To Forgive is Divine!

To forgive one needs courage. Merely ignore or turn our face from those who have offended us is not courage. It is behaning like an ostrich or the proverbial cat which closes its eyes and thinks that the world is dark! There is a very apt Kural (by the great Tamil scholar-philosopher-Valluvar) which says "Inna saidarai oruththal, avar nana nannayam saiduvidal" meaning the best way to show our response to those who did us wrong is to do something good to them! But to do so, you must have courage.

A step further, to forgive those who did not offend you personally yet 'sinned', you need to shed your ego and become thereby divine. Lord Jesus forgave those who crucified him and also those two thieves who were crucified with him. That single act shows that in his physical form as Jesus of Nazereth he showed the courage. In his true form as God's Son, he forgave everyone who sinned!

Forgiving is not about merely 'not taking offence'. It is in forgiving that we tend to invoke the divinity in the other person also and help him to elevate his soul. It is for this effort to elevate a fellow being from the clutches of ordinary emotions and make him see the higher plane of consciousness that we say 'to forgive is divine'. 

Small Things in Life!!

There are a number of things which you can write about but what remains etched in memory are those that touch your heart. They could be from trauma to trivia or from triumph to temptations.

During our recent visit to Gangtok (Sikkim), on two days we hired the same taxi, an Alto, driven by Anup. He was Sikkimese, a Buddhist, bachelor and about 25 years of age. Contrary to the slit or small eyes, he had bulging big eyes, sported a scrabble on his lower jaw and a thin pony tail that resembled (pardon me, Anup!) a rat’s tail!! What made the impact was his easy going chitchat, friendly disposition and one of the most polite behaviors that I have experienced of cabbies.

He talked incessantly, pleasantly recounting stories of Sikkim and other trivia about the places that we were visiting. He always had something to say of a place that made you smile or say “oh!!!” He would choose to play songs that Sashank (my son) could sing along or Chitra (my wife) would say once more please!. He would hold the door for my wife to get in or out of the car. He would come out with wise quips on education, women, politics or as to why the younger generation must study and work hard to make their future.

When Chitra asked whether he was married he would say, “How can I, when my elder brother is still a bachelor? Ladki tak nahi dekhunga jab tak uska shaadi nahi ho jata”. On politics, “apna ghar achcha hona karke sochna nahi, sir, public achcha hona karke sochna hein”. The best was on Chinese goods,” MADE IN CHINA, EK DO MAHINA!!”.

He was only a cabby and received his payment for the tour that he took us around. But then, there are things beyond money that always manage to touch the heart. No job is great, until you manage to touch someone’s heart!!          

Simply (beautiful) Sikkim!

Recently we went to Sikkim on a short break. A travelogue though would be in order, certain things that we saw and experienced are a must to share:

• Gangtok is the cleanest hill station we have seen till date. Ooty, Kodai, Lonavla, Darjeeling, Shillong and some lesser known locations that we have seen earlier pale in comparison with the city roads, markets and places of interest.
• MG road is a good example for many cities to follow - no vehicles, tiled & broad walkways lined with good shops/eateries, ornamental street lamps and flowers/fountains are a treat to your senses.I was reminded of the Farmers Market in Los Angeles!!
• An over 10 km long tiled pedastrian walkway along the road could be found elsewhere. But you will find Sikkimese religiously using it and meticulously avoiding crisscrossing of the roads. In the process, the motorists are free to drive without the usual nightmares on Indian roads.
• No spitting on the roads or malls or elsewhere which is the bane of the complete sub Himalayan belt from Delhi to Timbaktoo in North East!
• There are no traffic lights in Gangtok. You will find handsomely clad policemen in blue uniform at every juncture controlling traffic. I heard they are open to bribe. But it did not seem to have any effect on traffic discipline, and that matters.
• There are CCTV cameras in street corners to watch how households dispose off their garbage. You throw it on the street and you get a ticket for Rs 200. Worse, you will have to pick up the garbage and throw it into the bin, after you pay the fine. No wonder the streets are clean.
• Most polite cab drivers who can fluently converse in English and Hindi I have seen till now. And they are honest.
• Gangtok does not welcome plastic bags! You cannaot get carry bags of plastic in any shop. They hand u in the purchase in lovely brown paper bags. PLEASE, PLEASE NOTE!! 
• Gentle speech and manners of Sikkimese is a treat to watch.
• The snow clad mountains and deep green forests are a visual treat beyond description!

Anyone looking for a break? Gangtok strongly recommended. Simply Sikkim, beautiful!!

Anna Hazare's campaign against Corruption

Corruption in all its forms has eaten into the soul of India. We as a nation must stand united against this menace and this movement is not about philosophy, fame or a fleeting issue. It is about securing to ourselves a governance that is accountable for its action; of securing a voice to the down trodden; a mission that will make our country truely 'saare jahanse achcha, Hindustan hamara!'. It is about actually giving unto ourselves 'a socialist, secular, democratic Republic' for which we took a oath in the form of our Constitution on the 26th Jan 1956. Stand together, friends, and let us put our voices together against corruption!

Let The Sun Rise Again!

The devastation in Japan is beyond comprehension to those unaffected by the calamitous events. For those affected, the dimensions are so huge that it would beat their imagination. Our conscience as humans stands in solemn solidarity with Japanese people in this hour of their crisis.

Once before, in 1945, Japan was destroyed to ashes by man made events. Not withstanding the role of Japanese in their own destruction, the world witnessed the steely resolve with which they rose again as a phoenix from their own ash into a giant. The Emperor, Hirohito, is credited by history as the man who foresaw the doom and built Japan back into a mighty giant.

Sixty five years later, Japan is now in the throngs of a calamity much greater than what it lived through. The character, resolve, committment and sense of purpose of Japanese are under challenge yet again. Only, this time nature played villain. The last time, the world did no sympathies with the Japanese. But this moment calls for solidarity and support much more in measure than what earlier could have been.

Pray, give support and assist in all ways that we can to reinforce our own faith in ourselves as people of this planet!