The moving finger writes.............

The mist always rises, The sun always shines; After every cloud, Out comes the light. Horizons clear and Darkness always yields to light, And in the end, Life shines bright.

The sublime sea- coast at Pondicherry is something to be enjoyed. Here with my father. Light drizzle. Cool breeze. Sitting in the Aurobindo Ashram guesthouse, located by the sea. The Aurobindo Ashram itself is an enigmatic place. Today wa s one of the days when Rishi Aurobindo' s room was opened to the public. Though opulent, it gives an insight into his lifestyle. The Ashram Samadhi is host to a group meditation activity in the evenings. People sit quietly, simply meditating and trying to find answers to life's issues in silence. Sitting by the sea beach, enjoying the drizzle, one feels the various stresses, strains and disappointments of daily life melting away . It will be back to reality tomorrow, but it is worthwhile to enjoy these rare moments of life when one can simply be oneself. Viva Pondicherry!

It is Ganesh Chaturthi once again, and in many states across the country, people have started paying obeisance to the delightful Elephant-headed God. It kind of brings back memories of Pune two years back, which is the cradle of   Ganeshotsav. The memories of colourful Pandals, huge colorful processions, prasadam, the ubiquitous dhol-tasha (drums and cymbals) ,Ganesha idols in hundreds waiting for Nimajjan ,. I was lucky to see some of the traditional Ganeshotsavs of Pune, such as the Kasba Ganapati, Dagdu Seth etc. Also the very first Ganeshotsav of Pune , which was started by Lokmanya Tilak as a symbol of national awakening and pride. And we had taken out an evening, with my daughter perched on my shoulders, roaming around the lanes of the old city of Pune, checking out the Ganeshotsav pandals. No wonder she was shouting yesterday, sitting in Kolkata, “ Ganapati Bappa Morya !” I still remember the strains of the hymn, “ Om Ganeshaya Namoh Namaha, Si...

Love is the most difficult form of human emotions. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the bringing up of children. I have a daughter aged three and a half years. And I hardly get to see her. Because I have been living in a   different city for two years due to my job, somehow hoping that things will change, and trying to bring about that change. Meanwhile, I keep travelling to my hometown every three months to see my wife, kid and parents. But these two years, while being qualitatively difficult for me, have also taught me a lot about life, that love need not be a type of dependency. While taking care of Aarshi two years back, a fierce type of dependency had developed, wherein it was extremely difficult for me to stay away initially. I remember how I would break into tears when she would not talk on the phone. But today, I have realized that we should not burden our kids with our own emotions and expectations. If she is happy in a particular way, le...