about the recent champions trophy disaster for the Indian cricket team. i am sure everyone will remember the last ball of the match against the West Indies.

Ajit Agarkar to Marlon Sameuls, WI needing 3 runs of 4 balls while Ind needed just 2 wickets to win & go through to the semis. And then what comes out of Agarkar's hand is a short & very very wide ball outside the off stump, with no square leg, and there you have WI wins with 3 balls to spare.

I am wondering, had it been my college or even school team, i would have believed that we could win that match even at that stage. But certainly not by bowling that kind of ball. God would have been dying to say this to the india's "strike" & "most experienced" bowler to bowl a yorker or atleast a short of length delivery but on the off stump and not 10 stumps away from it.

Or else tell me that they dont have the skill thats needed. For, i have seen this in the NZ V Aus match, when NZ bowlers bowling at the death...to the awesome aussies and for that matter even a "dibbly dobbly" bowler like Ian Bradshaw can bowl that congested off stumpish line and just-short-of-a-length deliveries consistently.

This is what sometimes make you feel let down, that either WE JUST CAN'T DO IT or WE JUST DONT DO IT.

Somebody ha s said this. Problem is the difference between what we have & what we want. This is true in our materialistic life. However, in our spiritual life, problem is nothing but darkness and darkness is nothing but absence of light. When we enter a room plunged in darkness we are bound to strike against the corners, stumble upon the furniture kept in the room. We always have a risk of injuring ourselves or at least have the fear of it. You may rearrange the furniture in the room, you may change the layout to make the corners safe, straight & smooth but you would still, get knocked in the dark. As long as the darkness remains in the room, you are certain of suffering.

You have tried a few changes. Now, instead of changing the object you change the subject. Let us bring some light into the room. Let things lie as they are, the light will provide you with smooth & easy passage. You will have nothing to worry thereafter. Similarly, in our life we need not worry of the problems or ignorance, just let there be enough light. The light of knowledge, learning & change, which will dispel the darkness of ignorance, saturation & rigidity. However, for all this to happen, first we need to be conscious of this. Conscious about the fact that we need to strive for light and not struggle against the darkness. We need not waste our energies. Instead, we must strive to equip ourselves with the tools of acquiring knowledge, learning how to learn and seek & manage change.

The tools of acquiring knowledge could be your education, work, exposure & awareness. Learning about learning needs, using all your senses i.e. listen & then think, observe & think, feel & think, and do & think. But, ‘think you must’! And, as far as seeking and managing change is concerned, you need to be like water. What makes water special is that it takes its own course when flowing, but takes the shape of the container when stored.

When all this happens in synchronization, what results is the ultimate troubleshooter- LIGHT. Let there be light.

Importance of the WORD.

Bible begins with “In the beginning there was the word…!” What’s so special about it? I mean word as something that’s spoken & heard. Truly speaking the word is the only activity that remains even after we are gone. It is the only thing that can never be destroyed. After it is spoken, it travels to the listener’s ear and into the space, into the infinity. Thus, the effects of the vibrations of the word spoken affect us. The energy that the word creates & consists, affects us positively or negatively. Beauty of this is that we can also create a lot of effect, a lot of difference to the outside world by harnessing the infinite power of the word. That’s why we, in India have this very sacred oral tradition of education. Everything is transferred from a generation to the other orally. Through, mantra’s, chants or poetry the knowledge and the wisdom of the ancestors of the human race have been passed-on religiously to this modern era too.

“A picture is worth a thousand words”. I object. How much space, time & energy would you need to depict India by a picture vis-à-vis a word. INDIA. So let me suggest that as thinking humans we must use the power of the word judiciously so as to make the most out of it.

The way we speak, sing, get angry, plead, abuse i.e. each time we use words, we must at least be conscious of the power we have on our hands. Because of all this language becomes even more important. The modern day language teachers emphasize more on the style rather than the depth of the words used. In the past the significance of the word was encapsulated in the very meaningful & in depth meanings of their literature. Richly cultured civilizations (India, Greece, China) around in the world have literature as there flag bearer. It is their stamp of authority & superiority.

Spiritually, language is the fastest means of self realization. Enlightenment. So as a responsible generation of human race, its high time we should work towards revitalizing the purity and the reach of our languages. The languages that are spoken on the earth.

To me these thoughts seem to be mid thought of many other things that I feel strongly about language and the word.

Frustration

Unhappiness is the difference between what you have & what you want. Frustration is the prime symptom of unhappiness. In this breakneck & directionless modern lifestyle, frustration has become as common as the breath. This leads us to a feeling of total chaos, insecurity & sometimes even to aggression (physical or mental).

Let us check out what all we go through when we are frustrated. One thing we loose is patience. Patience is like air, only its absence makes us feel about its substance (importance). We do not realize how much we rely upon the air to live, until we feel suffocated. You cannot explain a kid what air is, until he/she has blown it into balloon & felt breathless. This is exactly how patience is.

This generation of human race needs patience more than its predecessors did. Those were the days when people use to get the postal letters weeks after they were sent & they would welcome them with utmost curiosity. Now is the time when we are desperately seeking & cribbing about the computer speeds to improve even by a nanosecond. We have taken our speed of thought & work beyond human levels & are constantly competing against man-made machines. We are no more satisfied with being human, “yeh dil mange more & faster. This has led to impatience taking a life of a demon by itself. Thus, impatience has become a social disease.

Now, how do we cultivate patience? One word: FAITH. We must learn to have faith in our fate & ourselves. Faith that, in the end everything is meant to be fine, & if it’s not fine then it’s not the end. Order is ultimate & not the chaos. So whenever you look, look at the bigger picture, which has to be a better picture. Remember, “Our patience will achieve more than our force,” said Edmund Burke.

The other thing we loose is our head. Temper. Anger. This happens because either we try to control things to much or things remain too little in our control for our liking. Here, the basic human instinct of power of controlling ditches us. Let us get one thing as clear as the rainwater. For whatever reason we might be here, but we are not here to prove anything or exert superiority. So why stretch? Anger is like the acid that harms the container more than, where it is used.

Now, how do you have a cool head? Again, one word: AVOID. Try to reduce your passion for the things that source your anger. Try not to belong to the things that hurt you. The only thing you belong to is your spirit. Everything else is meant to distract, destroy you, if only you allow it. If there’s a particular person, reason, or passion that tests your temper then get it out of your life or you get out of its life. Escape it, avoid it. The only unavoidable thing in life is death.

All said & done, we must also realize that anger is as old & strong a human instinct as sex. A person who is angry on the right grounds, against the right person, in the right manner, at the right moments & for the right length of time deserves great praise.

Finally to sign it off…

Life’s real wisdom lies in taking serious things lightly & light things seriously.

Festivals are to life what punctuations are to a long & verbose passage of write-up. Festivals make you pause, ponder, progress & promote in life. They renew your chances to correct the wrongs within & without you. Acting as excuse/escape for/from many things; festivals entice & enlighten. “Everything is a symbol (of something)”. If this is true then festivals are the epitome of culture.

Deepawali is the undisputed empress of rich & myriad Indian culture. It is a festival of Diya (light) & Laxmi-the goddess of wealth (luxury). Right from the childhood, I had two very distinct symbols of Diwali, one is the Diya (Diwali Lamp) & the other is Firecrackers. Diya is an assembly of a small clay lamp, wick & oil. To me, this symbolizes the ideal way of living a life. It burns out itself to churn out light. Let us consider that the clay lamp is the symbol of all our responsibilities & relationships. The oil in it is what we have done (work/effort) in life. And, the wick is our ego/self. This symbolic assembly of ingredients of life, if understood, conveys a very strong message. The message about how one should lead an ideal holistic life. It says, let the ego (wick) burn in your work (oil) within the bondage of your responsibilities & relationships. To light the clay lamp you need a spark, a matchstick. So, who or which is the matchstick of your life? This spark/matchstick is your dream in life. Your purpose in life. Purpose is the reason of your being. Until you find your dream, purpose or spark in life, you will not be able to see the flame of knowledge. This synchronization will create the light (flame) of knowledge & enlightenment. You need this light of knowledge on your way to luxury that Laxmi brings.

Now, on to my second very distinct childhood symbol of Diwali. Firecrackers. One word is all what Diwali means to the kids, at least to me, then (even now, I might say). It is the ultimate symbol of celebration.

Just imagine that glimpse of the firecracker going off like a blitzkrieg, as if you just own that part of the sky. Seems, even the heavens have joined in. The ear-tearing sound that announces its presence to all present not quite present. The deafening silence follows. For the one who lit the firecracker, it is the pleasure of the heroism & for the spectators the pleasure of being treated to the glory. That, feeling of high & joy, momentary yet memorable. The lesson: If we fire ourselves properly, we give the ultimate celebrations to the world, while liberating ourselves. Celebration & Liberation are siblings. We become the reason of celebration & give ourselves a reason of liberation. Way to liberation is only through celebration. The zenith of celebration leads us to liberation. So, this Diwali as you fire that firecracker, observe, absorb & experience it. Fire Yourself.

Wishing you a happening Diwali.