Reality of REALITY

Just a time-pass thought, if Ajmal Kasab had escaped the death penalty …

He is the one whom entire nation and world love to hate, love to loath. He is the one who has been forsaken by his own people out of fear. The severity of his cruel action is so much that if he is left in any place without our armed police protection, people will claim his life. Still, if our own pace-hating and peace-loving judicial system had left him free where his life might have taken him…………,Yes he might have been a most popular player in reality shows.

For all we know, ‘Kathron ka Khiladi’ might have spotted a right merciless brave heart for themselves. The participation needs to be from very diverse background right?.
Or Big Boss might have wanted some imbalance/masala in their show with him in right place. Wont be surprised with inmates’ gentle & courtesy filled social gestures towards him. After all they have to show to voters that ‘Love the sinner but hate the sin’.
Or he might have even found a secure place for himself in Splits’ Villaaaaa . Ha Ha... Less said the better..
Or some brilliant might have thought of starting an indigenous reality show with novel & innovative theme, ‘Terror ka Samna’ with Kasab as host !!!!!!!!

If Kasab is good at making use of these bright and promising opportunities rightly he would have made future for himself with several more reality shows, comedy/dance competitions in queue to get his signature in their candidate list. And the worst/hilarious might be, Kasab will succeed to get a Swayamvara show with name “Kasab dulhaniya maarega’ where we can see some beautiful ladies enacting the same principle ‘Love the sinner but hate the sin’ competing and fighting among themselves to gain one glance from their opportunity to name and fame, ‘Kasab’.

Yes this is the reality of fast-yielding and fast spawning new trend reality shows which dare to do any cheap/noble thing and can reach any height or scoop to new lowest for just taking the prime time TRP to new height. Entertainment Industry is just too good at monetizing the love/hate value of some personality and associated running live emotions of all and sundry.

My Life Partner (BaaLa Sangaati)

My emotions and feelings express themselves only in first language to me. Hence this poem in Kannada. Now I will certainly not spoil the poem by giving its English translation. But here is my best attempt to explain its meaning.

The smiles radiated from your eyes have won my mind.

And it is always longing for your sweet and warm hug.

I forget this whole world when I am with you.

And have no desire for anything else in this world.

Its everywhere garden of Eden when you smile

Everything seems tasteless and boring when you wear worry-lines on forehead

You keep smiling always, I too will smile

You be with me always, I will live this life.

Challenges in this happy life? Let it come.

Difficult times and losses are just the games and lessons for us.

Our Affluence wont diminish and our smiles wont fade

I can win this world with your love

Be it wrecking mansoon or burning summer, Be it drought or flood

I have courage, I have patience and have contented mind too

I will be forever I AM and shined/jazzed because of you.

And my ever glowing smile will be dedicated to you, me and our love.

Is it Being Human?

‘Smoking is injurious to health’ - duly written on every cig packet. But it is not just a suicidal act. Then, shouldn’t it be changed to ‘Smoking is injurious to the health of you and everyone near you”.. ?

I consider smoking as terrorism in some way. After all, it is injecting slow poison into the society. People are aware of the sin & danger and still continue doing it with style. Now what do we say, heights of Your Highness, Addiction!!!

But why all the anger on smokers. Each of us here is determined on a selfish plan of big massacre. We all use plastics, waste water and other natural resources, splash our proud vehicles for smallest distance and the list goes on. Here our selfishness and practical viability wins over love for mother earth and future generation.

Finally, being literate is not being educated and being educated is not being wise. And, being human is being stupidly dead cruel.

Fold and Unfold

Art is that which gives life to life. Some are close to it by purpose. Rest are close to it unknowingly or as one simply can’t avoid it. Right from stone age, man has simply accepted art as essential ingredient in life and that’s the reason we have various forms and meanings to art across the globe, across different culture and also that’s why it is ever evolving.

As kids, among many of our silly games and toys, the one that was my favorite was to sail paper boat. The merriment wouldn’t have been the same if it is a ready made toy boat in place of self made paper boat. Later this art which is called Origami - art of folding the paper artfully, was shared to us in great deal in our weekly craft class in school. Our art teacher who had great talent and skill to turn anything into a beautiful art piece, had made it very interesting and favorite class to be looked forward in each week. I used to think why can’t this craft class replace all other periods which come more than 3-4 times in a week or atleast why can not craft class be given as a selective with the games and PT (Physical Training) periods which I never liked as I just hated losing every time L. The favorite art theme which our art teacher introduced in the same craft class is still my favorite till date and that theme is “Kasadinda Rasa”. Near translation of this Kannada phrase in English is “Funk the Junk”. Its a different story and will take pages to pen down if I start on how and when I applied this theme in few cases and how some had become a funny experience or led to even suffering sometimes and which are being recollected very often to have a hearty laugh by few of my friends, roomies and family. The inspiration for this also lies in our Mangalorean cuisine and ofcourse from my mom because main principle for both is that “hardly anything can be discarded that easily”. Yes, It is not an exaggeration if one says that there is hardly any fruit/nut/vegetable/leaves which does not find its place in Mangalorean/ Karavali cuisine/home medicine.

Coming back to Origami, I happened to visit a Chinese new year festival exhibition in Melbourne few years back and that small exhibition had some strange magnetic power to hold visitors from leaving the place soon without offering back enough of praises. As usual and like everything else about Chinese, I was simply left awed with open mouth at their geniuses at Origami section of the exhibition. They had almost every manmade and nature made creatures on this globe under that one small roof with difference being only that they were handmade from paper with few folds and unfolds and turns. That actually shouldn’t have been a surprise as China is land of origin for Origami which later traveled ad triumphed in Japan .

Recently I was staring at a brochure in shining red colour paper at my friend’s hand during one of those idle time in office. And that made me think about the leaping frog which we used to make in childhood. My hands started itching and I started folding the paper hesitantly as I was not sure whether I could recollect all the steps properly now. But to my surprise I could make the leaping frog from that paper which is now sitting proudly on my desk. This frog had drawn attention from many passers by and many had tried their hand in making it leap forward and also in making it limp eventually with so many pushes. One of the funny comments passed on the frog was from my friend known for his great talent for connecting the things. He told about the fable story of sleeping beauty who kissed a cursed cute frog to actually find a charming prince being freed from the curse and then they married and lived happily together thereafter. Then he asked whether I too have any idea of that kind with this frog. Ha Ha.. But another interesting comment was from another colleague who told how this Origami is being looked at as mathematical method of finding solution behind this mysterious universe quoting what he read in one of the National Geographical magazines. That was a great news for me and I started googling about it to find a gallery of information on Origami as science.

It is very surprising that this ancient form of art is a new tool for invention and also for application of new inventions. Thanks to advanced technology and computers which are empowering the analysis and research work by making it simpler, easier and quicker. It has made world to take new interest in Origami and Origami has transformed from an art form into Origami Science now. Shooting paper rockets is not just naughty kid’s play now. Japanese scientists have envisioned to launch origami paper planes made of sugarcane-fiber. Origami has given new designing technique to Lawrence Livermore national laboratory which is aiming to fold the plastic space telescope lens which is of the size of a football field, small enough to fit into a payload bay. University of Oxford used an origami pattern in heart stent design which allowed the device to fold into a very small package for its trip through the small blood vessels leading to the weakened artery where it could then be expanded to provide support and hold the artery open. Science is now believing that origami-the folding art will help it unfold the mystery behind how this universe is folded/formed.

This has triggered now a new thought in me. I was told as a kid that God is a great artist, architect and magician and he formed this world by spreading a beautiful & colourful big carpet on this globe and then he fixed mountains to hold the carpet and then he painted beautiful singing birds, pouring clouds, roaring tigers and many more. Now I think that God, the artist, the architect and the magician might as well have just taken a beautiful and colourful piece of big paper and folded and unfolded it in style.

More on Origami is here

• Between the folds: http://www.greenfusefilms.com/
• Pieces n Creases: http://library.thinkquest.org/5402/history.html
• Origami Science: Ancient Art To Cutting Edge Science: http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/origami-science/
• Origami Science: http://www.world-science.net/otieenchernews/070207_origami.htm
• Origami Resource Centre: http://www.origami-resource-center.com/origami-science.html
• Fold Everything: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/big-idea/03/origami
  
• Fold Everything blog: http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2009/09/confessions-of-an-origami-novice-i-fold.html

I know my pain points ...

Somewhere I read this long ago which I recollect too often..

If you are ill, don’t ignore it and do visit a doctor. Because doctor must live.
Now if doctor prescribes medicine, you don’t ignore and please go to a chemist because chemist must live.
Now you put those medicines into a bin as you must live too..

Sorry if anyone’s sentiment is hurt. But its true that medicines don’t do only good to the body and medicine’s intake should be controlled as much as possible. Recently my friend had to go to a doctor for UTI problem with fever and under pain. Doctor after thorough test and questions, prescribed 4 different types of medicines; one for infection, one for fever, one for controlling frequency, one for pain and left her with an advise to come back after 2 days for checkup because if its not reduced by then, then it might be a kidney problem. My friend had wisely gone to the doctor and wisely paid for lab test, consultation and medicine. But, she also wisely and bravely decided to take only one medicine for the first day which was for treating the infection as that was the cause for all problems and she decided to start with other medicines after a day only if there is no significant improvement. But that one medicine worked well and she was completely cured in 2 days. Yes this logic can be devastatingly life taking if applied as a thumb rule in every case. Because, doctors understand body science better than us. But at the same time it is also true that Medicine doesn’t do only good to the body. Finally, as a sufferer we understand the suffering and we love ourselves the most.

This theory is similar to what they say about consultants. A consultant is one who takes out the watch from your own wrist and tells you the time and bills for it. And still big corporates hire and seek big strategic advise from external consultants for their small internal problems. Yes, true that consultant firms need to survive. But corporates should also understand that internal problems can be better understood by internal people with little effort and interest.

Pursuit of Love and Happiness

Relationship is an illusion

• which stays as long as both believe in the same illusion in same way
• which becomes a torture when one doesn’t have confidence that the other has belief in the illusion
• which ends when one of them flips and thinks that it is just an illusion.

The above lines may sound very cynical but my mind couldn’t help but think in these lines.

Is this love? “yes it is” or “yes, that’s it and all over”
Yes, two answers for same question and these days I think these two answers make two faces of a coin. I am surprised to hear more of divorce and break up news these days than the news on newly found love. And I am more surprised and puzzled to know the reason behind those breaking relationships.

These days, break-ups are looked upon as a relieving solution rather than holding onto falling tree. When love blossoms there is fragrance in air and music in wind. But it requires a lot of effort to recreate the same magic again and again and nurture the relationship. From couple of those breakup stories I learnt that there was no base for the relationship and my friends were just playing trial and error or more or less cheating from one side or both the sides. The same trial and error had worked a great deal in the past in our moms’ and grandma’s era. But now, life comes with lot of boldness for all kinds of trial & error and lot of independence to turn a new leaf when encountered with error after enough trials.

Life has to go on and same goes for pursuit of love and happiness. Hope those friends of mine turn new leaf in life with new confidence and enthusiasm.

Love driving Life

What is the most romantic scene in this world?
A couple sitting on a bench in park hand in hand, with beautiful smile that gleams through wrinkled face, with eyes which have seen the world and years of life but haven't just tired of seeing each other and they still say ‘just not enough’.

Yes we come across such scenes everywhere, in trains, temples, markets, the old couples supporting each other, taking care of each other, reminding each other of medical routines etc.

Love is about loving someone/something whole heartedly for what he/she/it is and accepting for what he/she/it is not and continuing to love.
Love is that which drives the life. Love for wife/husband, parents, kids, friends, work, nature and of all love for self.
All our actions and reactions are based on that. The same love gives care and responsibilities and makes us a living thing rather than an object.

The first prayer I was taught as kid was to ask god to give happiness, wellness & health to myself, mom, dad, sisters.... and everyone else in the society. And I still remember how mom asked to change the order by placing dad in the beginning. And I also still remember when the same prayer got succeeded to my younger sister, she promptly confirmed at the end of her prayer application to god by telling "Its Me so and so asking you who is daughter of so and so... and stays in ......... So, you know me right?"

In essence, every prayer of every religion has a message of love in it. But I wonder why there is so much violence in this world then. Again, the answer is in that obsessed, dominating self-righteous love for ones self or some specific thing which has influenced to look down upon rest of the world blindly.
If we believe that God is one, and if we believe that he is the supreme power of this universe then can't we just love each and every of his creations, actions and happenings with the same logic of loving for what it is and for what it is not ???