Hello-Inn

There is something about SitarBaksh and creativity, every time I go there with my lap-buddy (jeez thats my macbook you pervs) - OK I admit it was cheesy, but oh, well, so every time I go there and have my macbook with me, something inside me hints me to open it up and start scribbling stuff for this blog.

So here I am back on a Saturday evening reporting two events - first a birth of two young ones in my extended family; wonderful baby boys born just over a day apart to two of my co-workers. Both are healthy babies and bundles of joy. God bless these wonderful symbols of life and make them successful in whatever they do. The second, is the Halloween party last Saturday. Boy, it was a blast!

This post goes out to S&S, a wonderful couple in nearby Morrisville, who were courteous hosts of this year's Halloween party. Arrrrr.....the hosts were dressed in true Halloween spirit donning pirate costumes that would put Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley to shame...OK fine I exaggerate, god how else is this supposed to be spooky exciting? On a serious note, it was a wonderful evening - good food, good times with wonderful people. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces that day and that added color to the party more than just hanging out with the usual bunch. The costumes do warrant a mention. There were atleast 5 scream-ghosts (yeah yeah I know the irony of it is there are only 4 scream movies (3 released and 1 in the making)) so far. All the cheapskates and late-bums who went to Party City on Friday evening had to make do with these scream(y) masks. Others were a lil fancier dressing up as Dracula (Crime-master Gogo) and his love interest, Jeannie and Captain Nelson, The Man in Black, The Man in Blue, The Man in Brown, The two witches, and last but not the least the baby peapod :).

No party can be complete without the mention of gluttonous carousal. So we enjoyed a drink or two of Rum and the likes along with Samosas (yummmyy), followed by sumptuous entrees highlighted by Paneer Masala, Pineapple Korma and some fresh home-made rotis. The desserts menu was decked up by Gulab Jamuns....I should stop, this is making me hungry. Anyhoo, all in all it was a fun-filled party made special by lots of new "scary" people. Thanks S&S.

Today started off beautifully with a morning cup of tea, chat with the blood-relations and then a run by the lake. The temps have been forgiving for November, upper 60s around 11.30 am. The 3miles at the lake doesn't seem hard these days - I am hoping to amp up the tempo and try making the runs longer. As for the afternoon, went and watched APKGK on a friends' review that it was "watchable" Thanks R, you didn't disappoint :). Rajkumar Santoshi pulls a rabbit out of his hat once again by bringing back the comedy genre which he is a master at (Andaz Apna Apna). Ranbir Kapoor is at his youthful best, adding energy to the cast and I must say Katrina Kaif isn't doing too bad for herself given her acting talents (or the lack of it). Sallu plays a cameo, and GOD plays his magic at the very end shepherding our protagonist to the church of love. All in all 4stars are only a tad exaggerated, a must watch for casual movie goers. The serious kind who find meaning only in life-changing and parallel cinema can stay away.

--Sifar.

Un Dos?

There is a conflict within me. I am sitting here in Starbucks sipping the pike roast enjoying the ambience and of-course great coffee but my mind er... my cognitive centers are far away from all this. Deep inside me is the conflict of monism vs. duality. Although I must make it clear that this conflict is not really a discord of two similar ideas, so in that sense its a pseudo-conflict. Its really a cross-level conflict. One is a concept at the spiritual level, the other at physiological.

Recently I completed reading a book called Jnana Yoga, which clearly brings out the idea of monism - this idea of advaita, this notion of we all being different manifestations of The One. So inspired by the teachings, I am thinking if all that we are surrounded by is just a different interpretation of the real man, The One, then why does each person need someone else in their life to make them "complete." My conflict is this - when advaita is the real truth, then why in the the most basic instinct of each human is there a need to find someone of opposite sex, a dual, a need to find a soul-mate? Why this duality when monism is the real truth?

At a purely physiological level, the idea of marriage of two souls the idea of this need for someone else in your life is predominant. That has been the basis of this so called cycle of involution and evolution. We need to pro-create and continuously evolve and at the same time involve into this most miniscule manifestation of The One. As I sit here gaping out in the darkness of a winter night, there are people walking in and out through the door - mostly couples. And that's disturbing me not that they are couples ;), but the fact that our DNAs are so deeply tuned to find companionship, that we are so far spiritually removed that our physiological instincts always seem to take the better of us.

So we are called "individuals" - yeah I know that's exactly the pun of the word as we normally understand it - we are all called individuals - people who can't be divided, people who are just mere base visitations of The One. So then why do we seek someone else in our life.?Why is each person not instead tuned to embark on this spiritual journey I talk of? Maybe the truth is so powerful that the base reflections of The One would probably crack at the sheer brilliance of that truth? Maybe the reflections aren't powerful enough to handle the truth that they are made simply agnostic or not intelligent enough to understand the real truth? Maybe we aren't emotionally or physically strong beings - we seem to need someone else to lead our life. We have this urge to pro-create and be part of the general fabric of universe? This conflict is within me and I want the answers...

My purpose here is to try to connect the dots, yet any lines I draw seem just obfuscated to my myopic eyes. I am going to try to find answers in the following 4 Yogas, the tenets that Vivekananda says are core to realization of the truth.

1. Concentrate on anything you do - make the imprint on your soul, on your Atman strong - this is Raja Yoga.
2. Work with no attachments - no expectations of reward - this is Karma Yoga.
3. Love everyone as they are all part of The One, the way to reach and find the real god is through worship and love - this is Bhakti Yoga.
4. Think, not through your mind, but relate to everything through Him (the Soul, the Self, the One, the God within) - this is Jnana Yoga.
   

Practice all four in your life - that's the real path to salvation...

-- Sifar

p.s. I encourage readers to leave any comments and welcome them to discuss their thoughts pertinent to the post in the hope of being helpful in connecting the dots. And yes, I will write A-Sher-A-Day pretty soon; this state-of-mind merits more exposure right now!