The Bugle

Picture Courtesy

I woke up from a sleep not so mine

To look around to see if all was fine

Mad crickets in great unison sang

Bats came flying together to hang

Witching hours frightened me more

Or was there someone at the door?

Were those lights two eyes of glare

Who was that walking down the stair?

Did a whisk past the curtains move

Or any of my nightmares come true?

While I cursed and said O’ my spite

I found you asleep holding me tight

In a snore so guileless and glorious

My only fear that made me furious

And yet I laid next to you astound

For when you are beside or around

O’ sound for life, my bugle dearest

No devil or demon dare get nearest...

-R-

The Singing Bird

I came across a video on Youtube now, I am sharing it here. Wonder what makes it sound like the best music I have ever heard. All I want to do now is stroll alone in the woods with a reed in my hand stamping every puddle,crossing every brook and hearing every bird possible. Watch it in mute for the first time and then with the audio.Let me know the difference if you feel any. This is what it made me think:

-R.

Cock A Doodle Doo

”Why did the chicken cross the road?” so asked a mademoiselle trying hard to get humorous while she was nibbling a leg like there is no tomorrow. Some people are never done with chicken, food or joke in either way. To balance them there are some devoted vegans who cannot bear both. My reply to her was quite impulsive actually” To get to your plate my dear, sad that it met with an accident in the process, perfect oral autopsy by the way!” is all what I said. Little did she know that I belong to the latter category, the sulk on her face was for the records.

There is no end to the list of ignored and unanswered questions in this world. We humans are in an eternal quest of knowing how, what, who, where, when and why. Have you noticed this, we have this tendency of using humour as one of our last resorts when the answers to our questions are beyond our capacities of comprehension. Chicken like every animal and bird else has unfortunately been our victim;-)'Just joke away, eat it anyway' is what we believe.

Picture Courtesy

Yes, I seriously do! If there is one question about the chicken for which I would like to know the answer, it is this- What about the chicken makes it ‘finger lickin' good’, is the murder worth the eat?” Do let me know if you know, well I am just being curious;-) Meanwhile read Chicken Philosophy, this is what the great men had to say in answer to this thought provoking question:

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD???

Plato:  For the greater good.

Aristotle:  To fulfill its nature on the other side.

Karl Marx:  It was a historical inevitability.

Machiavelli:  So that its subjects will view it with admiration, as a

chicken which has the daring and courage to boldly cross the road,

but also with fear, for whom among them has the strength to contend

with such a paragon of avian virtue?  In such a manner is the princely

chicken's dominion maintained.

Hippocrates:  Because of an excess of light pink gooey stuff in its

pancreas.

Jacques Derrida: Any number of contending discourses may be discovered

within the act of the chicken crossing the road, and each

interpretation is equally valid as the authorial intent can never be

discerned, because structuralism is DEAD, DAMMIT, DEAD!

Thomas de Torquemada:  Give me ten minutes with the chicken and I'll

find out.

Timothy Leary:  Because that's the only kind of trip the Establishment

would let it take.

Douglas Adams:  Forty-two.

Nietzsche:  Because if you gaze too long across the Road, the Road

gazes also across you.

Oliver North:  National Security was at stake.

B.F. Skinner:  Because the external influences which had pervaded its

sensorium from birth had caused it to develop in such a fashion that

it would tend to cross roads, even while believing these actions to be

of its own free will.

Carl Jung:  The confluence of events in the cultural gestalt

necessitated that individual chickens cross roads at this historical

juncture, and therefore synchronicitously brought such occurrences

into being.

Jean-Paul Sartre:  In order to act in good faith and be true to

itself, the chicken found it necessary to cross the road.

Ludwig Wittgenstein:  The possibility of "crossing" was encoded into

the objects "chicken" and "road", and circumstances came into being

which

caused the actualization of this potential occurrence.

Albert Einstein:  Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road

crossed the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.

Aristotle:  To actualize its potential.

Buddha:  If you ask this question, you deny your own chicken-nature.

Howard Cosell:  It may very well have been one of the most astonishing

events to grace the annals of history.  An historic, unprecedented

avian biped with the temerity to attempt such an herculean achievement

formerly relegated to homo sapien pedestrians is truly a remarkable

occurence.

Salvador Dali:  The Fish.

Darwin:  It was the logical next step after coming down from the

trees.

Emily Dickinson:  Because it could not stop for death.

Epicurus:  For fun.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: It didn't cross the road; it transcended it.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:  The eternal hen-principle made it do it.

Ernest Hemingway:  To die.  In the rain.

Werner Heisenberg:  We are not sure which side of the road the chicken

was on, but it was moving very fast.

David Hume:  Out of custom and habit.

Saddam Hussein:  This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were

quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.

Jack Nicholson:  'Cause it (censored) wanted to.  That's the

(censored) reason.

Pyrrho the Skeptic: What road?

Ronald Reagan:  Well,...................

John Sununu:  The Air Force was only too happy to provide the

transportation, so quite understandably the chicken availed himself

of the opportunity.

The Sphinx:  You tell me.

Henry David Thoreau:  To live deliberately ... and suck all the marrow

out of life.

Mark Twain:  The news of its crossing has been greatly exaggerated.

Mishima:   For the beauty of it. The chicken's extension of its

sinuous legs sent shivers of a dark despair into the souls not only of

the silently watching hens but also the roosters, who felt a sudden

sexual desire for their exquisite comrade.  The dark courage of the

chicken was as beautiful as drops of dew upon jade at midnight, struck

by a partial moon, its light filtered through clouds. One of the

deeply aroused roosters could stand the intensity of the moment no

more and bit off the head of the beautiful, courageous chicken-hero,

whose wine blood was deliciously drunken by the road, and he died.

Johnny Cochran:  The chicken didn't cross the road. Some

chicken-hating, genocidal, lying public official moved the road right

under the chicken's feet while he was practicing his golf swing and

thinking about his family.

Camus:  The chicken's mother had just died.  But this did not really

upset him, as any number of witnesses can attest.  In fact, he

crossed just because the sun got in his eyes.

John Sununu (again):  I would argue that the chicken never crossed the

road at all.  That it is a story concocted by the Clinton

Administration to distract attention from their failed agriculture

policy. Where is the evidence that the chicken crossed the road?

Where, Michael?

Michael Kinsley:  Oh, John, come on!  Everybody knows the chicken

crossed the road.  What evidence do you need?  It's obvious that the

chicken crossed the road.  Your whole argument is just a smoke and

mirror tactic to distract us from the fact that most chickens polled

now back the Democratic Party.  You ought to be ashamed of yourself,

John.

Siskel:  I don't know why it crossed the road, but I loved it.  Thumbs

up!

Ebert:  I disagree.  The whole thing left the audience wondering; the

chicken's crossing the road was never clearly explained and the

chicken didn't emote very well.  It couldn't even speak English!

Thumbs down.

Michael Kinsley:  But you both agree it did cross the road, right?

See, John.  I'm right as usual.

Disclaimer: This post was written out of an inquisitiveness to know what makes one's flesh the other's food.The intentions are to make the carnivores think, not to hurt. Do think and let the world know you are opinion if you are one.

Good day

-R.

The River Of Life

One drop of difference in the cloud

One whiff of air in the blue skies

Turns a drizzle into a downpour

But the river of life shall flow

In silence and serendipity

In trouble and turbulence

While we in earnest pray

For the storm to pass

For the rain to fall

Before we wish

Before we join

The river of life

Will cross us all

-R-

Enough

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"The trouble is that you think you have time." 

- Jack Kornfield-

Gee! There you go, today will soon turn into yesterday. It will really! The sun will rise tomorrow and we shall wake up with a list of things to do and hope for. Baggage from the past, needs of the present and expectations for the future. Our minds and hearts do hold the maximum, don't they? While most of us talk, some of us do. Why is it that? Agreed that there is some strange gratification in letting go time and putting off work which is not the need of the moment.Lets face it, we all enjoy it.But what does it really take to avoid procrastination?

Nothing but guts.There are many boondogglers in this world who believe" There is enough time to do everything that I want". Yes there is, but it is never sufficient, never! Life is too long if we decide to wait for anything to happen and too short if we do not make it happen, either way it is a disaster. 

Time appears like a snail, while in reality it is quite a sprinter. Every second is an another addition to our past, but how well and for what we we use it is what makes this blink period called life worth living .The sun will set and we shall sleep dreaming the easy and possible, while there are difficult and impossible things out there eagerly waiting for us.So if you think you deserve to experience them, go seize the moment. Remember there is no enough time to live that every little magic within and around us. The livers understand, the losers procrastinate. Nobody but you can decide who you want to be....

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-R.

Doomsday Divination

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“The most dangerous animal in a zoo is man” so writes Yann Martel in Life of Pi. Look at this from a wider and a wilder angle, would you agree if I say man is the most dangerous animal in this world? Well for an instance, not so long ago a bunch of us students were in the elevator which is one of the places where most of us avoid making eye contact with ‘known’ strangers, if one can call them so. Notice this if you haven’t, we tend to do it often. You see, man is the weirdest animal too ;-)

                                                  

Midway during our rise against gravity someone gave a thundering shriek all of a sudden. We stared at each other wondering what befell. Some of us had ‘The-fall-of-elevator-and-the-rise-to heaven’ look on our face. In the seconds of stunned silence that followed what we heard was petrified squeaks from the middle of the elevator. All eyes were on the attender from the Pharmacology department standing unstirred, more so on the bucket in her hand. In which lay three furry snow white rabbits, too nervous to stay still. The chicken who screeched looking at them couldn’t stop saying “O’ my God! O’ my God!” there were a couple of loony toons who added their trademark remark” O’ so cute!  O’ so cute!” and then there were a few ordinary ones with ‘Not-my-business’ attitude looking at their watch and waiting for the elevator to get to their floor. Everyone totally lame and human.

The impulsive in me forced to tell them” Don’t scare those poor little ones!” and guess what I got to hear in return-” You like rabbits is it?” .What if I do not like them, does it mean I should scare the s*** out of them? Strange and sadistic! For all we know or do not know every other living being on this earth has infinite reasons to curse our existence. We chose to believe otherwise. They can in fact do without us, fortunately none of them are on a dinosaurs like rampage.

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This is no Ripley's Believe It or Not!;-)

While moving out of the elevator, I asked the lady carrying the naive bunnies ”Where are you taking them to?” She grinned and replied “To the lab, for drug experiments”. Someone was right when he said “The world is our laboratory”, it is just that we forget that on one fine doomsday we might run out of all our guinea pigs. A divination, nothing else.

Prayers for the rabbits and every being that bear with us and our vices.

-R.

It Is Complicated

Most of us have had this picture at least once  in those forwarded mails in our inbox. It seems quite stereotypical right? Now before anyone calls me a feminist ( which I am for the modest reasons!) or we have a ineffectual discussion on who is more complicated, here is my question. Agreed, men need a single switch to turn them on or so this picture and the majority say, but what if the switch goes kaput or there is a short circuit??? Think, think;-) Everything and everyone in this world is complicated in a way, what say? Here is a fact which is nothing but the truth:

"Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it." 

-George Carlin-

-R.

Where Do You Think You Are?

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"For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much-the wheel, New York, wars and so on-whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man for precisely the same reasons."

-Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy-

“For as long as I can remember, I've been searching for something, some reason why we're here. What are we doing here? Who are we? If this is a chance to find out even just a little part of that answer... I don't know, I think it's worth a human life. Don't you?” so says Dr. Ellie Arroway, the protagonist in the movie ‘Contact’, based on a Carl Sagan novel of the same name. The purport of existence is something which every scientist or scholar, in fact every human would not mind knowing. Aren’t we in this quest in a way or the other, what if we are not, is that okay? One may ask what is wrong in living without knowing why, how does it matter and many questions else. There is a difference, between existing and enduring which is all the answer.

Apart from all the scientific and religious theories which attempt to explain the intriguing fact of how we came into being and are managing to survive on this planet till this day, there is an imperative reality we all ought to know no matter who we are-‘Where do we stand in space and time?’ Take a look at this picture, it left me quite ‘bamboozled’. Yes, that is exactly the word.

When I finished reading this all I asked myself was” Where do you think you are?” Frankly I have never felt so very little in a good way.I am humbled and happy. If there is anything called heaven, here it is! We all are living in one of the most gifted planets of this universe, the value of which we acknowledge not. Whatever we do or give in return if at all we ever want to will always be imperceptible, but does it mean we should never?


Have a look at this video, it made me drop a tear.Hope you like it too.

Have an earthly life all of you...

-R.

The Change We Wish To Be...

I found this picture on the Internet today,and I thought this is worth a share on my blog...

How many of us give how many of these reasons at least once a day? We do know that no reason in these clouds or anywhere else is worth the change we actually deserve. Among the hundred hitches which will always stop us, the biggest one of all is we ourselves.Most of us understand this pretty well right, let us pray for the human mind and all the fickleness and indecisiveness that it carries.

Have you noticed it anytime when you do not do something which you badly goodly want to do, what is it that stops you? Is it worth more than what you desire for or dream about? Do let me know:-) If we find our answers, half the change has already happened and the easier part then lies in our hands.

This one is is for a thought:

PS: This snap was clicked by one of my friends during our last visit to Mangalore together. And now that I am here in this town, all I wish is to have them here everyday.Such is the change, such is the life!;)

-R.

The Walking Stranger

A stranger the world calls strange,

For reasons stranger

Walks in no search but solitude

In trails the strangest

When the trees of the boulevard ask

Have you touched him

He says, yes of course

In your supple green

When the warblers in the skies ask

Have you heard him

He says, yes of course

In your saccharine song

When the winds wholly wayward ask

Have you felt him

He says, yes of course

In your silent breeze

When the stars of the nightfall ask

Have you seen him

He says, yes of course

In your silvery light

When the mortals under oblivion ask

Have you found him

He says, yes of course

In thy part, in my heart

In our nature and so I walk.

-R-

PS:"Nature is the art of God"- Dante Alighieri.

The Killer

“Oh common Willie, do not give yourself a flop show! This is not the time to fold your fins you loser!” said a small voice from within. Like most of us with frivolous inhibitions, Will had a hundred of his own. The blue of the water gave him blues, the coldness chilled his spine and the mere sight of limitlessness made him choke. Many a times he would wake up from his dreams thinking that he is drowning in the deep seas until his Mama would remind him ”Will, you are a big fish now, remember my boy and go make your life”.

Will was scared but smart. He knew swimming was not impossible, he realized that he was destined to do it. The ocean was the place to be! One fine day full of sunshine and showers, despite all his nightmares he made up his mind to go for the big lap. He tried wading through and against the high tides, every time he did that a magical instinct started catching him. He jumped in glee as he dived. It was pure ecstasy, something that he deserved. He knew ‘this’ was it.

The underwater seemed very contradictory to the silent surface, so full of life. It was the most colourful place he had ever been to. He made friends with Twister the turtle, Shirley the starfish, Oliver the octopus and many more. Over time the blue which once frightened him has now become vital for his survival. It throws new challenges, new routes and new opportunities. Each day has started getting better. The nights are now meant for some peaceful sleep. Everything inside and outside him feels natural. He is making mistakes but he is conquering his fears. He is learning about the little and big wonders that surround him. He swims all the way along the coast and in the abyss. He explores, he wanders because his only desire is to ‘live’.

Years down the lane Will is sure that he shall enter the big league, for he tries to make today better than yesterday. He oozes a certain flair and confidence with all modesty. When his buddies and strangers praise him saying” Willie, what a plunge man!” all he replies is”Oh thats nothing! All you require is a little strength in your flippers and flappers but trust me when I say a lot, a lot in your heart. Let me teach you, lets try now!” and lo he jumps in the air and dives into the waters. The world then completely spellbound looks at him and cheers”Voila! After all its our Will, the Killer Whale!”

Picture Courtesy: National Geographic

When we focus our energy towards constructing a passionate meaningful life, we are tossing a pebble into the world, creating a beautiful ripple effect of inspiration. When one person follows a dream, tries something new or takes a daring leap, everyone nearby feels that energy and before too long they are making their own daring leaps and inspiring yet another circle.

—Christine Mason Miller-

PS: Inspired by my Killer Whale, the killer of my fears:)

-R.

Jeene Ke Liye

'Har ek friend zaroori hota hai' so says the new Airtel ad.Quite a catchy jingle right?;-)I loved it. This one is stuck in my head since days. We all have these subtle 'full-of-life' moments now and then. Thanks to  the buddies around us. We 'need' them, but everyone on everyday? Well maybe, or not. When and why do we draw a line or cut the connection.How do we keep them if we want to? What do you have to say about it, are friends only a necessity? Why do you need friends?

"Do khwaab dekhne ke liye

Do pal hasne ke liye

Do gaane gunguna ke liye

Do dost jeene ke liye"

-R-