Life

Children go to school to learn different subjects. Some pick up quickly, while some learn slowly. However, school has a place for everybody. There are extra classes for those who take more time to pick things up. There is no problem with that. But what if the students who have not picked up the subject become insecure? What if they try to project as if they know? As soon as the teacher asks a question, they raise their hands and start answering it incorrectly. What if they say it with a lot of conviction, under the belief that confidence is a measure of knowledge? Such students will work hard. First, they will damage the learning ecosystem because teachers will have to spend more and more time helping students unlearn the wrong things rather than focusing on the right ones. Second, they will do greater harm to themselves because their learning will never commence. This is a typical phenomenon where the confidence of knowing is disproportionately higher than the actual knowledge. In mos...

What is the purpose of a spiritual journey? To seek peace? To seek happiness? Who is seeking peace and happiness? Obviously, somebody who is not at peace or happy. Who is that? But we were not seeking peace and happiness in our childhood. You ask any child what he wants, and I don't think that even a single child will seek happiness or peace. Rather, they will seek chocolate, friends, games, sweets, momos, or burgers. As we grow up, we seek money, power, kids, and so much more. As we grow older, we realise that none of them has given us peace or happiness, and then we seek them. But why don't we seek peace and happiness from the very beginning? If peace and happiness are so important to us, why don't we seek them since childhood? Probably because we have peace as well as happiness to begin with, and then, in the process of seeking other things, we probably lose awareness of that peace and happiness within. But why does that happen? Why does a child seek a chocolate? To expe...

When a man feels proud of his position, the placement of his kids, family lineage, or intelligence, what happens to the awareness that this cosmos is infinite? The diameter of the observable universe is 93 billion light-years. That means it will take 93 billion light-years for light travelling at the speed of 3 lakh kilometres per second to travel across the universe. We can't even imagine the universe, let alone see or experience it in our lifetime. Yet, what we believe to be "I" is the centre of all our decisions. In today's world, the ability to make choices is one of the most important indicators of development. The choice to go to the university or college one likes, the choice to buy the vehicle and house one likes, the choice to earn money, the choice to choose a partner, the choice to go abroad, and so on. We go to malls to have the choice to buy a shirt. In stores like Lifestyles, we can choose from among many brands. Brands offer different packages too. Even...

Every day, while walking, I see many street dogs lying carelessly on the street. As if they are the kings of the street. The younger ones are even more carefree. Each vehicle on the street knows that they have to manoeuvre its way between these dogs. Their sense of freedom is really infectious. On the other hand, I see so many people going to the office every morning. Cars move bumper to bumper. The time on Google Maps keeps increasing as I'm on my way. Nobody knows where all this traffic is coming from. Everybody gets irritated, and yet everybody has to come first in the race. All of us appear to be slaves to development. Is it evolution from Dog to Man, or does Man have to aspire to become Dog to gain that freedom? Dog appears to be careless. But behind that carelessness lies extreme vigilance. The moment a dog smells any danger, he will run at speed and bark so loudly that even the strongest man on the street will panic. I hope each of us has witnessed that scene. Man is lost in...

Today. I watched the movie Hanuman Ansh. I found that the movie was made with a lot of love and devotion. I recall reading the book "Search for Secret India" written by Paul Brunton long ago. I believe around 2008. Paul Brunton came to India, met many yogis during his stay, and witnessed many miracles. Being a logical mind, he did not believe in them, but he had no choice. I have never visited Kainchi Dham, so I have no idea about Baba's magical powers.  But the moot question is not whether he had magical powers. Rather, the moot question is what the centre of his life was. The centre of his life was truth, as shown in the movie, and he settled for nothing less than truth. Leaving home at the tender age of 12 in search of truth is not a joke. I look at our kids, who feel so privileged that they will not leave any stone unturned to force their demands on us. If a child has that strong determination at the age of 12 to know the truth and then he can meditate in all sorts of...

This morning, I was reading a book titled Truth by Hector Macdonald. The author discusses how there is no single version of truth. In one of the chapters, he discusses morality. He says that the definition of morality varies across cultures and times. While reading the book, something struck me. Different cultures have different moral standards. Details aside, what are we trying to achieve through these moral standards? First of all, morality is a group concept. Every organisation has its own definition of morality, and so does every nation, society, and community.  Now, coming to the centre of group morality, first , survival is the most important criterion for the group. Every organisation, society, or nation would like to survive and protect its turf. It will do whatever is possible under the Sun to protect its turf and even to expand. That's why many nations would justify aggression on the lands of other countries, brutality in the name of war, and terrorism in the name of self...

Watched Gram Chikitsalaya, season-2. A well-made series and quite meaningful, too. The constant endeavour of Dr Prabhat to serve the patients of his village, despite all the odds. is quite refreshing to watch. Especially in a world that is full of greed and ambition. I really loved the equation between Dr Prabhat and Dr Gargi. Dr Gargi would help Dr Prabhat in every possible way and try every means to get his PHC declared ideal, so that he would get a steady supply of medicines. Even if her own PHC is competing, she will still provide every possible assistance to Dr Prabhat. So much so that when her PHC is about to receive the award, and she has to go on stage, she will skip her award ceremony to help Dr Prabhat with a complicated delivery case. That too, when Dr Prabhat will level all types of allegations against her when she wins the award. When we work selflessly to help people, we sometimes have to fight against the system. While fighting these battles, we often stand alone. The pr...

I was reading the book "The Other Side of Happiness" by Brock Bastian, and I could relate to many of its ideas. First, pain and pleasure are two sides of the same coin. We feel pleasure when we feel pain. For example, the author gives an example: after tiring treks for many days, when the trekkers sit in a Sulphur hot spring with not such a good quality of air, they feel blissful because they are absolutely tired. But if they keep sitting there the next day too, they will start to notice the foul smell of the Sulphur and the low quality of the beer they drink while sitting there.  Another thing that the author mentions is that we have panic attacks because somehow we resist the experience. That's why the body is in fight-or-flight mode, and when we forcefully encounter such experiences, or even before encountering such experiences, we have a panic attack. I, too, used to experience the same when I accompanied my father to his clinic. Some children or adults with a very sm...

One thing that really surprises me is that somebody starts drinking quite late in life. I can understand that during our childhood or early adulthood, we are very instinctive and fall into the trap of seeking social validation. All our friends drink and have parties and sometimes even force us, and we fall into the trap. But I have seen a few of the colleagues who start drinking much later. That really surprises me. Having got into the job and having so many opportunities to do the hard work and grow intellectually, why do people choose such an easy way to get that kick? When we take liquor, we probably feel that sense of freedom and high. A feeling that we have untied many ropes tied around us. We feel free to express ourselves without inhibitions. But why do we tie the ropes around us in the very first instance? To please the people around us. To say the things that they like, that do not offend them. We do not dare to cross the limits which we have imposed on ourselves, and which we...

The known world looks very attractive. All of us would have watched the movie "Taare Zameen Par". When that child is sent to the hostel, how alone he feels. Remember the following scene? https://youtu.be/Mdo_A1Bj67w?si=BWa0GyenkWN7u3Kb This feeling is so familiar. When something dear to us is taken away. A good friend whom we loved wholeheartedly disappears from our lives. When we have to say goodbye to a very close person with whom we spent our whole lives. When the project we had been working on day in and day out is closed for no reason. When somebody is sacked from the job one fine day without any reason. When a doctor tells a person that he has been diagnosed with a terminal disease, and he has limited time to live.  Because we don't know what lies on the other side. Ishaan does not know what lies ahead in the hostel. He would not know that there would be a teacher like Nikumbh sir who would take such a keen interest in him and change the perspective of the whole wor...

Fear is a very strange emotion. Passing through the same situation, two people may have very different degrees of fear. I recall that in my childhood, I was quite afraid to perform on stage, and I do not remember a single instance of doing so. While there were a few in our school who were always keen to go on stage. Most of us are afraid of death, and the diagnosis of a disease like cancer would feel like a death knell to most of us. Some are very afraid of sending the kids away from home, while for others, it is quite normal.  What is the genesis of fear, and why do so many people have such different reactions? We are afraid of losing something we have not only possessed but also identified with. The stronger the identification, the greater the fear. A child does not mind playing in the Sun. He is happy playing with his friends throughout the day. Then he grows up and gets a job at an MNC, where he has to be in an AC environment all day long. He also gets an AC installed in his ho...

A potter makes many different things from the same clay, each with very different uses. While we use a matka to cool the water, we use a clay pan to cook food. It is the same clay used to make both of them, but they have very different functions. Plastic granules are used to make so many different things. We can make plastic chairs from those granules, as well as the water tank at the top of the building. We get so many different pictures on the TV screen. They are nothing but tiny dots on the screen that are illuminated based on the program being broadcast.  Similarly, we have so many different thoughts all throughout the day. These thoughts are nothing but the movement of electrons in different parts of the brain. Different people feel happy or sad with different things. It all depends on how we were born and brought up, and how we have perceived different experiences. The same situation may be perceived as a challenge by one and as danger by the other, as good by one and as bad ...

Remember watching the movie Jurassic Park in the cinema hall. It made us jump out of our seats. Each of us remembers watching movies full of thrills. The hero takes unimaginable risks, finds highly innovative solutions, and emerges from danger with absolute presence of mind. We love to watch movies like Sultan, where the hero, with passion and perseverance, champions a game that is very difficult and dangerous to play. What is so great about these movies? Why do we want to watch them? We love daredevils on the screen, but when it comes to our own lives, then? We play it safe. We make decisions that invite the least risk.  As if we are divided into two parts. The first one wants to explore and take risks, like the hero Sultan, and the Second one wants to stay away from risk. Often, the second part overpowers the first one in real life, and probably the first one gets frustrated due to these compromises, and that's why it goes to the cinema halls again and again to watch these movies...

Gaining awareness at the level of thoughts is not easy. Ask a greedy person why he is so mad about money, and he will have hundreds of logical reasons to explain his conviction. Similarly, ask a person passing through the phase of depression because of the fear of an examination, and he will have hundreds of reasons to explain. Ask a person who is just playing in the hands of his boss as a tool just to get the validation of being a good employee, a positive appraisal, or a promotion, and he will also be equally convinced. Ask a parent who is worried about sending his child away from home, and he will have hundreds of reasons to justify his worry. Ask a person who feels like a victim in a relationship, and he will again have hundreds of reasons to explain why he feels like a victim. Whatever we want to believe in, our brain can cook thousands of stories around that. One may keep the windows open, look out at the trees, listen to the birds chirping, look at the sky and the sun, and watch...

While listening to this video, I was just wondering who Mukammal Jahan is: https://youtu.be/VHPuZhMIb8A?si=n1shaq8770YEmwa8 The poet says it is not that God lacks love in His world, but that you don't find it where you expect it. It is probably one of the most difficult emotions to handle. When you love somebody and can not be united. When somebody really loves, and loves to the extent that he can let go of his ego, then separation feels like going back to the hostel room after long vacations with friends.  I don't know why all of us have such different seekings and why everybody is so convinced that what he is seeking will make him happy. Probably, all of us are seeking nothing but love. But love is not like buying a plot of land, making a home on it, and living thereon. Love is not possession; rather, love is like flying together in the sky where none has a well-defined boundary, and where the whole of the sky belongs to everybody. The sky is so vast that there is no need for...

Sometimes I wonder why there have been no major breakthroughs in science recently. None of the scientists has invented something fundamental like gravity by Newton or General and special relativity by Einstein. Social media is flooded with reels of food, dhabas, travelling, and entertainment. Why are young minds, which are so sharp to do all these things, not inclined towards exploration of nature, the world of science and literature? I feel that our biggest enemy is our comfort. I have many childhood friends who settled for something far lower than their capacity because they had a comfortable option. Joining the family business was easier than competing for admission to engineering or management colleges. So they chose the easy option. Some took a job, became comfortable there, and never tried anything else after that. Some became homemakers and got settled in their families. Some became comfortable in their family life and ignored everything else.  While we were young, we had a ...

Watched "Main Vaapas Aonga" movie on Netflix. A wonderful movie. The movie is all about love. Love, which is timeless and does not fade by even one per cent, even while the hero of the movie is on his deathbed. This movie is also about hatred in the minds of people at the time of partition. How millions of people were killed and how so many people were tortured during that phase. Probably all of us have certain shades of both love and hatred within us. In a few of us, love is so strong that it trespasses the boundaries of time, and our hearts carry love despite the worst of circumstances. While in some of us, the hatred is so strong that when the situation turns bad, we show our most inhuman face and even brutally kill others. Love has its source in awareness of reality. Reality that is one and not divided. That's why love does not recognise any boundaries between nations or religions. That's why love is so complete and fulfilling. That's why all the achievements ...

The whole world is mad about a magical world of "love". Hollywood to Bollywood, thousands of movies have been made with the theme of love. "I love you" would be the most spoken three words in this world. I recall my school and college days. So many of us were deeply in "love" with a friend; we do not even know their whereabouts today. We keep falling in love time and again with people, things, and activities. People whom we love spending time with, things we like to have, and activities we like to do. But where is love? Probably the right question is: "What is love?" Probably one of the most difficult questions to answer. Or maybe the easiest. Because it can't be answered; it can only be felt. A fundamental question is: can "I" ever love "you"? If "I" and "you" are different, how can there be love? I often pondered this question in my childhood. Then weird ideas would come to my mind. Suppose there is a...

A photon is full of infinite possibilities. It may become a part of the food produced by the chlorophyll present in the cells of a plant. It may be absorbed by the solar panel on a home's roof, illuminating the home at night. It may be absorbed by the ocean, helping a water molecule rise to the ocean's surface and form a cloud. It may also reach the Moon's surface, helping illuminate the night of Purnima and inspiring poets to compose poems praising the Moon's beauty. It may also come out of the atoms in abundance when an atomic bomb is thrown on a city and may devastate the whole of the city. Would the photon ever feel pain or pleasure in any of the situations? No. But the same consciousness, when it takes the form of an atom or molecule? Probably there is no pain or pleasure even then. Integration and disintegration occur either randomly or cyclically. Stardust keeps forming new stars, and the old stars disintegrate. We see it in objects rusting, which means that iron...

Concerned about his child's college admission, a man in his 40s sits anxiously when a monk sits near him and asks why he's worried. The man tells the monk that he is worried about whether his child will get admission to the college. The monk smiles and asks him whether that college admission will make him happy. The adult says emphatically, "Yes". The monk asks, "Will your child also be happy if he gets admission to the desired college?" The man says, "Of course, yes. " The monk asks again, "But you too got admission to the college you wished for; then why are you worried?"  Probably none of us has an answer to this question. But, at the same time, we will simply say that the monk will not understand because he does not have a family. He does not know what responsibility means. Somebody will say that the monk does not understand fear and insecurity because he lives in a monastery, and he will not understand that the child will be fearful ...

A broken relationship that was very close to our heart, the loss of a near and dear, a severe financial crisis, a divorce proceeding, prolonged litigation, a long spell of disease with many rounds of painful treatment in a depressing hospital, or loss of social reputation- all these things and many more make us feel that life is worthless. We want to leave the world. It appears as if we have attained Vairagya from Samsara. We don't mind calling a spade a spade. An unusual energy, out-of-the-world courage and rebellion become an integral part of our personality. And then we meet somebody who feels like a breath of fresh air and sweet music in our ears, and then we set another target; we again want to become somebody; we again want to possess something, and life becomes full of meaning. Till we realise the inner hollowness of the same. That's why the feeling of Vairagya in a state of low is generally very deceptive. Generally, it lasts only until we get the next target. There are...

While talking to relatives, we often feel that the love and affection in the relations are quite superficial, but we decide to continue. While going to offices, we often feel that the performance appraisal is not fair and that honest and competent people are not being given their due share, but we decide to continue. While living in society, we feel that many beliefs and dos and don'ts do not have their genesis in scientific thought, but we decide to continue. Why? Any intelligent person will be able to notice. Then we do so; many intelligent people continue to live with the systems that lack integrity. Why would we not say "no" to the relationships that lack integrity? Because we are insecure and feel that some of these relationships may be helpful in moments of crisis. We just want to keep them to be safe and, in the process, keep getting irritated due to a vulgar demonstration of love while there is none beneath the surface. Why would we not say "no" to offic...

I was listening to the famous song often known as "500 Miles" or the "Railroaders' Lament," the classic folk song written by Hedy West in 1961 (and famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary). It is a melancholic reflection on loneliness, deep homesickness, and the pride or shame of a traveller who left home and failed to strike it rich. The "hundred miles" in the recurring line emphasises the vast, echoing emotional and physical distance separating the singer from everything they know and love. https://youtu.be/7oGwOiQsjso?si=j40rPl85jqbZAG3I I really don't know which home we're talking about. The home from which all of us have come to this Earth. Which we don't even remember. The more miles we move away from that home, the more we are full of deep homesickness, and at the same time filled with pride or shame. Pride of being an "individual" who has his own unique existence, an identity, which we are proud of. I am a CA, an officer...