Little drops of dew

Perspective is a strange friend. It arrives at the most unexpected hour. It makes us see the same situation in a myriad different ways. It laughs at our concept of absoluteness and teaches us that everything around us is relative to the view taken by us.

Hence, even though our situation remains unchanged we can change our perception of it by changing our perspective. Of late, as i have been musing over the way we perceive our lives and are leading it, made me realize that we need to change our perspective on our lives and see it in a different light.

In this trying and demanding world of ours we as people have got into a strange way of leading our lives. Everybody is driven by goals, objectives and deadlines. The simple joys of everyday existence like spending time with our family and friends, spending time with oneself has been discarded in favour of achieving ever higher goals. The height of these goals sometimes dwarf our own being. Slowly our lives have become checklists of 'achievables' and 'wants' and we strain our mind and muscle to achieve them. It is as though in our eternal wait for the heavy rains we have forgotten to enjoy and appreciate the simple joys provided by the little drops of dew that greet us every morning.

We will do well to change our perspective and focus more on the little things in life because if we do that we will start to enjoy our lives and lead fuller and happier lives. It is not to say that we should not go after bigger goals. We should definitely aspire for them but we should not give them exaggerated importance and make them our be all and end alls.

When we are at the twilight of our life, more than how much we achieved we will remember how much we enjoyed the little moments of our life. Let us start to enjoy the little drops of dew and wait patiently for the rains to come.

The Past and the Present

As I slip into my solitude and retreat into myself , a multitude of thoughts run over me and i scramble frantically to handle them. The time around me rushes ahead at a furious pace as if in a hurry to catch a missing train. It speeds along, taking me with it. It does not take a break, neither does it give me one, it cannons along as if to fulfill a preordained appointment. In a bat of an eyelid days become weeks, weeks become months, months become years and i realize that i have come a long way and i look behind in awe at the distance travelled and sometimes fail to recognize my image in the past. As I realise how fast time flies by I ponder over the past , the present and how they get connected. What is this Past? How is it related to the present? What does it signify? These are some of the questions that get hurled at my ignorant mind to ponder.

The past gives rise to the present and the future runs from this present and together all three are inexplicably intertwined. Past actions and their consequences reflect on our state in the present and the actions of the present reflect in our future. We remember the past, experience the present and look forward to the future. Together they form the three edges of life's triangle.

In experiencing the present we sometimes forget the past and give no heed to it, as if indulging in the newly arrived guest ignoring your old parent. But still the past clings onto you like a good friend, there at every one of your beck and call, not changing a bit, ever the same. Whereas the present is a wily foe changing colours like a chameleon, slipping out of your grasp, always keeping you guessing.

We romanticize the past and praise it in Utopian terms. But didn't you curse that same past when you experienced it? Why does it look so rosy and perfect now? Maybe the present holds aloft a crystal clear mirror which shows up all the bad that exists in and around you and you curse it. In contrast, the past is like the shadow you cast , you only see a beautiful outline of yours, ignoring all your warts, inconruencies and miseries and so you fall in love with it. Probably that's why the past appears more attractive than it actually was when experienced. Hence we idealize the past and curse the present and say that everything was perfect in the past. The truth however is that we tend to ignore the ills of the past and remember only the good. The past is in our control and we see in it what we want to see. The mind plays tricks and we fall for it.

Whatever be the case, we all love to love the past. Sometimes the day-to-day drudgery of life becomes mundane and the present loses some of its dynamicity and lustre and i look back to the bygone past and get immersed in past events like in a trance and they in turn blow life into the dull present which again becomes lively.

Realm of the Renouncer

India is a strange country. A country of extremes, a country where myth blends into reality, a country where several centuries reside by each other's side.A montage of disparate images knitted together by an invisible thread. Yet amidst these incongruencies one sees an enduring common thread. One such thread is the Indian psyche's unending fascination for the 'Renouncer'.

Right from the Buddha to the Mahatma, the renouncer has gained a special place in the hearts and minds of the Indians. Even to this day numerous ascetics throng the country holding sway over enormous masses. Even modern day politicians sought to project themselves as 'ascetic servants of the people'. Contrary to western materialistic philosophy which views the act of renunciation as a cowardly act of a loser, the Indian psyche's glorifies it as a brave act.For Indians it takes great courage to be a renouncer - the courage to 'Let go'.

Sonia Gandhi discovered that her stature went up by few notches when she renounced the prime ministership few years back. The mahatma became mahatma after renouncing his worldly passions. Even Buddhism, which is a quintessential product of pure Indian thought bases itself on letting go of worldly passions. The 'dhammapada' of Buddhism exhorts the virtues of asceticism and preaches its follower's to follow the simple yet enlightening path trod by the Buddha.

This attribute is not unique to purely Indian forms of thought but can also be seen in many foreign concepts influenced by Indian thought. A classical example of this is the liberal Indian 'Sufi' cult of Islam which is a radical shift from the conservative 'Wahhabi' cult that emerged out of Arabia. The Sufis renounced any form of material splendor and lived their lives composing hymns and forging social unity(Legend has it that they even slept in coffins to drive home the point).

Well it looks like whatever be the period the Indian fascination for renouncing will remain and is a source of intrigue for millions around the world.

The River of Life

The oddity of life and its true meaning has confounded many a people since eternity. Great philosophers and intellectuals have expended themselves in finding answer to this question. So what is this life, this almost metaphysical being which everyone experiences but no one can define.

According to my very little understanding, life is a river. It ebbs and flows, sometimes flowing gently sometimes violently, sometimes calm sometimes turbulent but unmistakably it does flow. Life like a river continues in its long journey never returning to a point that has gone by, ever going forward ever flowing.

Life akin to a river has its distinct stages a start, a being and an end.In its youth life is a torrent gushing through the narrow spaces of orthodoxy and convention rebelling against age old customs. In middle age it attains the poise and dignity of a brook flowing through the plains reconciled with the vagaries and ironies of life. In old age it resembles a spent river inevitably merging into the sea - a sea which in its tranquility symbolises death itself.