chaotic order

Jottings- Slice of life - 36 (Part 1) Food, when seen in copious quantities can be overwhelmingly nauseating sometimes. One gets this strange feeling of superfluity coupled with an odd feeling of lethargic fullness in the stomach in well spread out buffets, or lavish weddings, when wherever you look, there is food and only food - nothing else. From simple appetizers, to liquor and beverages, to vegetables and meat, and after dinner aperitifs and Deserts - one’s stomach is satiated with the very sight of it, let alone the giddy feeling of excess caused by profusion of mingled scents and smells that hit the nostril with the vehemence of a tornado. They are all good and pleasing, but there is a limit to what one can eat, and how much could be eaten. Those frontiers were broken down yesterday, at Texas de Brazil, a restaurant at Fort worth Texas. Around fourteen of us were invited by our Customer for a get-together at this upscale Brazilian chain. For those of us, who do not know this,

Jottings: Slice of life - 32 I regularly meet Mr Khan in the Sauna. He is 75 years, slim with a healthy glow on his face. His routine , like mine is to swim for 30 minutes, sweat himself out in the Sauna for 15 and then possibly do some cardio exercises. Though, we exchange pleasantries, not much by way of conversation has happened before yesterday, when he called out to me and said "You swim with poise ,unhurried technique and without any sign of distress.. I enjoy watching you swim. I thought I must tell you.." Coincidentally, I have been wanting to compliment Khan on his own style. For a man of his age, he swims with consummate ease. I reciprocated his compliments and added: "Yes sir, Thanks so much. My objective is not to push myself to the point of exhaustion, or develop a V shaped body, or to improve my muscle strength or health, or to look good. No, none of those things. I swim because I find it extremely relaxing. When I swim my Brain is utterly quiet.

Jottings : Slice of life  - 35 To stand upon the sacred Olympic podium once in an athlete's life time is a commendable achievement. But to walk up to it twenty times in twenty years in a span of five Olympic Games places Michael Phelps in a rarified region of sports that is not readily accessible to ordinary mortals. Granted that Phelps is naturally gifted, some may call it blessed, to possess a wingspan considerably broader than the best of swimmers. Granted his ankle is double jointed which gives him additional flexibility to propel himself. Given all these natural endowments, even then, to achieve what he has achieved is something extraordinary and special. The sheer physical endurance, excellence , sharpness, commitment and above all passion and discipline to keep going at it for such length of time at the highest echelons of the sport, only proves that the limits of Human possibility still remains undefined and  unmarked. And when a Man sets his goals high enough, nothin

Jottings : Slice of life - 34 Though we prefer to be happy all the time,it is unmistakably true that nothing prepares us better to lead a fulfilled life than unhappiness, deep existential depression ,or to use Kierkegaard's term - a sense of despair about oneself and life around. It almost seems a contradiction in terms. While we make every effort scientifically, morally, ethically to improve the general happiness of Mankind, Man is essential unhappy within. This is a fact. But we do everything in our power not to face it. We try our best to reach a point of peace within the circumference of our outward experiences. Family, work, social life, religion - we try dabbling with all these to arrive there. But somehow despite all this effort, at odd moments, we are left utterly alone. A sense of gloom and despair pervades our being. Interestingly though, the most clarifying and transforming of experiences within an individual are often those which occur when they are in the depth o

Jottings : Slice of life - 31 Every year during the month of Ramadan, boys and girls between the age of 10 and 20 from nearly seventy odd countries congregate in the beautiful city of Cairo in Egypt. The purpose is to participate in Quran recital competition held by the ministry of religious affairs. The day of Ramadan is chosen for this event because it was on this holy day, nearly thirteen centuries ago, that the Quran was revealed. The competition in Cairo brings together diverse threads of Moderate muslims under one roof - for whom the Quran is not merely a religion or just a codified book of injunctions, but is a way of life that embraces everything from birth to death and beyond, and this particular competition in Cairo is perhaps the most prestigious and historic of many such events conducted across the globe. For a Muslim, Lacking physical manifestation or representation of God, the word becomes very important. They not only sincerely believe but are firmly convinced that e

Jottings : slice of Life - 29 Joseph Campbell, the great mythologist and professor of comparative religion, mentions a beautiful metaphor to indicate Human potential. Sea turtles lay their eggs about 30 feet from the sea, and when the young turtles, size of a nickel, break out of their shells, they immediately start scrambling towards the sea. They don’t have to be taught that if they tarry a moment longer than needed on the shore, they will be scooped up by birds waiting from their delicious arrival. Its biological and psychological structure has been programmed, wired from its inception to move swiftly towards safety. They also know how to swim, and water doesn't unnerve them. These were learnings, instincts hardcoded into them. They come into this world fully formed and equipped to lead lives in a manner chosen fit by millennia of evolution. They have no problems of schooling, tutoring or a learning curve, or even the inclination to learn, grow and transform themselves into

Jottings : Slice of life - 30 In the midst of all the euphoria surrounding Rajnikanth’s “Kabali”, I can only sympathize and pity the Person Rajni who has to endure all this. This may sound very strange to you. When a movie has raked in 250 crores on its release, screened across 8000 theaters worldwide, watched almost with frenzied religious fanaticism by every section of Indian society; profusely written, spoken and reviewed about in all forms of media, Daily lives forced to come to standstill in major Indian cities and beyond to honor the occasion of his movie release, ardent fans flocking and stampeding into screening halls with milk, garlands and other ritualistic paraphernalia to propitiate their God incarnate( as he appears to them) each time he appears on Screen - like the resurrection of Jesus - praying for immortality of their beloved superstar, Families forsaking their humble earnings to get an invaluable ticket to watch the first show in the hope of attaining fulfillment