I will sign off for this week with two things. One is a prayer that I found at the back of "Like The Flowing River". There were poems from Budhhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. I felt a bit sad that there were none from Hinduism. Ah, the limits of my secular soul :-(

Anyways, here goes....

Outside, beyond what is right and wrong, there exists a vast field.
We will find each other there.

-- Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi (13th Century)

When I read these lines, I thought of Aman Ki Asha. Maybe India and Pakistan need to meet in this field now.

And the other is a poem at the beginning of this book.

Be like the flowing river,
Silent in the night.
Be not afraid of the dark.
If there are stars in the sky, reflect them back.
If there are clouds in the sky,
Remember, clouds, like the river, are water,
So, gladly reflect them too,
In your own tranquil depths.

-- Manuel Bandeira

Trust the leaders to make obtuse statements. This latest one is by an Aboriginal leader. Can someone please tell me what "indirect racism" means?

I have just a few pages left to read of Paulo Coelho's "Like The Flowing River". Generally I don't write to any authors about liking their books. But yesterday night I suddenly realized that maybe I should. So I did precisely that. :-)

So what are you doing now that the longest solar eclipse of the millennium (We are told the next one will be 1033 years later!) has already begun? As far as I am concerned, it's business as usual. But I am curious to see if darkness is going to fall sometime during the afternoon. I am not too worried about missing the "Diamond Ring"- the news channels will keep showing it for the rest of the day :-)

So here's to the celestial bodies - Let the show begin!

I will sign off with the following:

सभी नगमे साझमे गाये नहीं जाते
सभी लोग महफिलमे बुलाये नहीं जाते
कुछ पास रहकरभी याद नहीं आते
कुछ दूर होकरभी भुलाए नहीं जाते

Like The Flowing River - by Paulo Coelho

I am close to finishing this book. And I must say that I am floored by it. Before I picked this one, Coelho's "The Alchemist" was my most favorite one among his books. But I have liked "Like The Flowing River" so much that I am going to purchase it.

There is no story - simply because the book is a collection of thoughts, stories and experiences. While reading about his thoughts, I found myself nodding and saying "Yeah, I know what that's like". The stories are gems with profound meaning. And the author's experiences will teach you a lot about this game called Life!

I feel as if I could pick up this book anytime, open it at any page and the words will help me for sure.

So this one comes heavily recommended :-)

Just love the Mint-O-Gol ad - especially the guy's expressions as he decodes what the girls are saying!

Look what the researchers found: Big bum, thunder thighs good for health :-) Is it goodbye VLCC, Anjoli Mukerjee now? :-)

मकरसंक्रातिच्या शुभेच्छा!

आठवण सूर्याची, साठवण स्नेहाची
कणभर तीळ, मणभर प्रेम
गुळचा गोडवा, स्नेहबंध वाढवा
तीळगुळ घ्या, गोड गोड बोला
मकरसंक्रातिच्या शुभेच्छा!

Looks like it has finally dawned on Bollywood Brigade that they can use their fame to do some good in this world. (SRK, Aamir, Salman to join Salma Agha)

Shame on Hockey India for treating our players like this!

Hickory Dickory Dock!

Time to hold our collective breath! The Doomsday Clock is going to be reset this Thursday. Anyone wanna bet that the minute hand will be pushed back this time?

In fact, looking at the world affairs right now, I wonder why we aren't already at 1 minute before midnight :-(

A new strain of Avian Flu seems to be in the air - that of harassing the cabin crew. The latest episode disgustingly involves 3 Indians on an international flight.

I don't think the airline or media have to keep the identities of these "3 Idiots" secret. And they can start from the one who was quick to flash his diplomatic red passport!

Aman ki Asha - will it work?

The words "Aman ki Asha" (Hope for peace) and "Times of India" were what attracted my attention to the hoardings that have sprung up all across the city.

Now at the end of the day, before switching off my laptop I decided to check it out. Here's the link.

I know the first thought that must have come to your mind. It won't work. I thought the same. Sixty two years' worth of pain and suffering! Will we be able to wash away the hatred on both sides?

Then came another thought. What must those who lost their loved ones during the partition, during the wars and on the borders be thinking? Just today there is news of a BSF trooper being killed in Pakistani firing. I won't blame them for opposing these efforts. :-(

And then I saw the video. I am not a sentimental type. But I found tears welling up in my eyes.

Is this possible? Will our generation live to see peace? Will common people like you and me be able to pull this off? Maybe we can. Let's give peace a chance, shall we?

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - by Robin Sharma

Okay, this book was long overdue on my reading list. And those of my friends who are always after my life to read something meaningful had almost given up on me. Then as 2009 was about to fade into the sunset, I was suddenly tired of all the whodunits and that's when I reached for this book.

Here I must confess that I am not very enthusiastic about self-help or inspirational books. We read it, feel great for a day or two and then get caught up in the grind of our daily lives. It's back to square one then. But I decided to give this one a try.

The story isn't all too unfamiliar in this day and age when all of us are running so hard after material things that we have forgotten that life has a spiritual side too. So we have a lawyer who doesn't realize that he is running too fast till he collapses in a packed courtroom one day. That's when he decides to make a journey to an ancient land. Another confession is in order from me. When I read the words "ancient land" I thought he will go to Tibet or to some Mayan city. Turns out he comes to India. :-) oh, oh, I thought, here we go again. The sages in Himalayas and all that. But I had vowed to finish this book and so I hung on.

I am glad I did. I agree I am not going to stare at a rose every morning (where do I get one to begin with?) or to take a walk in the lap of nature (I am hemmed in on all sides by concrete monstrosities). I am equally sure that the journey of life has jaded me too much to believe that I will be able to attract good things in my life just by thinking about them. :-( But I was glad to find that I am already practicing many of the 10 Rituals - though maybe not on a daily basis. And that I don't have to spend a lot of time and energy to do them anyways.

But what I have been observing since I read that book is that I have stopped taking life very seriously. I have started to let go. I have started to look out for solutions to problems than complaining about them.

Now, I cannot say how long this will last but I am glad that it has at least begun. :-)

Will we now have to think twice before smiling up at the kid standing next to us at the checkout counter of a grocery store or a bus stop or a movie hall? Check out the disturbing news that has been reported from Britain. :-(

Sadly, I don't think this is a case of sensational journalism. Over the weekend I saw a program called "Cult of the Suicide Bomber" on the History Channel. I cannot still forget the sight of the 6-7 year-old kids shaking the hands of the would-be jihadis for the Palestine cause.

The voice of a lone Muslim scholar calling this "Suicide" and not "Martyrdom" did little to assure me.

What is the world coming to these days?

A visit to Ashish Book Center's book exhibition was a treat as usual. I made my first purchase of books (7 in all) for 2010. I am so glad that I got "Autobiography of a Yogi" and Chetan Bhagat's "One Night At A Call Center" at very good prices. :-)

Almost all of Paulo Coelho's books were there except for "Like The Flowing River". That's the one I am reading now and that's the one I wanted to buy the most. :-(

Oh, but I am wondering now - maybe I should have bought his "The Alchemist" :-(

So it was a photo exhibition on India's northeastern region in the morning. Then the program "Warriors tribes of Nagaland" on NDTV Good Times in the afternoon. To top it all, today's episode of "Highway On My Plate" (NDTV Good Times) was on Meghalaya.

It's as if the Land of the Seven Sisters is calling me. I am not much of a believer in Signs. Yet, I feel that strange pull again. So here goes, the first of my New Year Resolutions - I will visit this land this year. That's the promise I make myself :-)

What comes to your mind when you hear the word "Cherapunji"? If you remember your Geography lessons, you will think of "rainfall". But today I learnt that somewhere in the vicinity of this place, is the world's only bridge made of living roots. These roots are of rubber tree and there are 2 such bridges - one on top of another. One of them is 70 feet long and the other one is 56 feet. They can accommodate 50 people at the same time.

And how do I know this? Well, I went to an exhibition of photos shot in India's northeastern region. Rolling green hills, crystal clear water, serene monasteries and the mountains standing guard through centuries - Robin Sharma would have surely approved of this method of nourishing my soul. :-)

The cattle-class minister seems to be suffering from an acute bout of "Foot-in-the-mouth" disease.....again :-)