Posts tagged ‘hope’
Addiction: Contagiously unique: Dying to get Offline, but alas!
ADDICTIONS: Dying to get Offline, but Alas!
“Greatness adds to the Good & evil begets evil, as simple as that”
One 12 year old kid, who was supposed to enjoy his summer vacations by going out or playing till he drops in the heat, was having a horrible day yesterday, because his mother was not allowing him to play the Xbox (which he was playing for more than few hours already).
He came to me angry with his mom and asked, ‘I am getting bored. I don’t want to go out and play. Can you tell mom to allow me to play on my Xbox so that I can have some fun.’
I guess, this is what has become when I look around me, except for those very few who are still fortunate, under control and in touch with the real world.
That’s when it struck me.
I too have been addicted. I realized that I have become utterly obsessed to the cyber world like millions across the world. Today I am just one among the million less fortunate getting strangled to the today’s ipv4 syndrome – The Internet.
This virtual platform engineered by those who started it as an information sharing platform has gone manifold through inventions & contributions by great pioneers like Al Gore, Tim Berners-Lee, Vint Cerf, Robert Kahn, Leonard Kleinrock, Lawrence G. Roberts, Radia Perlman and few others.
But why do I quote the first line that “greatness adds…..”
I realized the missing link around that could hold me grounded and keep me engrossed in life that is real.
Today, as I scan across my little self-centered murky world, I find all those around fixated to something that is not just contagious, but uniquely contagious, in the sense that, it drives oneself to catch their novel form of addiction on their own.
Surrounded by those either addicted to the till death do us apart yearning for money or those with a deflective state of philosophical bent through religious dose of daily booze or those obsessed with zero value adding life skills of traditional education or the amazingly exasperating bunch of hardcore shopaholics who have today led me to succumb & snail myself into a smaller world owing to sheer utter boredom.
I feel suffocated when I end up nowhere but yet ‘find myself’ in a Mall every other day or worst diluting my already troubled fitness regime sitting in a restaurant that is definitely not helping me regain my good old self.
Why? ‘coz today I am tired of again and again planning a spontaneous tour to a better place or at least a real world around and unfortunately cannot also find, ‘who can take on ideas to connect to the real world’ & initiate an adventurous outing may be?
I keep trying to reinvent by being innovative and planning to reach out to the outer and real world and sadly find myself in a restaurant or compulsorily on the almost only way to stay connected with each other today – Telephone or even worst in a bar or a again a mall.
The value addition per se seems to be missing at every stage as addiction has caught up with specific religious routines of not thinking beyond the monotonously small world around.
With so much of information explosion, I am today finding the spontaneity missing around me so much that I chose to get addicted to a virtual world with just a couple of hardware and loads of unnecessary junk from all across the globe.
As I drift towards spending shockingly gifted long & empty weekends addicted to the virtual galleria, the more I realize the emptiness of adventure and spark with zest and energy around.
The more I update myself on Web3.0 today, the more I feel sorry for the world of tomorrow that ‘might’ be a part of these uniquely contagious addiction syndromes over a period of time.
Now that I have done some keying in for the day, let me get back to Orkut or Facebook where I can meet real people, ahem!
Can’t believe, I am actually dying to get offline!
What say?
Let me know your views
Ananth V – ‘(Still Online)’
Image Source: AnanthV
TV Soaps, Reel & Real life: Winds of blurry reality
Twirling Dreams & Blurring Reality
Money, passion, exhaustion and fame…. Drawing to a weekend where serenity was the magic to the tempo of realism called Life!
Met up with an old buddy, yes, the same friend who shared his dream with me and wanted the same to be shared with all of us through this platform: Choked by a crab
He said, I want to share another one this time.
I asked him, “You spend too much time sleeping, don’t you?”
Thank God, he took it lightly, just the way I had meant it.
But he meant business as he straight away quoted “I saw a baby monkey running around me with whom I was playing and then feeding a watermelon”
We knew we were no Birbal, so we got Sherlock. No, not the web search app from Apple (That’s still Google for us).
We got searching and finding all probable combinations. Why? ‘coz my chum seemed quite uneasy and anxious since a couple of days with this and he said, lets put this again on board.
The combination of a baby monkey being fed watermelon, hmmmmm….
The Web help sources said, That could mean putting jointly emotions of innocence which was trying to be grabbed from the past.,Unsettled triggers of unfinished business from childhood recollections that could have sparked very recently. That with a monkey that was being fed, probably expressing a betrayal of expectation from someone who should have been there more to support you who meant close to you and finally with a fruit that is either about ease or about fiery passion. These were amazing combinations which meant well, nothing to me as now I turned at my buddy.
Slowly we put the running ball together; I noticed a sneer and a sense of realization on his face. He said, I got my answers, now you quote down your lines.
His face was composed or a lot calmer now and now that I got that he got it, I was sure I need not try to know what it was.
But I felt uncomfortable when I quoted his dreams the first time on the blog after he said, go for it. Flash it across. Now a repeated second one made me say to him, ‘it’s not right to talk about your life on a Writers blog.’
He said a simple line after which I started to key in the new post here.
He quoted, “It helps me relax to read it across the blog and it helps me know, it’s just out there, happening and makes me feel in control from within. It’s good to flush it out of my system than to burn wakeful from inside in the barrenness.”
That’s when I realized the influence of Soaps on TV. With Ekta Kapoor and her Dramarama swarming the nation like a wild blaze, people find themselves sharing a part of it, some or any part of it at times and that’s what keeps them at ease and linked day in and day out.
It’s not the actors, it’s not the lines, its Reel reality with a dash of overflowing emotions bundled with of course repetitive unnecessary camera shots. (ya, ya I have seen an episode too.. big deal)
Well, I don’t know about me, but Ekta definitely built her dreams with it….
And to my pal, Happy dreaming buddy! Have a good nights sleep!
Chao!
Image Source: Click
Stay foolish… Stay in!
The Corporate Apple
“As you dream about your passion and work towards you goal,
You make yourself calm and play through your role
You find your name and follow the set game
Be a pawn and monotonously do the same
Stay putt as you search to get things par
Work hard and say pressure & time no bar
Realizing slowly the messed up cobs
Goes away the smile, you see around those sobs
Raced ahead off all, you look behind those in lag
They are still behind, but are holding the Chequered flag”
As the new FY begins, with so many things set in motion, the corporate gets set for the New Year’s game.
You see all around faces that have forgotten to give honest smile for the fear that it might be mistaken for a mockery. Those affected by the Depression / downturn of economy (Corporate / otherwise) have their genuine worries and those who are not affected, want to get a slice of the “Scary Pie”. Sad it sounds!
Strange, we now do not want to let go even of the sad and bad side of economy and want to be an honest part of it. Why?
It helps.
‘It helps to excuse for your downsizing which was already on the cards. It helps to clean up with those who should be a positive addition but in corporate games are not needed to be a part of the system. It helps to share nothing except your actual growth figures with your huge chunk of honest employees who would have poured in their heart and soul to contribute in any which way to their company and at the end, show them down (saying its downturn all around).’
Integrity has been a gift to mock with today, as nothing seems to be in place except constant chaos. It’s sad to see those corporate biggies using excuses to pull down employee’s morale and trust and blame it on the market scenario with ease.
The impact that such uncanny and negative traits seem to be setting across; their cascading effects will be seen in the coming years.
Till then, all those in distress & chaos, those trying to grab that Sweet and forbidden Apple, for now, just hold on to your roots, stay Putt, stay calm and keep your shoes of integrity on…. ‘coz it will always take you par to your final goal……
So may be for now stay foolish but Stay in!
mumbai attack Gloomy skies below streets of Mumbai
As I took the steps ahead on the swarming streets of Mumbai today, I felt like I was on top of a gigantic winged messenger of the gloomy skies that seemed to fly beneath me.
I could feel the burden of my thoughts being splashed across the busy streets, scattered and roaming without a moment of rest.
I felt my insides roar with a gore of pain whilst I kept trying to further increase my pace.
Was I dreaming…. As the question zoomed across my confused and battered mind today, I felt the speedy vehicles whiz past me with least care and concern. I stepped back few paces and the pain seemed to be agonizing even more.
What was happening?
I was feeling twitchy and was experiencing a moment of stagnation in my thoughts. Was the concerned concern with respect to my routine or my life, my dreams or my goals, my ideas or my passion? I could not separate the gold from the dross.
I kept walking few steps ahead as I called in for a cab for my ride back home. I did not want to ponder… I did not want to question anymore? I just did not want to ask myself today… What is it that’s turning my insides out? I guess, by then my Nokia 3500 reminded me of the fabulous songs that it had in it’s memory. I took the music pills and gulped it through my ears one after the other and tried to make my pain go away.
I soon faded into the sound and beats and slowly into the gaping hole of the future. It looked just like a white light to me now. As I felt the agony slowly finding it’s way back, I pumped up the volume and let the music take control. I did not know what it is and today, I just didn’t want to know.
I had learnt to let go finally… Finally…… I had learnt what they mean to de–stress ….
Even though I knew that it was temporary… I felt at peace that it was over for the day…..
No more blasts, no more sounds… just serene emptiness of space….. hope and peace restored….
Image Source: http://ananthvclicks.wordpress.com
—
Ananthanarayanan V
Young Talents – Aishwarya Venkat – Fiction – Onions…..
Why do we cry for the onion?
Many centuries ago, a tomato, a capsicum & an Onion were best friends.
One day, their master felt hungry & was looking out for them. As soon as he saw the tomato his pangs of hunger shot up.
All the three friends tried to flee but the master caught the tomato. He cut it into slices & ate it. The capsicum & Onion started crying for the poor tomato.
Next was the capsicum’s turn & he too was cut into slices & eaten by the master.
The Onion started crying for the capsicum again.
Suddenly, a spirit appeared in front of the Onion & asked him why he was crying.
The Onion said that his friends Tomato & Capsicum had been cut into slices & the Onion had cried for them. Now that he was all alone, there was nobody to feel and share his pain.
When he will be cut into slices, nobody would cry for him. The spirit blessed him & said that anyone who cuts you will from now on cry for you.
So the next time we slice onions, we know why we shed those tears, don’t we?
Aishwarya Venkat
Age:10 years
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Do post in your comments and views below
Tamen Negara Trip
MY TRIP TO TAMEN NEGARA
IMPRESSIONS OF A TRAIN JOURNEY
Toot! Toot! The train was about to leave as we scrambled to our bunks. There were 2 bunks on top of each other on both sides of the train with a pillow and a curtain. There was also a small light. At first we had to stay on our own bunks before we went into Malaysia but later we could go on to each other’s bunks for a game of cards. My friend Cole forgot to bring food so we all had to contribute to his dinner. After eating dinner, we went on to each other’s beds for some time to play. At 8:00pm, the teachers asked us to go to sleep. It is not easy to go to sleep on a bumpy train that keeps rocking all the time. I managed to sleep for about 3 to 3 and half hours. After we woke up at 3:00am, we took a short 10-minute walk to an inn. We had 6 people in our bunk with one single bed and one queen sized bed. That evening was tough!
ON THE RIVER SEEN FROM THE BOAT
“On you go, Rama’s group!” said Mrs.Ziemer, as we climbed onto the boat and got partners. My partner was Ahan. As we sat on the boat we put on our “Neil Pryde” life jackets, which Rama said was our responsibility till we reach Singapore. The boat ride was exactly 2 hours and 34 minutes (I timed it with my own watch!). On our way to Tamen Negara, we saw monkeys on islands, water buffalos and cows eating and bathing in the water and many more exiting things. After a long time of staring out, we finally reached Tamen Negara, the world’s oldest rainforest. The boat ride was really exiting and I think you should go too☺.
THE TREK TO TERESEK HILL
Puff! Pant! “ Not much longer!” shouted our local guide, Max. We tried to start the trek with out bottles full of water, but unfortunately, the water didn’t last us to the top of Teresek hill. We had to hike 1.7 km up the mountain and 1.7 km down the mountain. Long way! On our way up, our guide thought us how to get medicine out of a plant to cure leach bites, what wood to use to start a campfire, a juice called risen that comes out of a special tree that gives a wonderful scent when burnt, which vines to use to drink water (vines contain water; you need to cut it open to get it), many interesting facts about animals and many more fascinating and useful things. We stopped halfway up the hill, at the first view and the second view (the views were exquisite mountains), which was the top of the mountain. The trek was difficult but we made it!
SHOOTING THE RAPIDS
In the activity shooting the rapids, we got on to our boat to go to an island to play some games there. Soon after the boat started the driver at the back who was controlling the motor suddenly went really fast. But I realized that we weren’t the only ones. The other boats were speeding too! Suddenly, when our boat was next to another boat, the guide put an oar into the water and the whole boat next to us got drenched. Soon all the boats started doing this and we were all soaking wet. It was more fun when we reached the current because the water splashed a lot further. After we reached the Island, we played two fun games. The way back was not as interesting because nobody splashed anyone. That was super fun!!
THE CANOPY WALK
For the canopy walk, we hiked for about 30 min, until we reached the canopy walkway. The canopy walk was on a narrow bridge in which we had to stay 5 or 10 meters away from the person in the front. This was because the bridge could hold only a certain amount of people. The bridges started swinging and it was great fun as we tackled 5 bridges. The total distance was around 500 to 800 meters. The bridge was 45 to 50 meters away from the ground. Phew! That’s high! The activity was very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot.
In conclusion I would say that this trip was a super duper hit and the best I have ever been to so far! I just loved it and I think you should go there too.
Aditya Krishnan
Age: 10 years
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Do post in your views and comments below….
Hope: As strong as coffee and as formed as water – Don’t give up!
‘Be formed my friend, be very formed, as water. Water does not break, nor does it crash. You put it in a jar, it becomes the jar… be free… yet be formed!’ Quoted Bruce Lee.
It is so true.
When we feel disturbed not through exertion or excess work but through stagnation or incapacitation, the strongest of the tone and the harshest of words seem to flow as free as water, don’t they?
Thoughts tremble under the weight of time and voice cracks with every anxious decision. The decisive moments are not the only pensive ones anymore.
As we dreadfully approach another possible personification of a plan, the feet feel the weight of the head as much as the palms feel the sweat of the brow. But at the end, we still go ahead with it and that’s when the hammer hits the iron ‘hot’.
So with a strong heart powered by the huge mug of “Black Coffee” we charge ahead and make another, oops, yet another jump to the vexed hands of the listener, we pull it off big time or on the contrary we say, here we go again!
Dismal behavioral patterns often seem to be a huge face of such extreme rollercoaster lives.
But the idea is to have that cup of coffee meaning, to get up again desiring that energy, that freshness booster and be formed like water and be ready to accept that one’s “Eureka ideas” might be differently felt by the onlooker. Like the old saying goes, not every mud thrown gets you in a dump and not all pats in the back land you to the top.
So this is for a very nice friend of mine, “be formed and always desire the freshness of the coffee. Do it all, but just DON’T GIVE UP!”
God bless and be well
Ananth V
Image Source: http://ananthvclicks.wordpress.com
IPL 2008, Team management, the Royal Treat
Team Management Win’s it all!
Being a true Mumbaite, there are only two things that I greedily crave for. One is Vada Pav and the other is the pulse racing game of Cricket.
About 7 weeks ago, I became a great fan of Mr. Lalit Modi who gifted all of us a fantastic product (though said to be ripped off from the Football leagues – Who cares?), the IPL – Indian Premiere League.
A product wherein you get the best from every nation.
It’s like having a Macintosh design (Beautifully packed) on a IBM machine (Brand sells) with windows OS (Love it or hate it… but you can’t ignore it – Everyone owns it)
The IPL brought in adrenaline rushing pulsating anticipation and anxiety to the young and senior players of Cricket as much as it did for the “dumb / struck” audience watching one of the best marketing practices sold right at their face.
And the best part is… the majority bought it and why wouldn’t we? It was a fantastic product with amazingly surprising ingredients, fresh recipe with a dash of rules being cooked in a cauldron of magical glamour.
It had it all and today at the DY Patil stadium at Navi Mumbai where the Underdogs finally did it and Rajasthan Royals bathed in pure glory.
They did it on the grandest stage of them all and with panache and flair. Raw overdue talent like Yusuf Pathan and Tanvir, fabulous findings like Asnodkar and pure all round skill like Shane Watson with the legend like backing and faith of Shane Warne, the match ended gloriously.
As the Chennai Super Kings skipper and his team gave a fabulous fight till the last ball was bowled, the Rajasthan Royals devoured the final ball for the ultimate prize of Glory and of course around 4.8 Crores Rupees.
But everyone loved it and the way the Royals had played it throughout, even the Chennai skipper wouldn’t have ‘minded it’ this time.
It was a great blow to all those who did not believe and kept saying with utmost faith that the underdogs will remain underdogs as they finally watched the most economical team biting the biggest chunk of them all, the biggest prize of them all the worlds most expensive Trophy – The IPL trophy.
More important than the combination of all sorts of skill levels was the beauty to see Muralidharan happy on Jayasurya’s wicket, Sachin rejoicing at Dhoni’s dismissal, Sourav hugging Shoaib and the Aussie Watson as glad with hitting Symond’s ball like never seen before, was that it brought in a lot of team spirit and a never give up attitude amongst all who played and to many who even just watched.
It was a great lesson from Shane Warne’s team that, it is not as important to have the best in the team as it is to give your best to the team.
I would like to end it with just a simple kudos for the legendary performance by the retired Skipper Shane Warne for his team management and to the whole Rajasthan Royals for the consistent performance by adding so much zest and energy to the spirit of the game.
Three cheers to the fact and power behind ‘Team Management’ and a Huge Hurray to Mr.Modi, Mr. Warne and the Rajasthan Royals.
IPL rocked!!!
Be well
Ananth V
Image Source: http://wikimedia.org
Offical Website: http://www.iplt20.com/index.html
Life: Taking my breath away – ‘SIMPLE’ things
As I pondered at the starry sky for the moments that were spent I could plainly see the spills on the carpet and the stains on the mattress. I kept thinking I needed to improvise, a change would be good said my sanely perplexed brain.
Again, the dove flew off like the starry night before. Today, it reminded me of a work of art from one of the famous Italian painters and my mind wandered into one such artists words. He had said that an object that has been assimilated or formed and now needs no addition, no editing and no change is pure beauty…
Thank god for those famous quotes by artists.
That’s what I felt today, at the end of the day… it was beautiful… it was stunning… it was pure and perfect ….. simply because it was “SIMPLE”
My brain came to the present and looked at the wonderful things that were gifted to me till date.
It did not make me overlook the demands and the twinge, but gave me enough nerve to keep fighting, never go down on hope and have a conviction, a stronger faith in myself.
I had a horrible yesterday but had an awesome day today.
Had an amazing and astounding 10 hour sleep (keeping in mind my usual sleep of not more than 4-5 hours), woke up fresh, had a glass of my favorite mixed fruit Tropicana, did some workout and had a stupendous brunch fit for a king with a great friend of mine who also is an important part of my routine, someone from whom I take a lot of advice.
The day ended perfectly with a call from my side to a very kind and sweet relative wishing him on his birthday today which is a huge deal because of the fact that I barely remember even my own birth day.
At the end of the day, I had good food, great friend, amazing family and an awesome book to read not to mention my grand day with loads of real keeping fit routine and some virtual game plays on my computer.
So, I had grown up a bit today but with zest and loads of energy.
I was responsible for something that was not part of my job, I was with and around those who cared and vice-versa, I put enough energy into my physical and mental training today and after a long time could write a simple post for a blog, not too long and just like my day, could keep it simple.
So I guess, it’s not just the remarkable mind blowing things that make impact on us. It’s also these simple aspects from our everyday that make us cheerful, gives us hope and courage to face life with belief, dedication and optimism.
So….
When things go wrong
And life gets crude
Hang on to the soulful hope
That never keeps you aloof
Kiss her hand and breathe in her heart
Sing a song to the blues
and play your part!
— Ananth V
god bless and be well
Image source: http://ananthvclicks.wordpress.com
Ananth V
Warli Art India: UK Art Council: A journey, for Art’s sake!
March 11th, 2008
Destination: Bapugoan, Dahanu Village, Maharashtra, India
Purpose: Being part of the Documentation shoot about the Warli art and one of its immense talent: Mr.Ramesh Hengadi.
About the Artist: Mr.Ramesh, will soon be reaching out to the world showcasing his skills and bringing India closer in the art front on the international map. He is from Dahanu, India and is a master craftsmen and artist.
His benign behavior and simplicity will take you off your feet when you see his artworks. He has done his MA and has been into Warli art since a very early age.
The Journey:
I left from home at 5:30 am heading towards Churchgate station where I was to meet Mr. Barney Hare Duke and Mr. Jeremy Theophilus and leave for Dahanu.
I touched the meeting place exactly at 6:50 am and the vehicle arrived with the curious and skilled duo Mr.Barney and Mr. Jeremy. They both are partners of “A FINE LINE” and are project managers at HAT.
This program was being also funded majorly by the Art council UK.
As I learnt more about their work and about their travel around the world, I found something very interesting. They both actually loved art to the core….And instantaneously I knew that the journey would not be long and would be very informative and a great learning experience.
As Mr. Jeremy explained to me about their study on varied cultures, different art forms, distinctly varied media, about the totally unique cultures that each country offered them and the new discoveries about customs, traditions, people that they acquired, made the journey very much interesting for me. Mr. Barney told me about their research plans, documentary shoot about the artists and the art form at Dahanu village.
I then also came to know that I was going to meet the artist Mr.Ramesh in about half an hour, as he had travelled more than half the way so as to direct us to his home.
As my cellular phone rang and Mr.Ramesh enquired about where we had reached, we finalized on one point of meet and then…. I met the talented to the core artist.
As he got into the vehicle and the questions about his village and art work kept barging, his soft spoken ways and smile eased the pace of questions from our side. We were closer to reaching the destination and as we looked around, we saw my country, India with its beautiful crude beauty. The sceneries around were breathtaking and very picturesque.
In a total of 2 ½ hours, we touched his home and were greeted by his mother with ‘Aarti & red Tilak’.
The whole place looked very neat, clean and was stunningly beautiful. The people there were living a very simple life with limited resources and means, but were living happily.
Why wouldn’t they be, one of their artist was being recognized for his work and was being interviewed and documented on, before he left for UK to showcase his talent.
We went inside his home, met his big and hospitable family and within half an hour or so we were out, for exploring his village, their culture, traditions, their way of life etc. We saw his school, as his brothers, friends and other villagers took us around the whole village. We saw how they grinded wheat, rice etc, and the way the kids were taught to greet the elders and anyone who was new to their homeland.
They explained to us of their faith in the god, “Vagobha” meaning ‘The Tiger’ whom they worshiped in idol and symbolic form. They took us to that temple that was built and has been maintained since generations.
We obviously found dust and mud all around us, but yet, the air was amazingly fresh and there was absolutely no pollution. So, in other words, I was having difficulty breathing the fresh air…. Hmmm…. Only pure oxygen to breathe. Being from the polluted side of the world, I had no idea how to take that in… but I managed and survived.
The village was amazingly clean which reminded me of the media coverage and other hoardings begging our city dwellers to keep the city clean. There were dustbins in the village and the garbage was properly disposed.
It reminded me of the ‘ruffles lays’ packet that was thrown out in the middle of the road by one of the Honda city owners kid while we were leaving in the vehicle for Dahanu today morning. So much for a civilized city, Huh!
As I came out of the horrible flashback, back to the clean and fresh village of Dahanu, Ramesh’s brothers and friends showed us few other houses and the art works and the style in which the house had been designed and coloured, amazed all of us. It was clean, neat, colourfull and had motifs and other different wall paintings on the in and outside of the house walls. They had kept God idols etc hanging from the ceiling, painted the invite to the wedding in the houses where marriages had taken place, the lamps and wedding turbans that were hanging on the nails on the wooden pillars of their houses. Even with so much humidity and heat, the inside of the houses were cool because of the cow dung plastered on their walls.
The massive support that the whole village showered on its talented son, Mr.Ramesh H was something that one could feel so much positively in the air with such strong and happy vibes that were hovering across the whole village.
We then feasted our eyes to the amazing Tarpa dance while the Head Tarpa player (who was easily in his seventies) played the amazing looking musical instrument and the other dancers, performers and singers showed us their skills and brought us closer to the village, people and their art forms. They danced, hopped, twisted and turned greeting us and sang songs of THE GAURI (the God and Goddess) and the harvesting of crops which were very important aspects of the village life.
Later on as we looked at the Warli art, it was very clear that the Tarpa dance, the Tarpa, the harvesting process of crops and the gods, idols, temples, their faith, religion and worship played a massively important role in their upbringing and were vividly seen in their Warli art.
We travelled across to majority of the places and areas learning about Warli art and were gifted to watch the young artists and the master of Warli art at work. As the master craftsmen Mr.Ramesh and the 10 year old Ashish with his friends and elder brothers Rajesh, Ramesh took small pieces of cloth dipped in their soil / mud and cow dung, which had dried up now to look like a great canvas place for their art to be etched or created, they slowly began the magic.
As we watched their undivided attention and focus on their art being converted to shapes, forms, figures we could see that they were actually creating the different dances and performances that we had just seen their today, few hours ago. It looked amazingly alive and breathtakingly beautiful. The flow and the rhythm of the art work were exquisite.
Throughout as Mr.Barney and Mr.Jeremy were shooting the whole thing and taking notes, I had a real blast as I could not only learn about the art of warli, but also meet such sweet, skilled and amazingly talented people and learn so much about my own culture of the village life in India.
By the end of the day after taking rounds of the places where the master artist usually works, where he gets his inspiration from, later on we also caught a glimpse at the various artworks created by his wife on cloth, t-shirts, Ramesh’s unique combination of using the gourd vegetable to be used as pots, moulds and create amazingly exquisite showpieces of Warli art on it, we headed back to the vehicle. Mr. Jeremy treated us to a nice lunch and we then headed back home.
The journey back home was very much different than the way it began.
There was so much curiosity and so many queries when we had started at the crack of dawn, but as we headed back home, I was filled with so much awe of the humbleness, simplicity of their lives and pure art that I could feel rushing inside my head. I rested in the comfortable and BIG Chevrolet and went back home with a day, that was fun, had a huge learning experience, meeting brilliant artists, great people, the partners of A FINE LINE who had shown so much respect and love for the art and Indian culture…..
(For pictures of this whole journey, click on the link below: http://ananthvclicks.wordpress.com)
The day had ended with the setting sun and I was grateful to a very good friend of mine, Mrs. Neela Shinde for introducing me to the brilliant researchers from UK, was Thankful to both, Jeremy and Barney for such a wonderful journey and humbled by the loving and talented villagers at Dahanu.
God bless art and artists for spreading so much life, culture, love, passion hope and dreams all around us.
Be well
Ananthanarayanan V
http://techdivine.cgsociety.org
http://www.art.in/artists/ananthanarayanan-v.htm
Making the moments count…
This article is written by a friend of mine and it speaks of an amazing and beautiful personal experience of her and she has asked me to share it with you all:
The author Karishma S, is from Mumbai. She is a poet, an Engineer and a software developer by profession….
”Making the moments count by Karishma S“
Numbers have become such an integral part of our system today that to assure knowledge and know-how too people term “experience” as a factor today. Thus, age is often used to count the number of years a person has lived, but I feel that is only a psychologically quantifying factor. The quality of the years is what actually matters.
I am only 24 years old but I have come across and gone through certain experiences which have made me feel I have lived one entire lifetime in those moments .These were the factors which have made me recognize the significance of being, I have been gifted with.
Of those many ups and downs, I recollected one of my visits to the epitome of true pure love and kindness. I had the opportunity to see Mother Teresa’s orphanage where there were small children all below the age of five. Some of them were only a couple of months old and many just a couple of days old. They were there mostly because they were born to unwed mothers.
Now they were all alone in the world without a glimpse of an idea of what this world means. Of course they are looked after in an exceptionally good way. They are given the best of food and toys and all the other care required. But what is missing is the love, the tenderness and softness of the mother’s bosom which the child feels when the mother carries him, the basic feeling of security which a new born baby too would understand.
They crave attention like any child does. As all these thoughts rushed like the gush of wind to me, I realized, I was only an observer to the scene. I will stand there, think for two minutes about what is missing from the life of these kids, feel sorry for them and go back home and resume my daily chores. It is these kids who will have to face the harsh reality after sometime. It is them who will have to answer the daunting questions of the world.
They say what you never have you never miss. Maybe these children will never miss not having parents. Their earliest memories might be those of having plentiful brothers and sisters all about the same age as them. Loads and loads of fun playing on the swings, playing with lots of toys and living a life of unknown reality.
It was then what hit me…. Isn’t everyone entitled to a particular kind of life? I do believe in destiny and fate, but fail to understand what these little angels have done or not done to be in this moment at this time.
As I walked through the doors of the orphanage I heard a little angel about eight to 9 months old, call out to me from her crib with her arms wide open, telling me to carry her. But I was not allowed to carry her, as the Sisters at Mother Teresa’s have told me that they don’t let you go once you carry them. So no point in making them cry, obviously I understood this.
Anyways I couldn’t help myself from going up to her. I think she did understand that I am not going to carry her. By now she must have been used to this. But I did stand there and play a game of peek-a-boo with her. Said a couple of rhymes and heard her giggle and laughed with her. For those moments I felt time was not there, it never existed. It was just me and the kids there and loads of laughter.
I felt I had lived a very sweet part of my life in those few moments that I was there. I had understood so many things about my own life and made a couple of silent promises to myself. That day when I walked out of that orphanage I felt grown-up.
I felt a stronger sense of urge, responsibility and reason to exist… to make a difference… to be there for someone when they need… and I hope… I am able to keep my promise and fill in any void of the destiny of fate!
Thank You!
Karishma S
Her blog: http://karishmasinghal.blogspot.com/
Image source: www.stanford.edu
Heat has to be two-way………….. or eventually it just loses the charm!
When something cold comes in contact with something hot, the heat is transferred to the cooler object till they both reach a balanced temperature……..
In real life, that translates to the fact that when something impactful comes in tune with something less or a lot less powerful, all the great force does is keep giving and it gets nothing in return.
Eventually, it turns cold too………… and life continues without impact and actual societal growth.
That is what the law or rule of science states. Indirectly. So is that how the world was suppose to function?
It is very true to say that all great or at least the majority of the most brilliant scientists have had a powerful spiritual force and a philosophical side. So whenever we look into any of their mind boggling theorems, we can take a part of our life and draw inferences from that too.
My article today is about one of the NGO’s.
I have always supported those less fortunate or less privileged in every aspect of life. But there are always exceptions in life and in these cases, such that, many a times, the good forces get taken advantage of by those less fortunate.
One such voluntary organization recently lost many a good volunteers and would keep losing more if the heat is only taken every now and then…….
I took a stand few days back in one such issue and fought for those who had come for a cause and got no satisfaction in return. The people who had come to help for the sake of helping the needy were taken for a ride….. by both those who were taking the energy and those who were the channel for the transfer of this heat and force…. It was an NGO and its so called, less fortunate members.
One has to understand clearly…… very clearly…..
Everything in life has to be two way.
If you need the heat, you also need to channelize and tune in enough support for the charge to remain and the power to be stable at least, if not growing. Or else, eventually, the power loses its charm on you and itself. The sad part is, people realize that only after the loss… but by then it is too late…..
The great Master and guide, Swami Vivekananda had once said, do not feel great that you helped someone, but feel huge that you got an opportunity to extend your services.
But I guess that has been used and abused by those who have taken the good heart and the good souls for granted in their life.
Trust me when I am saying this, I have seen big time NGO’s and voluntary organizations treating their members and volunteers as if they were doing some obligation by letting them contribute their time for the good of the few. At the same time when those less fortunate also take undue advantage of these good souls.
This article is for all those who have sailed on both the sides and also for those who have never been a part of the so called societal issues as they were busy crunching numbers at workplace, so fall into the hardworking, successful and happy souls of society category so to speak.
Someone told me few days back, things are a lot less worthy today as compared to their value before because the world has shrunk. I don’t believe that is true.
I say, the world has not changed a bit…. The only thing is…. Today, there is just less in it! Because so much has been taken over and over again…. We keep losing those with a heart to make a difference to the number crunching world of their own too fast off late.
Why, because, so much has been taken in and out of it that there seems to be a dearth of thinkers and philosophers today. And the way things are moving…. The world probably won’t remember them too.
I recently came across few organizations who fancied abuse of higher power at the cost of the talent, skills and most importantly the good heart of those who came there for a cause. The cause that seems to be forgotten by these NGO’s i.e. to extend a helping hand.
The bottom line being, if we need some positive charge out of life and when we can see it being delivered to us by someone, take the charge and win the confidence of the one giving the force to you. As his/her heart is like a Nokia battery, it runs for long, but you just keep using it…. It eventually dies off. Then…. Even if there is balance, there is no call taken, no voice heard, no network established…. As there is no life then left…..
So take and give…. Do not follow the principle of cold to heat and striking a balance… but create a bubble of energy around such that you rise to the level that you and the force gain the original level of energy possible….
Is that possible…. Why not… we are humans… we are not object of physics.
Like the amazing quote by Edmund Hillary to Mt.Everest goes:
I will conquer you again Mt.Everest. Because as a mountain you cannot grow…. But as a human… I can!!!
So grow and watch the world grow with you… if there is less in it…. Contribute being one… so that the charge never dies off…………….
As always…. Let me know your views and comments
Be well
Ananth V
image source:www.ua.com
Life: NEVER GIVE UP!
I was seven years old. It was barely seven am as I rubbed my eyes and was still lying on the comfortable bed. As my eyelids leisurely followed the cadence of the twinkling stars and I came back to full yet not so vivid vision of the place around, I looked for immediate comfort. I looked for my folks around.
Now this little kid that was me was getting a little anxious to not see his parents around him as he realized all of a sudden that the place he was waking up was also totally new and unknown to him.
I kept calling for my parents and no one answered.
My eyes opened up wholly and I got up in a jiff. As I looked around, my cry for my mom and dad only got louder as the room that I was looking at was at least about 3000 sq. foot big and there was not a soul around. My feet clamped the flooring and I took to faster steps and scurried around the first door that I found open.
I ran three floors downstairs still calling for my parents and now my voice was getting a little more raucous and whiny than before.
Bang!
I startled and shouted for help as I heard a huge clanking clatter to my left side where there was a huge door that was half open. I stood there motionless, scared and worried. I waited till I heard that noise again and then again.
Strangely though, I was a lot calm now and I slowly moved towards that open door and all I could see were massively humongous machines.The smell in that place was filled with fragrance of flowers. I step by step moved in between the clanking sounds and now a lot more confident as I saw a household face near one such machine.
It was my uncle, Mr. K V Ganesan. He owned that whole factory and as he looked at me and my eyes which had tears rolling down my cheeks from before, he immediately lifted me up and said, “Good morning dear. Let’s go and have something to freshen up your morning.”
Soon enough I was sitting on my dad’s lap and my uncle was narrating of probably what could have caused those tears to roll of my eyes. I was now too secure with my folks to admit it was right, so I just smiled and kept quite.
Ganesan uncle was quick to get that thought in my head as he immediately said, “You are a big boy. You were just curious may be and not afraid right?” and I immediately nodded.
That’s when he told me, “My dear boy, in your life never be afraid to accept your fears. As telling a lie and hiding it would only make it stay with you for a much longer time.” That was said to me almost two decades back and it still rings in my head like I heard it yesterday.
Whenever I had the chance to meet uncle Ganesan, I never missed the opportunity as when I grew up, I came to know that the man who was standing with the labourers that early dawn with the soap and machines working was the man who had built a huge business and won acclaims and accolades from all over the globe.
Ganesan uncle had even won awards / certificates from the then President of India for his contribution in the field of his expertise, for his work towards quality Soap products “Chitra Soap Works” and his loads and loads of contribution to the betterment of labour force in their town and city of Chennai which was then Madras.
He was an industrialist. He was a visionary and a true leader. He was the President of the Small scale soap manufacturers association of South India. He was someone who used to genuinely go down the line and help the less privileged section of society and was unbiased in helping anyone and everyone.
He was someone who always believed, preached and practised that the court of conscience is more supreme than the Supreme Court.
Ganesan uncle was someone who used to tell things as they were. He was a simple, straightforward, no-nonsense man. He always valued others time and was as brilliantly knowledgeable about the Holy book of Gita, the Vedas and the Upanishads, as he was about his flourishing company.
He could predict about people’s lives and he did not do it with anyone and everyone. He used to just talk and all of a sudden say something about someone and keep quiet. And he has always been right.
I do not know how he used to do that but I always still wish that I could have met him few more times and learn more about practicality and life and more importantly, the road to do things your way, your business and your hard work and as he lovingly used to put it, your profits.
He started his life from working in a hotel with a very modest beginning and reached to positions where almost everyone he met was influenced by him to the very core. He had an amazing charisma and optimistic vigor that he carried with him. It was probably this vibe which took him to the pinnacle of accomplishment and showered respect and laurels on him from scores of big shots from around the world.
The story of his never quit attitude sounds mesmerizing as he had told that to me once.
He told me that one day, when he had finished his work in the small time hotel where he was working, he saw that some customer had left a book on the seat. It was about midnight till when he had finished his that days errands and he was about to hit the sack, when something pulled him again towards that book. That book was about making something, something that was supposed to get things clean.
Hmmmmm……. Clean. He said to himself. Clean is good. Let me know more about this, he thought. Various optimistic possibilities flashed across his mind instantaneously. He started reading it page by page and before he looked around, it was already morning and his shift was about to start. He was fascinated by what he had read, but work was very much important to fetch him that day’s food. So he let the book in his small cloth bag that he had and got back to work.
The thought kept ringing in his head again and again.
That night after work he jotted down the things that were said to be required and asked those around, of things he did not understand what they meant. He tried to get as many of those as possible with him and replaced few others with what the people around had told.
He followed what was mentioned in the book and instead of using machines he manually grounded and got a thick paste with him in just few hours. It had no proper smell as he recalls, “I must have missed out on the fragrance part to be added as I did not have anything for that aspect back then.” But whatever he had got, he tried to put them in a box and tried them on the dishes and Woolah! They were clean in a jiff and looked a lot shinier.
He loved the concept and he began his dream and created Chitra Soap works and in the next three decades went global. His products were well known for their quality and cost and as years rolled by, he put scores of people on the job and built his dream neat and clean.But more so, with his intense sense of humor and immense technical knowledge and his pure business instinct, he touched a million lives on the way to the pedestal.
I don’t know why, but I remembered him very much today as I thought about something with respect to accepting my fear about something rather than hide and make it grow. At the end of it when the approach clicked to my advantage and I felt so proud that I had taken a brilliant decision at the end of the day, it just hit me hard as a bar of soap, and I came to my senses touching the fragrance of the whole story.
I was able to recollect something that had happened so long back and I started jotting down all that I recollected him telling me about life, faith, hard work and money.
So that may be, just maybe, someday, I grow up to be at least a third as brilliant, innovative and knowledgeable like him, just May be…. Someday……. As he told me always………. Never give up on your dream, whatever it might be……. Just never give up.
He is someone I always remember in my prayers and someone whom I hope is safe and happy up there in the company of the powerful almighty.
Be well
—-
Ananthanarayanan V
Even this will “PASS!” – no pun intended!
There was a total blackout. I could hear blaring sounds in my head. Voices, objects and people in scores, thumping and banging around with drums of steel making clanking noises so loud that it seemed my eardrums were to come apart.
Soon enough there was absolute silence as I dwelled into the beautiful home of ‘nidra’ meaning sleep, without a reason and without my own realization of it.
It was only after about another 10 minutes or so, that I regained consciousness. My severe attack of migraine had just passed me with a small objectionable visit that was impactful, but was thankfully not prolonged.
I left my workplace and was heading towards home as one of my workplace employee got me a rickshaw to get back home safely.
The drive was going to be lengthy so I rested in the luxurious and cramped vehicle.
Luxurious because anything and anyplace that let me just slide in now felt so comfortable and cramped as the ‘jhankar beats’ in the rick was in full swing all of a sudden that was clobbering my head.
I asked him to ‘Just shut it’, as he looked back with a not so contented face, he sure did. I was in no mood to explain why to him but damn, I just should have.
As the alacrity of that awesome machine and the not so positive feelings of the driver got together, the vehicle kept swirling across many bewildering lanes and pathways, I felt as if I was being taken for a ‘ride’ and I double checked to look at the roads.
He was heading in the right direction. I guess it was just my head that was still raging with the earlier impact then.
Soon enough the resentment and frustration of not allowing him to play the wild and horrible songs in his vehicle caught up with him and he was showing no signs of slowing down.
Bang….. Bam….. thrash!!!
Our awesome flying saucer was hit by a ‘lorry’ and the little vehicle rolled sideways.
Strangely and by god’s grace nothing happened to me as I came out of the vehicle with not even a scratch, except for my head that was now screaming with the rising agony called migraine.
The rickshaw-valla was hit roughly and I with few others took him out of the vehicle.
He was still able to stand as he looked at himself and then at me as if I was some alien.
I took him to the nearby traffic policeman who escorted him to the doctor as I left for the close to railway station.
I was in Sion station soon enough.
Now the effect of the collision and my now very active and boisterous headache was taking its toll on me. I was getting extremely exhausted and could not even descend the steps to reach to the platform. But it was me, so I eventually did.
I got in the first class compartment and just lied down inside. It was noon and it was quite empty.
I was woken up in a not so subtle fashion by someone who by looking at my face which was too weary by now probably thought I was drunk. It was the TC.
He asked me for my pass and as I reached my hand towards my pocket, I realized I had unknowingly donated my wallet apparently in the road accident. I explained to the TC but in vain as he asked me to get down and go to the place where the ticketless travelling classes of people are given due and generous attention by more than one TC.
All my explanation was futile but I told him of what had happened from the start of the day, he then looked a little bit more convinced. I was not in a position to talk as I sat down on the seat and it was just then that one of the sessions from my management class just hit me hard.
Brand sells.
I searched for my bag and showed him my student id that I had with me of one of the most elite institutions in India and the name just hit him hard. I guess, it is true, Brand does sell.
He mellowed down and asked me where I work and got few other details. He also asked me if I had any money to buy a ticket. I told him, my wallet was gone and had none.
He asked me to get down with him in the next station and believe it or not, he bought me a ticket for second class for my way back home and got me in the train compartment safe and sound.
That was a very positive experience I had that day.
Sure I have heard of gruesome stories about them, but that day, needless to say, I was impressed to see humanity still to be so much in existence. They too have too many cases of not so genuine reasons many a times I guess. Anyway, I was also glad that I was awake when the lecture was taught in the class saying, Brand sells!
As I continued my routine journey in the train from the next day, I met with the same TC by the end of that week again. It was the same TC in the compartment of the first class and I reminded him of the incident.
I gave him my fine that was due from the other day, took the receipt and for a change happily got out off the train.
It was never about the money I guess. It annoys people normally because of the way they treat you many a times.
But I guess, You give something good and you get something good in return.
I don’t know whether every person could deal things this way always like that TC did, the world would be so much a better place then and if they don’t, as the old saying goes….. Even this shall PASS! No pun intended.
Let me know your views and comments on the same as you always do:
Mail me at techdivine@gmail.com
Be well
Ananthanarayanan V
Contemporary Artist Indian: Upcoming and Famous Indian artists renowned for contemporary art.
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The new addition to the well known score of India’s upcoming and famous artists is
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link:
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Dream interpretations: Choked by a Crab!!! « THE ROAD TO ETERNAL BLISS!
A ‘Desire’ to quote it just right!
A ‘desire’ to quote it, just right!
Last week’s questions and discussions on the current spiritual scenario: On youth, desire and spirituality:
“Desire is the root of all evil. Ancient wisdom says, stay away from desire”
Now this line caught my notice which said, Desire is the root of all evil.
Desire is never evil. What you desire and the approach in which you desire might lead you to evil. The issue was uncomplicated and yet had lot of depth in it as the master’s quote read: “I may always desire more than I accomplish – Michelangelo”
So, now the person, who had laid this query to us, perceptibly did it with an intention to set off something in me. Probably a nerve which was tickling my funny bone or may be a nerve that held my tolerance level high.
In any way, I thought of jotting this down by asking the same question to few others in the last 24 hours in the Q n A session on – current spiritual scenario: On youth, desire and spirituality.
An overall gist of people’s response was like this:
• Desire, if you do not, there is no need to live.
• If you desire more than you can, you will always be unhappy.
• If I do not desire, then nothing in life I deserve.
• Divine and spirituality is for old and retired people.
Ok. So there was a slight repairing or oiling required may be.
This is for all our youth out there today, saying ‘another day, another dime earned.’
First of all, desiring something is the whole basis and idea for survival.
Reason, the person who asked me the question had no job putting this personal question before me. But he desired to do more than his job profile demanded. So he asked.
I desired more, to know what people had to say, even though I am going to jot down at the end and express my views on the same, because I desired the need to bond and get in touch with all of them and get into their minds. And at the end still hold the power to speak and express….. hey, it is my blog!
On a more serious note, I did it to know and feel their pulse on the same.
So when we take a look at a term like desire, we see that desire is nothing but convincing. Convincing others or yourself. But this time, convincing that, there could be more to life. Convincing that this is how it has to be or not to be.
Desire is why a society stays alive. Desire is why we have grown beyond a religious or spiritual round table conference and are able to do this online today. Because someone desired to do more than there was.
Now coming back to the divine part, Desire is never bad.
The holy books have always shown us the technique to get what we yearn for. Being spiritual does not mean giving up on worldly pleasures. It means understanding what the earliest knowledge has left for us to learn and be paramount in whatever we ‘desire’.
I have been born into a very religious family. But luckily I never followed or obeyed the customs nor was I asked to. I chose to follow them by choice. I am not religious, but definitely spiritual. It helps me concentrate better than I can, which is fantastic.
Believe it or not, religious customs and traditions are what gives us more discipline and focus in life. People tend to take it in the wrong way.
A person who reads and is able to understand the books of such immense knowledge, can accomplish whatever he or she wants out of life.
You want to be rich, you want to be a superhero, you want to have a castle, you want to get a Ph.d.?
It’s all in there.
But, you take it and drink it as a whole. Do not try to take the gist of it. You cannot just smell your food and say whether it is perfect. You have to taste it and eat it properly to know.
I feel hilarious when people say, spirituality means giving away worldly desires or when I hear that these things are for those who are old. I feel sorry for both of them. Not because they do not believe in it.
Each of us has a choice to lead a life that we want to live, as we ‘desire’ (no pun intended).
I know that those people are already brilliant and talented enough to such an extent, that these disciplines if they acquire, each of them could have what they desire or seek out of life faster than they would.
And like one of my management lessons quoted: ‘A dime earned today, is more than a dime earned tomorrow’. So let us build our passion with the words of the wise and use it in our foray.
And mind me; it is also not something that is gained over just five to10 years. It’s an on-going process. It’s like having an MBA and applying that to work for 10 years to become the CEO instead of just doing it with a bachelor’s for over 20 years and ending up being a manager at 60.
At the end of it all, it’s each one’s choice and each one’s way of life. But it is always good to know, that there is something out there for us that can help us reach our goal faster than we desire.
So desire with spiritual knowledge or self-realization is great. Is victory. Is success. So let us desire and stay alive, kicking and winning. There are no regrets when you desire and dream.
So let us Desire, Dream and De-stress!
Happy reading.
———-
Ananthanarayanan V
techdivine@gmail.com
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