Irony of life

There were days when I played with clay
Which made me gay all the way
Here I lay having nothing to say
Working like a donkey in my bay.
How I wish I can go back and stay
And live my day in my own way.

There were moments when I would shout
Out of joy in my days of scout.
Here I shout to avoid the tout
But I hate to tell my fate.
How I wish I can go back and stay
And live my day in my own way.

There were days when I played in rain
Forgetting all my pain.
Here I play all in vain as I know
It is all disdain.
How I wish I can go back and stay
And live my day in my own way.

There were moments when I would cry
Just for a plate of potato fry.
Here I cry for injustice
Just to be a victim of avarice
How I wish I can go back and stay
And live my day in my own way.

There were days when I would dream
All through the day just for fun.
Here I dream only in the night
Which makes me up with a scream.
How I wish I can go back and stay
And live my day in my own way.

Those were the times when I recited
my rhymes filled with chimes.
Here I lay waiting for a day
When I would have sufficient hay?
How I wish I can go back and stay
And live my day in my own way.

RAO

Life Beckons


In the marshy mists, the royal sun arose
Above the horizon, like a king.
From behind the mountains he rose
to fist the mist away.
Chirping trumpets, splashing plummets, nature
Announced the day has begun. And the life beckons

The splendour caught the sparkling eyes
Of a lovely beauty who just awoke.
The curvy surface of her face
filled the space with her grace. She
Announced the day has begun. And the life beckons

The dew on the leaf vapoured away
As if the sun savoured right away.
The first rays fell on my face
Just to show my grimace. Cuckoo
Announced the day has begun. And the life beckons

I stood at the window dry as a bone
Waiting for a baritone.
The wait came to end, so did my mind. The phone
Announced the day has begun. And the life beckons

Morning blues flew away, like the birds looking for hay.
I took my way, to my working bay
All my joy was shattered,
Thanks to my boss who ever battered. He
Announced the day has begun. And the life beckons

I counted the ticks of every clock, in my block;
Sitting like a rock waiting for the
Company to lock. I rushed back home
To enjoy the dusk with a plate full of rusk.
I went to bed hoping for a day when She would
Announce the day has begun. And the life beckons

RAO

RAO GOES BACK IN TIME!!!

December 10th. 6:00 am. Almost the entire city was still dozing hoping for a late sunrise as it was a sunday. A misty morning with visibility less than 15 mts. We were all assembled near our school grounds waiting for the bus. We were in a delirious mood. The most awaited day had finally come. The departure was scheduled for 6.15 am, but it was past that time. Our excitement took the form of frown on our faces and curse on our tongue. We were cursing the driver incessantly until we could hear the loud honk of the foghorn. There was a deafening HURRAY!!!! by all of us which marked the start of the most exciteful day.
As soon as the bus stopped, we all sprinted towards the bus without even bothering to bid goodbye to our parents who had come to see us off. But the limited window seats were our primary concern. In a jiffy, the entire class was in the bus busy fighting for the window seats when the vociferous voice silenced us and averted the possible petty fights. It was the last trip of our school life. We started for shivanasamudra at 7:00 am.

It is around 100 kms from our school which roughly took 2.5 hrs to reach. In due time we were busy playing antakshari and more so between boys and girls. Owing to my little interest in songs, I slowly descended in my seat and remained incognito for the entire duration. I was always reserved in large groups and expansive in smaller ones. The engine died with a shrill cry. We were in shivanasamudra. It was around 9:45 am. We all got down the bus and were wonderstruck with the bountiful beauty of the resplendent nature. I felt the scenery was straight from greeting card photo. I was awestruck when I saw the perennial downfall of the milky cauvery from the peril with such virile and vigour. We had our breakfast amidst such beauty. It was a thrilling experience. My eyes were feasting more than my stomach. Finally it was time to leave the place as we had to cover 2 more places and return on the same day. Our next destination was talakadu which was in close proximity. It took us less than an hour to reach talakadu.

It was almost 12 noon. Sun was straight above us. The warmth was a very welcoming one and we slowly shred all our extra woolen which we wore in the morning. Talakadu was a totally different experience. It had fine sand all over the place and a slow and a peaceful cauvery flowing by the side. This place has a historic significance which is unfolded by a legendary story which says that the sandy ground was due to the curse laid out to the reigning king of that place. Stories apart, I thoroughly enjoyed walking on the sand as the whole of the sole feels the ground unlike when we walk on hard surface. We visited some temples which were uncovered by Archeological Survey of India. There were numerous stories on each of the temples to which we gave our deaf ears. Then it was time for lunch. The cook who had accompanied us from Bangalore had prepared a recipe for a disaster. Disaster is the finished product of bad ingredients and processes. In a mood of gay, we didn’t really give a damn to it and filled our tummies with some available junkies. After enjoying for a while near the river bank, it was time to proceed further. We were already running behind schedule. It was 3 pm. A loud and a familiar voice commanded to board the bus. Our next destination was the famous somanathpura which was hardly an hour's drive from talakadu.

4 pm. Somanathpura. It was famous for the star-shaped Hoysala temple built in the 13th century. The temple was of great architectural beauty, surrounded by the stone carved idols and pillars, and as all other historical monuments, it reflected the culture, tradition, political and social life of that time. We spent an hour and a half at this place listening to some boring details of the stone carvings which I could hardly comprehend and appreciate. The dusk was setting in, the day was slowly drawing the curtains down. We started our return journey at around 6 pm. We were all jaded out, still the enthusiasm kept our spirits high. It was more of an exhilarating than exhausting.

On the way back, we slept like logs. Not a single soul was awake. Within no time the engine let out a shrill cry which sounded familiar to us now. We knew that the day was over and we were back to the starting point. It was 9 pm. Our parents were eagerly waiting our arrivals. They let a sigh of relief when we got down safe and sound. Before we dispersed, we all planned for a celebrated dispersal. All of us formed a man circle like the men-of-blues and let out a deafening HURRAY!!!! for 3 consecutive times with regular intervals. We gave a bear hug to all guys and a warm handshake to the reminder of the class. The odyssey had come to an end. The curtains were drawn. But it was permanently embedded in all our cerebral muscles.
Memories are always sweet and so are mine.

RAO

Nostalgia

NOSTALGIA revisits RAO!!!

I can hardly fathom the origin of thoughts that controls my physicalas well as mental health. But the irony is I don't like it when people try to explain them with some theories and assumptions. I personallyfeel when some things around us when left unexplained, their splendorappeals to man. It was one of the usual days in my office when I wassitting in library and reading a book when I suddenly noticed my minddeviating from the book to my recent past. I just thought of sharingmy thoughts with my friends. Hence this textual equivalent of myboisterous thoughts.

It was spring time and our final semester exams were just over. Wewere sailing on cloud nine. We no longer belonged to the campus. I wasoverwhelmed with mixed feelings. I had successfully reached theshore(completed my engg.) after a long and challenging ordeal which Ihad started in 2002.At the same time I was at the end of the mostcolorful phase of my life-the college life.

That was the day I really saw the splendor of our college campus. Ifelt like hugging the campus and embracing it till I feel contented. Icould feel the paternal sympathy when we saw those magnanimous treeswith their huge trunks bordering the open field where v played allsorts of outdoor games .I remembered many evenings I spent in collegestrolling around enjoying the cool breeze discussing the classpolitics and petty affairs of my classmates. It used to be ourfavourite recreation. The pranks played by my friends were reminiscentin my mind and was being replayed for me as I was laughing at myfollies and pranks I played. It's astonishing when I remember the kindof zeal we had every morning. There used to be days when our lecturerstook attendance by the window side looking at us near the canteen. Thekind of grand plans we used to chalk for every semester vacationreally intrigued me at that moment. Those were the days where thewhole experience was more exhilarating than exhausting. The glory andthe legacy of our college had masked all our lapses and put us on apedestal on par with the respectable society. The entire college, Ifelt was mourning my exit from college. I guess it was my reflectionof melancholy. Even to this day I owe a large part of my success tothis holy center of learning which had legitimate geniuses who workedwith priestlike sincerity.

All of a sudden I felt a cold shoulder when a friend of mine suddenlymocked my shoulder in the library. Only then did I realize it was alljust memories. The cruel social maturity took over its control over mymind. I thanked god gracefully for bestowing us with memory and moreso for keeping it still as an enigma.

RAO

EDUCATION OR KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER ?

I was stooping on the parapet in the balcony. It had been a rather bright day for the last day of June. The afternoon spell of rain had spread the fragrance of the wet earth. The rainbow in the clear blue sky was symbolizing hope. It was a feast for my eyes which was accustomed to the sight of concrete forest. The dusk was fast approaching and the boisterous kids had conquered the park which was adjoining my villa from the septuagenarians who were its otherwise predominant occupants. The kids were happily playing and enjoying the sunset which we rarely acknowledged as a miracle or a beautiful event worth watching. My mind traversed back in time and started savouring the reminiscent memories of my golden childhood. The days when we used to pray for a long day so that our play time could be extended beyond the stipulated duration. I remembered the way we used to sprint out from the class at the sound of the first gong of our school bell. I always used to be the first to be out of the class, thanks to my prestigious last bench status. We fought to come out first as if we will lose an Olympic otherwise. The days when I never slept without a bedtime story narration either by my mom or granny. I remembered the joy when we plucked a raw mango from my neighbour’s tree despite their repeated threats. Those were the golden days of my life. When I compared my childhood days with the present generation, I was in for a shock. There is no time for the kids to understand and enjoy the nature. They are devoid of bedtime stories. Team games are replaced by computer simulations. I was completely aware that the children were not to be blamed, but it was we who were responsible for such a blunder. I admire the innocence of the young minds devoid of greed, malice, vanity, egotism and lust for power which slowly and gradually percolates into theirs as well. Thanks to the otherwise responsible society. It is so heartening to see the once-innocent child indulge in malpractices and other misdeeds due to the external compulsion and bad influence. We were fortunate enough to get the moral science lessons right both at school and at home.
I am wonderstruck at the rate of reduction of age of mental maturity albeit the word needs to be redefined as the ability to understand the need to manipulate the truth according to the convenience of the self and the related. Gone are the times when we were punished severely for the utterance of the smallest of lies regardless of its consequence. I really vouch for that time tested system of ours. It really instills the importance and significance of such values and virtues in one’s life. No more is it considered wise to punish a kid for a wrongdoing. The motive behind the punishment has gone with the winds and so are the values. Education has lost its true purpose. It is reduced to a mere piling of inert facts in the brains of the fragile young minds and ensuring the same in the form of a terror called EXAMS. Teaching has become mere bread earning profession rather than a service to the mankind. There are no disciples of great gurus whose ideologies and principles were inspiring the young to tread the path of the noblemen. I pity the plight of kids who have grown up without listening to moral stories and words of the greats like Vivekananda who declared with virile and vigour that Courage and wisdom are the greatest virtues of man. I pity the plight of children when the word great people make them think about few billionaires who were in news recently. The importance of mother’s and grandmother’s wisdom transfer has been grossly neglected. Gone are the days when we were taught that the offenders of truth will be annihilated by God himself. It’s amazing to know the impact of such fable filled wisdom on the young and innocent. I strongly contend that the kind of holistic approach adopted by grandmothers to instill a sense of morality is not possible by any of the self acclaimed centers of excellence or international schools. An ideal Education must provide the opportunities for self fulfillment; it can at best provide a rich and challenging environment for the individual to explore, in his own way.

I am afraid that the present society and the system as a whole will envisage a wrong picture about the life and the world in the minds of the young. It is disturbing when I think of the world constituting only such people who are unaware of the glorious existence of some great souls who dedicated their lives for the elevation of the mankind. It is our duty to pass on the wisdom which was bestowed to us by our forefathers so that harmony can still hope to prevail in this cruel reality. If the tradition and culture of our land should be revived and kept alive, it should be carefully handed over from generation to generation so that the rich heritage is never lost. Considering the present state of matter, the day is not far when the whole process of education will be merely dubbed as Knowledge Transfer and a software is created to take care of one’s whole education. Thanks to the profound success of man in his endeavour to reduce his own interference.

“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence” - Tagore

RAO

Silence

THE POWER OF SILENCE

When did you last spend some time in silence? If I may guess so, it could be somewhere between a week and a month and that too if u were in retrospection due to some possibly faced humiliation. Silence has always been a great reliever of stress, tension, fatigue and many other cerebral disturbances. This is an unimpugnable universal truth accepted by all. "Strength is born in the deep silence of long-suffering hearts; not amid joy." These words express the power and significance of silence.
From time immemorial, man has been advised by the wise to savour and celebrate the divine silence. The whistling of the wind, rustling of the waves, the virility of the mountains and moors, the splash of the waves, tenderness of the shining moon, the twinkle of the stars... how gracefully the bountiful earth cuddles us amidst such a glorifying lullaby. How else can u savour this resplendent beauty but during those moments of silence. Silence was wholeheartedly embraced by a microscopic minority of the likes of Buddha, Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and few others who all rose to unreachable heights and stood as an exemplary evidence of the inherent power of silence. It is heartening to acknowledge that silence is invariably mistaken for being quiet. Silence is not just the absence of noise. Silence is the presence of divine ambience in the backdrop of man's explicit quietness. Note that we normally use the phrase as to 'observe silence' than 'keeping silence'. I have always admired people who are able to observe silence for a long time because taming the mind and keeping it under control is one of the most arduous and assiduous task man has rarely succeeded. Maintaining silence is not just refraining to speak but also to refrain from thoughts. A blank mind is a blessed mind. It is worth noting that silence is appreciated, advised, preached invariably in most of the religions across the globe. It is one of the easiest and the most effective means of achieving enlightenment. All this is theoretically known to a significant number, but the number of those choosing to be ignoramus regarding this is really heartening.
Silence is one of the hardest things to refute.
--Josh Billings
Despite knowing the power of silence, the reluctance shown by man towards it beckons some contemplation. What lures the ignorant man away from such a pleasurable state which is readily available at the occurrence of his thought? The desire of man to be recognized by others for all his possessions inclusive of intellectual, movable and immovable property is the main cause of his refusal of silence. He tends to gain illusory pleasure when praised and recognized by the equally ignorant mass. I strongly feel that this desire is the prima facie cause for all the misery on this planet. I contend that silence and peaceful coexistence is the only path for the alleviation of misery and the elevation of mankind. I would like to end with a thought that regardless of our present state and our past, we should consciously and continuously strive towards the betterment of mankind. Amelioration should be the motto of our life, not procrastination.
To summarize my words, I unquote Ralph J Bunche

Man has but little heeded the advice of the wise men. He has been - fatefully, if not willingly - less virtuous, less constant, less rational, less peaceful than he knows how to be, than he is fully capable of being. He has been led astray from the ways of peace and brotherhood by his addiction to concepts and attitudes of narrow nationalism, racial and religious bigotry, greed and lust for power

A Rendezvous with GOD!!!

A RENDEZVOUS WITH GOD!!!

It was twilight time and the sun was gracefully going down the horizon. I was alone walking down the shoreline in kanyakumari relishing the twilight hour in the serene
and a tranquil atmosphere.The crowd was phenomenally low that day. I felt the solitude and the ever wanted silence there. It was very peaceful.

Suddenly an elderly man with divine face tapped my shoulder and asked me " What are you doing here my boy? ". My body gave a spasmodic jerk when he touched me. I could see the effulgence radiating from behind his head. Albeit my inherent reluctance to speak to any stranger I happily replied back "I am just appreciating the nature". Without any
reply, he also continued to walk with me along the shore and we gradually indulged into discussion.We walked for miles together without a trace of fatigue. The journey was rather exhilarating than exhausting in his proximity. In the midst of it, unknowingly I just asked him "If GOD could create such beauty in this world for the man to enjoy, why
does he let the man to breed jealousy and greed in his mind and Why doesn't He eradicate the bad from the world?". " My Boy, if you were living by the sea shore for a long time, then would you appreciate the sunset in the same way as you are doing now? Definitely not. Its because you tend to get used to the same scenic sight and it becomes a part of your mundane life. Likewise if there were good people everywhere, good food for veryone and everything good happening everywhere , then the very value of good would lose its significance. Man would not know to strive towards his goal. Sacrifice would have no place on this earth. Noone would try to realise Him as they will never find his need. Gradually everything would become a part of man's life.Luxuries would become necessities, man will become slave to the comfort and he'll forget the very purpose of his life." he replied. Pat I bounced back asking " What is the purpose of my life?" He
gracefully said " Realising........" and vapoured away from me towards the dusky sea when I heard a ' trrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnn...' , my alarm went off.


It was only then I realised it was all my dream.It was 8 am and I was still on bed. Anyway regardless of the authenticity of the event, I pondered over his last word for days together. Finally I got the solution.I guessed it meant that " Realising the purpose of my life was itself the purpose." I felt divine and blessed when I realised god himself spoke to me at length and lead me from the frightening dark to the reassuring light. A lightning bolt ran down the spine.

RAO