~ Reflections ~

Days pass by without realizing what is truly happening around us... Oh yes, we are living in eventful times, with Djokovic equalling Nadal's record, and India winning the U-19 Women's World Cup, and ofcourse Adani pulling back their mammoth FPO... But the intent is to look around and inside, and truly absorb the elements. It is important to pause and collect, in whichever way works for you... Could be a solo holiday, or a simple massage, or just idling around... In essence, just some time to sit back and truly observe ! You'll be amazed at the things that hit you !  

We recently embarked on our first international trip with the Tiny Human (actually not so tiny anymore !)  and we discovered so many things about ourselves. It was a new geography, new food, different people et all, and we were actually wondering how it would pan out. But the realization that... we always underestimate the ability of strangers to empathize and help... a place might be new, but people are to you, as you are to people.. a change of place actually gives your mind a break, even if the daily chores being followed remain the same.... hmmm.... they were all eye openers :) For all the double guessing and fear we had about this sojourn, it turned out fine... Needless to say the Tiny Human was fairly cooperative, atleast as cooperative as a two and a half year old can be... Ofcourse, it did help that the cab driver suddenly played rhymes in the car when he heard him bawl, and the waitress gave a special empty bowl for him to play with once in a while. All in all, a brea...

Whether we talk about the Noah's Ark, Manu & the Matsya avatar or Nuh, the reference to that hope of a saviour when you are flooded is universal.  Ever so often, in life, when we are in a crisis, we tend to look for a saviour/ help... And more often than not, help appears in different shapes and forms, not always in the direction we are looking.  But what is more important is your will to move along, to accept the help being offered and not stay in denial to let 'fate take it's course'.  Fate will, obviously take it's course, but that is subject to the responses we send to the universe.   If Noah was ushering everyone into the boat, and I chose to say that I won't act on this option because I believe in the supreme and will wait for a suitable (read not tough/challenging) option to come my way, that's our action which is finally determining our fate. So keep your eyes and ears open for any such knock at your door... Often, tying our lifeboat to the horn ...

The world is a family. Our friends are a part of our family. We create our families.. define them, guard them... create walls, open gates... Whatever the definition or boundary, we revel in our family, with our family... It is often that part of our life which is without inhibitions.. M not saying it is all hunky dory, but it is definitely the better parts of our time on this planet.... But what portion of our waking life do we spend with family, knowing fully well that they provide the most joy ! Oh yes, there is work, and the other regular things we do/must do. There is also that annual vacation to the far west or east that one needs to prioritize...  Despite all these supremely important commitments, do we really even try to make the time ? As time is passing by, and showing up on my head in the form of those wiry white strands, I am increasingly caught with the thought of whether we try enough ?

We try and estimate so many things, and try to peg a value, often just figuratively... in being the best, the worst, the first, the last...  But what we end up doing in the process and peg ourselves and that relationship in our life. It's actually an estimate of ourselves, as we perceive it, in the other eyes of the other person...  How does it matter whether someone values you the most... What matters is how much you value them in the true sense...  Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have!!! 

My typical retort to anyone who said that they don't believe in God is whether they believe in 'What you give is what you get'.... because anyone who believes in this fine balance of life cannot deny the existence of the almighty.. whatever name might chose to attribute... But a discussion with a friend recently gave me a eureka moment... while I was seemingly smug about the realization of the existence, I seemed to be making the same error when talking about the form.  Till then, I always believed in the existence of an almighty, but was almost proud in declaring that I don't believe in the current propagated forms, like a Ganesh, Christ etc. Instead I believed in the Nirakaar  or Advaita form. But now I feel like a fool.. the existence of God, her form or the idea of her being formless is all the say. It is just a way we choose to perceive the almighty, or whatever you to choose to call her... The more I think about it, the more obvious my ignorance appears to be... H...

The toughest part of managing a child, besides getting them to eat right, is to get them to sleep :) Oh yes, you might be dreary and sleepy, but that doesn't seem to rub onto the child, or ease them to sleep. Often, one might rock oneself to sleep before the Tiny Human finally dozes off. It makes me wonder if I was as much a pain to put to sleep. With time and experience, each of us develop our own styles and techniques to achieve the ultimate outcome.. no judgement on the means to the end :) :D I've finally found a list of songs which seem to help in the task, without realizing that these songs have become my favourites anyway ! Here are the top 5. 5. Surmayi Akhiyo Mae (Hindi, Movie: Sadma) : Somehow Yesudas singing this song to you seems to be the perfect recipe to call upon sleep. Needless to say Gulzar weaves magic through those words. 4. Sapnon ke Ghar ki  (Hindi, Movie: Daddy)  : This is one is definitely one of the best of Talat Aziz. Hadn't heard of the lyricist ...

Most of us in the middle/upper middle class spend what we earn, and maybe, save a little. Working long hours to make ends meet, to make life a little more comfortable is what we strive for. But we don't realize when this strife, becomes a struggle... and ends up hampering our 'life' in total. I've heard so many peers saying life is so stressful.. Little do they realize that it's their work that makes their life feel that way ! I'm not saying work is a joke, and don't take it seriously.  But we need to have as much discipline towards life beyond work. More often than not, family & friends become the collateral damage. Cartoon Credit:  https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/h/heavy_workload.asp

Progeny has a funny impact on how we look at things... The urge to see a piece of you in flesh and blood is so strong. that we seem to loose all sense of perspective till we do it :) We wish and pray for a creation, who is like us :) Ironically, the similarity we often seek is in the form of the 'adorable' smile, the eating habits, intelligence,  body language.. the list could go on... But what truly matter is what kind of person the child is, the nature, attitude, demeanor... and the key to this is more the environment and upbringing than the gene pool. Don't get me wrong, the gene pool is a good trendsetter, but it is not 'the' reason for someone turning out a certain way. So when we all seek for a part of us in someone else, we need to remember what matter.. I mean what truly counts !  

I was never a 'podcast' person as I prefer reading to listening, if you know what I am saying. But off late, long hours of travel (and old age, which doesn't permit much reading in a moving car) has forced me to rely on my ears (than eyes). Much to my surprise, I discovered some delectable content in the likes of Youtube, Spotify and Gaana.com. One such podcast which I'd recommend to everyone is the podcast by ATS Studio on Spotify, called Mission ISRO  hosted by Harsha Bhogle . It is a beautifully narrated journey of the Indian scientists, on how they managed to make the Indian space mission work. considering it started post Independence, when the government had bigger fish to fry. You'd be surprised to note that Kalam only forms a small part of long list of scientists we need to thank including Vikram Sarabhai , Homi Jehangir Bhabha  and Satish Dhawan , to name a few. What made the podcast even more interesting were the numerous anecdotes through each episode. D...