9/11 - This day 10 years ago

10 years ago, on September 11 2001, sitting in my living room in Champaign Illinois, arranging in an album the pictures of our trip to New York that year. I switched the TV on only to see the North Tower being attacked. My trembling hands held the picture of the Twin Towers. A picture taken from the statue of liberty. The very symbol of “Americas Soul and Spirit”. Awed at the sheer coincidence, overcome by the magnitude of 9/11, I never was able to share my experience with anyone other than my spouse.
Today I am letting it go as my TRIBUTE to every soul affected by this IMMENSE TRAGEDY.

Till this date, I am amazed at the timing of my placing the picture of the “Twin Towers” in the album while they were being attacked. The packet containing these pictures had been sitting in our cabinet for a month waiting to be arranged. ….........

Aarakshan - A very thought provoking film.

This weekend, I watched the Hindi movie Aarakshan. Directed by Prakash Jha it has a constellation of star cast : Amitabh Bacchan, Saif Ali khan, Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpai & Pratik Babbar.

Prakash Jha has handled this delicate and controversial subject like a maestro.

He has portrayed through his characters the anger & frustration of people that stand on either sides of the reservation policy.

Manoj Bajpayee and a handful of others brilliantly fit into the league of our present day Indian politicians who's only caste is not high or low but that of an opportunist exploiting the masses for his own selfish gains.

Amitabh Bacchan has given a very strong performance in his portrayal of Professor Prabhakar Anand, the upper caste principal of a private college. He helps the financially weak students including the Dalits by running free coaching classes at his house.

Professors daughter Poorvi played by Deepika Padukone loves his favorite student Deepak Kumar(Saif), who is the son of a low caste widow that earns a living by doing domestic chores for others.

I don't want to reveal the whole plot here. This movie is a must for every Indian who understands the caste system and reservation policies of our government and also for those who dont know much about it.

I like the message given out by Poorvi's mother and Professors wife about the need of an effort from the government to provide good education, schools & good teachers to the children who cannot afford to go to private schools.

A need to provide good foundation and prepare them for the competition of professional education and good jobs.

Thus giving these under privileged children a chance to scale new heights in achieving success, prosperity, respect and improving their status in society.

Denying the meritorious child an admission to a professional career of his choice just because he belongs to the non reserved category is not the solution.

The age old Indian mistake of discriminating people over a caste system was wrong but reservations based on the same are not doing any right either is the message given out by this film.

Prakash Jha's exceptional directorial skills and screenplay have inter woven another plot that highlights the issue of corruption in India. He has intelligently shown how easy it is to defy our legal system and snatch someones home fraudulently.

There is a little bit of bollywood style drama in the movie which can be overlooked.

Becoming One With The Elements Of Life.

One fine morning while I was biking my way in our neighborhood park: I looked at the mellow golden rays of the sun and said a prayer in salutation to this immense light.
I took a long breath & filled my lungs with the cool, fresh & fragrant air.
I paused my ride, took a break & put my feet in the cool rattling waters of the creek.
I walked bare foot on the grass & dried my feet.
I came back home, had a shower, lit a candle and looked at the peaceful light.
My eyes closed. My heart filled with a smile.
My head bowed to these elements of life: Light, Air, Water, Earth and Fire.
I thanked 'em for giving me the energy and peace of mind.
The source of the very existence for every form of life.

So every morning as mother nature is waking up in all its glory, I try not to miss my chance to unite with the elements of life.

Its A Small World.

I was at my gynecologist clinic for a routine checkup, waiting to be called in by the doctors assistant.
Browsing through the cute baby pictures on a magazine and looking at all the expectant mothers sitting around me.
Some women were with their spouses, some with their moms and a few were sitting alone. All of them waiting for their turn to see the doctor.
Pregnancy is such a fragile yet wonderful phase in a woman's life.
I too was at this stage many years ago and had experienced the joys and pains of this phase in my life.

The door opened with the sound of ding and all eyes in that room rolled towards the door. Another pregnant lady walked in. She was about full term. It seemed as if her baby was all set to come out into this world any moment. Following her were a man, I guessed it was her husband & an elderly woman may be her mom or mom in law. They were speaking my language, my mother tongue.
Language brings people closer instantly, especially when you are living in a place far far away from your motherland. My mind was already happy and at ease as the elderly lady sat into a chair right besides me.
We gave each other a smile. The kind of smile that says:" hi there stanger".

The doctors assistant called the new patients name. It looked like her appointment was before me.
Looking at her state I felt she could go into labor any time soon.
The couple went inside but the mom stayed in the waiting room.

A few minutes passed and I asked her in my mother tongue: Is that your daughter?
The lady's face lit up, her eyes smiled on hearing me speak her language in a foreign land.
"Yes" she said with pride. The pride of becoming a grand mom at any instant now!
Soon we started chatting like we knew each other for ages.
 I asked her what town she comes from? To my utter surprise she lived all her life in the same town where I had spent 9 years of my life. It was the town where I lived with my grandmother from the age of 3 to 12. It was the town where I attended kindergarten, made my first set of friends. I had so many wonderful memories of that town and the people I knew there. I lived with my grandmother away from my parents so I could have good education. My parents worked in a remote village where there were no good schools.

 I told the lady the name of my school, the street we lived on and my grandma's family name.
The lady recognised my grandmas name & told me her own family name.
I said "wait, this name is familiar to me". I had a classmate from kindergarten till 6th grade who was also my dear friend.
I uttered my friends name and the lady clasped my hands into hers. "WOW" she said, "that's my husbands niece, his brothers daughter! My joy and surprise knew no bounds....
I hear of my friend after a gap of 28 solid years.

By this time the lady's daughter was done with her consultation with the doc and it was my turn to go in.
We had only a few moments time to exchange our phone numbers; and while I was trying to give a missed call to her daughters cellphone the lady told them the summary of our entire conversation!

I called them later that evening and got my friends phone number.
I called my friend right away.
She was now a doctor,  living here in the USA with her husband and kids.
We spoke at length for hours. Refreshing our childhood memories, talking about our other friends.Where each one is living now? Who is married to whom ? How many kids they have? What each one is doing in their life? We re-lived the moments of our past that we had shared together and revealed the stories of the moments that we has missed with each other.
I still am amazed to this day,  that a simple conversation with a total stranger lead 2 childhood friends from India meet each other in the USA after a gap of 28 years .
It sure is a small world !!

Does Time Really fly?

Does Time Really fly?

I logged into my face book account today and saw a comment from my cousin on my family picture: "Time Really Flies " ... And I thought Does it really?

She was right in a way, coz we have not had any direct communication for more than 16 years.
We have played with each other since we were babies...
We sat next to each other when we were in 2nd grade. We spent many summer vacations together. Climbed on mango trees on a hot summer afternoon. Looked at the shining stars, told stories, giggled in bed while sleeping on the terrace with a bunch of aunts, uncles and cousins when our extended family got together during the summer vacation months...
After a few years studies, career, jobs drew all of the family in many directions and those get-togethers became rare. We would only see each other at a family wedding once in a couple of years.
Then the time came when I got married and after little while it was her turn...
We got engulfed in our own families & struggles of life.
This story is not just mine, I am sure each one of us can Identify themselves with such a situation, when our paths cross on FB with our old friends & extended family.
When we look at their profile pictures we all say: "Wow Time flies".
And I disagree with this phrase,
'Coz When we look at today’s pictures of our dear ones our mind flips back like the pages of a paperback and gets through the chapters of life. That mature face of today falls off like a mask turns out into that teenage girl or boy that was once your best friend without whom your world never existed...
Or turns into that little child which brings to life so many innocent memories you had together.
These pictures from our FACE BOOK of life have changed...
These faces have left that innocence of childhood, that carefree attitude of youth far behind.
Yet they show the shades of the blissful past, the experience of life it has bore through all these years.
These beautiful mature faces that we come across today we can still relate to them because our mind flies through the years and pulls out the face from yester years.

So shall we change the phrase to Mind Flies?