The most misunderstood colour

Among all the colours existing in nature the most misunderstood , negated and unaccepted is the colour black. if colours too had emotions.... then probably they could speak for themselves :)

I make the dark of the night
I make the life of your eye
I make the beauty spot on your face
I make your hair glow in grace

Unwanted I am to many
Unlucky I am to many
Yes, I am not colourful
Yes, I am the black

may be not as bright as the colour white
but white is brightest only when next to me

I am not the yellow that has a radiant glow
yet when mixed with me  its glow is lost

The red is strong and mighty
it is the colour of the fire ball
yet the ball rises and sets
the night was there before it rouse
and still there after it sets

I am not the blue that is pleasant and cool
yet it freezes in my cold

I am not the green, the queen of prosperity
yet when with me, its lusture is shadowed

All the colours to one side,
I stand alone
I have no shades,
I have no hue
I  absorb all and I still stand as one
I am the universe
Yes, I am not colourful
Yes, I am the black

Holi

 Holi hai !  bhai holi hai !!
Once again Holi is back with its vibrant colours. Holi is the festival that signifies unification of all colours,
be it the colours of nature, the universe,
be it the colours of the human race or the human face
be it the colours of traditions and culture
be it the colours of older and modern beliefs
be it the colours of our society, community or family.
The bright as well as the subtle colours balance each other and harmonise to glorify the world. These colours make up the collage of life representing the various phases like happiness, sorrow and any moments we live. The collage exists within and around us. Without colours life is meaningless. Colours are  the beautiful basis for sustenance of life.


Colours... so many with shades so varied!
To chose just one is a difficult task indeed!
To colour your day,
especially today
choose not just one,
but all colours that glitter under the sun
Though some are dark and some sober
they still balance altogether

Silence

 Silence can be noisy... so noisy that only words can break it.... silence it. sometimes it is so frustrating sitting alone and the only one speaking to us is our mind! Such a paradox life is .... people yearn for silence and peace yet cannot live in peace without noise or someone to speak with. Too many conversations are also disturbing. Man is swinging like a pendulum between silence and speech. what actually comforts him...Does he know? 
Scientifically, a person with a working brain is living completely and a person without a thinking capacity is half dead, or half alive or just a vegetable to survive. Speech is a compilation of thoughts expressed in an understandable sound called language. So it is nothing but thoughts. Well, in that case, mind of a living is never devoid of thoughts. So then, is the mind and the continuously working brain at silence any time? Now then, where is the silence. OR what is silence...absence of words or thoughts?

Silence..... is it internal that is no thoughts or is it external when not spoken? Does it exist or not? Can we hold the mind from thoughts filled with desire, fear, terror ....... May be YES, but how? Man can be idle without work, but the mind cannot be idle. Even when asleep we dream, so when does the mind remain silent. Is it possible to remain silent.... undisturbed? Yes, it is possible, but again.... How? 
The ripples of the ocean have a wave pattern just similar to the huge waves... but they are less noisy.... why? They cause no destruction compared to the hurricane tides. Both the ripples and huge tides are created by the same water, the ocean as deep and mysterious as our mind. Like the mind its depths are yet to be revealed. 
The ripples have a controlled pattern of the their flow that is soft and yielding. The huge waves and tides are strong, aggressive, unyielding and devastating. Thoughts too, are patterns that origin from the depth of our mind and when propelled by emotions tend to be aggressive. The aggression is so strong that it disturbs the mind… noises the mind. Then forms the expression of aggression in form of words causing a disturbance both internally and externally to the thinker, speaker and the listener. Thoughts that arise out of emotions …desires, pleasures, anger, ego, fear as well as happiness… have no controlled pattern, and are only devastating and disturbing.
When thought patterns are controlled, they become subtle, sounding as pleasant as the ripples that exist to vanish without any effect. Ever heard a ripple? Mind cannot stop the thought process, emotions do exist… yet they can be tamed, directed in a controlled manner to attain uniformity and order. Such a uniformity and order creates a balance of thought and word, silencing the mind if ever it tends to get disturbed… as thoughts do arise!, this fact is inevitable.
Nature has both beauty and destruction living in harmony. It’s a marvelous example where we can learn how it balances its own self. A controlled mind is silent and peaceful even in a noisy crowd. The noise gets heard but remains unheard. A silent mind is at peace with itself and surroundings… a disturbed mind is at nuisance with itself and surroundings.
In-spite of its realms unrevealed, mind is an open book. Anything can be written, and anything can be erased. Well then, who can write or erase?… it is us who maintain the records in our mind using the software of our memory and the will to forget. Yes forgetfulness is a boon to mankind, that helps to live in harmony and peace. However if we intend not to forget our troubles then the same mind becomes a curse to our peaceful living.
The instability of mind is always blamed on situations. We feel that bad situations shake us otherwise we are very balanced. Is there a need to be balanced and peaceful in a favorable situation? The tree never complains about the strong wind that blows its leaves away. Even after the storm has resolved the tree stands erect, undisturbed, though it has lost something. Mastering the art of balance is not very difficult. We just need to understand a simple fact … disturbed is the mind not the situation, resolved is the mind not the situation as it is only the mind that reacts and not the situation.

Magical potion of life

Love is a pure emotion, that bonds people. Be it the love of parents, children, siblings, friends, fiance, husband or of some secret admirer OR Love for our passions or just love for life and the pure nature around us.... it is pure and a power that keeps us all alive and going. It is a magical potion.


Whenever I miss you
I'll search for you in the beautiful rays of the sun
whenever I want to see you
I'll look for you among the twinkling stars
whenever I want to reach you
I'll reach the tallest tree to feel the cool leaves
whenever I want to gaze at you
I'll watch the ever continuous waves of the ocean

whenever I want to....
..search for you
..see you
..reach you
..gaze at you
all at once
I'll just close my eyes and peep into my heart
because you are always there forever

Live in coincidence
believe and follow your heart
but be bold to embrace your destiny...
... this is life
autographed with a smile

A Thought

No Phrase so mighty is powerful until and unless it is implemented by mind.
Body may perform mechanically, but mind cannot deceive itself.
Experience teaches what scriptures try for years.
Blessed are those who are chosen by the eternal scriptures.
Paths may vary but destiny is one.

The cold desert

Far far away where the eye can reach,

an ocean of snow, nothing else but snow. 

Cold it is, so cold that no tree bears a fresh leaf. 

All of them have dried off and fallen away. 

The breeze colder than Ice, freezes the blood. 

To flap a wing, a bird does not dare,

 to venture into the cold desert the feathers cannot bear. 

There is no food around, only solid water everywhere. 

Water that cannot quench a thirst 

Alike the ego, that never quenches itself. 

it conquers the mind and freezes the thought. 

A pride so cold, bars the friend and family, 

deserting all relations that slowly part away. 

Ultimately... alone remains the ego, 

 no one ever tries to befriend it . 

All that remains is self and nothing else, 

cold and alone just like a cold desert.

Virtue of Time

Water is so clear, so pure, shows the shadows and images of anything that leans on it.
Does it have no image or shape of its own?..... does it have no virtue that it only reflects the images of other?
it neither can be contained nor curtailed. it just flows. what is its virtue then?..... its real virtue lies in casting the images of other things that co-exist, be it living or non living. its ever continuous flow tells us about the continuity of existence, life, that cannot be stopped. water flowing from the hill keeps on passing down, with the same spot being bathed by the water that follows..........well the water that follows bears the same virtue as the previous flow of water, yet its not the same.
when you try to touch it....... it just leaves a lingering wetness... a dampness that slowly dries off. when water evaporates, it is lost from our sight, though it exists as vapor......Time is also lost when we miss it, never to come back. Can we draw a simile here?
Water can be a representation of the ever flowing time. Each second, minute, hour of the clock is repeated yet the count is not the same. The sun rises daily to set again, but its not the same day. The time keeps ticking, just like the water flowing in the stream. We witness its flow, but cannot change it, nor beat it.
we need to swim in and with water to survive its waves or else we drown. Similarly we need to live in and with time, to survive. Time, timely shows us our shadowed images, we need to realize from these images about self. Some times the image is pleasant shadow showing our pleasant nature. Sometimes it is unpleasant, showing our unbalanced emotions. Time gives us a chance to understand self and resolve our confusions. Yet again, it is ever flowing, running as some may call it. We, people have classified the time frame into past, present and future. We are surrounded by the time and its measurements. When time passes... it leaves a lingering memory that fades off with passing time. Just like the lingering wetness that the water leaves, to dry off. We cannot live without water, We exist only within the horizons of time.

Time... Isn't it amazing!!!. An entity that has no physical picture....... has such a virtue. A virtue with so much of teaching and guidance. A virtue not separate from life.

Sister-hood

Sisterhood........ just another one among those blissful facets of life. All of us, females are sisters to another sister or brother. Here, I am talking about the sister-sisterhood that I cherish because I live it.
So here 's my story. life blessed me, but, to be tossed up with two sisters and being born as the second sibling ....... I've always been the sandwich. Oh yes, obviously the crushed part!!! You know when you have a sister around, you get two inseparable gifts.... one, you get to have the best of all friends, second aaaahh! an imp in disguise. Well, you have to live with them... and I had two of them here! If I am complaining, then they too should be or else the essence of being sisters would be lost. I bet they will complain even more and I am privileged.
Sisterhood taught me more than just complaining, it taught me secrets to a happier life. Above all, I learned about being cared and how to care. The earlier days saw play and more play, with adjustments. Yes, adjustment started right there when we had to share our toys. Hey,,, I remember we had a small play scooter and we would always fight for the front seat. Probably, that's what makes me happier to share things today. I learned my first few amateurish lessons of wrestling with my sister. Well, as we grew older we stopped it, when we realized it was not the job for good girls ;0 Competition was also a part of us, but it only appraised our spirits. Sisters are the best critics who never hurt you, but show you the mirror. They are the safest secret places to treasure your feelings. They...... are the best friends.


Life is always fun filled with sisters around, it brings out the child in us, out pours our deep hidden secrets. well, not much to say... but the gist of it is, I love being a sister.


To all the sisters out there.. Three cheers to sisterhood! :)

Destiny is a matter of choice

‘Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved’ -W J Bryan.


Very much true, destiny is a matter of the choices we make in life. Choices that life shows us. We pick from the choices to make our future(our life,our destiny)… or at least we feel our future is in the right direction. Whatever choice we make, paves our way to destiny. Destiny is nothing but our life and the way we live it. Reaching our desired destiny makes us happy as we live the life we want. The choices in life are again given and shown by life only ….. from where we opt to make our destiny… our life again. When a choice gives us what we want.. it is an achievement. Achievements are always precious. They bring glory, name and fame and most importantly the achievement should accomplish a satisfaction, a happiness. When a choice does not give what we want… it is called a wrong choice, we never made the right choice. There is a beautiful saying……”The grass always appears greener on the other side”… it only appears. we do not know how lush and green the grass is until we ourselves walk over it. Yet we can water our own garden to make it more green. So if happiness is what we want as our destiny ,it is a matter of our choice. This choice is always available at every stage of life.

colours of nature

Education and the educated

An educated man is a civilized man, this is an age long belief….. what is then, education? and who is the educated? A broad understanding of education is----- gaining knowledge and wisdom. We have so many in the present world who are educated. Doctors , Engineers, Scientists, IT professionals, Businessmen, lawyers and many more , all overflowing with knowledge and know-how, of course, in their respective fields. None less than the other. We get jobs and positions as per the level of our education. Some jobs are as high as the President, a manager, a doctor, a team leader, while some other jobs are regarded very ordinary as that of the porter, peon, the laborer. So, it all depends on how well we have completed our studies and how highly we are educated. So what’s the big Deal….

There is a hidden education that grows and matures in us as we grow and age. It’s a teaching that starts at birth and continues all through childhood, youth into adulthood. It is the basic education about being a human being, a part of the whole empire called the world. Yes, we are all parts of the world not the kings. It’s the basic knowledge and wisdom about humanity, humility and how to live in harmony. It is true that in the fast and furious present world, each one of us struggles for a basic living. In such a tight situation no one can afford to even think for a stranger. More over we cannot make out if the person is genuine ,to offer any help. Well, no one asks for nor expects any favor but least expects not to be hurt and this would be the greatest favor. No one expects at least to be misunderstood if not understood. No one expects at least to be treated as a beggar. Every work has a dignity and dignity need not be certified. Every individual is an “individual” because he has an identity. Every person needs to be respected not judged. This is the basic education that we are all well versed with, but seem to have forgotten with time. No one needs to create a revolution, yet, if each one of us can reconcile self then the chain of humanity builds on.

It’s your choice

“Every person, all the events of your life
are there because you have drawn them here.
What you choose to do with them Is up to you.”
Richard Bach

Life’s greatest gift is free will to choose from the myriad of possibilities presented to us. Believe it or not, but it’s always been you who made all the choices. Whether you do it consciously or unconsciously is also your choice.
What stops you from accepting this overt, irrefutable fact?
FEAR of taking RESPONSIBILTY of your life. You give all kinds of justifications, “My parents are so dominating that I don’t have any choice except to follow their decisions. My boss won’t listen. Society doesn’t allow this or that.” Some go to the extent of putting the entire onus on GOD saying, “That’s my destiny.” Stop giving lame excuses for the apathy towards yourself. Get out of this stupor; hold the reins of your life by consciously and blithely making choices.
Stop sleepwalking through your lives! Believe it, it’s always been you who made all the choices. You chose not to be responsible for your own life. You chose to let others make decision for your life. Nobody in this universe can dictate you to make choices. You were born with free will. Accept the fact that you are responsible for all your circumstances.
“Nobody in this universe has the power to stop
you from getting what you truly deserve”
Swami Vivekananda
You deserve the best!
Then why do we give excuses?
Not again! Let me put it this way. The reason is DOUBT. You doubt your capabilities and DOUBT always concludes in FEAR. Fear of failure. Fear of making mistakes. Fear of being ridiculed. Therefore, stop doubting .How can you fail when you have been programmed only to succeed. Truly speaking, there is nothing like failure or success. These words have been created by your MIND for the sake of ‘I’. Nothing that is comparative exists in reality. All comparative terms have been coined by your mind for the sake of ‘Ego’.
That means there is nothing like Good or Bad, Right or Wrong.
YES, you are learning fast.
You make a CHOICE and you get a RESULT. What name you give to the RESULT is your choice. You are free to make a CHOICE. You can call it failure or success, good or bad, right or wrong.
On one hand, you say there is nothing like good or bad, right or wrong, success or failure and then you say that we are programmed to succeed.
I said it’s your choice; you can name the result or the choice as good, right and, successful or wrong, bad and failure.
I choose to call each and every choice as ‘right’ and every result as ‘success’.
This reminds me of a story about a minister who made a choice that ‘Everything happens for Good’
The story is about a king in India who had a wise minister. The minister had a habit of looking at every situation in life positively and remarking “Everything happens for the good!”
One day the king and his minister were getting ready to go for hunting. Before leaving for the forest, the king fired the gun to make sure it was properly working. There was something wrong with the gun and his thumb was blown off. The minister remarked as usual, “Everything happens for the good!” The king was furious and ordered to send the minister to jail. The minister again said, “Everything happens for the good!”
After few months, when the king went for hunting, he was captured by wild people who believed in human sacrifice. When they were getting him ready for the sacrifice, they noticed that one of the king’s thumbs was missing. Being superstitious, they never sacrificed anyone who was less than whole. Therefore, they let the king go.
When the king returned home, he was reminded of the event when he lost his thumb and felt remorse for sending his minister to jail. He immediately went to the jail and told his minister. "You were right; because I lost my thumb that day my life was saved. But how could it be good that I sent you to jail?" The minister replied,” If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you. Those people would have definitely killed me.”
Life is all about perception, how you perceive the various events and circumstances of your life. If you choose to believe in the perfection of life, you are sure that everything happens for a reason and the reason is to provide you an opportunity to learn and progress towards the truth.
The truth is that it is your choice how you live your life. You can choose to be contended with what you have got. However, if you are dissatisfied with your circumstances that’s also your choice. You have free will (choice) to edit, modify your circumstances according to your aspirations. It’s your journey. You are free to choose your destination and the path. You can choose to follow the easier path, followed by most but then you miss the excitement of learning new things. You miss out on the opportunities to recognize your strengths. You don’t give yourself a chance to realize your true potential. On the other hand, you can choose to follow the path that your heart desires to pursue. It may appear difficult and lonely in the beginning but it would be full of excitement and adventure and soon you will realize there would be many following you. It is always easier to go downhill than to travel uphill but remember that the later also takes you to the top. Only from the top, you can see the whole view. It is your choice whether you want to ascend or descend.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
Always remember that no one but you are privileged to make choices for your life. Therefore, acknowledge the responsibility for your present circumstances only then you will have the power to change them.
What do you exactly mean by free will?
Free will means nobody else has the power to adjudicate and dictate you to make choices. Your choices are not to be guided or influenced by any other factor or person except your true self. Your choices are not be made under the influence of any other emotion except love for the choice itself. Choices made under the influence of fear, greed, anger, pleasure, will result in dissatisfaction. All such choices are made by ‘I’ not the real you. It’s as simple as choosing what you love to do, what your heart desires.
You make it sound as if it’s a cakewalk. How can one be free of all these emotions?
Who asked you to be free of these emotions? I said choose not to let them influence you while making choices.
How can you do that?
Realize the truth. Have faith in all because there is none in the universe except you/me/us/god. These words may have different meanings in English language but they are synonyms of the real self. The difference between GOD and you is that he is always aware of the fact that there are no two but only one. You get glimpses of this fact now and then.
If you know that there is only one, you don’t have to be scared of anything or anyone. Whom will you envy? Whom are you scared of? Who can harm you? Who can stop your progress? People who try to scare you or harm you are themselves scared. People who envy you are unable to love themselves. People who judge you are judging themselves. There is nobody else but you. This universe is for you, by you and of you. Get rid of your small ‘I’, tell it to move over. You are fearless having indomitable courage, indefatigable energy and a source of inexhaustible love and happiness. Develop unwavering faith in your real self and you will be free of all futile thoughts and emotions.
Treat Others the Way YOU Want to Be Treated Back? Do you know how it works?
When you treat others with hate, disrespect, anger, fear, ridicule you are doing that to yourself, so you have already got it back. It means you are angry with yourself .You don’t respect yourself. You hate yourself. Sounds awful! That’s the truth.
If you love yourself unconditionally and respect yourself, it would be impossible for you to hate others or be angry with them.
Be happy when so called others (by your ‘I’) are happy, feel their pain, empathize with them. In short, feel connected to everyone around you. When you love others, their energies join your energy and you become more powerful.
HE (GOD) is the summation of all the living beings and non-living things on this universe. He is GOD because he knows there is nothing in this universe but only and only HIM. He knows you are in HIM and HE is in you. If you acknowledge and remember this truth, you have free will. You can do whatever you want.
In the previous chapter, you said that the real self knows the past and the future that means our future is predetermined. If something is predestined then how can you say that we are free to make choices?
I agree that I said that our real self knows our future but I never said that there is only one future. It’s again because of the limitations of the physical self that we cannot visualize the possibility of many futures existing simultaneously at this very moment.
How does one know that he/she has made the right choice?
When will you learn there is nothing wrong or right, good or bad? It all depends on what you want the most.
Choose that which make you incredibly jubilant and triumphant. That is the best choice.
Just remember when you experience joy and love you are closer to your real self.
Actually, it is of no consequence what choice you make. You are programmed to attain your ultimate goal i.e. to realize your real self. Nothing can stop you from achieving it. It’s only a matter of time.

The actual Self

I have learned much
much more to learn
yet each incident I live
speaks the lesson
Repeats the same lesson
Our deeds are done today
We will reap them Today
The reap will but, leave us..... The very day
search for thy reap ....not for the virtual one that will leave
but for the fruit that is the actual I...self
that we thought was never with thy
Life is an illusion
we are our own mirage
we are the mirror to self

The winds of my Life

The winds were always cooler in summer,
The winds were always warmer in winter.
Always, heard of the scorching sun!
Only, saw the frozen water!
Yet never actually knew the seasons in life.
My tiny wings never knew how to fly,
Nor did I attempt any complete flight.
The winds just guided me in the air
With a trust that my tiny wings will flap someday.
When my dive was too steep,
I saw the I fault I made.
The winds lifted me up to the skies
It was a silent lesson that taught everything
When my flight sway me into desires,
The gushing winds only whispered to be cautious
Yet never left my side.
At times, when the flight was alone,
I still felt the presence of them,
Touching and encouraging my feathers.
I always flew under their warmth
I was always flown over their support
Their strength was too strong!
When they were confident in my flight,
They told me to fly along, on my way.
They kept guiding me as always with the faith,
These tiny wings now know how to swift away from a mistake.
Ever since I can remember,
I know only of these winds,
Sometimes gushing, or as breeze or at times still air!
For a reason I realize today,
They made an able pilot out of this amateur.
I may have flown quite some distance,
For quite some time in different ways of life
But, the winds always taught me
That if I believed, life is always as beautiful as Spring.
These winds will stay with me till the breath in me.
They may now be distant in the span of time and space.
Yet, they will never recede from my side,
Nor will they ever from my thoughts
With time have flown my once mini wings
As with time, have grown my tiny wings
The spring indeed brought in a changing breeze.
The flight has now taken a different route
That was pleasant at times and unpredictable too
The more confusing it seemed...it only gained a confident turn
Sometimes a smile, sometimes a witty laugh
Yet, I could let my wings float in the impish breeze
With utmost ease.

What is life...?

How would you describe life as?

what figure of speech would you ascribe it to?.

A noun, the subject for a man's existence!

The verb...the art of living!

Or An adverb that adds colourful meaning to the existence,

Is it the conjunction of thoughts, moments, smile, sorrows that are liven,

An exclamation, for all the mystic wonders that unveil only once you live them!

A four-letter word that holds the secrets of past, present and future.,

A simple question...... with vivid answers

yet non explaining better than the question itself...,

Life is simply Life..,

Live it, love it till it lasts