Monday, November 16, 2009

Positive attitude..

Attitude is How You See Life ...
  1. A soldier informed his major that they were surrounded on all sides by enemies. The Major replied, “Excellent! We can attack in any direction!”
  2. Every one knows about Alexander Graham Bell who invented the telephone, but he never made a call to his family. Because, his wife and daughter were deaf. That's life, ‘living for others’.
  3. The worst in life is ‘attachment’. It hurts when you lose it.
  4. Life acquires significance not by those who act well before us; it is worth living because of the people who remain true behind our back.
  5. If an egg is broken from outside, a life ends. If it breaks on its own from within, a life begins. Great things always begin from within.
  6. Losing your ego to the one you love is better than losing the one you love because of ego.
  7. A relationship doesn’t shine by just shaking hands at the best of times. But it blossoms by holding firmly in critical situations.
  8. Melted gold becomes ornaments. Beaten copper becomes wires. Chiseled stone becomes statue. The more pain you endure in life the more valuable you become.
  9. God is omnipresent. Then, what is the need for temples? Air is everywhere. Don’t we use fans?

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Woman..

This morning, one of my friends shared this interesting article with me and some of my peers.. truly inspiring!
--

When a man was sitting beside a sleeping woman after working late one day
A little boy came by and said: “Why spend so much time beside her ?”
And the man answered:“Son, Have you seen all she is capable of ? she functions on all kinds of food, she is able to embrace several kids at the same time, gives a hug that can heal anything from a bruised knee to a broken heart and she does all this with only two hands”.

The little boy was impressed. “Just two hands....impossible!And this is a normal woman?! Too much work for one day.... ".

“Indeed”, said the man. “That is why she is my favorite. She cures herself when sick and she can work 18 hours a day”. The little boy came nearer and touched the woman.

“But she is so soft” “She is soft", said the man, “But she is also so strong. You can’t imagine what she can endure and overcome.”
“Can she think?" the little boy asked.
The man answered:
“Not only can she think, she can reason and negotiate."
The little boy touched the woman’s cheek....
“It seems she is leaking! You have put too many burdens on her.”
“She is not leaking....it’s a tear” the man corrected the little man.
“What’s it for?" asked the little boy.

And the man said:
“Tears are her way of expressing grief, her doubts, her love, her loneliness, her suffering and her pride.” This made a big impression on the little boy; “Hey, you are lucky.
You know everything. The woman is indeed marvellous!"

Indeed she is!
Woman has strengths that amazes man. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens.
She holds happiness, love and opinions.
She smiles when feeling like screaming.
She sings when she feels like crying, crys when she is happy and laughs when she is afraid.

She fights for what she belives in.
Stand up against injustice.
She doesn’t take “no” for an answer, when she can see a better solution.
She gives herself so her family can thrive. She takes her friend to the doctor if she is afraid.
Her love is unconditional.

She cries when her kids are victorious. She is happy when her friends do well.
She is glad when she hears of a birth or a wedding.

Her heart is broken when a next of kin or friend dies.
But she finds the strength to get on with life.
She knows that a kiss and a hug can heal a broken heart.

There is only one thing wrong with her:
She forgets what she is worth...

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

quotable quote....

Just came across an interesting quote today:
"Silently hear everyone. Accept what is good and reject and forget to remember what is bad. This is the way to live intelligently in life. "

When I gave it a deeper thought for a moment, I sure did realize how much time and energy we would save by avoiding arguments.. Sometimes a simple discussion turns into a heated argument - and from then on it is just the ego that drives that conversation, and eventually ends up with displeasure.. if one can be patient and listen to others view point, and if one could have a controlled discussion (without leading to a heated argument), then the dicussion could actually benefit everyone involved. No ego, no anger, no displeasure. That would be the best way to live intelligently in life.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Do not procrastinate... Live and Love every moment..

In one of my earlier blogs, I had written about living the present moment.. Though this article that I came across today, is about procrastination, it seemed to have relevance to what I wrote in my earlier blog..

There is a saying ( "Subhaashitaani") in Sanskrit, which reads as follows:
na kaSchith api jaanaathi kim kasya SvaH bhavishyathi
athaH SvaH karaNeeyaani kuryaath adhya eva buddhimaan


Which means:
"No one knows what will happen tomorrow to us or to others. And therefore, the wise man does today itself, what is to be done tomorrow. "

A perfect advice against procrastination. Often we tend to postpone things either due to laziness or because it is either difficult or undesirable. We also take things for granted and often go through life without expressing our love and appreciation to others until it is too late. We get caught up with our day to day duties and forget to express our love and appreaciation to our partner. Even towards our children, we fail to express our appreciation and love then and there. Even the mundane things like finishing the work at hand should be done immediately lest they become too burdensome later if accumulated. Above all, today or present moment is in our hands, where as, tomorrow is not in our control. Tomorrow we may have some other urgent matter to attend to and this work which could have been easily finished today, may even be forgotten.
Past is gone, present is here and future may not be there. So, live every moment of life with joy; try to accomplish your duties with all your efforts and with postive attitude; cherish every moment with your loved ones!

Great words of a great man..

These thoughtful and inspirational words of Einstein, are very appropriate for the times we are going through...

" Let's not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things. A crisis is a real blessing to any person, to any country, for a crisis brings progress. Creativity is born from anguish, just like the day is born form the dark night. It's in crisis that inventive is born, as well as discoveries, and big strategies. He who overcomes crisis, overcomes himself, without getting "overcome". He who blames a crisis for his failure and poverty neglects his own talent, and is more respectful to problems than to solutions.
The true crisis is the incompetence crisis. The problem of people and countries is the laziness to find solutions and a way out. Without a crisis, there are no challenges, without challenges, life becomes a routine, a slow agony. Without a crisis, there are no merits. It is in the crisis where the very best in us emerges, for without a crisis, any wind becomes a tender touch. To speak about a crisis is to promote it, and not to speak aboutit is to exalt conformism. Let us work hard instead. Let us stop, once and for all, the only menacing crisis that represents the tragedy of not being willing to overcome it."

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

My world, My Mom...

Mther
"A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, "where mother is." ~Keith L. Brooks"
All along the years as I grew up, I never knew about the tradition of Mother's day. Mother's day came to my notice only the year I got married and moved to the US. I thought it was yet another hype created by the western world.. Years went by, and my transition into motherhood has shown me a whole new definition and light..

I have loved my mom more than any one one else in this world.. She is a very dedicated mom, an efficient home maker, who stayed at home to bring up my sister and myself, and take care of the family.. With my father's tiring touring job, she always provided all her support in taking of the family and managed the household efficiently. She is a very simple and a thoughtful person. She is a mother of all ideals.. As we grew up she was a strict disciplinarian. At the same time, she has always been my best friend, with whom I could sit down and talk about many things - may it be studies, books, movies, music and so on..
She was born as the youngest of six children, and was brought up in Mumbai. She got married quite young, and then moved to Tamil Nadu. My paternal grand parents had a huge extended family, and as we grew up, our house was always flooded with the members of this jing-bang family visiting us almost all through the year! No matter haw many guests visted us, she always treated every one with utmost respect and hospitality. Well, with a huge family, it is not always smooth..there are times when she had to go through some rough patches. But still, she always remained calm, and was an epitome of patience. It is this quality in her that has earned her so much love and affection from her friends and relatives to this day.

She has always been my mentor, and all I am today is because of her. To me, she is a gift from the divine authority. As I write this blog, I feel as if there is so much to write about her, and I have no words to express. At least, I am happy that I am able to express to the best of my abilities, and post this blog as a gift for her for this mothers day, for her to read! It is just all about making a Mom feel so special! Today, being a mom, I know how much I love my kids. When my kids wished me with a big hug and bright smile, and a cute hand-made card on this special day, my joy knew no bounds! It is not that my kids don't love and hug me the other days.....For the simple reason that however hyped it may seem...it is occasions like this that give us the chance to stop and think, and feel and express our love for our mother. And confer love and gladden a heart. I know this now, because it would make me happy to be thought of as a mother by my children and to be made to feel special by them. Its not just about one single day. Its about love. The love that is consistent and steady but needs some upliftment and richness every once in a while to stand out...to break the mould of routine and sameness and be elevated to the annals of cherished memories. I hope I can always give my mother that!

I Love you amma!! and I wish you a very Happy mother's Day!!!!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

"The child is the father of man..."

No matter which part of the world we are, the life of a mom, I guess is the same!! All have the same chores, responsibilities to carry out, and of course, the same set of complains, and instructions to the kids!
I wonder how and when our lives were taken control by those little ones who come on board in our lives, even though we, as a parent, are under the impression that we control the life of our kids! I wonder how and when our priorities changed? I wonder how and when did this transition happen? The entire process is so well stage-managed by nature, I would say.. For every parent, and that too, for every mom Kids are precious gifts! We cherish every stage in their lives, and admire their growth and development at every milestone. And as they grow, we gradually tend to forget most of the things they did during their early stages, and we just tend to remember the recent past...And as they grow, we gradually get caught up with more responsibilities.. Well, nature made this process so hectic and handsful to parents that we don't have the time to think about it!

But, the fact is that children actually change the outlook of our lives, and make our lives valuable and more meaningful. In a way, they try to bring out all the good qualities from with us, trying to prove that positive feelings, and postive reinforcement is the key to success, harmony and happy life. As I respond to some of the cues that my child provides me, I realise that parenting, aside of being a joyful experience can also be a growth experience. May be that's the reason one said that "The Child is the father of man".....

In this modern age of globalisation, technology and busy world, the emotions of the parents are fragmented. We tend to focus more on the intellectual advancement, and often forget to balance the emotional needs. Children act as pivot, trying to balance and support our emotions. After a long day of work, the very sight of our tiny-tots at the end of the day brings out all the happiness from within us.. No matter how tired I am, I try to gather all my strength, and try to pull myself out of the routine, and spend time with my kids.. No matter even of we get upset with the kids for any small mistake they committed, the kid's anger is just superficial :) Within their little heart of hearts they always adore their parents! It may be surprising.. Most of the times my 7yr-old darling, at the end of the day, tired from the hard work at school, will be fast asleep before even I could go and tun off the lights in his room.. I tuck him inside his comforter, and slowly whisper "good night" in his ears.. and surprisingly, even in his deep sleep, he would reply back " good night.. Amma.."....This is what brings us happiness and awakens the true emotions from deep within...
So, the happiness and success of kids, in a way, reflect the harmony and success of their parents..Children actually charge the parents' emotions, and act as the driving force to lead our lives!






Precious gift!

Today morning I woke up to hear the great news from my father! He conveyed the wonderful news that my sister(Sri) and my brother-in-law(Ashok) are blessed with a baby boy!
Me and my sister have always been very close. We were inseparables while we grew, and we cherish every moment we have spent together. And now, when she is blessed with a beautiful baby boy, I am very happy for her and her husband.

We are very thrilled and greatful to this new arrival. And for the first time, I have been promoted to the status of "Periamma"!!! And my 3yr old daughter Ramitha has been promoted to a BIG SISTER for the firt time!!!

Our best wishes to Sri and Ashok, and wish them a life filled with happiness with the bundle of Joy!!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Evergreen memories...

Life seems to be a magic.. we get so caught up with our day-to-day chores and challenges, that we even forget how we get into this whirlpool of family, kids etc.. Memory seems to fade away - thanks to two pregnancies and parenthood :( But, I still remember those wonderful childhood days spent with my li'l sister and my loving appa and appa! And, those funfilled summer vacation at my paternal grandparents place, in a small village called Pattamadai. Pattamadai is a calm, beautiful village along the banks of the river Tamaraparani, near Tirunelveli. My grand parents lived in the Agrahaaram called Sivananda street in Pattamadai (shown in the photo, as seen today). Agrahaarams are the traditional homes of South Indian Brahmins; invariably row houses with slan ting roofs, tall and heavy wooden beams along and common walls lining both sides of the street that leads to a temple, one on each end of the street. One such home is Thatha-Paati's (around 80 years old as of today). The backyard of the house opens up to a crystal clear river, that flowed almost all through the year.

Until my tenth grade, I have spent many days of summer vacation at my paternal grandparents's place. My parents would send me and my sister to Pattamadai in early April, to spend good one month with thatha and paati. My dad would help us board the bus at 8AM, at Madurai, and it took about 4 and half hrs to reach Pattamadai. Me and my sister would happily chat all along the journey, and plan for the fun that awaited us there. I still remember that scenic route — lush green paddy fields, flower beds, banana plantations, crystal clear rivers.... what a beautiful sight.... And as we got closer to our village, our excitement would race, and we would just wait to see the tomb of a mosque, the landmark which told us that we were just couple of miles from the Pattamadai bus stand. Waiting for us at the bus stop was a person call Santhaanam, who took care of Thatha's cows, bulls and farm. He would take us home in the bullock cart. The ride was about 10 -15 mins.. Paati and thatha eagerly awaited our arrival. As soon as we arrived, all our friends would swamp the house and all the holiday mood sets in right away! After exchanging a few words with Thatha, Paati would start giving us the travel updates of my other cousins(my dad's brother's sons, and my dad's sisters's sons and daughters)...They arrived at Pattamadai in a day or two after us. What a wonderful time we all had with our grand parents (Thatha and Paati)! When we all meet, it takes at least a couple of days to catch up on the fun that we had left off the previous year! hours and hours of chatting, fight, gossip, etc etc....
The entire village was up early. As we try hard to open the heavy eye lids at dawn, the first thing that slowly breaks the silence of the early morning is the voice of the milkman. Then, we hear the sounds of the maids, who start sweeping the enterance of the homes..the space before each house was swept, sprinkled with water and decorated with a kolam (Rangoli). In a short while, right before the sun is out, the entire street had kolams of different sizes and patterns, in front of every house in the agraharam. At this point, I finally decide try to get out of the bed.. Though I was among the oldest grand kids, I was my Thatha and Paati's favourite! She would ask me to wake up all my cousins, who will still be snuggled in their comforters! Finally, in about half hour, we are all out of the bed, brushed, and ready for a dose of fresh filter coffee.. My grandparents had atleast half a dozen cows in the backyard of the house.. Everyday, the milkman would come as early as 4am in the moring, and start milking the cows.. Paati would then boil the fresh milk for us for the morning coffee. After the coffee, myself, and some of our cousins would go to the backyard to watch the cute baby calves and feed them some bananas that my paati would have reserved for the cows! Then, we start hearing the vendors of fresh vegetables and greens straight from the gardens invaded the street, some calling out in raucous voices and some in a sing song manner.
Then, around 7am, we all sit down with our summer assignments..Though my grand parents were fun loving, and very affectionate, they were strict disciplinarians and also gave lot of importance to our studies. So, all 7 of us would sit down with our homework in the front room, called Ullu-Thinnai, meaning inner-Varanda, the room that was mostly used as a study.. Each of us decide and start our assignments: Math, English comprehnsion, or Hindi.. If I think back, it was so much fun to study together.. Even though we try to do our work quietly, sometimes a small discussion that starts as a whisper to clarify a doubt, would end up in a big fight, with my naughty cousin brother snatching my assignment papers in anger, and running around the house, threatening me that he would feed my papers to the cows! Finally, the fight ends with my Thatha pitching into the scene and yelling at us "What are you guys upto? If I hear anymore noise... I will pack all of you back to your home..".. That's it.. Now, we all get back to our work..
Towards the end of the homework session, the maid would arrive, and she would start to sweep and wipe the the floor, and clean the house. Then, we all get ready for the bath and then start with the preparations for the pooja. Thatha had our ancesteral Lingams. The priest came every day to chant the slokams and did the poojas for the lingams, as daily rituals. Our contribution was to gather the pooja items, and get them ready for the priest and Thatha.. After the pooja, we would clear up the pooja stuff, and deposit them to paati, so that she could wash and wipe them clean for the next day. Everyday after the pooja, the priest would give us little bit of white rice and paruppu (dhal) in a plantain leaf, which we would leave it near the cow-shed for the crows to eat.

After the pooja, we all get ready for lunch. Lunch was serverd in the dining hall called "Pattaa Saalai". Because we were 8 of us, the plates and the spot for each of us gets assigned on the first day! Paati would cook a varierty of food for lunch. Some days, she would prepare one favorite item of our choice. But the rule of thumb is that all of us have to eat all the items! After the lunch, we would help her clear the plates and each of us got in turns every day, to clean up the Patta Saalai after Lunch. After lunch, Paati would have a short nap in the afternoon. For us, afternoon is the time for all in-door games - like ludo, cards, hide and seek etc. We also had lot of friends, who lived in Pattamadai. Since they also had summer break at that time, they would arrive at our grandparents home in the afternoon.. Every day, we were atleast a dozen of us! Sometimes we even enacted Ramayan! We used an old wooden sofa as the stage for our performance in the dining room (Pattaa Saalai)! This sofa is probably 75 yrs old now - shown in photo below.

Our games would pause for a short break at 4PM, when Paati called us all for evening snacks- a variety of home made delicacies - murukku, Thatai, banana chips, adirasam etc.. all home made by Paati. Then, after the snack, she would comb and braid the her for all her grand daughters (me and my sister, and 2 of my other cousin sisters). We all freshen up, and get ready for some out door games in the street for next one hour! Sometimes we went for short walks round the lush paddy fields behind the Sivananda mutt, or, sometimes, we sat on the riverbank, next to the Ganesha temple (called as "Vaaikkaal Karai Pillaiyaar koil"). Then by 6PM, we were supposed to report back to Paati. We all sat before the Altar for the evening prayers. We chant the Shlokas, and sometimes sang short Bhajans. Me and cousin sisters were learning Indian Classical carnatic music. So, evening was the time to sit and practice all the music. Paati was a very good singer, and had a good knowledge of carnatic music, and so she took active interest in this event every evening!
Around 6PM everyday, we didn't miss going to the two village temples with the other friends. We found the atmosphere serene, peaceful and sublime. Then, 7:30PM was dinner time. And after dinner, we all settle down in the central hall of the house. Paati would tell us some stories , and gradually we would fall asleep without our knowledge! Those were the days! I can't beleive it's more that 2 decades since then..

Then time flew by. And things took a lot of twists and turns with time.. After high school, college etc, I got married, and moved to the other part of the world more than 12 years ago.... My Thatha passed away a decade ago... My cousins moved to different places for Studies/work etc.. and gradually got caught up with their lives! and we don't meet that often, except for some occasional email exchages with some of them.. I did not get a chance to go to Pattamadai until 2002, when my son was a year old. Though I had a lot of fond memories and emotions attached to that soil, and I always wanted to visit Pattamadai every year, it is practically not possible for us to do so, considering a lot of factors - work, kids's school etc.. My parents visit Pattamadai twice a year, and they stay in our ancestral home (photo on the Left). And this is where in the recent years my parents have been conducting all the annual pooja and religious ceremonies. My parents, my uncles and aunts meet here almost evey year during the annual pooja in Pattamadai.

After 5 years, again last year, we went to Pattamadai. My kids enjoyed every moment of their stay there, and were showered with love from grandparents, and everyone in our family. ....All the memories of those good old days were racing in my mind.. Hundreds of images from those golden times were flashing in front of my eyes.. God! how time has flown... very nostalgic.. and I can't beleive life has come to me so fast!

Why do we shout in anger?

WHY DO WE SHOUT AT ONE ANOTHER?
A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.' 'But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her in a normal voice? Why do you need to shout when you're angry?'
Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint. Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be heard to each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout! Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...' The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only have to look at each other!! That is how two close people are, when they love each other.'


The story reminds me of an exercise with the 5th graders at Bal Vihar. The teacher asks them to talk to the friends sitting next to them. She then asks them to talk to friends sitting across the room. Then she asks them to talk to God. The first experiment is a small whisper, the second is louder, while the third is silent. The beautiful revelation behind this is when the teacher explains how God is so close to us that we dont have to talk loudly or in whispers, but silently and He hears us :)

Thursday, February 5, 2009

My world, my father!

Those memorable days - some 25-30 years ago, in a small town called Madurai in India, where we used to live – a sweet family - my father (appa), mother(amma) and my cute li’l sister! I spent the first 17 years of my life in that town. My mom was a very dedicated, excellent, efficient home maker, who stayed at home to bring up my sister and myself, and take care of the family (There is a lot to write about Amma, my role model.. I will post the blog in next few days..). My father was a para-medical man, who worked for a pharmaceutical company. He would travel almost 20 days in a month. My father is extremely intelligent, very honest person, very sincere, hardworking, and god-fearing. He is a jack of all arts – may it be plumbing, or electrical, or electronic or gardening. More than anything, he is a very noble person. During the early years in his career, though he didn't make a lot of money, (in fact, what he earned earned was just enough to meet the day-to-day needs), my parents never compromised on the quality of our life and good education for me and my sister. Simple, contented, happy life. In summer every year, my parents would plan a vacation for a week, and we went to places like Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Thekkadi etc.. That was so much fun! After about 18 years in Madurai, his company transferred him to various states in India (Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai..), and it was very challenging for us in the beginning. But, we soon got adjusted. Whenever we moved to a new place, the first month or two was hard. But, then we took it to our stride and settled down with ease.
He has come a long way... went through a lot of challenges and hardship, and all the his hard work paid off.. he came up very well in his career. It we was his positive spirits, cheerful mind and strong will power that he achieved all the success- both in his personal and as well as in his career path...Quite often people from our family and friends circle talk a lot of great things about him. As we were growing up, we always felt a surging pride for our father.
I feel the same pride to this day. During those early growing years, I think we shared the regular father-daughter relationship. He was a very strict disciplinarian, and a perfectionist. Time passed by... And it was not until I was in my college did I realise what a great person I had for a father. And, today, due to his noble deeds he has a huge fantail behind him wherever he went! And in his native place, Pattamadai, he is hero of worship!! He is a great source of inspiration for us. I owe my father a lot more than just my education. He taught me to be independent, he taught me to be receptive to opinions and views of others, he taught me the power of being positive, and more than anything- he taught us to be contented and happy, and at the same time, to be focused and achieve success with a steady mind, overcoming the barriers. He's 60 years old now, and he is still young at heart! And today, he is a great source of inspiration not just for me and my sister, but also for his sons(-in-law). And to his loving treasures – his grand children- they are the great fans of their grandfather!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Live the present moment!

Past is always glorious.. But we can never retrace back to the past... even though we think we lived everyday to the fullest, each new day opens up a new chapter, a new story, and it continues to the next day in our life... Though we go through the challenges and problems everyday, the moment we enter the next day, the past becomes glorious, deosn't matter if it was just the day before, or a week before- it is a glorious past! So, one should have this in mind, and always remember to live the wonderful present moment, knowing that this present moment is going to become the glorious past, when the dawn of tomorrow arrives!

In this context, I would like to share with everyone, the following article:
Chakravyhuham is the circular maze made of human warriors, elephants, chariots and horses. It is a military strategy used by Kauravaas during Mahabharatha Yuddha to bring the Pandavaas on their knees. The story is that as an unborn child in his mother's womb, Abhimanyu learnt how to enter into the Chakravyuham. (Abhimanyu was the son of Arjunan and Subhadra. Subhadra is the daughter of Vasudeva and Rohini. So she is Krishna's sister and Abhimanyu is Krishna's nephew.) Before Krishna could explain the tricks of getting out of the Chakravyuha, Subhadra fell asleep and so Krishna stopped his explanation. So Abhimanyu did not learn the trick of escaping from the puzzle Chakravyhuha. On the 13th day of the Mahabharatha war, both Krishna and Arjuna who knew how to get out of the Chakravhyuha were distracted and Abhimanyu entered the vyuha. Nobody could help him and he was trapped and killed by the Kauravaas. Once he entered, he could not go back and he moved deeper and deeper into the maze and was completely lost never to return. He was only 16.

Ravindranatha Tagore says that each one of us is an Abhimanyu. We get in to the flow of time and we only know how to go into the future living through the present. But we can never go back to the past living through the present. Only our thoughts can go back to the past but we cannot. We are travellers on the time line and what ever point of time we have crossed is lost for ever, never to return to that same point of time. We are all Abhimanyus who are walking every moment through the path of time facing the uncertain, unknown future around the corner, unable to retrace our steps or to stop our journey.

For those who believe in God, the only power that can help them to solve the puzzle is HIM. He is the personification of kindness and will guide us as long as we trust and surrender to Him. Sri Ramakrishna says: "He is behind you, in front of you, he is on your right side, He is on your left side and He is above you and He is in you. Either close your eyes and look inward or open your eyes and see his reflection in everything! That is the only way to solve the big puzzle of Maya."