Sare Jahaan Se Accha....

The Indian Republic, 58 years.

A celebration of her youth; and....

a rose(India) blossoming amidst a lot of thorns(chaos).

Happy Birthday!

Nature's Lovemaking II....

The mountains and the clouds.

Moonrise...

Moonlight Sonata.

To see is to believe...

"I thought it must be the fairest picture the whole earth affords" - Mark Twain

Heaven on Earth....

A beautiful creation of paradise from the battle between the ice and the stone.

Nature's Lovemaking....

Big Sur, CA, USA; November 2007

The mountains and the seas.

Home...

Country Roads, Take Me Home by John Denver

I made a big decision a little while ago.

I don't remember what it was, which prob'ly goes to show

That many times a simple choice can prove to be essential

Even though it often might appear inconsequential.

I must have been distracted when I left my home because

Left or right I 'm sure I went. (I wonder which it was!)

Anyway, I never veered: I walked in that direction

Utterly absorbed, it seems, in quiet introspection.

For no reason I can think of, I've wandered far astray.

And that is how I got to where I find myself today.

(From (c) The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson)

What a wonderful world....

I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do

They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll never know

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

(Louis Armstrong)

It's a magical world....

(c) Bill Watterson

Poignantly, the last strip of Calvin and Hobbes. It is a magical world - a world full of new possibilities.

The Freedom of Being....

Mission Church, Santa Barbara, CA, USA; October 2007

For all on their innermost journeys towards the freedom of being.

Often, it so happens, that, we cage ourselves by our actions, thoughts, passions, limitations, and experiences, only to start yearning to break free.

I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.

(from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand)

Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a fake messiah. (Richard Bach)

The Greatest Journey(?)....

Mt. Rainier National Park, WA, USA; September 2007

Sometimes, the greatest journey is the distance between two people. (Tagline of Painted Veil (2006))

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish....

Commencement Speech, Stanford University, 2005

The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything.

The entire text of the speech can be found here.

Water...

Reflection Lake, Mt. Rainier National Park, WA, USA; September 2007

Lessons to learn from water:
#1. Provides sustenance and happiness to everyone on its journey.
#2. Even the weariest river finally ends up in the sea.
#3. Just like the havoc caused due to floods/ the fury of water, we might be forced to take drastic measures during the tough undeniable moments.

Maa Tujhe Salaam...

Vande Maataram (1997)

Salutations to thee, Divine Mother!

Mother Goddess, the World and India.

Its better to light a candle than curse the darkness....

(a) Diya (b) Tara Hussey - my honored teammate

(c) Jason Cooney - my honored hero (d) The run...

Associative Nostalgia : Friends ....

Courtesy: Rockford (1999)



Like someone said, "Friends are the flowers in the garden of life".

Innocence....

Sea World, San Diego, USA - April 2007

Enthusiasm, Innocence, Exuberance.

The Road to Ithaca....

Ganeshgudi, India; December 2006


Below are some extracts from the masterpiece by Kavafis:

When you leave for Ithaca,
may your journey be long
and full of adventures and knowledge.

Do not be afraid of Laestrigones, Cyclopes
or furious Poseidon;
you won't come across them on your way
if you don't carry them in your soul,
if your soul does not put them in front of your steps.

I hope your road is long.
May there be many a summer morning,
and may the pleasure of seeing the first ports
bring you great joy.
Try to visit the markets of Phoenicia
and buy the very best.
Go to the cities of Egypt
and learn from a people with so much to teach.

Don't lose sight of Ithaca,
for that's your destination.
But take your time;
better that the journey lasts many a year
and that your boat only drops anchor on the island
when you have grown rich
with what you learned on the way.

Don't expect Ithaca to give you many riches.
Ithaca has already given you a fine voyage;
without Ithaca you would never have parted.
Ithaca gave you everything and can give you no more.

If in the end you think that Ithaca is poor,
don't think that she has cheated you.
Because you have grown wise and lived an intense life,
and that's the meaning of Ithaca.

(Courtesy)

Learning to fly....

Dallas, USA; December 2003

For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating.

(from Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach)

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya....

Courtesy: www.google.com

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya....

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

There is not enough darkness in the world to extinguish the light of one small candle.