The Brave Pedestrian

My experiences over the past couple of days, detailed in my earlier blogs, has given me an insight. The way I used to understand the saying, “To err is human, to forgive, divine”, was like this: People who err are being only human, but  those who forgive others are being more than just human, ie. divine . That’s not how I see it now. My present interpretation is: To err is second-nature to humans, but to forgive is not so easy;  it requires divine intervention and Grace . I’m not saying that people have no responsibility in the matter. One must, at some level, want to let go of all the bitterness, pain and hunger for vengeance. One must, at some level, make a conscious choice to be happy and free, as opposed to resentful and tied up to the past. However, having taken this conscious position, one cannot consciously forgive as an act of volition. One may say,  “Jao, maaf kiya”  but the heart is not cleansed by just those words. Only the rainfall of forgivene...

May 29, 2006: A lot of people try to change their lives by numerologically altering their names, consulting tarot-card readers, wearing special gemstones on their fingers, chanting special mantras, wearing a  taveez  from Ajmer-baba  etc. In other words, they try to intervene in the karmic process of their lives. I feel it is somehow “wrong” to seek to tinker with your life in any manner. My analogy is: God gives us a car and entrusts us with the job of becoming careful, skillful drivers. He keeps for himself the job of traffic administration, as well as road and vehicle maintenance. Apart from periodically checking the oil-levels and tyre-treads, we should not concern ourselves too closely with internal mechanisms, because it distracts us from our main job of learning to be good drivers! If we sincerely feel that our life is somehow out-of-sync, and we have a bad feeling about things, the remedy is not to try to contact our guardian angel, spiritual guide, ...

“ Maanglik of the worst sort. The malefic influence of Mars in her kundali ensures that if you marry her, you will suffer an unnatural death before the year is over. No two ways about it,” said the old man gravely, shaking his grey locks. “What about my horoscope? Don’t I get any protection from my own astral heritage?” asked the young man. “None whatsoever, my son! Forget this match and move on in life! You have a full life ahead… your planetary influences are good, and the stars indicate success in most of the ventures that you will undertake…” “Let me think about it, Uncle. I need to consult with Shalini first. After all, humne pyaar kundali dekhke nahin kiya tha, ” said Vishal, rising. Damn, he should never have gotten into this astrology chakkar. But trust a woman to insist on some superstitious mumbo-jumbo before taking an all-important step in life! When they met that evening, he was silent. “What did Panditji say?” Shalini asked. “You knew what exactly he was going t...

Kanhai brushed past me on the narrow pathway of life. No, dear friend, his lithe body pressed against mine but for a moment… ‘Twas his mind that stung my mind, my senses, my being And now I neither sleep at night nor eat nor work in the day. How shall I go on living, O my mother! How shall I live? With this constant ache, this pain, how can I live? My body burns, my mind yearns for his presence… Take away my fair limbs, make me dark-skinned, then! Finding my beauteous Lord in the darkness, Limbs intertwined with his, water-like I shall melt into the night.

Two and a half bowls of curd rice Satiate both tongue and belly. Yet, gazing at the world with greedy eyes, Dreaming of swallowing it whole, I wander hungrily. The honest love of family Satisfies both heart and soul. But with truth in my heart beating steadily, I seek intriguing lies. With heaven within reach, I stray about restlessly. Your serene cup I thirst, my Lord, I crave your warm embrace. But I cannot drink, forgive me, Lord, From you I turn my face. For how shall I forsake this wanton earth? An artful, lustful, faithless woman… Daily she wounds me, nightly she heals me, Professing undying love for me, for everyone! Of the smell of her bosom I’m unduly fond. Father, how shall I ever leave her To join you in the Great Beyond ?

Forgive me, Lord, this broken drum speaks In a unworthy voice — now true, now untrue. Sift truth from the lies if truth there is, Else spill me in the dust. My quest is the quest of a one-eyed man Whose vision oft deceives him; He depends on his poor eye not because he trusts it, But because people who offered to lead and show him the way Did not earn his trust. Dimly-remembered voices from a past So distant that it is doubtful Whether it existed at all Echo in my skull Half-voices, half-noises… Disturbances in a cave of unknown depth. With the tips of my mind I seek out the cracks Between wakefulness and sleep Where I hear these voices loudest, And glimpse faces that I recognize – Faces not of those living Nor of the dead I know. Fleetingly with forceful gestures they speak. Seeking to grasp their words, I awaken Only to find my awakening empty Bereft of the meaning of what I saw and heard. Something I knew and trusted was lost And so I grope a...

Preface: This is what I wrote a couple of hours after Gattu showed no interest in gazing with me at a spectacular thunderstorm during sunset at Kausani (a town in Uttaranchal that affords a marvelous view of the Himalayas). Gattu was more interested in watching some cartoons on television... and this made me anxious about his future. This poem was written back in 2007, when my son was really small, and didn't show much interest in the outside world, sports etc. But since then, my son has shaped up wonderfully, and made me proud. My prayers as a father have indeed been answered! ———- You inherit a world full of bright lights and colours And more pleasures and comfort than your forefathers have ever known: High-speed travel 24×7 entertainment and connectivity Information on google or ask-dad.com Sometimes it seems as though We, your elders, exist merely to educate and entertain you. But tell me, my son, Why is it that you cannot stand still and appreciate A gloriou...