Dass

 All off 5 months since I wrote anything here. Today is special as a friend of mine celebrates his birthday and also a house warming ceremony of his second house. He is a good man and deserves the best in his life. Wishes to him. Today is also tinged with sadness for we lost the inimitable Lata Mangeshkar. Here is a short note I wrote to my friends. "A short note which I feel like sharing. Today Lata Mangeshkar passed away. A legend like her deserves accolades and a tinge of sadness. On the other side, yesterday I saw a movie called "Cry Macho" (On Amazon Prime) and Clint Eastwood, all of 90 (now 92) when he directed and acted in the movie. He was old true, but but the legend that he is, he could pull it off.  The movie itself is not a western or good but stands out only because it has Eastwood.  At 90 if you can do that, you must be really fantastic and have the passion to do something worthwhile. So here's a message to you all. Live a full life and never think of y...

 Today is my sister's birthday. Today is also Janmashtami. Lord Krishna's birth day. In the north, they are busy making human pyramids trying to break the dahi-handa (a vessel filled with curd) which is one of the rituals of the festival. The pandemic has created a phobia but the devotees are adamant on celebrating.

 A couple of days ago (It's more like four days ago) I went out of my home. Travelling first 140 kilometres away. I missed my train but never told anyone. I took a bus instead and reached anyway and later took a flight out finishing all the procedures and had a face shield on in the flight. Some had a protective coat minus the face shield. On the return flight I decided not to wear the face shield. It had been very uncomfortable the first time. Back in our home state I stayed back at the friend's house. It was very homely. We had a few drinks and talked into the night. With good friends, that is the thing. It is therapeutic and  healing. It's just what you need. I slept well and in the morning woke a tad late but still it was just 8 AM. But  I felt at home. It was a night rather a few days and nights I lived as myself. With no worries, no thoughts but me myself and my friend. And now back home I am etching this here because it is lesson for all.  Take a break. Meet a...

I posted this a year ago and it was originally discovered by me in 2014. The good part is I still believe in this wise and humane thought...Thank you, Hill. If one is truly great, one will love all humankind! If one is truly great, one will love all humankind! One will love the good and bad amongst all humanity. The good will be loved with pride, admiration and joy. The bad will be loved with pity and sorry, for one will know - if truly great -  that both good and bad qualities of people are often but the results of circumstances over which they have, because of their ignorance, little control.  To be truly great, one will be compassionate, sympathetic and tolerant. When compelled to pass judgement upon others, one will temper justice with tender mercy, throwing oneself always on the side of the weak, the uninformed and the poverty-stricken. Thus one will not only go the extra mile in a true spirit of fellowship, but will also go willingly and graciously. And if the second mil...

 If I could start with an emoji for this piece it would be the one of the faces with its hand on its forehead showing exasperation. That is the reader might say, "Oh noooo!" That's because one has had enough of the commandments. While interestingly there was a piece on the net about whether this is present in the holy books, the truth of the matter is that it is here only for prosaic and literary value. By the way for those who are not familiar with the commandments, it includes some human ones like - you shall not kill, you shall not steal among others.  Jesus gave the 11th commandment which is relevant and that is - love one another as you would love yourself." Paraphrased. But I think the 12th commandment, which is my own, and I think it is is essential for all humans. Forgive all, forgive forever. Yup Jesus said it too. In an oblique manner. Seven times seventy. Or always. There is no other way. Forgive forever. That way you rise above everything else.   

 On July 15, two days ago, my brother had is 58th birthday. On the same day by evening my cousin brother who is fondly called Kumar by all who knew him, but was actually named 'Amalnadan',  passed away after a long illness. He was the closest cousin I had. He stayed in the house where we sent a couple of yours, 5/85, Paper Town. Now the house will recede into memories as his widowed wife will depart from there. Memories. The house and him. Him teaching me to ride the bike. Him, as the human, who stayed on in a house that  saw his birth and death. No more. I remember him fondly.

I am a believer in the big bang theory. For those who are not familiar, it is assumed that the universe was formed by a big bang theory some 13.8 billions years ago. It might just have been our solar system because there are other galaxies, stars and planets that are billions of light years from here. However, scientists who believe in the big bang theory also believe it took only two elements - Hydrogen and Helium to give rise to the universe. But the Universe has trillions of stars, planets and sundry elements that exist and continue to be formed. Where, pray tell me, did the matter come from? After all, if we believe that energy is matter, these things have to come from somewhere. Damn...