Happy Holi!

        It was rightly observed by the renowned poet John Keats that "A thing of beauty is a joy forever!" in his classic poem, starting with this line.
My latest pot-painting creation will surely bring me joy forever! While others played Holi yesterday, I played around with colors of a different kind and painted this old surahi which I had found abandoned, in our society's compound. Best out of waste! 

                                         Happy Holi! May the colors of joy always abound!

                                                                       Spring is here!

Compassion - The power of the soul!

      It was a chilly afternoon.  We were all warmly clothed and cozily seated, watching a television show.  Suddenly my mother got up and went outside.  After a few minutes she came in and sat again.  Curiosity got the better of me and I went out to see what had distracted my mother.

      Just outside the window was a ledge where a kitten lay huddled.  It was now covered by a small quilt.  I was overwhelmed by emotion.  My mother’s compassion had encompassed the kitten in its warmth.  Such a thoughtful gesture it was!  Being unsolicited it was all the more appealing.  The incident showed that she cared! She was filled with compassion.

     Open-mindedness is also an interesting aspect of compassion.  There are no boundaries drawn here.  Partiality is a stranger to compassion.  One cannot be compassionate to one and dispassionate towards another.  A compassionate person always wishes well for everyone.  His generosity in thoughts as well as deeds invokes admiration and inspires others to emulate his endearing trait. 

     Even tolerance to the needs of others means compassion.  A compassionate person avoids hurting people by being sensitive to their needs when they want it the most.  Thus my friend Jyoti always sees to it that the volume of the radio is lessened when her husband comes home after an exhausting day at work.  She anticipates her husband’s need for some quiet moments of relaxation.  She lets him sit for sometime without immediately nagging him to go and have a wash.  She has her priorities right and yes, she is compassionate!

     “To err is human, to forgive divine!”  How rightly said!  Indeed it takes a lot to forgive and forget.  The will-power to rise above petty thoughts of hatred and vengeance is another manifestation of compassion.  Hence a convict sentenced to death can be pardoned by the President of India, overruling the verdict of the Supreme Court, the ultimate Court of Law in our country.  Such a pardon will of course be governed by compassion, more than anything else. 

     The love and compassion that we feel for our near and dear ones is compassion.  This affection becomes an endearing quality when it extends to strangers too.  It’s compassion which urged Mother Teresa to make a home away from home, in India.  Her life had been dedicated to the cause of the suffering people.  A splendid example of simple living and high thinking!  She had shown the world how compassion can be put into practice and can be made a way of life.

      Compassion need not necessarily be shown only by actions.  Though actions speak louder than words!  A few words of encouragement or cheering to a depressed soul, a kind look at a tired husband, even an indulgent glance towards a boisterous kid can spell compassion.

     When one understands the trauma of an anguished person, who is undergoing tremendous physical or mental strain and empathizes with him, becomes one with his suffering, he is being compassionate; even if he doesn’t verbally express his sympathy for him. 

     An employee, who has been unjustly fired by an irate boss, often finds solace in a mute glance of empathy by a colleague.  Isn’t this a good example of compassion?  Can anyone miss the simplicity of expressing compassion here?

     We may therefore infer that though compassion must be palpable, it needn’t be overt.  One need not go out of the way to be compassionate.  It must essentially come from the warmth of one’s soul.  It must be made a way of life.  This is precisely what the essence of all religions is.  It’s more important to be humane than human.

     It’s this sentiment which compelled Lord Gautam Buddha and Lord Mahavir to renounce material comforts and spend a life-time of search for salvation.  Their lives were enriched by compassion.  No wonder they founded religions based solely on compassion.

     Again it was this virtue which urged Mahatma Gandhi to work for the upliftment of the downtrodden, the social reformers to strive for the betterment of society and social-workers like Baba Amte, Vinoba Bhave and Mother Teresa to dedicate their lives to the suffering populace.  Thus sacrifice of worldly pleasures and selfish considerations enhances commitment.  This commitment to a cause, to a cherished ideal, is a garb of compassion.

     Compassion is that power of one’s soul which can transform hardened criminals into loving people and also pull people out of the clutches of vices like drug addiction, smoking and drinking.  Comforting reassurance is all that is needed to give a new direction to aimless or misguided lives. 

     A word of caution would do well here.  Compassion should never be confused with mercy.  When one helps another out of pity, the helper sub-consciously assumes a superior position, which might conceal arrogance.  The fact that you can; and have actually helped someone out, itself gives a ‘high’, which obliterates the nobler sentiment of compassion.  So one’s intentions must be pure and there must be no ulterior motive. 

     Compassion is a virtue which must be innate.  It need not be taught.  It can’t be enforced.  It must spring from the need to genuinely show one’s consideration for another, who may be a fellow human-being or any other living creature.

     This emotion stems from the necessity to be good and do goodness.  One must mean well.  Such compassion draws strength from its own existence.  It does not care for awards or rewards.  It follows the dictum of the Bhagwat Gita ‘Do your duty without bothering about the rewards’.

          Compassion is therefore a winning combination of Caring, Open-mindedness, Mindfulness, Pardon, Affection, Sincerity, Simplicity and selflessness, Innate behavior, Open-heartedness and Necessity of being good and meaning well.

      We may aptly conclude that compassion is a virtue which will undoubtedly win many hearts and consequently make our life more worthwhile.  

The copyright of this article is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Procrastination-Don’t wait forever! Act now.

                          “Let’s do this the next week, or after Diwali”; said Rohan as Seema had that familiar sinking feeling. She had wanted to go for a short weekend trip to Matheran since ages. As usual, Rohan had been dilly-dallying and postponing it ad nauseum. Today was just Seema’s last-ditch attempt to see if she could get him around to actually giving the go-ahead to her proposal. Now, after her 25^th attempt, she wondered whether the old saying really worked! “Where there is a will, there is a way!” Maybe it did, on second thoughts. Only for her hubby who had made up his mind to have his way. In a huff, she decided immediately that she would go with her sister and her family for the trip, even if it meant going without her hubby.

                           When they returned from the trip and Seema showed off all the magnificent photos of the breath-taking scenery to Rohan, he genuinely rued the fact that he had missed out on such a wonderful experience. He apologized to her and said that in future, he’d be more prompt in considering her proposals. Seema grinned and said, “I’ll take that with a large pinch of salt”. She knew that her hubby was a habitual procrastinator.

                            This case-study throws light on an interesting phenomenon. Procrastination. The ultimate experience in waiting indefinitely, for something or some experience which can be easily enjoyed in the present than in the hitherto unknown future! Yes folks, procrastinators, the experts in this art are very optimistic individuals who really believe that the future is not too far off and the present is too important to be squandered. They can never make up their minds and are constantly putting off things for the morrow. These ‘things’ may be buying new furniture, shifting into a new house, marriage, changing jobs, divorce, having a baby, going in for an important surgery or just completing the job in hand!

                           Maybe they think that they are better off in the current scenario even if it is painful, shameful, agonizing, irritating, disgusting and unbearable. They just lack the drive to fast-forward things or move on to better circumstances, even at the cost of their physical, mental and emotional health.

                         Most of them consider themselves to be individuals who carefully weigh the pros and cons before committing themselves to change. They sincerely believe in the dictum that “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread!” Obviously, their slow approach irks those who are waiting for them to make things happen or take important decisions. These dependents know that the procrastinator is just being difficult and obtuse. He is not oblivious to their suffering, but isn’t too much in a hurry to alleviate their misery too!

                          Anyone who has dealt with a clerk in a Government office knows how wretched it is to make the rounds of that office daily, for a job that can be done in less than an hour. The clerk is an ideal procrastinator who refuses to take any extra effort to mitigate your ordeal for you. Even if you have to commute 25 kms. daily to go and meet him for that darned work to be done, he doesn’t bat an eyelid while saying for the nth time, “Come tomorrow!” Of course, you know that ‘tomorrow’ will never come!

                       Ask Ramesh. He had asked an explanation about his over-charged electricity bill to a clerk in the Electricity Board’s office and was made to run from pillar to post for six months, after which he realized that though he hadn’t still received a satisfactory response, his wallet was lighter due to the money spent on traveling to that office for so long! His B.P. was also surging and he had to visit a physician and pay his bill too! He wondered whether he should have procrastinated in his decision to follow-up his inflated bills. Probably that could’ve saved him lots of hard-earned money!

                        Saguna was a bright young girl who had just given her S.S.C Board Exams. She hadn’t decided which stream to opt for even when her results were announced and she had got a whopping 80%. To the utter frustration of her parents, who wanted her to be a doctor, she insisted on taking her own sweet time to decide whether she wanted to become a doctor, an engineer, architect or an artist. She was good at drawing and good in academics too. Hence she was confused about the field to be chosen as a career.

                       She didn’t think it wise to approach a counselor and relied solely on her closest friends’ advice who were as vague as her. The result was that she wasted two precious months of the new academic year of Junior College. Her parents had to literally bully her into opting for Science after persuading her to think about other options later on! She had not had the foresight to keep her plans ready so that she could immediately implement them after her Board Exams. What a pity! Surely career choices require methodical evaluation and deliberation, much in advance. Only then is the mind equipped to deal with the studies required for that particular option.

                      Procrastinators believe that “Aaj kare so kal kar, kal kare so parson, itni bhi jaldi kya hai yaaron, hamein jeena hai barson!” (Do the job tomorrow instead of today, do tomorrow’s job the day after, what’s the hurry buddy? I am going to live for many more years!”)

                      Would someone please tell them to follow the right dictum, “Kal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab, thodi hi der me pralay hoga to fir karoge kab?” (Do tomorrow’s job today, today’s job, right now; within a few moments, there’ll be a storm, then when will you do the job?”)

                       The bureaucrats and other personnel who dealt very efficiently with the recent Phailin cyclone in Odisha and successfully evacuated more than 5 lakh people to safer areas are good examples of how urgency in dealing with foreseen calamities can be a boon for many. Had they procrastinated and adopted the usual “wait and watch policy” there would have been many casualties.

                      Such go-getters are highly motivated individuals who don’t unnecessarily postpone important decisions and thus save everyone’s time, cost and efforts too. In the above case, they commendably saved lakhs of precious lives. Now you decide whether you want to be in a win-win situation or a never-ending conundrum; ASAP. If you procrastinate on this decision, only God Almighty can save you! Amen!

The copyright of this article is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Happy Republic Day!

Dear friends,
                       I wish all Indians and NRIs a Very Happy Republic Day! I am proud to be an Indian. I wish that my country stands tall among all the other nations, always! I wish that all inequalities in our society are eliminated and everyone lives peacefully here.
                                                                    Jai Hind!

                                                                                                                            Priya

Happy Sankranti!

Dear friends,
                  The harvest festival is here, with lots of hope, enthusiasm and good cheer. Wish you all a 
Very Happy Sankranti/Pongal/Lohari/Bihu. May your lives be filled with abundant joy, peace, good health and prosperity! Enjoy!
                  "Tilgul ghya, goad goad bola" (Marathi greeting during this festival)
                  Translates as "Have sweets made from sesame seeds and converse sweetly! (Forget all animosity and differences)"
                                                                                                                                       Priya

Always sitting on the fence?

              A heated argument was going on at a person’s house. All his friends had gathered there for their usual get-together. As they caught up with what each of them was doing, they felt happy and relaxed. It was very pleasant till one friend casually remarked about a person unknown to the group, “He always speaks glibly. He is also a sycophant.” This unwarranted statement and comment started a debate among them. Each of them argued for and against that unknown person’s behavior.

             Only one friend refrained from taking sides and diplomatically said, “Well, each to his own! Why should we bother?” Then added for good measure, the oft-repeated  suggestion that “The clever ones win an argument, but the wise ones refrain from getting into an argument” effectively implying that he was the wise one there!

              At the face of it, it seemed to be a very pragmatic statement. But given the fact, that that friend was always diplomatic and supposedly non-judgmental, it was evident that he was used to avoiding taking a firm stand on any significant issue. Hence the group could never ever get his honest opinions on any topic. This led it to believe that he was sitting on the fence safely all the while.

             Those who ‘sit on the fence’ are those who play it safe and avoid getting into controversies. They are more worried about saving their skins than making their opinions public. Maybe they lack self-confidence, or feel insecure about airing their views and risk being laughed at, or are just plain defensive!

             Prema plays hers cards very well by just being a silent spectator all the while. Even in the midst of a public gathering, she will sit as quiet as a cat, just listening to the conversation but not joining in, or better still, pretend that she is engrossed in her house-work or watch the idiot-box, so that she’s saved from voicing her frank opinion. The others feel that though she feels strongly about certain issues, she lacks the courage to be bold and make her views be known to everyone.

             In an office meeting, there will always be that one person who’s ready to go with whatever is suggested by the majority! “Majority wins,” he’ll proclaim grandly, while the others snigger at him and whisper that “He hasn’t contributed anything worthwhile to the agenda of this meeting. Such persons shouldn’t be invited to the meeting at all!”

            Hence fence-sitters don’t like to rock the boat and create turbulence in their ordered lives. They are content to sit and watch the fun or the events unfold, as if they are mere spectators. They are never really involved in any cause or committed to any issue and couldn’t be bothered as long as their lives aren’t disturbed.

              Even events of national and international importance fail to rouse them from their complacency. They’ll casually remark, “What are our politicians for? They’ll do the needful. We’ve enough on our plates and don’t want to add to it!” Extreme caution makes them adept at hedging. Such are the people who steer clear of expressing their honest opinions in newspapers, on Facebook and Twitter and other social media, for fear of a backlash. They’ll never take a clear and vocal stand on any relevant issue.

            Then there are others like Naresh who will play ping-pong and keep switching sides till everyone is confused about whose side he is really on! “That’s right” he’ll nod his head at one and then say, “Yes, that’s also true!” to another. “Well, what’s your opinion sir?” they’ll peevishly confront him, to which he’ll cheekily remark, “No comments!” Thus persons like him can never play the judge in an argument. He’ll let the argument snow-ball into a free-for-all and avail of free entertainment.

           This “sab chalta hai attitude” is the bane of our countrymen too. They are content to watch from the sidelines, occasionally prodding the players of the game, but totally indifferent to the outcome of the game! “Who cares!” is their common refrain.

            Unlike those who make social issues their personal business, these fence-sitters are just not bothered and are content to let sleeping dogs lie! They’ll firmly state that “It’s none of our business!” Let the concerned people do their work and be accountable for it. They’ll even be philosophical and state, “If someone is in the wrong, he’ll get his just desserts one day.” Thus they are not committed towards any cause and evade responsibility. They have a laid-back attitude and won’t be achievers in any field in life.

            Virendra always chose the “None of the above” option while voting and threw away his valuable vote. He failed to realize that if everyone chose that option, no candidate would ever win any election. No candidate could get a chance to prove his worth! A better option for him would’ve been to chose the lesser Devil and hope for the best. In a democracy, we shouldn’t be afraid of airing our views, but as some past unsavory incidents have proved that it’s better to keep mum, we’ll soon become an exclusive nation of convenient and safe fence-sitters.

            To sum up, it can be said, “Kindly upset that apple-cart once in a while, at least to prove that you are alive and kicking!” It’s time to take a stand. So stand up and be counted.

The copyright of this article is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Happy New Year!

Dear friends,
                   As usual, a new year has begun, bringing with it a  fresh wave of enthusiasm and vigor. Let's keep the tempo and breeze through this year too, with as much aplomb! Yesteryear has become history and we look forward to the future, with anticipation and cheerfulness. Let's cherish each moment and savor life's experience, and gain invaluable insights! Let's spare a thought for the underprivileged and help them. Let's strive to make our lives more meaningful and purposeful. Let's thank God for His infinite blessings!
                  I wish all of you and your families and friends, A Very Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year for 2016 and all the years to come!
                                                                                                                              Priya