The cake's perspective

I once thought the only way to be happy was by achieving something, making my name and reaching somewhere. But now my perspective is different. I see what needs to be done, what I feel like doing and try doing it with all my heart and extract happiness out of doing things this way alone.

To make this clear let me give you a small example. Take the case of me eating a cake. My earlier perspective towards it was this. The cake is a sweet thing. Eating it will give ME happiness. So I want to eat the cake and I want to be happy. But I now look at things in a different perspective. That is the cake's perspective. The purpose of the cake is to be eaten and relished by someone. It has to create happiness in whoever eats it. It needn't necessarily be me. Once someone eats it and becomes happy, I am happy. Because the best purpose of the cake has been served in the best possible way. It doesn't matter if I eat it or someone else eats it at all, when you look at things in the cake's perspective. So, if you step out of yourself, and start looking at the world "in the cake's perspective", life becomes a lot more meaningful and enjoyable. The restlessness to find something and do something is gone. You can start taking life as it comes. You just hang around and make sure all the cakes are eaten by people who like eating cakes, and once in a while it is you. And slowly you realise one thing. You yourself are a cake! You yourself exist to create happiness to the people around you! The world will make sure that you are consumed and relished to the fullest extent. You have nothing to search for and nothing to find. Things will happen by themselves if you just take care of yourself and make sure you have a good time.

The Choice of Purpose and the Way of the Peacock!

Someone I know once said, "It is only fair that we get 'Credit' for what we do and it ain't worth doing otherwise. People who do things without getting the credit have a bad attitude."

I was also of this opinion for most of my life. But, recently I found out something which changed the way I looked at things. Should people get credit for the work they do? In all fairness yes. But should that be the purpose behind choosing what they do?
No. Because if you think about it the 'purpose' behind some of the best things that people have done is not 'Credit', 'Money', or 'appreciation' from others. Mozart didn't compose his music for money; when he died he was a poor man! Did Einstein put forth his theories to win the Nobel? No he was crazy abt physics from childhood!

When I first went to see a cricket match I couldn't help wondering "how is this batsman guy able to focus on a ball whizzing towards him at 90 miles an hour, when thousands of people are staring and shouting at him and everything is projected on this giant screen?" Then I got it. "He is not playing FOR them. He played cricket in the streets because he liked the game and was passionate about it. When he got those glorious strokes right they gave him such a high. He is bathed in this JOY: and THAT is his 'purpose.' That is all he cares for. This joy intoxicates him and makes all the crowd and noise disappear and he sees only the ball! But if he played for 'Credit' he will be worried about the fans -- what they think -- and get hit on the head on the first bouncer."

Please note that this is not a 'resign to my fate' attitude. "What can i do if someone else takes the credit?" this is not my point. My point is that we focus on that, which gives us the best, truest most wholesome happiness. Do not curb the flow of joy and sense of accomplishment you get by attaching strings and conditions to it.

You do things because you believe in finishing them honestly and seeing them done. How can anyone else stop you from that? This joy is so pure and genuine that what anyone else thinks need not affect it at all.

There is no need to care about what he thinks', she thinks, he says, she says. I do that, which gives ME joy. I believe in doing things for the reason why "The Peacock Dances." It doesn't want to be photographed or made the National bird! It dances for the JOY of dancing in the spring. And THAT makes it beautiful.

So the very desire for credit is a distraction in our deed. Politicians rule the country FOR money and credit. See what happens there!

The best people do it for the JOY. Credit is only a superfluous byproduct!

A strange day in our lives

I hope I don’t have to face a day like this ever again. But hey! I got so busy speaking about it, I almost forgot to tell you who I am.

It began just like any other day. Saldna and I started off to catch the 7:20 bus to the college. It came just as we reached the bus stop and we got in. The proximity of exams had made Saldna a religious girl. So after getting off the bus, she decided to give a short visit to the temple before entering class. I only waited outside. Not because I don’t believe in being close to God, but perhaps, because God doesn’t believe in being close to me. She came back out in ten minutes and it was time for college.

Just before we entered the class we heard an uproar of sound come from inside. As soon as we went in, we were informed that Mr. Bhagavantam Subramanian Iyer, the lecturer due for the first hour, was absent. We joined the cheers!

The Cool-kitz gang took no time to assemble.

“Wonder what’s up with Bassy!” said Saldna. ‘Bassy’ was how the class conveniently referred to the particular lecturer. He was known for his regularity and hence the news of his leave was taken as a surprise.

“Heaven knows!” replied Abhilasha, Saldna’s best friend.

“Hey Abhi, don’t think we forgot. When is the treat?” cried out Vikram. This was the regular practise. Let alone birthdays and other regular celebrations, a treat was asked for at the slightest excuse- a prize at a sports competition or in some culturals, a sibling or even a cousin’s wedding, and of course on getting high marks. Abhilasha Raghunath had won Rs.10,000 in a national level project presentation competition. An achievement of such scale guaranteed that the treat would not be overlooked.

“Why bother with treats? I’m throwing a party this evening. 5’O clock. My place. The whole class is invited!”

“COOL!”

The class was known to be noisy even under normal circumstances. With two such exciting upshots early in the day it went wild in celebration. Later the second hour lecturer came to put a full stop to the cacophony. The rest of the day was uneventfully gloomy.

By 5:20 that evening the road in front of Abhilasha’s house was crowded with two-wheelers. Shruti, Vikram, Nina, Sunita, Sidharth, Anu—they were all there. Eleven students of the class could make it to the party and most of them came on their bikes. Saldna and I came by bus.

The house was in perfect condition for a party. Both her parents having left the city, Abhilasha was left alone in the house. So, with no elders to be disturbed loud rock music blared from the stereo. The fridge was filled with two-litre coke bottles. Pizzas were ordered. Eating, chatting, laughing, shouting—all went on at once. And when you make merry, time slips by quickly. Before we knew it, it was almost eight. The guests began leaving the house one after the other. By now Abhilasha’s house was in quite a mess. Since our house was just 15 minutes away by walk, Saldna decided to stay on to help tidy things up. Some more chatting went on and by the time we left the time was almost ten.

We had walked this road often but never so late. It was surprising that it could seem so strange and lonely. We moved on nervously.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, came a large shabby-looking man. From the way he was shaking and shouting he was certainly heavily drunk. He looked at Saldna, a chill went down her spine. He stared at her for sometime and then began walking unsteadily towards her. And in a broken voice came the song, “Rooppu tera... mastaana....” Saldna stood still, frozen in fear.

The man was now dangerously close. I could feel Saldna’s hand gripping me tightly. I alone could do some help. Then in a fraction of a second, before the rogue could realise what was going on, my sole landed on his hairy face in a powerful blow. That one shot seemed enough. The villain stumbled, fell over and lay motionless. We rushed to the safety of our home.

Later that night I lay thinking what a strange day it had been. It started so well, was full of fun and in the end it became such a frightening adventure. I hope I don’t have to face a day like this ever again. But hey! I got so busy speaking about it, I almost forgot to tell you who I am. I am the pair of high-heeled sandals, Saldna has been wearing for the past two years!

What day is today?

We have a day for the mother, a day for the father, one each for sister, brother, son, daughter, niece... One for cancer, one for AIDS, one for cardiac arrest, one for epilepsy... Then there are days for planting trees, remembering Mr. Kofi Annan, dressing up like ghouls and flossing our gums. In short, we have days for most diseases, relatives and just about all other problems. Do these days really help us in sorting out our problems? That is a very vague, difficult and useless question to answer. Instead, let me ask, do we have days to take care of all our needs? The answer to that is definitely NO. A ‘NO’ with a capital ‘N’, as well as a capital ‘O’, for those suffering from case-blindness. For here are 10 days that, I’m sure you’ll agree, will not only be found useful but will also enrich our lives and give us a boost in our journey towards self-realisation.

1. Anti-commercial day: According to a survey in the U.S., each day, the average person is confronted with 2000 advertisements. Humanity will be more than happy to do without them for a day. No channel should break for commercials today and just keep broadcasting their programs throughout. All newspapers and magazines published on this day must not have a single advertisement, but just stick to news and articles. Hoardings on roadside, busses and walls should be draped with black cloth. Salesmen must stay home and vendors at the market must go about their selling silently.

2. I’m-sorry day: This can be a very special day. It gives you a chance to apologise and rid your relationships of all its cold blocks. So pick up the phone, call up the dear ones and say, “Dear friend, if I ever hurt you or made you feel bad in any manner, I apologise for it today. I cherish your friendship and always want to see you happy. As far as I know, I have always acted according to this, but if you, at any time felt otherwise that was never the intention." Being a bit over-sentimental is okay on 'I'm-sorry' day.

3. No-mobile-phone day: Cast away your ring-tone rattles today. Spend it peacefully and rediscover the pleasures of undisturbed living. It is possible to live without this thing. Believe me when I say, you once did.

4. Non-uniform day: This is the day for the whole world to go ‘Rangeela’. All schools, factories, laboratories, hotels and other establishments that mandate uniforms must lapse this rule for the day. Let people express themselves by wearing their attitude. Colours of all variety will make today a spicy day!

5. Say-Hi-to-strangers day: Day after day we pass by hundreds of people staring coldly at their noses. Let us all decide to shed our inhibitions and fears today and smile and greet everyone we meet. This would have a lubricating effect on our society. We will realise that grotesque our appearances and ways may seem to each other, what counts is we have all descended from the same ape. Not as many people as we think, exhibit cannibalism and most of us don’t mind being adored at all. This day gives you the chance to meet people who can be your great friends, advisors or archrivals. Who knows, you might even meet your dream-lover!

6. Pedal-your-way day: “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race”, wrote the famous writer H.G. Wells. If you are healthy and normal one day’s cycling to work or college won’t do any harm. Only when you use your brawn to push the distances behind, can you know how vast the pleasant land really is. So today it’s bye-bye to cars, scooters, buses and the rest of the powered lot. The true worth of this ordeal and the sense of accomplishment and happiness it gives can’t be described; it has to be experienced. I can promise you this will be a day you will not regret.

7. Snail-mail day: With new gadgets of all shapes and sizes popping up around us daily, writing letters by hand is a practice that is becoming increasingly obscure. So do it the old fashioned way today and take up pen and paper (remember even printouts aren’t allowed) and write to one and all. When you have upgraded your computers, swapped your phones with smaller models, and thrown away your CDs for better things that fit in your computer’s mouth, the letters will live; to tell stories about you to your great-grandchildren.

8. World-joke day: Let us forget seriousness today and generously serve each other good doses of the best medicine. Everyone must think of some funny incident in his or her life or if possible make up his or her own joke. This must be shared with everyone met. The world will be a much happier day on this day, with laughter ringing at every corner and with so many people, so pleasant, so much at once.

9. Un-Valentine’s day: There is a day to say, ‘I love you’. So there’s got to be one to say ‘I don’t’. For those caught in relationships that are not necessary or relationships that are no longer necessary and wondering how to call it off, this day gives the chance. Just Un-Valentine yourself on this day saying, “I’ve had enough” or “We aren’t getting anywhere” or “There is someone else”, as the case maybe, and you’ll have lots of company!

10. No-day day: With everyday being this day or that day there’s got to be a day when we need to take a break. That’s precisely where the No-day day comes in. This is the day to forget about all the problems of the world, all the plagues that exist in it and all our relatives. Live today assuming there are no problems in the world. Even if a problem arises leave it for another day!