Gyaan da Sagar

 Every morning we wake up and face the day and try to make meaning of our living and its mingled and sprinkled with motivational quotes and lines and pep up talks and conversations with besties and virtual messaging ( that is true for me ) and trying to face life and real life situations . How many of you do this, and try to deal with negativity and situations or problems? 

The problem lies not with others but with ourselves as we have given the key of our happiness to what others say or do , when we have made them live in our homes and they kick us out leaving us homeless . Many a times , we give so much importance and leverage to people around us that we think we can sexist only when they do or we can only breathe when they do , its this elevation that leads to all the problem . There is a thin line between giving them superficial importance based upon being scared and being afraid of them and giving them due respect . Respect is what is taught to us , ingrained in us when we are growing up based up on traditions , values that are instilled in us ,and  not the importance that we give just because we are sucking up to them because of hierarchy and the position on the social ladder . Indians are a confused lot , we have embraced the modernity of the west but we cling to the archaic traditions as  Mithril . It would have been better if we all were Frodo Baggins . Right now we all are lost in a James Clear , Charles Bulowski to Sant Maskeen to Sant Ram Das lines , why have all got so used to taking refuge in these lines, quotes ? 

Have we forgotten to think and be ourselves that we need to be reminded of basic kindness , empathy  and compassion ? In a world where are we are now told to distribute and share and then to highlight our deed , whereas all our religions have told us to share and take out 1/10th of our income and given to the poor . Why do we need to be reminded with signs that if they are trending in Instagram then only we will do? I am surprised that everything is done and shared and tweeted to leave a social virtual impact ,to further the likes , a Yatra taken only to garner sympathy and a wave of love and change , that is hollow in a lot of respects ! When did you ask the common man whether he hates the Sikh or the Muslim ? Why are we being told that Hinduism is under threat ? Trust me , living in a small village there is nothing like this  , all we worry is about ground frost , drugs , and whether sun comes out tomorrow! 

A world that is narrowed and is grey by virtuosity we need to see the real world , step out from the heated comfort of your home , step into the cold ! Remind yourself , that we need to learn . Imbibe from the well written emotionally wringing quotes and lines that are meant to impact and not be an excuse always . Like the lines I read yesterday , all the lines written by me are about God , not your ex. Rumi 

Yesterday , our cook who has more seniority than I do , he’s been with us since before I came into the scene , remarked wisely like  Master Shifu , that when we are alive , no one gives us a drop of ghee but when we die they pour ghee on us , drenching us when we are dead…. 

It is true we honor the dead more than the living , change yourself , and it comes not when we read the lines or share them to seem wise but when we actually believe in them .

Peeve #1

 This is a beginning of the year post , and I’m a year away to my fifty ! You know with age and the grey hair that I have in abundance I’ve got so many peeves . Life is all about social media and being connected to each other , but I wonder what is everyone doing with the free time that they have because of all the vowels they miss and writing in abbreviations and just missing out all the grammar . In my times ,we had a compulsory dictionary , Oxford and a red Wren and Martin that was the holy grail for all of us .

We had to use it , use it for reference and were mocked if we don’t know are P’s and Q’s , or didn’t use a colon or a semi colon or an apostrophe . Everything is in hands of Google Aunty or correction is done via auto correct or an app corrector that you’ve downloaded . Sometimes it makes it difficult for me to even understand the Pinglish used or the hinglish . Isn’t it a reflection of what our minds have become ? We have become so confused and as we think, we speak and we type , everything is corrupted .

Another interesting thing that happened with me , yesterday , it was mentioned that I have an Instagram account ; and the young man who runs a boho -chic cafe couldn’t believe his ears . It was strange for him that an aunty , an old woman would have one! The music playing in the cafe was even older than I am and that was meant to be fashionable and trendy ! How we quickly relegate to being old and ancient? Am i supposed to sit down on a sofa , vegetate and listen to what? How unforgiving the youth is? We were kinder to our peers . We were taught better , I don’t know how its been lost in translation and have we  in a hurry forgotten everything , its a state of frenzy to be liked to be adulated and to be forever in the limelight .

It’s as if we are worried and stressed that we would be extinct if we didn’t leave a virtual trace . During my classes with the unprivileged children , I stress the discipline of writing complete words and proper letters hoping I leave a stamp on them but it’s a losing battle as the seductive appeal is far stronger than writing correctly .