Mental Excursions

Men’s day indeed! You know what date it is today, don’t you? A few years ago, a young man challenged me about the importance of today, the 19th of November.   Now it is the birthday of a darling friend and the wedding anniversary of another dear one, and I wish them tons of joy and happiness, is what I told him. No, in a haughty proof of his superior knowledge on topics general, he enlightened me that the day is observed as International Men’s Day (IMD) the world over. I thought it was a joke, and a very poor one at that. But what the heck? Turned out he was right. This men’s day thing has been observed since 1992 and here I thought that every day was men’s day since that genius Adam somehow convinced his partner to bite into an apple, the fruit which was the first one to make it into Bible, and create all this chaos. We shall talk about apples some other time. Right now, my only concern is – the present, i.e., today. It was obviously a man, Thomas Oaster, who had in 1992, ...

A very good morning to you too! Trying to overcome this strange feeling of unnaturalness during Covid times, I looked for and found not one, but many suggestions, write-ups and videos from several well-wishers and the internet. Most said we should be grateful for what we have and not complain about what we do not have, which would make things easier in those difficult times. It seemed to make sense because the list of what we have is generally a whole lot shorter than that of our desires or wanna-haves. So, this exercise in gratitude not only takes very little time and effort, but also eggs people on to yearn for the longer list and distracts the mind from the current issues. Unlike what we do with most of the advice, I started to follow this in true spirit. For a few months I was effusive in my gratitude to and for everything- nature with all the living and non-living beings in it (lizards would forever be an exception), family and friends, residents in our complex who smile back,...

One for the road Can you compare my category of people with the supporting dancers in a Bollywood item song? No, they are energetic and dressed (in)appropriately. We, on the other hand, must be mere supporting actors to achievers on this planet. We exist, living quiet, dull lives while the history-makers do things. They love excitement and adventure and are not averse to taking a few risks to make life spicy. They do not join the army, for wars are few and far between nowadays. They go out for adventure sports and the like. Their existence is punctuated with thrill, enthusiasm, positivity, and excitement. Their names flash in news in electronic and print media, even if posthumously. Imagine yourself merrily enjoying the breeze and dull sunlight (there is a haze due to pollution) on your face riding your two-wheeler or sitting in your car, humming along with music, or enjoying a conversation with your fellow passenger, as you drive on the road . The time ticker on the traffic light c...