Psychedelic Slippers

Why is humility so hard to come by? Most religions teach the wisdom of humility, but who listens? We all know that life is finite, that human civilization, for what it’s worth is self-limiting. And yet the most educated of men will strut about their little world like actors on stage;they assume the mantle of immortals, deluding themselves into thinking they are indispensable, until eventually they join all those other indispensables who have reached perfection in the form of dust or ashes. Why so much pride when a little humility can get us far more by way of love and peace and happiness? Better to efface yourself like the cricket who is heard but seldom seen than to flap your wings and crow like a cockbird before ending up as someone’s tandoori dinner. Happiness is an elusive state of mind, not to be gained by clumsy pursuit. It is given to those who do not sue for it: to be unconcerned about a desired good is probably the only way to possess it. ‘I enjoy life,’ said Seneca, ‘ because...

I wasn’t quite in a mood of going to class today. I dragged ma feet out of the bed, into the shower, and to the class, with a lazy cup of tea on the way. A lot of thoughts crowded my head as I walked. I felt like crying. NO it was not something personal, I was crying at the status quo. I woke up today at around 6.30 in the morning when I heard the ‘corporation ka nal ’ (tap) spewing water. That’s rare and happens at all odd hours, as if trying to evade those it is meant for. I got up and mechanically filled bottle after bottle. The tap coughed and spitted, but I remained persistent besides it. Through the minutes that passed like hours, I wondered how many such waits were there in my life ahead, or in fact for all of us who plan to live beyond the next 10-15 years or more. Had our predecessors foreseen this when they raised us as children of abundance? I doubt! Has there been a blind overconsumption in the name of affordability and comfort; a trend that continues to this day (and not s...

This is ma first post from pune. Done with unpacking and stuff. I guess its ma first experience living in a metropolis n m already missing the greens of goa! Life is harried(hurried) here, yet ma pgmates out here have lots o time to spend. Most of them, like me, are doing one or two courses for enhancing their skills, so we got lots o time off. I entered the city in the wee hours of Saturday morning, with sleepy eyes. We were picked up by a family friend. We entered the house with a realization that there was no water. WELCOME TO THE CITY. We prayed the taps to spill out the last drops of this now-rare necessity! The gods were generous, n the taps sang the golden song of gushing water. We freshened up, n mom n me were set to roam around the city. We checked ma pg. its this old house with stone walls and this 50s look to it, though it’s a decent enough place to live. Its cool n nice n not so much city like, a relatively at peace locality though not totally untouched by the voices of the...

m off to pune from tomo fr a couple o months. jus done with packin ma stuff (half ma stuff rather, n wondering how to stuff the other half into the cupboard witout it falling over neone who might attempt to open it in ma absence) tat apart... SIM LYF (a term coined by sid to college life) has finally come to an end in all respects. i have had a hectic week with runnin around everywher. meetin frens , buying stuff, repairs, making the eletronics in ma house more parents friendly.. (tat took some effort, n m still not sure whether they hav got a hang of it completely). the most signinficant part of my past few days is ma tiny cousin. he is been hanging around me like he is ma tail o smtin.. n he sat up like til half an hour ago, helpin me pack ma bag (he is really tiny.. only in 3rd ) n he has been more disturbed than neone else probably by the mere thought that i am going. Its the first time ever we will be separated by such a long time and distance. his watery eyes kept askin my date o...