In Memory Of...

...our beloved friend Ramaprabha. Happened to befriend her around three years back and this tiny, studious, intellectual girl caught everyone's attention in the French class. A quick learner she was, very friendly, amazing everyone with her language competencies. One of the very few people I have admired. Happens rarely. Very rarely. So in the morning, as the class commences very early on a lazy weekend, 7 AM, that is, our gang of guys enter the class with eyes drooping and hearts disinterested. The professor generally performs her duty very well. Starts the course sharp at 7 irrespective of who is seen attentive or who has shown physical attendance. This little girl sat next to me for almost all of the months she was pursuing level 1. And this means we had fruitful conversations, fun and all of that sorts. Not to forget the 'pause' in between, where we all used to have a chit-chat next to her scooter and indulging on her thayir sadham that early on a weekend, followed by some scoldings from our mam waving from somewhere to get into the class to which we finally budge, of course, reluctantly.

An alumni of Church Park school and an Engg. graduate with an M.B.A, turned as a Software Engineer at one of the top MNCs, here she was - focusing on yet another dimension - language. In retrospect, she was doing it all with so much of elan. I was equally astonished when she said she just loved her job too much. Many such times when I had observed her had repeatedly crossed this thought in my mind, 'May be I shouldn't have wasted so much of time in my life so far and should have kept my learning curve upwards, always upwards. Not even a linear one.'.. That actually made me take a silent oath. To keep learning. To keep on learning without a break in knowledge acquisition.

One of the cherishable times with her was when we had a number learning exercise wherein we had to listen to an audio and mark the respective number. The dumb in me realized that the audio read all the horaires in 24hrs format, only after the answers were read out. How struggling I was to map the hours with the ones in the book. But then here is the girl who did it all in minutes. Appeared as if I was in the first step of the mathematical ladder.  The funniest part is, even after all these years, I hope I am in the very same place!

Days disappeared in a blink of an eye with us reaching mid of the course. The most intelligent of all was about to discontinue the course, for an impressive offer came along her way from her bureau. This made her fly from India to Australia for the software project she was into. My life too on the other hand got occupied with work and stuff. Then came a call from her once that passed with a quick chat on our everyday life, mutual friends, work and blah blah.

With time grew the distance and as they say, 'Out of sight, out of mind'. While my days got busier we lost track of each other. It took almost two years to hear something about her through a common friend. Wish I had not not heard it.  Rather, I wish it hadn't happened. This little, lively girl had moved out of the world, maybe to somewhere in the universe, maybe to the same place from where she had come. I just couldn't help thinking. After so much of bringing happiness to everyone around, after so much of efforts to reach a state was in, was this all she deserved? Or will she be pushed down to earth by that gracious God to restart her life all over again? Even in that case, what meaning will her new life have? And still, what meaning did her life hold when she was alive? No answers. No one can answer. In this unpredictable short life, the only given choice is to live. To live every moment to the fullest. Who knows what will happen next?!

Of Life and Love

It has been quite a while since I blogged narrating experiences on personal front and now has emerged the trigger from nowhere. Life has crossed quite a few changes of late, with me observing it rising and falling on its own crests and troughs. All is well, nevertheless. Days of relentless restlessness then followed by joy. Ray of hope evidently beaming at the end of the dark tunnel. While I write this, I remember one of the many verses that caught me as I read the hope rendering Sundara Kanda. The verse read something like this - "One who tolerates difficulties during the toughest of times will finally find happiness as he comes through it". Completely true. Such happiness arrived at after going through a number of challenges also tells you how determined you are. God had tested me on the same, I believe. When things didn't turn out as it was expected, following my heart to eventually come out of it all did really turn out for good. It also reminded me of how well-determined I am in what I thought I wanted. Not always do I know what I really seek for. At times, nonetheless, the intution knows. Or the instinct. May be the heart. Whatever. God has been kind to me recently. Or it is just that my stars are aligned now.

And then the feel of caring and being cared for. A soul-filling sense of being wanted. Of being unconditionally loved. Of trying to love unconditionally. That which makes you full yet empty. Besides that, the smile and love of a kid. A learning from a baby on how to live in the moment. A learning on caring for others. A difference really made deep inside knowing how life turns beautiful when affection and care are showered on you regardless of whether you deserve it or not. Especially to be concerned for loved ones expecting nothing in return. The joy of giving without looking for a reward. Often there is also a fear of losing loved ones arising along when love is abounding. I consciously remind myself at those moments that there is love all around and that I am never left alone. Followed by a whole lot of thoughts that couldn't be just captured.

"Everything is as it is meant to be". May be I would get it if at all I wished for something. Or it is just that what I deserve would be granted to me and there is no point questioning. Probably I would force myself to accept things as they turn out. Or I would give it a fight. Or I would remain confused leaving it to time as in most cases. Destiny might drive me, rather. In any case, what would happen next is a mystery. With faith, a pinch of determination and a little courage do I follow my heart. There have been quite a little successes and a lot more of failures. There is still a dream. There is still a wish. There is still a future. There is still a hope. :)

Book Review: The Krishna Key - Ashwin Sanghi

What is our past? Can modern scientific techniques be a tool to uncover our past? Is Mahabharatha and Lord Krishna just a myth? Did our ancestors have a way-ahead knowledge on science than our modern day scientists? The questions are unlimited. If you are on the look for answers to such and such questions, 'The Krishna Key' by Ashwin Sanghi could give you a clue. Though classified under the genre 'Thriller', I find the book an inimitable source of information on modern and ancient science and mythology. Of course, the thrilling plot of the story keeps you so engaged while you grasp the expertise on science and biology, the ancient men possessed.

It is common knowledge that Lord Vishnu had incarnated in nine different forms with the impending Kalki avatar, also collectively known as the Dasavathara. Incredible similarities between Kalki and little Sampat Sharma and a turn of childhood events convinces Sampat that he is the tenth avatar, born to demolish the evils in modern India. The story commences with an ancient seal engraved with three ancient animal motifs of a bull, unicorn and a goat on its face. Four such identical seals will constitute 'The Krishna Key', reveals Anil Varshey to Historian Ram Mohan Saini. An excerpt from the book describing it - 

"What you are holding in your hand is a relic of Krishna's ancient passport system for Dwarka that is described in the Harivamsa..."

"Together they constitute what can be called The Krishna Key - They can unlock the truth to the historical Krishna for future generations..."

 Therefore, as Varshney briefly puts forth what will constitute the key, he handovers one of the four seals to Saini and shares him that three of the remaining seals would go to Dr.Nikhil Bhojaraj, Professor Rajaram Khurkude and the genetics expert Dr.Devendra Chedi. There is also Sampat Sharma, rechristened as 'TAARAK VAKIL', a jumbled form of 'KALKI AVATAR', much to one's surprise. What is the motive behind Taarak murdering these intellectuals one by one, whether he caught hold of all the four seals and what happens to The Krishna Key forms the story.

I would like to quote a few from the book which impressed me and made me wonder if ancient India is an ocean and the knowledge we have on it is very very limited. The ancient scientists knew it all in the absence of scientific instruments. Here is how the historian Saini is all set to render us precious knowledge about ourselves and our country:

"..... the Indian classical music as described in the Upanishads has seven notes of melody - Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni. These seven notes roughly correspond to the western Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La and Ti. It is my hypothesis that the seven notes correspond to each of the seven chakras within us. The chakra is activated when the frequency of the note matches the frequency of the chakra..."

"..... A hymn in the Rig Veda says, "with deep respect, I bow to the sun who travels 2202 yojanas in half a nimesha". For your information, a yojana is about nine American miles and a nimesha is 16/75th of a second. Sayana is simply stating the obvious-that sunlight travels at a 186 thousand miles per second!....."

Professor Kurkude is no way less in rendering us knowledge, too. Here are some of the valuable information from him to be treasured:

".... All construction needed geometry and it was the Vedas that gave the world geometry... The present English word, Geometry, is derived from a Greek root which itself was derived from a Sanskrit word Jyamiti. In Sanskrit, jya means an arc or a curve and miti means the correct perception or measurement. ..."

"... The world deludes itself into believing that it was Pythagoras who gave us the famous theorem regarding the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle but the Baudhayana Sulbasutra which was written 500 years before Pythagoras, states that a rope stretched along the length of a diagonal line produces an area which the vertical and horizontal sides make together. So who invented the Pythagoras theorem - Pythagoras or Baudhayana?..."

Mataji, the guru of Taarak has much more to add while describing the significance of the number 108:

"... What's truly amazing is the fact that the distance between the earth and the sun is exactly 108 times the sun's diameter. More incredible is the fact that the distance between the earth and the moon is 108 times the moon's diameter. Finally, do you know that the diameter of the sun is 108 times the earth's diameter? The ancient yogis knew that!..."

"... The word 'Om' is not only used by us, Taarak. It is to be found everywhere. Even in the English language..." And  then she goes on giving detailed descriptions on the words omniscience, omnipotent and what not!

Devendra Chhedi, the genetics expert enlightens us on the knowledge our ancestors had on cloning and biology:

"... Ancient civilisations knew much more about stem cells than modern humans...", affirms he as he elaborates the concept of Taviju Raksha, an ancient ritual that has been passed down the generations.  "... The ancients knew far more about medicine than we are willing to believe..." adds he, while he explains Shastrakarma.

Not to be forgotten, these are just samples of quotes that dumbfolded me while I was reading. There are lot more to add to it  and I bet, the plot as such keeps you so engrossed that you will not let the book down until you finish reading it. On a negative front, I just see that the thrilling plots in the story appears so common at some moments, and at times predictable. However, the knowledge that you gain from the book as such is commendable. I am taken aback on observing the last few pages that contains the reference books and websites. My God.. How much of effort has the author put to come up with a book that is spiritually and intellectually engaging!! Hats off to him! I seriously admire the hardwork the author has putforth to understand ancient India and its history to deliver a treasurable book. Astounding! In a line, the book is a 'must-read' - to discover India, to discover ourselves!!

[This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!]

Book Review: One & A Half Wife - Meghna Pant

Perhaps one of the most pervasive dreams in India surreptitiously slithering into the Indian souls across the subcontinent is to land once for all in the country of opportunities, where life is presumed to be picture-perfect. The inimitable American Dream, undoubtedly.  While many such families are sheltered under the chilly breezes of Shimla, let’s take a quick peek into the Malhotra’s - A simple house, turned to a home with the blossoming of family bonding with Biji, Baba and Amara, all of them very ‘Indian’ by nature and upbringing and with whom the traditions and life-style of Shimla have inseparably blended, over years. A conservative society it is, where even uttering the word ‘divorce’ is equaled to committing a sin. Anyone who walked out of marriage was treated a bane to the society and the nation and was tarnished of his/her societal image.

Baba, a lawyer is a great father concerned much about his only daughter in her early teens than anything else in the world. Biji is the doting mother whose highest ambition is to get Amara a wealthy and privileged life that she deserved. Amara is a well-behaved, obedient daughter that any parents would pray for. All that she gets in life as she grows up is decided out of three desires – ‘It is Biji’s desire’, ‘It is God’s desire’ or ‘It is His desire’, ‘His’  inexplicitly referring to her future husband who will supposedly shape her future by his will. In short, her desires are fulfilled only if they are Biji’s/God’s/His desires.

The story instigates as Biji and Amara seek a parrot astrologer to get an insight onto the latter’s future. The astrologer, after a long contemplation over the card picked foresees that Amara would be a one and a half wife, much to their shock.  The disbelieved Biji heads home, as her daughter follows but not before Amara, unbeknownst to her mother, getting a pendant from the astrologersubmitting to his statement that the stone would turn a wish to true. The incident fades from the bewildered mother after coming to know of a much desired and impressivefuture awaiting her daughter from her only brother well-settled in the US of A having him consulting a soothsayer. Not an uncaring one he is, that he makes all arrangements, soon resulting in the Malhotras' foot embracing the terrains of the USA. A dream realized!

The high-school going Amara struggles between Indian and American cultural variations while the chasm seems to widen as ever, even as she attempts foster a friendship with her cousins Riya and Tina. Having had no squabbles with her cousin sisters, she questions herself why they dislike her. It doesn’t strike her until much later that it is her attire and the Indianess. Life starts swaying her like a pendulum, unable to find a balance to rest on the edge of either the Indian or the American life-style. Her efforts to please Riya turn futile. The distressed Amara who is now into college doesn’t realize much until later that her unimpressive looks drives away every girl she meets, let alone boys. She learns over time that she has to be herself for her own good and not imitate others. She befriends Stacy and shares a good rapport with her as she continues being herself.

Much later, a millionaire Prashant Roy's mom is moved by the homeliness of Amara when she spots her at family occasion. It dawns on her that she is destined to be her to-be daughter-in-law. Biji's happiness knows no bounds because her daughter is soon to receive a marital bliss with all riches and she, with her new family-ties, a new societal bliss. She felt awesome. Amara agrees to the wedding knowing that Prashant is Riya's boy friend. Riya's grudge over Amara  shoots up than ever for stealing her lad. Having brought up right from childhood with 'It is His desire' instilled impeccably into her soul, the shock of her life hits her heart hard when Prashant declares that he agreed to marry her only to not upset his beloved mother. Amara's life is trashed. She slowly turns into a one and a half wife.

After six years of unsuccessful marriage, abused and harassed by her husband although he rarely spoke, the couple end up in a divorce, much to the anxiety of her parents. Amara's parents lambast her for the allegedly irresponsible behaviour, throw her out of their house and grow distant. The chaotic situations ease up a little when she reaches her homeland with her disgruntled parents despite the fact they stopped talking to her and behaved as though she never existed. Returning back home after sixteen years and especially after a failed marriage, how the community treats her, what problems and challenges await Amara and her family, whether she faces them boldly or succumbs to them while being caught in a tug-of-war between old customs and new beliefs, whether she found the love of her life or not forms the rest of the story :).

Welcome to One & A Half Wife - Meghna's debut novel that cradles a story we can relate to ourselves, our surroundings and of course, India. A simple 'next-door' story, beautifully written, I would say. The book impressed me as the words moved me so much that I almost sensed in me what Amara was feeling. The feel of submissiveness ever since childhood, negligence by cousins at adoloscence, unstoppable hassles in marriage life, a silent onlooker of her own life rather than living it to the fullest, loneliness, a feeling of being let down by own parents, tears gushing like a flood confonted by a sudden courage, an unbelievable transformation in Riya's character, the pleasures of setting up and running a successful business, emanation of love when least desired and expected and the most exhilirating touch of life - that of a child's. The story rolls like a movie in your brain's eye! Awesome read! There are also funny moments when you hear Biji's broken English and how she calls Amara not by name but "my husband's daughter"

The only limitations were the typographical mistakes here and there which could have been avoided. When you suspect that Riya was the reason behind Amara's divorce, the story takes a twist but that the baby she saves coming into Amara's hands was very filmy and predictable. Some pharases here and there appears overly desciptive though the readers will comprehend that they are to pay attention to detail.

And wait, there are also few funny moments to relish when you hear Biji's broken English and how she calls Amara not by name but "my husband's daughter" to portray her outrage. :D. A typical depiction of an Indian household wrangle :P. On the whole, it is a nice read that brings to you the pain of dejection and hopelessness and the pleasure of living life on one's own terms, banishing 'It is Biji's desire' or 'It is His desire' and letting 'It is my desire' bloom. So what are you waiting for.. Read the book, feel the words! 

[This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!]

What I would do this Summer!

In Chennai, there are only three seasons – Hot, Hotter and Hottest. Strike out Winter, Autumn and Spring. While the sun is scorching aggressively and there are no signs of rain showing its face even though weather forecasts at times jabber about those showers waiting to drench us with its kindness, I am sitting here alone, thinking what I could do to make this summer worthy although I know I can’t totally beat the summer. I have never been out ever since Agni Nakshatram, out of fear for the soaring temperatures and also finding it very annoying to go out alone. Considering how the condition of our environment is declining and deteriorating, someday, we would inherently have no other choice than to sit at home. Looks like I’m having a rehearsal for it. But total disaster, I suppose is still a long way, thanks to those associations and organizations striving to bring about a much greener world.  

I think I have deviated a bit. Cut to what to I would love to do this summer. Just as I long to have some quality get-away as to get a respite from the red giant, the mere thought that I am going to get a company to spend time outdoors, have fun, play volley ball and relax with a nice cold drink with a new friend renders a smile in my lips and a beam in my eyes. Yes, my new companion is Krya!

Know what, Krya is a Lakme girl, just like me. At this moment I should state that there has never been a day with me going out without a simple makeover with Lakme Magic Daily Wear Souffle. So, we both are Lakme girls, which by itself is an indication that we possess similar tastes! What else could be a better foundation for a blooming companionship?! Having said that, I need not explicitly mention that I would be more than happy to meet Krya, nurture a great friendship with her and of course, to roam around blithely.

I love meeting new people and as with any new friend, I would talk a lot – about my childhood, dreams, job, success, failures, future plans and everything. We would have an ideal day of sharing amidst all fun outside. I am also a good listener. I would pay attention to her talk keenly as she would share her set of experiences she had bumped into. One of my best interests just like anyone else to beat the heat is the beach. While we get along well, we would have a fantastic time at beach playing games as the chilly breeze whips ceaselessly. We would also gulp a whole lot of ice cream and chocolates thereby satiating our craving. And oh, shopping is also inviting! Inevitably, music and traveling a lot will also be in the cards. The plans and bliss would be endless, making this summer the best of all I have ever had!  

Subsequently, my dearest Rain, I will no longer pester you to visit us straight away, because, I am going to have unbeatably memorable day-outs with my new palJJ. Come lets go, Krya, my buddy, it’s time for us to enjoy the sunshine! Summer is calling!!

[This post is my entry for The Lakme Indiblogger Contest.   I Love Lakme ]
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