Rumbling Reflections

This is the age of productivity. It's that segment of evolution where reams of pages are being written on being productive, strategies to enhance efficiency and tools to achieve greatness.  The dictum "Time is money" never seemed so true than in this age. There is almost a whole industry that has been built on maximising time and extracting every ounce of potential from individuals. Self help gurus are the trendsetters and t he incessant pressure to constantly remain active is akin to stoking a fire, always adding fuel to keep it burning .  In such an age that places a high premium on utilising time, harbouring productivity and being in the rat race, there is a high cost placed on standing still. One has to keep running races irrespective of whether one has sight on the target, an awareness of why he is in the race or what he is doing. You must seem to be busy, you must be seen busy and you must be on the run, forever.  How did we come to this?  About 15 to 20 years ...

Desires are the starting point of evolution. Desire- the six letter word was the ignition key that spurred the growth of human intellect.  But, is this desire a natural process that manifests on its own? Well, the answer to this is quite tricky. Most of the times, it all begins with a flicker of temptation. That little spark of temptation within the mind is enough to set ablaze a giant ball of fire. That fire is the desire.  Fire, desire, temptation, spark. You may be wondering where this is going. Let me just give a background.  January 19th of 2021 is a day that most of us would never forget. An Indian team with a majority of rookies had managed to beat Australia in their own den and won the series. There was euphoria all over, it was akin to winning the world cup!  A nation with countless gods and heroes had found few more in a fortnight where the quality of sport witnessed was of the very highest standards. People went ballistic on Rishabh Pant, Shubhman Gill, Mo...

ಈ ಕೋವಿಡ್ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾದಾಗಿನಿಂದ ಮನೆಯೇ ಸರ್ವಸ್ವವಾಗಿ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳೇ ಕಳೆದಿವೆ. ಮನೆ ಮತ್ತು ಕಚೇರಿಯ ನಡುವೆಯಿದ್ದ ಅಂತರವೇ ಮಾಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ಹೊರಗೆ ಸುತ್ತುವುದಕ್ಕಾಗೊಲ್ಲ, ಒಳಗೆಯೇ ಬಂಧಿಯಾಗಿರುವುದಕ್ಕೂ ಆಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಇಂತಹ ಸಂದಿಗ್ಧ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಕೊಂಚ ಮುದ ಕೊಡುವಂತಹ  ಸಾಧನವೆಂದರೆ ಮರೆಯಲಾರದ, ಸೊಗಸಾದ ಹಳೆ ನೆನಪುಗಳು.  ದೇಶ ಸುತ್ತಿ ನೋಡು, ಕೋಶ ಓದಿ ನೋಡು ಎಂಬ ಹಳೆ ಮಾತಿದೆ. ಈ ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ದೇಶ ಸುತ್ತುವುದಂತೂ ಆಗದೆ ಇರುವಂತದ್ದು. ಇನ್ನು ಎಷ್ಟು ಅಂತ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳನ್ನೇ ಓದುತ್ತಿರುವುದು? ಎರಡರ ಸಮತೋಲನವಿದ್ದಾಗ ಮಾತ್ರ ಬದುಕಿಗೂ ಒಂದು ಅರ್ಥ, ಒಂದು ತೂಕ. ಕೆಲವು ದಿವಸಗಳು ಜಿಗುಪ್ಸೆ  ತರಿಸಿದಾಗ ಹಳೆ ನೆನಪುಗಳು ಮತ್ತು  ಸಂಚಾರಗಳ ಆ ಬೃಹತ್ ಪೆಟ್ಟಿಗೆಯೇ  ಜೀವನಕ್ಕೆ ಕೈ ಹಿಡಿದಿವೆ. ಹೀಗೆ ಯೋಚಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ ಸ್ಮೃತಿ ಪಟಲದಲ್ಲಿ  ಈಗಲೂ ಹಚ್ಚ ಹಸಿರಾಗಿ ಉಳಿದಿರುವಂತಹ ಕೆಲವು ಘಟನೆಗಳು ವ್ಯಾಪಿಸತೊಡಗಿದವು. ಮಳೆಗಾಲ, ಮೈ ತುಂಬಿ ಹರಿದ ಜಲಪಾತ, ಕಾನನ, ಬೆಟ್ಟ, ಸಸ್ಯರಾಶಿ, ತಣ್ಣನೆ ಬೀಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಗಾಳಿ.. ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ಒಂದು ವರ್ಷವಾದರೂ ಕೂಡ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ನಿಮಿಷವೂ ನೆನ್ನೆ ಮೊನ್ನೆ ನಡೆದಂತೆ ಇದೆ. ಓದಿದ ನಿಮಗೂ ನನ್ನ ಜೊತೆಯೇ ಹೋದಂತೆ ಅನುಭವವಾಗಬೇಕು ಎನ್ನುವುದೇ ನನ್ನ ಆಶಯ. ಈ ಜಲಪಾತಗಳನ್ನ ನೋಡಿ ಕಣ್ಣು ತುಂಬಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದೇ ಒಂದು ವರ್ಣಿಸಲಸಾಧ್ಯವಾದ ಭ...

The lockdown has thrown life out of gear as one has to be closeted at home 24*7.   There is a barrage of information flowing all along on the COVID-19 situation. Newspapers, news channels and social media are stuck on only the virus from the past one month. Where can anybody find respite in such times of anxiety, fear and gloom? Many have found solace through the streaming platforms; some have rekindled their interest in reading and a few other hobbies. But one of the most therapeutic remedies in this lockdown is watching highlights of sports. Whether it is a team game or individual one, the efforts, perseverance, skill and finesse the great sportspersons of the world display is a lesson for these times. Indian cricket aficionados can never forget the epic Kolkata test match against an invincible Australian side in 2001.   Following on, with all hope lost, the turnaround that was witnessed by the heroics of two men Laxman and Dravid with their never say die spirit...

Good, old commercial movies are built on the premise of a hero who battles against all odds and comes out trumps at the end. Commercial potboilers in India and the world over are solely dependent on the strengths of this 'hero' who is unconquerable though hundreds of obstacles are strewn all over his path. He is that iconic figure who the common man in the film's story looks up to for deliverance from all troubles. The maximum whistles and hoots have always been reserved for the 'hero' who turns up just at the most immaculate time to bash up the villains mercilessly and save the heroine or the other characters. It's not that the other characters in a cinematic story are incapable of defending themselves, but they are so oblivious of their own strengths that they are always looking out for a saviour, a messiah who would do the needful and signal their victory. This has been the template right from mythology where the Gods descended on earth to protect the ...

There are a few songs that I listen to every time irrespective of the mood and the time of the day. Despite an umpteen number of hearings, they do not seem to fade a wee bit or even set in boredom. Each time, these songs unravel a bit of themselves like how peels of onion come out one after the other if you start peeling. There is never a feeling of completeness that I have got till date listening to those songs even though I may have probably listened to them hundreds of times. I stay astonished as I keep discovering a new, unheard beat every time or a specific line in the lyrics that strikes a chord on every listen or find out some new patterns in the structure of the song. In spite of such deep analysis, they have never left my psyche and keep auto playing in my mind in the most random situations as well. It's as if my mind is programmed to play these special songs as soon as it detects changes in the mood!  To my bewilderment, I started noticing that I was undergoing...