Quote of the day

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

Tirupathi

Temple on a hill
token of man's will.
Traditions survive
over centuries alive.
Blind faith abound
when God is all around.

Steep cliffs beckon
the Saptagiri impose a mighty welcome.
Rolling greens embrace
this towering mystical place.
Is it some special presence
or other ethereal essence?

Somber angel's namaskar
greets the faithfuls' cars.
Inside bustling hustle
policemen exercising their muscle.
Chaos reigned
access to divinity was ordained.

Carved out of black stone
fabrics in gold thread sown.
Line of believers moving at snail's rate
edge towards His dwelling's gate.
Ancient verses irrevocably inscribed
signal that you have arrived.

Hundi of a million prayers
desperate fears are confessed here.
Hearts deepest desire
laid bare on the wire.
Mass of humanity converges
chant of many as one voice emerges.

The pinnacle of the trance
over the threshhold as you advance.
Sudden hush
quitening of the rush.
A pause for reflection
silent prayer for purification.

Forgiveness for our sins
prosperity for our kin.
Wishes as old as man and religion
cycle back to their origin.
Surrender of the self for but a moment
before being pulled back into the torrent.

Outside you emerge a little lighter
your aura a little brighter.
Having paid homage
to this most sacred of pilgrimage.
God's hand always on your head
his presence now confirmed.

Sweet ironies and hard truths Indian-shtyle

True quotes from India-

At Belur Temple- "God is in every form, god is formless."

"Life is cyclical, what goes up must come down. Is liye, chamar ka beta IS ban jata hai aur phir IS ka beta chamar ban jata hai!"

"What does it mean to be backward? In a backward village, if your car breaks down, the entire village comes out to help. Is that backward?"

Sign on Punjab highway- "Bridge in dangerous condition. Cross very slowly." :)

Sign on wall in Bangalore airport- "Urination prohibited. Fine Rs 25/-"

On how insurgencies are born- "A simple man exploited beyond all endurable limits will be the one to pick up a gun. Afterall, what more does he have to lose."

On the Indian traffic situation- "...and this traffic policeman is furiously whistling me. Then I realized he's waving at me because I am stopped at a red light and he wants me to cross!"

"India is a story in the making." [Just one of the most ancient storiess in the chapter of civilization on this planet, and yet only in the making, hmmm....]

On the rapid rate of money and job influx over the last 10 years- "There's a generation gap now between the current 17 and 27 year olds in India. We didn't grow up with all this."

there's something about December

It must be the less than frost-bite but uncomfortable nosetip-nipping variety California winter winds that keep me inside, or maybe the inspirational late autumn foliage on the drive to Palo Alto which puts me in a good mood every single morning, or maybe even the reflective vein of thinking that the end of a year brings with it. Whatever the reason, I end a wordless draught of 364.5 days and give myself one more chance to bloom on the typewritten colorful thoughts-rich garden of this blog.

See, no wonder I am not a winter person, I can only come up with spring analogies even for a hot chocolate and fireplaces, trying to read the shapes in exhaled breath vapors, can't find sweaters in my closet thick enough, waiting 10 mins in the car for the frost on the windshield to melt, always wear socks on my feet, electric company fortune-making, wet cold soggy overcast, brrr kind of season!
Is it just me or are the winters getting colder every year?!!