yet again ... getting lost ... then enjoying self-discovery ...

I have been lucky when it comes to friends, Enjoy talking with them. Amidst talking about school days, worrying about the state of the world today, distilled nonsense, books we have read and such they come up with lines that stand-out, Friends who matter and lines that have since been a part of our lives since, Share a few of these below - Receiving is a fine-art in today's time, warrants grace, and a few seem to have it in our rush to give, to appear bigger. (A friend who gifts me each time I meet) Multi-tasking is a myth; one bloody task we cannot do properly. (A friend whom I used to enjoy long conversations with) Academics is highly overrated, chances are high that many are in academia today as they probably had no other options. (A friend who used to encourage me when I needed it badly) झुकता सब से ज़्यादा ब्राह्मण है, तब ही तो वह ऊपर बना रहता है, देखो अपने आस पास ध्यान से। and  फसता तो हर कोई अपनी मर्ज़ी से है ।  (A senior friend, a brahman, in Banaras, wish I had put more...

Over the years, I have learnt a lot from people,  Including from random conversations with people I came across during my meanderings,  People I am glad I bumped into, conversations I am glad took place,  Some of these conversations have been eye-opening, made me stop and think,  And, have stayed with me since,  S hare a few below -  What is there to think so much, go ahead, and if you see shoes - chappal somewhere leave your's too nearby. (A monk at a monastery in Bir, when I asked him if I could enter the monastery and where I need to keep my footwear - The message : keep it simple, don't complicate) जब खाना ख़त्म हो जाता है! (An old uncle running a small restuarant in Secunderabad, on my asking him, during Ramzaan, what time the restuarant closes for the day - He made me realize how silly and boxed I had become!) I have been beginning my days with a warm glass of water and reading a page of Bhagwad Gita, my life has changed, try that - you too will benefi...

Wise talks with a VC, Some snippets, Us (colleagues and I): We enjoy walking around the campus here, it has a peaceful, a special feel. VC: This campus has nothing special to offer, it is like any other place. You will have peace, that special feel within you and so you feel it. It is what is within you that is crucial, the outside seldom matters. Us: But, there will be this point of “places with energy” as well, isn’t it? VC: Yes, it is at some places, few places. These are places where a lot of good people, people with positive energies, come, get together, put in time. At such places the outer disturbances, the sounds, lights and chaos in the surroundings, do not bother you. However, the energy you talk about can also work the other way. If you are at Connaught Place in Delhi, for example, you will notice significant energy, of the other kind, given the people who frequent it. Ditto for the places frequented by our political leaders. Us: Education . . . . . VC: An agriculture count...

People, we were told, were not keen to participate in more meetings with NGOs as promises, by most NGOs, had not been kept. We had gone to discuss conservation education, seek inputs prior to freezing the plan, and ended up listening to the story of human – elephant conflict in the neighbouring villages. Story of the situation having gone from bad to worse. Village A had planned a meeting to discuss human - elephant conflict. Besides the villagers the meeting was to include members of two local organizations.   A local politician got a whiff of the meeting and came over. During the meeting he actively participated in the discussions and promised to help. Elections were around the corner and as a corollary he was pro-active in not only taking the discussions further towards actions but also sanctioned funds. His only condition was that the fence, which had been decided during the meeting, should come up prior to the elections. Image: Karpagam Chelliah The electric fe...

It is not often that someone strikes you as being different and original these days. Rarer still when you not only carry this impression beyond a longish conversation but are set thinking. I share part of the conservation with this thin, sharp eyed, bespectacled uncle below; one that focuses on conservation. On being asked by a colleague if he did attend a, larger than usual, meeting organized at the village he said no. The enthusiastic colleague then brought in a couple of references to bring in clarity on the event. Oh yes, he said, but there was too much lecturing and so I just walked off. Then added that the meeting was doomed from the beginning itself. The colleague, now sporting a bewildered look, was then told that 3 people were given shawls as a token of respect and wherever this is done there is a group of people, usually few times the number of those receiving the shawls, wondering why they were not amongst those receiving! They often felt neglected and wondered what ...