go a little crazy …………. to stay sane

 

go a little crazy

                …………. to stay sane

 Like most people I love to check on  latest consumer accessories and I have even put down views  about the newest ones in the market occasionally. But I never claim that mine is an innovation Blog. Neither is it a spiritual  blog though I have expressed  a few thoughts at times.  Anything unpredictable or characterized by unexpected traits provokes me to write. This time around, it was my friend and his strong desire to buy a weird looking  wrist watch

Now, “Friend” ( to conceal identity) is nothing like persons (normal ie.)  around us. While others  verify the make and technical specs, before buying a Gadget , Friend typically decided to buy a laptop purely for its colour.  He  almost bought an obsolete  phased out model of a vanishing  brand because they happened to be the only ones with his favorite “Fandango”Violet”  colour key Pad. It was only after some timely coaxing , serious threats  & fierce emotional blackmail by friends that he reluctantly settled for a    Lenovo Pro

 The other day when he suddenly  decided  to buy a wrist watch,(a failed model  of a dead brand) , all of us; his friends,  aware of his cantankerousness   knew that the purchase was inevitable. and so it might just be a good opportunity have some  entertainment at his expense.  A couple of us agreed to accompany him on the rendezvous

We soon found out that none of the popular stores was selling that particular model. We followed stubborn “Friend” as he set out on a wild goose hunt,.  . He somehow managed to find  the number of a retailer who claimed to have these  wrist watches .We called up the number to confirm the availability and was greeted by an extremely excited man. He confirmed that he had the “psychedelic purple  ” Wrist Watch  that  dear friend was yearning for  and offered to send his shop assistant (SA) to guide us to his store. “Customer is  king” . I guess our Mr. Vendor  truly believed in this.

As we zig-zagged through the narrow lanes in search of the store , without warning  a man jumped from behind us . “Silent Thief”?.he muttered excitedly.   Our first reaction was to bolt .” Silent Thief ”?  Are you here for the .” Silent Thief”? he repeated .Closer examination revealed that he was trying to help . Fancy that !  “Yes.we are” ! The weird purple wrist watch was called….. “Silent Thief ”. We followed our visibly Excited “Friend” & the strange random SA into a dingy building.

 

we walked through  a dark narrow  corridor  which led into a  room. A gigantic man sat across the table nervously twiddling his fingers ,waiting for us. The size of the room and the way Mr. Giant placed  in the centre across the  table  introduced himself as the owner of the “company” was   like a scene straight out of a  third grade Bollywood Dacoit Movie.. &  he  reminded us of the notorious  filmy villain Mogambo. we  never imagined that man-mountain  would be so eager to receive us  . So much for silent thief !

 

Mogambo explained at length  to us how his company along with his  “corporate” partner would soon revolutionize the wrist watch market in India. “S A ” barged into  the room and  held out “silent thief” . Ecstatic  Friend   grabbed it & waving jubilantly  to everyone even attempted to give  a high five to Mogambo who was exulting with   (malicious ?) satisfaction . The excitement in the store was palpable until S A  realized that his job was done. He asked us to “carry on” and left. Mogambo  kept rambling on,

Finally, “Friend” holding his prized   watch  close to him  made the payment and got up to leave, all the while   trying to convince us how  “Silent Thief”  was way “cooler” than anything else in the market. As we walked out of the store we  were surprised to see        S A on the pavement wearing  big headphones and  humming a tune .He was  happily applying Mehndi designs on the palms of half a dozen giggling young women. “a jack of all trades”!  As  elated “Friend” flashed a thumbs up at the him ,SA reciprocated with a “Tilted head" trade mark    Devanand   nod .As an after thought he shouted  “ Sir ‘mythic kaarma’ expected next week. Do  call  if you decide to buy”

Walking towards our parked car, I doubted if this absurd “Silent thief”  buying escapade could be documented effectively !  Some nuances (read absurdity) of  undiluted eccentricities are truly better experienced than read, But,I have dared to attempt..

 

Picky - for the "Right" reasons

 

Picky….for the “ Right" reasons

 

Getting off the autorikshaw I was about to enter Devaraja Market to buy vegetables. I felt  someone tapping my  shoulder from behind .It was an unexpected surprise to meet one of my High school Classmates.

 Exchanging  pleasantries, I  suggested  that  we should meet at leisure to  try & recollect school day  memories and was about to leave.

 “why not now?” he pleaded ,holding my hand. “ my wife in the  shop over there purchasing clothes ” he said pointing to one of the many shops on either side of the market entrance. At the shop the lady was  carefully inspecting  heaps of dresses pulled out from the racks by the Shop keeper.  Friend introduced me to her  “Nimma wife barlillva”.? she asked In a tone that suggested admonishment,  I answered by only  shaking my head  . She “instructed” my friend to help her choose a dress. Instantly he held  a blue outfit  triumphantly aloft “Do you want me to look like a hospital Nurse”?

she hissed  “ Err, you’re right he replied.” he said and continued to rummage through the piles of clothing.  She  gave him a stern look and pointed to the loft  .Soon the couple had ransacked the shop..The shopkeeper looked on helplessly. I wanted to leave but my friend implored me to stay .  The shopkeeper even offered two wooden stools for us out of pity . For the next  15 minutes friend exhibited great expertise by shifting his attention from conversing with me & Selecting Clothes .   

                                            

I discovered that the Lady was averse to shades of Red, Crimson, orange,  etc, “ I hate these  shades .Reminds me of Violence”.    “I am Not that Type” She chided  my  friend .I could imagine she not wearing red dress …But what about  not consuming vegetables like carrot, beetroot & Tomato? ( I almost forgot that I was here to purchase Veggies),   Ridiculous.

I soon understood that friend was a thoroughly domesticated man & followed order obediently .

All the While friend who was watching the mayhem ,unable to restrain himself any further  blurted feebly “Looks like you’re confused . You are very bad at selection”.

Not to be outdone she shot back “Yes Certainly” !.

At the earliest opportunity, I somehow,   sneaked out of the shop  and returned home. Suddenly remembering the Lady’s last rebuke  I could            not but wonder “ She definitely was not just referring to the Clothes”

As for me, I feel proud  that I have been resilient enough to dodge visiting any  clothing  Store with “Family”. And I am proud of my skill. 

 

the person (a dog thinks) you are

the person (a dog thinks) you are 

Assuming he was not run over by a speeding truck the previous night, he wakes up at day break and stretching himself trots off . No Morning ablution,  No brushing of teeth or Pooja.

His inbuilt instincts guides him like a GPS to the tea shop  a kilometre away where  he always succeeds  in  enticing  a compassionate soul by standing before him with baleful eyes  and wagging tail. And sure enough, a piece of Bun or a biscuit is tossed at him.

Having staved off early morning hunger pangs the stray Goes on a recce to the far end of the locality & thereafter takes a peaceful siesta on a  sand dump  by the roadside. When a dozen noisy mongrels arrive, the protagonist knows it will be lunch time shortly.

Before leaving the warm sand he doesn’t forget to socialize with the group:  Diving  & bouncing  around the sand, tumbling over one another , squealing  and howling.  The   prancing stops abruptly and the gang scampers away. 

For lunch, the stray   will seek out a non-vegetarian hotel preferably,in the crowded  mutton market lane  behind the vegetable market  where   chicken or mutton scraps are usually thrown  out in the open or into a cylindrical Concrete ring  acting as garbage bin.  The stray is assured of a good meal. Of course, he has to use all his fighting skills & survival instincts to outsmart rag pickers, tramps and members of his own kind   who arrive in hordes to grab  some rich nutrition.

Thanks to the municipality, there are any number of drinking water fountains and puddles from leaky pipes available in the vicinity.

After a clash with other mongrels , which our hero regularly wins, he  enjoys the  drink and occasionally a shower if he feels inclined . Thereafter he wanders  around the city’s localities  till late evening.

At  night , the dog arrives at one of the late night mobile kitchen (Biryani vans)  parked on the footpath at  strategic points. Before   they  close  shop around midnight  the remaining unsold food is emptied on  the   road side. While  rival  mongrel gangs are busy snarling and scratching each other, our stray makes the most of the situation &  gobbles as much as he can.

The water used to clean the large vessels and  the van forms a puddle of  what  can be loosely termed as  the Dog`s equivalent of  beer. And our  tipsy hits the sack …God knows where. .Tomorrow will be another day, unless some sozzled truck driver prefers to use his favorite ”right” of way   

 

I have never cared to observe   how a Dog (a stray at that) leads its life earlier  . But, Now …….  I shudder at the thought.

In retrospect …this looks  similar to  my grind  : Appealing to public administrators & flunkies  for trivial clearances , wrangling over petty procedural issues, terms & inevitable  “peace” agreement & doing chores that I detest, for that occasional  show  of empathy  to  get on the  good side of the clan  (read spouse).

 am I having a Dog`s life? …..Or am I ?

 

 

Philosophy & Rustic relief

 Philosophy & Rustic relief

There are times  when we try  to recollect  that moment and  situation in which we  experienced frustration. Often  it would     be some occasion  when stagnation set in. Frustration  normally strikes  only when  one’s life stands still.

“progress stimulates , stagnation frustrates” seems to be the universal law of human character.        

  Surprisingly HOPE – or precisely the lack of it,  is another factor   that frustrates a person

Comparison is a (Dreadful?) skill  which infuses  frustration.  Brooding over   past  contributions & successes inevitably leads to relating it  with current achievements, or privileges of others instigating  despondency to scream from   rooftops of the mind. Weighing current ineptitude against the earlier effortlessness in handling events also makes one feel  deprived

However sitting alone and remembering the times when everything went so smoothly &  recalling the minutest details of all those previous occasions when things would  never go wrong instills a glimmer of purpose. Optimism  surfaces and the sense of dejection  dips.

 Entertaining  thoughts  aimed at   insulating  oneself  helps  blocking turbulence  from  entering  the mind that has endured sporadic bouts of indecisiveness.

 Well thought out  concepts based on inputs & reactions of basic senses are well worth  trying and ensures  reduced trauma .

Presenting  three of my impressions which  I feel  will to reduce frustration.

Modifying   attitude towards Speed:

 Always being in a hurry not quite knowing where we’re heading towards but still  aspiring  to arrive early is a peculiar  habit.

 Altering    attitude towards  speed by beginning to believe   that every incident  in life will  happen only at a definite time not necessarily based on our Speed;  slow or fast may  improve the situation.

   “Slow-cycling” competition was  one of the favourite sport during our school days . The one who finished last  (the slowest) was the winner . Unfortunately  there were very few takers for such  sports now. But the unique characteristic of the sport  presents a whole new meaning in the present circumstances.

Increasing  stress-bearing capacity:

No two persons will respond identically when they encounter  similar crises . While one with  significantly less stress-bearing capacity frets & fumes the other, who is not much bothered about the effects will  usually breeze through  the situation

 And finally  distractions:

  over exposing oneself  to screen time &  social media prompts  to  distract from bouts indecision  can be hazardous.   Most of the contents  are highly ideological, quixotic  & impractical  in nature. Dread to even think that  someone my age can  submit to the constant bombarding of  artificially glittering thoughts which can leave  a trail of harmful “frustration”  viruses in the mind, To eliminate the distraction multiple sessions of  meditation can  replace screen time .

Frustration is a dreadful affliction. Whatever the reason one needs   relearn how to live beyond the malady .

  The above three strategies are  worth experimenting with . Just giving  it a try and waiting to see if the one above deems me fit to be struck by some  miracle .

 

Confession:

Before you start  guessing reasons and come to conclusions  about  this sudden flash of आत्म मन्थनम् ( introspection) and  apparent  spiritual  ज्ञानम् (“Gyan” or enlightenment) , let me confess that    epic spirit shattering  “rest room exertions ” Agony &  logistical challenges can bring out  answers to the  conundrum  clogged  in the depths in  even the "spiritually dense" lacking in solemn wisdom,  who  live in  eternal hope that on the other side of every obstacle lies a clear path !

 

The Way to Trouble God

 

The way to trouble God

 

For the Religious minded people, rituals & devotional celebrations hold deep spiritual meaning, so missing them causes a feeling of being deprived of crucial opportunity for spiritual growth, connection with their faith & the almighty himself.

Had the opportunity of experiencing two very contrasting patterns from the recently concluded Mahashivaratri celebrations

First,

Religious celebrations at home have always left a deep spiritual impact involving a strong sense of satisfaction when accomplished in “Propah” . traditional manner.  

Ahead of  Mahashivaratri  a situation  threatening  disruption of   important age old traditions inherited & practiced by  the family emerged. With “family” purohit ( அர்ச்சகர்) throwing in the towel (அங்கவஸ்திரம்?) , every effort to draft “suitable” personnel proved futile . Ultimately it  dawned that ; “Self dependence” would be  the best  option ! ( which eventually  proved most convenient & ideal too).  Surfing  the social media   yielded  required result. Was able to locate a qualified priest (கனபாடிகள) with very authentic pronunciation & voice that rang out like a huge Bronze temple bell. With this digital support &  some experience of our daily Abhishekam with milk, sandal & water extended to eleven items and with three(Instead of the usual  5)   home cooked neivedyam Items , the Shivaratri Maha Pooja at home was accomplished successfully.                

                                                                                                        

             

 Next,

Enticingly packaged delusive religious events/rituals (ரூம் போட்டு யோசிப்பாங்களோ? ) which are offered  to the gullible masses as glamorous quick-fix options  are established by foundations & individuals looking to en cash susceptibility of people. The fare dished out as pioneering interpretations of ancient precepts, are often only distorted versions of the conventional norms.

, With Purveyors & advertisers of Religious Goods & Services establishing huge platforms &  network for  selling spirituality(God), there is abundant  Religious “Entertainment”  available on TV on festival days.

 In a consumer-driven society, it’s no surprise that even faith has become commercialized.  The problem is that the focus is too much  on hype, and too little  on religious.

Here are a few  observations &  and Assortment of  “lessons”  I learned on Mahashivaratri day

1.Self-realience motivates one to transcend barriers 

2.  Bilva patra,flowers , coconut,fruits  etc  pilfered surreptitiously from  others’ property &  offered to the almighty by people experiencing intense divine frenzy Is a perfectly honourable & acceptable.activity

3. The main feature of Mahashivaratri, Upavaasa   & Jagarna have now transformed to Annadanam(  read gluttonous Gorging) & wild whole night  revelry, courtesy Modern  day Spirtiual dispensations.  

4. The new enticing commodity is   mega  theatrical  prayer to God, replete with Garish Sets , VFx , outlandish costumes , psychedelic music .and  muscular men attired in vedic style designer clothing  gyrating deliriously before  offering a  fiery arathi to the lord .

5. Religious traditions are being  stripped of their sacred contexts and used brazenly for branding or marketing purposes,.

6. Those seeking out  this type of “Instant Nirvana”  are generally  wealthy people who, after paying astronomical ticket prices are cooped up in enclosures adjacent to the ramp . And as their messiah & “Star” compere  struts down the aisle they scream in ecstasy shedding tears profusely.

& some “Spicy”ones:

7. Kitchen is the most pivotal  space in the house. Our existence  is decided here. A right ingredient  in wrong quantity or wrong ingredient  in right quantity can propel  you to  the restroom for the rest of the day.

8, Sheep can actually sneeze like humans !

9. Piglets (liiitle pigs) can run very fast ………really vVVv fast !

10. Real time is when the Surgeon says 10 minutes & 10 minutes turns                                           forty,

11.நம் முட்டாள்தனத் அறிய மிக பெரிய புத்திசாலித்தனம் தேவை !

 & to wind up,

Devotees immersed in piety were waiting patiently after Darshan in the temple courtyard for Prasadam.Everything was peaceful. Out of nowhere, a gentleman tried jumping the line. Screaming expletives he  stormed past  a lady talking on her phone  pushing her hard   and vanished at  lightening speed.  The shocked  crowd , many of them  busy on their  phones, (Probably talking to the  Lord  himself),  took  about 6 1/2 minutes   to react & assess  what happened. The poor lady was shivering  and still in shock. Gradually one by one people started to console her . She even got a dozen hugs from random young women who even  apologized for what had happened . Everyone  advised someone else to  take  her to a hospital  to ensure  this incident did  not haunt her in the future. Soon the temple priest arrived carrying  prasadam and gave it to the lady duly reciting the Aashirvada mantram. The crowd clapped &  whistled

      

                                   

                
Made me realize that for every single maniac  , there are  dozens of kindhearted people  out there ! but, Is this  Holy Day Oblation Or…just  crazy evolution?

   

              Om Namah Shivayah    or should I scream   seeeva, seeeeva, seeevaaaa !

 

Feathered &Fabulous !

 

Feathered & Fabulous !

With the sun blazing down,   the  sight of birds crowding the bird baths was  a welcome sight. The garden has come alive with activity.With birds stacking up ,    waiting for their turn, we have   added two more watering troughs, a shallow one          for smaller birds and a bigger  “pool” for the larger raptors.

 There is something very rewarding about bird watching: a feeling like we are privileged ,  witnessing a world that is more often missed by many people , an exceptional  world of radiance  & joy. 

At dawn, the cacophony of calls has begun erupting  from the trees and bushes ,               a vibrant yet Chaotic Symphony of Nature’s Morning Chorus creating a lively               melodic ambiance. Watching the feathered “Guests”  drink,bathe and frolic about is sheer joy

 Decided to sit up and watch birds . .These photos were all clicked at our Garden          last Sunday( 16^th Mar.25) in two Sittings: 6.30 am to 8.15 am & 1,15 pm to 5.00 pm . The second sitting proved to be a  blockbuster. .