About highways and the journey that is LIFE

Having lived in West and East of the globe for considerable time, I can deduce that a lot can be said about people of a region if you just observe closely on how they behave while driving on the road.

The roadways and the traffic is what the people in it make it the way they are. The behaviour does not only stay on the road but it percolates into the daily life or it could be other way round. One thing is for sure that the two are closely related.

What I observed in the West that the traffic is quite organised, it is very predictable and hence they are able to move fast. If one person does something unexpected, the whole system breaks down. The highway accidents tend to be fatal because they are high speed and often people are at loss to handle any exception that is posed to them. If I draw a similarity to the Western way of life, it is similar. People follow predictable path. They rarely struggle with life's basic necessities and the life is quite organised. The trust factor in people is very high as in they expect everyone in their chain of influence to play out their own part. Teacher is supposed to teach, doctor's heal, bankers and lawyers do their own stuff etc. Everything works nicely until one of them doesn't do the job expected out of them. It throws an exception and people get hurt. One rouge banker or a bad doctor can do unimaginable harm to so many people before getting caught.
Not all is bad in the system. Most of the time it works and does not impact the people at large. Like in a highway, people stick to their respective slow or fast lanes and are normally happy with their choices. If someone wants to make a lane change, they indicate by flashing the respective indicator and gradually ease into the new lane, preserving the predictability. The promotions, the advancement and the retirements are hence very predictable and known to people around them. There are exceptions here too, You have someone in the fast car who will criss cross and speed away without concern to others. These are highflier who take advantage of predictability and simplicity of others. These are by far fewer in the system and usually short-lived.
The right of way is to pedestrians. If they see someone on the corner of the road, they slow down and let the person cross the road. So little people get respect. There are more cars on the road than people on foot so easily minority wins here and there is a general consensus to respect little people and preserve that minority.
In US to be in particular one finds congestion and fast lane changes in metros. People are eager to move forward. Midwest and rural areas are very laid back. They respect people on the road and have low desire to make fast lane changes. Their choice of life are also simple and their approach very relaxed.

Now lets turn to East, manly India. The traffic comprises of less roads, more people. The automobile composition is more two-wheelers than four and a combined number of people on foot. So the hierarchy is obvious. People on foot have to give way to two-wheelers who in turn and have to give way to four-six-eight wheelers in that order. The bigger the vehicle, the more weightage. Minority wins here too since the cars and the trucks/buses are in minority compared to people on foot and two-wheelers. Each man to himself, the traffic is not predictable. In order to move ahead, the person at the back can honk and overtake you from anywhere. The person in front can turn left from rightmost lane or vice versa without indicating their choice. The race is on. The resources, namely, the road is less and the journey is the same for everyone. Hence there is a mad dash to be first. Me-First. Well, some wise man said, ''when everyone tries to be fast, everyone arrives late." Guess, the wise-one is still stuck in traffic. The me-first attitude is there everywhere. In queues, in education, in business or any services. People are looking for deals, exceptions or any short-cut so they can win. How can one win when everyone is trying to do the same thing. People trying to talk to their long lost aunt to save a few bucks on blood test. People looking for online coupons for movie tickets to spa services. Talk to anyone in your area of influence and tell them you paid retail price for your shoe and all hell will break loose. People try to give advice on how you could have saved 10% if you had just talked to them about their favourite shop.
The simple thing is to relax and use the available resources wisely. If you move slow, everyone can actually move fast. But how do you really get this message across. The difference between East and West is palpable. In West, people making exception are frowned upon, looked down upon and nobody tries to imitate them. In East, if the exception becomes a norm because it appears that the person making any exception is winning. In the end everyone arrives late.

My Goal here is not to provide a solution. It is something that everyone knows and can solve. It requires individual will and a firm belief that they are part of the solution, part of the chain who can individually make a difference if they follow what they feel is right. Exceptions will always be there. Sometimes they win sometimes they lose but they should remain exceptions.

The Hospital Bed

There was sadness in his eyes

If only someone could look up There

He could always muster a smile

When someone asked how was He

Lying on his bed all by himself

No one  could see that he was Lying

Eyes were the entrance to his souls and beacon of truth

But who had the time to look at them the Eyes

Everyone came and he did laugh with them

Cracked some jokes and made merry withe Everyone

Not before last the smile began to fade

Gloom began to set since time there was Not

Short of breath but something came over him as a thought
Life is precious worth living to the fullest even if Short

Sad eyes then began to come alive and gloom faded

Outside the window the Sun rose and he was no longer Sad

One life is all we get whether spent alone or with all

Journey is what you make of it before merging with the One

Poems Written between 1993-2000 (English)

Mirage

A fool named Lee,

lived by the sprawling sea.

Problem with him was severe,

His income was too meagre.

He did not want to work,

He was strong but a jerk.

Lee tried to add two and two to make five,

But this is not possible in one’s life.

People were fed up with the bully,

He used to rob them and flee.

Once came a wise man in town,

He was a holy man dressed in white gown.

He called up the foolish Lee,

Pointing his hand towards the vast sea.

“There” he said, “where the sky and sea meet”,

“You will find a treasure and plenty to eat.”

Dumb Lee set out for sail,

Nobody has see him since on his lost trail.

Death

Death is ultimate, death is formal,

Death is true, Death makes us mortal.

How can we handle such a thing,

We powerless feeble human beings.

Birth is happiness, birth brings no ill,

Birth is too against our will.

Birth and Death are continuous so why fear,

Live life with happiness and cheer.

Life is a process not so simple,

The world’s so big and time so little.

Dusk

Birds chirp and the flowers close,

Day breaks and the Sun goes.

Stars peeps into the sky,

My thoughts rise high and high.

What is behind all these things,

Who created us human beings.

Is all this World a fake,

Mountain, rivers and lakes.

The end of World seems near,

This haunts me and I fear.

Where will all the creation go,

I am just left with thoughts high and low.

Dawn

Flowers bloom in my lawn,

I face the first light of dawn.

A new day has begun,

A lot of things have to be done.

I forget last night’s fear,

The day is new and very dear.

Everything in this world is for you,

It is full of joy and things anew.

Leave the past and forget the future,

Present is most important for every creature.

Why shouldn’t we enjoy the World so,

And stop the thoughts high and low.

Nature

Wind blows and the trees zoom,

Birds chirp and the flowers bloom.

Glory of morning star is about to fade,

Twilight of East has its wings laid.

Cool breeze evokes a subtle anxiety,

Freshness of morning feels mighty.

Nature has so much to offer,

Men have so much but still suffer.

See the Sun has cast its first ray,

Awake, arise, its mark of a new day.

Poems Written between 1993-2000 (Hindi)

निश्चय

स्वप्न अभी भग्न हुआ है
निशा का तम अभी बिखरा हुआ है।

सूझती नहीं है कोई राह
इस अंधकार की भी नहीं कोई थाह।

दूर एक दीपक टिमटिमाता है
घोर अंधेरे में विश्वास दिलाता है।

दिवा का प्रकाश अब दूर नहीं
मंज़िल है पास यहीं कहीं।

स्वप्न तो स्वप्न है भग्न ही होगा
निराकार था अब साकार होगा।

स्वप्न को स्वप्न ही नहीं रहना है
भग्न कर उसे एक स्वरूप देना है।

 
भावनाएँ

भावनाओं से भरे नेत्र
उन्हें शब्द देने को आतुर ये थरथराते होंठ ।

क्या तुम रोक रही हो उसे
जो अनायास ही छलक आया है इन नयनों से।

या उस आह को
जो बिना पूँछे निकल पड़ी है इन अधरों से।

बह जाने दो इन्हें
आँखी मूल्य कहाँ है इन भावनाओं का।

सूखी आँखे ही जीवंत दिखती हैं
खिले होंठ  ही लुभाते हैं।

भरी  आँखें व थरथराते होंठ
देते हैं बस अवसाद के गहरे क्षण।

बह जाने दो इन्हें मत बहो इनमें
मूल्यहीन हैं ये भावनायें।


 
मँझदार

एक तम्मना थी जीवन में
कुछ बन कर दिखलाऊँगा।

भीड़ में वजूद ना खोकर
अलग ही पहचाना जाऊँगा।

पर भविष्य है विशाल
समेटे अथाह सागर।

पार करनी है लम्बी दूरी
अनिश्चितता का सदा है डर।

कि भँवर कोई ऐसा आए
बीच में ही किश्ती रह जाए।

मैं बस देखता ही रहूँ
मंज़िल पास आकर भी छिटक  जाए।

 
तलाश

ज़िंदगी के सफ़र में हमसफ़र की तलाश है
रहीं तो बहुत मिलीं पर मंज़िल की तलाश है।

वह कौन सी रह है जो
मंज़िल तक ले जाएगी।
दूर करने अंधेरे को
वह सभा कब आएगी।

राहें तो सभी मंज़िल तक ले जाती हैं, दिए की रोशनी भी अंधेरे को भागती है
मुझे मंज़िल दिखाने वाले सूरज की तलाश है।

वह कौन था जो साथ चला था
अब आगे निकल गया।
वह कौन था जो साथ चला था
अब ठोकर खा कर गिर गया।

जो साथ चला था और अब भी साथ है
मुझे उस हमसफ़र की तलाश है।



 
आकाश

नीला आकाश सो रहा है बेख़बर
और नीचे धरती पर
कुछ आत्माएँ जन्म ले रही हैं
कुछ सांसें दम भी तोड़ रही हैं
पर आकाश सोता है बेख़बर।
क्या दिन का उजाला भी नहीं दिखा पता उसे,
अपना बोझ ढोती  मृत आत्माएँ
या ख़ुद से लड़ती बेजान सांसें।

इस आकाश और धरती के बीच कुछ है
यह वायुमंडल, अदृश्य और पारदर्शी।
पर यह भी अब कलुषित है
नहीं भेद पाती इसे सूर्या की आभा
नहीं शीतल करती इसे चाँदनी भी।

तभी तो आकाश अब भी सोता बेख़बर
तब भी, अब भी और हमेशा।


 
मैं

रिमझिम बरखा बरस रही है
आकाश धूल कर साफ़ हुआ जाता है।

पक्षियों का कलरव बढ़ रहा है
सूर्या का तेज़ मंद  हुआ जाता है।

मस्त पवन वृक्षों को झुला  रही है
हृदय प्रसन्न पुलकित हुआ जाता है।

सावन का आगमन है और पपिहे की पुकार
प्रिया से मिलने को चित्त हुआ जाता है।

वर्षा की बूँदे हैं ये नहीं स्वेद के कण
प्रिया का चीर और तन एक हुआ जाता है।

बँधे केश खुल कर लहरा रहे हैं
और मेरा मन विश्वामित्र हुआ जाता है।

 
आदि युग

कैसा था वो आदि युग
जब बिजली धिस सिर्फ़ आकाश में
लोग तारों तले चंद्रमा की रोशनी टोहते थे

कैसा था वो आदि युग
जब घर मिट्टी से बनते थे
भरी दोपहर के तपते सूरज से
बचाती धिस घने पेड़ों की छांव।

कैसा था वो आदि युग
जब दूर दृष्टि के अंत तक थी हरियाली
शीतल लगते थे पवन की झोंके और
ठंडक बरसते थे काले बादल।

कैसा था वो आदि युग
जब हवा थी महकती चंचल चितवन
पर्वत शिकार रहते थे अजेय, अरण्य दुर्गम
सागर भी था अथाह और अंतहीन।

कैसा था वो आदि युग
जब चंद्रा सिर्फ़ था कहानियों
बादलों पार दुनिया बस्ती धिस कल्पनाओं में
ब्रह्मांड भी था आगम अगोचर।

कैसा था वो आदि युग
जब विज्ञान नहीं था उन्नत
जीवन की परिभाषा और लक्षय थे सीधे
क्यों नहीं वह युग आ जाता दोबारा
हो जाए सब वैसा ही जैसा चाहे मन हमारा।

हम नौजवान

दुनिया की हमें परवाह नहीं
दुनिया से हम बेग़ाने भी नहीं।

पुरानी मंज़िलो की हमें आस है
इक नए रास्ते की भी तलाश है।

जलती शमा की परवाने हैं
बुनियादी ज़रूरतों को भी पहचानते हैं।

हम नए युग के जोशिले नौजवान हैं
भूत से निकल कर वर्तमान में भविष्य तलाशते है।

छोटी कविताएँ

1. देवी

यह पर्वतमाला कितनी उच्शृंखल
यह हरियाली भी करती मन को चंचल।

देवी बैठी है गिरी की चोटी पर
मन चाहे पहुँचू वहाँ मैं उड़कर।

रह कठिन है, दुर्गम, पर नहीं असम्भव
उठाकर कष्ट ही मिलता है वैभव।

पुरुषार्थ से कमाया धन ही अर्जन है
सिर्फ़ उड़ने की चाह तो मानसिक पतन है।


2. क्षण

पल पल गिनते समय निकल गया
पल पल गिनते कारवाँ गुज़र गया।
हम थे जहाँ वहीं अब भी हैं
पल पल गिनते मौक़ा ही निकल गया।

३

ज़माने भर का गम हमारे साथ है
फिर भी मुस्कुराते हैं गम पीते जाते हैं।
आख़िर यूँ ही पीने से तो
गम हल्के होते जाते हैं।

४

ऐ दुनिया वालों हमें शिकता नहीं तुमसे
हमें तो सताया है दुनिया बनाने वाले ने।

५

सोचो तो साथ क्या लाए थे
सोचो तो साथ क्या जाएगा।
क्या वजूद है हमारा
यहाँ किया यहीं रह जाएगा।

A Poem this time

One Life

One life is what you get

One life to live and love

One life to follow your dreams

One life to see the flowers bloom

One life to see stars and moon

One life is what you get

One life to smell that first rain

One life to see sunset and sunrise

One life to wake and work

One life to dream, awake and arise

One life is what you get

One life to cross the ocean

One life to scale the mountain peak

One life to soar in the sky

One life to create wonder and magic

One life is all you get

One life of togetherness 

One life of joy and joy in sorrow

One life of celebration

One life of mystique and adventure 

One life is all you get

Heaven and Hell

Pain and Poise

All is here

Life is not a list of opposites

It is just one big ride

The Energy Pill

Why is that after aerobics and other form of cardio exercise one feels the tiredness from the workout? The workout is tiring but one tends to draw satisfaction from the “good” pain effect of these exercises. The muscles and the entire body feels sore but we are happy about it. No more work is possible for few hours after the so called fitness workout. Rather than feeling relaxed the body inside is actually stressed. The muscles are more rigid and are in a constant state of alertness.

The objective is general fitness and muscular build but it comes with an expense. The expense  is an overwork of internal organs. Heart has to beat faster to pump more blood, respiration is faster, kidneys have to work extra since more blood flows through them and the digestive system becomes active because of all the hyper oxygenation going on in the body. Indeed, some of it is required. One needs a toned body a healthy heart but not all of the other side-effects that it is bringing. If one is not careful, a heavy workout can result in more damage than it brings any good. Often people complain of insomnia and anxiety. These are symptoms of body being in a state of alertness and stress. Unknowingly one has put himself in stress all the while trying to get body in shape.

So what is the right exercise regimen where we can get a proper nourishment to our external organs and also keeping internal organs from being overworked?

In my own experience, I have observed, after doing Yoga  based exercises I not only do not get tired but also feel energetic the whole day. I eat well, sleep well and am in a constant state of being contend all day. After some deliberation on what is indeed going on I have the following findings. The regimen of exercise I follow is, I start with breathing exercises for five minutes, then I move to stretching and bending exercises for another 5 mins followed by a warm-up session of Suryanamaskar for 10 mins. By this time I have got a good 20 min workout and I lay on my Yoga Mat for a 5 mins of guided relaxation. Once I am caught up on my breath while lying on the mat, I give suggestions to my body to relax, my mind to go blank and focus only on my breath. After the end of five minutes, I feel relaxed and my body loose. Then I proceed to do some asanas, i have different ones everyday based on what area of my body needs work on. This goes for 10 mins. Now I have prepared myself to do some Pranayama. I always do two of them everyday. One always being Kapalbhati and the other one I alternate between Nadi-Shudhi and Brahmari. This takes about 10 mins. In total I have followed a strict 45 mins exercise schedule where I have given enough cardio to myself to increase my heart rate, I have bended and twisted each on my external body parts and joints and my internal organs have benefitted from the asanas I did. All of this was constantly being done while I focussed on my breath and kept myself relaxed. So after the end of the session, I am good to go for the entire day.
The great Myth about Yoga is that it a set of exercises that is for elderly or people with weaker constitution, and that it does not give a good cardio workout. Well I have news for such misconceptions. If you spend one hour in the gym sweating or thirty minutes running to break into sweat, I can get you into the same situation in 20 mins all the while giving a full body workout. The 10 position Suryanamaskar is a grossly unexplored set of exercises. If done with proper guidance, it can give a full body workout that no other Aerobic or cardio workout can give. This followed up with a five to seven minute guided relaxation is an excellent 30 mins package that can make you feel more energetic and relaxed all the while giving a full body workout.
Aerobics, cardio-workout, running or biking are not bad way of getting into shape however all of them lack something. Either they focus on only one part of the body or they focus too much on calorie burning. If a 20 mins of Yoga regimen with some Pranayama and guided relaxation is added to a full body workout, it can come closer to being complete. At least the tiredness of the workout can be managed.
It is a known fact that we loose calories and yes indeed weight too, even when we sleep. Even when the body is at rest, the internal organs are still at work. Heart is pumping blood, kidneys are working on purification of blood, respiratory and digestive systems are working and all this consumes energy. Energy that we have accumulated during the day is slowly used up at night. The rate is slow and hence we don't feel hungry while sleeping. So while the modern exercise routine keep the body in a high state of alertness all the time and keep the internal organs working to keep up with the body needs, Yoga based exercises give the workout to all body parts and keep the internal organs to a minimal use. The energy of the calories needed by internal organs is constant, the heart beats normally, the respiration is longer and more productive, the digestive juices are flowing and the body is in a constant state of equilibrium. The body is no longer in a stressful situation. It actually starts to be in a constant state of relaxation. Based on somebody's needs this Yoga Based exercise regimen can become an energy pill that comes in the dosage of 20 mins, 45 mins or an hour on Yoga Mat.
So why follow a regimen that does not give you a full body workout or leaves you feeling achy and tired. Rather get that Energy Pill in the form of right Yoga exercises that makes you feel better and leaves the body in a perfect harmony devoid of any stress.

Putting "ME" in (HE)alth

Listening to all the debates on health and well-being one wonders why there are only so few people concerned about well being of world at large. There are numerous talks about Government Spending and getting World Health Organisation to come up with wellness policies. Representatives of various countries go all over the world rallying up each others government support for putting together a he alt agenda. What happens in the end is a beautiful report of where we are in terms of disease control and what the various health departments in all countries are doing to rein in and control various epidemics.
Now based on some surveys and reports of few agencies, are these people fully aware on what needs to be done for "Our" health and well-being. WHO acknowledges that health is not a mere absence of disease but wellness at mind, body, social and emotional level. So what happens to health of people who seemingly do not have any diseases or they have something that is not a concern of the few people concerned about World Health? Who is really responsible for my health? I think that should be ME. All surveys and statistics are collected for a pool of people and what comes out sometimes is misleading and actually not even important to an individual like ME. Well, I do not have diabetes or suffer from any heart ailment or have any serious issue so I am anyway out of radar of much of the discussion.
Medicine, whether its traditional or modern, works on a basic principle that one's own body is the primary healer. Allopathy drugs or homeopathy formulations work on this basic premise that providing certain chemicals on right proportion will allow the body to generate antigens to fulfil a deficiency or antibodies to fight a particular disease. This is passive way of working on one's body actually creates an imbalance within the body and makes the body work extra hard to correct that imbalance. Something is being done to ME to take care of my body and since the body has to work extra, much of the side effects to medication are lethargy and inactivity. Its the HE part in "HE"alth that is working on curing ME. I am myself not actively involved. I just pop a pill or take the formulation and just sit tight for it to work on myself.

But since these formulation or chemicals are not natural to the body, it starts to either get used to the prop to an extent that higher dosage is required to generate a similar response or the body outrightly rejects it. The doctors have not other choice but to increase the dosage or try a new chemical. If 100 mg chemical A does not work lets try 250 mg or give chemical B. Soon enough body develops enough resistance to all the chemicals and formulations that more drastic measures need to be taken.

Certainly there are other ways to take care of one's own health. The traditional Indian medicine techniques like Yoga, Naturopathy and to a great extent Ayurveda can be used. The traditional Indian medicine also works on the same basic principle of treating body as its own natural healer. However, the approach to evoke that response is also natural. These techniques have evolved from thousand of years and although there are very few direct research on these, they have been practiced and verified by millions of people over centuries and have found practical application. Modern science and its research techniques are only few hundred years mature and the research on them is few decades. Fortunately or unfortunately, we are living in these decades. We cannot have these few decades of research techniques defy wisdom of thousands of years and general logic of a human being.

The sages observed that bringing the body in a particular position evokes a slow and gradual but a permanent change in the body. They started to document, prescribe and practice those Yoga Postures. Sages also observed that certain habits in ones lifestyle be it work, food, behaviour or other wise also influence one well being. Thus came the practices in Naturopathy. A lifestyle was prescribed and followed for generations. Quality of life has been at its best when these practices are followed. However, these are active practices. One needs to be totally involved in ones well being to generate a natural response of own body. This is an Active way of taking care of own well-being. This putting ME in my own (he)alth. The active natural ingredient keeps one active even during the therapy.

The basic principle that an external agent will have a command over my own body for it own well being is an incomplete proposition. Indeed body needs help but the help needs to be for bringing it back on its own rather than forever cripple it to take an aid forever. How many times we have heard, if you start taking diabetes medication or cholesterol medication, there is no going back? The dosage only goes up. It proven that lifestyle changes encompassing naturopathy and Ayurvedic nutrition coupled with Yoga based physical activity can actually bring more permanent and long lasting benefits for these conditions.
No longer we should ignore our health and put it in somebody else's hand and make our body handicap and used to a crutch all the time. We should empower our body to take it own charge and actively heal ourself. The power of Yoga and Naturopathy is undisputed and together these can bring about a lasting improvement in our lifestyle. Put a ME in (HE)alth.