A Little More of a Woman

There is an inspiration behind every action/inaction in our life. There is a necessity to hold ourselves true to our belief, and learn from lessons, nature presents us with. To be or not to be is a question that will stay with us forever. To grow into a new person, become better is a constant struggle everyone of us are going through.A true account of reflection written by a friend of mine, inspires me to understand the struggle of being a woman.  I hope it will inspire you too! 

-Abhijith 

***

I was brought out as a little girl into this world

Little bells tied to my feet, a woman she will-be, thought all
Life went by soon, like just another girl next door
Soon came the youth, bringing in discoveries untold.
The mind then slowly got clouded with the deceptive world
And the heart paced faster than the  little bells of gold….
Nothing to stop, none to hear, no men, dare to come near….
Just an intellectual drive which knew only to raise the gears
The world filled with men, bothered my feminine pride n ego
A mere shallow thought that  my ‘self’ could not let go
Until one fine day, I happen to stop by  mirror that traced me
It reflected but strangely no little bells as far as I could see……
Instead a image, dark, neither a woman nor man, partly a beast;
There was sharp pain inside, could feel, the little bells, falling apart:
When sudden came a hand that strokes my fontanel heart:
I woke up, and found lying in front of the mirror again
Dreading to face the fierce I, me and myself in strain
But what revealed upon it was a vision beyond my human conceit
There I was, the ‘true’ me and the little bells sparkling thru my feet.
A sister, a wife, a friend, an aunt, a Mother- embrace to your will
Jingled loud and clear, to me, each and every little bell,
A toast to womanhood within, till my heart came to a peaceful Still!
Although the hand that caressed both me and my heart
Have left to another manifestation, dimension and beyond
She returned to me, the little bells, those I’d lost and ’ve found again
The bells now have found, both in feet and heart their designation….
For now, Am More of a Woman, am still within ,

And herein lies my journey as well my destination!

                                                       - Lavanya Nicola 

                                                         Place: Washington DC

***

Death March

The expectation and thrill of the 'instant attention' drives anxieties for an 'instant gratification' culture. When it is necessary to use our moral education, to judge and act; most of us are happy to go with the flow rather. There is a necessary check that one should not skip: give yourself a minute before you commit yourself to act on some thought, or emotion. Because, when one is associated with an action, she/he invariably rubs off its effects onto others in her/his life. We do a fair bit of intellectual jugglery about (wo)man as both aggressor and victim. We have a moral consensus on the essentially scandalous nature of our actions by force or choice (intent). Yet in our desire to seek social consensus, we act beyond what our morals preach and live a life of duality.  And pacify ourselves citing it as a reason for aesthetic consensus, allowing this strange contradiction to be glossed over in - and as - cultural migration, freedom of personal choice and being an independent wo(man).

Let divinity bless us with brains, to save ourselves and live with dignity.

@ Innsbruck  2011

Kick Off: SimplyJITH Longitude

Friends,

From the Garage of SimplyJITH comes a new initiative, SimplyJITH Longitude – A Research Study Initiative about Hispanic Immigrant Integration into Main Stream American Society. This initiative is led and driven by a group of SimplyJITH Subscribers based out of San Francisco Bay Area, CA – USA. In line with our belief to actively reach out to varied cross sections of society and engage with them on a more pro – active basis, SimplyJITH will support this initiative.

At present, a team of 5 are associated with this initiative on a pro-bono basis. I believe this initiative will be pursued with belief, focus, and in complete honesty.  The initiative deals with a theoretical approach to the scenario and related implications. If you are interested to learn more about initiative or opportunities with SimplyJITH Longitude, please feel free to drop an email at info@simplyjith.com.

Subscribers and members of target group are invited to share their experiences and suggestions through above mentioned email address.

Warm regards,

Abhijith Jayanthi

Signed: Kick-Off Day  

Place:  InterContinental Mark Hopkins, SFO – CA

In Complete Honesty...

Dear God,

"For it is the richness of honesty,

     This clown is after.

     Do not think to judge him by his grinning face,

     Do so by the subtle trace of what that humor knows..."

Four years... and I stand here again. In my quest for honesty, I stand again at your footsteps to seek answers.  It’s easy to lose a part of oneself as one travels through the by-lanes of life. As emotions and adult responsibilities edged into my life, I have drifted away from the joy of living.  Now, I seek to experience the door-opening power of reconnecting with what I truly cherish – to be myself again.

During the past few years of turbulence, part of me felt unwelcomed or suppressed as a child not able to voice his opinion.  I have lost my special quality – inquisitiveness, friendliness, spontaneity, confidence or another related trait – for it was frivolously put to rest by factors which held a special space in my life.

Every day, I wake up to realize that I don’t know who I am. With a feeling of emptiness, I don’t even like myself…feel like running away. I want my real self back, but who is that, anyway?

Lost in transition…I wait here for my angel…my angel who will be my wings and help my dream of being myself again, take flight!

Prenditi cura di te...

il vostro Abhijith

Signed: 22nd April 2011

Place: Vatican City

Last Dance of Her Life

They say, all things become clear when one is about to die. Rachel even at 82, can give young women run for their money; yet because of her frivolous and undignified actions throughout her life, she had no one by her side : someone who truly loves her. Her hair, pitch black in her prime attracted attention from every man around her, turned into chalky white now. Her pale cheeks, battered by men in frustration : who fell prey to her charms, only to be cheated by her later. Shifting uncomfortably in her bed to avoid memories that are sweeping her mind, struggling to gain strength; Rachel looks at the flowers on the window sill, sent as a token of sympathy few days ago. With the freshness lost, flowers were dry and the parchment paper beneath them absorbed all the wetness. Long lost memories from the lanes of the past, she remembered few lines written in her honor...

"Seasons come...
... and go.

Seldom do we realize the...
...taste of our first kiss.

Seek it together, shall we...
...that state of eternal bliss?"

Her face filled with a strange sense of remorse : Did she do the right thing, to cheat on someone who probably loved her for what she truly was? Rachel lived all her life creating significant false impressions about herself, never being true to anyone - may be she should have been true with Albert? He was the only one who loved her even after he knew that she cheated on him - thrice. Children lie, to cover up mistakes and faults, but they lie also as part of an evolving inner universe—this is where the convoluted stories come from. They’re discovering new things in the outside world, and somehow want to make it their own. Rachel grew up living a life of duality. She was never been able to develop a sense of truth and falsehood—something any average adult is expected to possess.  This was probably the reason, she always choose to lie, than to speak the truth. She always feared, if she presents her true self, no one will ever love her. However, Albert was a different guy. He loved Rachel, even before he knew little about her. Even before their relation went to the next level, Albert perfectly knew Rachel was the kind of woman he wanted in his life, to grow old with. Rachel, being her usual self, had no reason to treat Albert with any special care : all through her relation with Albert, she continued to lie and live a life of duality. She wanted to keep Albert away from her real life, but destiny had other plans.

May be, if everyone of us, were to run dry just like the flowers, then probably what I did was right?  

May be, I am not the right woman for Albert and destiny pushed me away? I am not to blame.

May be, people were correct in calling me a Geisha? 

Rachel's mind had a myriad of  questions...thoughts...memories...pouring in.

Continued....

P.S.: This blog post presents a first view/glimpse of last chapter (Last Dance of Her Life) of my book (not yet published) titled Precocious Truth: Unrequited Love. You may read the prologue for the same here.

Rays of the Sun : A Gray Day

Sun: God Ra: Rays of the Sun are considered as the source of life and health on Earth. Rays of the Sun are a great source for Vitamin D, and help in our healthy living. To speak of an analogy, with their purity (of the rays), we are cleansed off our indignity and selfishness. Today, I wish to discuss the flip side of this analogy i.e. if rays of the sun are corrupt and maligned with scent of selfishness, indignity and callousness; they can pose a serious threat to ethical well being of our society.

Devoid of responsible behavior, Rays of the Sun corrupt with selfish impulses will cast a negative shade – A gray day. It will be particularly inspiring to see how Mother Nature will offer a backup plan to this natural disaster. With the rays touching each and every element of our nature, it will be a great disaster: When every being on our earth will have no honor or respect for emotions, rather is selfish in regard to their own existence and happiness. The most interesting observation will be, even withstanding the grand remedy plan of Mother Nature, one devoid of any ethical well being will suffer – finding reasons for happiness, but never being happy. There are remedies to help combat these "gray day" influences – Nature can be very calming, but during the times of calamity, can stand tall and put to rest any of its elements which will act against the grand plan. Remedy – Earth destroying the Sun? May be.

Place: Canary Islands

Date: Circa 2008

Lessons to Learn: Fight Against Corruption

In the past few days, we have seen a string of protests across the World. From Jasmine revolution, Egyptian Uprising in the Middle East and Africa to fight against corruption in India. There is a growing deficit in ethics and moral conduct of leaders, elite of the society and the common man too. One of the prime factors which will influence the development of a country or a target group is by creating an environment for responsible change, inspiring them to seek not just social innovation but also a responsible one.

Responsible Change will inspire sustained growth along with social development. A sustained growth pattern for a country can be achieved when both fiscal and social growth go together. There is a greater need to encourage entrepreneurs to work with this integrated growth approach to build  self sustaining enterprises along with contributing towards healthy society. In the era of glocalisation, with such an approach, we can see integrated local communities interconnected globally.

Other stakeholders, such as civil society representatives, NGO Groups and Media also need to work with moral responsibility towards a positive living experience for everyone. 

I Do...

Refreshed are my memories everyday...memories that continue to breathe life into me. Your memories sweep my consciousness…with a longing to be with you again. Memories…not about the usual activity that frames most of my life… but memories of you...simple memories...walking by your side looking into your eyes glowing with a sparkle, sailing on the river cruise...I wish I could tell you that every defense, every facade... every insecure exaggeration of my life stand stripped away…A day by your side, each moment has its own value. Morning brings hope, afternoon smiles with warmth, evening shows tenderness and night caresses with tranquility. I wish to be by your side now…and forever! I truly do...

Salutation : Team India

.

Note: This blog post is a salutation to Team India - World Champions 2011! and to Indigo Child, now a Demigod - Sachin Tendulkar. 

Cricket speaks to our nation in a way our government never has. Dhoni and his boys are held responsible by the nation in a way no other office bearer of any public franchise (including politicians) is. In a country where every stream of activity is related to (at least remotely) to this sport, and the performance of Team India -  from office hours, volume of business conducted to living choices made by people, cricket is religion, and every player is a representation of the faith - with over 1.2 billion followers. Politicians from Prime Minister to President resort to cricket as a diplomatic option, goes to show the status the game has achieved in our country. Our eyes filled with tears and our hearts with love and strange sense of pride, when Dhoni hit the ball out of the park for a six - we are the world champions! Each and every Indian will be proud of our entire cricket team! 

Celebrations love company, and everyone wants a reason to celebrate. There have been a lot of social networking advances such as twitter, facebook etc which have brought people from various walks of life closer, with celebrities and politicians interacting with the  common man - but the sense of national pride that cricket unites us with, still continues to top the charts. And victory at the highest level - World Cup, brings a strange sense of warmth amongst all of us. More than the passionate patriotism that comes to the fore, it brings a sense of national unity - from Team India to  Demigods of other spheres such as Rajnikanth (In continuation with famous Rajni jokes - A new cry line took birth : It is impossible for India to lose when Rajni Sir is here), Celebrities by luck - Pratibha Patil, Celebrities by hard work - Aamir Khan and common man. It goes to show how every element has had its influence/prayers on this moment to come true.It was surreal. This only goes to show what cricket means to us and the massive void it fills for our nation. 

Victory comes with a set of expectations (A Spin-off from what Navjot Singh Sidhu says -  Adversity comes with instructions on hand), which unfortunately fail to go beyond the sport. The expectations on the team to maintain the richness  continue into the future, while the sense of national pride and unity fade out - If cricket is our religion, we need to be true followers of the faith and continue this sense of pride and belonging well beyond cricket and showcase that in our daily lives. Congratulations to Team India, for making us proud! Now it is upon us to reach out, continue to celebrate the unity and national pride and contribute our bit in transforming a possibility - India : A Indigo Child, into reality.

Relation : Truth over a Lie

Comfort me with a lie,

Then, I know I would rather die.

Hurt me with the truth,

Then, I know our relation will live beyond the strewth.