Mindless musing

My father used to say "gatham gathaha". Translated to English, it reads “past is dead”. You can not bring back the old days. You can not relive yesterday (yeah, it is only possible for Bill Murray, in reality there is no “ground hog day”). You will ruin your today if you keep thinking about what happened yesterday and worrying about what will happen tomorrow. The other day I saw a nice quote on my friend’s facebook. I do not remember it verbatim, but the meaning is etched in my mind “Today is the same tomorrow that you were worried about yesterday” All of us waste precious now, worrying about non-dictatable tomorrow and non-repeatable yesterday. If you believe in fate and destiny, then you know that you can’t define it, you can’t change the course of it. You also know that it is just a manifestation of what you do now. So, there is no point in worrying about tomorrow. There is no point in worrying about tomorrow even if you do not believe in fate or destiny. Because, a

While Indians all over the world are basking in the glory of the Oscars for Indians, there are pundits in India who are crying foul. Their argument is that Mr. Boyle knows only one side of India – the slums, the tricksters, the dogs etc. He has no clue about the other India, the country which is advanced, whose citizens have been to moon and back, and whose residents are spearheading lot of technological and scientific advances in the world (not just in India). They argue that Mr. Boyle and co. exploited one side of India with Oscars and foreigners in mind. They highlight one particular scene from the movie in their support. The scene in which Jamal takes American tourists to dhobi ghat to show real India while his mates steal the visitors’ car parts. When confronted he says “this is real India” to which the lady visitor says “I’ll show you real America”, and hands him couple of dollars. Is this real India? Really? Any Indian should be ashamed of posing this question, because every one

“I hate love”, that’s what people say who have not been very judicious about whom they love. It reminds me of what our elders said “apaathra daanam” (charity to undeserving person). Love and hate are purely states of mind. If you hate love, that may be because you have a bitter experience. How did that happen? Did anyone force you to love? You chose to love some one stupid because you fell for their smile or a mere look. It is purely by your choice. Did you not enjoy the moments with your loved one while they lasted? So, what are you complaining about? Just believe in the fact that whatever happens, happens for your good. You enjoyed the moments you spent with that stupid person you were so in love with. The moment that person said, let us be just friends, you went into depression. Why don’t you think that you have the right person waiting for you and are to leave the current person so the right person can find you (or you can find the right person). In 1979, the great lyricist Acharya

The other day I read veteran Indian actor Amitabh Bachan’s blog about celebrities and modesty. Specifically what goes through their minds when they are recognized and people form lines for their autographs or photographs or for just a close glimpse. This reminded me of a minor incidence I encountered. I was on the shores of river Krishna in my home town, Vijayawada, to perform some religious rites. I, along with my brother, was waiting for the priest to show up. I heard a familiar voice right behind me. I turned around and noticed a person busily performing some religious rites. Suddenly it dawned on me that this person is none other than famous comedian from Telugu film industry. I told my brother and continued staring towards the entrance for my priest (as if focused staring would bring the priest faster). At first my brother said it may not be him. After a while (my brother, being a practical and clever man he is, thought it is a good time pass to observe the actor rather than the e

A friend sent me an email with a nice story. I will not repeat the story as it is already doing rounds on the net. The gist of the story is that people are like garbage trucks carrying lot of garbage (frustration, stress, anger etc) with a pathological need to dump it on anyone and everyone. Don’t ever fall for it and carry their garbage to your home, work, friends and strangers. How true. It reinforces the adage – “an eye for an eye makes whole world blind”. In summary, we should not react if others treat us bad, because, if we react, we propagate the malice. Instead we should treat those people with respect and give them all the support to overcome the misery they are in. This is what even Gita says. We should be like lotus leaves. All the worries are like water. We should not let the water (worries) stick to us. We should be equipiosed – should not be overjoyed if good happens and should not be saddened in adversity. One should treat every one equal. There are no evil peopl

The other day I was watching the Oscars. I was amazed and ecstatic to see Slumdog Millionaire receive 8 awards out of 10 nominations (it won in 8 categories out of 9 categories nominated). I was overjoyed to see that a short documentary about a small Indian village girl with a cleft lip (Smile Pinky) also won an Oscar. I was amazed to learn that the only notable American to win an Oscar this year is Sean Penn. What a day for India. It is as if the world suddenly woke up and recognized that India has talent (or is it that the world suddenly recognized that UK directors make best Indian films?) What ever may be the case, suddenly India is in news all over the world for all the right reasons. And an Indian phrase (Jai Ho) found its way into most often used jargon in the world. I won’t be surprised if it crawls into Oxford dictionary pretty soon. Everything was hunky dory till I overheard a conversation about alleged statements by the two Indians who received the Oscars for their Ind

I am a dreamer I am a dreamer I dream that we have no woes All are friends and no foes I dream that I can fly And I am neither flustered nor shy I dream that every one is happy There are no slackers and all are sappy I dream that there is no evil And every one live at freewill No terrorism, no persecution, no deceit Oh, it is sweet coz everyone is discreet Impossible is nothing If one pursues unwavering If you believe in yourself and do it It is yours – finish line and lime light One should never give up Whatever may come up I am a dreamer An optimistic dreamer ( Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work – Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam)

My wife complains that I am always in a hurry and do not stop to smell roses. She says that I am missing a lot in life. “If you never stop and smell the roses how do you know what you are missing”, she says. I am not sure of the origin of the phrase “stop and smell the roses”. When I asked around, some one took time to narrate the origin of this phrase to me. Here it goes. Long time ago a lady had a rose garden. She wanted the garden to be the best. She worked hard day and night, cultivating and beautifying it. One of her friends noticed that she is losing sleep over the garden and quipped “Mary, please stop and smell the roses”. The other day I read an article somewhere about an experiment conducted by Washington Post. It appears they made the world famous violinist Joshua Bell play his most intricate composition in a subway. After playing for 45 minutes, it was observed that no one paid any attention (leave alone paying money) except for a few kids. So, the composition which was play