chaotic order

Jottings - Slice of life - 227 ( Our tryst with destiny - seventy years of Independence; the tricolored flag flies high) A country comes into existence, when its flag is recognised as representing a sovereign nation with fixed boundaries, duly constituted and acknowledged as the homeland of certain set of people who have entered into sacred covenant with the land they inhabit to make civic, social laws; govern and organize themselves in a manner befitting their heritage and culture. No matter how small or how large the country, it is that simple piece of cloth thoughtfully and symbolically woven, colored and imprinted, hoisted high up on a firm pole - such that it flutters proudly in breathless proclamation that the liberty and freedom of the country it symbolizes, will now and forever live and dream as one cohesive unit, and strive to live in harmony and peace with international order. For a newly found nation, the flag is the most sacred totem, layered myth and divine decree - al

Jottings - Slice of life - 229 ( Dr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee - the philosopher-statesman of Modern India (1924 - 2018)) Somehow, I can never forget that day - 27th May 1996. Even at this distance of Twenty odd years, with so many experiences and memories crowding, I cannot but remember with emotional pride and awe the composed, mature and stoic demeanor of Atal Bihari Vajpayee clad in trademark kurta and vest, with sagely eyes reflecting deep thought and erudition, and hair greyed with age and learning - as he stood up to deliver his majestic and pointed address to fellow parliamentarians on how flimsy and insubstantial their claim on history was and how by capriciously uniting against a majority party that had the national mandate, they were making a mockery of democratic values, twisting the legalities of the house and putting the welfare of India at stake.As he spoke that day, he was fully aware, that his thirteen day governance was about to come to an end, and his government disso

Jottings - Slice of Life - 230 ( Dr Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of UN (1938 - 2018)) In Ghana, children are named with great care and attention, as they do in many parts of the East. Depending upon the ethnic group, village and community, Ghanaian names vary considerably. My long time cab driver is from Ghana, and he once recounted to me the naming convention in his home country, and its significance. They are usually given a "Day name", indicating the day of the week on which the child was born - "Kwasi" means Sunday, "Kwaku" means Wednesday, and "Kofi" means friday. Our Former secretary, general of United Nations, Dr Kofi Annan, who passed away today, after brief illness at the age of eighty, was a man born on a Friday ( Kofi), an auspicious day in Ghana. Elders believe that a child born that day is notably blessed by the stars and planetary alignments, and parents particularly rejoice in an offspring who chooses to come out on a f

Jottings - Slice of Life - 216 ( evoking wonder in science and mythical symbols - Carl Sagan and Joseph Campbell) In the 1980's, two television series captured the imagination of the world. In one - a flamboyant, statuesque middle aged astro scientist wearing his signature turtle neck sweater with sparking eyes and wavy black hair -fluttering gracefully in wind swept locations across the world - spoke passionately about the wonders of the cosmos we live in, our anthropomorphic insignificance, and in equal measure of our uniqueness as the only species capable of contemplating the immensity, mystery and laws of the universe. “Cosmos” which beamed across the world for 4 months spread across 13 episodes, presented a holistic understanding of the planet, our human heritage and meaningful insights into our stewardship of planet Earth. To many, this was the first comprehensive exposure to the world of science in visual medium, and a stirring recreation of Man’s evolution over millenni

Jottings - Slice of life - 212 ( Suicides - Reflections on the death of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain) “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;— Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.” By William Wordsworth This is one my favorite Wordsworthian poems. We were asked to memorize this for our exams at school, which we did; and thankfully I still remember most of it. Little did I realize how these lines would slowly grown upon me, and with each passing year

Jottings - Slice of life - 210 ( God is not needed - Life of a spiritual iconoclast UG Krishnamurti (1918 - 2007)) Is there something called “self realization”? Is there a transformation of consciousness into something untouched by the the travails of daily existence? Are there certain qualifications to embark on such a journey and reach this state? Are some people privileged by birth, good fortune or grace to achieve such a state of enlightenment or liberation or Godhead , and others destined to imitate path set by few searching for second hand experience? Above all, a question more fundamental - Is there any at all called “spiritual” life, or is it just a well orchestrated assumption indoctrinated into our collective psyche for millennia, which nobody wishes to question? These are not questions only raised by atheist or agnostics, but these are questions which rises within each one of us some time or the other. In quiet moments of contemplation or sometimes quite expectedly, th

Jottings - slice of life - 209 ( The wedding Royale - Saga continues..) One of my distinct childhood memories is that of Princess Diana's wedding. I must have been in 5th or 6th grade, when teachers announced that all of us will assemble in the school auditorium the next day to watch the live ( or recorded, i dont recall correctly) telecast of this royal event. They wrote a short message to this effect in our study notebooks for our parents to read and acknowledge. Few months before this wedding, I remember a lot of buzz going around, lot of adult talk about an impending wedding of grand proportions. I vaguely remember seeing glimpses of Diana’s young and smiling face in the Hindu, one of our national Newspapers, proclaiming her as the bride of the century. I was too young to notice if she was beautiful or not, but the image I distinctly have at this distance in time is - she did look very pleasing to the eye. A kind of disarming and open smile with a touch of melancholy which