A Teacher Answers…

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with 'education'. He argued, “What’s a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a 'teacher'?”
To stress his point he said to another guest; “You’re a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?”
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied,
“You want to know what I make?”
(She paused for a second, then began…)
“Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I make a C+ feel like the Medal of Honor.
I make kids sit through 45 minutes of class time when their
parents can’t make them sit for 5 without an I Pod,
Play Station or movie rental.
You want to know what I make?
(She paused again and looked
at each and every person at the table)
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them how to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn’t everything.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math. They use their God
given brain, not the man-made calculator.
I make my students from the villages learn everything
they need to know about English while preserving their
unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to
say the ‘Pledge of Loyalty’ to their Flag and their Nation.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they
were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.
( Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)
Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?”
His jaw dropped; he went silent.
Even all your personal teachers like mothers, fathers, brothers,
sisters, coaches and your spiritual leaders/teachers.
A profound answer!!!

Till Next then
CIAO

(P.S.: Dedicated to all the teachers/professors that made me what I am today.)
---Inspired from a poem by Taylor Mali.

Why was I born?

I looked for my true calling
I looked for my true purpose
What I am supposed to do on the planet
Why was I born ?
And I asked the question deep inside me
Beyond logic, beyond thought, deep in the bowels
Of the space where I connect to the Universe
Where I can be thrown into the raging storm of ‘not knowing’
And the answer hit me in an immense tidal wave of understanding
“You are your own purpose
Nothing more, and nothing less
A bundle of purpose and karma
All existing within itself
And the only thing holding it back
Is the separation created by
Words like ‘I’ and ‘my’ and ‘me’.”

Till Next then
CIAO

The Idea that is India…

In my room, all alone, thinking about my country and my people. The people of India. It’s Republic Day today.
The people of India ?
Is there another country on this planet with people as diverse as ours ? And while we constantly speak and complain about differences and conflicts, today must be a day to celebrate that diversity. The fact that despite the diversity we have clung to one nation even though everything threatens to tear us apart everyday.
Why? Because India is more than a country. It is an Idea. An Idea that was born as a reaction to being colonized, to being enslaved by colonial power for centuries. As long as the Idea survives, India survives. The day we let go of that idea, we might as well let go of India.
Happy Republic Day people…
Till Next then
CIAO

I am that.

I am
nothing more
but nothing less.
I am not
who you think I am
I am not
who I think I am.
I am
all that is
and all that is not.
I am
neither defined
nor definable
neither finite
nor infinite.
I am
that.
That was never born
or ever died.
I am
that has no word
to describe.
That I am.
I just
am.
 
Till next then
CIAO

The Story Teller

In my previous life I was a story teller.
Dragging myself from village to village,
where people would throw me some coins
to weave fantasy around their mundane lives
At my will
I would make them cry
and laugh.
Children rolled over and clapped with joy
as my characters
faced the most absurd plots I could weave
Except him,
who would neither laugh
nor shed a tear,
as he stood there
staring at me.
Challenging.
Would you like to hear a story ? I asked him.
”Not unless it is the story of all stories,” he said
And wherever I went he would be there
watching and listening,
challenging
”Can u tell me the story of all stories ?”
How could there be one story that defined all stories ?
and if there were
what value would I have ?
if there be just one story to tell ?
”You are of no value to me,” he said
”Unless you can tell me the story of all stories”
And he walked away
challenging,
never looking back
amused.
Silly man,
How could I make a living
If I told the same story
again and again ?
But I died.
Never being able to tell another story
Have you ever died of thirst
in the presence of a glass of water
that you cannot see?
And into this life
He came again.
He took my hand
and showed me the ocean
and asked me to see,
and to observe
For the story of all stories was there,
a story that had no end
and no beginning.
Each rising swell
a new Plot that arose from the ocean
and then merged back
instantly
endlessly
unpredictably
inexorably,
millions arising
and immediately going back to the source
The Source
The Story of all Stories
Till next then
CIAO

Color, Life & People…

Why do we still see in color?
When color came to film, it was a thrilling moment. We celebrated the richness of the colors and they’ve only sharpened over the years. Today our images are even more alive, our colors more vibrant.
Yet, while we celebrate color in the digital world, why don’t we do the same in the real world?  Why do we still stop there?  Why do we build so many differences – race, ethnicity, religion, class?  Why?
As one who’s traveled widely, well, almost, it’s become quite apparent that people are people, no matter what color – pink, purple, green even! It’s become apparent that our frustrations, worries, concerns, fears are so universal.  That is why great art, literature, and music sees no divide.  Because its message is of human emotion.
We are creatures who oddly think of others before ourselves many times.  We are inclined to bend to the wishes of family and dear friends, even if they are against our deepest desires.  We gravitate towards what we are told us “right.”  But what is “right?”  Is it my “right”?  Is it your “right”?  Who came up with “right”?
And in the mad cacophony of voices in our head, we forget our own.  What if we do not see the differences?  What if we do not see color, race, ethnicity, religion, or class?  Should we, because the world does as well?  Should we, because our families do as well?  Should we, because it is easier that way – to drive in the lane that you’re currently taking?
The questions seem endless.  And yet, the answer repeatedly seems to be the same — no.
But, we live only for a few moments, only a few years on this planet, only a short lapse in the grander scheme.  Why not please ourselves?  Why not be guided by unfiltered passion?  Why not go blind, using only what we feel?  Why not be absolutely true to our deepest wishes?
Because it is difficult?
But nothing is difficult.  As I’m told repeatedly, life is simple.
People complicate it.
Till next then…
CIAO

Winter-mania

I love the winters. I love the way ice cream tastes in he cold. I love the winters for its glamour. People wear all kinds of colors. Everyone likes to look good. Everyone looks jolly. The mood feels light. The mind feels good. The winters bring out the quilts. And what is better than a chilly night outside and a warm quilt inside, some pop corn and a good movie? I love the winters.
The sleeping hours get stretched. And the people, they always, somehow, don’t smell as horrid as during the summers. The woolens have their distinctive odor, that retro-kinda odor. All kinds of fashion are acceptable during this season. You wear whatever you like without anyone eyeing at you as if you were a fashion disaster, not that it matters anyway.
And the food. Hot food is always welcome. Suddenly you start liking tea. The markets get flooded with all kinds of veggies, fresh, exotic. One can derive way more pleasure cooking now, than during the summers.
But then, every morning we wake up to news of more people dying of the cold in certain regions of the nation. On one hand, where winter mornings always manage to make you feel ecstatic, on the other, these kinda news sinks your heart. How can the exact same thing be so blissful to some, and live-threatening to another? Nature has his own deadly sense of humor, a practical joke. Its disheartening. Some would say, “What can I do if some are poor?”
True. You, probably can not do much. But then there are ways in which you can contribute your bit to the society. It is curious how only 10% actually do something for the society, without any material incentives. Also, only another 10% have absolutely no heart to do anything for the society. Now, what about the rest 80? They are like me. In the midst. Willing to do their bit. But directionless. If only happiness could be exchanged through Bluetooth.Or say telepathy. The earth would have been a much happier place. If only...
Till Next then..
CIAO.

Awaragardi.

Aimless wandering. No particular destination. No aims. No goals. Living and existing in the moment. No care for the past nor for the future. All heart. Does not use the head.
What a liberated way to live..!
So why was it always an accusation against me?
Is being myself, wrong in any way?
And yet, I am happiest, most creative and best at what I do
when I am aimless,
Awara hoon..
Does anyone remember the words of that song?
It has left me humming..
Till next then.
CIAO

The Alien and me.

Suddenly my view of myself and the universe, would, in that instant be changed, re-evaluated, all the questions I asked from that moment on would be different. Context would be different,
If I came across an Alien today.
What would I say if there were words. Would I shake hands if there were hands ? Or indeed if there was form ? Or would I ignore the Alien as a mere figment of my imagination. And what is wrong with a mere figment of my imagination ? What did I impose upon myself that a figment of of my imagination could never be a figment, perhaps the most significant figment of my existence.
Why have I allowed that being without form, that being that dreams, that being that imagines, that being that continually sees life as play. Why have I allowed that being to turn into an Alien living in a cage of suppression. Knocking on my door from inside my mind.
As the knocking gets louder, pushing against the mundanity of habittuality that takes over as existence, it’s time to let the Alien out. For there is always an alien sitting inside us that is knocking at the doors of our mind with figments of imagination – but over the years we start ignoring those figments as impractical madness.
What is practical anyway ? Or should I say, what is more practical, or, better still, real? Me? Or the alien within me?

Still Life marches on.

As I look back at my life, I have been accused of being impractical (I am), a dreamer (I am) a wanderer (completely), the famous comment ‘you treat life like it was just play’ – yes I do. ‘Act your age’ – I can remember forever. People have said I have an over active imagination (yes, completely), that I should be more serious about life (I agree, but I do not know really know what they mean). The point I have been making is that while I have always accepted these accusations, I have lived under the burden of guilt of all these accusations. I have consistently tried to change them, but neither have I been able to change myself, nor have I been able to be free of considering myself somewhat an irresponsible human being…
…par…log toh kahenge hi…just because people say this is right and that is wrong, and if I will change my life because of their perceptions, I think I will lose myself, reach nowhere. So then I should try to enjoy what I am, sometimes irresponsible, confined to solitary, doing the things i want and not bothering.
So at the end of the day who cares? Why …we come alone, go alone, being a mere visitor to this planet, its perfectly all right to be so. Sometimes near and dear ones worry and their worry actually affects, but at the end of the day do they know what's going on with your being? I really do not think so man!
Till next then..!
CIAO

90% of our Brain is devoted to?

Gossiping !All of us have heard about scientists saying we use only 10% of our brains. So what is the other 90% doing ? Some say it is to connect with our universal and spiritual selves. Others say it’s all about the subconscious problem solving part of the brain.
But the theory I like the most is that 90% of our brain is reserved for an art that in our hurried daily lives we are fast loosing. The art of Gossip.
Apparently we need to gossip to come to terms with the pressures of everyday social interaction. We need to gossip, to put it crudely, to stop killing each other. And a sense of humor is so important to the Art of Gossip. In eastern societies there is an unsaid acceptance of the Gossip culture. Almost an addiction. For how would they survive some of the really harsh conditions with any form of dignity without a bit of Gossip and a sense of humor ?
For those that know and live in North India here are the keywords :
“Kya kar rahe ho aaj sham ko ?”, “Chal aaja, yaar, kuch gup-shup marenge’
“Aaj mehfil kahan hai ?”

Each one an invitation to idle gossip. Idle and free flowing being the key words. To ease out the tensions and pressure of everyday life, and to ease yourself back into harmony with the community, and therefore with yourself and . We have seen it all over, with the men around the Hookah in the middle east. The men gathered drinking in Greece.
In England the community gathering together at the pub.
The ability to gossip is the ability to indulge in a sense of humor. We loose that and we are lost. And I would like to believe that is true. That 90% of our brains are available for a wonderful sense of humor.
But as we physically move away from our roots, as we become more and more involved with the pressures of work, as families become smaller and smaller, and as TV and computers and the internet takes away time from the ultimate leisure activity that 90% of our brains are designed for – Gossip – what is happening to us as social beings ?
As we are finding ourselves more and more isolated, are we becoming more and more intolerant of each other ? Of each other’s points of view ? Are we loosing our identity as assimilated social beings ?
And is it possible that the rise of blogging and chat rooms are the new alternate forms of the ‘Gossip Society ? Is it the new Mehfil? Is it the 90% brain that is driving us there ?
However, surely being together face to face and with the physical intimacy that a warm gossip room brings, also brings with it a sense of responsibility. It is the adult form of play that children and the young of all animal kingdom do – play act war games and battle games and social games. It’s the adult form of what little girls do when they play with dolls and dolls houses.
The adult form is the Gossip room. the Mehfil.
So my question is that, is the anonymity of the blog and the chat room taking away the responsibility that being face to face brings? Are we playing out the adult social games as they were meant to be, or are we indulging in something half baked and therefore possibly dangerous here.
Dangerous? Not if we accept that there is a nature of Gossip in what we are doing. So lets bring back a sense of humour, shall we?
Or 90% of our brains will be destructive instead of constructive and harmonizing.
Till Next then.
CIAO

The Art of doing Nothing.

 
Work, work, work. Play hard. Take a holiday. Go out. Have you seen the latest ? And yet …. I crave to walk the mountains, not alone, but in solitude, allowing my mind to breathe, to listen to the quite whispers going on between me and my mind. Between my conscious and subconscious. Every day to get to know myself again, to say a quite hello to myself, and give myself a gentle hug. And seemingly to do nothing. Nothing except just be…..
…. for if not, I am no longer active. I fool myself into thinking that the flurry of activity is real. That it gives my presence on this planet worth
It is an illusion.
For it is just a flurry of reactivity.. It’s like my mind is leaving my heart behind.
Often we believe that what happens is so directly related to what we do. Our actions.
That is just our Ego. For often our actions are mere reactions. Reactions that actually impede what we set out to achieve. To do.
Sometimes, it is good to sit back and believe. Just believe. Knowing that sometimes it is not merely in the doing, but also in the believing.
Till Next then.
CIAO

Time for a Free Hug…!!

A couple of days ago, I was prepared to blog angrily about something that was sticking in my craw, namely the accusations of bias and expectations that pop into my life almost daily. They make any day terribly frustrating, especially at a time of high tension.
& then I got a free hug -- actually two of them -- and the world seemed a little better.

Feeling depressed and lonely after numerous personal difficulties, Australian Juan Mann was deeply touched by a random hug from a stranger at a party. What began as one person giving hugs in a Sydney mall eventually evolved into a worldwide social movement of individuals offering hugs to strangers in public places.
The "Free Hug" movement began with one man in Sydney, Australia, who decided to cure a case of the blues by going to a mall with a hand-lettered "Free Hugs" sign. His only motive was to spread a little cheer with a universal human gesture of kindness (In fact, he goes by a pseudonym -- Juan Mann -- to avoid personalizing the movement.) The idea took off in Australia, and eventually around the world, thanks in part to a music video by the band Sick Puppies that featured inspiring footage of Mann at work. (The video, which you can watch to the left, has been viewed 71 million times and counting.)

Sometimes, a hug is all that we need. The Free Hugs Campaign is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, a man whose sole mission was simply to reach out and hug a stranger. He merely wanted to bring some joy into a fellow humans life.
In an age where human contact rarely seems to occur, this Sydney, Australian man started a virtual revolution. Visit YouTube to watch this amazing video and see how the public was inspired and rallied around Juan when the police decided to ban hugs.
“It’s a way to make people smile,” Mann said.
“For every person who gets a hug, you see five walk past with a smile on their face.”
I never realized how far a hug could go! The whole free hugs thing completely make anyone’s day. Hugging complete strangers really does break the barriers. And it really makes you a lot less paranoid when in a group of people you don't know.
And I love this. I was inspired. From today onwards…this entire year… Its FREE HUGS YEAR for me…
FREE HUGS to each & every one who needs it
FREE HUGS for all who believe in it…
New Fact from today: We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.
Hugs will make you healthier, younger, thinner, more relaxed, live longer, fight depression and make you age slower.
You should try it… Because even if someone isn’t hugging you, they’re walking by… feeling good

Till Next..
CIAO..!!