death

this one was great to read. its by kahlil gibran. 

On Death

From The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

living life to the fullest

I read this article and felt it might be good to publish it here. Read on to steps on living life to the fullest.

1. Seize each day. Live each day as if it's your last. Leave the past behind and do not anticipate the future. Be present to enjoy the moment.
2. Be adventurous. Explore, live on the edge a little and embrace new challenges. Visit new places with your loved ones. Take the road less traveled.
3. Keep a journal. Record your accomplishments as well as your delights. Take time to reflect on what has been previously written. Be an inspiration to yourself and others.
4. Love yourself. Focus on your inner and outer beauty to see the same in others. Acceptance comes from within.
5. Love others. Love the ones who treat you right. Forget about the ones who dont. Life is too precious to be wasted on waiting for love.
6. Accept everyone. Be kind and courteous. Enjoy the company of others. Acknowledge their goodness rather than the differences in their beliefs.
7. Find purpose in life. Be selfless in service to others. Begin with your neighbor. Do charitable service outside of your immediate community as well.
8. Be realistic. Set attainable goals according to your abilities and talents. Consider each effort to be an attainment. Achieve one step before the other towards stability and security.
9. Seek balance. Understand the night and day, back and forth, good and bad in all things. Focus on good thoughts and good things will happen.
10. Maintain control. Be responsible for your actions and inactions. Be true to yourself. Maintain a personal code in the situation at hand. Find common ground.
11. Listen to your heart and soul. Listen for advice, but be confident in making your own decision. Use your instinct.
12. Clear your mind. Rituals of yoga, meditation and tai chi will replenish and rejuvenate your soul to focus more clearly on serenity and happiness.
13. Be carefree. Desires, obsessions and possessions possess you. Free yourself of inhibitions. Make an active decision to have simple daily needs.
14. Laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. It releases endorphins and promotes longevity. Inner joy is beautiful!
15. Be flexible. Accept change as a positive thing in life. At times, go with the flow that is before you.
16. List a few daily goals. Meet a new friend, swim at the lake or walk in the park. Enhance your day and initiate fun!
17. Appreciate the little things. Take a walk around your community to experience the wonder in a way that you have never experienced it before.
18. Accept death. Pondering death brings appreciation to life. Take time to appreciate the expanse and beauty of your life and our earth. Let go peacefully.

i want

the elections are over. the drama, high fever, the razzmatazz and the hollow promises have gone by. the actors have done their part and some of them have been awarded with a chance to change the way we take our country ahead. the spending for success to win a seat in parliament has collectively touched above extraordinary limits. have we wondered where this kind of money is generated from and why are we not raising our voices against this kind of monstrous wastage of money.

the cost of elections to the public for elections in 1999 was 888 crore and above 1000 crore in 2004. we are still to receive the audited reports of the cost of election 2009. consider this amount from the amount spent in 1967 which was just 1.80 crores. and surely we can all scratch our heads as to where this is all leading to.

an interesting aspect of the election 2009 was that most of the candidates were not talking about the global recession or the spiralling interest rates, the race to survive by our country men...none of these were spoken about at the high pitched speeches across india. what was spoken was a dialect in hate politics. candidates washing each others dirty linen in public. the power wrestle was pathetic and some of us must have also laughed at the way these people went about the campaign. The same jokers who stalled the parliament on the issue of the Nuclear deal seemed to have completely forgotten about it at the election.

The power situation, global warming, water shortage, the market trends...none of these took importance. What took importance was the CPM candidate bad mouthing the Janata Dal...the congress teasing the inparty fight of the CPM. and the CPM taking pot shots at each other.

In the end however the public shouted back at all these jokers. I for one believe that most of us used our brains before voting. may the best man win. and now i pray that some sanity will prevail and good governance can be a hope. maybe i am speaking too soon. 

Jai Hind

My grandmother - Amma

Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete.  ~Marcy DeMaree

I read these lines in a quote and realised how true it is when I remember Amma. Its now two years since she's gone leaving a huge space in our lives. she died in my arms in a very peaceful way. 

when i think of amma, i remember how much care she took "not to be a trouble for anyone". she had left behind a sum of money to even take care of the expenses of her death ceremonies. a fiercely independent person, she was the third wife to my grandfather. he died when her children were just a few years old. 

she took matters in to her own hands, ensured that all her three daughters were sent to boardings and given the finest education while she saved every penny she had to  give them a wonderful life with the maximum security.

i remember going to visit her at erumely in the village where she was living alone. she would be waiting at the verandah above the gate and i am sure that she must have been there waiting for us for hours. holidays at erumely were special, with lots of fun and amazing food and all the love that amma would shower on us. the goodbyes were always sad. she would hand us some pocket money, a lot of advise on saving and spending wisely and a promise to come back whenever we could.

its not easy to live life by her standards. even at the age of 60 i remember her washing her own clothes, sweeping her front yard free of all leaves, maintaining her garden, managing the accounts of the plantations and yet relaxed, peaceful and smiling.

i miss you amma. i remember your words and the promises i made. i pass on the stories you told me to my daughter zahibaa and son zohrab and keep telling them to know what a fine lady you were and the strength you had to live life on your terms even when you died.

i will always love you and cherish the memories you gave us. you are in my heart always.