Monkey and roasted grams

 

 What do you mean out of this world taste? He asked. Can not explain, you have to taste it yourself, his friend replied with mischief on his face. Come with me tomorrow and I will show you. I am sure you will thank me for that. His friend stated before going to his night rest.

Next morning both were on their way to the temple on the top of the hill. And outside the temple in small saucers made of dried banyan tree leaf were these small yellow balls, with cracked brown shells. These are roasted grams; the humans roast it with salt and that make it the heavenly treat. His friend whispered in his ear, as both walked gingerly, towards the priced find. Being monkeys, moving with that gait was obviously unreal, but they wanted to pick the heavenly goodness before the humans chase them away. The roasted grams were kept; to be bought by worshippers as an offering to the goddess inside the temple.

They pounced and grabbed 1 cup each and dashed, scattering more than half of the contents hurriedly. He tasted and as his friend has predicted; he was hooked to the taste. And then this became almost an everyday trip to temple, grab and scatter; get chased all the way to the thick woods and then sit on a high branch to enjoy the goodies. A few days later, seemingly the humans gave up and started keeping a few saucers of grams at a little distance from their shops so that the monkeys can grab those without disturbing the shop settings. But little did the monkeys know that with ease comes greed and with greed comes problems.

A few days went past, and the monkeys were getting used to daily treat of roasted grams and were thankful to the humans and the Goddess of the temple.

One day when he was taking his regular trip to temple, as he stepped out of the thick woods, he saw there was a big wooden box sitting on the ground. He moved close to see, to see. Monkeys are inquisitive by nature. When he peeked inside the box from the hole on the top, he knew it was his prayers being heard; his dreams came true. The box was filled with grams, roasted to perfection, so he can get those from here without having to go all the way to the temple, he thought. And this box will last him weeks. He quickly slid his right hand through the hole and grabbed a handful of grams in it. There was another hole right next; he slid his left hand and filled another fistful

As he tried to pull his hands out, he realized that the holes were to small to let a fist full of grams to slide out. He was annoyed, how can these humans be so clumsy. He tried to yank his hand out, but the fist was too big for the hole, he tried his left hand, but the same thing. He was upset and angry and tried to pull harder. But the fists were stuck. For a moment his mind thought that he can open his fist and pull his hand out, but that will mean losing the grams. He rejected the thought as soon as it came to his mind. How could he lose the treasure that was granted to him? He tried and tried to pull his fists out. But will not lose even one roasted gram from his grip. A few hours went past; his hands were hurting, his wrists aching, and he was extremely tired and annoyed. But he was committed to not lose his treasure.

By the time it started getting bit dark, he was too tired to stay alert; but will not lose his grip. How could he, and then a few men came out of nowhere. The shopkeeper from the temple was leading them; he was hoping that he is rescued; but in a flash the dangerous looking man from mid of the bunch, placed a collar around his neck.

What was that? He was confused and upset at what was happening; not realizing that he has lost his freedom; to roam in the woods and was held captive by the monkey charmer. His mom’s caution flashed in his mind, “beware of the tricks of madaari” Now he knew. (Madaari is the hindi word for monkey charmer)

The monkey was enslaved by the Madaari. He lost his freedom and he realized; it was not the madaari who played the trick; it was his own greed that enslaved him. But it was too late and he may not be even able to warn his friends of that. Ashamed and restrained with a collar tied to a large rope he followed the madari to his fate, that his own greed had written.

 Everyday I see people running after hoarding material gains while ignoring the simple beauty of life. Next increment, next bonus, next car, next house, next boat, next plane, next holiday, next diamond next opportunity to brag at the cost of ignoring health, family, friends, peace of mind and life it self. And I feel, we still are not completely evolved from the apes as we carry the same illogical greed. Just think, can you let go the next fist full of your roasted grams and be free?

GREED ENSLAVES 

PS: Ambition and Greed are very different things so let us not confuse the two, above story is about greed and not about ambition

 

परिचय पत्र

 

We all have made resumes in the past, sharing one lesser shared resume below

परिचय पत्र 

भागता तो नहीं पर 

थोड़ा तेज़ चलता हूँ 

जल्दबाज़ नहीं हूँ पर 

कुछ जल्दी में रहता हूँ 

कभी मुंहफट लगता हूँ क्योकि

मन की कहता हूँ 

भरोसा कम नहीं है फिर भी 

थोड़ा शंकित रहता हूँ 

दांत नहीं दीखते ऐसे 

आधा मुँह हँसता हूँ 

आँख हमेशा नम लगती है 

लेकिन कम ही रोता हूँ 

अनोखा हूँ थोड़ा शायद 

कुछ को अजीब भी लगता हूँ 

भागता तो नहीं पर 

थोड़ा तेज़ चलता हूँ 

जल्दबाज़ नहीं हूँ पर 

कुछ जल्दी में रहता हूँ 

Deep Inside

 Having asked a simple question "how are you holding up?" He smiled and narrated  this episode in response

 Few steps more and then all is going to be fine. This is not the first time he felt this way. His parched lips needed water and his blistered feet were resisting to move. The Sun felt so hot as if he could touch its burning surface if he had stretched his arm just a little bit. 

No shade in sight but the water is just a few steps away, he could see the blue shimmering surface of the small lake not too far away. But the lake kept on moving farther away as he tried to step closer to it.

 This is not the lake; you know this is a mirage his mind told him. You cannot be a fool to not know the difference between the mirage and oasis? A small voice angrily asked from the corner of his mind. They all left, turned or stopped and some got far ahead of you. You are all by yourself, he heard the small voice tell him.

He ignored and took another step. And then one more and so on. 

Deep inside he knew there was no Oasis. Deep inside he knew this was a mirage. Deep inside he knew he was not a fool. Deep inside he knew he had come too far to turn back. Deep inside he knew stopping there meant the end of it all. Deep inside he knew it was hopeless. Deep inside he knew he can't give up. Deep inside he knew he would go on till he cannot anymore. Deep inside he had never lost his faith on his feet and Deep inside he had never lost faith in the possibility of a miracle. 

Deep inside he knew he was invincible as long as he was alive.

I may never know that man in the desert or what happened to him in the end. but whenever I think of his story, I always pray that he met the miracle, the hope of which had kept him going. As such lone travelers can always use a prayer. 

Then and Now

Somewhat sleepy and tired; he stepped out of the airplane. It was daylight and he was sleepy. That is what being in the other side of the world will do to you, the mind suggested. He was jetlagged, a term that he had heard but never experienced before. As he stepped out of the jetway he just thought that it was his first step on a land outside his birth country. He was in his 20s. Had lived in hostel many years and travelled for work, but this thought of being in a new country just overwhelmed his mind with so many emotions. Tired, yet excited; hopeful, yet worried; happy and homesick all at once. He knew something has changed

I am not going to stay here forever. Just a short while, will live and learn and explore for a couple of years before I return to where the roots are, he thought silently in his heart while slowly crawling through the long immigration line.

After some paperwork and sleepy answers to immigration officer he moved through customs to main terminal.
In the main terminal, there was a smartly dressed fellow in a black suit, much shorter than himself, carrying a board with his name on it. Yes that will be me; he gestured with a smile and the guy with board  (later he learnt was named Ronnie) started leading him through the aisles and parking lot to the shining black Lincoln towncar. This was his ride arranged by the company he was going to join in a couple of days. Then the car started rolling on roads that he has never seen, places he has never been and feelings he had never had.

Snow on the side of the roads, cold air gently moving the pine trees on the next to the road. This country is so different for where he had come from yet so similar, he thought as the car rolled towards his apartment almost 12 miles east of the airport.

All that feels like a different life time now. That was me 20 years ago; today 3/3/2001.

Difficult to think that was me, I don't even look like him.

A lot happened in last 20 years, most of it I had never thought of that day, 20 years ago. Still it feels a very simple life as is standing here today.

I can count a few things during this period

·        A lot of friendship -Earned 

·        A lot of new people -Learned 

·      A lot of new places- Experienced

·      Some success along the way - Celebrated 

·       Some failures along the way - Coached

Lost hair and youthful looks of yesteryears and lost hair (had to say that again)

Less hair means more experience as you may hear me say (won’t tell if that is true; you may see for yourself)

20 years and I can tell myself again that all the stress and worries are useless, as life changes daily

Or what changes everyday is called Life

 

हज़ार बातें

Some days a thousand thoughts will sprout in mind, and they all want them to be heard, at the same time. Little they know that all at the same time make noise and not any sense. But enjoying their presence through the lines below

चहलकदमी करती रही हज़ार बातें ज़हन में 

उनके कदमों की आहट  ने रात सोने न दिया 

परेशां दिन, परेशां शाम परेशां रात भर रहे  पर 

तुम परेशां  न हो जाओ इस ख्याल ने रोने न दिया 

रोज़ चाहा कि हम कुछ अलग सा कर जाये मगर 

कभी खुद ने , कभी हालत ने यह होने न दिया 

The Influencers

The below is an experience as best I can remember. Recently while watching a show on TV, a mention of dream vs vision was there are I felt this fit better in the vision category than dream, so I thought I will write this down and share with you. Share your thoughts in comments below if you are able to make something out of this.

 

Why are they there at the end of crowd? I can see them all but likely as they are engulfed in a haze of some sort. And why they don't mingle in the crowd? Why they are not talking? I felt myself asking these questions.

Do you see and hear them? The voice asked. Of course, I see them although like I said, they seem hazy at best. Also, now that you asked, I think I do hear them but not sure what they are saying. 

If you could hear them then why did you question that they were not talking? The voice teased. Oh okay, I was wrong but seem like all others in the crowd are oblivious of their presence. Am I right?

You are right no one knows they are there because they are Not. The voice said calmly. What do You mean that they are not there? I see them there. I said, feeling somewhat uneasy. The voice again very calmly replied, I never said anything about their where about. I just said that they are not. Don’t mean if they are there or here or anywhere. All I said was that they are not. Because they are not. At least not in any form that you can define or understand at your present level.

I felt too confused to ask what the voice meant by "They are Not" what are they 'not'. They are not as in they have no existence. 

They are 7 in number if you count and in the realm that we are speaking of, they are called what simply said in your language, the influencers.  I counted and there were indeed 7 of them. The 7 influencers who were Not.

The soul, voice continued, can move in many ways. But with the kind of soul you have, best way is that the soul to know the difference between spirit and material. The soul can then choose being spiritual instead of being bounded by bodily identity. But that can be a confusing process for some. These 7 are there to help one in that process. Simply communicate with a goal to help and influence. All you will need is to accept them fully in your mind and you will see and hear them with more clarity.

Are you speaking this for me to gain some higher knowledge or are you making a morbid suggestion? I asked. There was no answer. The voice stayed silent and I felt the burden of knowing the answer myself without the help of voice or the influencers.

I was feeling confused and getting an eerie feeling. The influencers all were looking at me, not saying anything anymore, just observing.

Strange, the voice said, you seem to be getting afraid. Well may be yes, I wanted to say, but I did not. The voice heard me still.

We will have to stop, in that case. The voice continued. As if talking to me and the influencers at the same time. They all seemed to start fading away. As if moving farther away from the crowd. None of them seemingly turned their face away from me. And their eyes kept the gaze on my face even after they had faded away completely. 

That is strange, I am not sure if I said that or if it was the voice. But then the voice continued, you should have been ready, but your confusion is strange. 

I am surprised you feel this way I responded. Who would not be surprised and question such an encounter? I don't even know who or what they were (or were “not” like you stated) so how could have I not felt strange in accepting them or speaking with them. All I know that were just some hazy silhouettes at a distance that I couldn't even properly see. How can one accept something that vague.

The voice responded, Yes strange that you questioned them because you couldn't see them properly, but you have not even asked or thought once about me, you are listening and agreeing even when you have not seen or physically felt me. You just accepted. Strange isn't it?

I know the voice was right. Who it was? Where was it? What and why? A million other questions flooded my mind. But I Couldn’t ask any, I knew the voice was not there to respond. I looked around. It was 4AM in the clock. I was alone in the room and sweating and felt as if had returned from a trip. A trip to the place where I had heard the voice and saw the influencers along with a large crowd. I didn't remember even 1 face from the crowd, but I do remember the place clearly. Even I could feel the salty moisture on my tongue and nostrils from that gazebo near the sea.

I knew I have been there. I knew the encounter was over. I knew I missed a chance. I was feeling afraid, not because of the encounter but because I may never have it again. I decided to keep my ears tuned to catch the voice when it contacts me again. I don't remember exactly how long it took for me to go back to sleep. 

The encounter was surreal, yet it was not a dream. I am not sure what could have been right course of action. Listen to the influencers or be confused like I did. I hope something prepares me better should I be there again ever in my life.

A few days later I had another one, but that time characters were different and the acts more dominating than a discussion. That one truly creeped me out . And hence I will not share till I get a better handle of what that one was.

 

Welcome 2021

 12 months ago, when 2020 started, and we welcomed the year with open arms, I remember having some promises and some excitement shared at that time before welcoming it with “2020 here we are, let us make it memorable.”

And Memorable the year had been, although not for the best reasons. On all fronts this has been a never before year for most of humanity. Even those who have seen Wars and Famine and other calamities would have felt different this year. In short so many things went wrong this year on small and big level.

The one big threat that whole humanity faced in 2020 (and continues to face) is Covid-19. Pandemics have happened in the past, but so many lifetimes ago that we never could fathom that a microscopic virus will make all of us lock ourselves in the homes and veil our faces behind masks. But it did happen in 2020 and not only that, Tens of millions infected and millions lost their life sadly many of them in
isolation, with no loved one around. On a brighter note, millions rose to the need as doctors, nurses, emergency workers, teachers and many more to help. The war on virus still is on and the virus still as menacing (supported by ignorance in many cases). Let us start 2021 with the faith that there is light at the end of the tunnel even if we may not be able to see that light today.

The virus didn’t only hit health and lives but also damaged families, businesses, employment as unavoidable collateral damage. Once again many rose to soften the blow on the worst hit. The stories of generosity and humanity are as commonplace as the terror of virus. 2020 in some way restored our faith in the strength that humanity offers. 2021 will remain the year to build on that strength.

In addition to the pandemic and the related damages, 2020 also offered worst climate anomalies, like worst hurricane season on record, worst wildfires and so on. A reminder that humans are wrong, our actions are deteriorating the climate drastically. Urging us to act and before acting take responsibility. We know the problem; however, we keep on ignoring; but we must own it and solve it. 2021 will need that pledge to be reassured

2020 shook Beirut with a massive explosion. What caused that had human ignorance
and procrastination as the core reason. While Lebanon builds it back, let us not forget that explosion and why it is important for us Humans to be more responsible and more responsive to threats that our ignorance may be causing. Prayers for those who lost home or family or work due to that explosion and hope your lives resurrect in 2021.

My birth country and my new home both continue to see political divide widening. 2020 saw that divide really getting to massive proportions. Intolerance should not be what defines us as humans. Know this Corona Virus has shown us all that an external enemy will not see our nationality, religion, color, ethnicity, political belief or any other factor we have been dividing us for. Even a microorganism as virus sees all of us humans as one. Can we not pledge in 2021 to be at least better than that nasty virus and start being united? Bridge the gaps and don’t make the walls. Don’t just try to be right, try to be good. Remember “Being Good is Right.” Being Good is Being Human. Isn’t that what our scriptures tell us, irrespective of the faith we follow?

On a personal side, I experienced something in early 2020 which made me feel how vulnerable life has been. One small moment of a sickness and 10 seconds of time when the world could have changed, and thankfully it did not. Few of you know what I am talking about, but only I and my soulmate know how those 10 seconds felt. I am writing this more than 10 months after those 10 seconds. I don’t think I will ever forget that. So 2021; I renew my commitment to waste no moment in useless things like anger, worry, stress, hate, jealousy (worry and occasional anger do take me off track from time to time but I am working on minimizing their frequency and duration each time)

I still am working on my promises from last few years but will sure add a few this year

• Value Life – It is a gift and should be honored
• Value Humanity – It is what define us
• Be Grateful – Nothing is granted, every breath is a gift and so stay grateful 
• Be Strong – The world will need rebuilding , so strength is a needed trait now
• Be Humble – Strength without humility is ego. So, stay humble in your strength
• Pray – WE ALL NEED IT

Let us welcome 2021 with open arms and open minds. Let 2021 be the year of Healing. Let us all commit to ascend to a higher version of ourselves. A version that is at peace with what is and ready to share what have and offer to heal as needed. 2021 hope we live you with grace and remember you always as a year that healed our hearts, our minds and reduced our greed, our pettiness, our pain and on the whole re-defined us as Human. Let 2021 be the year of the Human Being Re-committing to be Human again