FUTURE

A complete 360 degree rotation of the clock’s hour-hand and one day of life is subtracted. Night thickens and sleep paralyzes the body. Silence prevails for some time. Then there is snoring and the silence breaks. And by the time the snoring ceases another 360 degree rotation snatches the night from life.............The man sleeps and time also slips.

It is another fine day. The day glides upon earth with the golden rays of the sun. Now the man is awake. His usual life ensues -the same tea-breaks, the same file work, and the same course of life. The time flows with its repetitive nature. The wait for a burst of happiness like winning huge money in lottery does not end. The e-mail icon does not blink with his beloved’s mail but he awaits and looks expectantly. If the present does not bear the fruit of joy then future must have it. Future is the safe haven to look for it because future is the other name of all possibilities. Therefore ,the wise say, when everything is lost the future still remains.  

HAPPINESS COMES FROM WITHIN

For so many days it was ceaselessly raining. There had been flood all around. The rivers had swollen dangerously. And most of the roads had been washed away. Previously the roads were rutted, potholed and badly rough but it was a solace that they existed. But now even those worn out roads vanished. As a result everything seemed directionless. All communication came to a stop and life got soaked in the waters.

The abundance of water in the physical world was quite opposed to the inner dryness of life in the spiritual world. Life was inwardly hollow, almost withered and dead because it was not sprinkled with the waters of love, service and sacrifice for a long time.

It rained cats and dogs. The so-called modern man preferred to stay indoors. Many trees were uprooted in the strong wind and there was a major power failure. The glittering ultra-modern life of the civilized man underwent a temporary retrogression. Now life shed its speed and sat silently under the flames of a lantern. The rain and blackout were accompanied by no TV serial shows, no internet, and no phones. The foolish stare to the LCD screen that was obstructing the thought-spring got suspended for some time. The long repressed divinity in the man found conducive environment to sprout new petals. So many distractions of the modern life weakened with the tempestuous weather. Life once again heard the voice of self-realization. The doors and windows of the house were closed but the man inside it found many doors and windows slowly opening to the light of truth. The truth was that

HAPPINESS COMES FROM WITHIN AND NOT FROM WITHOUT.

A child in rain

The joy of child knows no bound

When the drops of rain touch the ground

The child giggles under the umbrella

Flashing with the magic of Cinderella

With the umbrella he is an explorer

Full of joy and the pride of an adventurer

With every step in mud and water

He learns-OBSTACLES make LIFE SMARTER

Moving out of comfort-zone.

It was beginning of monsoon and the afternoon was cloudy. But a couple rode happily on a bike braving the unfavourable weather. They stopped by the road at a point which was a scenic spot. A distant mountain was half-hidden by the clouds. The sun was not visible. But there was enough light to click a photo. The wife took out the mobile phone to take a photograph of her husband. At this time I happened to pass them. Ordinarily I would never have taken an interest in such a situation but that day I thought to move out of my comfort zone. The couple were complete strangers to me. However, I stopped by them because I had to go out of my comfort zone. I asked the lady for her mobile. Both the man and the wife were startled for a while. Obviously the lady was reluctant to hand me her mobile. Now I had to smile and tell, “Ma’am, please do not think that I am going to snatch your mobile. I just want to click a photo of you both so that you can preserve the memory of your togetherness forever.” The woman blushed and the man smiled at me. I clicked their photograph, shook hands with the man and left them with a bye-bye gesture.

That afternoon for sometime a smile lingered on my face. I moved out of my comfort-zone and at the same time I expanded its limit too.........

The Village Temple

The village temple stands as a sacred abode of HOPES, DREAMS, PROGRAMMES and IDEALS.

A woman comes with a basket full of flowers, agarbati and coconuts and carries back a heart full of divine solace and verdant hopes. She is contented and is assured of the lord’s blessings. The happiness beaming on her face is born of a sense of great security provided by the all-powerful village deity. The village temple is all hopes for her.

A student comes. He bows his head before the idol and dreams of a good result in the recent examination; he dreams of a good job and imagines his Sanskrit teacher’s daughter in bridal dress. The village temple is the abode of his tender sweet dreams.

The local politician comes and declares a programme of 3 day long Sankirtan for world peace. The temple becomes a ground for mass gathering and the venue for chanting of sacred names through Public Address system. An unknown passerby devotedly bows his head while the programme goes on and the politician smilingly introduces himself as the organizer.

That day the temple was silent. The idol was standing in grave silence. And a woman who was mistreated yesterday by a group of local dadas fell before the idol. Her body bore many bruises. But her soul was more brutally bruised when she was told to keep silent. She fell before the idol helplessly but when she rose up she had garnered enough strength to put the anti-socials behind the bars and she was determined to set a new IDEAL.