They call it the festive season. Wow! I wonder if this season is a part of the natural cycle. Is festivity inherent to human nature? Answers can vary. With Diwali, starts a party which everyone in the country becomes a part of. Neither I know nor do I want to know the number of people who celebrate, merely, the homecoming of Lord Ram. An era that demands rational basis of every event, obviously, needs more reasons to cheer up.

Once upon a time, there used to be a calendar that divided the year into 12 months of 30 days each. The remaining 5 days were for festivals. This emphasizes the importance of such events in our life. But, what makes me ponder over this whole phenomenon is a more complex issue. Is joy a pre-requisite of life? Or, is life so depressing that we create mythical occasions to escape from it? I have no clue at this point of time.

By the time the New Year arrives, I find an answer. We look forward to novelty. It makes us happy. We say ‘Goodbye’ to the past and welcome the future. Between these two moments, lies festivity. Stagnation ends life. Fluctuations sustain it. A present full of excitement, therefore, is the solution. Wishing you a never-ending festive season, I invite more answers.

Quite often, I stumble across English words that leave me wondering, “How do I pronounce this?” or “Is this the way to pronounce it correctly? 

I think this is something that all of us tend to wonder about when we come across a funny sounding word or maybe a new word.

Here are some English words that tend to be mispronounced:

• Deutsche (Correct: Doy-chuh)
• Dr.Suess (Correct:Soyce)
• Porsche (Correct: PORSH-uh)
• Bowl (Correct:Bohl)
• Faux pas (Correct:Fo pas)
• Yacht  (Correct:Yot)
• Onion (Correct: uhnyuhn)
• Belle (Correct: Bel)
• Petite (Correct:Puhteet)
• Swan (Correct: Swon)
• Plateau (Correct: Platoh)
• Lettuce (Correct:Letis)

There are lots of other words that tend to be mispronounced. So, do write in some of those that may have caught your attention too!

He just unloaded a gunny sack and prepares to move ahead.

The tram cars play an effective mode of transportation criss crossing the city streets.

Here is a picture which is more a moment in time. Had gone out on a…..

Doesn’t he look like Mohanish from the back?

Another Indian novelist won the Man Booker Prize! Cheers!

The good news was celebrated by most literary enthusiasts in India when Aravind Adiga’s debut novel with its ‘crackling story telling’, The White Tiger  won the Man Booker Prize.  Adiga’s voice had been unsparing in an article he had published earlier in Time magazine. The article focused on the trend of inflation in India, wherein Adiga stated, “India is still just a Sudan with a little icing on top.” Critics of White Tiger state that this novel erases all grand illusions of a rising India. But I guess it isnt fair to make any judgement about the novel till we get to read it. 

Here are some interesting links that discuss Adiga’s novel, The White Tiger:

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1850424,00.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2008/10/man-booker-priz.html

http://lizzysiddal.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/the-white-tiger-aravind-adiga/

If any of you have already read The White Tiger, do share your views.

Every person is influenced by a spiritual thought from a spiritual master at some point of time. It can be a religious thought, ritual, mantra or practice. All of it comes from the heart, so it doesnt matter who choses what. Can’t help recalling William Blake’s famous verse in “Auguries of Innocence” as it reads: “He who shall hurt the little wren, shall never be belov’d by Men.”

Hey, before you think this is some dotty religious scrap, let me assure you that I am from the glorious state of Communists (dont read China or Russia, its Kerala,ok) where every person has had a brief love affair with the idea of Communism and all that it entails, like the utopian dream that the rich will join the poor to end poverty, that all capitalists are demons, and so on.

But ultimately, most of us do manage to emerge unscathed, sane, secular persons, so take it easy, okay?

For me, God isnt a glorified accountant who keeps strict tabs on the number of times I invoke his name or do prayers or fasts or weave flower garlands. God is the indweller of the heart, whom you connect with simply through love, whom you see in others around you, even those who irritate you to the point of driving you nuts.

You dont need to learn a new language or culture to connect with the people you love, right? You can just be yourself, try to change into a better person if you think there is room for improvement and maybe do whats best for the world if you can think that generously. Its the same with God, you dont have to pretend to be something you are not. I dont believe in a God who tells you to worship one form, one name or one specific ritual to get grace. That god isnt Love. Not to me.

For me, the most compelling spiritual thought that guides me all the time is “Contemplate on God as Love.” I cant think of a better way to connect with the world and with the conflicts you face in the world.

When you put this into practice in small areas of your life, it pays off rich dividends in strengthening the person that you are, the values that you hold dear and sometimes makes you see things from a different perspective. In its own way, this love is what leads you from darkness to light.

Everyone is expected to find things that keep them happy and keep a firm grasp on those things so that they can handle the good with the bad. Write off the shitty day and wake up for better one type of stuff. It’s quite obvious where this is going. I can think of a thousand ways to put it, a drive to my favourite spot, my happy thought, my dial a friend, my relief, my way out, and my ray of sunshine except when there is no sunshine. Or even worse when it is all just a bloody tease. When you put aside all the frustrations and thoughts and head out to that favourite spot, you look out over the steering wheel at the ominous cloud screaming, don’t do this to me! Then while you stand in the middle of the road with your arms stretched out, fists clenched, pleading it to stop it pours harder, it’s no fairy tale.. you get back into the car, biting your teeth.. the only consolation life offers.. it goes on.