for that lie we told that morning and think it won’t come back to us just yet, I say think again.
Maybe, it is possible for both these thoughts to co-exist, I wonder. We have often heard of some past life encounters sometimes from an old friend whose neighbours aunt started calling out names of her Rajasthani grandparents in a former life, or courtesy the evenings news featuring some child in a rural village in Haryana speaking fluent French. Bhagvad Gita also validates the concept of reincarnation when Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that he would return millennium after millennium to restore order and re-establish principles.
“yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasyatadatmanam srjamy aham
paritranaya sadhunamvinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthayasambhavami yuge yuge”
Translation
Whenever and wherever a decline of righteousness and a predominance of unrighteousness prevails; at that time I manifest myself personally, O descendant of Bharata.
Apart from this reference there are several other references in the Gita that directly assert that the soul is eternal and it takes the human form over and over.
“acchedyo'yam adahyo'yam akledya'sosya eva ca
nityah sarva-gatah sthanur acalo'yam sanatanah”
Translation
As a person gives up old and worn out garments and accepts new apparel, similarly the embodied soul giving up old and worn out bodies verily accepts new bodies.
Source: www.bhagvad-gita.org
So, assuming that we do re-incarnate over and over until we achieve a higher learning curve, there has to be something that is applicable to this life as well. I mean c’mon I cant believe we run amock lawless in this life, thinking, hey-it’s A-OK because, I will settle it all in the next life, and even better, I won’t remember any of it! I think, there needs to be a cut off line as to what we can pass on to our next life and what we must settle here in this lifetime. Like you know, a minimum amount due kind of a feature we have in our credit card statements. Those initiated in the ways of plastic money would know what I’m talking about.
So lets say, there should be a dossier somewhere talking about various permissible wrongdoings we can set off in this life, and then those which are carried forward to next life, much like the accumulated depreciation for those familiar with the accounting world. So ideally, ideally we should try and restrict our offences to the Schedule A of the dossier (wrongdoings that can be set off in this lifetime) to ensure a comfortable life in the future. But, then again, comes the question, if we already committed say a Schedule B (wrongdoings that are carried forward to the next lifetime) offence say within the first thirty years of our existence, so one might think that since we anyway have to bear the brunt of that in the next life, we might as well go crazy committing Schedule B offences, right?
So we incorporate some clauses to make this right. For instance there could be a Clause A.1 specifying the number of Schedule B.1 (least offensive) offences that will ensure an increase in future lifetimes. Ex; If an individual indulges/commits “x” activities listed in Schedule B.1, then the number of lives he must appear in to absolve himself/herself (or to write off those activities) will be defined as LnB1= n+x/3, where “n” is the number of the lifetime in which he/she committed/indulged in that lifetime and “LnB1” is the total number of lives the individual must appear in as per lifetime “n” because of offense committed under Schedule B.1.
Therefore the increase in lives over this one by virtue of committing a Schedule B.1 offence can be written as:
LB1=LnB1-n ; where “LB1“ is the lifetime determinant by virtue of offence committed under Schedule B.1
Similarly we have;
LnB2= n+x/2; where “LnB2” is the total number of lives the individual must appear in as per lifetime “n” because of offense committed under Schedule B.2.
LB2= LnB2-n; where LB2 is the lifetime determinant by virtue of offence committed under Schedule B.2 (moderately offensive)
And;
LnB3= n+x; where “LnB3” is the total number of lives the individual must appear in as per lifetime “n” because of offense committed under Schedule B.3.
LB3= LnB3-n where LB3 is the lifetime determinant by virtue of offence committed under Schedule B.3 (most offensive)
Another clause that is of critical importance is Clause A.2. This would probably have something to with the quality of the future life as determined by the present one. So if an individual curtails his activities to Schedule A, although he will pay for his Schedule A offences in this lifetime, the quality of his future life(s) will proportionately decrease. (Like, even if you pay the minimum amount due on your credit card statement, you’re fine, but you still got to pay the interest on the remaining amount).
So we have Qn+1= Qn. (1/x); where “Qn+1” is the Quality of life in the life following the present life. “Qn” is the Quality of life in the present life and “x” is the number of Schedule A offences committed
.
KQ= {LB1(Qn+1)}+ {LB2(Qn+1)} + {LB3(Qn+1)}; where “KQ” is Karma Quotient by virtue of wrongdoings.
One might wonder, that there should be another element to the Karma Quotient. Which works on the basis of the good one might have done over the period of his/her life. We won’t dwell on that in the section because, by virtue of THAT I’m sure coming back as a rodent in the next life. I’m not ready for that realization yet. So watch this space for Karma Quotient-the sequel.
Considering the way our population is escalating, it would be difficult to work with the above algorithm and expect a fair answer to an individuals Karma quotient. There might need to be a case-by-case study, which might be beyond the comprehension of an artificial intelligence. And then again, the very comprehension of drawing up a Schedule A and B of the dossier will have the best of philosophers stupefied. After all is there a universal right and wrong? Is there a universal truth or lie?
Perhaps, that’s why we have a God.
Monday, August 17, 2009
An Ode to the Compass
The roads are many,
The right ones are few,
This night is good as any
for I have promises to renew
The distance stretches out,
The journey is sparkling new,
I will travel till the end of time,
Even if hurts to say adieu.
Lost are some on roads,
Consumed are some by pain,
Nostalgia is a feisty demon,
Farewell drives many insane
I stand on a dusty corner,
In the distance the mountains call,
I pray for a guide, a direction
Point me to my being, amidst this squall.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Flutter,Flutter.
Maybe it’s the day, and I feel the collective sense of euphoria Indians feel this day, maybe it is the Codeine Phosphate in my system sensitising me to inane stimuli, maybe it is books on past-life therapy that are making me think beyond the usual realms someone’s imagination can run to. Whichever one of these reasons are inspiring me to write this, what is really transpiring is that these kites I see flying in the sky, have me in a symbolic trance of sorts. Life isn’t much different from these paper carved creatures whizzing past each other this evening. A gust of wind lifts them high, a lull heaves them down. A slight ease in the tenacity of the string has them lunging for the earth, a firm pull has them fluttering with a cautious abandon. And then, out of nowhere, come these predatory kites, cut your string, have you plummeting to the ground. You grope around some, pick yourself up, tie another string, and wait, wait for that gust of wind.
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