Let The Life Flow

Today is a different day than my recent time normal day. Today in a Google meet I got chance to connect with former colleagues with whom I worked while posted in  Bhubaneswar Regional Office of Action Aid . For me it was first of its kind, as I had not yet participated in a digital video meeting like this. I have attended digital classes and seminars in recent months where you see the presenter in the screen and your participation is through the chat. But seeing all participants in the small windows together with your own image and talking to them was a first for me. I liked the experience. It was profound for me in the sense that as I saw them, each one in a box disjointed from other boxes, yet all together in a larger frame; similarly for each of them I have a separate box in my memory though all are part of my experience in that single frame – that office. I realized we might have interacted with people in a group, but we form our memory distinct and separate for each of the...

My parents are ardent supporters of a political party whose ideology is different from what I and my siblings stand for.   So at times a discussion on political scenario in the family gatherings generates heated exchanges. During one such discussion my mother declared that she hates Muslims. It gave me a punch for thought. I stopped for a moment and then asked my 72 year old mother, “Have you been harmed by any Muslim in your life Ma?” And it was her turn for a pause. She finally said, “No”. But her antipathy towards Muslims decides her political perception and may be some other life aspects. And ‘a realization’ knocked me like a bolt. She has not been harmed nor done any good to her by any Muslim. She in fact has interacted with only one Muslim family in her entire life. And I know that interaction was always cordial till it lasted. They were neighbor to her brother’s family. When her brother’s family shifted out to some other place this interaction ceased.   Where from...

Recently I went for a get together of my high school batch mates. Never had thought a possibility of that exists and when it suddenly came to my conscious it was definitely a surprise. But joining and experiencing the high energy of that congregation was a pleasant surprise. I could not recognize most of the male batch mates at the first sight. But it was not awkward as the non recognition of the other was mutual in most cases. And that made the reintroduction process a fun game of guessing and failing and re-guessing and at times failing and at times shouting out their names with sheer pleasure of recollection of their names. What was surprising however to me was towards the end of the day when I looked those faces I felt there was not much change in their facial contours from the memory I had of them. Amazing! My mind had mapped out the new faces with the old ones stored in my subconscious and all the changes that seemed discords had been overlooked…! The impact of more than t...

8th Jan 2010 Manish had asked me about the name of my house. I had no name for it. My house number is J3. After coming to the colony when I looked around I found many a house in my neighbourhood have names. I started thinking how significant the name of a house is. When I started thinking in this line I actually looked the house beyond the brick and cement building. I suddenly felt as if I am meeting the house for the first time. I started looking at the personality of the house. Looking around I realised that it is the only house in the neighbourhood with Pink exterior. In fact I am the only owner who has retained the original pink colour. After taking possession from the builder, rest house owners have gone for other colours. Looking around I felt good to see this Pink House of mine. Won’t it be good to call the house Pink House? In fact that is the visible distinctive character which will be noticed by a person who is approaching it for the first time. Don’t we notice people from ...

I came back today from a 10 days service at Vipassana course. I had gone there to sit for the course, but because the situation demanded provided service instead. It was an amazingly empowering experience. Many a times things just go out of the planned course. Many a times it is beyond me to understand the course Universe decides for me and the two compelling questions come back - 'Who am I?' and 'Why am I here?'. But then the inner wisdom whispers - Everything has a purpose, you included. So love it and things will work out. This exprience was one of those enlightening experience. Do you also face these two questions at times? Don't look outside for answers, look within - meditate. It will give you the answer. I will come back on this. Feeling sleepy now. Good night.

Again the question has come back to me. Contemplative OK, but how come I describe myself as a Conjurer of Love? Conjurer of Love means ‘Love Magician’. What a Magician does? Out of nothing s/he manifests things for your sight and senses, mesmerises you and delights you. Being a Love Magician I do the same. Out of unmanifested Universe I gather love and try to distribute around, try to distribute positive spirit of love around and try to distribute happiness of love around. Believe me. This is a Happy Universe and abundance of love is there to be tapped. Oh, no, I am not speaking about only ‘physical love’ or ‘romantic love’. These are only sub sets. Love is a much larger phenomenon. Love is life. And Life is Love. You don’t feel love in your life? Here is a small tip. Get up in the morning, open your eyes, smile to yourself still lying in the bed and say ‘I Love you’. The moment for the first time in the day you face your mirror – pause, look into your own eyes, smile and say ‘I Love ...

Today – oh sorry it is already yesterday – being the Romance Day, let me come back to the feelings and emotions again. Think of it, if you LIKE somebody or something what is your instinct? You would have an inclination to know more about the subject/object, to spend more time on/with that. In opposite when you do not like some subject/object, then you feel like going away and not to deal with it. Try spending time with subject/object for which you do not feel positive emotion. You feel bored and burdened! A denser form of this emotion would what I will call as LOVE. You no longer only feel positive for this subject/object; you try actually devoting and spending more time and feeling happy in doing so. If this is for a person we also want reciprocation and try to do things to get the same. You take effort in becoming more aware about the other person and letting know about yourself. You feel attracted and drawn to this person and feel inclined to attract him/her. If the feeling is mutu...

Finally I thought of giving it a go – expressing myself. And first thing I want to tackle is the persistent question of my friends about the word on the right side of the Orkut profile prompt ‘Passion’. My first submission is ‘Love’. "How can ‘Love’ be somebody’s passion? Yaar, kuchh bhi likh deti ho!" Well, Is it so? In any case, was there any rule anywhere in this site about not writing ‘Kuchh bhi’! I suppose each one is out there expressing her/himself – trying to be as individual as one can in the milieu of the profiles. But I am here to explain and not take refuse in counter questions. So let me try. What is Passion? Go by dictionary and it will say –very strong emotion, an intense enthusiasm for something. Yes it also talks about intense sexual love. But let’s go by the context. When you say your passion is Literature or rugby or scuba diving or what ever ... what do you mean? You feel strongly for it and have intense enthusiasm for it. If your passion is cricket, you ...