The Illusion of Immortality

If history is any indication, we are creatures of habit, doomed forever to repeat our mistakes, and fret over the same meaningless struggles. Time is a steadfast master. It has seen kings become paupers, seen borders be redrawn so many times that the concept of drawing borders means nothing, watched the elements remind man of his maker and yet we don't learn. We worry about things that matter little in the grand scheme of things. What are our worries worth when we try to take in the complexity and the grand majesty of the unknown? After all, it took billions of billions of twists and turns for each one of us to exist. Shouldn't that be enough? Should we not be awed by the fact that each person around us is there because reality played out the way it did?

Our lives are not a trifle. We are beings of greatness limited only by our lack of perspective. As Carl Sagan once said:



 And yet we worry about petty politics, about religion, about peer pressure. Who really cares? Our ancestors must be laughing at us. This is probably why immortality is just an illusion.

Longest Night

I just had to put this one in... 

Is it dark, where you are? 

Can you count the stars where you are? 

Do you feel like you are a thousand miles from home? 

 Are you lost, where you are? 

Can you find your way when you're so far? 

Do you fear, where you are? 

A thousand nights alone.

So here we are set into motion 

We'll steal a car and crash in the ocean 

You and I, caught in a fading light 

On the longest night 

It's enough, just to find love 

It's the only thing to be sure of 

So hard, to let go of 

A thousand times or more 

I was close to a fault line 

Heaven knows, you showed up in time 

Was it real? 

Now I feel, like I'm never coming down 

So here we are, set into motion 

Steal a car, crash in the ocean 

You and I, caught in a fading light 

On the longest night 

I recall when we were together 

Even now it seems like forever 

So alive caught in a fading light 

On the longest night 

Can we go too far to find, what is waiting here? 

A little fall from grace 

On the longest night 

Did we go too far to find, what is waiting here? 

We'll take a little time, to open again 

Is it dark where you are? 

Can you count the stars where you are? 

                                                   - Howie Day

The Maximum City

Mumbai - the city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, and the city that waits for no one. My first week here has been a blur. It has been a ceaseless race to get around. The world doesn't stop for anyone. But somewhere in this thriving metropolis are people who make this city what it is.. people who make it real.

I often hear that it is easy to lose ones self in a city so big. I came to realize that in this big city, it is possible to get to know ones self too. Finding yourself while experiencing the lives of others can be a therapeutic experience for the soul. Random acts of kindness leave you unsettled. And then you, quite suddenly, see this beautiful city for what it is.

As Javed Akhtar put it,

Pighlay neelam sa behta hua yeh samaan
Neeli neeli si khamoshiyaan
Na kahin hai zameen
Na kahin aasmaan
Sarsaraati huyi tehniyaan, pattiyaan
Keh rahi hain ki bas ek tum ho yahaan
Sirf main hoon meri saansein hain aur meri dhadkanein
Aisi gehraiyaan
Aisi tanhaiyaan
Aur main sirf main
Apne honay pe mujhko yaqeen aa gaya.

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

They say that flowers grow out of the darkest moments. In our darkest, most hellish moment, we face all our fears, our inadequacies, our demons. Why do we let ourselves fall so far? Why do we allow ourselves to feel the crushing pressure of all of them at the same time? We were not made for that kind of emotional torture.

Then again, the relief comes at a time when it is most unexpected. Upon exploring the darkest crevices of our distorted psyche do we find a way out in to the open. That moment of liberation is glorious, majestic and a sight to behold. The pieces of our life's puzzle begin to piece themselves together.

Curiously enough, the pieces now connect in ways that were not possible before. Gaze with wonder at the beauty and mystery your recovery has wrought. Its a time for appreciation. I wait for the end of the tunnel too. Just how long its going to take to come is what will show me how dark this night is going to get. All I know is that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Welcome To Wherever You Are

Ever felt like giving up and moving on? Ever felt heartbroken after a fight with someone you love. Ever wondered why it feels so hard to breathe while you feel like your world is crashing down on you? I'm willing to bet that each and every one of us have felt this way some time or the other.

I wish I could say that its easy to overcome. It is all in the mind. Trust me on this. Its just a matter of time before you figure it out for yourself. We're all the same. We differ only in the extent to which we inflict ourselves with the heartache. At those times of distress, we don't realize that we're special in our own way. We are perfect and can't be any other way. It boils down to that eternal conflict within ourselves where we are caught between who we want to be and who we really are.

It takes a certain amount of introspection to realize that sadness is very temporary. Nothing and no one is worth that kind of unhappiness. Its time to accept that and move on cause right here, and right now, you're exactly where you're supposed to be. You are a flower waiting to bloom, a miracle happening right now, and the next big thing yet to happen. Close your eyes and visualize every aspect of your life - your family, your friends, your job.. everything. Try to evaluate your problems and check for yourself which problems are actually yours and not yours by association.

We control our lives. No one else does. Nothing anyone else says can make a difference. At the end of it all, its your life. If you look back on your life, I hope that you don't only see the people who made all the decisions for you. If you don't like something, don't do it. Do what you like and do it with all your heart. Be who you want to be, be who you really are, you are the real deal, the superstar!

When you want to give up and are ready to fall apart, remember that you're perfect and god makes no mistakes!

- Jon Bon Jovi.

Rain It Pours

Rain it pours, and its dancing in my soul now;
Rain it pours, and it drowns away my thoughts;
Rain it pours, and everything goes silent;
Rain it pours, and its dancing in my soul.

Ganesh Chaturthi (in my world)

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi everyone! The Ganesh puja in Hyderabad has always been special for me. Thats the one festival everyone makes sure to be home for. This year was no different. It was filled with fun with the family, great food, and of course, the festivities. What made it all the more special were the small things that happened in between all of this.

We convinced everyone that this year we would go eco-friendly. We bought a Ganesha made of clay. That was special. We bought a Ganesha that would not pollute the lake. We even managed to convince the other families to do the same. Its bad enough that the big muthis are destroying the lakes; we're doing the ecosystem a favor by cleaning it up one idol at a time. Scary thought but if the water of our lake ever dried up, we'd see a graveyard of idols! I'm willing to bet anything that if Ganesha could speak up, he would not be too happy with what we do to his idols each year. Save the city people.. save tank bund, lest it become 'tank bandh.'

I went shopping with my grandmother. She has shopping all figured out. Its fun to watch someone who knows where to shop and how much to bargain for. Its a talent. So, while we shopped, this lady came up with her baby and started to beg for money. The kid was old enough to be left alone while she works but she chose to beg instead. As expected, she got a lecture from my grandmother. No one gets away from those. After sending that woman away, she made me buy two bananas for them and made me peel them before giving it to them. That was to ensure that the woman fed the child. Small thing I know but I think my grandmom is awesome in ways like that.



Amidst all the pandals, the band-baaja, and the festivities, these small things stood out to make the whole festival so memorable. These make the festival worth celebrating!