Love is the soul of music.

‘Love is the soul of music.’ – words etched on my iPod.

Ever noticed how your favorite songs are always invariably associated with a memory of love. Of the first love you had and lost. Of the love someone had for you but you could not give back. Of the love from when it was fresh like the first rain and now is as seasoned as the darkest night. Songs that remind you of your parents love for each other or your time spent with friends you love like brothers and sisters. It’s always about love. Of the times when you listened to songs together.
Music knows no boundaries and can instantly connect many hearts as one, filling each individual mind with the same unique emotion. How powerful can something be? Imagine the implications of uniting humans sitting in different parts of the world with different cultures with the exact same feeling. Does one need any more proof that miracles exist? That we are all connected in some invisible ever present way with one another?

Every time I listen to a song that reminds me of love, I can close my eyes feel the other person or people sharing that space with me. It becomes a sacred moment, like a prayer. Personal to me yet reaching the audience the music has tied me with. I don’t need to see them or hear them or touch them to know that in that moment, we are connected. Like the two distant beads of my meditation mala – they don’t touch each other but know very well that the eternal circle unites them and binds them by the same string of love.

Love has its distinct shades that music can bring forth really well. Listening to James Blunt singing ‘your beautiful’ instantly takes you to a love filled with innocence, hope and a sweet sadness of knowing that dreams sometimes don’t come true. Goo goo dolls singing ‘iris’ reminds you of the strength of love that knows its bounds and fate. Brian Adams’ ‘have you ever really loved a woman’ so clearly spells out a man’s understanding of a woman’s maternal love. Many others remind you of the beauty and compassion of love. All through music. All for love.

Book Review - Shantaram

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Life is about discovering yourself. If you believe in this, you will appreciate Shantaram. Taking chances on his beliefs (right or wrong), the 'Hero' in the book swims through situations and circumstances in manners that are often criminal from a societal point of view, yet making you root for him.
Do the means matter more than the goal? Does the manner of achievement take away from or add to the final success ? Will you forgive the crime if the intent was good or if the cause was just?
How do we judge the man - based on how he achieved his objective or the purity of his objective ? Do you forgive RobinHood or do you hang him ?
The book raises such questions and takes you on a journey to answer them - all while the 'Hero' escapes prison, peddles drugs, counterfeits passports, runs a free medical clinic for the poor and falls in love with an escort.
Granted there are moments of half baked philosophical overdoses, but the beauty lies in discovering the philosophy yourself as you read through the book, and not in the passages where the author spells it out for you.
It teaches you the meaning of the phrase 'resigning to your fate' and you learn to appreciate the mysteries of life.
The book is engaging and almost spiritual - but what I loved most about it is the genuine sweetness of the love the author has for India/Mumbai and its people, which fills the pages of the book, much like sugar in tea. Chai anyone ?



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Euphoria

No one in my family has been a cricket fan. My father is perhaps the only man in India to dislike cricket - 'it makes the entire nation unproductive, we cant afford it' is his frank and honest opinion. My mother used to watch it, but not anymore. My brother does not watch television (which has been the cause of concern for us for a long time - which self respecting teenager will not watch television ?). My sister has never been interested in anything but her mirror so thats a non-issue. As for me, the only time I used to watch cricket is when my examinations were near and I needed a distraction from the stress. Rahul 'the wall' Dravid was a source of inspiration, the way he stuck it out inspired me to stick it out in the sleepy nights studying my engineering books. Not to mention that I had a huge crush on him, he could do no wrong. Still can't.

So when I met and subsequently married Harsh, an avid fan of the sport, I was in a dilemma if you will. Now I am not a sports buff, I am not very athletic myself and don't play any sport, so a little difficult for me to watch sports. I don't get it. So watching games with Harsh was a difficult thing for me. I hated the process of staring at the TV or even live games in the stadium, but enjoyed Harsh's enthusiasm. Eventually, the enjoyment faded and I gave up watching the games with him, much to his disappointment.

Then it happened. Unexpectedly and it caught us off guard. 2011 was the year the Cricket World Cup to be held. I did not show any interest in it at all, initially. All of a sudden, India reaches the quarter finals and is playing Australia. I am in office and google streams the scores of the match. My team mate asks me what I think of India's chances. A true Indian that I am, I wish to give my opinion on matters I know not much about nor care much about. I say we will lose, its Australia, the 3 times champion who know how to defend titles. He is miffed by my response and declares that he hated my guts. I understand. Cricket is known to invoke that kind of passion in Indians. Its in the DNA. We go on to win the quarter finals and are to meet arch rivals Pakistan in the semi-finals. In the next couple of days, I wake up from my 'non-cricket loving' slumber and rub my eyes. I finally wake up to the euphoria that is cricket.

The love and enthusiasm Harsh has for the game, finally made its way to my heart. I wake up at the un-Godly hour of 4 in the morning, even convince my boss to allow me to live stream the match in my office while I am working on developing a prediction model for some data. I wear blue, even bleed blue. All through the electrifying match, I message about the match, pray for players and wish for Pakistan's failure. My prayers and wishes (and those of 1.2 billion people) are answered and India beat Pakistan to reach the finals. My office mates ask me what's the fuss about ? I cannot really explain what an India - Pakistan cricket match is all about. Do you guys go to war over loss in a match ? - my manager asks me. No, I say, cricket does not cause wars, it replaces wars. Its 'bat'tling it out on the 'field' while grenade like balls fly around and brave men in blue and green give it their all. Its a game and yet so much more. The commander's in chief of both nations are present to observe and negotiate on other matters. A billion hearts skip a beat when a certain Sachin Tendulkar is in trouble or makes a shattering statement. A certain MS Dhoni is a man who is ruthless and passionate at the same time, who has the undivided support of one and all. Its a gentleman's game and thats how it was played.

As I write this on the eve of the World Cup 2011 Final where India will 'bat'tle it out with Sri Lanka, I find myself making my way to Toronto, to be with Harsh who is posted here on an assignment. I have asked my manager to excuse me - 'I know we have a deadline, I know we have clients to please, I know the urgency of the project we have at hand, I know how much there is to be done, but the sheer thought of watching the Finals without Harsh is painful, so let me go' is what I tell him. My manager who has never seen me make such passionate and dramatic statements for anything other then data models is amused and lets me go. Harsh and our friend Jatin are out looking for pre-game supplies and I am at home, waiting for the morning. Our dog Kashmir is lying next to me and wondering what the fuss is about. So as we wait for the morning when the Indians will take on the Lankans, all I can think of is how excited Harsh is about my recent transformation towards the game. His eyes glow with pride every time I look at a cricket related news article and discuss the game with him. He indulges my stupid questions with good nature and seems to fall in love with me all over again. He smiles that amazing smile of his every time I say how amazing I think MS Dhoni is as a captain. He is probably thanking the God's that I finally was bitten by the bug. Actually, I am too.

We always wanted a dog

We always wanted a dog. Well, I always wanted a dog and as any man can tell you, that’s all that’s needed for most things to happen when you’re married, a wife’s desire! Hence, we always wanted a dog. Now I have had the awesome luck to grow up with a lot of pets whom I loved dearly and some of whom loved me back. So having a dog was a no brainer for me, like a matter of fact, going to happen kinda thing. But for my husband, it was a different situation. He did not have pets growing up and his memories of dogs were not made of the I’m so cute take me home eyes or cuddle me I’m soft or rub my belly and I’m yours kinda dogs. His memories were made of a scared teenager trying to ply his bicycle at the maximum speed he could ride at because stray street dogs in Pune(India) thought the street he was riding on was their territory, which my husband was trespassing . Or maybe it’s a dog thing, to chase everything on wheels…not sure. Fortunately, my husband never had the opportunity to find out if they were merely chasing or had any serious intention of ‘defending’ their territory. But the vision of my husband as a teenager, skinny and gawky riding his bicycle as if his life depended on it and a pack of blonde Indian hounds chasing him always makes my day. Its amusing when the misery is not yours and particularly when it’s your spouse’s ! Again, married people can vouch for this – although not sure how long you will stay married now that you have openly acknowledged the existence of this fact.

So we set about ‘researching ‘ the what and how of owning a dog. Now, this researching aspect comes from my husband whose need to ‘research ‘ can extend from situations involving which is the best toilet tissue to buy up to what is the best six sigma approach to apply to the sequencing of the chassis of the town and country model of 2010. I am not saying that it’s not necessary or that it’s not useful, I’m just saying that it’s a pain in the you know what for someone who barely got through her research years as a student doing her Masters with the help of caffeine, caffeine and yes, caffeine. So for a year (yes, a whole year), we did just that – research. We saw all the television shows even remotely related to dogs, including Dog the Bounty Hunter(it has the word dog in it). It’s me or the Dog is a personal favorite – I know all the dogs Victoria the host and trainer helped by straightening their owners(Its never the fault of the dog she says) as if I was the agent who got them the show.

We took all the personality tests on all the websites who helped us determine what breed of dog was most suited for us – not Labradors as they are very energetic and our ‘personality’ would not suit them (with one ‘researcher’ and the other half being me, its inertia central in here people). A German Shepherd would not do because it’s a big guard dog and we have a small apartment which has nothing worth guarding – unless my mother’s pearl necklace that she ‘forgot’ at my place only to use that as an excuse to get another bigger one can count as a treasure worth guarding. Then again, I am not sure what self respecting German Shepherd would want to guard that…and self respect is what the Sheps and Germans are known for I hear, so…not a breed for us. A King Charles Cocker Spaniel looked like a good match for a while, but I think the pet shelter/adoption agency we applied to did not think we were royal enough for a King Charles. We understand, they have a reputation to protect. We thought a Dalmatian or a St.Bernard would fit the bill, but my husband kindly pointed out that if I ever had to take the dog out for a walk alone, it would be a pretty funny scene. I mean imagine a 100 pound woman walking a 200 pound giant dog. It seems fine at that scene, but imagine if that dog caught the scent of a squirrel and decided it wanted to chase it. Now imagine a 200 pound dog chasing a 3 pound squirrel dragging a 100 pound woman on what is supposed to be the dog’s leash. Pretty funny don’t you think. Again, refer to the point about the spouse’s misery, this is another example. I can see my husband smiling inside(I think he is rolling over with laughter with what must seem like the biggest laugh ever). Point in case, no big breeds for us.

We now directed our attention to the little ones, the we’re so cute and we know it ones, the ones who are tiny by only size and can bring down a mansion with their sheer vocal prowess…the Chihuahua’s, the Shih Tzu’s, the Pomeranians, the Maltese and their kind. Apartment dwellers, couch potatoes, no children yet…perfect for a small breed, right ? Not so much and not always, as we found out. Now small they maybe, but that’s only the pounds of flesh we are talking about. The attitude punch they pack is a whole different story my friends. We saw this adorable Pekinese at one of the shelters. She was cute as a button, red soft coat, pretty eyes and that cute nose. We approached the crate she was in with all the affection and she proceeded to well…walk away in the other. Not the ones to be deterred by such minor ignoring by a dog, we went over to the other side where she was. She looked up, gave us that look for half a second and moved away again. Now I love dogs and all, but I must say my petty human ego was hurt. We later found out that the Pekinese are usually a one person dog and maybe she was too attached to her previous owner. In any case, my petty human ego was hurt at being snubbed by the cutest little red head and I had to move on. On another weekend, we happened to meet the most paradoxical dog ever – an English bulldog. The bulldogs if you have seen one, look mean. They ‘look’ like mean business and have the attitude of no messing around. They are broad shouldered, look like they hit the gym twice a day and run marathons regularly. If you have met one, you would know that in fact, they are the cutest little angels with the funniest attitude ever. They are gentle and love to cuddle. Sitting on the couch and watching the telly would be their favorite activity and getting up to shift their weight from the left paw to the right would easily qualify as workout for these gentle souls. This dog seemed like the perfect match…but my husband suggested that a seemingly lazy dog in the life of the laziest couple on the block would not be so good. I mean I don’t want to be competing for the title of the lazy, lazier and the laziest everyday…and that’s exactly what would happen in the house. A couple days later, we happened to go to a local pet store who were hosting an adoption event. We met the most energetic little fellow with beautiful brown spots on a soft white coat. His eyes were full of mischief and his nose was glued to the ground. Meet the beagle, the ones with the best sense of smell and bred to hunt small game. These wonderful ones are known to have a singing voice, err bark or howl. We immediately fell in love with this one and promptly went up to the desk to fill in the adoption form. The kind lady there asked us some ‘routine’ questions like who will be in the house (us) , why do you want a dog (err, why not?) , do we have a fenced yard ? (Nope - no yard no fence…we are apartment dwellers.) Oh oh she said, that’s a deal breaker for a beagle…they have to have a fenced yard to sniff and run around.

Disappointed by the months of no luck even identifying the right breed, we were near giving up on the whole dog thing completely. Maybe we should get a goldfish or even a ball python. Then one boring afternoon in office, I was reading the news and there happened to pop up an ad for an upcoming pet adoption event. I had almost given up but something caught my eye. It was a pair of the most soulful brown eyes I had ever seen (second to my husband). They were accompanied by a big black button nose, long ears, one brown and the other spotted. Her name was Kiss-me, listed as a beabull from Kentucky, currently residing at a local shelter waiting for a fur-ever home. Kiss-me needed a home and we needed her.

I called my husband and insisted I had found the one. He did not quite believe me haven given up the dog hunt way before I did. I contacted the shelter and set up an appointment for the following day. That morning, I dragged my husband to the adoption event at the very hour they said they would open(what if someone else fell in love with those eyes?)
We walked in and there she was. The perfect one. The soulful eyes and the attitude to match. She walked up to us, sniffed us for a moment, looked up at my husband and then it happened. He knew, just as I had, that this was the one. There was no doubt about it. When you know, you just know, they say. And how we knew.

A week later, she was living with us. Her name is now Kashmir (after the beautiful state from India as well as the wool from that region, just like her coat). She is a beagle and bull dog mix - like God decided to finally give us the best mix of a dog suited for us, the laziness of the bull dog along with the energy of the beagle. The sense of smell of a beagle with appetite of the bull. The attitude of the beagle yet the soul of the bull dog. I told you, perfect !
Every morning walking her is easily the most favorite time of our day. She has added so much love to our lives, it’s unbelievable. They always say…you don’t rescue a dog, a dog rescues you.

Woof Woof !

Isn't humanity the only religion ?

The recent disturbing Mumbai events have questioned me just as the previous hateful and terror driven events across the world with this simple one - isn't humanity the only religion ? I mean sure we can all be Hindu's or Muslims, Christians or Sikhs, Jews or Buddhists...but dont they all hold identical values and try to spread the same message in different ways ? Are some of us really that stupid as not to see this ? It is incredibly cowardly to use religion as a means to unite with an aim to cause such harm. All through history across the globe we have seen that if there existed real agenda based on grief and injustice, it has only been solved by peaceful means, like the Indian fight for freedom. It has never made any sense to a lot of people to use violence as a means to get peace. I am not saying that there should not be the presence of armies or weapons right now, for purely tactical reasons and just for the time being (of course a weapon free world is the ideal and the eternal optimist in me believes very strongly that this would be a reality someday) . Just like most of us, I feel that you cannot 'win' a war against anything... you stand a better chance of bringing about change if you understand it and try to resolve the core insecurities.
I know some of you are probably saying that for those who did not lose anyone dear to them, its easy to sit on a chair and blabber about a weapon free world. For those of you, please see any interview of Mrs.Kia Scherr, the brave woman who lost her husband and daughter in Mumbai 26/11. Her amazing faith in humanity and strength to forgive might change your opinion.
The current US President elect Mr.Obama faced a lot of flack during his campaign when he said that he was willing to talk to anyone to bring about change and peace. Critics said that it was naive and that it was dangerous for the US head of state to meet without preconditions. Agreed. But honestly, do you really think that its going to work? I mean, how can you resolve any conflict if you don't at least try to start a dialogue ? And what confidence do you project when you have ridiculous preconditions (or conditions that seem ridiculous to the other side at least) ?
I could be wrong, but I tend to believe that maybe the pent up frustration, irritation, failure in the view of the world and a lack of a sense of purpose in some people is taken advantage of by extremists and by using religion as a means to unite, they are misled and made to believe that the atrocities that they might commit are in fact not sins because its a religious cause. Isn't this the common thread across all communal rifts across all religions ? We think we can forgive ourselves if the cause is just in the view of the religion we are following. And then again, isn't humanity the only religion...or should it not be ? if only it were that simple to understand and practice...

When you do what is right...

'When you do what is right, everything falls in its place and everyone falls in line'. I am not sure where I read or heard this, but its a statement that has stuck with me ever since. Its a statement that my mind reminds me whenever I am caught in a dilemma to choose a path on those frequent forks of life (which is about at least 50 times in the day and 10 times in my dreams for sure).
Pretty much every time there is a mental , situational, emotional , physical or any other molehill of a problem, I have the ability to convert it to a mountain instantly. Just like that. I think about the situation for a few minutes and there, like a magician saying "abracadabraaaaaaaa" or a genie blinking her eyes or snapping her fingers, there's a mountain from a mole hill. Its a gift... honestly. I know you envy me now but that's OK. Not everyone is blessed. Some of us are just plain lucky and I seem to have a lot of it. Now that we know about my super ability, lets get back to talking about this statement.
So every time I find myself staring at this mountain of a molehill, I find myself wondering what to do. One has to decide based on what one wants, what the other people want (the mountain is almost like K2 when the 'other people' are loved ones like dear friends and family), what is normally done in a situation like that and so on. Every solution has its own consequences which affect the other situations in life and most certainly, other people. One thinks judiciously about the options and which one to choose. The brain confers with the heart and the soul and advises you of the best solution, the 'right' one. Now this 'right one' may create other molehills or potential mountains. If the 'right one' is not what one wants, one feels less inclined to take it up. If its going to disturb the 'other people', well, its equally bad. Some of us who have the openness of the heart and the generosity to be self-sacrificial, tend to go with the option that pleases the 'other people'. Some of us who are more in tune with ones own self, chose the option that pleases the self. The rest just flip a coin. A pretty neat idea I must say...very efficient.
Whatever one chooses, its not possible that its a universal solution to satisfy every aspect or person and I dread the consequences.
This is where the mind interferes and reminds me of the statement. When you do what is right - right meaning fair to all in the long run or in the overall picture or just plain common sense correct, everything falls in place and everyone falls in line - eventually. Don't mind the temporary upheaval (which depending on the mountain could last from hours to months), don't mind the people you have 'hurt' by doing the right thing, once they think about it and cool off, they will see the light. Things or situations might settle faster then people. People have their own gifts - to hold on to fear / ego / insecurities and more. These gifts make the settling process slower and more difficult then what it actually is. But eventually, they see the point.
So when you do what is right, the mountain disappears and there is a plane of land stretching to the horizon, soft green grass swaying in the cool breeze, beautiful gazelles and deer grazing without a care, sparrows chirping and the sun shining bright. Almost like a magician saying "abracadabraaaaaaaa" or a genie blinking her eyes or snapping her fingers.

Its SPRING...NOW

The sweet winds of change had started to blow across the lands, asking the winter damaged life to hold on just a little bit longer, for it was to be SPRING.
A time to forget the harsh winters that had preceded, a time to be in the moment whose memory would be a perennial source of inspiration and calm, a time to look forward to or abhor the sunshine and rains, depending on your disposition.
Its the season which embodies the essence of our being - forget the past for it is now but a memory, the present is heaven so open your eyes and be in the moment, the future will certainly be a different story so expect change.
So if there had to be a representative for spring, I believe it would have to be Tulips.
Just as the winters begin to disappear, the tulips begin to rise. The small and random specks of yellows, reds, pinks , etc... begin to line the sidewalks and fill in the greens in the parks. You cannot help but smile and for that moment, you are completely there... present. A week later the buds have blossomed and are divine...perfect size petals standing tall and spreading the cheer, simply by being. Every time you look at a tulip, you cannot help but be mesmerized, not only by the enchanting beauty but also by the thought that this beauty that is in front of you right now, was not there a week ago and will not be there a week from now. All you have is now. All you have is this moment and it is divine, peaceful... calm.
All you ever have is the now...for the past is the winter, nothing but a memory and the future a summer, sun or rain you will never be sure what.
But now it's spring...the NOW is always the SPRING and every moment a Tulip in bloom.
(The pictures are from a recent visit to the 'Tulip Time Festival' Holland, MI, USA.)