What does Diwali mean to me?

At work, i needed to write something on Halloween and so i started reading up about it. i'm supposed to write banner and newsletter copy inducing people to buy flowers on this occasion. Since, i have never celebrated or even seen Halloween celebrations, i wanted to gain thorough knowledge about it to write better. That got me thinking, how much of the actual write-up that is floating around on the internet is part of the common man's celebration of such occasions? Diwali for example, the biggest of it all. As per one of the beliefs, Diwali is supposed to be celebrated for Lord Ram's return from his exile (banwaas). For Jains, it is the time when Lord Mahavira attained Moksha and contrary to pompous celebrations, one is supposed to fast for 2 days. For me, it's been about sweets, new clothes, puja at office (Pa's and later mine), bursting the shagun firecrackers, shagun rangoli, sometimes holidaying, buying gold on Dhanteras and stressful cleaning of the house... For many years, it was about going to Harish Kaka's home at Solapur and taking part in the puja. It was a time for togetherness, getting cash and going to neighbours' houses to eat sweetmeats flaunting new clothes :) i love the traditional Lakshmi puja, which always made me hopeful that it'll bring loads of riches into our lives. The thought is still so alluring :) We would then take off on a holiday to someplace close. Last year was the only year i was not home. i was in Australia with Maishu :) And believe me, no matter how comfortable you are in a foreign country, during festive times and specially during Diwali, you miss being home. Since the time i started working, i have hardly been part of the cleaning but still they do screw up the weekends. Then there is the stress of going to the beauty parlour and finishing shopping on time and sending out gifts on time. Since the last 2 years, we've been going to J's house for lakshmi puja. That is fun too. But it is sister's in-laws place :), so you know how it would be. I've a rule - for Diwali, New Year's and my birthday, no matter how many new clothes i have, i buy new clothes :) And that makes me extremely happy. i hope this Diwali is superbly different and superbly fun :) Amen!

Whatta song! *mesmerised smiley*

Beautiful! Am in love with this song....

Your love is like a star, shining in my heart
Lighting up my life it's true girl
Never felt this way before
I keep wanting it more and more
What would I be without you

You've shown me the love I've never seen

You've given me my world
I couldn't find on my own
Now I know what love is

Meri saanson se tere pyaar ki khushboo aaye
Tere aane se mere dil pe nikhaar aa jaaye
Dil ko tune jo chhua
Aisa mehsoos hua
Jaise sehara mein bhi bhoole se
Ghataa chha jaaye

Tera mera pyaar sanam, vaada hai kabhi ho na kam
Ban ke dhadkan tu meri jaanum base dil mein mere


Oh my, my oh my
I don't wanna hear you say goodbye
How much you mean to me
I realise, realise
Come near, baby come close
I'm not ever gonna let you go
How much you mean to me
Do you know

Tera mera pyaar sanam, vaada hai kabhi ho na kam

Good read

Reproduced from Paulo Coelho's blog. No wonder, he is my favourite :)

Reading starts from here -

When I was young, my parents sent me to a mental institution three times ( 1966, 1967, 1968). The reasons in my medical files are banal. It was said that I was isolated, hostile and miserable at school. I was not crazy but I was rather just a 17-year-old who really wanted to become a writer. Because no one understood this, I was locked up for months and fed with tranquilizers. The therapy merely consisted of giving me electroshocks. I promised to myself that one day I would write about this experience, so young people will understand that we have to fight for our own dreams from a very early stage of our lives.

When I realeased “Veronika decides to die”, a book that was a metaphor of my experience in a lunatic asylum, the press started asking me if I forgave my parents. In fact, I did not need to forgive them, because I never blamed them for what happened. From their own point-of-view, they were trying to help me to get the discipline necessary to accomplish my deeds as an adult, and to forget the “dreams of a teenager” .

Khalil Gibran has an excellent text about parents and children:

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Why is it such a struggle!

Why is life such a struggle?
Struggle to -
not let anybody cut lanes and wrongly go ahead of me in traffic
reassure the folks that nothing is going on between me and my co-workers
let me take the car to work
make my own decisions and get support for it
accomplish the work (career) on hand with some accolades and internal satisfaction
buy a 'so-called' expensive thing
convince the folks to live life extravagantly
to eat what i want to

i know it's one's perspective and attitude towards life, but at some point of time, you want to live without having to explain to anybody. That definitely does not mean i want people to stop caring about me. But for once, can i make a decision and be assured that i am not going to be judged for it. Can i have unquestioned faith and support without a sense of despair on me? i don't want people to give up on me, i just want a few, real words of encouragement and belief. How many times do i have to prove myself and seek approval?

Life is not meant to be a struggle. It is supposed to be a celebration (it may sound bookish and artificial but it really is a celebration)

And i ask for a life full of happy celebrations.
A never ending party.
i know i deserve it.

Forward!

i did something phenomenally big.
i had expected an equally phenomenal change in myself after that.
i do realise that it does not come instantly.
i do see a change.

Would quote Ratatouille movie dialogue here -
"With luck... forward"
Amen!

Credited to Shashibhushan Udyavar

You meet so many individuals in your life.
In my office there is a cool mix of all kinds.

Among the niftiest ones is - Shashibhushan Udyavar a.k.a. Sasii, Shash, Sexy

To tell you about him in one word, he is just too good to be true.
But there he is, making you feel like life can be perfect.

He just casually said today that, "i never feel lonely"
me: "ohh... i know, there is a lot of work today, so there must be no time to feel lonely"
Shashi: "No, not work. i just am never alone"
me: "You must be having company all the time"
Shashi: "No, i just don't feel lonely ever"
me: " "

Yet again, i came away impressed and learned
:)

No wonder people like being in his company, because he doesn't let his own self feel lonely too.

Living life to the fullest?

What exactly is living life to the fullest?

Is it shopping incessantly even when there is no rhyme or reason?
Is it going on eating when the appetite is crying out loud to stop?
Or is it listening to the same song every time the headphones are on?

Answers anyone?

To the ones who are living it up and the ones who are keeping it low???