Petals!

This morning did not begin like every other day. Because I do not start my mornings crying. But today was different. Father called me and informed me early morning, "Chechi (his older sister) is gone." That is all he could bring himself to say before he kept the phone down. This is Shantha valima, my father's sister. Kerala's 'Gana Gandharvan' Dr. K. J. Yeshudas was her most loved student. From high school itself, he used to call her 'Shantha teacher' and he used to say that she is the closest he had to his mother. Such was her unconditional love towards everyone. Then my sister called. We cried, shared memories of our childhood vacations with our loving aunt. When we began talking, we couldn't stop. Because we had so much to share from the love she had brought into our lives. Continents apart, but we cried and cried. But we also understood what Father hadn't said with that call. That she wasn't just sister to...

Today's thought for the day is inspired by my friend Indu Muralidharan's post on Facebook.  Here it goes: “ In a split second of eternity, everything is changed, transfigured. A few bars of music, rising from an unfamiliar place, a touch of perfection in the flow of human dealings--I lean my head slowly to one side, reflect on the camellia on the moss on the temple, reflect on a cup of tea, while outside the wind is rustling foliage, the forward rush of life is  crystallized  in a brilliant jewel of a mom ent that knows neither projects nor future, human destiny is rescued from the pale succession of days, glows with light at last and, surpassing time, warms my tranquil heart. ”  ― Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog                                   [Image Credit: Pic Jumbo] This is the kind of thought that I want to start my day with and the kind of book th...

There's always a silver lining at the start of the day. I truly believe that. Here's a thought for the day that resonated with all that I believe and hold close to my heart.                                 [Image credit: Unsplash] " Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves , like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer." — Rainer Maria Rilke

Here's a very interesting thought for the day:  "Turtles rarely pass up a chance to lay in the sun on a partly submerged log. No two turtles ever lunched together with the idea of promoting anything. No turtle ever went around complaining that there is no profit in book publishing except from the subsidiary rights. Turtles do not work day and night to perfect explosive devices that wipe out Pacific islands and eventually render turtles sterile.Turtles never use the word "implementation" or the phrases "hard core" and "in the last analysis." No turtle ever rang another turtle back on the phone. In the last analysis, a turtle, although lacking knowledge, knows how to live. A turtle, by its admirable habits, gets to the hard core of life. That may be why its arteries are so soft." -E.B. White, Turtle Blood Bank, 1953 By chance, I came across this passage. I read it several times because I loved the way each word is crafted and I couldn...

I am not a follower of Buddha. Yet his teachings have inspired me in dark moments. From what I have read, Buddha has inspired many people across the world in different ways. In meditation, the techniques prescribed by Buddha have come in handy to tame the monkey-like state of the constantly flitting mind. The mere glimpse of Buddha's poised image has brought serenity and inner strength to many to embrace a new perspective and perhaps adapt to a new way of living.  Terror attack on Mahabodhi Temple For these reasons and more, the terror attack on Bodh Gaya is unacceptable and unforgivable. The latest reports indicate that nearly 13 bombs were planted inside the temple in Bodh Gaya. It shocks and disgusts me that a terror attack on one of India's most sacred Buddhist temples is given absolute lip service and nothing more from those at the helm of governance in this country. That the Intelligence Bureau had informed about the threat way back in October also indica...