MAKE A CUSTOMER - SALE will take care of itself

Being an engineer from a business family was in itself something that wasn’t valued, for the bottom line was I got a job with a starting salary of Rs. 750.00 per month which were not sufficient according to those who mattered for a person like me to start my life. Took up distribution for a cutting edge product called Ceasefire bottled conveniently in 500ml I jumped in to give my best only to retract very soon as Halon-1301 has an ozone depleting potential 10 times that of CFC-11 which was the main element in the product.

With knee jerk start my retail career began on Jan 1st. 1990 with the launch of a modest Silver article showroom of which I had no idea how to value and how to sell. Many stalwarts in the field told that the location I chose was weak and that my store will be a perfect zero.

Three days into the business I was feeling upbeat with my new found position on a majestic chair behind the counter. Later that evening, two “HS” looking ladies walked into the show room and looked at my 7x3 feet showcase consisting of dotted presentation of simple silver articles. They sat down cozy on my brand new cushioned stools made to order from a friend of my father.

Appreciating everything that I had, for the next 25 minutes the complete showcase stood empty and the articles on the counter table. I was humbly showing them each one with my own bit of promotional talk as if it were a product that was made exclusively for them and that it may not be available anywhere in the world.

I was sure of a big sale even though it was well past 9.30 pm and dark because the neighbors had already packed up and gone. The lady said “ you are a smart salesman, though we were just spending some time to know what you have, and today is a ashtami day we cannot buy anything , will keep you in mind when we need to make a purchase. Though my tear drops could have easily become a running stream, I thanked them profusely and asked them to remember me for their next purchase.

It was a boon sent from almighty, she has since become my dearest friend and through her references I have made my best customers till date. My showroom soon became very famous and was a place of prominence until I switched my line of business in 2002.

Being humble and not being judgmental of a prospective buyer is perhaps the learning that has kept me in retail for so long. Even today, I get institutional orders for silver gift-ables despite being out of trade for the last 15 years is the faith and confidence I have earned. My education may not have had anything to do with this but being educated and cultured was a silent marinating factor.

THIS MOMENT IS MY LIFE

Airavat was a white elephant in the jungle and because of his princely colors he was the king of the area. One day there was a fire in the forest which started eating away most of the life within. The King Airavat had to save his subjects who were panicking. Not knowing what to do, he plunged into the fire and tried to stamp the fire out. Alas, he could not understand the enormity of the situation and was burnt to death.

Born again as a white elephant because of his good intentions in his earlier life, Airavat again became the king of the forest. This time with experience from his last birth, he thought of creating a space in the center of the forest so that his subjects can escape another forest fire. He went out in a rampage stamping on trees and cleared a huge circular area in the middle of the forest. One day there was a forest fire and this time all the animals gathered in the field. There was no place left for more, but since all had arrived Airavat was happy that he could save his subjects.

Standing endlessly for the fire to douse, his rear left leg started itching. So he lifted his right back leg to scrub. He started to re position his leg but saw a rabbit that was sitting on a cow’s back has comfortably placed itself in the place where his fourth leg was standing. Like a true King, he decided to stand on three legs and let the rabbit be in comfort.

After the fire was over, all the animals left the field and dispersed. Airavat, whose leg had developed cramps due to prolonged un-grounded, found that the same has become stiff? He could no longer bring it down. He had to live rest of the life with only three legs on the ground.

Because of his good deed and the act of saving so many animals Airavat was born as a human in his next birth. The human called Dinesh. That’s me.

Dinesh has had a wonderful upbringing and now has grown up as a leader of the family. He is always surrounded by a thought: should I Live to Earn or Should I Earn to live.

If I decide to LIVE to EARN I am always in a fight about how much to earn. No amount of earning will satisfy me as I do not know how long I am going to live.

If I decide to EARN to LIVE I will be little happy for I may have some solace in the fact that I have money to spend in hand. But then again I will not know how much to earn for I do not know how much I will live.

The fact that I am neither able to understand how much to earn for I do not know how much I will live I am eternally suffering, for I am not able to earn nor am I able to live without suffering.

In the life span of all the three lives of the same Soul described here, we can understand that good deeds are the fruit of a better next life. Yet if you see in none of the three lives there is any happiness without suffering.

Is suffering the only way to live?

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. Says Khalil Gibran

Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever. Says Brennan Manning

I am not afraid of death for I know what I am here for, nor am I afraid of suffering. I am here to carve my name on hearts, I have decided to live. Live to leave a legacy which will be etched into the minds of others and the stories they would share about me.

GRUMBLING IS THE DEATH OF LOVE

Those who incessantly laughs in the street, you may commonly hear grumbling in their closet..

1. We welcomed the Mughals who plundered us.

2. We were greedy to welcome the Britishers who stayed back with their business and let them rule us

3. We accepted the change of power and finally gave our self a constitution to proclaim India as a Republic

4. We were happy when we saw things happening for our Nation which we never could imagine

5. We became pessimists when a population as big as ours struggled to get recognition in Sports, Science, and may be tried to ape others in order to create an aura of technological modernity

6. We let politics and Corruption enter our homes and were happy to get things with pride when we got it by paying a bribe.

7. We participated in communal debates and tried to boil to froth in order to prove some nonsense.

Today we have a debate over everything, we are so knowledgeable that we can talk and take sides on any topic sans any worth. Be it politics, foreign affairs, A movie just released or even how we should be caring and rearing our children.

Evolution is a fact of life and at no stage will I be satisfied with the present..

Should I be cribbing what we could have had or should I be working for the things I need to create as per my acquired wisdom. I have been on this soiled ground for half a century and have identified so many course correction my Nation needs to make, Others need to correct or I need to change.....yet I may or may not find happiness. 

I will be in a state of conundrum, unless I chose to accept and live in the present.  There will always be challenges, yet life finds a way to bring cheer!

NATURE IS THE BEST TEACHER 

( Pic by DKB at Athirapally Falls )

WHY IS THERE ANY SUFFERING

Humans are the divine species

I don't believe it even in pieces 

Birds seem to be the angels 

For they die only when in tangles

Why is there any suffering 

Why are there no means of curing

Why is it that we know there is hell

Why cant we have the heavens until it swells

All these appear to me a joke 

Every thing is a farce, Ah! someone please poke

Love, passion, godliness, divinity, paradise et al!

Just another side of a coin until you know what's fatal

Pic : DKB

ASSUME : to accept something as true without question or proof.

True sadness is when someone still thinks you’re the same person after all these years. They brand you because of their own ego, fear and lack of spirituality.  This is especially true of the people you have grown up with, our cousins, our peers from college and to an extent childhood friends. They take it for granted by assuming you are the same as they used to know you before.

Why do People assume:
We all have to operate on assumptions to a point in the formation of our opinions. But past a certain point its lazy mindedness. As people get experience in life, they start to feel as though they've got everything figured out and they start to rely more on their assumptions than on new information. It's akin to thinking. “I'm experienced in life, I've seen it all. I'm smart.”

Why does assumption start:
I personally believe it is a short cut to avoid a conversation? Sometimes you will not like to speak with someone and yet will have to deal with him/her for some reason, so, for less important things you start assuming the outcome of a question in your mind and take it for given. Knowing the risk of such assumption is not going to be fatal.

There are in life we come across people who know it all kinds. Friends and relatives start assuming they already know about events that may be news to them and stop sharing it with such people believing it to be a waste of time. However it may not be the case.

Consequences of Assuming:
Assumptions are generally biased. You tend to believe the way your mind will have you believe and become distant from actual reality. Though now days a professional assumption of data is challenged by co workers in order to correct the thought process, personal life assumptions are dangerous. Assuming in interpersonal behavior can be misunderstood and detrimental to cordiality

Coming back to my opening paragraph, I have observed in relations with family and friends there is a huge element of assumption that keeps a person unhappy. A simple enquiry is many times avoided because of biased assumption.

Have you ever tried to explain something so seemingly simple, to someone and they just don’t understand it no matter what? It can be frustrating, sure. But chances are you assumed they knew more about the topic than they actually did.

The right approach would’ve been to ask a few questions beforehand to gauge your audience’s level of knowledge on the topic. Then you give your explanation, shaping the conversation around their knowledge.


When we stop assuming or judging people:
It can change the way you view someone or treat them in your life. Having a different perspective can aid you into being the help that someone might desperately need. Whether that be an ear to listen to, a distraction for them, or even to have one person who will not place labels, judgments, stereotypes, or biases against them can make more of an impact than you think. That person could be on the edge of a breakdown, overdosing, or even considering suicide. Life is so precious. As people, we need to do a better job at taking care of one another. Everything we do or say has a positive or negative impact on the people around us, whether we know them or not. Please choose to be a positive impact.

I may sometimes ask you an inappropriate question for I never Assume :-) 

PRIDE OF A CHARIOT WITH THOUSAND HORSES

I heard a story from my grandma, that my great grandfather had 17 elephants and 200 horses. They used to travel on chariots pulled by four horses, and lived in houses that had 7 courtyards. When they used to hit the roads, the sound of the galloping horses and the shine on their chariots body would lure onlookers on the road. She as a youngster would feel proud of the majestic status. 

Growing up now I remembered these and felt I am good for nothing person on the surface of this world. No amount of hard work is going to fetch me all that my forefathers enjoyed. Yet a small amount of ego makes my chest wide that I belong to that race which once lived a life of opulence. 

Time goes by, I bought my own house, decorated it with lovely flowering pots and a small lawn. I am able to dress myself with clothes made by best brands of the day. While going out for any function I now wear designer clothes and try to imitate the princely lifestyles that rule the back of my mind with the lifestyle I dream. Now I can safely boast of riding a chariot with thousand horses, ( 1300 CC car ) 

But, all this goes for a six when I hit the road, there are small pygmy cosmonauts who would race against time in criss crossing the road and would give me shocks by taking a sharp turn from the left corner of my chariot towards the right and before I can overcome that there will be a three wheeled dwarf that would swing past me. After I get my composure back and plan to move forward there will be a huge elephant that would jump the signal from right going towards the left blowing its high pitched trumpet. Forget the numerous pedestrians who would mindlessly move around from all directions causing me anxiety and higher heartbeat. 

I could almost match my forefathers in their opulence and even defeated them for they could not afford a chariot with thousand horses, yet could never command the majesty of their status. With all the power of wealth in my command I remained a minion in comparison to the freedom with which a pedestrian would use the road. 

Pic : representative - from the net .

𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱

1. (noun) A name that one uses for their significant other to show affection.
2. (adj) A name given to someone who is being overly-silly,

This bonded cow was such a poophead that it would not allow the bird to sit on its back or head. It deprived me of a lovely picture before it was too late.

Sometimes it feels like if I were a bird I would simply fly over someone's head and poop.

Pic Location :close to heart

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 - 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤

If enough people believe that power resides in a person, then it does. When it's gone, it's gone. Look at fallen dictators and their fates. One day they're literally King of all, on their word rests life and death. Then they're overthrown and often we're left with a bewildered old man wondering why he can't even get a cup of tea on demand.

It means that you don't need to be powerful in any real sense to rule the world. It comes down to how powerful you are in others' opinion. Attitude and belief in self is all the power I need to rule the world. World is only until my scope of belief can stretch.


𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 :
Past is gone and cannot be changed, Future is still in my Power.
Believing in self and remaining a King of my own world...

Pic Location : Ketti - Nilgiris

GANESH THE ULTIMATE FRIEND

॥𝗔𝘂𝗺 𝗘𝗸𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗮 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗵𝗲, 𝗩𝗮𝗸𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆𝗮 𝗗𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗵𝗶, 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆𝗮𝘁॥

There are a number of ways the lord of good beginning is referred to, each person has a way of addressing him. I am absolutely amazed by his capacity to perform. The most fascinating thing that I am in awe with is his acceptance across all faiths. Ganesh as the Lord of Good Fortune who provides prosperity, fortune and success. He is the Lord of Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles of both material and spiritual kinds. Interestingly, he also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked.

A neighbour of my childhood friend had a dream one night about the tree in front of her house has now sheltered the Divine Ganesh himself. She woke up and before anything else came to see the tree, and to her astonishment all the curves and twines in the huge circular stem of the tree there appeared to her the face of Ganesha. Very soon there were many followers to her idea and today after a decade there is this lovely temple which is flourishing with pious devotees and the tree remains decorated in gaiety.

" 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉, 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒉𝒂."

A true friend to all his lovers and a complete amicable deity who can be worshiped in any fashion his devotee wishes to. This flexibility is perhaps the only reason people from different faith have accepted him as divine and he rules in every heart spreading loads of positivism around.

A quality anyone can adopt and be blessed with similar positive energy.

Pic Location : Yaminee - Coimbatore

𝗔𝘄𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

In our everyday life we work so hard, face challenges and hurdles that we solve to survive. At the end of the day when we reach back home there is that unusual, invisible atmosphere of comfort that we can never express but only experience. The simplicity of our night wears and the awesome motherly food is a soothing ultimate.

However, on occasions of celebration, I always want it to be loud. Getting pampered and served is something that always brings a emotional high. An event should be organised and there should be decorations to make the invitee feel welcome. There are many arguments about spending on non utility articles that embellish an event, I feel where all utility ends and decorations begin it makes the event a perfect one.

𝑨𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒚
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒚
𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒏
𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒇𝒖𝒏


Our nature sends us this lovely message of how we should embellish each of our moment in celebration of life and find the fun in whatever we do..

Picture Location : Taj Vivanta Coimbatore

𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 N𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐲

I am a huge fan of Nature. I can walk into it like it was my own den. The vast expanse of woods and high grown trees never tires of telling me their stories.

At 15, I was attracted to 𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖆𝖎 upon falling in love with them at an exhibition. My enthusiasm introduced me to several lovely people who had similar hobby and would allow me to enter their protected zone. Some of them gave me inputs on how to develop them.

The Coimbatore Forest College was very near to my home and I sneaked into the wicket gate, approached the nursery in-charge who generously gave me a handful of 𝑮𝒖𝒍𝒎𝒐𝒉𝒂𝒓 seeds with a challenge that if I am successful to sprout it I will be able to make a bonsai. This variety is a very hard challenge. But I succeeded to grow lovely bonsai tree ( two of them Survived )

When I was 25 in age I still had them but only disappointment was they never flowered. It was those days when I was engaged and I for some reason could not look after them well. My mother had to throw one off as according to her it had died, I never believed it. On returning from my honeymoon I saw the second one now 11 years of age dried and uprooted from the flat basin I had provided her. She had a small flowering bud jutting out of its soft branch.

While my restricting the growth of the tree giving it unnatural ambience, it did manage to survive for 11 years and also finally succeeded in giving out a flower.

Everything in nature that finds its own way is perhaps most nonviolent and achieves its success in every step glorifying its inherent beauty for all to see.

Nature has always shown me - 𝓛𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓼 𝓐 𝔀𝓪𝔂

Pic Location: Manjushree Tea Estate - Gudalur

Life is a Matter of courtship and wooing, flirting and chatting - FACE to FACE

Watching this very disturbing program on TV called “Gumrah”, late last night. Back to back there were two serials…

1. First Story:

A School girl gets to meet and befriend a married person on social network and while chatting becomes very close to him and also accepts his invitation to meet in a coffee shop. Her elder sister upon knowing of this becomes a vigilante and confronts this man. Actually she herself becomes a victim of his fine speaking style. As would be anyone’s guess, after having consensual sex and cheated by a video recording of the same the girl falls prey to his online nudity display nexus by way of blackmail. So depressing, this leads to her attempting to commit suicide. Later her younger sister, the initial contact, plans revenge and the guy is trapped and booked. But the damage was done, not just to the victim but many similar young girls.

2. Second Story: 

There is this 8th standard girl who befriends a senior in school and starts chatting in general. She finds great support and comradeship in him. The amount of satisfaction that she derives from this friendship is something that makes her lean on this relationship beyond general friendship. She actually has a younger brother suffering from Autism and obviously getting more attention from parents at home. She hooks on to this relationship with her senior as ventilation to the frustration of being neglected at home. It so happens that her friend comes to know of how she is thinking about him and comes clean stating they are just friends and they are too young to think in these lines. Completely detached and very depressed, she plans evil. One fine morning,she lures her younger brother to a far off highway and leaves him there reporting back home that she lost her brother in a crowd. The serial ended with the boy being found in the procession of a child trafficking gang.

Both these stories did not let me sleep the whole night.

1. We protect our children from fire, Electricity, Traffic dangers and many such that may hurt their life, but we are not able to save them from the menace of gadgets especially communicative gadgets. 

2. Our older generation used to deliver a child every year, however with education and awareness we have started keeping a fair gap in the years between two children. But what we sometimes fail to realise is phenomenal. We give the first child much love as that is the only one we have, but as soon as the second comes we suddenly expect the first child to become mature and forget that their childhood is still not nourished. 

3. In both the stories, communication with someone at home especially parents could have been a very positive turning point and I am of the view that we must find time to hear our children.

I am sure such emotions must have touched your thoughts too.. will be happy to learn from you.. What’s your story?

Pic Location : From the Net

#childabuse #netmenace #socialnetworking #rapevictims #parenting #education #awarness #socialevolution #WhyIDidntReport

PRIVACY IS DEAD - SOCIAL MEDIA HOLDS THE GUN

It is such a fascinating experience to be able to make a friend from Utopia, like the superfluous profile statements and lovely chatting expertise sitting cozy in a corner of my private space. While I will feel comfortable sitting on the other side of the screen, with complete belief that the new found friend has absolute no idea of how I look, and will believe that which is given on my profile list.

I am educated, I know exactly how to use all the apps, even know how to hide it from my family , my wife, my children and my colleagues. Well I am a fool, oblivious of the fact that my this new found gaming partner can outsmart me in my own design and can lure me just like a highway robber into a corner from where I have no escape and will have to succumb to his/her attack.It is such a fascinating experience to be able to make a friend from Utopia, like the superfluous profile statements and lovely chatting expertise sitting cozy in a corner of my private space. While I will feel comfortable sitting on the other side of the screen, with complete belief that the new found friend has absolute no idea of how I look, and will believe that which is given on my profile list.

Where do we stand as a society ?

We need the luxury of technology, we are blessed to have the social connectivity like never before which has made huge difference in the way we conduct our daily life.. yet we are not able to learn or understand the rule of the game. Privacy is dead while social media holds the gun.

Will we allow our youngsters to share our cigarette or our glass of vodka ? I am sure NO. yet we do not see the vices in social media engagements and we heartily work overboard in peer pressure, brand hunting and without much thought make our kids equipped with this Nonsense.

TIME DIES IN EVERY MOMENT - SUN TELLS YOU MORE IS COMING

That aura from the horizon
Comes out in a beaming crimson
Lighting the world before it arrives
Flushes the adrenaline and makes us all drive

Set as it does on the western welsh
It turns on the darkness beaming red as flesh
As if to tell us we haven't done enough
Through a day full of sunshine we spent on muff

Yet for every problem it will smile
Showering the energy to go that extra mile
A day full of Sun is like the day of a king
Promenade when it rises and a pageant in its setting

Pic Location : Kotagiri- India

#sunrise #sunset #story #emotion #poem #poetry#thought #photogrpahy #philosophy #dkb

LOVE IS A FOUR LETTERED WORD THAT HAS FUR

When the mind is filled with stress and the body aches from all its tissues it is time when you will just like to crash on the bed.

From nowhere, while you close your eyes and try to relax, you find a soft moist, cold feeling on your cheek. You start appreciating it, then it moves towards your palms and you may think it is someone playing with you. Slowly there is this soft bite on your toes and the sole of the feet, giving you a massaging feel with soft bites and licks repeated over as if driven by a toothed gear in timed rotation. You are almost relaxed.

When you get up , you find this beautiful tongue hanging out with an innocent smile in the face wagging its tail.

Pets do not talk but they understand. They do not ask yet when they are not given anything they do not complain. Their love is unconditional. There is never an iota of greed, or their any scarcity of love.

Any pet for that matter, are stress relievers. Am always happy to see my Liaka playfully enjoy with anything around the house, be it a broken stick or a torn rubber ball, if nothing is around she will not mind playing with the bed sheet tearing it to pieces. 

Pic Location : Camp Splendor - Udumalpettai

#pet #dog #poem #poetry #story #emotion#purelove #love #thought #philosophy #petlove #dkb

ALL FORMATIONS HAVE A LEGACY THAT SPEAKS

Taking time to see what a place of visit has to offer is a passion I acquired from my elders. While on a trip to Varanasi, found this amazing area called Lanka.

Lanka is a place in Varanasi in front of the BHU (Banaras Hindu University. This place is most crowded place in the Varanasi because of the cross-roads in front of the great seat of learning as well as main entry to the Banaras Hindu University. Lanka is a Book Repository with the modern equipment for the BHU students as well as other coaching center students.

A heritage of the enlightened Lanka also has a surrounding filled with beautiful architectural marvels of ancient India. This particular building housing the sub post office caught my emotions and had to stand there for a couple of minutes to admire. Such buildings are of excitement for me as I have lived in one during my younger days in a joint family. This one I found was unused and obviously not looked after. Wonder what use are the multi storey cubical boxes of the modern architecture while masterpieces like this are left to get dilapidated. I am sure one day this will see the season of dust and get buried under a towering creation.

Pic Location : Varanasi

By the way , it is interesting that I came here to an adjacent, world famous Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple as part of my 100 temples a year I do for the last 4 years be it a famous one or a roadside humble, it is the prayer that matters to me.

GROWING UP IS AN OPTION

It is really hard to keep your inner child alive. Many individuals overlook this in order to appear mature to the society or in the lure of high competitive spirits. I believe, every individual is different and no one has the authority to judge you.

To avoid cribbing over things that I do not have because it won’t bring me things that I desire I enjoy and cherish that particular moment. Remember, how kids have fun and search for good things even in the worst situations. Also, it is very important for us to be physically fit in order to stay child-like throughout.

I think we all should keep the kid in us alive and one thing which proves that the child in me is still alive is that I don’t believe in hiding my emotions and I am very expressive as a person.

In the picture : The touch of cold air upon skin, the scent of leaf mould carpeting frozen grass, a faint smell of coal fire and the light of the low winter sun conspire with this zeal to transport me to a far off day.

Pic Location : Varanasi

IT's BLISS WHEN YOU BLOSSOM TO BLOOM

All the flowers in the world are not meant to be plucked. There are many that go just appreciated and if one can count there is only a minuscule of the remaining flowers who the world would like to decorate their homes with.

Our life is a teaching from this great natural beauty. Just like all flowers don’t fragrant, people around me may not be attractive, but they all have an aura of their own and a beauty that I can’t see, appreciate and enjoy. Each person radiates in a way unique to them.

We attribute so many things like TRUTH, LOVE, HAPPINESS, and POSITIVENESS to flowers. I have tried to visualize that in this small LED lamp and find the halo aura enveloping the surrounding as its fragrance. Appreciate if you like it.

PURPOSE DRIVEN BY PASSION MAKES PROFESSION

On a free long road one is tempted to click a photo of this kind. I have plenty of these from various long drives I have made, However this one with its sheer symmetry on the head as an arrow and a unusual start with a red button has impressed me the most.

The story that it tells me is perhaps profound.

I always ponder about what is the purpose of my life, am I in a profession which is also my passion, will I be a successful person pursuing what I am doing. And every time I see this picture I get a sense of satisfaction. It tells me the following..

Life is never straight as it may appear to be , it has many undulations and diversion, also misleading distraction from both sides. Yet we must remain focused and aim straight. The various diversions and side lanes that come on our way are stations we can stop over using the service lanes and come back to the main highway once our pallet is satisfied. Hence we give our self moments of craziness, while fully knowing how to jump back to track.

To find out the correct Highway number that would lead to the ultimate goals one should follow thy passion which will help in understanding the purpose of one's life giving them a profession towards the purpose.

In short if fuel is the Purpose then engine oil is the passion and the long drive the profession. Our destination is the zenith.

Picture Location Anthiyur near Coimbatore 

FIRE IS THE COOLEST FRIEND

Fire has no beginning, nor does it have an end, it is that positive power that spreads multiplies and always moves upwards into the infinity becoming one with the absolute.

I love being used if I can make someone’s heart a bit warmer. In life one does not come with anything, nor does anyone take along what they have earned, be it their worth, their honour, their knowledge, even not their filth. Sharing and giving is the only blessed activity one can do with what comes as possession. In the dim of dark chill situation, if I can be that spark that lights up a face; that warmth which ignites a smile, I will be that.

I want to be that fire which shows light
I want to be that fire that spreads and shares warmth
I want to be that fire which sits on a candle and warms up the romance
I want to be that fire which helps in cooking the best dish
I want to be that fire for I know Fire is the coolest friend