Bumping

It has atleast occurred once to any given person. You're walking down the street and there's another person who's coming from the opposite direction. You decide to go from the person's left side and the person happens to decide to go from your right side. Then, just what you were trying to avoid, happens ~ you bump into the person. It's happened to pretty much everyone, and so has that embarrassment greeted the people to whom this has happened to. Sometimes it happens so that when you realize the two of you are on a crash course, you turn left, but unfortunately the other one also turns to your left and you bump into each other again. And then there are some people who decide to bump into each other a second time before proceeding further. What do you do in such a case? Some of us look at the person and his course well before the two of us are close. If the guy is more to our left, we turn to pass from the right and vice versa. Some of us may have some other ideology. But there is one idea that never fails. If someone is coming towards you, you just stay put where you are. The other one will pass you without even the slightest chance of bumping into you. Of course, this may only work if the one who is coming toward you has an intention of not bumping into you. Otherwise, you'll stay put and the other guy will go by with not too much of you left.

Your actions determine your luck. Your luck doesn't determine your actions.

विश्वासाशिवाय सर्वात रामबाण औषधसुद्धा उपचार करत नाही.

There are only two ways to learn something, either by your experience or by others' experiences.

Silent Disappointment

It was past 9 PM and I was walking home down the street. The sky was black but the streets were as yellow as ever, lit by the city lights. Suddenly I saw a flash in the sky. I looked towards the direction I had seen it. It was thunder and a sudden joy filled within me, anticipating a shower. Just then, I heard a loud noise. I saw colours coming out in a circular manner in the direction of the flash. The thunder I had reckoned, had turned into a firework. I felt a sudden inward frown fall within me. A frown, of silent disappointment.

Only a person deprived of something can enjoy the true importance or luxury of it.

Sometimes you only realize how evil a thing is after you do it.
*basketball टाकताना ते वाजव, मग ball नाही जाणार*

If my ball goes towards a friend, I would expect it to come back me. If my ball goes toward an enemy I would expect it to get punctured.
*at basketball with Ashutosh, Abhi and the girls*

Home without mother is like a tree without leaves. But then again sadly, there are some trees who don't have leaves.
*નીરજ*

If thou art not afraid to make mistakes, thou shalt progress toward perfection.
*मराठीत हावे ते शब्द लिहा.... काना मात्र नंतर बघू*

An idiot near you, makes you an idiot too.
*किती वेळा हे सिद्ध झाले आहे!*

Music is mere result of man's obsession over sound.
*वाढदिवसाला मंदिरात जाताना*

The scientific and modern ways of this world are nurturing a young generation of atheists.
*MP science*

Sweat is a by-product of hard work.
*Ashutosh telling me about the explosion which occurred to A. P. J. Abdul Kalam due to his sweat*

झाले बिकट मार्ग। नाही दुसरा मार्ग।।१।।
जणू जवळ दिसावे मरण। परी करावे तयाचे स्मरण।।२।।
असा हा उपाय। श्रद्धेचा उपाय। सर्वोत्तम उपाय।।३।।

Man has taken mating to the next level ~ marriage.

आत्मविश्वास जर त्याच्या मर्यादेच्या पार गेला तर माणसाला माज चढतो.

काळ माझा मज ठाऊक असेल जेव्हा,
अस्तित्व तयाचे कळून येईल तेव्हा.
क्षणभर मज वाटेल भीती व दुख,
पण मनी माझ्या भरेल श्रद्धेचे सुख.
जे तुकांनी अनुभवले अवघ्या आयुष्यात,
तेच मी अनुभवेल त्या छोट्या क्षणात.
असा प्रसंग असेल माझ्या अयशाचे फळ जर,
हा स्वातंत्र्य मी आयुष्यात पाऊ शकलो नाही तर.

When the teacher bangs the duster to maintain silence, she makes more noise to stop noise.

नाही मुर्ती, नाही सोनं,
परोपकाराने होई तो प्रसन्न
प्रसन्नतेचे फळ नेहमीच चांगले
संपदेचा पाऊस नवा, सुखाचा आशीर्वाद पावा
*helping Abhishek complete his verse*

Ghost or God?

You are alone at home, sitting on the couch lazily watching TV. Suddenly you hear the noise of a piano in the other room. You go to see what made the noise. There's not even a piano in the house to make such a noise. So you go to the window to check whether the noise came from outside or not. But the window turns out to be closed and the noise couldn't have been so loud if it had come through the closed window. A shiver runs down your spine, a shiver of fear. You are now certain that the noise came from a supernatural force. You conclude it to be a ghost. Wait a minute! Why do you conclude it to be a ghost? A supernatural being doesn't just only mean it was a ghost, it could also mean it was God. So why did you declare it to be a ghost over God?

Revenge

When one does something wrong to the other, the victim is often left in a state of anger. Out of this anger, he may take revenge on the wrong-doer to make him learn a lesson. But does taking revenge really make the wrong right? The truth is revenge and teaching the other a lesson are completely different things.

Revenge is an act done out of anger, as a way to satisfy it. When we are angry, we normally expect a shameful sorry from the wrong-doer. If we don't get that, we feel like being violent due to a sudden release of energy within. This energy is born out of anger and to let it go, we take revenge. Once one takes revenge, it doesn't make the wrong-doer learn a lesson. If you take revenge on someone, he is sure to realize you are doing wrong to him out of anger ~ normally when we take revenge, we do wrong to wrong following the ideology ~ 'doing wrong unto wrong is not wrong.' But as the wrong doer doesn't realize his own action as wrong, he just sees it as you doing wrong to him. Seeing this, he will get angry and take more revenge on you. Seeing revenge on revenge, you will feel like taking more revenge.... and the cycle keeps going on, creating enmity between the both of you and also a feeling of dissatisfaction because you couldn't take as much revenge as you wanted.

Anger is capable of paralyzing our ability to think, that's why the action of revenge takes place. Sometimes, while we are taking revenge, the wrong one realizes his or her mistake, and tries to apologize, but because of this state of anger we don't realize the apology and carry on taking revenge. Then the wrong one ~ who has apologized ~ will get angry seeing this 'revenge even after apologies' and take revenge on his behalf. Then because you are still angry, you will see this revenge as 'revenge on revenge,' and then get more angry and take more revenge, leading to another enmity-creating cycle. Phew! Revenge sure does cause a lot of problems. When you take revenge, you might find yourself in either one of three situations.  

One is where the person you want to take revenge on is less powerful than you. This situation may seem to be to your advantage and you might take revenge easily by letting your anger controlling everything. Taking revenge in this situation does give satisfaction. This revenge might teach the wrong-one a lesson, as the wrong-one takes into consideration that you are more powerful (or of greater authority than him), that is unless he is more convinced that you yourself is the one who has done wrong.

The other situation is when the person you want to take revenge on is just as powerful as you. Taking revenge is not as easy and it might trigger a chain reaction. You may or may not feel satisfied by taking revenge as in this scenario, your anger meets a few limits.

The third situation is where the person you want to take revenge on is more powerful than you. You might feel helpless taking revenge on that person and it is sure to make things worse for you. Your anger in this situation is totally trapped within boundaries and is sure to lead you to dissatisfaction.

When you teach the wrong-doer a lesson, it can be done peacefully, or violently ~ of which doing it peacefully is more advisable. As one takes revenge, he might say that he's gonna punish the guy. The purpose behind punishing is to make the wrong get a taste of their own evil, so on tasting it, they won't do it again. But if you do this with even a pinch of anger, it can make matters worse. When you teach him a lesson, you do it with an intention that he will realize his mistake and with an expectation that he will probably say sorry ~ a shameful sorry . A by-product of that ~ if you do it properly ~ is that he won't do the same mistake again. It's surely better to teach the wrong-doer a lesson ~ an act done after thinking consciously ~ than taking revenge ~ an act done out of anger (unconsciously). Before doing anything of the such, it is necessary to think a bit before you react so as to make sure the wrong-one will learn a lesson, otherwise revenge and ignorance won't be too far away.

So what do you do when you want to take revenge? When you are real angry on someone ready to take merciless revenge, 'pause' yourself and think. What action has the other done that has made you angry? Then examine that action. Is it wrong? Has it been triggered by you? If yes, then you have yourself to blame and you should learn to not do such an action again in such a situation in the future. If no, then think of how you can make the the wrong-doer realize his mistake and make him not do it again.  There is one saying you can follow while making your plan, every person has a good side and a bad side. When someone does wrong, he does it out of the thought of his bad side. All you have to do is ignite his good side and let it manifest the bad one, making him regret his mistake. After you are sure your plan of teaching the other a lesson will work, implement it. If it doesn't work, learn from your failure and make a better plan. Remember, igniting something isn't just as easy as flicking the switch on the lighter, it has to be done manually by blowing very gently on the embers. Doing all this might take some time and of course self-control, but it is totally worth it rather than to take revenge.

The Trophy of Evolution

The trophy of evolution has been quite a deceiving achievement for man ~ a prize it was to be awarded to the winner of the race of evolution. Man with utter determination achieved this prize in an attempt to compete against all the other living organisms. It was a tough competition with the apes and orangutans, but he emerged victorious among them in the end. Though a great achievement, he was yet to realize what this prize really had in store for him. He evolved and advanced much faster than his opponents in the race, due to his prize. Invented the civilization did he, invented the currency did he. His ego presided among all the rest. He forgot his old ways of living with nature and started to progress against it. The most delicate of all he became as a result. Nature tried to fight back against this overpowering human race, but it proved to be no match to his machines of ever-strong alloys. He was attacked by famines, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. Man succeeded in defending these forces and he even played offensive in the game. He cut down trees for his own benefit, let down things into rivers which made them dirty, he even started killing his own fellow opponents for their body parts. Doing all this he still hasn't realized the ill effect of his victory. Nature has already faced too much and from her behalf she will definitely succeed one day in suppressing his dominance and convincing him that his victory of the trophy was quite a bitter one.
*expanding the leaf and telling it to Abhishek*

The issue of complaining arouses when two people, who can't settle their dispute, go to a third person blaming each other.

Exams and Grades

It is hard to imagine a life without exams. We are so very accustomed to them that without them, this world just wouldn't work. What is an exam? I asked a few people, they said, "An exam is test with a bunch of questions that are asked for testing us and our knowledge of is being taught. Here's what the dictionary says;

'A set of questions, problems, or the like, used as a means of evaluating the abilities, aptitudes, skills, or performance of an individual or group.' Exams and tests are closely associated with marks and grades. You take the exam, you get marks or you get grades. Exams are pretty common in our life; from the time we learn the ABC's to the time we're in college and even many times after that. After about seven to eight years of age, we're pretty aware of what an exam is. But what about before that? I asked a five year old what an exam is. He replied he didn't know; of course it was obvious he knew what happens in an exam, but he couldn't describe. So I asked him in a different way, "What do you get from exams?"

He replied, "Marks."

I asked, "What do you get from marks?"

He said, "Stars." (His teacher gives students stars if they get good marks.)

I asked him, "What do you get from stars?"

"Mummy is happy of me," he said so innocently.

"What happens when mummy is happy?"

"I'm happy!" he said cheerfully.

When one hears the word exam, another thought comes in the mind ~ getting good marks. Why do you want good marks? A five year-old as seen, wanted good marks so that he could be happy. Is that the same case with us? It is observed that getting could marks leads to a more secure future, that's why we don't like getting less marks. It is also observed that many know this logic, but never realize it. But that's not always the case. I heard a girl saying, "I'm afraid to see my marks!" I asked her why.

She said, "If I get less marks, the teacher insults me."

It is true, there are many teachers out there who literally punish students if they don't get good marks, and then there are many others who don't get the difference between a punishment and an insult.

So I asked her, "If the teacher never insulted anyone, would you still be afraid of less marks?" She replied yes. I asked her why again. She said I don't know ~ which just meant 'less marks mean less secure future.'

It all comes down to the person who invented exams associated to marks and grades. 

*asking my brother Exam म्हणजे काय?*

A senseless creature is a happy creature.

The Speed Limit

Each animal was given a speed limit by the Lord. If any of the animals were to exceed this speed limit, it would threaten their species and bring death to its individuals as often as the ocean tides. Man was the only animal who dared challenge this speed limit and created machines that would allow him to go faster, surpassing his speed limit. As the penalty for crossing the limit was already decided, man was jeopardized by car accidents, plane crashes, sinking ships and what not.
*coming back from Girivan, stuck in traffic on Sinhagad road*

Jana Gana Mana ~ Translated

The rulers of the minds of all people art thee,
Thou Dispenser of India's destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of the Punjab, Sind, Gujarat, and the Maratha,
Of the Dravid, Bengal and the Orissa;
In the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas echoes it,
In the music of the Yamuna an Ganga mingles it
And is chanted by the waves of the sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing praise of thee.

The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
Thou Dispenser of India's destiny,
Victory, victory, victory to thee.

~ A translation modified to make it a flower.

Man is the one who won the race of evolution, and left the animals behind to literally eat the dust.
*thinking of the bird drinking nectar from the red flowers, while doing MP hw*

The Hotel

There is a hotel. A hotel with an infinite star rating. It has many facilities. It has swimming pools, billiard tables, golf courses. It has Rolls Royce Phantoms for your transport in comfort, and even private jets to get you somewhere quick. Moreover, it is located in a peaceful place which provides happiness and peace like no other. A hotel where every single person has made a booking. Every live person. He or she may have booked their own room, but it is sure that no one alive has ever visited it. As observed by its many amenities, this hotel is very costly. Even the lifetime income of a billionaire could not buy the amenities of this grand hotel. Instead, it has to be paid with something much more precious and expensive ~ one's own life. Welcome, welcome to Hotel Heaven.
*seeing the pink tinge in the sky just after sunset from the bus stop, जय माझ्या शेजारी*

If you do nothing unto to anyone, anyone will do nothing unto you.

The Plant in the Gutter

A man once discouraged by the difficulties he was facing in life went to a wise, old sage asking for a solution. To make him understand what he was about to say, he took him for a stride. Along their way they came across an open gutter, which was barely full of water. The sage stopped there and said, "Do you see that plant in the drain?"
"Amazing how that plant could manage to survive on such less water that too dirty water!" the man exclaimed.
"Indeed, yes," the sage replied, "Have you ever tried to grow a plant in a pot?"
"Yes," replied he.
"I'm sure you must have once accidentally withered it once."
"Yes, the first time I tried, I didn't know how to care for a plant and it accidentally withered."
"You can see if a plant in such a dirty surrounding with such little water can manage to find its way of life, then surely you can too find your way out of your difficulties."
"I see," the man said understanding what he had just said.
"It is very important that you see to it that you do not loose hope and do not give up. Tell me, had the plant lost hope, had it gave up would it have managed to live?"
"No."
"It is what you should do too never loose hope and never give up."
The man understood the sage's teaching. The sage gave the man some advice on how to solve his problems and the man then left with a satisfied mind and an inspirational awakening within him, all thanks to the wise sage and the little plant growing from in the gutter.
*seeing the grass growing on the cement from gutter-like water, while having lunch at school*

The Best Movie Ever

One of the best movies I have ever seen is the movie Life. It's a great movie. It fits in all genres, Comedy, Romance, Adventure, Drama, Thriller etc. Even though I haven't seen all of it yet, I've learned many things from the actors and actresses in the movie. It can be emotional at times, but that doesn't keep it from being entertaining. I really have to admit it, the director of this movie is truly the Almighty. I recommend that everyone sees this movie enjoys it and most importantly learns from it.

An accident is the mere consequence of a misjudgement.
*Bumped my head on a curtain-holder beside Atharva after the English test gone wrong*

The glory of teaching and learning declined as it later became a business.
*The Art of Living*

जे सत्य मी अनुभवतो, ते अगदी मनापासून मी लिहितो. म्हणून जे मी लिहितो, ते अगदी चांगले लिहितो.
*तुकारामानंतरचे विचार*

If you are given an eraser, the pencil is bound to make a mistake before the pen.
*drawing beside Ashutosh*

A thief is a beggar who chose bad conduct over good.

Being self-introspective is a boon of whose true power only a liberated one knows.

The difference between good occurrences and bad; good occurrences happen gradually, bad occurrences happen suddenly.

कर्पूराचे जग हे

हे जग जे आहे कर्पूरासारखे,
एकदा जळाले की पुन्हा जळणार नाही,
माणूस आहे त्याला जलवणारी काडे-पेटी,
काड्या संपल्याशिवाय जळणे थांबणार नाही.

माणसाचे विचार जे, आपत्ती कडे ढळत चालले आहेत,
नक्कीच त्यासी तोट्याचे ठरेल. 
ज्या दिवशी या जगाचा अंत होईल,
त्या दिवशीच हे माणसाला कळेल.

या जगाचा जो निर्माणकर्ता होता,
त्याच्या हे लक्षात आले नाही.
की माणूस या जगाचे काय भयंकर करून ठेवेल,
त्याची काहीच चूक नाही.

माणूस येथे गुनेदार आहे,
त्यालाच दोषी धरून,
खरी चूक तर माणसाचीच आहे,
हे त्यासी यायला पाहिजे कळून.

हे जग जे आहे कर्पूरासारखे ,
एकदा जळाले की पुन्हा जळणार नाही,
माणूस आहे त्याला जलवणारी काडे-पेटी,
काड्या संपल्याशिवाय जळणे थांबणार नाही.
*thinking of the first verse during S.S. period*

Brain Over Brawn

There once was a man who went up to a door,
A body builder he was, buildin' it even more.
Though very strong, he was by mind very weak,
He failed to pull the door open, for help he had to seek.

There happened to be another man near by,
A well-read person, quite a smart guy.
The body builder he saw, for help who was in seek,
He went up to him, to help the mentally weak.

He read the sign written on the door,
"Please push, do not pull more."
The body builder's problem, an end it met.
As the man pushed the door open, without a sweat.

It is from this tale we come to see,
Brawn isn't everything, the brawny had to agree,
The brain should be trained, rightly not wrong.
To be as the brawny's muscle, just as strong.
*Science express, coming back from Khadki*