randomthoughtpot-blog

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Aai

Loads of emotions, Come tumbling by

Crushing me under their weight

Some warm and fuzzy, cheery and bright

Some cold and shivery, needing a blanket

I saw her pass away slowly, breath by breath

As if in a natural progression,

Giving up each organ

One by one

She kept calling her mother

Imploring her to come take her along

And sang along with the bhajans

To reach her Pandhari dham

When I asked her if her mother came

She just smiled at me in consolation

At last her mother seems to have heard her call

And led her to her destination

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Pitter Patter Rain

Pitter Patter Rain

Is the office-goers pain;

Their rides get late

Attendance systems don't wait.

Pitter Patter Rain

The crops seem to gain;

Farmers jump with delight

As the produce grows right.

Pitter Patter Rain

The weather is so down;

Curled up in a settee

Never let thoughts intimidate.

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Buds and Buddies

Buddies and Buds

Are both so refreshing;

Their slight whiff

Is enough to transform my day

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Library

Woody brown benches

And shelves packed with books;

Stern looking librarian

Looking through the lenses.

Storybooks and guidebooks

Magazines and Newspapers;

Biographies and manuals

And Comics and Novels.

Inviting to take a seat

Are little desks and chairs;

Join the ones lost in volumes

Looking at albatrosses.

I miss the library of yester years

Trying to make-do with digital e-books;

How do I find those beautiful faces

Smiling, looking up from a books?

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Snow White

Snow white the veils

Waiting for the tinker bells

Annoucing the arrival of winter

And impending Christmas choir

Millions of sparkly shapes 

In the white sheets

Crystals adorn everything

Edelweiss hibernating

Billions of grateful hearts 

Enjoying home-made tarts

Trillions of rainbows on snow

 Cherishing families with a bow.

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The Goddess

The Goddess must be lonely

Standing tall by herself in the temple

Smiling and blessing all

Quietly witnessing many bungle.

 She has been patient

Blessing wedding invitations

Exam passing requests

And job applications.

 Some ask for money

Some beg for health

For some a little baby

And grandpa’s wealth.

 Lost travelers seeking a path

And would-be-grooms looking for a bride

They all flock to her with hope

She takes it all in her stride.

 Flowers, jewels, incense and lamps

Supplications and prayer songs

She waits for the right moment

When our faith really gleams.

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Mango Blossoms

Mango blossoms always take me back to my childhood. And make me happy. There were some huge mango trees on our farm. And we kids were these little monkeys who liked to climb them. We even tried lying down briefly on the large branches which run parallel to the ground. At home also, we had a mango tree right in front of the house. Its branches sprang out through the fence and reached the street ahead. When mango blossoms arrived, there was this mild musky, sweet smell in the air and the tree starts to looks like it has been sprayed in yellow ochre.

We all start to wait for the harvest. You then notice these little olive sized mangoes all over the tree. Nature shows its transformation wonders all around. And in a couple of weeks the little olive sized fruit turns into egg-sized and then fist sized fruits.

I still remember the layers of mangoes kept for ripening at grandma’s house. There would be alternate layers of leaves and fruit made into a neat heap in the dark, thick walled store room. The door height was really small, teaching us humility right before getting into the room.

We were impatient and sneaked into the room frequently to check if the mangoes had ripened. Finally, when the mangoes ripened, grandma would give us mangoes, a bucketful washed with water. The way to eat them was to squeeze, soften them and then suck them. I can almost taste them now.

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A winter morning drive

What a nice crisp morning? We turned into Jigni Industrial Area from Hosur Road. We were on the Bommasandra-Anekal link way. As we entered the industrial area, the morning traffic jam caught up with us. Luckily, it didn’t last long and we could move again. Many different industries – textiles, marbles, ball-bearings, Volvo, Toyota, Biocon ..We turned left at OTIS and crossed the industrial belt.

After a while, the terrain became hilly. It was rocky and picturesque, with many valleys, reminded me of Ramanagaram, the Sholay famed town on Mysore Road. Not too much farming, possibly because there was more rock than soil. Where there was some cultivable soil, there was a bumper crop of Ragi, ready to harvest. Lots of coconut trees popping up on the landscape.

Then we entered the Bannerghatta Reserve Forest area. There were many sign-posts showing elephants, bisons, bears and foxes but we did not spot any real animals. There was forest on both sides of the road and signposts indicating animal crossing points. Then we came to Tatthakere lake directions sign. We were tempted to go check if there are animals, but decided against it. We kept moving and crossed the National Park.

Suddenly the road condition became very poor. There was hardly any road left among the potholes – it was ‘no more’. There were some small sparsely populated villages with an Amman temple at the beginning of the village. There were Mulberry farms and silkworms growing on bamboo panes with circular grids. The bamboo panes were kept in a neat display resembling advertisements on either side of the road possibly to give them the morning sunshine.

Chillies were put out for drying before they get turned into the zingy powder. And so were cowdung cakes mixed with hay, to be used as cooking fuel. A little was learning to walk around. Hens were looking around for food. There were some sheep too – their white coat had turned greyish in the dusty countryside.

And something cheered me up immensely. A group of happy, chirpy school girls were walking to school in their blue uniforms. It brought me some hope, just the day before I had heard Malala talking about the difficulty that girls face in getting secondary education in her country.

The people are good hearted and simple, they are generous with smiles even for strangers like us. And then I saw some older men – not so cheerful, perhaps due to financial worries. Hope they can resolve it soon. I regret not speaking Kannada well. What is it about language that makes such an instant connection? I try to manage with my broken Kannada mixed with Hindi and English.

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A key

I once found a key. The humble key, made of brass, with some punch patterns on it, used to open a specific lock. Yet this key seems to have a major influence on our lives. Car keys, house key, cupboard key;, we try to keep them safe always hoping to protect our belongings. Keys are universal; some in the form of metal, some electronic cards and then some are our passwords.

Why do we need keys so much? We need to hide something from the world? Remember the little journal book with a lock and key you had as a kid or your piggy bank! We are trying to keep the contents safe. Does that reflect an inherent lack of trust in others around us or is it just our possessiveness? We lock our homes and cupboards to protect from intruders.

Keys make us happy too and give us moments to cherish life-long. Remember the grin on your face when you got the keys to the first car? Or the flat you dreamed about?

We try to keep our homes and cash safe using lock and key, yet with just one online purchase, our credit cards can be stolen by hackers worldwide. Our search for newer and better ways to protect data goes on. Securing data is a major subject of research. Nations fail to keep their secrets safe, and sometimes, to our delight people like Julian Assange discover the keys needed to expose the facts, decisions and actions hidden by unscrupulous politicians and bureaucrats.

A key, in a sense represents a solution. The key to our happiness lies buried in the depths of our mind. Eventually one gets tired of finding external solutions to one’s own problems and try to find the key to calming the mind.

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Dreams

Where do they arise from?

Where do they go?

Seem real enough to believe them until I am awake

Have you tried to fly like a bird in a dream?

Or dive into the depths of ocean?

I always wanted to do it, even if it was just a dream

The possibilities are endless

All desires and all hopes

Dreams can fulfill them all

At least we will know how it feels..

And no risk involved

So, what all would you like to try?

I am making a list..

And waiting to get a handle on my dreams..

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Once a blade of grass

Once a blade of grass, once a tiny stream, once a sunbeam, a musical hymn

Once a boat ride, once a train, once a bullock-cart, once an air-plane

Once a crazy teenager, once a happy mother

Once a loyal wife, once an energetic daughter

Now just friends and happy to get over the errands

Many inspirations and many emotions, many journeys and many destinations

Many worlds and many constellations, many acquaintances and many connections

Sometimes weary and teary, hope is eternal and I forget the drudgery

This trip is now almost done, it’s been exhilarating, has been fun

All that arises comes to an end and suddenly for everything prayer seems to mend

Now it’s time to change gears and slowdown without fears

No-one belongs to anyone; arrives and departs just alone

The hurrying did not achieve anything faster nor being slow delay further

Time and age is a worry, only if you don’t give up the fury of hurry

Rushing for what is the question to ask, achieving a milestone is just a mask

Have gathered many of those pebbles and stones, the waves of time swallow them without any moans

Freedom at last! , not from loved ones or dear friends, but from my own illusions and infinite quests!!

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The genius of Da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, the pioneer of systemic thinking, alwaysmaintained that he loved learning from nature. He observed nature minutely and applied his learning in art, architecture, mathematics, technology and natural sciences. In a short-life span of 67 years he made very significant original contributions in all his areas of work. How did he pack such a diverse talent and contribution to humankind in a single body?

He received very little formal education at school level. Working with other artists of his time, befriending other talented people such as mathematicians, having an open mind and extensively applying learning across his fields of work provided him with a strong set of skills to tackle many different assignments in painting, music, architecture, hydrology, mathematics, sciences and technology. In today’s world, we attribute more and more specialization in a single discipline to be important for research and innovation. Leonardo Da Vinci proves us otherwise. His life’s work involved systemic and inter-disciplinary approach. Educationists worldwide should try and incorporate the values of respect for nature and interdisciplinary studies in our schools and colleges world-wide.

I wonder in today’s times if he would receive a noble prize in medicine for his contribution to anatomy, or in Mathematics for his work in 3D Geometry, or would it be in Physics for his studies in Hydraulics? Or would he be regarded as one of the greatest mechanical / civil engineers? Perhaps he could win all the art/painting prizes.

Leonardo Da Vinci became most renowned for his work in Arts. His knowledge of anatomy & physiology, colors & mediums, lights and shadows and geometry enriched his art and made him famous as an artist. A few of his most well-known works include the ‘Monalisa’, the ‘Last Supper’ and the ‘Virgin of the rocks’. He experimented with various mediums and used natural hues. He pioneered the painting technique known as “sfumato”, literally meaning “like smoke”. This involves applying glazes using a transparent colour over dark ones to provide depth. He taught several pupils including Gian Giacomo (Salai) and Francesco Melzi who studied under him from an early age and continued the legacy of his style of painting. Leonardo worked closely with his pupils and loved them dearly.

Codex Atlanticus, a large 12 volume bound set of Da Vinci’s original drawings (about 1100 pages) and notes gives us an amazing insight into his mind and life. His attempt at trying to design an aircraft using detailed bird flight studies is one of the several hundreds of things he attempted. His fascination and deep respect for nature reflected in various things he designed – for instance a mansion design where he took inspiration from the patterns in nature. Da Vinci’s Atlanticus is full of nature and objects - detailed leaf studies and venation patterns and other studies in botany, birds flight studies, butterflies, plans, musical instruments, 3D drawings and cartography. Some of his studies and drawings of differential gear systems form the basis of modern day automobiles. We find him using the word machine for several things he designed.

And here’s one of Da Vinci’s famous quotes “ Everything proceeds from everything, and everything becomes everything, because that which exists in the elements is composed of those elements.”

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Hajo

Hajo, a small town and a place of pilgrimage is about thirty two kilometers from Guwahati, the capital of Assam, one of the north-eastern states of India. It is a holy place for three religions – Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.  The town goes by many different historical names – Apunarbhava, Vishnupuskara, Manikutagram, Sujabad and Hajo.

Poa-Mecca, a mosque here, is visited by many devout Muslims. Praying at this mosque is said to provide a fourth of the blessings of doing a Hajj. This mosque is believed to have been built during the reign of Shahajahan. Gyasuddin Aulia, who was among the first to spread Islam in this area, is buried in a tomb here.

There is another temple in Hajo known as the Hayagriva Madhav Mandir. This is visited by both Buddhists and Hindus. Hindus worship the main deity as Jagannatha, alternatively known as Vishnu or Hayagriva Madhav. There are five different deity images of Vishnu. The temple is situated on Manikot hill, which is a beautiful location surrounded by a forest. There is a pond at the base of the hill which is home to some very old turtles, some even hundred and fifty years old. The Bhutanese Buddhists believe that this is a site where Guru Rinpoche meditated. Some even believe that the Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana in the Hajo area and that the main image of the Hayagriva Madhav Mandir is that of the Mahamuni. The temple is very old, possibly constructed around the 6th century by the Pala dynasty. There have been some additions to the temple structure in later periods. 

Hajo was historically an important port on the banks of Brahmaputra river until the 17th Century. According to some historians Hajo was connected to Lhabro in Tibet. The great translator Marpa came to Hajo and became a disciple of Naropa, a renowned Buddhist master who was said to have lived in Hajo. The Bhutanese Buddhists believe that Naropa worshipped a deity named Kung Gao here.

At the temple, there is a tradition of offering five lamps, incense, an intricate string of rice grains with husk, some soaked lentils and sweets. Beware of the monkeys as you climb the temple steps. They are well-known for collecting their share of the offerings even before you can offer to the gods. Luckily for us, the monkeys collected their prize on our return back from the temple. 

I tried locating English articles or books detailing the history of the place but did not find any. The carved elephants and lotus at the base of the dome of the main temple are very characteristic of ancient Buddhist architecture.

We drove down to a local eatery to grab an Assamese thali lunch, consisting of fish-curry and rice, promptly served in a Kahi-Bati (plate and bowl made of an alloy resembling brass). Then we drove on the winding roads through paddy fields to go to Sualkuchi, the silk-weaver’s village.

On the way, I could not but wonder at human drive to propagate religion. Hayagriva Madhava Mandir certainly seems like a Buddhist temple, now re-built as a Hindu one. Fortunately, both religions can pray here. Hopefully someday we could have ONE temple for all.