Random th8s

While you were judging the other person, don't forget the other person is also judging you. Most often underestimating someone because you don't have idea of someone's potential will lead you to surprises..Calibre can be built but not nature of a person.. and  while overestimating a heartbreak or angry bouts of expectations not fulfilled. 

Of selfless giving, living, dying ..!

So many times we have come across people who have gone out of their way to make others life happy... not that they really wanted something in return.. they did because they had something to give.. I think its a universal law.. Probably, it is only when we start giving selflessly first, does the universe starts repaying our selfless giving with selfless getting too!

Then what prevents us to start giving selflessly! what awaits our thoughts that hold onto our security of safe and comfortable living beyond our needs? Is it in our mind that we create so many walls and then try.. go and find windows of receiving all that only can be purchased for our happiness? In a way we are the victims of our own mind.

We fear people cheating us, taking advantage of our kindness, we being left behind in this highly competitive world, of being proven wrong, of failing , of people making mockery of us .... so much so that we are not wanting to let go, because we can't see a clear picture, we always keep weighing of the amount we do to the amount that is expected in return... Goodness comes at a personal cost. A cost of mental stress.. While external happiness can be bought , internal happiness can only come from growing within, by letting go, by giving selflessly.. probably wanting to let go of our own mistakes first and also of mistakes of others, by giving our time and means to people, nature, other beings.. Being in the present, being aware of each passing moment, that it is there only now and if we keep doors of my mind locked of past and future stresses, how can I live now?

If one of our goal is to lead a happy life, I think we should start by setting a bigger goal of having a peaceful death...and then start leading life by backward planning.
What will lead me to have a peaceful death?  

 May be leading a life may not be as serious as this sounds, but the goal should be serious. One may have fun on day to day living ( not at the expense of others though) , but the backup of thoughts should always be serious. Can I be helpful to some one in need in some way without expecting any thing in return? Can I be truthful to my own self first?

Contemplating on the same... What will give me courage to let go .. so as to allow the universe to catch hold of me if I fall...

Our fruiting Amla tree

Fruiting tree took its time to grow, for over eight years now, 

taking strength from soil, water, minerals and sun,
to give its fruits for life time.

Fruits would take its own time to come, many a strength and perseverance,
but when the time is ripe, it would. 

Such immense joy it gives to see these branches laden with these fruits now it had to share..
Would it have helped if I worried on its unproductivity before the time was ripe??

Did I lose a diamond?

Walking along the beach in the dusk, I saw something sparkle for a moment .. excited to see it and find whether it was a treasure, I walk to it, pick it up..but that glint vanished, I rotate and move it to see on what was in it that glinted, on no discovery I put it back on the shore .. waves lap and move it side ways .. one last look behind and I felt that sparkle again, was it that I failed to remove the sand or did I fail to remove the shades adorned on my eyes..but by that time I had moved on .. Did I lose a diamond ?....

life is..

I walk on the road, happy to see bed of flowers, I carefully choose and pick up one turned flower, but put it back.
Why was there a need to choose only a flawless one? 

World environment day 5th June

Today is World Environment Day - 5th June.

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on 5 June to raise global awareness for taking positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) initiated the programme in 1972.

Let us be conscious of our wants and needs, let us be the change agents for better tomorrow. Lets follow 5 R's: Respect earth, Reduce our needs and wants, Reuse what ever we can, Recycle what ever we can, Restore Nature.

A small narrative to inspire action:
On our transect walks in Northern Sikkim, we discovered the frugality in living and lifestyle choices of Sikkimese people. Not only do they use products made from nature which is abundant and available locally they also maximize its use so as not to abuse nature in any way. On the products maximum use, it is discarded in proper way. The good thing of being organic is it decays with natural process thus there is no waste created in the process. Yet they had good waste management practices. While we did our walks from one mountain to the next to reach villages high up on mountains, they had dust bins indicating travelers to be cautious of their waste and to use bins to discard of any waste they have. Lots of things to learn from them. 

 Dustbins on the way 

Local barbie doll

Local bamboo to display organic products

Baboo utensils locally available

amazing walnut tea on bamboo glasses( which will be reused till they last)

Can we be frugal in our living and life style choices so as not to be a over consumerist giving free way to market forces? 

Can we conserve water, plant more trees, protect forests, go organic, recharge ground water by rain water harvesting, .. list goes on.. but as they say it , every step counts. Let's begin with the 1st step!

On this Earth day ( 22nd April) Respecting Earth. Respecting Nature.

In this Earth day , lets remember the importance of the nature and surroundings to make our life. 

Where should I nest? If not here where, if not on this earth which planet? 
On this earth day, lets remember 5 R's
Respect earth. 
Reduce our wants. 
Reuse what we can. 
Recycle goods which are possible.. 
Replenish ..plant trees n take care of them. Harvest rain water etc

All I needed was a little space to fly..

All I needed was a little space to fly,
I was that little bird chirpy and shy,
with your perfect aimed slingshot, I fall as your prey, didn't you hear my cry?

Now that I am your offering to your god in the platter among other fruits, tubers and roots that you eat,
Served to your mountain gods in front of its seat,
Did that mountain lord tell you to offer us?
Or do you only offer to god what you eat?
if not than why such fuss?

Or don't you like the songs that I sing ,
which your ancestors used to cherish,
yesterday there were many today there are only a few of us for you to sing,
won't you miss our company , the songs and the interactions of ours with nature once we perish?

Or is that you like empty skies?
In the quietness of your forests ,
echo of your own foot steps will come to arrest,
wasn't it good to have as your accompaniment the rhythms we sing from skies?

O, Wise human, you know not our link and existence to your surrounding ecology and your own existence. Its better to let us be, to live and let live..

let me share one advice  - we are the very part of nature you pray,
today we are your prey, but tomorrow you would be your own prey!

Why not eat, what you have in abundance of nature in these pristine forests - those roots, tubers, vegetables, millet and others of the sort and give me back my wings to glide through those lovely skies,
so that tomorrow while you traverse your forests, I would accompany you when you play your flute and  sing in those tunes from the skies!!