Whispering Shadow

Alisha, one of my ever-curious students, came up to me and asked me if I was a Muslim. I asked her how it mattered. Immediately came the next question, "Bhaiya, do you believe in God?" she asked.  Knowing Alisha, I knew she would remain relentless in her interrogation. In the spirit of maintaining transparency with my students, I honestly told her "I don't in most cases, I do in some." She continued her inquiry by asking me, "What do you believe in then?" I told her I believe in reason, logic or science in most cases. She asked me then, "When do you believe in God?"  I thought for a few seconds and then asked her "There are many questions to which science does not know the answer. For example, from where did the first things in our universe come from? When it comes to questions like this, I think there is God's magic at work somewhere." She finally stopped asking her questions. As is the case with all religious conversations my...

For a clear blue sky and a warmer day Even the long winters have to make way A gift of nature is unwrapped As the white cover of snow melts away Like a drop of colour on a black and white painting A green off shoot of leaves emerges from hiding The birds return, chirpier than ever Waking the other residents to an early morning While others welcome with open hands Man's tentativeness in his way stands For his priority is his own comfort, and Weather is known for unpredictable trends God thinks of him in a mocking manner "Evolution made you independent and smarter But it took away from you the joy of small things Of which and yours, I will always remain a Master"

There are moments in your life that remain frozen in your memory for ever, moments that you can call upon to pull you out of the deepest abyss, moments that can make you feel calm in a storm. For me it all happened during that one night exactly three years ago - I found a powerful memory good enough for my own Patronus charm. Like most happier moments, it was  served when I least expected it. The thinker in me had almost had his own way. The mission of the current trip was accomplished - my 'special' friend was smiling again.The good byes had been said and the stage had been set for a more meticulous execution - at least six months to plan an elaborate announcement of my love for her, probably in a much grander setting. Fortunately for the foolish romantic in me, God had his own surprise in store. I, the schemer, became only a character in His plot. Fog had blanketed Delhi making it impossible for my flight to land. I was sent back to Bangalore, her ci...

I love listening to music on my iPod while looking out of the window of a vehicle. The ability to set the tone to a mundane scene of city hustle bustle is empowering. The reason for the empowerment is abstract though (as always is the case with my posts :-P) Only God can use the play, rewind, forward, pause and stop buttons of life. How you want to perceive life around you is only your prerogative. Someone else is listening to a different score on your life too. Thus, feel free to indulge in this harmless pleasure and amuse thy self. The truth is incomplete without your interpretation.

We travel in the fast lane. We work. We work a lot. Not that we do it for nothing- some yearn, some earn, some learn. Working is good but conditionally, the condition being you are doing what you love to do. With most of us, we don't know what we love. By the time we do, it is too late to take that path. We then end up making what we do, what we love to do. There is no questioning that - compromises are inevitable and for some, permanent. While our lives revolve around work, we lose touch with our ability to follow our gut in matters not related to work. We begin to build a cage of comfort and security around ourselves. By the time we realize we are caged, it is too late. We have neither the courage nor strength to break free. We can either get depressed about it or work on building the courage and strength. And where do we find them both? The answer lies in creativity. The best creator is perhaps God and nature is his magnum opus. Not many of us have the eye for the lessons hidden...

The sound of the cuckoo reaches my ears. My skin feels the temperature drop a notch. The sun doesn't seem to be gazing at me any more. Dark clouds fill the skyline. The breeze carries the message - it is time! It cannot be seen, but it has arrived. The scent of the earth cannot be mistaken. A flash is seen in the sky, like that coming from God's own camera. Clouds begin to thunder. In a matter of minutes, all doubts are put to rest as the thin drizzle matures into a visible heavy shower. Some animals take shelter, birds ground their flight. Greens appear greener. Children start screaming, possibly with fear or joy. When I see them run out of their homes and dance right under the rain, I know it is the latter. Instinctively, I pull out my camera and capture the moment. The photographs are about average. Something in me makes me not want to care about technical perfection. After the light dims to unacceptable levels for pictures, I head to the terrace. The shower is now heavier....

I am not an atheist or an agnostic For I know God exists I am not a man of religion But I believe in the power of prayer I do not participate in holy rituals The only prayer is through honesty in action I do not follow men of God Because there is one in each of us I am not a Hindu, Muslim or Christian However I respect another′s beliefs I am not regular with visits to the temple My place of worship is in my heart I am not aware of what holy books say But they can′t preach hatred or violence I do not ask God for favours I always thank him when things go right P.S.: I do not doubt your beliefs I just want to reaffirm my own I was not brought up this way Just uncovered my beliefs along the way

On my trip to Bangalore, I had gone out on a walk with my maternal grandfather, or Nana, as I lovingly call him. Most of the time he was feeling his way along the road. Feeling because he couldn't see. He developed Glaucoma a few years ago after a stroke and ever since his vision has kept degrading reaching a figure of 25% of normal this year. He was also not able to recognize the sound of approaching vehicles since he couldn't hear their engines rattle. He is deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other. To illustrate, he would not know a truck is approaching him till it is around 10 feet away from him. Despite his health constraints, he has never missed his 5 KM morning walk in the past 23 years that I have known him. Of course, the walk I was on with him was not a morning walk since my morning happens a good four hours after his. It was just a stroll to the vegetable market. We reached a road crossing. It was a two way road with three lanes in each direction separated by ...