Vidya

There are many things many people and of course many incidents which have a deep impact upon you. The incident may have happened many years ago, but it is still fresh in your minds. Such is its impact. Fortunately there are many such incidents, people and things which have had a great impact upon me. In fact they have a hand in shaping my personality as it is today. I have learnt from them. They have taught me not only with their words, but also their actions and at times even with their silent presence. I am so grateful that they have been a part of my life. I wish they are around me always in this life time and in the many other life times which I may incarnate.

I remember I was in my second year of college. I was a very bright student. I had topped the university with record breaking marks. I was excelling in extra curricular activities. I was young, just turned eighteen and good looking. I can not say that I was proud. But yes I was happy of my achievements.

There was a girl, who was a new comer to my class. Not because she had shifted from some other college to our college. But because she had failed. She had failed in the first year examination. This how she came in my class as a repeater. She was average looking. But she was confident. Never did she feel inferior for failing first year examinations. We became good friends. Her name was Vidya.

One day we had an off period. Vidya was going out of the class room. She noticed that some one’s book had fell from the desk on to the ground. It was not in the aisle. It had fallen just below the seat. Vidya was walking through the aisle. The book caught her attention. She stooped picked the book and placed it back on the desk.

This incident had a deep impact on me. I told her that I had learnt something from her. “What did you learn? How to pick a book from the ground?” She asked me. I told her if the book lay at the aisle I would have definitely picked it up. But it was lying below the seat. I wouldn’t have gone and picked up the book below the seat. Wasn’t it the duty of the owner to keep it carefully. Moreover the owner would return after the off period and he or she would pick it up. That is what I thought at that point of time.

But Vidya who had failed her first year examinations had taught me something. Such great was impact of this incident, that I began going out of my way to help others. I pick up garbage which is thrown by others. I clean the streets. For I know thou and I are not apart. 

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Diwali impact

My earliest memories of Diwali surround my mother, grandmother and father. When Diwali was around even the examinations were around. Once my terminal examinations were over, Diwali preparations would start in our home.

I would return from my school after writing my last paper and throw away my school bag on the bed and run to make my killa. In Maharashtra children prepare miniatures of forts as a remembrance of the great Maratha King Shivaji. Diwali is so integral with killa. My friends would come and we would drench ourself into the mud to prepare the killa. Luckily none of us despised mud those days. Once the killa was ready I would borrow mustard seeds from my mother's kitchen and sprinkle it on the killa. Within a day or two my killa would be green with the sprouted mustard.

Once killa was ready I would realize the happenings in the kitchen. My father would have brought all the groceries. The preparations of all the snacks would start with karanji. It was thought to be a lucky sweet, thereby ensuring auspicious start for the preparations. My mother and grandmother would decide the order in which they would make the snacks. “ Savita today we will prepare laddu and karanji. Tomorrow chakali and shankarpali. Day after we will prepare the chiwda in the oil that remains after frying.” My grandmother would tell my mother. My mother would nod her head in agreement.

In the evenings I would go out with my father to bring new clothes for me. I never remember my father buying any new clothes for himself or for my mother and grandmother. On our way back we would even buy the Akashkandil or lantern of my choice.

Diwali was also associated with rangoli. As a child I would order my grandmother today draw rangoli of a rose, tomorrow a duck and she would obediently draw it for me. My mother was least interested in rangoli. So I picked up  the art of making rangoli from my grandmother. Even after her demise, I would draw rangoli in the courtyard.

Diwali means getting up early and having bath. There used to be a competition between us - the boys in the lane, as to who wakes up early. The one who woke up early would give calls to another and tell him the time at which he woke up. “I woke up at 4 am” I would announce. I would volunteer for placing earthen lamps at the entrance. My mother would massage me with the incensed oil and scurb my body with the uptan which my grandmother had prepared at home. After bath I would wear my new clothes, eat all the home made Diwali delicacies to my heart's content and run out to burn crackers.

Time has snatched away my father and grandmother from me. But my gharwali Diwali will never be complete without their memories. Such is their impact on me. 

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Dehradun-Mussorie-Kempty Fall trip impact

I was already in Haridwar. On my return from one day Haridwar-Rishikesh trip a sign-board for Dehradun-Mussorie day trip caught my eyes. You see many such boards here. But the price was much cheaper than others. I was determined to go for Mussorie trip. I booked the tickets with Travel Care at Shop No. 13, Kali Kamli Dhramshala, Railway Road, Haridwar, which offered the cheapest deal. Unlike the Haridwar-Rishikesh trip, where the booking agent had told us to go by ourselves to Mayadevi parking ground where we had hard time finding out our bus and our guide, the turbaned gentleman at Travel Care, told me that I have to report at his office the next day at 8 am. We were a group of four. Me, my mother, my aunt and my cousin. The next morning, we had a sumptuous breakfast of aloo paratha and started towards travel point. We had tea at the stall near Marwadi Dharmashala. There were few other people waiting at Travel Care. Travel Care's boy took all of us, by walk from an alley, to the same Mayadevi parking. Unlike the day earlier, when we had been by auto, today the distance appeared to be lesser. He escorted us to our bus. The bus moved at about 9 am.

The bus waited at a petrol station. A bengali family (the younger men on the rear seat and women and elders on the front seat) alighted to buy boiled eggs from a small hotel, which was actually a shanty. We were seated on the third last seat in the minibus.

Our first spot was Fun Valley Resort in Dehradun. We were given one hour to go inside the waterpark. All of us resolved that there was no point in going into a water park, devoid of swimming costumes, that too for a meagre time of one hour. We decided to utilise the amount towards the entry fees for eating icecreams. All of us had two candies each. We were told that the white building which we were seeing to the left  from our windows was legislative assembly of Uttarakhand.

The next stop was just before the beginning of the endless serpentine ghats that lead to Mussorie. It was Parakeshwar temple.

A very peculiar feature of this temple is that offering money is strictly prohibited.

Such boards are displayed everywhere in the temple. Moreover the temple offers you tea and prasad. The day we had visited prasad was pakoda rice, roti sabzi. The temple is entirely covered with grills to prevent monkeys from coming in. So eat your prasad in the temple itself. In case you come out with prasad in your hands, the monkeys will surely snatch it away from you.

crystal lingam at prakasheshwar mandir

There is a public toilet outside the temple. My aunt went there and did not return for a really very long time. The bus was full except for my aunt and my cousin, who was waiting for her outside the toilet. Our guide for the day was very much unlike of the guide for haridwar rishikesh trip. If it was the guide of haridwar rishikesh trip, he would have definitely moved the bus without waiting for the passengers. I made numerous rounds between the bus and toilet, but in vain. After much pestering from other passengers, the engine of the bus was ignited. I ran out of the bus. I spotted my aunt and cousin walking the steep climb. I scolded them for eating to their hearts content and spending half an hour in the toilet, much to the inconvenience of our fellow passengers. Later I learned that there was insufficient light in the toilet and my aunt had hard time taking out the nada of her salwar which had gone inside. Now this was unthought of. Such was the impact of the trip that now I am mentally prepared for anything and everything that would happen at any given situation.

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Choked

Let me begin this review with a confession. I looked upon at self published books with disdain. I thought that as no one was ready to publish their works, these self published authors paid money and got their books printed. But two self published books which I read recently floored me completely and changed my perception towards self published books. One of them was Diabolical and the other is Choked, which I am going to review in this blog post.

Choked is the story of a young industrialist from Bangalore named Aditya who has inherited his metal product company from his father. He is doing well, until one day a business tycoon by name Singhania takes his industry by deceit. Aditya is crestfallen. All of a sudden he is ousted from his own factory, that too unlawfully. Singhania wants to built a large township in Bangalore. Even the place where Aditya’s factory stood, will be included in the township.

Aditya has lost everything, but not his trait to fight against injustice. Aditya forms a buyers’ cartel on the facebook. He forms a community on facebook for all those who are contemplating to buy flats in Bangalore. They resolve that no one will buy a flat until the prices drop by at least forty percent. As a part of their strategy they decide not to entertain any marketing calls from the builders. They also decide that they will not make any enquires regarding the properties.

Aditya doesn’t stop at this. Singhania has a power plant too. Aditya manages to make the villagers of the surrounding areas of the power plant aware about the harmful effects of nuclear plants. Soon the small protest gains attention of media and is backed by an NGO. Once the media flashes the protests, the same assume greater proportion. Aditya also buys major stake in the company in which Singhania has his investment. He also makes great fortune by manipulating the shares of Singhania’s company with the help of a friend. Needless to say that Aditya gets much more than what he had lost.

I simply loved the book. I liked the concept of the book. Though it is the story of good versus evil where the underdog wins, it is new and refreshing. The writer has succeeded in maintaining the flow of the story very well. The use of facebook community for building a cartel is simply brilliant. So is the manner in which Aditya manipulates the shares of Singhania’s company. The writer has come up with believable characters. We all have supportive friends and colleagues like Aditya has. The editing is superb. I did not come across a single mistake in the book. This is a rarity these days. Even the books of big authors and publications are riddled with mistakes.

Now what I didn’t like about the book. The only thing which I didn’t like about the book is its tacky cover. The cover is anything but attractive. No one will feel like picking the book after seeing its cover. The protruding tongue from the letter O in the book gives a feeling like it is a humorous book. But they say don’t judge a book by its cover. It stands true for this other wise brilliant book. The book had such a great impact upon me that I wondered why no leading publisher thought of publishing it. 

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Impact of past life

They say there is always a reason for everything. There is always a cause for every effect. There is no smoke without fire and every action leaves an impact. But how to find out the cause of that impact? Is it always possible to do so?

We come across many child prodigies. Some can sing all the ragas of Indian classical music, when they are just two or three years old. Some can solve Engineering mathematics when they are not even ten. Some can swim even when they are only a few months old. How does all this happen?

Is there any reason behind this? What causes this impact? Have any scientific studies done to find out the reasons behind it? Rather is it possible to conduct any such research? Is it mere luck? Is it mere gift from the God? Is it the result of efforts taken by the parents? Is it the impact of what the mother did when the child was still in womb? Is it the result of garbh sanskara, the way in which the great warrior learnt how to enter the mighty Chakra vyuha while he was still in his mother’s womb? Is it the result of the thought process of the parents when the child was conceived?

I strongly believe in past lives. What you are doing now, what are your thoughts today will definitely impact your future. By future I mean not only future of this life, but many lifetimes that will come. If you are angry today, it will impact your next life. You will carry forward your angry nature in your next life as well. Similarly if you are benign, loving you will carry this positive trait in your next life as well.

Like the nature and personality traits, you can carry your skills to your next life as well. If you have devoted your entire life in learning music than it is highly possible that it will impact your next life as well. You may be able to recollect all that you learnt. People will admire you as a child prodigy. Such is the impact. If you are enjoying solving mathematical sums, if you are working hard in this lifetime, it wont go vain. It will impact your next life. No wonders you will be able to solve engineering level mathematical sums when you are still in school. Such is the impact of devoting time and energy in something worthwhile. Nothing goes in vain.

So remember well that every action of yours leaves an impact in this universe. It is your free will. You have to do decide what to do and what not to do. After all you are the one who will be impacted with it. 

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Friends

Hey my dear readers, let me begin by saying you thank you. Now you may ask thank you for what? Thank you for being my friend. You have been reading me for all these years. We may have never communicated one to one. But through my creations I have been a part of your life and you by visiting my blog have been a part of my life.

Friends and their impact on our lives! No one can deny that friends do have a deep impact on our lives. When we are young our friends are our role models and some times a source of peer pressure too. Such is their impact. You go to play cricket because your friend is going. You go to dance school, because your friend is going too. You want to do all that your friend is doing. Perhaps you also want to possess all that your friend has the same pen, the same dress and what not.

During formative years, I mean growing up years impact of friends is very vital. If you are in good company, you may inculcate virtues as an impact of your friends. You may study more, thanks to your studious friend. You may spend more hours in the gym. Thanks to your friend who is a fitness freak. You may become a voracious reader, because your friend has a deep interest in books and discusses books with you. You simply do not want to feel left out and you too start reading. Or may be such was the impact of your friend’s words that you too want to read that book badly.

But unfortunately impact is not restricted merely to good things. It is often the friends who induct you into the world of vices. If your friend drinks, he will insist that you should drink too. Such is his impact upon you, that when he asks you to try it for the sake of your friendship with him, you can not say no. The same stands true for smoking and drugs too. If your friend is a flirt, you will be impacted by his personality too. You too will feel manly or beautiful only when you are sleeping around with multiple partners.

In midlife too your friends play an important role and have a deep impact upon you. You imbibe parenting skills from your friend whom you admire. You learn about tax saving methods from your friend. You visit the same doctor who has been treating your friend for diabetes all these years.

In old age too friends matter the most. Your children are settled in their lives and have no time for you. It is your friends whose impact will make your old life happier. But the impact of seeing your friend leave the world is indeed very deep and saddening. But such is life. 

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Impact of disappointment

We all have dreams, don’t we? We wish certain things happen in a certain way. We keep on thing about them all the time. We live them many a times before they come. We become happy in our own mental world. We keep on thinking positively about the outcome. Yet some negative thought creeps in. We brush it aside. We reaffirm that only good thing is going to happen. By good thing we mean the outcome which we expect is going to happen. We are happy and a little anxious too until that event happens. Sometimes things go the way we want and sometimes they don’t go the way we want. Both the outcomes have a very deep impact upon us.

When things do not happen the way we want the impact is depressing. We feel crest fallen. We feel disappointed. We feel sad. We feel unhappy. We feel dejected. Worst we feel life is over. We feel we are useless. We count ourselves amongst the biggest failures. Unfortunately society too deems it that way. The men and women who never made anything worth while will keep on reminding you that you are a failure because you didn’t live upto a certain standard. Now that affects us more than anything. Now what is interesting is that this impact though very intense, doesn’t last for a very long time. Slowly the impact goes on reducing and after a few months or years it doesn’t matter at all. Its like you were seeing a dream. You saw a Dracula coming to drink your blood. With every step of his, he is coming closer and closer. You are very afraid. You want to scream. But words simply do not come out of your mouth. He has come near you. He is going to cut your throat. That is when you wake up. You are frightened. But you discern that you are lying on the comfortable bed of your home. Slowly yo gain senses and realize that it was just a dream.

So what should we do when things do not go the way we want? First accept that the things are not happening the way you want. This will reduce the impact of disappointment. My Guru says that pray to the God “Thy will. Thy will. Not my will.” It means that God knows what is best for us. So if things are not happening your way, remember they are happening His way. Isn’t his way the best way.

Analyze what went wrong? Whether any more efforts were required from your side. If yes, work hard, eliminate the faults and try again. Not once, not twice, but until you succeed. This attitude will definitely reduce the negative impact. Rather this attitude will leave a positive impact on your persona and you will always emerge as a winner. 

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Chafa tree

Chafa tree stood blossomed in front of my house. It wasn’t much tall. Must be of just 7 feet. It had branched out in all directions. There were the green leaves and fragrant white flowers with a tinge of yellow between them. I would pluck those flowers in the morning. They had a great impact on me. I felt very close to these flowers. I could see my God in it. Such was its impact on me.

No one knew who had planted this chafa tree. When I had moved into this house it had already grown up. I was always grateful to the unknown person who had planted this tree. He had left behind a fragrant gift for me. Indeed planting trees is an unselfish act. You never know whether you will be there when the tree will flower or bear fruits. But still you plant them. May be as the seed of God is present in all of us, ultimately we are the one who will receive its fruits and flowers.

It was rainy season. Ganpati festival was around. I prepared a Ganpati idol made of clay. My sisters had come down for the festival. The chafa tree was in full bloom. It gave hundreds of flowers. We plucked them. I know some may think plucking flowers as cruel. But if do not pluck them, the tree will shed them the next day. So we plucked the flowers, made beautiful garlands for the elephant lord. My elder sister made beautiful rangoli of flowers at the door step and also near the platform where the lord was seated.

Chafa tree bonded us together. In the morning we would pluck the flowers, make the garlands and rangolis. While doing so we would relive the memories of our childhood. We would remember those days when we were kids. We remembered our songs and we remembered our fights. Once this morning routine was done I would go to my work and return home late in the night tired. So I must give all the credit to the Chafa tree and its flowers for bonding us.

Soon the sisters went to their homes and in another few months rains left too. Only I and the Chafa tree remained back. I was feeling lonely. I longed for that laughter, that mirth which was present only when my sisters were around, only when there was some one you could call family. I was lonely and unhappy.

I guess Chafa tree felt lonely too. Its leaves began to turn yellow. It had begun to shed its leaves. I thought it was because of lack of water. I began to water the plant twice in a day. Yet it was shedding its leaves. One day not a single leaf was left on the tree. I felt so bad for it. My gardener told me that some one had poisoned it. I felt as if I was poisoned and going to die soon. I couldn’t see the tree dying with every passing day. But what could I do? There are no doctors for trees. I prayed fervently that the tree may survive. But it remained there barren with just the branches and no leaves.

It was a December morning. The air was cold. I got out of my house for a morning walk. I saw the barren tree. There were tears in my eyes. Then I spotted something white at the end of the branch. I ran and had a closer look at it. My joy knew no bounds. There was a tiny bud, a sign of life, a ray of hope. Soon the tree flowered again. I too got married and started a family. Such was the impact of the Chafa tree. 

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Impact on handwriting

What impact does your state of mind have on your handwriting? Does your handwriting reflect you state of mind. Yes, I believe it does. I had been through a very stressful period a couple of months back. At that point of time my handwriting was scattered, at times sloping, the size of alphabets was not uniform. Every alphabet appeared not in alignment with the other characters in the word. Just like the state of my mind, they too were disturbed.

Slowly by the grace of God and my own efforts guided by Him, things were very much under control. The problems that I faced did impact me, but only for a few moments. In the next moment I would bring the situation under control. Practically handling all the situations successfully, gave me an immense confidence. My inner self blossomed from the bud to a fragrant flower. I learned to be happy, confident and unaffected by external factors.

I started enjoying the blissful company of myself. Even when the person before me tried to pressurize me in every possible way I was in peace. The sense of confronting the odds instead of giving in to the demands of the opponent gave me immense confidence. While I was enjoying my newly found confidence, I suddenly realized that my handwriting was reflecting my inner self.

Now my handwriting had gained some mass and had developed a good shape to attract the eyes of everyone. The alignment and the line spacing competed with the print. The alphabets and characters were no longer disturbed. They seemed to enjoy each others company. The writing in total made by its very appearance, its readers, including me, feel good. It looked like a well organised celebration of a festival, where all the words and characters were under control, rather in coordination with one another. 

 

I am very convinced of the impact which your feelings, moods have on your handwriting. I heard that there are even courses where they teach you to read handwriting. I was never interested in any such courses. A senior colleague of mine was studying hand writings in one of such courses. He had even asked me for my writing specimens. I had agreed to send him my specimens over the phone. But I don’t know why I did not send it to him. Anyways I was never interested in formally learning the impact of emotions of the handwriting. Though some claim it to be a perfect science. Now perfect science? Is any science perfect?

I some times wonder does the impact work the other way round? Suppose you are disturbed. What if you write something in beautiful hand? Will it change your mood? Does a good handwriting leave an impact on your state of mind? Try and do let me know. 

 

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Media impact

So it is Ranbir-Katrina break up impact everywhere. The media is relentlessly busy providing us with information as to what was the reason behind their break up. Ranbir’s family’s non-approval of Katrina. Deepika’s going proximity with him. How the couple was living in for the last five years. How they werely nearly married once. How she is back with Salman. How many buckets of tears did he shed and so on.

My fellow commuters in the train, my colleagues in the office, everyone is bitten with the bug called Ranbir-Katrina break up. Of late a new form of journalism lifestyle journalism is evolved and a new class of social butterflies called celebrities dominate both - the print and electronic media. These people help the print media to fill the print space and the electronic media to fill the slots. They are ready to answer all the stupid questions of “If you were marooned on an island” type. If they dressed badly, it becomes news; if they get involved in acts of crime and immorality, their market value increases and they get a trump card to enter reality shows of the Big Boss kind. In these shows they badmouth each other, use vulgar obscene language, exhibit all kinds of indecency and show how uncultured and uncivilized they are.

But still all of us watch these shows and are vocal about the qualities of our favourite participant. We shower them with all compliments like “Oh! She is gorgeous!” “He is superhot.” The judges on these reality shows find all performances rocking and all performers rock stars. These judges in most of the cases are on the downward side of their careers and get involved in all kinds of brawl to grab the eyeballs. I really fail to understand why we are so obsessed with celebrities. Most of the reality shows on air are based on their American counterparts, where the participants were common people and not celebrities. In my opinion all the wonderful people whom I have met on the journey called life are celebrities. My parents, teachers, friends and well wishers are celebrities for me even if I have fought them for innumerable times. It is unfortunate that while we actively state, rather at times even fight asserting the virtues of our tainted celebrities, we often forget to compliment our near and dear ones, whom we always take for granted. Undoubtedly the media impacts us. But is up to us how much to get affected by it. It is not that all the programmes on the television are wrong or bad. But it is equally true that those which grab more eye balls are indeed ugly and they do impact our lives negatively.

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Impact

It was like any other morning. My wife got ready. She was wearing a sparkling blue saree. Both of us got ready. We were about to leave when she said. “I am angry with you?” “Why do you think so? I didn’t speak anything about your parents?” “Come on. That is the point. You didn’t say anything.” “What do you mean? Can you be clear?” “You didn’t tell me how I am looking in this saree.” “Oh! You are looking gorgeous my darling.” “I know you are lying.” Now I don’t know what is the problem with women. If you don’t compliment them, they have problem. If you do complement them. Still they have a problem. Indeed women are so difficult to understand.

Jokes apart. What impact does a compliment have on any person? Every one likes to hear good things about them. So obviously compliment has a positive impact on the person receiving it. Any compliment, whether genuine or fake, makes the recipient happy. Such is its impact. But the problem is when the other person keeps on expecting that you will compliment him. If you don’t pay any compliment he will feel bad and dejected. Such is the impact of giving and not giving compliment.

My question is that should we take compliment or for that matters what others say so seriously. Yes such is its impact that we do take it very seriously and it creates all the problems. Why can’t we just be happy with the way we are? What a nice impact it would have on our personalities. We wont be hungry for the compliments. We wont bother what others have to say, so long as we are happy. Why can’t we do that? Is it so difficult? Why we require constant approval from others? Facebook likes have very cleverly made use of this human need of being liked. That makes us feel good only for some time. After that we again want to complimented.

Let us make a pledge today. What others say will not impact us. Even if they say good things about us we will receive it without any attachment. If they have to say bad or nasty things about us, we will not let them impact us. According to a research more than 33 per cent of the time on any given day is spent on thinking what others think of us. Such is its impact. Now that is a complete waste of time and energy. We can devote the same time to doing something else. Something constructive, can’t we. Again we can’t be totally unaffected by what others have to say. What I am saying is that don’t let it impact you or your personality. Now impact is obviously more than a few minutes of feeling good or bad.

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Impact of her death

Life is much more than coincidences. There is nothing like coincidences, I believe. But there is no any logic, no any reason underlying them. Such is their impact that they stay with you. Not only do they stay with you but shake you within, with so many questions and no answers for them.

Madhura was my junior in college. She was my mother’s colleague’s daughter. We were never great friends. She was just an acquaintance you may say. She no where featured in my memories. I hardly talked with her.

I had passed out almost seven years ago from the college. I hadn’t even seen Madhura’s face. But then too she crossed my thoughts one day, for no particular reason. It was ten’o clock in the morning. I was at home alone doing the dishes and suddenly she entered my thoughts only for a second. Even I was astonished with her thought. But I brushed it aside. The job of human mind is to think and it keeps on thinking. May be that was the reason why her thought crept in my mind. I didn’t take it too seriously. But there was more meaning attached to it which was to be revealed the following day.

The next day my mother called me. She told me that Madhura had died a day before in a road accident at Pune. She had died on the spot. After the call was over, I checked Pune edition of newspaper over the internet. I was frozen. Her date of death, was yesterday when she had visited my thoughts. Also the accident took place at ten in the morning.

Why did she come in my thoughts all of a sudden? Was the timing of her visiting my thoughts and her death a mere coincident? Was she trying to convey me something?

Her death had a deep impact on me. Yes, the human mind cannot discern everything. But there are certain things which are communicated to you. The communication may be in the form of thoughts, images or any other form. But there is something which is constantly communicating with you, telling you what is good and what is bad, loving you, protecting you. Your thoughts have a very deep impact upon you. Rather your feelings have a very deep impact upon you.

Still whenever I think of that incident I have got no answers to the question as to why did she visit my thoughts before her death? Had my super powers increased? What was it? Will I ever know? I believe in intuitions and telepathies? These questions are impact of her visit in my head on that fateful day. We communicate to each other through feelings. Only if little more research was done in this field.

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Impact of thoughts

Give and you shall receive. That is the law of the nature. When you sow a mango seed, the tree that sprouts from the seed doesn’t give bitter gourd. It will give mangoes, sweet mangoes of the same taste which you had sowed. Because that is the law of the nature. No one can change it. That’s the impact which your actions will have.

Hence my message hold no grudges against anyone. If some one has hurt you, simply say “I release you. You are free. Everything is over from my side. I leave you free. I wish all the blessings of life for you.” Its a wonderful feeling to let go. To realize its impact you must try it once. With its impact you will feel tremendous peace. Store this peace , this serenity within you. No matter what is the situation you will always emerge as a winner.

Love the Universe. Fill it with your loving vibrations. Say I release the vibrations of love. I release vibrations of peace. Infinite peace resides within me. Ocean of peace resides within me.

Remember every thought that you have will impact your lives. Remember every moment thousands of thoughts are working together to weave the picture of your future. The law works without any error. The law never takes any break. Such is its impact.

So the next time you feel irritated and bad, take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes. Imagine the person who has done wrong to you. Imagine the good things which he must have done to you. Dwell on those. If the person hasn’t done you any good things and you don’t have any happy memories of him, then imagine that he speaking good to you. Imagine he is helping you. Imagine both of you are soaked in the light of the god. The impact of this visualization is that the intensity of ill-will which both of you are harbouring towards each other will reduce. Even if you are not able to forgive him, you will at least come to terms with the fact that he has wronged you.

This is the first stage. Once you have accepted him and his deeds, you will be able to think good about him. There are no enemies here. Everyone is made of the same clay. The love or hatred we release impacts everyone including we ourselves. So is not better to send peace and love through our thoughts.

So the peace, love you are sending is touching may people and bringing happiness, peace, contentment in their lives. You are a lucky soul for you have got the good fortune of spreading love, joy and peace. To know what is the impact of such good thoughts, you must experience it first hand.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Impact of her visit

I had been to my friend Goraksh's home to help him in his preparations for the Master of Laws Examination. After discussing various Constitutional provisions we had a tea break. No sooner I had the first sip of the piping hot tea, the door bell rung. To my astonishment there was a female voice enquiring about my presence. Intially I thought it was Sarah, my mother's colleague and Goraksh's neighbour. But when the iron grilled door was opened, I saw my friend Jyoti. Goraksh invited Jyoti to enter the house and hurriedly ran into his bedroom to wear a shirt. Poor chap! He was so embarassed to face a married woman on a baniyan.

Jyoti told me that she had come to the adjacent school to collect her daughter's result sheet. However, the same was denied to her as the exam fees were not paid. She called up at my home and my wise Mother had informed her about my whereabouts. " You should have at least called me on my cell phone instead of giving a surprise visit", I said. Jyoti replied that she did not remember my cell phone number nor was she carrying the diary in which she had jotted my number. I handed over the requisite amount to Jyoti. She was about to leave when Goraksh offered her a cup of tea. She chitchatted about a number of irrelevant things. She appreciated her arrival at the perfect timing - tea time.

Goraksh does not have any female friends. He knows Jyoti as all of us studied in the same college. However, they had never even exchanged a single word. Jyoti was the first female other than his relatives to visit his house. Jyoti although a post graduate had retained her rural life style in all its form including the way of speech, dressing sense and mannerisms. I am sure Goraksh's mother would have got a mild heart attack by seeing her son's first ever female acquaintance visiting their home. Such was impact of her visit.

I was extremely embarrassed. The first thing I did when Jyoti left was to call up my mother and vent up my emotions. She tried to justify herself by telling me that Jyoti was in a problem, you were nearby and host of other things. "You could have given her my cell phone number. I would have helped her out. But why create a scene at a stranger's house?" My mother apologized.

The only lesson that I have learnt from this entire incident is not to be a very well behaved boy and never to tell mom where I am going.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Your impact

To somebody who is/was very special,

I am absolutely fine now. Life after a harsh struggle of four years, is falling upon the right track. These four years were like hell fire. Let me be brutally honest to you, at times I felt like quitting and putting an end to everything! I did not expect life to be a bed of roses. But I did not know it would be a bumpy ride full of hair pin bents either.

I did not expect any favours from you - including monetary expectations. But yes I expected your patient ear. Yes I expect your hands to caress me and rub my back. Yes expected your voice to sooth my ears. Yes I expected your presence, as mere being in your company would have soared my spirits. I expected your deep glance, which would assure me “everything will be alright.’

But maybe I was being unreasonable in my expectations. Rather expecting anything was my biggest mistake. When I called you, most of the times you did not pick my calls. You did not even bother to call me back. You yourself confessed that there was no particular reason for not attending the calls. When you picked the phone (if I were lucky) and uttered the word ‘halo’ my pouncing heart got some relief and your single word was enough to make my day a better one. But your following words ‘Don’t be a cry baby’, ‘you cannot change fate’, ‘I can’t help it’ made my days even sadder. I knew I was crying and whining and I knew you could not help it. As regards fate, I never believed it and I do not even believe it today, after four long years of suffering. I gave my best shot, did all the efforts I could, but things did not work out. Yes, I thank God or the Supreme soul or positive energy (I am still confused which of these exists) for all my blessings. But I still do not believe in the fate.

Let me be honest, your words were true, but were too lethal. Your words pierced my tender heart and shattered it into pieces. To add to my misery, everyone around me had a very supporting network and people to fall back upon. Further there was no reason for you being so dry and indifferent. There was no love lost between us, there were no arguments, no ego clashes -there was absolutely nothing to sour our relation. I wonder till date why you remained so untouched and aloof to my lonely sufferings.

Today I have collected all the pieces of my life and am trying to put them together. I have started a new inning of life. Yes, I agree with you that this experience has made much more confident and a much better person. But how can I attribute your indifference towards my sufferings as a crucial factor in my development as a person? I do not wish to analyze whether you are right or wrong. But how can you be so blunt? You assert that you are always there for me, but why are you not being vocal about your feelings and assure me that you reciprocate my feelings. 

 

Do not feel guilty. Let me make it very clear, you were special and continue to be one. I am very happy today and I do not blame you for my sufferings. I have learnt not to react form the heart, but from the little thing on my shoulders. I know you would not call me to wish good luck and expect me (as always) to understand that your best wishes are always with me. I have moved on and realised that there are no reasons at all for the behaviour of people. My new inning of life has started and I am looking forward to make it big. Forgive me for boasting, but I am confident that I will make it big even this time without requiring anyone to boost my morale. Because now I know that I am my best friend! Such is impact of parting with you. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

 

Khadavali

No one would deny that the last moment plans always work out and make the most exciting experience. I had such a eleventh hour trip to Khadavali, a small hamlet located on the central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway system between Kalyan and Kasara

Although there is an overhead bridge to go to the west, the track on the west being not in use, everybody including me jumped the tracks to get on the other side. The liquor shops lined up and almost every household displaying boards of typical ‘gaoran’ countryside cuisine comprising of bhakri and kharda, on offer shows signs that the sleepy village is ready to cash on visitors. The caution however was “you have to place an order in advance” A sprawling bungalow with paddy fields greeted us to this county. Narrow sloppy tar roads amongst greenery stretching to the horizon lead us to the destination. 

 After a walk of about ten minutes, the cheerful, giggling, bustling and widespread river was clearly visible. On the left side of the river were tiny small steps leading to a small temple of Lord Shiva. There is a small hotel rather a shanty offering tea and snacks aptly named as “Nadikinara” for delectation of visitors. The marshy banks of the river provide multiple alleys from the bushes to reach the riverbed. There are two bridges on the river, one complete and the other under construction. One can see the huge complex of Matoshri old age home on the other side of the bridge. We decided to cross the bridge. The bridge was hardly a foot above the waters. The sound of running water coupled with sight of rushing water everywhere helped us to come close to the nature. 

There are huge rocks in the riverbed. There were many young boys enjoying a dip into the water. There was a woman washing clothes. On enquiry I learnt that the river was also called Khadavali and it originated somewhere at Bhaskar. However, the poor lady could not answer what was Bhaskar. My fellow men religiously shifted into their swim wear and entered the waters splashing water at each other. The water was surprisingly clean. I was happy to see no plastic and other rubbish in the waters. I had never enjoyed getting wet- whether in the rains, waterfalls or water parks. The very sight of water reservoir gave me nausea. But this clean flowing water coupled with the envious happiness of my friends gave me an invitation which was too tempting to resist. I entered the water. The cold water touched my body to give every pore of my body a much needed rejuvenation. To add to his the rains which had always played a spoil sport for me, sprinkled heavy showers of joy. Today I and water had entered in to a new treaty of friendship. 

As a result the black clouds of enmity in the sky suddenly disappeared and sun shined in its full brightness. The flow of water had a force and at times it seemed to carry away me with its currents. So was this invitation from the fate, a fatal thought suddenly crept my mind. On a second note the water gave me a feeling that it was pulling my leg just like a close friend would. After lying for more than two hours in the whirlpool, I got out of it. The bright sun worked as a dryer as well as room heater. Our churning stomachs directed us to the Hotel Nadikinara. There tables with bamboo roofs, overlooking a coulee, made a perfect holiday mood. The bright sun made a perfect lighting to develop a clear picture of the mesmerizing landscape. We were carrying ample food items with us and hence tasted only cutting chai in the hotel. The hotel otherwise offered cold vada pav and hot missal pav. After filling our appetite for food and pleasure, we were on our way back to the station with only wish that let Khadavli remain always clean and serene. Such was the impact of Khadvali and its nature

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Patronizing theatre

It was a dull Sunday morning. I woke up with a slight headache. May be it was a result of gormandizing several chapters of Chetan Bhagat’s “Five point someone” at one go in the late night. After a very busy and hectic week, I was in no mood to work on Sunday. I decided to skip my Sunday M.B.A. classes. Breakfast, browsing the newspaper and the Internet and checking the e-mails consumed my day upto 11 a.m. When you have been slogging for a very long time, you crave for a holiday. But you are so accustomed to slog that the holiday soon satiates you. The whole Sunday noon and the evening where yet to begin and I was already bored. I called up my friends asking them what was their plan for the day and whether we could meet. Each of my friends had already chalked their respective plans for Sunday and no one was in a mood to alter the same for me. Alas! I was assured that I was going to be alone for the entire day.

After having a scrumptious meal, I had a nap upto 3 p.m. Even after having the rare pleasure of having a nap in the afternoon, I had a lot of time for my disposal. I studied a chapter from my MBA course for an hour. I decided that I was going to make the most of my evening, no matter whether I was alone or with someone. I was in a dilemma whether to catch a movie or hang out at the hanging gardens or Chowpatty. I love going to crowded places, as they are indeed a miniature of our varied and diverse culture. I was apprehensive of watching a Hindi movie, as it has been my experience that neither the movie in the multiplex nor the popcorn served over there are worth the price. I abandoned the idea of visiting the hanging gardens or chowpatty for the only reason that it would not help me to kill my time for more than an hour. 

 

I finally decided to watch a Marathi movie at the Bharatmata theatre. It is indeed a novel experience to watch a movie at the Bharatmata. Although one may miss the luxurious seat cushions, the air conditioning or the clean loo. Not to forget that at Bharatmata it is not a mere watching movie, it is like a visit to the village fair. I was astonished to see crowd of enthusiastic people queued up from 5 p.m., to watch a movie (that too in Marathi) scheduled at 6.30 p.m. Majority of the audience was young and comprised of both men and women, dressed to their best as if they were attending a wedding. The queue along side the footpath kept on increasing. There was a bhayaani with vermillion powder filled in her center-partitioned hair, sprinkling water on cucumber in an attempt to make them look fresh and cool. A theatre patronizing Marathi cinema with a North Indian vendor: indeed a cool idea to bring about national integration, no matter what Raj has to say about it. She made a good business from the audience lined up for the movie, which comprised of mostly the lower middle class. With prices being as modest as Rs.18/-, a movie at Bharatmata is an affordable affair for these families.

Suddenly my attention was diverted from this colourful crowd to a person with camera, accompanied by another wearing a three forth pants holding a broom like equipment, probably used for a film shoot. Both of them stood at the divider of the main road, adjusting their camera. Having done this they crossed the road and landed up on the pavement where the audience had queued up. They captured the glimpse of the queue through their camera twice, featuring the backs of the people followed by their faces. After people the cameraman and his assistant with the broom started shooting the posters of the film displayed in a very 70’s fashion.

In the mean while, the sale of tickets had begun. The queue was moving at a speed of a heavily pregnant lady. After spending about 40 minutes in the queue I managed to get a ticket bearing seat number C-23. I moved in through the obsolete gates of Bharatmata.

People were strolling in the tiny theatre corridors, as the doors of the cinema hall were not yet opened. I found the cameraman and his assistant now accompanied by two pretty women dressed in jeans and kurtis and a man with a ponytail and some weird fashion of beard. The cameraman was about to speak to me when I received a call on my cell phone. I attended the phone call and came back. This time the chick accompanying the cameraman introduced herself. She told me that they were making a documentary film on Indian cinema for Doordarshan and the person, whom I thought to be cameraman, was actually the director of the film. She asked me whether I would mind if she interviewed me. I happily assented. She asked me to sit on the steps beneath a tree and answer questions put by her by looking at her. She questioned me as regards the plight of Marathi films, Bharatmata, social issues and cinema and cinema in general. Seeing me being interviewed the audience started flocking towards the spot where I was being interviewed. I felt like a star. After my interview some people even shook their hands with me, as if they had met Shahrukh Khan. The chic interviewed me for about fifteen minutes. She noted my name and phone number in her pocket diary and asserted that she would inform me as to when the documentary will be telecasted. 

 

Now the audience had started entering the hall. I occupied my seat, in the third row from the back. I enjoyed the 2 hours typical paisa vasool masala movie churned out by Mahesh Kothare accompanied by the hooting and whistling merry audience. I had a gala time watching the Marathi movie at Bharatmata. It was an experience which luxurious multiplexes would not offer. Indeed three cheers for my Marathi and the Bharatmata, which has been patronizing Marathi movies all these years. Such is its impact that even the documentary film makers couldn’t think of any other theatre.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.