मैने गाँधी को नहीं मारा

"Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara"...this is the title of a Hindi feature film that was released in the year 2005. The film covers a wide range of emotions in its story and describes from start to end how a person is trapped in his own delusion of having killed Gandhi ji. As the film moves towards a hopeful end, the one thing that touched my soul was the truth lying behind the role and dialogues that Anupam Kher had delivered.

More than a hundred films in different languages have been made with Gandhi ji as the soul of the story and more often than not the core offerings of all such films are for the audience to understand how powerful “non-violence” is, how easy it is to stay “truthful”, how wonderful are the consequences of having “patience”. And with almost every such film, the closing line is very similar to one another with a disappointing note that ‘the country Gandhi ji dreamt of is getting more corrupt by each day’.

But wait, there is some good news left…
*The women of our country have become more and more self-sufficient.

*The men of our country have radically improved their inclination towards family and emotional aspects.

*More and more people are resorting to vegetarianism.

*People with a high and influential social stature are taking to causes that are most basic and are determined to make differences.

There are a lot of statistics that can be put together to show the fact that our country and countrymen are not as terrible and bad as they sound. There lies deep within a lot of us (if not all) sincerity, devotion and true childlike instinct for our motherland, which can be seen in our small little day-to-day acts. There is a certain genuine belief and action displayed by us from time-to-time that sums up towards a constantly developing country and not to forget helps in avoiding uncontrollable disasters. I agree that it’s not all that good, but trust me it’s not all that bad too! With the implementation of Gandhi Ji’s virtues in my very own life, without much preaching… I can proudly say that “Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara”…He still continues to live in every genuine person and believer of Karma!

Satyamev Jayate!
Niru

Of Music and Pure Bliss

जय माँ सरस्वती संगीत की तू देवी
सातों सुर को हम लेकर करें आराधना तेरी
Most songs of worship that are etched in our minds are received at home or school at an early age. But, these two beautiful lines that fill my heart with divinity whenever I pray for strength and wisdom are a part of praise of goddess Saraswati is one such prayer that I never received at home or school or even any temple. My first and only encounter with the bliss of the tunes of this prayer song was at the Military College of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME). Strange isn’t it?

It was the summer of 2012 when I was a coordinating a music concert at the MCEME, Hyderabad. Till such time that the program began, I did not have the slightest idea that I were to witness one of the most beautiful musical performances of my life. Presented by the musical duo Shri Ritesh and Rajneesh Mishra, the concert began with some intricate notes of music and ascended with a master piece. But like with most works of art, music also has its chosen audience, which has the capability to respond aptly to its intricacies. So, what happened to the young cadets of MCEME who formed the audience there? No, they did not lose their interest in the program neither did they feel out of place, because these men with golden voice knew what exactly it takes to connect with the audience…and what I saw after this was a pure show stealer, something too rare.

Picture this… a batch of close to 200 cadets of the MCEME(the audience) were seated in the auditorium in the most disciplined format like in all the army set-ups with supreme silence, no phones ringing, no cameras flashing. An obedient audience that was! Considering that there should be some powerful take-away for the group the maestros involved them in sing-along act. The group initially hesitated to croon but this song being a prayer and with utmost simple tunes was too absorbing to not be sung. In just a few moments every voice got alive!

It felt like Ritesh and Rajneesh ji were sitting in the clouds and compelling some mystic showers from another world!

It is since then that this is my favourite Saraswati Vandana…I connect in no time with my deity! The reasons are many… the tunes of the song, the reigning yet humble voice of the leading singers, the echoes of the chorus by the uniform clad men, the aura of the performance and the extreme positive vibrations…It makes my Saraswati Vandana complete every time I sing this and so is it today as I celebrate Saraswati Pooja and welcome the Basant Panchami with pure bliss!

I think this is how the world gets its regular dosage of peace…through small drops of infinite goodness!
Music rules every heart!

Love.Peace.Music

Niru

My Mother's Bindi!

I belong to a family of ever-evolving members. 

A father, who grew up looking at and dealing with tough times, making sense of things through personal experience and respecting the tiniest joys he was able to reap throughout! A mother, who took care of a new family, when she was herself at an age to be taken care of. She would get irritated, confused of situations but surprisingly never stopped doing what she had to. Two siblings, who were bonded over the touchstone of time and the bond continues to grow stronger. A nephew, whose second skin is love and obedience.

All through my life till now, things have changed dramatically, but what refuses to change is the willingness of this family to stay hooked, understand each other and love unconditionally.

And here is a beautiful instance of this superior understanding that I found in my sister, my li'l nephew and myself for our most beloved mother!

After my father left us for his journey to the heavens ten years ago, he didn't just create a void in our hearts, but the social stigma of a widow also fell upon my mother. When he was alive, my mother loved to dress up beautifully. After the weariness of the entire day due to the household chores, she would prim herself up and decorate her forehead with a bright red Bindi, in the evening; I never saw her put a lipstick, so her Bindi and her flaring red Sindoor were the visual delight to my eyes. I always loved women decked up according to their capacity and with Maa being so beautiful, the inclination was so obvious. After Papa left, the whole ritual changed. It ceased. She refused to even see her face in the mirror; she lost weight in enormous amounts. The situation was awful and to get things in control we had to create things like in past, without hurting anyone! I searched for answers in my surroundings, I asked some real close friends whose mothers had the same suffering and the only answer I got was..."It would take time." But it was too tough to take it and then one day I decided, rather dared to ask my mother if she could put a small Bindi on her forehead, as expected she got upset. But we had to make it work, we wanted her to like herself again and after repeat efforts by my sister, nephew and I, we could manage to give my mother a reason to look back into the mirror. She slowly accepted that the Bindi is no taboo and she now adorns herself with it often, though not all the time. 

This for me is a personal achievement. Whenever she goes out I make sure I see her off with a Bindi and she smiles! 

Love.Peace.Happiness 

Niru

Thank you Jaywant Ji

Life is a constant mix of drama and melodrama. We all meet people who pull us down for reasons only known to them and then we also meet people who bring us up for the same reason.

In this course of pulling down and elevating, what I have become is something you all can see; but the point of utter significance here is the people who have helped me elevate. One such person who plays a significant role in my life is Jaywant Ji. His full name is Jaywant Naidu. Professionally he is a musician, a CA, but as a person he is a motivator, a thinker, a doer, a believer, a timekeeper, a friend, a guide.
My first ever rendezvous with Jaywant Ji was at a meeting of a non-profit-organization as a volunteer. There, he had ideas like everyone had, but what was distinct about him was that he knew how important it is to get the work done. And he always had a refined plan in mind that could make things happen.

I have been associated with him for over three years now and each time I only respect him more for the way he brings out the best in people. I can’t think of one single incident alone to thank him. But I sure would take this opportunity to thank him for all the wonderful things he does to make this world a beautiful place. Thank you Jaywant Ji for being ever so kind, jovial, patient, for having the tolerance to ignore things that hurt and move ahead, for practicing more than preaching, for making time for all the people who seek your company…for just being you! Thank you Sir! :)

Thank You Bhairav!

It was a pleasant evening in the early part of the May month of 2013, the place was Howrah Station. I and my sister along with several other students and teachers from Hyderabad were there to attend an International convention on music and culture at the prestigious IIM Kolkata. As we alighted from the train, a group of well guided boys came towards us, confirmed our participation and very promptly helped us with our luggage and route to the bus station where we were to be picked up to reach the destination. We assumed that they were IIM Students, but much later we got to know that they were volunteers from various schools, colleges and even working professionals who chose to work for an organization to help its effective functioning.

One of the volunteers amongst them became my friend for life. He is called Bhairav Shah. A guy who helped people without thinking twice; he ran from pillar to post to get any work done with or without his involvement…all he knew was that the work had to be done and within the time stipulated. I happened to observe him and he was omnipresent during the convention, for once I thought he was possessed. His tireless efforts along with his friends made the program a great success. The extravaganza ended after a week.

Typically a friendship in which we meet each other in person very rarely and stay several thousand kilometers away mellows down and dries up as a “good-to-know-you-are-around” friendship. But what elated my senses was that my friendship with Bhairav was not following the trend.

It was during this summer that my mother was returning to Hyderabad via Howrah after visiting her brother, when she got stranded at the Howrah Junction due to an unconfirmed ticket problem, my cousin accompanied her, but that didn't quiet help. We couldn't help her either, because of the distance. In a situation such as this, all that occurred to me was Bhairav, having known him for just a year…I was too hesitant to ask him to offer help, but with my mother at the needy end…I had to. I called him up and he agreed to help, like he was just there to help me, without any second thoughts, without any sighs, no drama-plain humanity. He worked out things neatly for my mother and she reached home without any worries. Receiving mom at the station and having hugged her and felt her, sent a quick flush of relief throughout me and surprisingly as I reached home Bhairav calls to check if Mom reached.

I have seen friends come and go in my life, but this gesture left a deep impression on my mind. So much kindness, so much selflessness, I am indebted to you Bhairav. I can never thank enough for wht you have done. I still want to thank you! 

Thank You!

Thank you! These are two very powerful words, the value of which we miss out on receiving and giving, more often.
I have heard people who are friends with each other say..."No Thank you, no sorry in friendship"... and I have also seen people reflect bliss on their faces when a genuine "Thank You" is expressed. The world is a mixed bag of people and their theories vary from one another about everything including gratitude. Gratitude, I feel is one of the very crucial things that helps in the well-being of the society. Gratitude encourages people to work more...help more, it motivates individuals to look forward to life, gratitude creates a belief in minds, that things are not as bad as they seem to be!

A week from now "Thanksgiving Day" will be celebrated in the USA. A festival(harvest season) to offer gratitude to the almighty for giving us the food that helps us live healthy. Festivals of similar kind are observed throughout the world, the core concept of which is to offer gratitude to the almighty. Onam, Baisakhi, Akshay Tritiya, Gidi Padwa, Bhogi, Bihu festivals in India, Chuseok in Korea, Tsukimi in Japan, Ikore, Incwala in Africa reflect the same sentiment.

Having shared all this information, I would like to bring you back to the thought that a "Thank you" matters not just to the gods, but to the people and all the beings you co-exist with on this earth.

With this... I want to keep you informed that for the next few weeks I will be sending gratitude to all the people and things that my memory has been able to capture by writing events that make me respect people more,mentioning their names and reflecting my happiness and gratitude towards them. This is a small step towards creating a peaceful world around me. I hope you appreciate this and also emulate this if you like.

Love.Peace.Happiness.Gratitude!

Niru

Papa...The finest man I have ever known!

It hasn't been more than a year ago, that I went to get my scooty serviced at a shop that is located near my old house. The owner of the store(who seemingly loved his shop & job) was in greasy clothes for evident reasons...a 50-something man, it seemed like I knew him(but didn't want to strike any such conversation), as a humble gesture I smiled and told him about what needs to be repaired in the vehicle and asked him, how much would that cost...and to my surprise he said, "When it was your dad's vehicle, I would finish the work first, let him take a test ride and then tell him what it costs...it would be the same with you too little one!" And then like a flash in the memory lane, I could get to see those past moments where I came to the same shop along with Papa to get his vehicle serviced. The man said, "its been so many years that I had last seen you, but that gentle reflection of your father's face in yours reminds me of my most beloved friend, who would have been a little younger than I today... he was the finest man I ever knew". 
That one statement added something new to my perspective of life and living beings. I truly realized that the deeds we do, the thoughts we think and the words we say are the actual things that make us an achiever; such achievement can not be gauged by any numerical system or number crunching! 

It is a decade today, that I have learnt to live without my first ever hero. He set the benchmark for a human being, for a man... too high!

Infinite Love.
Niru