Comfortable shoes

Read this somewhere - 

An old man turned to me at the bus stop and said "Do you know the secret to lifelong happiness? .... 

Comfortable shoes."

There is truth in this at so many levels that it's too good to pass without sharing.

ಚಿಂತ್ಯಾಕೆ ಮಾಡುತಿದ್ದಿ (Chintyake maadutiddi) - ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸರು

A Song that I have loved since my childhood. I first came across this in vividbharati radio early in the morning. It has always made my mornings a little more pleasant.

(ಪ್ರಾಣಿ) ಚಿಂತ್ಯಾಕೆ ಮಾಡುತಿದ್ದಿ ಚಿನ್ಮಯನಿದ್ದಾನೆ,
ಚಿಂತಾರತ್ನವೆಂಬೊ ಅನಂತನಿದ್ದಾನೇ ।

ಎಳ್ಲುಮೊನೆಯಾ ಮುಳ್ಳು ಕೊನೆಯಾ, ಹೊಳ್ಳು ಬಿಡದೆ ಒಳಗೆ ಹೊರಗೆ,
ಎಲ್ಲ ಠಾವಿನಲ್ಲಿಲಕುಮಿನಲ್ಲನಿದ್ದಾನೇ ।

ಹಿಂದೆ ನಿನ್ನಾ ಸಲಹಿದರ್ ಯಾರೋ, ಮುಂದೆ ನಿನ್ನ ಪೊಲುವವರ್ ಯಾರೋ,
ಅಂದಿಗಿಂದಿಗೆಂದಿಗೂ ಗೋವಿಂದ ನಿದ್ದಾನೇ ।

ಗೋಪ್ತಾ ತ್ರಿಜಗದ್ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಾ ಭಜಕರ ಆಪ್ತನೆನಿಸಿ ಸ್ತಂಭದಲ್ಲಿ,
ಪ್ರಾಪ್ತನಾದ ಪ್ರಹ್ಲಾದನ ಪರಮಾಪ್ತ ನಿದ್ದಾನೇ ।

ಮುಕ್ಕಣ್ಣ ದೇವರ್ಕಳಿಗೇ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದ್ದ ಸೆರೆಯನ್ನು ಬಿಡಿಸಿ,
ಚಿಕ್ಕವರಿಗೆ ಅಚಲ ಪದವಿಯ ದಕ್ಕಿಸಿದ್ದಾನೇ ।

ನಾನು ನನ್ನದುಯೆಂಬುದ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೀನವಿಷಯಂಗಳನು ಜರಿದು,
ಜ್ಞಾನಗಮ್ಯ ಕಾಯೋಯೆನಲು ಪೂರ್ಣನಿದ್ದಾನೇ ।

ಸುತ್ತ ಬಂದ ದುರಿತಗಳನು ಕತ್ತರಿಸಿ ಕಡಿದಾಕೊವಂಥ,
ಹೆತ್ತ ತಾಯಿ ತಂದೆ ತವರೂ ಹತ್ತಿರಿದ್ದಾನೇ ।

ಬಲ್ಲಿದ ಭಜಕರ ಹೃದಯದಿ ಮುದ್ದು ಪುರಂದರವಿಠಲ ನಿಂತು,
ಸೊಲ್ಲು ಸೊಲ್ಲಿಗವರ ಬಯಕೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುತಿದ್ದಾನೇ ।

ನಿನ್ನ ಒಲುಮೆಯಿಂದ - ವಿಜಯ ದಾಸರು

ನಿನ್ನ ಒಲುಮೆಯಿಂದ ನಿಖಿಳ ಜನರು ಬಂದು ಮನ್ನಿಸುವರೋ ಮಹರಾಯ ।

ಎನ್ನ ಪುಣ್ಯಗಲಿಂದ ಈ ಪರಿಯುಂಟೆನೊ ನಿನ್ನದೇ ಸಕಲ ಸಂಪತ್ತು ।।

ಜೀರ್ಣ ಮಲಿನ ವಸ್ತ್ರ ಕಾಣದ ಮನುಜಗೆ ಪೂರ್ಣವಿಚಿತ್ರ ಸುವಾಸನ ।

ವರ್ಣ ವರ್ಣದಿಂದ ಬಾಹೋದೇನೊ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಗುಣಾರ್ಣವ ದೇವಾ ।।

ಒಬ್ಬ ಹೆಂಗಸಿನ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆಗೆ ಹಾಕುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ತಬ್ಬಿಬ್ಬುಗೊಂಡೆನೊ ಹಿಂದೆ ।

ನಿರ್ಭರದಿಂದಲಿ ಸರ್ವರ ಕೂಡುಂಬೊ ಹಬ್ಬದೂಟವ ಉಣ್ಣಿಸುವೆಯೋ ।।

ಸಂಜಿ ತನಕ ಇದ್ದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಸೌಟಿನ ತುಂಬ ಗಂಜಿ ಕಾಣದೆ ಬಳಲಿದೆನೋ ।

ವ್ಯಂಜನ ಮೊದಲಾದ ನಾನ ರಸಂಗಳ ಭುಜಿಸುವುದು ಮತ್ತೇನೋ ।।

ಮನೆ ಮನೆ ತಿರುಗಿದರು ಕಾಸು ಪುಟ್ಟದೆ ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಚಾಲವರಿದು ಬಳಲಿದೆನೋ ।

ಹಣ ಹೊನ್ನು ದ್ರವ್ಯಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ತಾನಾಗೆ ತಾತ ಪ್ರಾಪ್ತಿ ನೊಡೋ ಜೀಯಾ ।।

ಮಧ್ಯಾನ್ನ ಕಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಅತಿಥಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಅನ್ನ ಮೆದ್ದೆನೆಂದರೆ ಈಯಗಾವ ।

ಈ ಧರೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಸತ್ಪಾತ್ರರ ಕೂಡುಂಬೊ ಪದ್ಧತಿ ನೋಡೋ ಪುಣ್ಯಾತ್ಮ ।।

ನೀಚೊಚ್ಛ ತಿಳಿಯದೆ ಸರ್ವರ ಚರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಚಾಚಿದೆನೋಸಲ ಹಸ್ತಗಳ ।
ಯೋಚಿಸಿ ನೋಡಲು ಸೋಜಿಗವಾಗಿದೆ ವಾಚಕ್ಕೆ ನಿಲಿಕದೋ ಹರಿಯೇ ।।

ವೈದಿಕ ಪದವೀವಗೀಬಗೆ  ಲೌಕಿಕ ವೈದಿಸುವದು ಬಲು ಕ್ಯಾತೆ ।
ಮೈದುನಗೋಲಿದ ಶ್ರೀ ವಿಜಯವಿಟ್ಠಲ ನಿನ್ನ ಪಾದಸಾಕ್ಷಿಯ ಅನುಭವವೋ ।।

Instead of waiting to grow wings...

I am going to hang out with the birds.
-- heard on TV

Really cool perspective of knowing your limits, which is very important for a successful run. Don't set yourself up for failure right at the start.

ನಾವು ಅಸ್ವತಂತ್ರರು. ಅವನೊಬ್ಬನೇ ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರ. Just acting like we are or trying to be free, is not going to change anything. Its just going to create an incompatibility with our innate nature.

Movies in the dead zone

I used to wonder why I dont like most of the hindi or kannada movies. Now I have the answer, because they are in the dead zone - an absolutely wonderful piece by Seth. Most of the movies are in this dead zone, reason being our film industry tries hard to be slick but can never reach there, however they will never settle to being authentic. And once in a while, there are gems that come out of nowhere like Anada bhairavi, Swarna Kamalam, Rang de basanti, or Nammoora Mandara hoove which are really authentic and I wonder why are these people not producing more. I guess that is because it is really difficult to produce something authentic as it is difficult to be slick.

Indians dont value freedom

"Indians dont value freedom" - aptly said. I think, most of us, dont know that such a thing exists. The only way we know (atleast try to) that it does is by looking at other cultures, and instead of understanding, we copy their external appearance expecting to be free.

And I guess that this is one reason why we value our history so much and continuously brag about it. Our forefathers were freer than us and we can see that, or feel that but don't know how to be that or get that. Ah! I now see light!

namami.org

I wish we can somehow catalog all the vedas. We have lost huge chunks of it they say.

Like a candle light in the darkness, I found this website called namami.org which is a database of manuscripts. Its a website created and maintained by Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Govt. of India. They store all kinds of manuscripts not just the vedas or hindu scriptures. They are into conservation, digitization and publication of all the old manuscripts found in this ancient land. So if you find any manuscripts at home or your grandpa's attic, please send them across to namami and they will preserve it.

Go to Him

A friend of mine, Srikanth, forwarded this story -

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."

"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Great Story!! Its normal to feel the way the barber did, since we look at the Lord as our parent (atleast most of us) and expect Him to help us out at all times. Among all the other things, He has given us a tiny bit of free-will as well (remember we are like Him, like the saltiness of the sea water drop), and he respects that to the core. So like a dad who will stand back and not really meddle into His teenager's life, He will stand back and watch. At the same time, He will feel real bad if his son/daughter treads in the wrong direction. He even tries to tell us, but we normally don't listen to our dad, do we? So if you don't choose to go ask Him, He will stay out of your way. However if you just choose to cry out loud once for your dad, He will appear out of nowhere and pick you up in an instant and console you. Love you Dad!

Code for Indian National Flag

This august I saw a lot of people (I guess unknowingly) disrespecting the Indian flag. I even saw one instance of a guy who was drapping the front hood of his car with the flag. I guess his patriotism was overflowing out of his engine. I think the best way to avoid these acts, is to include an instruction sheet along with the flag when its sold. By the way, please say no to plastic flags. They are not all that beautiful and harmful to the environment as well.

From Flag.de

The Chakra on the National Flag was officially defined at 75% of the white stripe in 1947 (taken from specifications issued by the Indian Standards Institution), but according to William Crampton (1993) this has largely been ignored in practice ever since. To quote from Dr Crampton's notes: "...in practice the Chakra occupies 98% of the white stripe (or thereabouts)", and the spec he drew up shows it at exactly that.
Christopher Southworth, 23 May 2004

Flag code as defined by Ministry of Home Affairs - http://www.mha.gov.in/nationalflag2002.htm

From the wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_India