When a school van passes by....

Aahh my lunch box, where’s my mbile? Is it charged fully, ok..meeting at 9 30..I gotta rush..ohh yeah..the ppt slides..let me go through it once so that I don’t fumble there in front of everyone. Starting off from home, running for the bus, messaging d 1 who gets in at the same stop..to ask driver anna to wait…gr8!! So I'm there before the bus arrived!! no no..wait the bus was caught in traffic so I'm saved!!
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 This is how most mornings are for us..far away in nature from what it used to b yrs ago..ok, so where was I??yeah with the same queasiness u 4get to realize or feel so many things around u..suddenly a noise erupts out of nowhere..it passes by your side and a long brake..so u get a better view of it now..u r laid back on your comfortable push back seat. U move forward with a jerk..hear some reminiscent sound. What does it evoke? U almost 4got that because it was way back? Hmm now u have got d hang of it..thanks to your sight. U try to peek.. and see innocent sunshine faces peep..eagerly looking at your office bus..who knows what those tots r having in their minds now. Yes and you become nostalgic..thinking of those halcyon days at school wen everyday begins with “Oh God, school today. Please make my teacher go on leave today. From tomorrow I will sincerely do my homework. Promise”. Their perky outcry sounds like a thousand birds chirping..n it resonates amidst d blaring vehicle horns. So what next? U r lost in thoughts, taken back to those days wen innocence ruled your life, wen dishonesty meant telling lies to escape from your teacher, stealing chalk piece n taunting from school n feigning to have had stomach ache. Ur world was small, your enemies were powerful n they were often your 1 yr old siblings or an equally aged neighbour. Money, yea that was meant to buy chocolates n teddy bears, cellphones??that's an anachronism. Only telephones were there n u used to make random prank calls n pretend to b Pepsi Uma wen ur parents were not at home. Der was no thinking about d future which meant no worries carried fwd to d next day. Der was no looking back that made u think of d same thing everyday n cry till u slept that nite. Though u dint have much work, u managed to keep yourself busy all d time. Now u call yourself busy but most of d time only stare at the white wall in a wilting way and think of nothing. Ironical but true.  U neither knew what friendship meant nor what d abysmal hatred did. “Ignorance is bliss” they say! V v true..n did I mention d turnout part? Neatly pressed uniforms, shoes that r white only on Mondays n eventually turn to yellow on Fridays, u colour it up with chalk to escape assembly time turnout checks, pass ur ribbon to d gal in first row n help. It was PT periods that drove u to school, a not well knwn teacher enters n u heave a sigh of relief dat its substitution period, u make d best use of d half an hr lunch, eat in 10 mins n play for d rest of d time till ur legs pained, go bac home n start off d next day d same way like a snail jogging through molasses. Again u r on d school van today, not really interested to go. U pass by  an office bus n wonder “Woww these guys don’t have any homework!!, everyday s like b’day n Children’s Day with colour dress” wen ur van suddenly stops next to it. U realize u r not in school van but office bus now n those were merely wishful thoughts pervading d mind. A tear rolls dwn d eye n u don’t evn realize y! life has taken a sea change..u have come, passing thru d times wen u knw dat  only tangible things can break to dis day wen life has taught u evn intangible things like trust n promise can. It has taught u lessons in a much harder n stricter way than ur teachers did..n u paid heavier prices too! U yearn for d past..feel like racing against nature’s growth n going back to school life again. A blare at your ear, that's none other than technology’s new kid! Ur teammates r calling u to ask where u r because it’s time for d presentation to start..yea rite your bus was late. U alight d bus wid reluctance n head towards your office..your mind agitated with the not so well prepared ppt presentation. N by d way do u remember d homework promise u made?! :)

Better to avoid friction in friendship

Friendship is the only relationship on Earth in which religion does not play a role. It was, is and will continue to be a pristine relationship. Nevertheless, there are some points that need to be kept in mind to continue the healthy relationship with friends through eternity. Many taboo topics are to be avoided, the most important and sensitive of them being religion. Though we don’t find it to be that common these days, yet there exists a few circumstances in which these topics slip in causing bitterness. When a person belonging to another belief criticizes your beliefs and customs it is something really difficult to take. A worse condition being they are your friends and you don’t want to be rude to them. At the same time you have to be true to your religion and faith and you can’t be mute to their criticisms. You try your best to be polite and explain your stand, but they unabatedly continue to mock at or argue with you. It’s ok, in such situations either stand unshaken and support your view or better explain to them that such topics are not necessary to be discussed then. After all those who resort to such arguments should understand the simple truth that all religions preach the same values and only the means of devotion and prayers vary. And all religions have the doctrine that the other shouldn’t be belittled. What may seem funny to someone in another religion may be a faith of high regard for the other belonging to that religion. So don’t ever thrust your ideas or claims upon others. When there can be sentiments that vary from person to person it’s not surprising to have a few sentiments and beliefs specific to a caste or religion and none can prove it wrong. And there’s no need to find out how scientific or logical a belief is. We are not scientists working on an experiment. It’s ‘life’ that we are living; faiths and sentiments can be arbitrary; they don’t need at all a scientific support. That is why it’s called ‘belief’. God has a reason for making beliefs existent and we humans are no way better than Him to challenge traditions like an iconoclast. True civilization lies in how tolerant you are to other religious beliefs and how well you look at them with respect. Don’t ever hurt a person’s feelings just because you don’t follow it. If you find something in their religion that’s not compliant with yours, so would there be a thing in yours that would not conform to theirs. It’s not about finding out who’s right or wrong or which practice has a strong stand or reason behind. It’s about having one’s own faiths and at the same time venerating others’ too.

Another perspective....

Ok, so all d hustle, bustle, fun n frolic abt Earthquake n Tsunami s over..time to contemplate on  some srs things..just came to my mind..who wer d 1^st 5 or 6 people u tried to reach to wen u felt d tremors? Who wer d 1^st 5 or 6 people who called u or inquired abt ur safety??interestingly, for most of us it wud ve been our  family members..our mother, father,  siblings , relatives n some close frnds..also we wud ve repented,  for  sum1 remembered to call us n ask while it dint strike us to ve done  d same to them! D amount of time we spend wid our families has definitely seen a dip in d past few yrs..n its mainly attributed to d constraints brought in due to our quotidian office work. It’s nly in these situations we come out breakin d obscurity of work n realize our innerselves..yess life s all abt family relatives n frnds..profession s nly a means to support d needs of our lives. So however far u have moved away from these relations owin to increased precedence given to profession, it’s still not too late. Reflect on dis n decide..u can definitely attain d lost propinquity quickly. N always remember dis..whether we r getting married  n movin to d nuclear family setup from d joint 1, or relocatin abroad, our parents r our first frnds n we mean a lot to them :)so reciprocate (we definitely can’t repay d whole debt though).

God’s Grace

 

Every event is a miracle if we realize it. It’s by God’s Grace that everything happens.  He knows what to give us and He gives that at just the right time. Many a times we ask for things we desire, more frequently ignorant of what consequences it would bring. Many of our wishes are granted. We see things in a perfunctory manner and misconstrue that some are not..but actually we don’t realize what negative impacts would trail the disposed  wish if it were granted. We can see His Grace at every stage and second of our lives. There must have been times in our lives when adversities would have sapped us of our strength, when it was only hurt and disappointment that people gave us, when it was nothing but only words like daggers that pierced our hearts, we trusted a friend say in school so much only to realize that we were just a pastime or a tool they made use of to learn things and when we were not useful anymore we were avoided. Who stood by us during those times? Was it our courage? Or, the so called ‘will power’? No! It was God .We see things the logical way, but for anything to happen there should be Supreme Force that has created the universe and has been setting things into action. That Omnipotent Force is God. So whenever there is a problem, or if something depresses you,  remember  we are not here on our own accord, nor did we take birth relying on a human (Of course we are social animals and human relations are needed and many of them are true indeed, but we should first trust in and be grateful to God who has given us all of these). We are here because of His will and our own Karma, and there’s no escape until the purpose for which we have come here has been served. God never disappoints like humans do. When we surrender at His feet and hold on to it tightly He is not going to kick us away. His Grace is unlimited like He is. And don’t gett angry with Him :). He is not going to lose anything because of your anger, just like the ocean which neither loses anything if you pour a tub of water into it nor take away 1 from it. It’s a loss for us only. What is needed is ‘Faith’ and ‘Patience’. Endure to the maximum extent possible. He is watching our actions and will continue to shower His Grace on us always.

Introspection

In today’s fast-paced lifestyle many of us have time to complete only the day-to-day chores. And next we plan for future. So I just felt like sharing this thought….Introspection….which means reflecting upon our own thoughts,words and actions….everyday we can try and allocate some time to recall whatever happened  that day….whether we thought anything negative or wasteful….spoke ill or gossiped about someone that’s of no use to anyone….or spoke something that could have hurt a person’s feelings….or did some action that way…. Contemplating on these may seem boring in the beginning….spending that time online or watching tv might seem a better option.  But these small things and the 10 or 15 minutes spent can bring changes to our lives and to what we are….and its effects can be realized and felt in the course of time. And of course introspection should be followed by corrections if we feel they are necessary. Only then the purpose is served….because apologies made at the right time and misunderstandings sorted out immediately can prevent the falling of big rifts amongst friends or any others.

Being human and being yourself!

Many of us would have heard this story in our childhood days….yet I’m sharing this for a small recollection….
Once there was a saint who used to perform his religious rites by the banks of a river. One day,  after completing his rites he sat under a tree to meditate. An ant slowly came near him and started biting severely. After sometime the ant tried to climb up the tree and while doing so fell into the water. Not knowing to swim it was struggling to reach the bank. Driven by pity and compassion, the saint plucked a leaf from the tree and threw it into the water. The ant heaved a sigh of relief and slowly reached the bank by clinging to it.
The same happened on the next couple of days also. A man who was working by the side of the river was perplexed to see this. He coudn’t contain his curiosity. So he went to the saint and asked , “Oh learned sir! I have seen this ant biting you invariably everyday. But you keep saving it without nursing grudges. Don’t you get angry at all?”
The saint smiled and replied humbly,  “Biting is the nature of ants….but to save a soul in trouble is the duty of a human being”.
 The saint’s answer is short and simple but when pondered upon teaches us so many values.
Forgiveness,symapthy and empathy are some of the greatest gifts given by God to humans. So its our moral duty to be compassionate. Also developing grudge and retaliating is not going to benefit us in anyway.
Someone hurt you? Don’t hurt back….forgive and be how you were….
Someone is acting in front of you but talking behind your back?Understand and learn a lesson but don’t talk back about that person….
Someone betrayed you?Be careful the next time but don’t retaliate….
Someone din’t recognize you for what you have done to them? It’s ok!after all you din’t do that to get their recognition!
Be open to changes for the better but don’t change your values for the sake of others….if u do so there is no end to it and you have to keep changing for every person you come across. So be yourself!
Because in the end it’s going to be between God and you….it was never between them and you! :)