Mehfil

Thursday, April 21, 2005

YOUR FUTURE..'IN YOUR HANDS'!

There's this beautiful saying;
" Yesterday Is gone
Tomorrow hasn't yet come
Today has arisen
That's why its called
'The Present' "
Indeed its true. A perfectly realistic approach to look
at life implies that what is important is the very
moment one is breathing in; and neither the bygone nor
the upcoming age. Yet the basic inquisitive nature
of the human mind cannot resist but to seek various ways
to peep in the most uncanny mystry..the time called
Future! In the same endeavors; there have sprung
umpteen ways right from ancient times to predict what's
gonna happen..and off course; Palmistry has been one of
the favorite ones.
As an amateur palmistry learner; I got to have
some wonderful time in the last couple of days.It fetched me a wide number of friends which otherwise wasn't all that possible.
I read people's hands making it very clear in the
beginning itself not to take me much seriously though I
had done my homework. Although the whole 'hand reading
process' was meant for fun or entertainment; to my own surprise; the fact that in many of the cases; the readings were coming quite close which was like a pat on my back.
Most of them wanted to know about their careers.
More emphasis was given on going and or settling abroad.
Many ones seemed interested to know weather theirs is going to be an adventurous love marriage or a 'procedural' arranged marriage! Bussiness or job. Health and overall peace of mind. Relationships and backing of luck. All these issues were on the hot list!
Palmistry believes that woven in the mesh of lines on the palm is the mixture of one's past, present and future. The job of a palmist is to resolve it correctly. Strict restrictions are there not to disclose any negative fact (even if detected) that can lead to depression or can cause any harmful doubts. There are
distinct lines signifying distinct aspects. The mounts on the hands; the directions of the lines; their clarity; extra lines; form of fingers..all these factors are taken into consideration to carry out a reading or to make a prediction. It is a methodical process and not a 'by fluke hit'.
What lies beneath; is a questionnaire. Does Palmistry make sense? If so; how much? If the lines are ever changing; then does our destiny also change? If I have wonderful lines does it mean I am gonna be on the top of the world anyway? Isn't believing in palmistry superstitious or more like not believing in yourself?
Is God a fool to declare everything onto one's palm?Oh crap!
Yup friends !It sure is controversial. As controversial as 'Is there God?';'Mercy killing=good or bad'; 'Atomic energy = Curse or boon'..so on and so forth. And I tell you; we can go on arguing but we will never find the answers to these questions because there
Are no answers. All these sciences and techniques are babies of human intelligence and that's why they are useful; yet so much incomplete. Even our so called scientific science is not an exception to it as it is not absolute and holds good only in its own little frame of reference.
It is certainly inappropriate to rely completely upon such obscure methodology but at the same time one should not simply criticize it bitterly or call it absolute rubbish just because he or she is not convinced enough. It may not be matured enough to claim that there exits no fourth dimension simply because our knowledge
is limited to three ones. You never know!
If palmistry is pragmatic and harmless; why not go for it?
If Mr X is going to think twice before taking his first sip of alcohol because his palmist has warned him not to do so; we should go for it!!
If a prediction of a better tomorrow in spite of his hopeless present is going to give a boost to a depressed fellow; I say go
for it!!!
Success is after all a necessary combination of
efforts and destiny. Both of them dwell upon the same
palm of us. That's why without hesitation I can say one
thing ;
" Believe it or not; Your future lies in your hands!!!"

What say?

~ Pradnya Joshi

WHO AM I?

When I look at
I feel one
With the infinite sky
I don't know why?
Who am I?

Just like me;
a tiny heart beats
In the one passing by
I don't know how and why?
Who am I?

I shed a tear
but I overlook
my neighbour's baby cry
I don't know why?
Who am I?

Among the pinnacle of beauty
that I always wanted to see
I close my eye
I don't know why?
who am I?

I want Peace; yet I fight
I love Love; yet I hate
I live for Joy; yet I hurt
I expect Truth; yet I lie..
I don't know why?
WHO AM I?


Smaller than the smallest
or bigger than the biggest
An eternal self;
But I am going to die
I don't know why?
Who am I?

~ Pradnya Joshi ( Am I her??? )

In search of Joy..

Marching in the queue;slowly ahead
With scores of complaints on my head
In search of peace
In search of joy!

Before me stood many men
some sick blind some lame
In search of health
In search of joy!

Men shrunk with hunger
Men burning with anger
In search of food twice a day
In search of joy!

Rich and lonely with bundles of money
Craving for 'theirones';around if any
In search of love
In search of joy!

Orphans Robbed Mentally retareded
Gulping their own tears;frustrated
In search of justice
In search of joy!

I could think;see;stand on my own feet
I was so beautiful; loved and complete
I stepped back as I realized
My joy was always in search of me!

~ Pradnya Joshi

Have you ever..???

Have you ever had a stroll upon
banks of a river on full-moon-night?
Hearing the molten silver purl by
Smelling the fragrance of moonlight..

Have you ever drunk the winter winds
Brushing the autumn leaves go dance
Ever soaked in pouring rains
Getting outta home;taking up the chance..

Have you ever given Mom a helping hand
Ever shared a secret openly with Dad
Ever massaged GrandMa's throbbing head
Have u been there when things went bad?

Have your eyes ever watered
To see an orphan child cry
Have you ever wiped off someone's tears
To make things better;have you given a try??

Have you ever pondered why you are born
With silver spoon or golden cup
Have you ever really loved your 'being'?
'Coz life is all about 'living it up!'..

~ Pradnya Joshi

" Crystal Cathedral"

Everywhere my eyesight would fly
All I could find was sand and sand
The life as if over
Buried under the cover
Of clear and clean perpetual sky

Not a glimpse of hope or chance
That some day the earth will breed
Flowers on trees
Medows will please
That the rivers and streams will dance

Right there; In that same dead land
Firmly stood the the crystal edifice
Shining like a gem
Greenary ;its aim
Without a miracle or magic wand

The Green House dwelling in the dreary desert
Built with a few precious drops of water
Emerald world
Their 'Crystal Cathedral'
Not a God gifted oasis but a devine effort

~ Pradnya

"Life means More.."

The deeper I dive in
I find many More depths to begin

The happier I stay
More Joy is on its way

For every bit of my gratitude
There is a reward of plentitude

The more I offer and serve
The returns are much More than I deserve

The wider I smile
God lingers a little More while

~ Pradnya Joshi

" Just Do It! "

Just close your eyes and See
The colours of your inner beauty


Just plug your ears and hear
The music of your heart from near


Just pause your breath and feel
The force flowing in you;so real


Just hault your race and enjoy
The pace of time's own; going by


Just cease your mind and think
The conflicts invoke;they so sink


Just take a break and work
Not for obligations;but true perk


Just live a life and pass away
That shall make a diference;in a better way!

~ Pradnya

Sunday, April 03, 2005

“ A walk among debris…”

On the New Year’s Eve, while the bottles of Champaign were uncorked and the skies were illuminated with firecrackers everywhere, our bus, carrying 42 people was heading towards Nagipattanam, the district which one of the most unfortunate prey of the Tsunami. I am sure all of us had similar colors of thoughts at that point of time.."Let the upcoming year be devoid of any of such painful disasters…”
Traversing about 500 KMs from Bangalore, as we were nearing Nagipattanam, the signs of the catastrophe became more and more obvious. Army men on the signals, sand on the road, bleaching powder sprinkled on the pavements and strong odors of chlorine mixed with that of decomposed organics. We could foresee the scenario that we would be encountering in the next 2 days.

Lots of NGO's have got involved in the sanitation and rehabilitation activities; but the most prominent one we observed was the RSS. They were offering all assistance to the volunteers coming down which included free vaccination against infections, supplies of masks and gloves, food and lodging facilities. All the volunteers must be vaccinated and should be equipped with masks and gloves before going to the 'fields' as they call the damaged areas. Our batch was then assigned a small coastal village "Akkaraipettai" having fishermen as majority of its population. Small houses, mainly built with bricks and coconut leaves were situated next to the beach. The fishermen here were quite well to do as they were into very fruitful prawns farming and the village was quite self sufficient. As we entered the market road (or should I say the 'ex'-market road) the hangover of Christmas celebration was clearly visible. Dangling of the broken lanterns, torn ribbons was making the crashed edifices look even more aweful.Along both shores of the road were lined up series of debris half wet half burnt. Debris was all that was leftover in Akkaraipettai. Daily used Commodities, planks, clothing and household goods were scattered all over. Smashed Vehicles lied upside down and were getting rusted by the salt waters. Bulky catamarans which were anchored right into the sea were carried right into the town by the gushing waves. As per the villagers the tsunami waves leapt almost till 45-60 feet, taller than any building in the town. The waves were full of underwater minerals which were quite poisonous. Even those who could swim and get there way through could not fight the chemical composition of the swigs of venom.

The monstrous waves had gulped the entire existence of the town within a few seconds, on that 'doomsday’. As a perfect package of catastrophes, short circuits had followed the Tsunami attacks. A bridge joining two towns across the bay was completely collapsed as if made up of thermocol, burried countless human beings underneath its mammoth blocks. We trudged wearily through the devastated human households, as numb as any Insomniac and heartbroken. It took us few hours to accept what we just saw wasn't a horror movie but a naked truth. To avid emotional outbursts of our own, we busied ourselves with distribution, cleaning and other works..




The most tedious and urgent task was to dispose of the corpses getting degraded and spreading infectious odors across air. Thousands of bodies were cremated without identification in bulk and the remaining are under disposal as and when and where they are found. The count of casualties is so high that still the notifications of dead bodies are being received from the villagers. We assisted the RSS volunteers undertaking this job rigorously. Owners of houses, who survived somehow, silently watched with misty eyes the remains of their houses getting bulldozed. Appeared from the debris either bodies of their loved one's or the tatters of their sweet homes. Their tranquility was pregnant with their tale of agony. The survivors are shifted in relief camps established in schools, temples, mosques and kirks. There has been incessant supply of necessary and unnecessary goods from all over the world, thereby making categorization and distribution of those goods a massive task. Many of the goods like blankets and clothing are in so much excess that piles of garments are thrown in the courtyards of houses. The states of the donated clothing were such that seemingly they were 'disposed off' into the 'donation drives'! The villagers complained that they were not beggars to accept such materials and sometimes even react violently. It wasn't tough for us to fathom their mindset when receiving filthy stuff only because their own belongings were whisked away by destiny.
To add to their peril the "paparazzi" from all across the world goof around and sympathies and ask questions and buzz off. They get great cover stories here to depict the peculiar "hungry and poor India" in their dreams!
What we could do in those two days was not even a drop in ocean. There's mammoth rehabilitation work up front. Abysmal funds and efforts are needed to get these villages back on the map. It’s these hard times when the humanity otherwise relinquished, reincarnates like phoenix. The true 'humans' serving their unknown brothers and sisters wholeheartedly are the angels indeed reinforcing the hope to 'live'. Contribution of necessary goods, monetary help or time and effort…anything and everything is needed. If not any of these, heartfelt prayers are requested. That walk among the debris had triggered whirlpools in my mind about credibility of science, existence of so called savior Almighty, and death and life and what not! Not that I got answers for any of these questions or my life is transformed thoroughly; but the next time I am on verge of cribbing about peeling paint in my house or my meal, less hot; I would truly think again to thank the Lord for retaining that roof over my head and putting that meal on my table…

Pradnya Joshi
7 Jan 2005