THE NIGHT WE SLEPT WITH...

YOUR EYES

There's something about those eyes that whenever I look in them, I get drowned.

CANNOT FORGET

Not sure if the insult was directed at me, I turned around to see the raging old lady lurching towards me, waving her finger and shouting...
"Go back to where you belong. Leave this country....."

A decade had passed since 9/11 incident in United States and no one, not even in the fresh wake of the tragedy, had anyone personally insulted me for being a Muslim. There were many incidents that took place right after 9/11 and some Muslim women even took off their head coverings (Hijab) in fear. I had heard about reports of such happenings but had never experienced any discrimination myself.

Stunned beyond belief, I stood rooted at the spot where I was about to enter the departmental store while the woman continued her rant. For a brief moment, I felt like retaliating in defense but in the end, I simple turned around and walked inside the store.

Shaken to my core, I could not shop or concentrate even at work afterwards.
My coworkers sensed the difference and on learning the details, were outraged. Each one of them, unanimously said that I should have retaliated and talked sense into that lady. That's when I realized...

That lady was in pain. In that moment, she had crossed the limit of reasoning. No amount of logic was going to make a difference or change her mind that I was not responsible for the atrocity, or my religion for that matter. How many interfaith dialogues had taken place ever since? How many efforts had been done to educate the world about the peaceful message of Islam since after? How many times had it been reminded that Islam existed in the world for over fourteen hundred years before 9/11 and no one called Muslims terrorists before that date?.....

I knew all this. I had all the answers, all the arguments, all the reasonings but I walked away in silence because one cannot make conversation with someone who is not willing to listen.

DISTANCE

LOVE CAN OVERCOME ALL DISTANCES

ENJOY WHAT YOU DO

I do a tv program a few times a year.
The other day I went for one of the recordings.

The first thing I noticed was the absence of Jay's jubilant greeting voice.
He had always been there in the past, ready with other crew members to set up all the props and arrange the stage according to my directions.

I never knew his exact job title but he did almost everything, taking charge, giving orders. Although he joked about my detail orientation and demanding perfection, I know he enjoyed the learning experience. He understood exactly where I wanted the paintings to go or the sofas to be placed. He paid attention and remembered.
He enjoyed everything he did with a zest.

I could tell from his comments that he really listened to the discussions whenever he would congratulate me at the end of each recording.

There were many other crew members doing their job but Jay was different.
His absence made me miss and think about him.

It's not that there were not others who did his job. The new young chap was energetic and did the job efficiently. Everything went smoothly. The props were set according to my wishes, the camera crew was very proficient. The manager came out to chat with me to make sure all was fine. The recording started on time and I had a hearty discussion with all my guests on the tv show, yet I missed Jay.

Jay was in his sixties but did not look a day older than thirty five. He had a young and lively spirit that enjoyed learning. It was this spirit that I had missed. The spirit that made him do everything with an enthusiasm and a keen interest. This spirit made him different from the others. He poured his heart into his work. He was like any other crew member in that studio but he became prominent and stood out due to that spirit.

It made me realize that we can all leave a mark like Jay. No matter what we do, we should always try to find joy in it. A mere task of setting up a stage becomes art when we really think about it!

SPEND TIME WITH THEM

THEY CAN TEACH US A LOT....SPEND TIME WITH THEM TO APPRECIATE LIFE

They can teach us so much

EMBRACE WHO YOU ARE

Hard Working People

I have very high respect for hard working people.

The private screening of the movie came to an end. 

I noticed the widow in her mid 60s pushing the wheel chair of her 95 yrs old father who lived with her. 

She had brought him to see his favorite classic after finishing a full day at work. 

It was raining hard outside. 

I ran to them to open the door and offered help. 

She gracefully declined. 

I watched them cross the long path to the parking lot... 

She bent over, pushing the chair and he holding the umbrella to cover them both from the downpour. 

They painted a perfect picture of pride, grace and teamwork.

I ain't saying goodbye

I ain't saying goodbye

My friend is moving far away...

I looked at the faded empty spot

Where you took your name away!

I know that you are moving on ...

Still leaving so much else behind!

All the gentle and caring words...

Many of them, said in silent talks!

You have touched so many lives...

In simply being the way you are!!

You can go wherever, my friend...

But you stay, right here with us all.

LOVE IS THE COMMITMENT TO LOVE

They ask me what is love...

Let me tell you what is love!

It is boarding a plane alone...

Leaving every known face behind!

Love is to uphold a father's word...

Given on your behalf, by your own will!

Love is a promise to yourself...

To fulfill each prayer in mother's heart!

Love is that look in a brother's eye..

As he says the final goodbye!

Love is that suppressed cry...

On a sister's lips when she hugs!

Love is the wave of all those hands...

When boarding that plane alone!

Love is leaving for a foreign land...

Love is loving a person unknown...

Love is putting your trust in faith...

Leaving a world for this one man...

Owning his honor, name and pride...

Love is the commitment to that love...

Love is leaving when your heart wants to stay...

Love is staying when all you wanted was to leave...

Love is smiling in the streaming tears...

It's learning every shortcoming and fault...

And kissing it full, on the lips, with a grin!

Love is boarding that plane alone...

Love is never looking back with remorse...

Love is holding hands for life.

SUPERSTITION

Superstition!
It is present in every culture and society. It appears in varying forms and sizes. It affects all ages and generations. It scares, it captures. It frightens, rules and dictates many a lives.
What is it really?

Number thirteen is absent from the row of buttons in many elevators in America. Does that mean that changing the label from thirteen to fourteen takes away it's superstition? And all this time while Americans are shying away from thirteen, Chinese are betting good luck on it and fearing fourteen instead!

Now who in the world would think of fearing a front door entrance? Chinese, of course! They believe the front door entrance to the garden of Ming tombs is the entrance to the other world, the abode of the dead. So what do they do? They enter from side doors! Does that mean that they are not in that other world just by using another means of entrance?

While people in India go back seven steps if a black cat crosses their path, my friends in Europe adopt black kittens as pets. Does that mean that Europeans are buying bad luck on purpose or are they out of their minds?

One of my friends freaks out if a glass breaks and goes hysterical about seven years bad luck while another coolly states that it is a good omen to ward off evil. While rest of the world is content on merely saying "good bye" or "have a safe journey", my one friend goes pale if "...and safe return" is not added at the end, because to her, it implies bad omen as if saying a final farewell.

What is it that makes one thing okay for some and fearful for others? I ask myself!

Like the majority, I always turn to my own self whenever reflecting upon human behavior. I notice that if I'm not careful, it is very easy for me to be influenced by the talk of superstition and omens. For example, when my babies cried and someone said, "oh, the baby got a bad eye", At first I felt like believing it, but then I realized that it was an easy way out. Babies cry for a reason. They cry when they are sick, disturbed or need something. Instead of finding out the cause, it is very easy to quickly blame it on the bad eye. But there's got to be SOME truth in it if so many believe in it. After all, old wisdom always has some deep roots in truth, one might argue.

I think it is all about perceptions. If let loose, it becomes a psychological trap. Once a person starts believing in superstition, his/her mind starts taking him/ her in that direction and invent logic and reasonings to explain quite natural phenomena.

By now, you must have deducted that I, personally, don't believe in superstition, although, I don't object to others indulging in it as it's their personal views and beliefs. The basic reason why I don't believe in superstition is my faith. I believe in one Omnipotent God. I have complete faith in His powers, His decisions and His love. Nothing is above and beyond Him. Everything follows His command and nothing takes place against His will. He has written my destiny and He owns my life. Once I have this complete faith, then there is no room left for giving power to a mere number or the color of an animal to change my fate. If a happiness comes my way, it's His blessing and if, God forbid, a hardship befalls me, it's a trial from Him to test my faith.

A mirror was invented to see the reflections of things in the present, not of future. Salt wasn't refined to be thrown over the shoulder to ward off evil but to be used for consumption. Doors are constructed to be entered, not to be avoided. A crow makes a call because it's a bird, not because someone's going to visit. An eye twitches as a sign of stress or a weak nerve, not because something bad is going to happen.

The thing is that when someone has a fear of a superstition as a bad omen, their fear leads them to act nervously and in that state they might make certain mistakes, the outcome of which furthers their belief. In their condition, they fail to see the link between their own action and reaction and blame the superstition. Such is the nature of us humans that we want to avoid taking responsibility for our own actions that bring misfortunes. We are always willing to get the credit for success and achievements but are always looking for an escape goat for our failures, and superstitions are a ready made, easy solutions at hand.

Some believe in lucky charms. Again, it's the placebo affect at hand that sometimes lead to positive happenings on receiving a lucky charm or good omen. It's the weakness of faith that leads to putting trust in other objects. The person starts relating the good feelings or happy endings with signs or objects and falls in the trap of superstition, from which it is extremely difficult to escape, unless the person consciously makes an effort. Uncountable number of people have been conned by an equally competing number who trapped the gullible souls by introducing them to that "feel good" or "feel lucky" state of mind. The charms industry thrives on the superstition of customers who buy from precious gem stones to horse shoes to penniless stones, in the name of good luck.

Life is a combination of ups and downs. Things happen, things that are out of our control. The belief in superstition is also an attempt at controlling and altering the natural phenomena. Human desire to control every phenomena has led to weird practices. People have invented cults, worshipped all sorts of objects and made horrendous sacrifices under such influences. Only education, wisdom and a conscious effort can help one get out of the talons of superstition.