Who was the most cruel?

A dead body floating in the Ganges in Varanasi

On a cold wintry morning

I squat on the steps of the Hanuman Ghat

To perform my morning ablutions

Practically filled with spiritual emotions.

As I slowly rinse my body into the frigid waters

A dead body floats alongside, in tatters

It is almost as if it is not the mortal remains that matters

The soul has left it, to mix into the sea in shatters.

A quick gaze at the face of the cadaver

And I was ably to identify the poor weaver

I had met at the Old age orphanage upstream

Just a couple of days ago- it seemed like a dream.

He clearly has died a loner, in life and in death

He was desperately waiting for this moment, with bated breath

He had given up on life long back

But it did seem that even Death had given up on him.

It indeed was excruciating to see him alive

For, he neither had the money or the drive

I wondered how long he would survive

His lonely senility desolation did contrive.

Clearly, for him, the cost of Death 

Was so prohibitive, that he had no choice

But to suffer in mute awakening

And patiently await the day of reckoning

"Cruel", I thought, on what this world had wrought upon him

Cruel- since he had not chance to live a life of bliss

Cruel- since he could not afford to invite the Death Kiss

Cruel- since he had to, for an eternity, await in the abyss. 

Who is the most cruel?

His own simplistic attitude-

That made him squander his lifetime earnings

On the entire bunch of his off springs?

His own vaunted progenies-

Who simply refused take care of him

In the hour he needed them the most?

The sheer apathy of the government-

That lent no helping hand to the weavery

Leaving him in abject penury?

His fair-weather friends-

Who read life like a balance-sheet

And discarded him like a rotten meat?

Were the wintry Himalayas the most cruel-

For it was freezing, but not enough

To make him a victim of the Cold Wave?

Or was it the blistering heat of the Gangetic Plains-

Pan-hot in summer, but not enough

To make him a martyr of the Heat Wave?

Was it the holy water of the Ganga-

The ambrosia for the multitudes before him

But refusing to turn poison and consume him?

Was it Mother Ganga-

Who was gracious enough to accept six other sons

But had refused to take him on her bosoms?

Was it Life- 

That simply refused to let him have any cheers

And lead an honourable life in his twilight years?

Was it Death-

That made him bide his time

When he was desperate in all his mime?

Who was the most cruel?

Who?

❣D❣

                                                                

धर्म के नाम पर लड़ाई

अन्धों के बीच में हाथी खडा है तो
उसकी पहचान पे बहस ही क्यों?

जिस खुदा को किसी ने देखा ही नहीं तो
मज़ब की बातें लेकर लड़ना भी क्यों?

जिस जन्नत तक किसी ने गया ही नहीं तो
उसकी रास्ते की चर्चों पर मरवाना भी क्यों?

Defence of the indefensible

It all started with the news on the dubious deal with Bofors
That led the people to protest for justice and cry hoarse

Negotiate the rough terrain of Indian politics? here cometh Tatra
As expected- we are prepared to say to propriety, a big Ta-Ta

The rulers of the land don't squirm at the deal with Agusta Westland
The chopper deal has cemented the nation's ignominy as Corruption Land

The reputation of the Defence deals can well be nailed into a coffin, ooh
But wait- there is a scam in procurement of coffins, too!

❣

D❣

ஏகாந்தம்

தன்னை இழந்த
நிலையில்தான்
விஞ்ஞானியும்
மெய்ஞ்ஞானியும்
உண்மையை
உணர்ந்துள்ளநராம்.

என்னை
உன்னில் இழக்க
உயிந்துள்ளேன்.
ஏற்று
ஏகாந்ததுக்கு
இட்டுசெல்வாயா?

Of Rhythm and Beats

“In Silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving and see how the pattern improves.” 
― Rumi

Rhythm and beats in music are an interesting concept. A beat is nothing but a combination of two sounds, interspersed with silence. Beats are steady, regularly occurring pulsations, like your heart beat or the ticking of a clock.

So what really is music? To me, it appears to be a structured way of moving from one silence to another.

As the noted Austrian Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart would put it " the music is not in the notes, but in the silence  between".

It is precisely this silence between two beats, that fascinates me, when I listen to music.

=========================

In a world of eternal silence

Rhythm enlivens the stillness

The silence remains - abstract and elusive

And really beyond any adjective

The rhythm frames the un-framable

Into a definitive, pulsating  parable

Beyond the realm of boundaries fathomable

Makes the silence all the more adorable

The rhythm heightens the silence between the beats

And gives the discerning mind, the much expected heats

Sometimes the deafening silence does give the freaks

The silence does not change, only our experience of it tweaks

That eternal silence quite often causes a brush with divinity

And attempts to gave a finite boundary to that Infinity.

=========================

Vasant Panchami's significance

The significance of Vasanth Panchami
=======================
Today/ tomorrow happens to be Vasanth Panchami day, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts on this.

Vasant Panchami ( or Basant Panchami) falls usually on the fifth day of the Magh month (Jan-Feb cycle). "vasanth" refers to वसन्त ऋथु or Spring season... "panchami" literally is the fifth day.

This day marks the start of spring. There is another folklore that Lord Rama gave Moksham to Shabhari on this day ( per the Ramayanam).

Climatically, this period is characterised by slightly windy conditions just right fir kite-flying. So, this day also marks kite flying activities in full vigour, especially in the Northern parts of the country.

Being the start of spring, the mood of the human mind moves on from wintry gloom to more hope, and therefore a brighter future. In line with this, everything from food to clothes reflect the colour scheme. Yellow/ orange and other bright coloured dresses are traditionally worn. Even food gets bright - Laddoos and other sweets containing saffron and dry fruits in the Eastern parts of the country, chapatis of corn and mustard vegetable (Maake ki Roti and Sarso Ka Saag) in Punjab, and in general, a lot of colourful and sweet food is shared and consumed across the country. For unknown reasons, Vasanth panchami does not to be very popular in South India, though.

The most important aspect of Vasanth Panchami is the conduct of Saraswathi Puja at home and in temples. The most common reasons for this could perhaps be traced to the following:

1. People used to have money and material on hand, right after the harvest, to be able to spend on discretionary things. Nothing used to be better than spending on Education.

2. After the wintry blues, the mood of the human mind to absorb new concepts increases significantly during spring, and so timing-wise, this is just perfect.

3. This period is also part of the Uttarayana Punyakalam. (उत्तरायणम्). Modern science has established that during the movement of the Sun towards the North ( which is what Uttarayanam- the Northern journey), the effect of planetary positions is found to enhance our creativity/ learning abilities.

4. Remember, in olden days, the pupil had to travel to a village or region different from his place of residence. the pupil used to do what is referred to as Gurukula Vaasam - living with the guru at his home, and serving him and his family, and learning in the process. Winter is not the best time to start any of this, and the start of spring is just right - only just for travelling long distances by foot to a new location, but also to be able to absorb the learning.

As a side note, as per Astrologolical science, Vasanth panchami is considered very auspicious ( Abhujha day).

In line with this, Saraswathi is worshipped, and people pray for enhancing their knowledge base. All good initiatives are traditionally started on this day as well. Akshara Abhyasam अक्षर अभ्यासं is quite often done on this day, where toddlers and kids are initiated into learning on this day. In South India, a lot of this done now a days on Vijaya Dashami day.

The point I would to bring in is, many of our festivals have the climatic conditions their their impact on the human psyche in mind in line with our "way of life approach" all around.

Also, remember, this practice is only applicable to India - if, for example, you live in Australia or South Africa, this may not be just right for you, beign located in teh Southern Hemisphere

❣D❣

तेरी याद में

आसमान में तारों की महफ़िल जारी है- पर
उसकी चमत्कार का  एहसास ही नहीं  हुआ

सूरज की किरणें दुनिया को जगा रही है-पर
तेरी ख़्वाबों से जागने का प्रयास ही नहीं हुआ

मयूर की नाच भगीचे में सब को तड़पा रही है-पर
मन तो तेरी अंगडाई की जूनून से मुक्त नहीं हुआ

मेरे मन में सिर्फ तुम ही तुम समा हुई हो
अब और किसी की महसूस ही नहीं  हुआ

பிறவிப் பெருங்கடல்

உன்
உதிரத்தைப் பாலாக்கி எனக்கு
ஊட்டிய 
உத்தமியே!

இவ்வுலகில் உனக்கு நிகர் நீயே! 
அடுத்த ஜென்மத்தில் 
உன் தாயாக நான் ஜனிக்க 
ஆண்டவன் 
அருள்வானா?

பிறவிக் கடனில் 
பாதியேனும் 
போக்க
பாக்கியம் கிட்டுமா?


பெருமான் கையில்
நீயொரு கருவி-
உன் கற்பத்தில்
நானும் ஒரு பிறவி.

போதுமடி தாயே
பிறவிப் பெருங்கடலில்
பேதையாய்ப்
பரிதவித்தது.


சீவிதத்தில் 
சாதிக்க இனி
ஒன்றும் 
இல்லை.

உன்னுள்ளிருந்து
எவ்வாறு
எனை
உருவாக்கினாயோ
அவ்வாறே எனை
ஆட்கொள்வாயா?

நீ பெற்றெடுத்த
இந்த ஆத்மாவுக்குப்
பிறவா வரத்தையும் 
பெற்றுத் தருவாயா?

❣

D❣

Currency Calls - Feb 2013

As we head into an uncertain 2013, here are some of my currency calls. Obviously, time will be the judge.


1. US: Near-zero interest rates will continue to drive the Dow Jones and Nasdaq composite higher over the next few months. Short term - a correction of 5 to 10% is inevitable. VIX at all-time lows, due for upward movement. But over the medium term, market is due for a significant correction, depending upon whether the Fed adopts a strong dollar policy or not. if the dollar continues to weaken, as expected, then it may be a more agonizing correction, given that MNC earnings will look better than they really are. Nett ofit, ride the maret- for now- with your fingers on the parachute button.

2. Eurozone - youa re right. Honeymoon until German elections. Thereafter? Anyone's call.

3. British Pound -Terminal decline. Best avoided. The economy is in deep s**t.

4. Japanese yen - will be the dark horse on the way down, and will pull Asia along with it. Already this year, the USD-JPY has moved from 78 to almost 95 now, a pull back of almost 25%. Daryl Guppy is predicting the Yen to settle at 130, by the year end. While that may do well for the Japanese yen, that will also trigger a currency devaluation war in Asia, with the likes of Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hongkong joining in - since these are all export-oriented economies. This will mean pull out by the ETFs and IRAs of the world back into "less risky" asset class, at last for the short to medium term. If this indeed happens, I think smaller Asian economies are in for some trouble. The likes of Hong Kong and Singapore may then see strong property price corrections, which could be disastrous.

5. Australian Dollar - will be viewed as a "safe haven currency" and so may not lose much, for now. However, being too dependent on selling it's miningware to China, I think the fundamentals are weak for the medium. I am, incidentally, exposed heavily to the AUD.

6. Canadian Dollar - will have the NAFTA effect, and any decline in USD will temporarily pull the CAD down too. Remember that most manufacturing for US in the North American continent now happens across the great lakes and so it is in Canada's exports interest to keep the currency on par with the greenback.

7. The Swiss Franc (CHF) could be the only real 'safe haven" currency. This is also indicated by the very low interest yield on it. 

8. I have only talked about the major currencies here and have ignored the likes of the Kroner, the Rand, the Real etc for now.

9. Indian Rupee - until the Fiscal deficit is reined in, I do not see the fundamentals changing. And given that elections are looming around the corner, unfortunately, that is not going to happen anytime soon, notwithstanding the "selling of family jewels" in the form of PSU stake dilution.

10 Gold - if the Greenabck leads the world into economic crisis, then i think for the short term, the value of gold may actually dip, before regaining it's upwards momentum. How much high can it go? Anyone's guess. The central banks of the likes of China, India and even Norway are hoarding gold at every dip, and that may lead to strong demand for the yellow metal.

These are my calls for the short to medium term only. Long term - too volatile to predict right now, but I think the likes of the INR, RMB, CHF, CAD, AUD will do well.

As for the individuals, if one has the opportunity to get exposed to multiple currencies, then he/ she should do it, for the purposes of hedging.

Collaborative times

It was a very fulfilling day today for me, at the Sri Ramar Temple, Singapore.

It had all started with the Mahanyasa parayanam yesterday. I had to give yesterday' s program a miss due to a clash of programs. However I made sure I was at the temple today, at 6.30. am sharp. It was a grand event of Rudrabhishegam and Homam, followed by Go Puja ( which is quite redeeming to see, in today's world where cows are slaughtered ruthlessly) and lastly, the Purna ahoothi. 

The most interesting aspect was that Sri Ramalinga Swamy ( Shiva as worshipped by Rama en-route Srilanka to annihilate Ravana) took centre stage in a Vishnu temple.A Rudrabhishegam at a Vaishnavite temple is not too easy to conceive.But then these are days of coalition. So perhaps Shiva and Vishnu decided to bury the hatchet, as it were! It was also a bit of a spectacle to see Kumkumam and Vibhuthi being distributed at the Sri Perumal sannidhi.

This also gives a larger message for the world, in my eyes. If a millennium-old conflict between Shaivism and Vaishnavism can be so easily handled with just a little bit of mutual respect and accommodation, why not the amongst the other faiths too? The world will then be a better place to live in, without an iota of doubt.

Clearly, what is required to make this happen? Mutual respect, tolerance for other faiths and giving up the "my path is the only correct one" attitude. Can humanity, as a whole, muster the courage to do this?

Well done, UPA Govt!

I am appalled by the spate of "human rights" voices being aired by the media over the last couple of days over the hanging of A Guru.

"Vengeance isn't justice" screams The Hindu. Oh really? Is the author so sure that the perpetrators of the horrific attack on the citadel of the nation's democracy in 2001, did it only for altruistic purposes, and not because of any vengeance? Why not go and tell this message to those terrorists who are drooling over the prospect of the blood of innocent civilians?

One "student leader of Kashmir" even has the audacity to go live on CNN-IBN and stops short of declaring : " this incident has opened the freedom struggle of Kashmir. is the Indian state prepared to face the fall-out?"...   have you ever seen any more brazen invective against the nation? Our response to this? Well, go ahead and hazard a guess.

People talking about extreme punishments fail to recollect that any tectonic shift in any nation's fabric throughout the history of mankind has mostly been accompanied by violence, even bloodshed, and in most cases, unfortunate collateral damage. In certain extreme cases, where one group is intransigent, drastic measures like this are unavoidable. Note that in this case, right up to the President of India and the Supreme Court, the crime has been confirmed as harshest of harsh and both have rejected the mercy petitions.

Then arises the question of " not even informing relatives, for which they have a right". Yes, in the normal course of events, they do have a right, as per the law. But then, haven't the apex body confirmed that this has been the rarest of rare cases? Also, if this happened in any other country in Asia (like where I live, for example), these objections would simply be brushed aside in the name of security and overall benefit of society - "unavoidable collateral damage". People feeling for the kith and kin would do well to remember the fate of those poor policemen and the jawans who lost their lives, and the fate of their kith and kin. A responsible government will have to take the larger benefit of the people into consideration while taking such unsavoury steps - even if means some collateral damage.

I congratulate the UPA government for finally acting on this- I don't care even if they did it with pure political motives. In my opinion, they have sent the right message to anyone - and their kith and kin- who even dreams of waging a skirmish against the state. " Don't mess with the nation". Well done! The message to destructive people should be loud and clear - don't expect mercy compassion, if you dare to challenge the might of the collective will of a billion populace.  The nation needs more such decisive actions.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

The world econony now depends on the Chinese to make
The last few wobbly years made Capitalism look fake
May we turn over a new leaf, for the world's sake
In this new year of the water-snake.

God is everywhere

Hinduism has mostly believed in the concept of God existing everywhere. सर्वव्यापि (Sarva Vyaapi) is a word that is commonly attached to this concept. That means God exists everywhere - in gutter as well as in Ganga.

On my recent visit to Rishikesh, I was shocked to see the amount of pollution of the Ganga, even in Rishikesh. 

I was wanting to drink the water, but was warned not to do so, since it is no more considered "healthy" enough. I simply steeled myself for a moment, and still drank the water. But clearly, I was squirming, rather than feeling good during that act, which was meant to be the Raison d'être of my visit.

Standing in knee-deep freezing water I reflected for a moment, the fate of mother Ganga downstream.  "How pure would she be by the time she gets to the 24 parganas?"

Probably our political masters perhaps would like us to live the concept of "god is everywhere" in real life- after all, Hinduism is a way of life. They want us to see God in the gutter, and want us see God in the Ganga. And what more? They are mixing the two unabashedly, and still want us to see God!

That is me!

இன்றைய நீதி

"கேஸ் கட்டு"
கோர்ட் அறையில்.

"நோட்டுக் கட்டு"
நீதிபதி வீட்டில்.

❣

❣