My musical liberation!!

Without much inhibition and clouding my mind, I gave in to what always my heart wanted to do - I composed a song. Music has always inspired me and has given me a language to express my random thoughts. The lyrics are more a reflection of what I seek in a Buddhist philosophy that I believe in.
The mystic nature of life is what is signified in the words 'Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' (the universal Law of Truth)- the song intends to pay tribute to this Universal Law of life (which is for sure beyond our comprehension, at times) and to discover the Buddha in me.

Hey, there are problems in life.
It’s up to me to decide.
Let the faith take over my pain.

Happiness is real,
Though finding hard to feel,
Let the faith take over my pain.

Believe in myself – Do I dare to fight it out?
Challenge great heights – Do I dare to fly above?

Appreciate, never doubting myself,
I was the one right from the start.
Breaking barriers – Lion Heart,
I was the one right from the start.
Breaking barriers – Lion Heart
I’ve activated Myoho in my life!
I’ve activated Myoho in my life!

Now, I know that I can.
Know that I do.
Know that I can chant away my blues.

And now, I let my spirit fly
Into the rhythm-divine.
I’m a winner – I’m a Buddha in my heart!

Realize your dream – Hope to transform your life?
Create friendship – Wanna lead a happy life?

Appreciate, never doubting yourself,
I was the one right from the start.
Breaking barriers – Lion Heart
I was the one right from the start
Breaking barriers – Lion Heart
I’ve activated Myoho in my life!
I’ve activated Myoho in my life!
I’ve activated Myoho in my life!

A beautiful place called Home...

It was almost 7 years after marriage that I finally got a chance of a lifetime to spend some quality time with my parents. Hence a visit to the City of Joy but no, not just any other visit, but a visit that brought me back to where I belong. A wet Calcutta in the month of August is otherwise quite a disgusting phenomenon for the ones living in the city but to me every puddle, every rivulet, every clogged drain, and every swimming vehicle had a story to tell.
I kept my outings restricted and almost mastered the art of Slackadom with my sweet Mom pampering me to death and thanking me nearly every second when I laid hands on the simplest household chores! A couple of happy moments spent...sweet and invigorating!
My life in Calcutta is a random record of memories because I spent my school and college years in a small industrial town called Durgapur. So, many memories have digressed from the Steel Township to the Metropolis. I guess, that just breaks my heart because you almost kiss your ‘Wonder Years’ goodbye; not really though!
Anyways, having too many relatives and friends in the city always brings me closer to home. Gives me a chance to complete unfinished business, reunite lost touch, read pages from a book, faded with the passage of time, and mostly, rediscover a part of me, almost forgotten! Let’s just keep it to ‘Home is where heart is’ for the time-being because my visits to Gariahat, Maidan. Art Gallery, New Market, Park Street, and other popular destinations could be a story told some other time.

Those school girl days...

After much thought and discussions with my ol' school buddies I decided to give this a shot. Calling Kavi, Nili, Suri, Rupa, Debjani, Dahlia, Shyamasree, Indrani, Adi, Anindita, Deva...and friends, wherever you are. Let's see! I am trying to recall some of the sweet lasting moments I had back in school.
I am remembering those times when we burnt the midnight oil in trying to throw a cultural for our Sisters' Feast (and you thought for studies? Nah!). Hey guys, remember our hearts skipped a beat when we heard that we would be going far-away for an excursion (not far-away really, but who cares). Feels like Roman Holidays now!Remember, when Rupa saved my life (yeah trusted you for the Mathaboru-Rock-Climbing acomplishment) while climbing the stupendous rocks in Maithon. Remember our experiments with the compounds; with trembling hands when we held the test tubes for the first time, elated at the pungent smell of H2S, surprised to discover the 'Einstein' in us. Remember our freedom from the boring chemistry lessons when our teachers were busy strategizing something-very-important in the Staff Meeting room, wondering every minute what was really happening behind the closed doors as we kept ourselves entertained in minding the rest of the school. The world was placed in our hands and it was up to us how we managed it till we handed it over to the Home Secretary or someone like that. We did not mind at all, you see, as long as the teachers decided to stay behind the doors. Don't remember anyone who complained about it. It's such a flashback that I don't think I can do justice in one post. You know what happens when you open the floodgates. So, send in those comments if anyone's reading them from my batch. And yeah, I would have to post a lot many more. What do you say? Remember your happy memories outnumber the sad ones; so don't bring out skeletons from hidden closet, they will only leave us feeling sad and heavy. Any takers? Nili you promised this one!

When nothing else matters hope does!

http://divine-music.net/newtemp/artist.php?aid=300

Anger Management

A simple story to tell what anger does to you and to others; shrug if you have to by saying that you don't care when it comes to expressing what is 'right.' Well, you thought so. Read on and see for yourself why they say, anger is next to stupidity.

Here's how the story goes:

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that everytime he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there." A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

By anger, I certainly don't mean that you stop protesting and go passive when you see something going wrong or unjust. But, the story certainly tells you to choose words with tact. Be a little sensitive to the one being addressed or else they won't go about beating drums about managing Emotional Quotient in the corporate world. Well, I am no anger management Guru or a pro, giving advice on eclectic subjects; but what I do know is that we all regret at some point when we lose it, isn't it? So, why not reflect back a little and see what lessons we can draw to stop ourselves before we lose control? A lilttle tact and wisdom is all that we should look before we go hammering nails in heart.

A waking life!

"There are many things in life that will catch your eye but only a few will catch your heart pursue those."

Let fresh air come in through your soul window and nourish your mind. Dream if you will; but let not intellect always take over and ruin your heart.

Seeking happiness...how have I lived today?

Happiness is an internal job. Let me share an encouraging story to elucidate what inspired me to redefine happiness in my life.
Recently, my hubby came back from an official visit to U.K. and unlike his usual anecdotes, this time, he decided to narrate a thoughtful chapter from the trip. While performing some audit procedures he got an opportunity to come in contact with a person, in-charge of the operations of the department being audited. A lot of issues were pointed out as an outcome of the routine audit process and he was told that his process was not running well. Such a verdict would have jolted a normal person beyond his/her wit's end. Strangely enough, during my hubby's 20-day tenure, he constantly found him working from home and wondered how a person, facing such a crisis, could continue working away from office. So, he suggested him coming for a visit to the site and investigating the matter personally to mitigate the process-gaps.
There was yet another problem in hand. The office in question was shutting down by mid 2007. However, amidst all the obstacles that this person was facing he was always smiling, calm, and hell bent-upon in finding a silver lining amidst the darkest clouds. Never for once did he disagree to the facts and said he enjoyed working out such details with my hubby. This sure intrigued Ari (my hubby) more and right at the end of the interview sessions he asked how he could stay so positive and cheerful knowing he might lose his job in the near future. The answer he got sure was an eye-opener for him about the way we view our priorities in life.
The man explained that he was diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing a chemotherapy treatment (very painful), which is why he was unable to step out from home. Secondly, he said that he hoped that he would come back to office one day and rest aside his condition as something buried in the past. He said he was thankful for each day that he had been given to prove something better than what it is. Imagine this for someone living in the clutches of losing a job and a dear life that we consider so special, or do we?
Ari had nothing to say after what he had shared except wishing him all the best for the future(?) unknown.
Happiness is an inside job. It's we who have to change. If things don't work out fine, it's up to us to do something about it, isn't it? Only when we appreciate the life that we have been given, do we feel such happiness within. If you know that it is the last day of your life on earth how would you want to spend it? Regretting? Comparing? Blaming? Judging? The surfeit of jobs and 'prosperity' in metros make us at times high-browed, and conceited. That's being plain small. Wake up! There's more to life! Are you living it?