Be inspired and Make a Difference

There is no escaping the current wave of movement in India (and for Indians outside of it) concerning the status of #LokpalBill, #AnnaHazare and the #Futureofindiangoverningsystem. From the surge in news through the web of social media, one would think it is easy to understand the basis of this movement. Yet, to be very honest, I feel a bit disoriented about this entire episode. There are so many articles, discussions, forums regarding various standpoints on this movement – whether the Lokpal Bill is good for the nation or Anna Hazare’s movement needs to be supported or will these together harm the overall functioning (in its current manner – right or wrong) of the country. Anna Hazare’s fast seems to be the means to bring out this bill that has the ability to fight corruption at all levels. A true Gandhian would believe that ‘ends do not justify the means’ and this movement is another classic example (aside from the entire independence movement) of the quote. Bill or no Bill, I do not believe it will bring an overnight solution to the problem – it is not a magic wand (Loved your speech Mr. Jaitley and yes, there is no such wand out there!) that would remove the illegal systems that govern our country.

So in all of this, I ask myself whether I support Anna Hazare - Yes I do. Not the man per se but his means to tackle this problem is what I wholeheartedly value. This is a clear example of standing up to one’s principles and it requires a lot of conviction. In current day and age, our generation is so blinded by what goes on that it is rare to find situations that have such integrity and the fact that we get to live through such situations, the least we can do is be inspired and make a difference. There may be a lot of individuals/groups that do not support this man. And rightly so. If you do not believe in Lokpal or Hazare and do not want to support it, that is fine. Everyone has their own views and approach to what they believe in. But the point is whether we make a real impact to what we truly believe in. That in itself is more crucial than merely pointing fingers at those who are atleast attempting to ‘make a difference’.

I personally do not view this movement as a fight to destabilize the existing government or to find faults in the ‘foreign’ ruler. But it is to stand up to our own social and moral responsibilities. This fight is not only about the kind of corruption that goes on at the top level, but more importantly, how we would tackle those kinds of instances that run our day-to-day functioning – traffic violation, drivers’ license, school admissions, taxes, etc. If we do not fight these daily situations in the spirit of ‘Change’, the Bill will result into an even more dangerous entity. After all, it is we the people that contribute to such situations in the first place and not just the politicians and the bureaucrats.

It is not easy to take that first step – but we can use this movement to our advantage. This is by far the best opportunity we have to make the most of the time and its relevance (read = elections) and thereby pave way to ‘create’ a situation for the right kind of people/party worthy of support. Anna Hazare gives us hope – and all we have to do is take those baby steps – be inspired and make a difference.

The Magic Lives Forever

Today is Harry's birthday - and quite apt to launch Pottermore to the fans far and wide. While it all ended in 2007, I am still mulling over the Deathly Hallows part 2 movie. It does a fantastic job of taking us through the finale of a journey into the world we have come to learn and love. To ardent Potter fans, it is indeed an empty feeling that the movie ends with - "What next?" would be the most obvious question. Again, being an ardent Potter fan, the end could not have been any better. A review of the movie of the book series for that matter, is meaningless. Albeit delayed, this post is thus a tribute to Potter-World and relives some of the fascinating moments (IMP) that have made it an everlasting phenomena. When my dad reads this, he would think I have all the time in the world to pen such stuff, yet the hope is that he would atleast read this post if 'nothing-Potter'.

As I reminisce some of the moments of this series, I wonder where to begin. While several scenes flash in my mind, the one dear to me (especially after watching the movie) is that of Snape's dying words, "You've your mother's eyes". Being the under-dog of the entire series, he never really gets the recognition that he truly deserves, especially when alive. His purpose of being thus serves as a classic example to strive for greater good.

I also loved Harry and Dumbledore's brief interaction 'in between Heaven and Earth' (is how I had portrayed it): "Professor, tell me one thing", said Harry. "Is this real? Or is it happening inside my head?" Dumbledore, with his voice strong and clear, "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry. But why on Earth should it mean that it is not real?" Dumbledore, to me, epitomizes the sanctity of being - a perfect Godfather for life.

Harry never really excelled in any specific activity and epitomizes the normalcy of a hero in him. Yet, he shows the true spirit of heroism - when every challenge brings in him the goodness factor - saving his fellow competitor or tipping them off prior to specific challenges - an advantage he could have clearly kept to himself. Why would he save his enemy from day one? Malfoy, left to die in the Deathly Hallows, "could not be left behind" during the fire in the Room of Requirement. This itself reaffirms our faith in righteousness and is only restored all the way through.

The bond between Harry and Sirius simply cannot be described and wish it could have been better justified in the movie. Even Sirius' death was abruptly shown in the movie while it would have been worth it to give some due to the times they spend together, considering the relationship they share.

The word 'detention' itself gives you shivers and worse of all, when it comes from none other than the most artfully crafted character Professor Dolores Umbridge. While she comes in much later in the story, the character who plays this role has performed the task flawlessly - and does a fantabulous job of letting the viewers naturally hate her to the core. Hence, "we must not tell lies" does go down well for all the Potter fans.

"Dobby has come to save Harry Potter. Harry Potter must not go to Hogwarts". This character comes to life in a form that defines the very essence of the story - friendship, courage, love and above all, respect. This right to be free has existed in us living beings since time immemorial, and is reflected well through our little elf.

To go through more minute details of this epic is futile - covering Hermoine, Luna, mirror of Erised, Elder Wand, and so on. Overall, Potter symbolizes a cultural imagination that has provided an entire generation not just entertainment but also a movement encompassing spells, charms, hoarcruxes and more. Hope K enjoys this fantasy world like the way his parents do.

Finally kudos to J.K.Rowling for creating such an epic story - a story of life less ordinary, of courage, fear, friendship and above all, love. The magic does live forever!

First Steps

Knew the moment would come
When you take your first steps;
I had prayed to be near,
To capture your sense of joy,
without an ounce of fear.

Wobbly at first,
With two tiny steps you advanced;
And you knew no fear,
As I greeted you with cheer.

In days to come, you'll walk a lot
And wander paths alone;
I pray again, as now,
To be near
in case there is any fear.

For now, I savor your moment,
And equally rejoice
the last few times
when you'd still be crawling.

- July 29, 2011

Mumbai Again

There goes the city again.
There goes everyone's wishes and prayers (in vain?) to those who mourn the losses of dear ones that shall only increase by the day.
There goes people's status updates - hour by hour - expressing anger, frustration, pain.
This time, again, the common man in Mumbai was hit. And hit hard.
And yet, the city will wake up to courage and resilience just like it always has in the past.

Yes, there is compassion and mourning - but what next? Hopefully, no negative provocation of any sorts on the streets from our supposed leaders. That would only lead to further carnage which in turn would destroy the very fabric of our nation. It is very easy to blame it on one particular faith and loosely use the term 'fundamentalists' or 'extremists' like it has always been done - yet no answers have been found to totally eliminate such forces of terror. Clearly, the war is beyond borders and has penetrated into our households - but who is the real enemy here? Isn't it an invisible entity that requires more than a warfare to conquer?

I have no strong opinion on how such terror acts need to be dealt with but I have faith that good will triumph over evil one day. I do not want to take a soft spot on such acts but I feel it imperative to comprehend it. One may call me blind and apathetic. Truly so - I may be indifferent and distanced from it all and I hope I am alone if feeling such indifference. But the way I look at it is that I am fortunate enough that I had an upbringing that was devoid of any discrimination; lucky enough to be blessed by a core of dear ones whom I pray are far removed from such acts; privileged with the opportunities to explore the world and life and numerous ideas in any manner possible.

Unfortunately, the very perpetrators of terror are removed from the above opportunities - and have already immersed themselves into a leap of darkness.

I intend to nurture brightness and purity and nondiscrimination into the minds of those that are dependent on me. And I hope I am not alone in expressing such emotion.

Do The Work - Review

***May contain book spoiler***

"On the field of the Self
stand a Knight and a Dragon.
You are the Knight.
Resistance is the Dragon.
The only intercourse possible between
the Knight and the Dragon is
Battle"

I love the above scenario and by simply imagining it in my mind over and over again makes me want to win such a 'battle'.

When I read Do The Work (from where the above is quoted) by Steven Pressfield, it felt like the writer was hammering a nail in my head with his narration. The language of the book could not be any more blunt (and in some instances offensive too) but it is aimed at kicking you in the 'right spot'. Also, imagine reading the line "I was 30 years old before I had an actual thought". While this may sound skeptical to some, having read this book, I consider this statement to be a powerful confession.

Do The Work is a short book but leaves you in a trance for long. I can compare its impact to that when reading The Alchemist and what I particularly like about this one is that it is a quick read with a tone more conversational than prescriptive and the fact that it leaves you energized to fight that Resistance. It is quite easy to fall into the trap of inertia when pursuing an idea or that the outlier in you is shunned due to various opinions from outside (and inner) sources thus falling into the rut of "letting the unconscious do its work". I am thus glad I got to read this book as it has made me look at what I would want to do 'differently'. Not only that, it has suddenly forced me to reflect whether I face Resistance around me or that more often than not, I truly could be the 'Resistance' to someone else around me.

We all have our own sources of inspirational reading and I find this topping my list for now. A strong message emanating from this book is "the last thing we want is to remain as we are". I thus strongly recommend this book to you whether you are working to improve yourself or in pursuit of a new venture or wanting to accomplish your goals.

Further, this is part of Seth Godin's Domino Project and if that is not attractive enough, it is free on Kindle until May 20, 2011.

So grab the (e)copy now, read it and if you like it, Do The Work and spread the word.

The 'Mum' Word

Dear K,

Today is Mother's Day - typically celebrated on 2nd Sunday of May every year here in the US. While its origin is unclear, Wikipedia claims that this day was set aside to honor mothers - for their love and care and hence as an act of expression and appreciation for all they have done and continue to do. I agree, it is a day of commercial value, for now I care little for any such honor.

I never considered myself to be 'motherly' till you came along and clearly, that has meant a lot of changes. Hence I am delighted that I have you as a reason to celebrate whatever little this day means to me as a mother.

More so, I have you as a reason to celebrate what this day really means to me as a daughter.

Through you, I have begun to truly understand the love and care I received from my mom when I was young. I hope I can continue to extend the same to you.
Just like her, I hope I can show you what it means to be a good person.
Just as she has taught me, hope that I can teach you how to love unconditionally, how to enjoy the small things in life, and how to be carefree.
I hope to be the mom that she has been to me and more.

Now that I have you, I understand her more.

I may not always get it right - but expect no less.

So thank you Dear K - for being patient and tolerant as I learn how to be the mother you need and for showing me the mother I can be.

Forever,
Your-Mom-in-Training
&
A-Daughter-for-Life

'Dancing in the Minefields'

This song has been playing in my head since a few weeks now and it just had to make it to my blog. I love this song because it narrates a beautiful story and it talks of bittersweet moments of relationships. No I wasn't married when I was 19 or 21 nor am I married for 15 years. I am not a strong believer in the kind of faith that is expressed in this song, nevertheless, it strikes a chord. It brings out in me a sense of integrity and a reminder, despite all travails and challenges, of what that promise is for.

Play this song, sing to it and treasure it -

'Dancing in the Minefields' by Andrew Peterson

Album: Counting Stars

I was 19, you were 21

The year we got engaged

Everyone said we were much too young

But we did it anyway

We got the rings for 40 each from a pawnshop down the road

We said our vows and took the leap now 15 years ago

We went dancing in the minefields

We went sailing in the storms

And it was harder than we dreamed

But I believe that's what the promise is for

Well 'I do' are the two most famous last words

The beginning of the end

But to lose your life for another I've heard is a good place to begin

'cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down

And I believe it's an easy price for the life that we have found

And we are dancing in the minefields

We're sailing in the storms

And it was harder than we dreamed

But I believe that's what the promise is for

So when I lose my way, find me

When I lose loves chains, bind me

At the end of all my faith to the end of all my days

when I forget my name, remind me

'Cause we bear the light of the son of man

So there's nothing left to fear

So I'll walk with you in the shadow lands

Till the shadows disappear

'Cause He promised not to leave us

And his promises are true

So in the face of this chaos baby,

I can dance with you

So lets go dancing in the minefields

Lets go sailing in the storms

oh, lets go dancing in the minefields

And kicking down the doors

Oh, lets go dancing in the minefields

And sailing in the storms

Oh, this is harder than we dreamed

But I believe that's what the promise is for

That's what the promise is for

Hiatus No More

So I welcome myself to my blog after ages. Long time indeed and again, not providing any excuses for the disappearance act. With all that has happened in the times gone by, this blog has surely been neglected and hope to give it some justice now.

Things have surely changed since the last time I jotted something out here – these days now belong to the times of diapers and wipes, poops and drools, pacifiers and baby-sitters, ABCs and nursery rhymes, ToysRUs and BabiesRUs, and the oh-so-predictable eat-play-nap schedule. Of course, who then would ever want to miss out on all of that by ‘sleeping it out’! Leaving that last bit of sarcasm aside, I dedicate my recent past to all of the above and to the overall essence of venturing into parenthood. From hereon, this journey is endless.

Many have asked me to share my experiences of parenthood so far and all I can come up with are those listed above. So while blogging has been non-existent for me for a while, I intend to get back (with ‘regular’ being the operative word here) and hopefully share some enriching moments - discover the full potential of being a parent (3 a.m. cooing, elation of changing Huggies and many more), explore the world from a different lens and mainly attempt to rediscover the person within.

In the meantime, thanks for your continued patience. I will see you soon.

Lego Landscape

Visit to the BrickFair 2010 in DC was indeed a remarkable experience - a platform where one could see a combination of a variety of Lego products. From optimizing the company's products to intelligent use of simple technology and more importantly, the pure stimulation of effort driven by passion. Below are snapshots of some of such a drive -

More pictures can be viewed here.

An Offline Experience

A typical day that begins with checking the weather forecast on iphone to friends' mood swings on facebook to updated news on twitter and those multiple inboxes and then to repeat the series every hour or so – this digital age does keep me informed no matter how mindless these unfettered browsing might sound at times. I do love the internet – feels like I am connected to the world at large and while I may be a miniscule part of it, I love being a part of it; love that it keeps me informed, in touch and love the fact that everyday I do learn something new. Yet, I wonder if this orgy of digital routine is turning into a growing addiction and that I am actually idling away my time in trivial pursuits. So yesterday, I took the day-off off the internet and leapt into the offline world. This meant no online applications on the phone, no gmail, no twitter, no facebook, no blogs, no TV. The computer was only limited to work-related emails (aka outlook) which could not be forsaken in this economy and to make it easier on A, I did owe him two calls – one when I reached work and the other when I was leaving from work as an assurance that my water had not broken yet.

Considering this offline experience was for but a few hours only (one day ain’t much of cleansing the digital delight), in all honesty, the hour clock seemed to be stuck for long. I mean, I wondered what exactly I would do at work – like the times when you switch between videos windows or those few minutes when I check on tweets while some hideous sized files simply take their own time to open. Instead, not being able to do so gave me a bit of an opportunity to be proactive and also be able to delegate work hours without dawdling.

The day, after all did go by in some mindful activities, a positive feeling towards the end that it did belong to things I wanted to do rather than being slipped into the mundane mechanics of the digital world I so love to be a part of. I also realized that more often than not, with this monotonous browsing I got a lot of information on a variety of things, people, places and still, its meaning was lost in the midst of precision. While I missed out on reading some of the daily blogs, checking my daily posting of C&H and the fact that my iphone kept showing 100 odd unread mails was enticing, I was glad that I felt like leaving them alone.

In this day and age, we do have numerable tools to communicate, to stay informed and they are only multiplying by the day. It somehow breeds in us a sense that we ‘ought’ to be in constant ‘refresh’ mode that there is some urgency to it and we better get to it. But it also means taking the time out to filter the information absorbed into our brain and stocking them in its various compartments in a manner that can eventually be translated to true knowledge. Yesterday was a realization that I do need to take such recesses and that such ‘urgencies’ can wait indeed!

Will I do it again? I do not know that but what I do know is I now have the power to switch on and switch off this digital world when I want to.