O fool, to try to carry thyself upon thy own shoulders!

Though an ardent fan of Tagore's Gitanjali, the message and the meaning doesn't save you when you are confronted with a crisis. That is unless you have cogitated, meditated and then absorbed it in your system. Intellectual appreciation and grasping of problems is easy... emotional acceptance and peace is not. it eludes us all.
I was thrown into this frenzy when a close relative flew in from S. Africa to have a certain surgical procedure done. These days hospitals ape five star hotels with their manicured lawns, landscaping and coffee shops. Profound words with negative connotation like 'operation' have been sugar coated and labelled as 'procedures'. But you don't get taken in and a woman will feel the gravity in her heart. There was a frenetic search for the best doctor, his specialisation, nursing home and people rating. All queries and doubts were discussed. The doctor very patiently answered, 'Nobody can give full guarantee... there is risk involved even in crossing the road. We read about the Malaysian Airlines episode and still board the next flight.'
Assurances and reassurances - talking to people who had got it done and benefited. All cases mote or less testified it was worth going in for the operation... oops sorry... procedure.
Intellectually satisfied but emotionally still fluttering I picked up my bedside 'Gitanjali'.
'O fool, to try to carry thyself upon thy own shoulders!
Leave all thy burdens in His hands who can bear all, and never look behind with regret.'
I breathed easy and prostrated at His feet.

Women alone can save women

Ironically the solution to the women's problems lies with the women themselves. The newspapers are replete with stories of horrifying crimes against women.
Why can't we bring up our daughters the way we bring up our sons? And even more important, why can't we bring up our sons the way we bring up our daughters?
I reflected deep and hard on this issue.
80% of a child's brain is formed by the time he is four. It's the mothers generally who influence the child till this age. The values and samskaras are laid by the mother in this period - of course in the cradle of the family. The atmosphere in which the child is brought up has a deep, indelible impression on the psyche of the child. If he/she see the father respecting the mother, ceding power rather than exercising it, walking two steps behind her in the public to show he is not a male chauvinist - the sons in such families are unlikely to grow into the monsters we read about these days.

Treat girls as boys and boys as girls - what will happen?

Children learn more by show rather than tell. If boys are encouraged to help out the family in the cooking, kitchen winding up and girls are pushed to go out, contribute to family investment decisions, handle their own bank accounts, get the car servicing done themselves... imagine the difference it will make.
I am convinced the social matrix thus formed would be of men who are sensitive and sensitised to the women's heart and hearth. Responsible and caring, nurturing and protecting.

The Grace of God in Summer

Scorching, torrid, unwelcome and unbearable the month of June... yet the Grace of God is available to all but the most non-perceptive. Only to the sensitive eye.

Who pauses, listens, feels and looks at all these things that refresh and rejuvenate?

The delicate rustle of leaves as the wind moves through the foliage; the cool air which caresses and embraces; the fresh lemon laburnums in full blossom - like bunches of grapes – tantalising me to touch and pluck them; the rich heady fragrance of the pure white double motia which transports me from the banal environs to an enchanting world; the maroon, yellow and black bird houses in the thick shady foliage of a large peepul tree protecting and sheltering the birds like no aircon can.

The warm welcome of a sweeping lady who rests her large broom to give way and most of all the sight of a water pitcher with a long handled tumbler placed so carefully on well arranged bricks for the thirsty wayfarer.

I bow to the thought and consideration of the Mind that brings all this to us!!!

The starlings are the stars

Wonder whether the insufferable ego of man can ever be humbled by the infallible instinct and intuition of the avian species?

The thought struck me when I was greeted by hundreds of Rosy Starlings as I came to my balcony to breathe in the early morning freshness and cheer. Raucous and noisy, they had congregated on the large peepul tree opposite our balcony. Camouflage complete – they were visible only by their movements - excitedly discussing their plans and ticking off items on the check list before the departure for East Europe. India would be tortuously hot in May and the locusts they feed on would be available at their destination.
So they all migrate to cooler climes.

I am awestruck by this grand design of nature – moving silently, in such an orderly fashion, imperceptibly ensuring the ecological balance and harmony.
How these birds traverse thousands of miles without a compass or sextants on an assured trajectory to their correct destination baffles me.

Discussing Plans for the journey

Really, the starlings are the stars. Not human beings.