chaotic order

Jottings : Slice of life -41 The day before Yesterday, Hindus across the globe celebrated what has come to christened as "Janmastami" - or the birth of Krishna, the youthful God. Among the Gods and Goddesses created by Human Mind, nothing comes even close to the deep symbolism of this little dark prince of Vedic times. He is Aphrodite, Zeus, Ra, Hermes and Apollo - all rolled into one creative symbol. It is interesting though, that the name krishna drives from its Sanskrit root "The Black one", or the "blue-black one". It has deep mystical significance. Black absorbs everything into itself Just as the sky placidly reflects the colour of the ocean and vice versa, Krishna consciousness in each man obliterates the scars of experience , and purifies the experience of objective world outside. Its an osmotic process of cleansing and experiencing. In Krishna's symbolism, there is nothing right or wrong, Moral or immoral. It is contextual. His actions refl

Jottings : Slice of life -41 Audrey Hepburn - An elegant and authentic life When you look at Audrey Hepburn, the thing that strikes you first with tremendous force are those large eyes, eyes that are not merely beautiful, but deep placid pools revealing honesty, spontaneity and deep love of life. You can keep looking at them forever. Nothing else about her needs to speak. Her eyes does all the talking needed, and all we lose ourselves in those bright orbs, and through them into the character and person Audrey was, is , and will presumably be for generations to come. The history of World cinema has seen no better ambassador of its art, or a more imitable icon of what an actor could achieve in global arena with fame, publicity and the reach it brings, than Audrey Hepburn did in her public life which spanned over 40 years. Hers was a special life indeed. Born to royal blood. Her mother was a baroness and her father an aristocrat. Cuddled and happy, the 1930’s she was born in quick

Jottings : Slice of life  - 40 Sitting in a plane, business class, with thunderstorms rumbling outside, and thin razor sharp lashes of rain striking the windows with ferocity, visibility almost nil, and the calm voice of pilots deceptively announcing that we may have to remain on taxiway for "few more minutes" - you know you are going to be stationery for quite a while. At least, as a seasoned flyer one should know that. This is the probably the best time to catch up with reading or writing. There is nothing much else one can do. I pulled out my rather thick volume of "basic writings in existentialism" edited and introduced by Gordon Marino, and flipped to the section on Nietzsche and began reading "On the genealogy of Morals" , an essential tract in the Nietzsche pantheon. There was a middle aged lady seated beside me. Blonde, dark penetrating blue eyes and a smiling face. After the announcement from the flight deck, she turned and said "It see

Jottings : Slice of life -36 (Part 2) I wrote the first part of this piece when my flight was waiting on the tarmac in DFW airport for signs from Traffic control to take off. The inclement weather delayed the flight for over two hours. Enough time for me to read a little and write about Texas de Brazil. Let me continue.. After we had finished dinner, I noticed for the first time a gentleman sitting towards the other end of the table holding fort, gesticulating wildly and making incisive remarks to a set of rapt individuals. I politely asked my friend near me who he was, and I was told his name was James. He had been an integral part of their group for nearly a decade, helped set up their IT infrastructure. However, he left their organization about year ago due to irreconcilable differences with his managers, and now works as an architect for another IT company in Dallas. It was clear, he was well liked and respected by all for his technical virtuosity. When i turned my attention to

Jottings : Slice of life : 36 Everybody's life is a biography worth telling. Each one has challenges, little successes and failures, emotional and physical demands, personal milestones which may or not be reached, but the effort continues unabated no matter what the circumstances are.. A Man's life is an ever unfolding story, never static, often fascinating; but always interesting and different. It was on August 20th 2013 (some dates remain etched in memory) I took an important decision to join a fitness club, and commit myself to a regimen of physical exercise. The idea had long been germinating, but somehow, I never got around to doing it. Painful memories of previous years, when my body had almost collapsed to a point of no return kept returning almost daily, reminding me of the need to take care of it as much as I could from now on. But I tarried the decision.. The intention was there, but would not translate into action. It was during a chance remark in a car ride wi

Jottings : Slice of life - 38 The age of reading books is slowly dying, I guess. But I suppose that is true of reading in general. The physicality of books do not excite us any more, and publishers of books, except in rare cases, really dont care about quality, typeface, introductions, prefaces, frontispiece. Paperbacks rule. I wouldn't blame them. With content available on screens in front of us, or reading done only for professional purposes and not much otherwise, why would anyone care at all about making books with care, or why would anyone read anything other than what enhances their work. When I walk into second hand book stores, I sometimes get this feeling of being transported back in time. A 1902 hard bound illustrated edition of Lady Montagu’s letters from Istanbul in musty, aged condition, beautifully embroidered on its outside, tastefully colored and structured - takes me to a far off time and place. I end up buying it, even though I may have two copies of the same

Jottings : Slice of life - 39 He was a young man. In his mid thirties. Articulate, extremely technical, had his bachelors from one of India's premium colleges and moved to the United states five years ago. He had come in on a Work visa which allowed him to change jobs. And he did change. Not once, but thrice in five years. He nows works for quite a respectable IT firm for a project in Downtown Atlanta. We were a group of five, sitting in a coffee shop after our workout at the Gym. I normally skip this gathering, but today they insisted I join them for a quick cup of coffee. Nothing better to do on a Sunday evening, I consented. After customary small talk, drinks and snacks ordered, our conversation weaned towards employee satisfaction and switching jobs. Apparently Ajay ( name changed) was contemplating one more change. And all others, in the same age group and profession as him, were debating their value in their respective organizations, and how each of them considered them