chaotic order

The sermon of Bhagavad Gita is largely considered to be a spiritual classic not only its esoteric contents, but also for the fact that it was enunciated on a battle field to a trepidus warrior . Its eighteen chapters are the crown jewel of the Mahabharata and looked upon as one of the most profound insights into the nature of Self. Interestingly, the Ramayana also contains an intense spiritual discourse by Sage Agastya to none other than the God incarnate Rama. In thirty pli thy aphorisms, the eminent sage wakes Rama from the stupor of battle fatigue and gives him a glimpse of his real self. The poem is called 'Adityahrydayam'. It is a prayer that is chanted everyday in a million Indian homes . Unfortunately, we dont regard it as a masterpiece of spiritual literature in the same breath as the Bhagavad Gita, for the simple reason that the battle in Lanka is not as dramatic a setting as Kurukshetra was; and secondly, here the Lord himself is in a state of self doubt and hence

While the nation debates the appropriateness of awarding the Highest civilian honor to Sachin Tendulkar; I, for one, would want to merely acknowledge that the honor was given to a man who skillfully played a sport with a great amount of decency and pride for many years without unduly succumbing to the perils of sycophancy and measureless wealth that came with it (a rarity in our age and times). I also believe that Sachin happened to be playing the right game at the right time. There is no doubt in the fact that the game of cricket has seen more talented sportsmen, playing under more adverse circumstances than him; and it also an equally true fact that the Dyan Chand’s, the Milka Singh’s, the Ramesh Krishnan’s, the Sunil Gavaskar’s, the Viswanathan Anand’s glimmer as bright stars in their own firmament; but Sachin is fortunate to have been living in India and played Cricket at a singular time, when historically, a couple of catastrophic changes affected the perceptions of common man in

Philosophy is often criticized to be an esoteric affair of Men who have no active life to pursue. So much so, that the essence and meaning of religion as a study of truth about ourselves has lost its relevance in the mists of time. The matters of the spirit (so to speak) in this modern age are relegated to indulgent pastimes that are exercised only as a distraction from the daily business of livin g. This is a profound tragedy because religion is probably the most practical science ever practiced; and to not understand the value of this pursuit undermines the entire intellectual heritage of Mankind across ages and civilizations. By Religion, obviously, I do not refer to Institutionalized faiths , but a living, dynamic, intense inquiry into the reality of one self. During my research the other day, I came across a wonderful story in the Vedas (the lore of Aryan tribes) that smacked of practical wisdom and investigative rigor. Here it goes : A learned sage walks into a palace and demand

The second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is in my opinion, the finest treatise on self confidence and the imperative need to get on with life, no matter what the consequences are. Arjuna is in a terrible state of psychological indecision. His whole life has been a preparation for this day of War. Every sinew in his body has been chiseled to wield the bow with an artistry that is unparalleled ; educated in the finest traditions of the age, under the most prolific masters available: this is his moment of truth; and lo!, the Gandiva slips from his fingers , his psyche is paralyzed and he stands before the lord completely bewildered. Then begins one of the greatest lectures ever delivered to a man in utter confusion : Sankya Yoga (the Book of doctrines), In Seventy two verses, Krishna summarizes the entire philosophy of existence clothed in a language and style that is poetic, deep, mellifluous and pregnant with practical wisdom. The 37th verse is my personal favorite. After taking Arjuna

As a young boy, I remember watching the classic fantasy movie “The clash of Titans” - a beautifully crafted Grecian mythological film : The Hero Perseus, a mortal battling all odds against demonic forces, aided in unexpected ways by forces unknown; eventually banishing Hades, the Lord of the underworld to his rightful place; and rescues pretty Andromeda from the jaws of death. A simple story, ofte n told and repeated in cultures across the globe in flavors that are local to it (Ramayana is one such story). As a child we were reared with these immortal heroes at our bedsides. They dominated our dreams, and in a subconscious manner, we aspired the same glory as them. The Superman’s, Spiderman’s and the Batman’s are then externalizations and manifestations of this inner need to transcend and extend ourselves, beyond the limited little self, that we are. They are our modern day heroes. We relish the accomplishments, miracles and physical impossibilities of these 'larger than life'

The Upanishadic texts often refer to man of spiritual temper as a “Dvijotthama” (translated as “twice born”) and the Christian texts to the birth of Jesus as “Virgin birth”. It is interesting that across cultures the same metaphorical motifs point to the same meaning, though, their symbolism's tend to get distorted and misdirected within the narrow contexts when used in different institutionalized faiths. Let me explain: All primitive mystical traditions speak of a physical birth through a mother’s womb and after a period of intellectual and cultural incubation within the social boundaries of the tribe, the young adult physically and psychologically is wrenched free from attachment to the mother and initiated into a larger role that he has to play in society, with new rules that are in consonance with observed laws of nature, procreation and the Universe as they knew it. A “Dvijotthama” then, is one who has shed his filial attachments ,puerile s ense of individuality, and moved in

Shyam  -  a testimonial It has been an honor and a deep pleasure to have known and seen Shyam grow, evolve, mature over the last decade. I remember meeting him for the first time in the office of NIIT Rajajinagar : a lean , unsure, friendly, gullible, genuinely brilliant young boy who was going through the motions of college rather effortlessly and had enough time to attend to pursue his varied interests in life. Between him and me: It was kind of bonding that happens naturally when two like minded  individuals gravitate towards each other, and I have ever since counted him as a part of very close inner circle of friends. I still remember the difficult choice that he had to make after his graduation when he had two good offers in his hand, and then decided to join the electronics industry . He has not looked backed ever since, and that is his great quality; the ability to take life as it comes and give it every ounce of energy, attention and intellect that he can be given to it. It

It is a cloudy and windy evening here in Salt Lake City. I returned from work at 5.30, took a swim, ordered in a Pizza from a local Pizzeria called the "Big Daddy", pulled up a couple of pillows behind me and continued my reading of a wonderful book of essays by Stephen Jay Gould - an evolutionary biologist. Dr Gould is arguably the best known and widely read scientist of our generation. A Paleont ologist by profession, but is widely recognized for his path breaking views on Darwinian theory of evolution and the articulate essays that he regularly wrote for the "The Natural History" magazine for a period of thirty odd years till his death in 2002. All his known essays have been collected in individual volumes edited by and prefaced by Gould himself. Since the time Darwin published his seminal work “Origin of species" in 1850, scientific thinking, buttressed by religious authority has been vociferously advocating, establishing and pontificating on an anthropoce

Will and Ariel Durant - A personal tribute and remembrance Mel Gibson’s great and controversial movie “Apocalyptic”, released in 2006, fictionalized the decline and fall of the famed Mayan civilization: it begins with the following graphical quote: ‘A great civilization is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself within’. These are the words of Will Durant, written nearly  fifty years ago in the hallowed pages of his epic work “The story of civilization” in eleven volumes. In nearly thirteen thousand pages of immaculate writing, poetic audacity, delectable idioms and sweeping generalizations; both Will and his wife Ariel Durant spans the lifetime of human civilization in all its principal aspects with a finesse, grace and erudition that has never before been attempted , and In my opinion , can never be bettered in its execution. The work took them fifty years to plan and complete, and during that period, the husband and wife traveled the globe a dozen times, saw and r

One of the authors that I have loved and grown up reading is Irving Stone, the author of several wonderfully researched and exquisitely written Biographical novels that have helped bring to life the complex, tortured inner lives of many a genius. Books like "Lust for life"; that chronicles the maniacal and suicidal creativity of the great impressionist Painter Vincent van gough, or "The agony and  the ecstasy" - again the life and work of arguably that most complete artist Michelangelo, or the "The president's lady" - which unveils the complex relationship between President Andrew Jackson and his controversial wife Rachel, or "The passions of the mind", an intimate novel that delves into the mind of Sigmund Freud as he postulates the principles of Psychoanalysis , or "the Origins" - the superb chronicle of the astute and dedicated brain of Charles Darwin as he travels and observes aboard the ship "The beagle" to formulate

America prepares to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg and also remember with pride and choking emotion the prophetic, poignant and arguably one of the greatest speeches delivered by President Abraham Lincoln upon conclusion of the battle. There are few moments in History when the words of a single inspired individual raises the collective consciousness of an entire nation to a new level of awareness and action. Nehru's - "tryst with Destiny";Marin Luther king's - "I have a dream", JFK's "Ask not what the country can do for you...." - all of them were spoken with a passion and conviction that comes with a deep sense of understand and power. The very same words spoken by lesser individuals may not have had the same impact or resonance amongst people; but uttered from the mouths of these stalwarts, the words pierces through the stultified intellect of the masses and nonchalantly touches a chord that lies deeply buried

"The Revolutionary road" – An insight into the American Dream - A work of literary fiction by Richard Yates - A sensitive film by Sam Mendes The “American Dream” is both a gift and a curse. A gift: primarily because it propels individuals to tenaciously pursue their vocation and keep striving for more without the restraints of tradition, education, creed or opportunities; a Curse: because it leaves men and women in a perpetual state of discontent, an inner void that defies fulfillment and a perpetual need for change, more often than not leading their lives to shambles. It is this friction in American society that lubricates its material growth,and ironically fuels its quest for that elusive state of Psychological balance (Intentionally, I avoid using the phrase “spiritual balance”) and creates the aura and myth that entices the entire world to partake of the American Dream. Richard Yates, the author of “The Revolutionary road”, is in many ways an unlucky writer. He lived and

Miracle, moment by moment, of naked existence – The doors of perception: Listening to the “The doors” on my flight from Atlanta Aldous Huxley experimented with mescaline, a psychedelic drug in May 0f Nineteen fifty three to gain an insight into what he called as ‘expanded consciousness’. He wrote about the transformation in sensory perceptions during the few hours following the intake of the drug, in his wonderful and controversial book titled “The doors of perception”. I remember reading this short book (probably the shortest among Huxley’s literary works), in college, at a time, when I was first beginning to experience the light heartedness and an instinctual surety, that a single glass of Beer could bring. Huxley’s immaculate and flowery prose bought to life a certain cantankerous sense of adventure in living dangerously. He talked about the lowering of habitual intellectual defenses, a wholesomeness of living that went beyond the dictates of reason and an absolute certainty that c

I took a walk around downtown today. Portsmouth is a dainty township of hardly thirty thousand people. A historic place that traces its history way back to the sixteenth century. Its inhabitants even today proudly call it the " jewel of New England". Within a couple of square miles, there were about hundred odd eating establishments (not the Franchisee's that we see all around the United states),  but original family owned restaurants and pubs that have been around for a long time. It has an astonishingly high density of pubs and a large number of microbreweries for a small city. The people of Portsmouth obviously love their alcohol. As i walked along the frosted pavements of Downtown, literally every pub was brimming with activity and sounds of garrulous merry making echoed and ricocheted off the ancient brick walls : a lasting testament to the antiquity of the place . I believe, there is an University close by, and one could see young ,confident boys and girls, walking

This is Graduation day in New Hampshire, and I guess in most parts of the country. The city of Portsmouth is flooded with parents visiting to witness a momentous day in the lives of their children. There is almost a deep sense of fulfillment and pride in their eyes. That is the beauty of this country. They tend to commemorate every significant milestone in their families. Contrary to popular opi nion, it is not very easy for most young boys or girls in America to go through School or college with an intensity and dedication required to complete it. There are a lot of distractions and oppurtunities that could sway them from a formal academic rigor. For middle class parents , working their way through mortgages, loans and the compulsive need to maintain a decent lifestyle; it becomes very difficult to support children's education in a sustained manner, more so, if the kid develops other interests in life. Single parents or dysfunctional families find it even more difficult. In a coc

A note penned late in the night after Sahima's Graduation party : Sergei Bubka, arguably the finest Pole vaulter the sport has ever seen, Once said " The art of Pole vaulting lies not in the lift, but knowing precisely when to let go of the pole in mid air". I guess, the same could said about parenting as well. As a parent, it is absolutely imperative to know when to gracefully grant the psychol ogical and intellectual independence to one's child; to let go of the hand that was so carefully held and nurtured for many long years. That is the ultimate gift that could be presented by a parent to a teenager. I have just come back to my hotel from the Graduation party of Sahima (daughter of my good friend and colleague - Sandeep Godhkindi). Time has this unique capacity to flow past us without leaving a ripple. I find it hard to believe that this small chubby girl, with sparking eyes, a warm smile has now graduated from high school and now ready to embark on a study of jo

As is sat waiting for my flight in Dallas airport last week, a very curious thought emerged within me. I was in the airport by three in the morning to board a flight four hours later, and it gave ample time to get into one those mellow moods of observation, which grips our senses every now and then, when we are not particularly stressed or worried about anything in particular. There is a strange s ense of dispossession. Slowly, the airport was coming to life with travelers pushing their trollies, parents herding their children, youngsters with headphones jammed tight on their ears : as they walk around hunting for a cozy seat to put up their legs and relax. An airport is a strange place. It is a no man’s land. Thousands of people congregate, chat, socialize in bars and restaurants, making inane conversations with strangers; sometimes audacious enough to reveal their long buried secrets. All that one needs is a sympathetic ear. Beside me was seated a good looking lady, probably in her

 “Flight” – A Movie review of a Remarkable film by Robert Zemeckis The movie begins with a Pilot lying in bed naked with a flight attendant, intoxicated with alcohol, and fatigued after a riotous night of unfettered physical intimacy. That defines Captain Whip, a chronic drug abuser, an ace pilot, a charismatic and debonair seducer called in to command a domestic flight that develops a mechanical failure , and is doomed to perish along with hundred and odd passengers on board. By a miraculous professional instinct that comes from deep seated talent, the pilot steers the flight out of trouble and lands on an empty field. The trouble though is that the Captain was drunk during the flight. The fact the aircraft was grounded with minimal number of causalities does not abdicate the irresponsible behavior of the pilot, and he is made answerable to a commission, battling his alcohol problem all along. The Movie captures the helpless condition of a talented man under the grip of drug abuse