A mail from a friend

Hi,

This week I received an interesting mail from a friend (Bijoy - Thanks again.)

It had the following lines of Dawna Markowa.

I will not die an unlived life
I will not live in fear of falling
Or of catching fire
I choose to inhabit my days
To allow my living to open me
Making me less afraid
More accessible
To loosen my heart
So that it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise
I choose to risk my significance.
To live so that that which comes to me as seed
Goes to the next as blossom
And that which comes to me as blossom
Goes on as fruit.

The above best epitomises this blog's identity as well.

Vijay

Words of Stanley Kunitz

Hi,

The latest issue of economist mag carries an obituary of Stanley Kunitz.

The section ended quoting the immortal words of Stan. I take pride in reproducing them in this blog.

Stanley Kunitz's immortal words:

---------
Becoming, never being, till
Becoming is a being still.
----------

May Stan's soul rest in peace.

Vijay

Has your time arrived?

Hi,

I am a keen reader of zen poems. This week, I had some time to re-read some of my favorite zen poems. As always, the simplicity of the verses and the meaning they carry leave a lasting impression on you.

I have reproduced some of Bankei's works below:

"Unborn and imperishable
Is the original mind
Earth, water, fire and wind
A temporary lodging for the night

Attached to this
Ephemeral burning house
You yourselves light the fire, kindle the flames
In which you've consumed"

"Die - then live
day and night within the world
Once you've done this, then you can
Hold the world right in your hand"

I have also reproduced below, some of the works of Ryokan that startled me:

"How happy I am
As I go hand in hand
With the children,
To gather young greens
In the field of spring"

"The wind brings enough
Of fallen leaves
To make a fire"

"What a happy thing it is
To listen to the frogs
In the mountain fields
Stetched at full length
In my thatched hut"

(I do not know why Ryokan used "my thatched hut")

The best of all:

"What shall I leave
As a memento
Flowers in the spring
The hototogisu in summer,
Tinted leaves of autumn"

(Hototogisu - A tiny bird with a beautiful voice)

Love,

Vijay

The advantage of being an editorial reader

Hi,

A very eventful week, this.

I happened to meet one of my senior colleagues after some 7 years. Retired, but active as ever, we chatted for a while about general things. I drew a lot of inspiration from his leadership style, when we worked together. He had a way of managing people; very hands-off and waiting for people to settle down before they start delivering results.

One of the things I had learnt from him is the habit of reading editorials. When I got to discuss with him about this habit, I received the following nuggets:

1. Editorial represents another person's view point on an issue - usually a burning issue. It helps us being open to another perspective. It helps shedding dogmatic outlook, when other points are brought to the fore.

2. Being opinionated can be harmful as we do not know if we are on the right track. Intelligently written editorials, he said, has helped him stay open to others' ideas and also reduce the obsession with one's own.

The beauty about this is, the above traits set-in without even the knowledge of the reader of editorials.

He also provided a list of newspapers that carry thought provoking editorials.

1. The Hindu
2. Japan Times
3. Jakarta Post
4. Sydney Morning Herald
5. The Times
6. Washington Post

Happy reading!

Vijay

The "aesthetic face" of begging in India

Hi,

When a country develops; it shows. Though economic pundits would want to rely more on GDP growth rates and the comfortable BoP situation, I see a sea change in the way begging is done in India.

Till about the late 90s, begging was an profession dependent on beggars’ ability to invite pity. Today, the tables have overturned; it involves triggering the donator’s guilt and not pity.

When Indians were not earning much (when the government was the leading employer), the living standards were not upto the mark. Not many owned televisions and other gadgets. Hence, to beg, one needed to work hard to show the utter hopelessness. As the majority was suffering (tight budgets and little extravaganzas), it called for putting oneself in utter penury to extract a donation.

With the improvement in salary levels and a boom in private sector jobs, the face of Indian families has undergone a change. Ownership of gadgets is on the rise and the average income has touched new heights. There are also multiple bread-winners in each family, earning enough to make ends meet and also to save a decent sum every month. Now, begging needn’t have to showcase its penury as it was earlier. Reason: In a state of wellbeing, even a minor level of hopelessness can easily fetch the required attention.

The next time you notice a well-dressed young man limping around, asking for alms, don’t be surprised. He is dressed well because he knows that penurious state need not have to manifest in his dressing. He knows that his limp is more than enough to evoke the desired response.

Vijay