chaotic order

Jottings: Slice of life Can we relate to somebody or something without the prism of opinion, Prejudices, social status, professional position or any of the other stereotypes of color, race and religion. It is worth a try. The immediate question that would assail us is : how can we live in society without such pigeon holing?. My answer would be " Have you tried it?" Such questions only arise as reactions from our deeply embedded habit of looking through solidified memory and therefore clouded perception through it. Think of it - Do we actually see, when we are in the act of seeing, Do we actually hear, when we are supposedly hearing. All that happens within is the constant chatter of interpretation of what is being seen or heard. We are, unfortunately, for the most part connected to each other only through our "idea" of each other, never the reality of the moment or the person. J Krishnamurti, often asked this question during his talks and dialogue " Can you

Jottings: Slice of life There was this quite beautiful girl during my college days - whom I cannot forget two reasons. One, she was good looking in a manner which could raise an eighteen year old's testosterone to palpable levels. She was our first infatuation ( I purposely use "ours" because there were many first year's who were pretty enamored by her looks). Two, she introduced me to the world of Ghazals during that crucial period when Jagjit and his wife Chitra were at the peak of their abilities, and singing soulful songs in a manner that could leave a young listener in a state of awe and hopeless romanticism. It is hard to believe that nearly 30 years have passed by since those adolescent days. If someone had told us then, that Jagjit and Chitra would stop singing together in 1990, or that Jagjit himself would be no more in couple of decades and Chitra would become a recluse hardly stepping out of her homely confinement, or that the poet Sudarshan Fakir ,wh

Jottings : Slice of life A question, or rather a topic that is commonly discussed when I am among American circle of friends is about "arranged marriages" and "marriage by choice". I cannot remember how many times well Meaning Westerners have asked me my opinion on this subject. It is one of those cultural traits that is difficult to accommodate, acquiesce and understand. For a conservative Indian, even today, the prospect of getting to choose his or her own life partner is still an act of defiance, no matter how much we proclaim our modernity or flaunt modern values. The adjustment may come later on, but initially there is always a reluctance by society to accept. We may argue things have changed , but all of us know, there is always a little small talk, few sneers, looks of disapproval lurking somewhere in the family or immediate social circle. On the other hand, For an American , the very idea of having a partner forced down their throat is unthinkable. It is

Jottings : Slice of life "Bill, there is a restful look on your face these days. Your body language is relaxed and you are smiling and laughing more..." Bill and I were having coffee in nearby Starbucks, after our workout. "thank you so much Bali ( that's how he calls me, for some reason he can never get the "a" right.. I have gotten used to it though) , your observation means a lot to me..." Here is what he recounted. "About six months ago,My wife and me joined a Zen Buddhistic retreat in Sanfrancisco. You know, I was absent from the Gym for about three weeks. Thats where we went. I am not sure what prompted us to make this trip, but my daughter in law is an avid reader of Buddhistic literature, and I chanced to lay my eyes on "Zen mind, Beginners mind" . The last year or so has been specially stressful with a lot of personal, professional things going around us, and somehow when I dipped into this book, it touched a deep chor

Jottings: Slice of life To have a child born on American soil is a dream of many young Indian parents. I met a neighbor yesterday as I was walked back from Target. He seemed in very cheerful mood. Normally, apart from perfunctory greetings, we have not exchanged any decent conversation worth the name in about ten months we have lived together in the same block. But yesterday, he shook hands vigorously and insisted we walk together.. During our conversation, he revealed his life-story to me. How he transitioned from a BPO role to software, how he struggled to Learn software programming, how he got a break into a decent company, How he met his wife and how he got married. In ten minutes, he summarized ten years of his life. I was very impressed with his achievement until this point, and then , he said “ It was our dream to have a child born as an American citizen? My wife and I are so very happy. She is in the family way now…”. I stopped in my tracks for few seconds and gasped for

Jottings: Slice of life Over the years, Many times I have heard teachers lament that they are often not treated well in the education business. They believe they are after all the last layer in the “food-chain” of this industry. It's sales, Pre sales, business leaders who hog all the limelight, and teachers who fulfill promises made by Business teams, on the floor of Customers are often taken for granted, and perhaps not very well recognized for what they achieve. I have heard this so many times in different hues and colors; sometimes I wonder if there is not a grain of truth to what they say. But then I quickly realize, it all lies in the perception and execution of teaching as a job. Personally, I find their attitude a little puzzling because, I have always felt that the Job I do in class is the most important step in this business, without which everything else in pretty much inconsequential. And I carry that pride in whatever I do otherwise. A customer can be boisterously h

Two books.. In 2006, two seminal books were published. Both of them were shortlisted for the prestigious National book awards, and one of them went on to win the Pulitzer award for Non-fiction that year. Both of them revolved around the 9/11 and its aftermath -which in is own way contributed and propelled America to invade Iraq on the pretext of ferreting out Saddam and his hidden Nuclear power.. I am talking about Richard wright’s “The Looming tower” - one of the finest accounts of the rise of Osama Bin laden and his coterie Al-Qaeda , and the other is Rajiv Chandrasekhar’s masterly journalistic narrative of America’s disastrous effort on post-conflict rehabilitation of Saddam’s Iraq “Imperial life in the Emerald city”Both these books are must read for anyone who wishes to have a sane, balanced and an objective ( If that is possible at all) view of last 15 years of terrorism and America’s intervention as Global peace maker in parts of the world largely ruled by convictions, aspira