WHAT you See is NOT what you SEE

My son was watching a cartoon series, and suddenly he asked, “Amma, do alien exist in real? Do they use U.F.O as their car or aeroplane?

My involuntary response was, “No! Dear alien do not exist, there is nothing like U.F.O or aliens. What they showed in cartoon was just an imaginary story, to give you an experience of thrill and excitement. My son looked at me with a curious eyes and asked “Are you sure Amma?”

That momentary silence enlightened few things with in. Involuntary response to any question of doubt about alien, ghost, outer space research will mostly be negative. But if pondered upon is that so?

On a deeper sense if thought upon, what one see with their eye is not the same as the other person’s sight? Say if I see a tree or a house in 1km radius, and the other person too views the same object, the sight of the both person will be same, but what about the dimension, finer details, colour? Are both person’s retina have the same lens index? Same focal length? What about colour blindness?

Okay leave about two people vision on same object. One person view the same object through air and water, the shape of the object changes because of the medium. (Time to remember refraction, reflection and focal length.) 

Focal length

The same vehicle that seen through eyes and the rear view mirror have different dimension. Both the vision in mirror and through the eyes are true, can’t say it’s not real. But what will be original dimension? So what do we see with our eye largely depends on one’s lens index, medium of vision, refraction index of any light.In simple words even if we travel in same train the visuals I see, and enjoy is quite different from what the other person see, though the surrounding is constant.

What I see and the visual I capture in my mind is totally different from the other person sight! Simple the stars that we see are not diamond in shape, they are round ball of fire like sun (through telescope)! Uhmm wondering what would be the real shape or it is shapeless? So what we see through these eyes are not the entire true picture. There are lot more dimensions too, to all the tiny particles to biggest object we see around us.

The way I see the universe, the way which I can't see doesn't matter. There are infinity things that exist around me which I fail to see, say the microbes which can be viewed under microscope and the biggest planet which can be seen only with a telescope or as space satellite. There are things that exist around us which we fail to observe and understand. How can one be sure that U.F.O or aliens or ghost don’t exist? Just because we didn’t see, or we are incapable of viewing that dimensions. They do or not, and infinity more do exist which is beyond human eyes and intelligence to understand. Things can’t exist because I can’t see or never seen. They do in their own dimensions, in their own energy realms, in their own mediums. What is true to your eyes may not be the same truth the other one. Nature have not only created everyone unique but also the dimensions which one see, realize is unique and special for that particular person.

So I refined my answer to my son’s question.

The Omnipresent

We were passing by a Jesus Christ procession yesterday. The parent wave struck and I started to educate Dyuti (my daughter) about who Jesus was and few facts of Christianity. Finally when I turn around to check what is holding her silent (sure not my speech), as usual she was in her own world. My temper raised (which seems to happen now very often) I started my angry shower,”Dyuti, why are you like this, for studying also you don’t pay attention, why don’t you show little interest in hearing other things? This time I was just saying you the story of Jesus, I am really fed up with you. Day by day you are becoming dumb”.

Again no response, my blood pumped so high, so this time my Husband started “Dyuti did you listen to what Amma was saying.”

Dyuti “Yes, Appa this is the usual scolding of Amma, I even can say it by-heart, even in sleep…Dyutiiiii…”When I turn around I caught her smiling at me. My anger evaporated!

“Ok Dyuti tell- me what where you thinking when I was explaining to you about Jesus.”

“Amma I was thinking, why Christian’s have one God, and Muslims have one God, then why do Hindus have an almira full of Gods?” She looked at me with full confidence of know it all-mom.

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The very same question may have been raised in you or addressed to you. Did you get a convincing answer? My brother and I did get it. Thanks to my parents, who passed on the correct value of our religious following, so that I can correctly guide my child.  DAD this blog is a tribute for you, which may shed some light on many more parents.

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Photo courtesy Google images

To understand why Hindus have so many God, one has to first understand the Hindhu-Dharma. According to Hindu-Dharma everything is God. Everything has the force of creator in it. Every smallest living thing, an atom has this creative force in it as a potential energy. So every living and non-living thing carrying the Creators-potential energy becomes God. 

ALL ARE GOD (sarvam bhramayam).

That why Hindus worship, forces of nature – air, water, fire, earth, and space.
Animals like Cow, Elephant, Snake,
Tress like Neem, banyan, pupil,
Leaves like mango, banana, betel.
Non-Living things like books, houses, vehicles,
Name anything it will be worshipped by Hindus.

“There (in the causal body) one perceives all created things – solids, liquids, gases, electricity, energy, all beings, gods, men, animals, plants, bacteria – as forms of consciousness.” - Autobiography of a Yogi.

The simple way to put  the  principle of Hindu philosophy is: 0 x 1(n) = 0

(0 zero) Creator multiply by any number of creation = (0 zero) the Creator

                                                

Another goal of having different forms of god and goddess is to focus our minds on certain specific attributes of the Supreme, such as truth, love, and purity; and make these qualities manifest in our inner nature. Trying to get ordinary people to mediate, the rishis of the Vedas faced a dilemma. The inexperienced minds of most people are unable to focus on the qualitative attributes of a formless, infinite God. For example, it is very hard to meditate on goodness, by imagining a blank space or a void. “This is because the mind can focus only on those properties which it can perceive through the five senses of sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. Even amongst these, the sense of sight (for example, a picture which signifies goodness) is the most effective tool with which the mind’s attention can be fixed for long periods of time.” Keeping this psychological truth in view, the rishis contemplated images for the various attributes of God. Thus the sages, took the countless attributes of the Universal Lord, and creatively depicted each of them in the forms of the various Gods and Goddesses of Hinduism:For example, as the creator of the universe, the Supreme is symbolically represented as Brahma; as the sustainer and nourisher of the world, He is depicted as Vishnu; and as the power which keeps creation in balance, He is represented as Shiva. Similarly, that aspect of the Supreme which guides our intellect on the path of righteousness is called Mother Gayatri/shakthi; the power which enhances our creativity is Goddess Saraswati and the courage that helps us leap across oceans, is Lord Hanuman.

In this way arise the multitudinous deities of the Hindus. The purpose of these idols being, to aid the mind of the devotee during prayer and meditation. The idols are given particular shapes to channelize the energy force and radiate it in the sanctums. So when devotees enter temple the feel blessed because of the positive vibration the get from the idols and the architecture of the temple.

ToRpOr DeAtH

I was heading back home in bike, hearing songs in a relaxed mood. There was a sudden sound from behind and momentary everything went black? Or blank?

When I got my conscious back, everything was new! Everything had a different
Dimension!
Dimension!

My body laid in road bleeding, my bike was been hit by a van and it crashed on a lamp
post. I was dead? Then how do I see these things? How do I understand and analysis
these things? Then who is dead? Or what is death?
I am able to sense everything, my audio and stereo system was working fine. I am able to
smell, move and my thoughts worked fine in-fact clear. Then what did I lose?
I didn't have my physical body, but everything else remained the same. NO, everything
now had a different dimension and frequency!

I was able to see various colors other than the seven defined spectrum colors!
Everything around me was radiant and beautiful. I was able to hear even the minute
Breathe of breeze, to the distant roar of sea!
The sense of movement was indefinable; there were no limits to my fight,
And my thoughts where rushing like layers after layers with clarity and strong wisdom.
Death is not DEATH! It’s not termination of life.
IT’S AN EXPERIENCE!
IT’S AN OUT OF the know WORLD EXPERIENCE!

Courtesy: Google

The realization was finally drawing upon me.
It’s like traveling in a train, to a particular destination, but while traveling our conscious
get so involved in the current scenario’s, with other passengers, momentary forgetting the
self. But once the train stops, it realizes that its destination have come and retrieves to its
self. Life is a just like a Journey, where the conscious experiences - happiness, joy, sorrow,
jealously, anger, loneliness, love, and affection. Life is just an experience. Is Life that
simple? Yes, one will realize it when it ends, rather ends one phase.

I realized that my journey here, is over! Now I start again, according to my wish, for
another train, another voyage and another experience.

......

Treasure

On a Sunday morning, Sumed was busy cleaning the attic. Sumed’s grandma had expired five years before and he inherited their ancestral property of an acre of land with a beautiful house, surrounded by coconut trees, timber and rubber plantations in Kerala. Sumed and his wife Subadra have planned to lease this property, and after a few years they were planning to convert it into a private resort. Sumed and Subadra were searching the house for their granny’s decent picture, as they planned to hang a life size portrait of in the veranda.

Sumed’s have seen his granny, Shantha, known as Shantha amma often going into the attic and staring at a wooden box, very passionately. Sumed had a secret wish to find more precious treasure in that, so he was in the attic searching for the precious wooden box. After ten minutes of search Sumed eyes fell upon the box. The box was made of wood, with elephant and deer carving, it was a 150 years old antic piece, and the wooden box was inherited by his granny from her great-grand-ma, who served the Queen of The King Marthanda Verma.  Sumed lifted the box as if he was lifting a new born; the scent of original teak wood infiltrated his nostril. On close range he could see ivory carving, embed with emerald stones – he made a mental note to verify the originality of the stones with his wife later. Sumed dusted the golden handle and key knobs, with a pounding heart got ready to open the box. To his surprise he found the box unlocked. All sort of thought aroused in his head, why was the box unlocked? Was it unlocked by someone else? Was the treasure inside was been taken by some one long ago? Or is it a careless mistake of Shantha amma herself? What a careless person was Shantha amma to leave a valuable box like this in the attic, without any protection?  Or the box doesn’t have any valuables for such a safe guard?

With anxiety and excitement he pushed opened the box. The precious box had lots and lots of chocolate wrappers and notes in it!

Sumed was confused, he dumped the wrappers and checked the box inside for any secret compartments; he used the magnifying glass to read any secret notes engraved in it. He found none. With frustration he sat on the floor and his attention dragged on the various notes scared along with the chocolate wrappers. Again with a ray of hope he unfolded the notes, the notes opened the new door way to his life, and Sumed was not the same man again.

Few of the notes read;

Thank you Shantha sister for saving my young one.

My hearty thanks to you Shantha sister for looking after my infant, with such a care.

Our humble Namaste for humanity you exhibited.

Shantha amma, thank you for your kind service, we will remember you till our last breath.

Shantha sister, the way you looked after my infant, is more than what I did carrying him for nine months in the womb. You are like a mother to my kid.  We will never forget your service. Thank you.

Like these there were 50 odd notes in various languages were lying in the box. These notes triggered Sumed to know more about his granny. On enquires he learned that Shantha amma was a head-nurse in the town hospital. She was head in charge of neonatal intensive care (NICU). She was very famous in the hospital, because of her humble and dedicated work. She looked after her patients not like a case, but as alive human and attended the anxious mother patiently.

To understand his grandma well, Sumed visited the town hospital where she worked. After a lot of struggle he got permission to peep into NICU, for 15- minutes. There the realization drawn upon him -Handling the new born in intensive care were much difficult of all. Firstly the new born lacked the immunity to fight against any disease condition, so probability of survival was less, they couldn’t express their discomfort – everything should be understood just by their cry. Most of these infants are placed in a temperature controlled incubator, which beeps every five-minutes once to control the temperature, the infants had to be fed every second hour, had to be cleaned after every natures call, had to be rocked along with the various combination of wires and drips carefully. When they were, injecting, piercing and monitoring such a fragile infant, they needed a solid heart to accomplish the task.  One fragile cry of these infants will melt the heart of any devil, only these nurses know what mask they are wearing to solidly hold their pounding hearts. Above all they answered each anxious parent’s, repeated monolog of how was their baby doing? Patiently, with a smile “everything is fine”, “our doctors are very good, don’t worry”...

These are the magic words that Sumed noticed, brought a moment of relief in the parents face. He could see the patents looking at these nurse like Gods own angels. The nurse in NICU ward had literally no time to sit and relax even for five- minutes too. They had to ask each other duty nurse help to go for coffee break too, like MNC they couldn’t afford tea break. Their routine was very hectic.

Sumed was thinking of his grandma, with all modern equipments the job was so difficult, what would be the situation in his grand-ma’s period. The service done by Shantha amma, and the value of those notes and chocolate wrappers in the precious wooden box, slowly sunk into his heart. He analyzed his present, where to earn more he and his wife Subadra left their children in day-care, and his parents in old age day care home.  Whole day his children spend time in school and day care, his parents in old age day care center, and evening are spent with servant- maids in four walls of their home. Sumed wanted to do some sort of service to society, but to start with, he lovingly served his family. Sumed extended his activity like – not just dumping the medicine bag of his parent, but slowly asking them whether they had it daily and personally gave it to them. He learnt all day today news affairs from his dad, instead of reading it online. To his children he spend daily half hour time playing or chatting, weekends they all day lunch together in a family table, lovingly serving each other. These small changes made Sumed happy and complete from inside. Sumed and Shubadhra donated their grandma’s property to government child trust hospital. In that ancestral home now stood a multi- specialty hospital for children, and in the center of the hospital there is a life size portrait of Shantha-amma, the wooden box placed below, with it its chocolate wrappers and notes in display to inspire the next generation of nurses.

INDIAN SOJOURNER

SOJOURNER OF INDIA

Akilash and Akai where  packing their bags for trip to their native land –  Kakori, Lucknow, India.  They were living in Nottinghamshire, England. Their parents have promised to take them to their mother land once, and failed again and again because of their industrious schedules. This time the brothers where off age and understood their parents ineffectualness and started to plan their trip.  Money was not a big criteria, so the travel, stay, everything was arranged in a jiff.

They departed from England airport to capital of India, Delhi. The flight journey was comfortable, with savoury dishes (which they lavishly tasted and wasted), radiant terrain, and endearing air hostess service. Akilash and Akai kept their first step in Indian soil... uhmm, street with a background music   of “YEH DESH HAI MERA” echoing in  bollywood style, demoing the true emotion of pride and patriotism.  Their mama – Ranchan have come to receive them. Since it was mid-night Akilash and Akai missed the mundane traffic jam of Delhi roads.

Akilash “ Mama, Amma told Indian roads will be shabby, not well structured, but  I am seeing a well organised lanes and good infrastructures around, it is equivalent to our city back”.

Ranchan “Beta yeh election ka season hai, sab kuch acha lagtha hai !”

Akai “what season?  Election and climate season, mama, I can’t get you.”

Ranchan “Its election time, political party will do good things to public now”.

Akilash “But they would be doing this throughout their ruling period, what's so special now?”

Ranchan “heri baiyo Ye India hai, here everything will happen only during election time, still now I can’t understand, you are too young and alien to understand, leave this matter. You have come here, if the road is nice enjoy the ride, if it is bad just adjust, okay”.

 Ranchan mama's 3-BHK apartment was very comfortable to live in, they had yummy desi butter parathas, kheer, milk sweets and chaval to their tummy’s content and went for local site seeing. Ranchan mama has arranged a local tourist taxi to take them around Delhi. They visited Qutb Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Rajghat, and finally shopped at chandini chowk.

Akilash “ Is there any food court nearby, where we can taste special eatables of  Delhi bahaiya”.

Taxi Raja “Ya we have a very good one near buy, will take you”.

With the help of taxi driver guidance they tasted -  Golgappe, Aloo-Tikki and  Dahi-Papri.

Akai “ Dude we had so much, still the bill amount is low!”

Taxi Raja “ Dilli dilwalon ka shehr hai bai, Indian people are kind hearted, they won’t tax much for food, if we were rich our country will provide free food to all”.

Akilash “ Ya, I know, that is why people became lazy, and started begging from door to door”.

Akai “ RAJA hindhustani please show me a place to piss off, its urgent”.

 Raja looks here and there and ask Akai to follow him. He goes to nearby alley and show a big wall and sign to the boys “ yeha pe kar lo jaldhe”.

Akai see the big yellow wall and various wet marks over “stick no bills” “don't litter here” closing his nose he runs back to Akilash with confusion.

Akai “Hey I want to piss this nut is showing a weird place, you ask him to show a toilet place.”

Akilash “Raja, he wants to urinate, can you show a restroom.”

Raja “ I understand, masters urgency, that is why I showed him a best place, no one will see, no need to be shy, hare ek adme ko atha hai”.

Akilash “ No, Raja we should not urinate here, it a public place take us to nearby toilet or restroom”

Raja to himself “restroom ke liya railway station jana hoga, pay and use toilet tho 5 km dhor hai”.

After 10 – 15 minutes of drive they spotted a pay and use toilet, and successfully accomplished the mission. 

Akilash “ Raja, thumara dilwalon ka shehr charges two-rupees for natures call ? And two – rupees for golgapa too?”

Raja “ That is why asked you to piss off there itself, you just wasted a half a plate of golgapa sir ji”.

 Next day they boarded a train from Delhi to Kakori, in Lucknow. It was a passenger train, the brothers where sitting in a first-class chair car, with considerable descent co-passenger. Just opposite to them a family was sitting, the kids were unstoppably munching foods, popcorns, chips, biscuit, chats, bhel... in the afternoon the mother provided lunch to the kids in well packed foil paper, the smell of the food dragged Akai's attention and he unknowingly peeped at the kids.

Mother “ hai, are you hungary? Have some. I have packed a lot, we all can share and have”.

Akai looked at this astonished elder bro.

The mother forced two parcel of food on their hands, and ordered “paratha garam-a-garm he, jaldhi kavo”. The lady forced them to have two more helpings, the brother's where spell bounded by her hospitality and eat her delicious food, remembering their mom.

Akilash “ Aunty thank you so much for the delicious food and your hospitality”.

Mother “ oh don't be too formal, you two are also just like my son, there is nothing great about   sharing two parathas with you.” and she got busy forcing her young ones to eat more.

 Mother “what are you looking for Akilash, what do you want?”

Akilash “ Aunty I was looking for a trash to throw this foil papers”.

Mother “Oh just open the window and throw it out”.

Akilash “Aunt train is over the river bridge, we can’t throw waste in river”.

The mother unexpectedly took the waste parcel form Akilash’s hand and threw it into the river “hare, in Kashi they throw dead bodies, believing that they will attain mukthi, let this foil paper also attain mukthi through our hands”.

Thunderstruck Akilash and Akai looked at the aunty's children  who followed their divine mother.

  They got down in Kakori, which produced hundreds of civil servants during British India; from here their family tree branched to Nottinghamshire, England. Kakori is famous for its mangoes, kebabs, palatial houses of Muslim gentry of Oudh and numerous mosques. The town is the seat of the Qadiria Qalandaria Sufi order and the Urs- feast attracts thousands every year. This year too it was   crowded  streets and walls were cleaned, with border line of pan-masalsa sputum; streets  illuminated with lamps, on the expense of power shut down in nearby residences; posters and banners added to the decoration, and ended up in as monument after few days; roads were blocked for celebration, and stupefied the routine traffic; audio effects enchanted the festival mood, deafened the local residences; still it’s the festival season, without chaos how celebration is possible? The brothers enjoyed and digested the typical Indian festival excitement and celebration of the locals and boarded the train back to Delhi, the same night.

Akai, woke Akilash who was sleeping in the upper birth of the train. Akilash was the panicked to see Akai's face, and enquired what happened. Akai pointed his fingers to the train window.

The site Akilash watched churned his heart. In the far corner of the station platform, a lady was reaching a trash bin, and feeding her infant with left overs.  He thought of the, rich paratha severed by his aunty, hospitality of the stranger in the train, surplus food severed in the Urs-festival, and few minutes back the food parcel thrown by his brother and him, tears rolled down his eyes.

 They flew back to UK, and whenever food was severed to him, the picture of the poor lady near the trash can flashed across his memory.

Akilash’s Mom “I don't know what happened to our kids, they have changed a lot after visiting India.”

Akilash’s Dad fingers crossed “ hope in a good way”.

Akilash Mom “Honey, I am serious, I have noticing they don't even wasted a grain served in their plate, the other day I saw them sharing a single pack of chips... there is no half finished cool drink cans, and strange of all I am seeing brochures of various asylums, orphanage, NGO'S charitable services all over the world, collected and kept in Akilash cupboard.

From the upstair through Akai's room, they here a auidio song “Hum logon ko samaj sako to samjo dilbarjani , jitna bi tum samjoge utni hogi harani ...”

The Discovery

It is the story of self.

I was living in Kozhencherry, Kerala with my parents and brother, in 1996, in my higher secondary schooling stage. Since it was a rural area, there used be scheduled power cuts for hours together, hence no television, and there was no neighborhood children to play around, I have to put up with my brother, and vice-versa, so during quarrel I end up in reading story books, always better than studying.

Because of the circumstances, I started reading books, which slowly became a hobby and now it is a passion.

We used to collect our pocket money just to buy Enid Blyton, Franklin W. Dixon, Carolyn Keene collections. We used to lend books from library. Per week two books were allowed.  So we both together will get home 4 books, and finish reading it in a week. We used to read under candle light, under the blanket with torch lights on, under the school text book cover, to cheat our parents. In holiday when I ran out off books, I used sit and copy them (I have two note books of hardy boys with me). After finishing it we used to discuss about its write up, flaws and the part which we liked the most, if it is a series then in the next book what might be the story line, so on... The most discussed and argued was Harry Potter.

There is a very good incident to mention about my book-reading, in my M.sc, Harry Potter series’ fifth-book came out - The Order of Phoenix. There was a bet among Harry Potter fans in our class. The bet was about, who will complete the book first. It was the second day, so I took leave from college and started reading the book day and night, I was so much involved in reading, and suddenly I heard my mom shouting madly (which she never does). Then I looked up her face to note that she was very angry and upset. I couldn't make out the reason for her rage, because it usual for me to read books late in the night. So what this all about?

Then I slowly heard noises coming from my neighborhood too!

Then I got up from my easy chair (c-bend chair)…. my legs were soaked in water! :(

It had rained heavily and flooded my ground-floor house and I didn't realize it!

But after helping for an hour or so I went back to my book by dawn 3 a.m. and finished it by 10 a.m.

Flood or no flood Harry Potter had to be completed, after effects I will handle it, once I have done my reading, this was my attitude.

Time ran and new responsibilities came-in, I was mom, and no time for reading books. Life was busy and happy. And Harry Potter series was completed and I too completed the book with great difficulty. My husband saw my interest in books and got me Chetan Bhagat's entire collection, it took me 3-moths to complete it, and over the phone I was discussing the book with my brother, he over-heard our conversation and was surprised by the way we discuss about books. That was the time my husband gave the idea of blogging.

Even though I stopped reading books, my connections with stories never ended, it took a turn for fairytales, now I am narrating stories for my daughter. Stories hold her attention, so making her to have her food and making her to sleep became made easy. Even my relatives used to wonder at how I used to cook up stories for my daughter from nothing and made it up so beautifully to hold her attention.

I got a Job, and in my lunch time I slowly started to read story books again. There I came across the 'Twilight-series' by Stephanie Meyer.  It took me 40-days to complete the entire four book series. But those 40-days changed a lot in me. I don’t know it may be because, I started reading like before. Every single minute I was happy, whatever and however the circumstances were, it didn't affect me. It may sound crazy, but just reading made me happy and joyful - This surprised me.  Then I realized what I wanted in my life. I wanted to write a story book!

Yes, that is what I am good at.

From my child-hood I used to feel that I didn't have any special talent to exhibit to others. I used feel jealous of my cousin who could sing, dance and paint well. I knew drawing and painting; I inherited knowledge of classical-songs from cousins, spiritual knowledge from my parents and Guru, learned science through degrees (fear of math, developed an attraction to science initially) and developed an interest in sports because of my brother's influence. In a simple way- I was jack of all trades, but master of none.

But now I discovered what I am good at – Story Telling!

I am going to write a STORY-BOOK! I wanted to be a writer – story writer.

I don't know how famous my book……Uhmm... books would be, but I will enjoy doing it.

I will publish a novel before my last breath!

Design

Design – Robert Frost

We all would have learned this poetry in our, English prose. The content of the poem leaves a deep-deep impression our heart.  Definitely, after understanding the poem our out look of life had changed. We now understood that not only The Upanishad (scared spiritual text of Hindus), or The Bagavad Gita (narrated by Krishna), or our Guru or our Granny say “Every thing happens according to His plan”, but even Robert Frost says that every movement in the nature/ universe is planned well. (It’s usual with us to not listen/follow to our tradition and Guru’s preaching; but when that desi coconut is rapped in foreign wrappers and imported to India we buy it with pride). I re-think about God’s-Design.

Design

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,
On a white heal-all, holding up a moth
Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth-
Assorted characters of death and blight
Mixed ready to begin the morning right.
Like the ingredients of a witches' broth
A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth,
And dead wings carried like a paper kite.

What had that flower to do with being white,

The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?
What brought the kindred spider to that height,
Then steered the white moth thither in the night?
What but design of darkness to appall?
If design govern in a thing so small.

‑Robert Frost

Robert Frost in the poem “Design” has posed very simple yet deep questions about the nature and existence of God. In the poem, we see a white scene designed, consisted of a fat dented spider, which is white, sitting on a white heal-all flower, holding a white moth like a rigid cloth. A heal-all flower is a wild flower, found blooming along road sides in the summer. It was once supposed to have healing qualities, hence its name. Various characters, resembling death and unhappiness, are mixed up and they are ready to begin the morning. It refers to the nature with its paradoxical assortment as well as its unity. This assorted unity is compared to a witch’s broth; a soup with different ingredients: a white spider, like a snow drop, a flower white as animal’s saliva, and dead wings of a moth, like a kite made of white paper. Was it an accident that this white spider came up to that height to sit on this white flower? And did the moth accidentally fly to that white flower in the night? Did heal-all flower which was meant to heal, acted as a disguise for the spider to capture the poor moth! It seems to be the darkness that has designed such arrangement for the moth, to notice the white flower in the darkness and land on it, white a white spider has disguised on it, knowing that there is going to be a moth there! What’s the role of this innocent flower there? Does it mean that a heal-all flower can’t act as a death-all land for a moth at certain times? Doesn’t it show the complexity of this design by God?

Frost’s answer to these questions is that design has brought these entities together.  “Design” means to create or draw up, to plan toward a specific purpose.  The idea of “design” in the poem suggests that some other entity or force has specifically created the white heal-all, the white spider, and the white moth and has brought them together for a particular purpose.

How much ever we reason out science for all cause and effects; even in day today activity there are thousands of things happening which science can’t explain. In every ones life there are some incidences that would make one to feel the presence of GOD, or his hand….

Even if we can’t practice it in every situation of life, at least we can practice to point at GOD, when things go wrong….and let down our burden for a while.

Don't Be with Nature... Be Nature

Image Courtesy: Keerthivasan Rajamani

Have you ever felt Sad in Nature’s lap? We guess not...Have we ever thought about it?

In nature, from a flower which blooms for a day to a mountain which stands for centuries; each of them teaches us something or the other.  But are we listening to them? Are we considering them?

The answer would be…. They are here to serve us - The humans. What will they teach us? The nature of the modern human being is that, we will not accept simple persons, or things. How a mere flower can teach us gentleness without a MBA? This is our attitude. We accept what ever our boss say, that to, not with a learning attitude, but with a survival attitude. For us only a successful person alone can be a guide. Do we ever think of approaching a defeated or failed person, to know their experiences?  What narrow minded persons can perceive from nature? How will they understand the perennial divine messages conveyed by nature?

It is totally impossible for a narrow mind to perceive such truths because; it is always trained to separate things as Good and Bad. It is always a natural tendency to forget that Nature is perfect and every creation of Nature is systematically planed for a specific purpose.  So, in reality there is nothing called Good or Bad, but it is just our mind’s play. Is it not a fact that what is Good for you may be Bad for me?

So from where does this good and bad come? The mind learns this discrimination from the very beginning of its exposure to nature according to the psychic network it develops through influences from external stimulus and responses. The extent of discrimination proceed to such an extent that, we start labeling people. We brand them as Arrogant, Talkative, Loser, Achiever, Stupid, Champion etc. In reality everyone is perfect in their own way. So who is wrong? It is the mind which discriminates is wrong.  It fails to understand that a loser has learned something that the winner had not experienced yet.

Taking a neutral stand in life and accepting the happenings as such will give a great understanding about our situations. This attitude of acceptance is the secret formula for happiness.  A flower accepts that its life is just for a day and radiates is beauty and propose, same way a mountain accepts to stand for centuries and bears all the turbulence. It’s a fact that Nature never feels Sad, because they take a neutral stand.  This is the very basic reason why every person loves nature and feels happy to be with it.

So, is nature something outside that we see with naked eye? The truth is that nature is everywhere and the inner space with in us our mind, is no exception. This is the reason why we feel comfortable when we are the way we are naturally. Changing or hiding your nature according to the situation will never give satisfaction and contended life. It is the very same natural ability that makes a person successful, as they have identified their natural potential and work upon it.

So let us, not only put nature in our PC desktops or Digicams, but try to live as one with it.

The Plight of Present Day Primary Education

Education is the birth right of every child.  But now, it seems that Education is the birth right of every child whose parents have the money power to buy it.  We could only able to recall a famous lyric in Tamil when translated reads as, “Even if the Goddess of Education wants to admit her kids in school, she should sell her Veena to pay the admission fees”.

We would like to give you a brief overview of the current system of education at least in Bangalore.  The schooling of a kid starts from the age 1.6 years, and they call it Brain Bear. From the Brain Bear starts the competitive money power of the parents. On an average, the annual fee for the private schools is INR 15 to 20 thousands.   Most of these baby care centers are private franchises and each franchise have their own fee structure.  The fee differs with the extent of the infrastructure it has on its care centers.

So, when there are schools with unimaginable fees, the competition paves way for a lesser standard schools, which offer promising care for an annual fee of INR 5 to 12 thousands, with an option to pay the fees in installments.

Given the situation of private franchises, a look into an established and registered school is much bitterer.

These registered schools admit a kid into pre-nursery only when the kid’s age is 2.6 years, stating that the kid is too young even at 2.5 years to learn an instructed education - A fact very much to be welcomed.

But, the admission for June gets over by November of the previous year.  A child who will be 2.6 years in June will be much younger in November of the previous year. How can a child of such a young age be tested for its knowledge? So what is the basis for admission? – Truly, the answer is the parents’ buying power. The fee is to be paid in full and it amounts to INR 40 to 50 thousand.

Even after such a competitive buying of school seats, the parents are in turmoil when the kid reaches standard 1. The kid has to clear an entrance exam and the parent has to shell out once again to retain the seat.

How such a business is run successfully? The answer lies in a dead-lock of the following chain of events, the competitiveness of buying power, the parents’ choice between child care and their professional career, partial success of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, non-responsive people and government who fail to question such happenings.

Another question which we would like to know is - Is there any regulatory board to scrutinize and certify these private play-schools and day-care center? Except human trust, what else can support their promised care for the kids?

What measures had the government taken to regulate such schools? We are not aware; if you are aware do post your comments.  Also write your comments and suggestion for improving such un-regulated private kids schools / kids care centers.   The idea of Aeva is to strengthen the expressed ideas, so if interested post your comments.
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