Good Quotes

After all consciousness is something we seek, and then run from. Why? Because consciousness demands responsibility and action. If I know I'm being harmed, if I know I'm harming someone else, if I know I'm not living up to my own personal honor code, there is only one way to respond consciously: I have to act. I have to change whatever I am doing or not doing. I have to change the way I am living.

Living consciously means living in the body, conscious from moment to moment of thought and sensation, but not becoming attached to thoughts which hurt, frighten, create anxiety and/or punish.

Reeling under RECESSION

It has been quite a long time since I blogged. A lot of things are happening. An obvious reference to the recession. Where is India and where is the USA? Still we are reeling under the recession. It's a concern that we are also facing and battling recession. I have witnessed the painful scenes of my colleagues being given pink slips in the recent days. It will be very hard to forget all those miserable moments. Thankfully some of them have found jobs and are doing good. I couldn't stop my tears when a good colleague, who sat beside me, was sent out. It took an hour to recover and be normal. Our team of 5 has became a team of 3 now. It was a high concern issue indeed. However, i am braving all odds and coming up to new realities in life. Each day is becoming a challenge. But i am facing them couragiously. Once i dreamt a bad dream. Generally my dreams don't come true. I still believe in values and these are tough times indeed. The first such a critical time i am facing.

ನ್ಯೂ ಇಯರ್ ೨೦೦೯

The new year - 2009 - has already started and a month is over. New year. New challenges.
I have not blogged for all these days. Though I wanted to update, I couldn't. I wanted to make some new year resolutions but later thought what is the use of making new year resolutions when none of them would be achieved. If I had made such resolutions, the fitness regimen would have topped the list. Yes. Badly I need to get into a fitness regimen or simply a regular walking schedule. I wanted to change my lifestyle and come out of the old things. Then reading a lot could have also joined that list. At least one hour of reading everyday. Though I have built up a libray of 30 and odd books for myself little I have read. And it is quiet a long time I bought any books. The last one I bought was Nimma Magu by Anupama Niranjana which I liked. It is a book about children.

Now my family is talking a lot of time. My six-month-old child Akash is with me. His growing up is a wonder for me. I am amazed at his growth everyday and wonder how my parents had felt while seeing me growing up. This is indeed a wonderful phase of each human's life, i believe. He is recognizing me and with him I spend a high quality good time. He has become my aankhon ka sitara nowadays.

The year 2009 signals the end of the first decade of 2000. A lot of changes happened in the last nine. The country has witnessed tremendous, pathbreaking changes in the last eight years. The biggest, i believe, is the advent of internet into all parts of the country.
Barack Hussein Obama has just been sworn in as the 44th President of USA. I watched the swearing-in ceremony live on news channels. Said to be the largest swearing-in of any US President, the event had more than a billion viewers glued to the TV. Obama has been praised as a man of change.

India is gearing for the next general elections. Hardly two months away.

LIFE is all about...

Dealing with life, work, work pressure, life skills, life challenges, and changes have all become my favourite phrases nowadays as i am all set to complete the first year of my early thirties soon. Issues, challenges, and questions all are cropping at a new scenario. Knowingly or unknowingly i have spent some years in a wasteful way, in the sense, that i could have done many many things however could not. No regrets for that now. It was an experience. Recession blues, personal issues, domestic issues, illusionary issues, real issues, issues, issue and more issues - it seems life is made up ofissues only and finding solutions for it. Though many times, setbacks occur it is not all the way failures. So much to learn and live. Learning lessons in life never stops. May be this way life is more challenging, manageable and not certainly not difficult as all issues and challenges have their own solutions - whatever it may be. May be i am over thinking, but still it is an issue of utmost significance and no one teaches them except our life itself. Life, as i have seen, needs its own, altogether, skills and we take "our own" time to understand them.

I remember a Chintana aired by Akashavani Mysore nearly ten years ago, LIFE EXPECTS DIFFERENT AND ALL BEST THINGS FROM US. Our relief, happiness, satisfaction or whatever you call is depending on the fact that whether we provide it what all it needs. This is a simple fact but a challenge indeed. Having told this, I must also admit that I have already become a member of Future Forties' Club with two of dear colleagues and what i see a whole new journey of life ahead.I have always been interested to think, know and understand what is life, how it works, what way it should be etc.

In short, i am interested in life and this interest and dedicated and servicemindedness towards is entering into a new era now and Not but not the least, LIFE IS ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT.

Musings

Now i have sometime to blog. Work takes a lot of time, pressure, stress, commuting, oh...hundred and one things. Since nine days i was so busy with work. Today i have sometime to breathe and blog.

US economy slowdown has hit that country badly and we are witnessing its effects here too. I am reading, listening and seeing all this. Actively discussing about this too. The media have given it due coverage, though it is debatable. Some questions haunt me: Did India need all this? Given the free falling of free market capitalism in US, its visible effects here, what's the solution? Is this outsourcing, ITes sector not safe and secure?

First things first. Yes. India needed and needs this. The changes that we have been seeing in the last 10 years, are dream come true for millions. Common people (read middle-class educated Indians) have flourished a lot. ATM, mobiles, computers, credit cards, fat salaries (It's a fact that a young professional today earns more than what his father drew in the last month of his service).... this is all the result of this outsourcing, ITes jobs. It provided employment.
However, it is true that all this has been one-sided and as some say "abnormal" that has, to some extent, has had effects on society too (We all hear that people are becoming more and more materialistic like Americans and finally we also end up being so, I myself have experienced this). Now the moot question is how to deal with this? Will it be a doom? This is a phase and will pass too, some people say optimistically.

Hampi Tour

Finally, I have now got sometime to update my blog.

Last weekend, I visited Hampi, a world heritage site, more than 300 kms from the north of Bangalore, with one of my good friends. We walked and walked and walked over 6 kms in two days discovering Hampi, the grand capital city of the medievial period's Vijayanagar empire.
Though Hampi is in ruins, it's one time grandeur can be imagined through whatever is left - basements of royal buildings, foundations of palaces, buildings, idol less temples, broken idols etc.
All through Hampi, I was reminded of Michael Wood's legendary documentary "Story of India" being broadcast on Discovery Channel. If I had a handycam I would have made a documentary on Hampi just like Wood.

It was great to find royal enclosure spread over 59,000 acres at Kamalapur, 2 kms from Hampi. The monuments at Hampi are all unique, Ugranarasimha, Badavlinga, Kadalekalu Ganapa, Sasivekalu Ganapa, Hazararama temple, courtesans' street, Purandaradasa Mantapa, Seetha's cave, Kodandarama temple, royal hall, royal pond, tunnel, queens' bathroom, Mahanavami Dibba, Vijayavittala Temple, Gajashale, Kamala Mahal and much more. This royal enclosure fascinated me, sparkling discussions and imaginations.

It was amazing to see the Raja Beedi of the Virupaksha temple where the merchants were selling pearls, gold and diamonds like any grossery item. This fact itself is enough to find how prosperous the Vijayanagar Kingdom was in 16th century, the peak of its glory, particularly during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529). Later on the empire disintegrated in the War of Rakkasathangadi in 1565. However the dynasty continued till later part of the 18th century.
Established by Hakka and Bukka with the divine blessing of seer Vidyaranya, the pontiff of Sringeri Sharada Peetha, in 1336, the Vijayanagar empire spread, expanded, and achieved its glory for over two centuries. Ruled by four dynasties, Vijayanagar empire's history is the golden age of Karnataka.

In all, it was experience to discover the once flouring royal city which was described beautifully by the foreign travellers. No wonder it was one of the most rich cities of its time, a world heritage site.

We were ably guided by Sandeep, a Hospet-based school teacher, my friend's fried, with whom I had good discussions on many issues. The discussions can be called walking discussions.
The mention of hills around Hampi Hemakoota, Matanga and Rushyamooka are found in Ramayana too. It is said Rama, Sita and Lakshmana were staying here during their Vanavasa.

A great tour for me. A welcome break from the boring busy Bangalore.

ಯಾವ ಜನ್ಮದ ಕೆಳೆಯೋ ಕಾಣೆನು ...ಮೈ ಫೇವರೆಟ್ ಸಾಂಗ್

ಯಾವ ಜನ್ಮದ ಕೆಳೆಯೋ ಕಾಣೆನು ಕಂಡ ಕೂಡಲೇ ಒಲಿಯಿತು, ಕಣ್ಗೆ ರೂಪವು ಇಳಿವ ಮುನ್ನವೇ ಎದೆಗೆ ಪ್ರೇಮವು ಹರಿಯಿತು...

ದಿಕ್ಕು ದಿಕ್ಕಿಗೂ ಹರಡಿ ಹಬ್ಬಿತು ಹಸುರು ಹುಚ್ಚನ್ನೆರಚಿತು, ಚಿಗುರುಚಿಗುರಿಗೂ ಒಲವ ತುಂಬಿಸಿ ಹೂವು ತೋರಣ ಕಟ್ಟಿತು, ಒಳಗೂ ಹೊರಗೂ ಬೆಳಗು ಸಂಜೆಯೂ ನಿನ್ನ ದನಿಯೇ ತೇಲಿತು, ಎಂಟು ದಿಕ್ಕಿನ ಗಾಳಿಯಲ್ಲೂ ನಿನ್ನ ದನಿಯೇ ಕೇಳಿತು.

ಇಂದು ಮಾಗಿಯು ಮುಗಿವ ಮುನ್ನವೇ ನಗುವ ಬೇಸಗೆ ಬಂದಿದೆ, ಕಾಮನಂ ಬೆಳರನ್ನು ತಂದಿದೆ, ಬಾಲ ಹಾದಿಯ ಎರಡು ಕದೆಯಲೂ ಕಣ್ಗೆ ಹಬ್ಬವು ಹರಡಿದೆ, ಮಾವು ಹೊಂಗೆಗಳನ್ಥೆ ಮನವಿದು ಹೊಸತು ಚಿಗುರನು uttide .