the magic of the nile

a perfect day.....a lovely breeze blowing while we gently cruise along the Nile.....miles upon miles of palm tree islands on both banks.....i felt so much at peace and one with nature that i just could not tear myself away from the deck. It was not a stunningly beautiful scene just something magnetic that i cannot explain.....did not want the company of anyone else ...just content to gaze at the birds flying and swimming ....an absolutely unforgettable day....nowadays i feel a deep silent communion with the stunning beauty of nature...a heightened appreciation and a oneness so complete that is not possible even to share with another

nature naturally

what is it about nature that is so ..ever so enchanting...the bright yellow of a wayside flower;the all enveloping shade of a ficus tree;chancing upon a hoopoe;the full moon keeping vigil in the night sky;the antics of the pied kingfisher.
How can we be oblivious of the beauty that each day brings....is it enough just to live a careworn life...from dawn to dusk and dawn again

i only wanna be with you

It doesn't matter where we go or what we do...
I wanna spend each moment of the day with you.
It happens to be true....
I only wanna be with you !!

rustling of leaves

to understand the written word and to actually experience it...hear the rustling of leaves.....aah what a world of difference.....the chirping of sparrows.....the smell of grass....the croaking of frogs....flowers so fragile that you cannot even hold them in your hand without perspiration marring their delicate softness.

nature...ever beautiful....ever changing....God's gift to us every single day

Rapture and Ecstasy

way back when i was in college had told a friend that these are two of my favourite words.....imagine my surprise when i came across these words in a book on Ramana Maharshi.....

"in rapture or ecstasy, the mind is momentarily absorbed and stilled in a fragmentary experience of the bliss that is its true nature. The very words indicate the transcending of the individuality, since 'rapture' means etymologically being carried away and 'ecstasy' standing outside oneself."

checked out the net...figuratively used
rapture.....carried away in an ecstatic trance
ecstasy.....a state of rapture that stupified the body while the soul contemplated divine things

the same two beautiful words.........

may you know rapture and ecstasy in this lifetime......

stuck inside these four walls

yes...the beatles....isn't it amazing how much time we spend surrounded by four walls ...be it home or the office....meanwhile the great outdoors beckon.....sun on your head, wind in your hair, sand at your feet......breathing the crisp air atop a mountain........resolve to spend as much time as possible with nature....foot loose and fancy free.....

food

recently was tucking in on a buffet breakfast.........what an obscene amount of food on display.....how is it that one person gets so much to eat while just down the road there are those who dont even have one square meal....

a life gone by

what can you say when someone is snatched in the prime of his life ....leaving behind a wife and young son.....bereaved parents.....and friends.....here today ....gone tomorrow.....suddenly and with no warning....yet we do not value the urgency of each day.....wrapped up in so many mundane things.....not giving our best and loveliest.....not treasuring the loved ones in our lives......life goes on and this whole world will keep on turning.....

Crossroads of life

how many times do we find ourselves at a crossroads in life....suddenly lost and without focus.....not knowing which path to follow....and equally suddenly we take a decision....and life is wonderful again...

Robert Frost's words come to mind
"Two roads diverged in a wood,
And I....I took the one less travelled by
And that has made all the difference"
(apologies for any errors but i write it from memory
as it is one of my favourite poems...)

i think the secret is to take a decision ...right or wrong....but go forward in action....ready to embrace whatever life may bring...

Hard Work

they say hard work never hurt anybody.....and i do work hard most of the time....but i have to wonder about my cushy life when i see people toil and earn a pittance for their hard work...sometimes its manual labour and sometimes incredibly long hours....and sometimes voluntary work....is when i feel what i do pales in comparison and significance....and is not worth talking about..

take Amma's daily schedule and the phenomenal way she lives each day...touching the lives of thousands and bringing about real change...in people ...in the world..bringing us all together as one family.....meet Amma.....your life will never be the same again...

visit www.amma.org

save paper

yes its so easy to do....don't throw away a paper until both sides have been written on......save up the unwritten half....save a tree.....plant a tree...yes for 10$ you can plant a fruit bearing tree that will provide hungry families food...visit foodforthepoor.com 96% of the money raised was utilised in 2006 and only 4% on costs
or treesforlife.org 10$ for 10 trees or any other such website...

Toothpaste

isn't it amazing how much toothpaste you can squeeze out of a tube when you were about to throw it away but realised you hadn't bought the next one yet!!!!!!!
5 days and counting....it's hard work though

Beyond Comprehension

plant a seed....grow a flower....
a simple act but one that is full of wonder...
there are double petunias and single petunias, single coloured and double coloured and you can never tell which will spring up from the tiny seed until much later... all the seeds look the same....where lies the differentiation that ultimately appears in the beautiful flower???....that it can be contained in something so tiny is BEYOND COMPREHENSION... it gives an insight into creation and the world at the micro level which in scientific terms is hard to understand....

each marigold contains the seeds for almost a hundred others...if you plant one and collect the seeds... next year you will have a whole flower bed of marigolds....yes they are so easy to grow....

and what of plants that you can simply break the stem and replant and get a new plant....flowers for free....

and what of flowers, like morning glory and hibiscus, that bloom only for a day
.if you dont enjoy them that day they are gone forever..ephemeral..you now understand the meaning of that word...

wild flowers that grow in forgotten spaces...just playing their part in creation..

not to speak of fragrance and velvety softness....

flowers are Gods gift to us.... everyday...

Beyond Coincidence

i don't believe in sheer coincidence any more.....so many episodes have shown me that there are things beyond coincidence....things have a special way of working out for me which people normally put down to coincidence
but i feel as though i am favoured and blessed to have so many incidents almost on a daily basis working out in my favour....it is an incredible feeling each time i realize it....and i now know them to be BEYOND COINCIDENCE
i think we draw positive things into our life by simply being aware of them....sometimes i feel it must be happening to everyone but they are simply unaware of it.....is it true for you???

Time

have abandoned my blog for far too long.......a fact i am absolutely not proud of.....hope it never happens again....
to have no time for the people and things that truly matter shows that my life has spun totally out of my control....need to apply the brakes .....SCREECH..
time to savor and enjoy the lil joys that each day brings....

On death

he was a good man....they all say....here today gone tomorrow...yes we take our lives so much for granted...though one day you are here and the next no more....having seen the last breath leave the body on two occasions... i believe we carry the essence of our lives in that last breath...
breath holds the key....when we take a few deep breaths we become calm and peaceful...when we are angry we breathe fast and hard
life goes on.... occasionally remembering those who have gone...for we know that they can never come back....the eternal mystery of life and death....

marathons

felt great to be a part of the mumbai marathon....though 18,000 of us did the dream run which was just 6 kms.....hardly gruelling....and for me it was part walk part run....yet the spirit of the marathon is what moves me to take part every year....to be part and parcel of the city you love and make your presence felt....
i have just one word for those who constantly grumble about life in bombay....LEAVE...
yes its that simple...

Of liftman uncle and watchman chacha

Yes that quintessential mumbai hallmark...people who have been in your building and know you since the day you were born...they are so protective about you and take pride in your achievements....

Vasudeva kutumbakam....the whole world is your family....yes the neighbouring "aunty" who takes care of you when your mum is not home....the shopkeeper "uncle" who keeps an eye on you when you are playing....people from all walks of life melt into yours leaving their mark and blessings

They say "rarely do members of the same family grow up under one roof" and in our family never a truer word could have been spoken...

Sunrise Sunset

How incredibly privileged I am to be able to see both sunrise and sunset everyday from my apartment windows.....saw the last sunset of 2006 and the first sunrise of 2007....most peaceful moments.....here we call these periods sandhyas...a time when our minds can easily become peaceful....have enjoyed seeing many spectacular sunsets....especially in the monsoons....shall plan my days so that i see many more sunrises this year...

Each sunrise heralds a new beginning reminding me to live more in the HERE and NOW and less in the past and the future...

"Overcome space and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don't you think that we might see each other once or twice?"
Richard Bach in Jonathan Livingston Seagull.