The 25th Hour

How many times do we hear the phrase, ‘No Time?’ All of us are very busy running a race against some pursuits that we cramp in our mind; its aspirations and ambitions, its belongings and its longings, its needs and its wants……..and as result what we infer is that we don’t have enough time. It is not as much a traffic jam of Time as much as it is of the thoughts and ideas of being busy with a price tag attached to it….or may be a prize that awaits us as an incentive.

Sure, this has nothing to take away from the list of tight schedules and killing deadlines that one is subjected to. This is just to understand better the commodity called time in an attempt to make it more effective.

When one keenly makes the appointment schedule in the morning just try to include your name in it……somewhere in the day. For those who meditate for about 30 mins or so in morning, even they should commit a minimum of 15 mins…after (say) every 2 to 3 hours of rigorous work. Astoundingly you will find that you already were having those 15minutes with you. The only difference being one shall be shall be Aware of it this Time. One must have heard the proverb: Money saved is Money gained! Now remember one more: Being Aware of Time is Creating Time.

How? Is this a verbal gymnastic? Well, when one becomes aware of this Time he can then enlist something which he has not yet included or couldn’t have afforded to include. More often than not since it precipitates as something more over the saturation of jobs that one already has at hand there is a chance of one being more creative than usual doing them. Secondly, it gives you time to think about the things you would like doing for you and your dear ones which probably were overlooked in being occupied all the time. Thirdly, it can bring to surface the things one has suppressed for a long want of time which never seemed to be there.

Once at the side of a small stream a young lad was sitting with his fishing rod much to the surprise of a seeming old native who was sitting there, as if for ages. This lad was very urban in his mannerisms and was hard pressed for time as was evident from the way he kept on glancing at his Fast track watch now and then. He kept on tugging at the rod impatiently as a conversation broke between the lad and the older guy. In the conversation the lad revealed his meticulous time management. To this the leisurely guy replied with concern that the lad was wasting his time then, since the season was not good for fishing there.

Feeling slighted our well read lad answered right from the management books….. that at least he had done something out of his time and more pompously rather rudely observed that time didn’t seem of not much significance for the oldie. To which the guy smiled and replied, “Son, I finished my daily stock trading in the morning, got through with the washing of my car, checked with the oiling of the fishing rod for the season to come and had just penned a poem as he watched this guy fishing.” Very unassumingly, he offered him to take lunch at his villa which he owned across the ranch.

Awed by all this our lad hiding his embarrassment in words full of complete submission asked how he managed all that. To this our old man answered, “Friend from where you start flying the expanse of sky is too much as you want more and more of it under your wings, as for me I go into the sky only to find the expanse of land worthy of my use and so I have enough time in my share of sky as well.”

We can all create our 25^th hour.

A Conflict is on......

Conflict is a peculiar word that we often use more out of a habitual understanding of the world around us. Habit is something which we seem to repeat again and again in a sort of pattern to deal with our environment….or may be Oneself.

Do you resent doing what you are doing? It may be your job, or you may have agreed to do something and are doing it, but a part of you still resents and resists it. Are you carrying an unspoken resentment towards a person? Have a good look inside. Is there even a slight trace of resentment or unwillingness? Observe. What are the thoughts that make their presence felt without you even inviting them? Then observe the reaction to it. How do you feel? Pleasant or disagreeable? A conflict is on.

Now observe the way you respond. Try to go back and recollect similar episodes with different people. Forget your reactions and remember the effect. (Many a times not reacting, which one mistakes as a mature response is even more explosive.) Was it a conflict? Try to see a pattern in it? More often than not you shall find one. In the process what have you missed?

Here lies the catch. Every conflict in fact offers an opportunity to choose. Conflict cannot be without at least two things to choose from. Yes of course one chooses. But, how? We choose without knowing that we had something to choose from. As if a circumstance was thrusted upon us to test us and we had to cope up with the challenge. And how do we cope up with a challenge? Of course using the ways known best to us; that is, by resorting to our habits. So in short, we deal with our conflicts with a habitual response rather than using our ability to choose. Some people as mentioned are habitual not to respond. Just imagine the pressure these so called mature people subject themselves to.

A conflict has the ability to make one creative."In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced greater sculptor Michelangelo, Great painterLeonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock."-Orson Welles(1915-85)

A Conflict has the ability to take us to those areas of our own house we never visited. Open those rooms we always were scared of. It has the ability to liberate that part of us which basically is chained to our habitual pattern. Yes. But for that, we shall have to unlearn whatever we have already tried and failed in an attempt to get a solution…We shall have to probably brush aside certain value systems…the value of which, one anyway never experiencedat all.

Sage Narada tells Sanatkumar in Chandogya Upanisad: “Only one, who knows the self, goes beyond sorrow.” By being aware of a conflict the unseen comes into view, the plethora of possibilities for remedial action open up. The fear of unknown vanishes as your list of probable results gets within sight.

The reason people have problems resolving conflicts are they fear that they could be exposed for being what they actually are not. In fact there is no such need to defend any value or dogma by identifying with it. If at all one needs to identify, it should be with the true nature of Self. And what is the true nature of Self? It is to disengage from any conflict as soon as possible. Values and dogmas as professed by the learned who have stopped learning, are highly relative and volatily ever changing as reflected in the following story. A Brahmin priest was returning home after taking his customary dip in the holy Ganga river. He was chanting his regular mantras on his rosary when he noticed a donkey lying dead on the road as a result of an obvious accident.

Deeply disturbed by the sight he remarked, “The killer of this animal shall go to hell.” While he was cursing so, someone informed him that accident was caused by his very own son. The Brahmin quickly retracted, “Actually the animal is relieved from the chain of birth and death and the one who facilitated this shall go to heaven.” Such values and dogmas which can never be put to test defy the very logic for what we are in this world for. They make us seek footprints in the sky.

Does the rose lose its value for sitting on a thorn? If your fingers bleed occasionally while picking it can the rose be blamed for that? We love the rose despite the thorns and the occasional bleeding that one could be subjected to by it because we accept the rose as it is. Accepting a conflict is the first step towards solving it. Then using our discretion in keeping the thorns from pricking us is our skill in dealing with the conflict.......... But can we really avoid a conflict?

One Day @Attitude

I got up early, at 3.00a.m. probably to the surprise of my alarm clock which never ever had the privilege of my prompt attention. Anyway, it did surprise my wife who just managed to shift her quilt only enough for me to acknowledge her expression of bewilderment coupled with sarcasm, for having got up for once without putting the alarm on the snoozer. “You wouldn’t have done it some other time, I am sure....but of course today it had to be different,” she murmured before turning her head around, subtly warning me against any favors of tea or any wakeup drink that I could expect. ‘What attitude'..... I thought.


Yes today was indeed different. Rohan, my childhood friend was to come from abroad and we were to catch up after 20 years. He had threatened not to meet me if I failed to receive him at the airport. I was surely not going to risk that, though I was sure of him kidding about it as much as I was, about the love that made him say so. I was eagerly waiting and the moment I saw him, I simply rushed ahead to greet him. There he was; a not so happening person to look at, yet a grin which was always naughty, exuding an all knowing aura that was his trademark. He too dashed towards me, quickly pushing the luggage trolley with two kids rolled around and a dainty looking lady who was obviously his wife.


As I extended my hands in a scurry to hug him I suddenly felt some weight on both the shoulders of my extended hands, only to find two huge handbags making there affectionate presence felt. “Hey man….you made it! Am I not happy to see you” were the words with which he complimented my loaded shoulders with a suitcase each now in my hands too. Then sort off in a gesture of extreme closeness he came close and whispered, “Dear please for old time sake just bear up with me. I could really call no one who would be keen to receive me at this hour………till finally I remembered you.” This was the last blow with which he nailed the coffin of my nostalgia. I had become a hanger carrying the burden of dependability on one shoulder and that of my friend’s demeaning demeanor on the other. As I chauffeured him thro the roads of the city and lanes of our memories, I could see that he was attitude personified.


In the working day that came to my rescue I settled down in my cabin glancing thro the list of appointments. Amazingly today I was relieved to feel the monotonous importance of being the Lion of my Den which normally I hated. My assistant greeted me in her usual cheerful fashion awaiting my buoyant reply. But today I had fractioned it to half a smile…..that too with a tinge of unwilling grace. One name, rather surname on the list caught my attention. One Mr. Sharma was listed as the last patient there. It vaguely reminded me of my friend’s surname, finding it to be coincidentally the same.


As I put my Coat and crossed the reception towards the operatory, I could sense someone getting up from the waiting chair to catch my attention. As never ever before in my life, I simply ignored and reaching the door of the operatory opened it to get in. By now from my cabin I could clearly see Mr Rohan Sharma sitting with his father in the waiting hall. I ceremoniously invited him in the main operatory though other patients were lined up in the other cabins for their procedures. His eyes moved around the neatly interiored Center, more out of awe than appreciation. I could see his body language curling into one of embarrassment, perhaps reminding him of his demeaning behavior earlier in the day.


Worse was still to come. He reported that he needed Dental treatment for his father who was still sitting in the waiting room. The hitch was that he wasn't sure whether he could afford my charges. I assured him that being a friend he shouldn’t be worrying about that. For the second time in the day however, I felt something piercing me.


This time though, its pain was evident on the face of my friend and my face shone with an unexpressed yet subtle…….. Attitude ?

Mystery Called Time

Too often have the words Now, Present, Living in the Present been used in the Neo Spiritual cum stress Management Programs. Anything packed with too much of glitters seem to lose its own essential glow as too much time is wasted in packing and unpacking. At times the packing catches more attention than the real thing.

Of course there is no debate on the ingenuity of logic or its application in terms of stabilizing ourselves and our minds essentially into a frame called ‘The Present’. It is just that we need to maintain the effectiveness of its purpose. At the same time guarding ourselves from a new Potential Obsession is also statutory.

Having attended many such sessions, I encountered two Gross side-effects not particularly tailored as the outcome of the Programs. Taking inspiration from them, there were some who drove off in an overdrive of Euphoria to have nothing to do with their past and future; the gratitude and responsibilities which they anyway wanted to distance themselves from. There were the other types who geared up into a ‘there is no tomorrow mode’, burdening themselves with over indulgence at work and play …..A phenomenon that can be called Self Eburnation (burning oneself) far from Enlightenment!

Let us examine the following simple case.

There was a stone obstructing a road.

A, saw it and started complaining and abusing all agencies.

B, got out, shifted the stone enough to make room for his car and proceeded.

C, managed to get the stone absolutely edged out for any vehicle to pass thereafter.

Here the stone was planted by the Past.

A denotes a person too concerned about the Past.

B denotes the person prompt about the Present.

C denotes a person who understands the Past, Present and Future together.

All the three attended a Self-Help Program stressing on ‘The Present’

They again went through the similar experience.

A changed the route and drove away.

B got so energized that he contacted the concerned authorities, media etc to take care of the stone; delaying his own journey.

C did exactly the same as he had done before,

Completed his journey in time,

Having learnt something is sharing it NOW on his blog.

Take care of the moments of your Life and Life shall give you moments to treasure.

What do you do with that Treasure?

Leave it to the Mystery called Time

Making it Better

During the funeral of a noted figure of the city, I overheard many of those present there, praising him. He surely was a person of great achievements, greater values and above all a heart that was ready to reach out to as many others before it finally stopped beating. One of our friends in his Funeral speech having enlisted his greatness concluded that it was a great loss to those who knew him.

As I walked home I was thinking about the deceased person, his greatness and the loss that one incurred by his departure. What my friend had summed up was absolutely right. But I was still sure that he missed something. It, in no capacities meant any difference with my dear friend’s appraisal. Loss…Yes… Indeed it was….. But whose? Surely those who knew him were going to miss him and his gracious presence. But more so it was a loss to those who had an opportunity to be with him, learn from him, receive favors which he willfully doled out and expand their horizons, yet due to their prejudiced versions of his greatness, denied this privilege in their lives to make them better.

At times we indeed behave in strange ways. We talk about every cloud having a silver lining yet spend our energies finding spots on a screen which is going to show us a beautiful movie. We are much eager to follow some school of thought which we love to call our own forgetting that there is always another side to every midnight. We restrict our view point rather than happily encompassing a complimentary thought which would only enhance its original value and enrich our lives.

I vividly remember an incident when on a fine morning with a song in my mind I started for my clinic. As luck would have it I saw a lady limping down the road, screeched to a halt and offered her a lift. This lady though not closely known to me knew me as a fairly decent person. She thankfully accepted my offer. While driving her thro, we had a cheerful conversation. On the way I learned that I had to change my route to drop her to a function. She was indeed grateful that I insisted to leave her at the door. Having reached there in my spirited style I said, ‘Yes aunty….I shall throw you here now’. Probably that was what I generally paraphrased for dropping a person. Had I not completed this while getting down from the car that she gave me a look of utter dismay, a look that unsettled me as she sharply reverted, “You surely are a self conceited man that you can use such a language to an old lady who is already limping?” She turned around and left without another word only for me to be left alone to ‘shift gears’ and move on.

It was time for my introspection. It seemed that kindness of deeds indeed needed to be complimented with well groomed words. How else could ones deeds get overruled by other factors solely on somebody’s perception? Probably there was a story on the other side of the scene that I was not aware of. Remarks howsoever piercing and unfair they apparently sound could still hold a greater meaning. Carping about them shall only disturb our inner space. It’s amazing that the mind that has split atoms refuses to split its prejudices. We in our attempt to expand our horizons have left the earth to reach the moon yet don’t seem to have any agenda to leave our egos.

At times we hold on to a chocolate since we like the wrapper only to find its taste far from our liking and at times throw away the one lovingly offered, as it comes in a wrapper that is just not as pleasing. Truth that we accept as good or condemn as bad is more often than not, a reflection of our own understanding. Our interpretation makes a distant mirage a reality only to rediscover otherwise; though later.

On other hand an all inclusive approach can work wonders. Michelangelo the most celebrated sculptor visited a marble store and found a huge marble rock lying in the corner. To the shop owner’s utter surprise he offered to buy the marble which by all commercial standards was useless and in fact was occupying a lot of space there. He gave him the marble for free as it would save him the cost of transporting and disposing it off. A month later, Michelangelo’s name caught the limelight of the world, to which he gave his most famous sculpture… ‘The Statue of King David’…from the same seemingly worthless marble stone

Our attempt at being good should only have one aim….Making it better ! !

A Perfect Morning Prayer

Having got up in the morning, as usual without caring much for the alarm bell that always seemed to disturb me from a much important and happening state of extreme intoxication that we more commonly call sleep, I was yet to decide upon my state of awakening..

As I looked at the sun that stared back at me through the mirror that faces the eastern window, I wondered, ‘Why should a good boy like the Sun, who does his job dot on time, rather creates time, govern lesser accomplished one like me to follow its greatness; with me having even lesser options to call it really worthy of something new to be added in my understanding and list of achievements’. I mean, no life is going to lose its breathe or go hoo hoo with me not shining out of my bed!!

I brushed my teeth with the same reluctance which I had a couple of decades back, only with a degree on Dental Health now to add on more weight to my endeavor, and compliment my sole inspiration and incentive to go thro this ritual of brushing…..Sipping a cup of real hot tea.

Watching that what’s left of the skyline from in between the tall and proud cement accomplishments thro my window has been my favorite wake up exercise as it almost instantly served to make me aware of the insanity with which I was supposed to invest my day. The sparse and obliterated skylines offered the waning opportunities of a fruitful survival while the proud and conceited buildings imposed the ambitious competition of the contemporary world.

Thus, having put up a start to take on the challenge of some achievement in the day that I could call my own, I more often than not, had made it a habit to push my burden to a convenient God more out of compulsion than devotion. A morning prayer that always had been served to me before morning tea right from my childhood times as a regular practice, offered help at such a time. But my attention, more out my own urge which no learned person or otherwise could acknowledge as spiritual, searched the table for the thermos in which my tea was usually kept by my dearest better half before she ever left for her morning walk.

The sincerity with which I opened the lid and poured the steaming tea in my cup was in no way lesser than any religious ritual that would require the sprinkling of holy water. My mind and body agreed to hold this cup of tea as would be the one to be served in the name of His glory at some Holy supper. With undivided attention I brought the cup to my lips and before I could comprehend I could feel it creating an undivided energy which brought me, my sip, its taste and warmth in a perfect balance. My sip, seemed to be no different from me or the pleasure that I derived from it or the satisfaction I got from it.



There was so much silence within me that for the first time I indeed felt ‘woken up’ to start the day,. As I came out of this state of perfect union, my mind asked me, ‘If I could not have been relaxed while sipping a cup of tea, what achievements on earth could ever make me relax?’ The second thought popped out as a mantra to start the day…. Simply Experience! Yes! That’s what my day was to be…A relaxed Experience!! My own sincere urge had shown me the way. From then a cup of tea became a cup of Prayer…..A Perfect Morning Prayer.