Are you living or dying?

One indisputable fact is that you are dying, may not be today, tomorrow, or the next year, but eventually.

Your days on earth are numbered. That's how it is. That's how much time you have to live while slowly reaching your death, or simply while dying slow.

But are you living? While there is still time to die?

What is living? What counts as living?

Technically, the many days from your birth to death, maybe.

But, you know that that is not it, that is not it at all.

Then what else? What else is living?

How about the moments that you actually felt alive, happy, or excited for experiencing something, simple or grand?

What can that experience be called?

What do you call it? Joy? Pleasure? Excitement? Or many synonyms there and forth?

How about the word, Freedom?

In those moments, can you say you were free from all your fears, insecurities, and responsibilities culminating into that experience?

If so, what if your life can totally be that experience? That is free from all your fears, insecurities, and responsibilities? Can that be called living?

How to achieve that? How to get rid of all the negativities that gobble up your mind and achieve that freedom that can make your life an actual ‘living experience’?

It's simple, but hard at the same time, especially in the backdrop of the society and patriarchal traditions that we have inherited!

Unfortunately, freedom is the last thing that our societal system has been offering! The freedom of a person has often been curtailed by responsibility insisted by others. It can be parents, husband, family, or society at large. It is evident in many aspects of, which has been our common way of life, like marriage or staying single, having children, education, career, and even death ceremonies.

When you try to free yourself and break those chains to achieve freedom, it is going to be a battle, and there will be wounds, either physical or emotional. You need a parallel sphere or circle that can help you from depression or anxieties on your way to freedom.

The other aspect of this journey to freedom is related to your career and financial health.

In any battle, financial health is as important as mental strength. You have to develop skills that make you unique and creative in any field of your choice. Your passion for the field can be the driver.

If you can stand on your own feet, then it makes it that much easier to find your strength in your journey to freedom!

Good luck and bon voyage!

Find your feet and freedom.

Live it while you still have time before

dying!

మీ వాడిని సెటిల్ చేస్తున్నారా?

వాడిని మాత్రమే వాడానే అని ఫీలవకండి. 

దానిని అనాల్సి వస్తుంది కాబట్టి ఈసారికి ఇలా సరిపెట్టుకోండి. 

Cheap ని చీప్ చేసేసినట్లే, Settle ని కూడా మనం మరీ ఎక్కువగా సెటిల్ చేసేసాం. 

ఎంతలా అంటే జీవితం గురించి తెలుసుకునేలోపే సెటిలయిపోయేంత; ఆనందమొచ్చినా కూడా ఒక్క స్టెప్పు కూడా వేయలేనంత;

పోనీ ఇప్పుడు నేర్చుకొవాలని మహా తీవ్రంగా ప్రయత్నిస్తే, నాగ చైతన్యాలానో, నానీలానో కుదరచ్చు. అది చాలదా అంటారా? చాలవచ్చు! అసలు అదేదో సినెమాలోలా మనసు లోపలే డాన్స్ కూడా చేస్కోవచ్చు!

అయినా, మేమేమన్నా డాన్సేస్తుంటే వద్దన్నామా ఆపామా అంటారా?

మీరు డాన్స్ ఆపక్కర్లేదు! డామినెన్స్ చూపిస్తే చాలు! 

డాన్సే కాదు చాలా ఆగిపోతాయ్!

మానసిక ఎదుగుదలతో పాటు.

వాళ్ళు ఏదైనా అడిగేది తెలియకనే అని మర్చిపోకండి, 

'అదంతే' అని గట్టిగా అన్నారంటే చాలు, ఇంకంతే!

మీరు ఆపేది, ఉత్సుకతనీ, తెలుసుకోవాలనే తపననీ.

వాటితో పాటుగా వాళ్ళ స్వేచ్ఛనీ.

వాటిని ఆపేస్తే అక్కడే ఆగిపోతుంది ఎదుగుదల!

మీకు తెలిసినవి కావచ్చు, తెలీనవి కావచ్చు.

తెలియనివైతే తెలుసుకొని చెప్పండి. సెటిల్ చేసేయకండి.

వాళ్ళని ఎదగనివ్వండి. వాళ్ళంతట వాళ్లనే స్వేచ్ఛగా సెటిల్ కానివ్వండి.

A balanced Proposal to get rid of Mankad-ing (or Ash-ing now!?)

The cricket world once again caught unaware with another unscrutinised rule from the game's rule book. While most of the game's oldies sang the sympathy song for the non-striking batsman, who caught off-guard, some sane opinions were seen as well.

The argument of these veteran singers varies from 'outside the spirit of the game' to 'Ash not coming to bowling stride and waiting for Buttler to go out.' Some pandits did point out that the rule is ambiguous when it says that, the non-striker leaving the crease can be ran-out, if he leaves the crease by the time, the bowler delivers (apparently, its not by the time he gets into bowling stride, as it used to be).

One can only have a subjective imagination on whether Buttler was out of crease at the exact time when Ash would be delivering. But, thats not the point that the rule makes.  It says, the bowler can attempt to run out, which means, there is no real validity for the batsman being inside or outside the crease at that exact point of release.

While Buttler caught off guard on this occasion, all of us, the cricket family, world wide, have been off guard about one thing, all the time: the runs that were attributed to quick or brilliant running, after a non-striking batsman takes an early start. A batsman, while being on the non-striking end, has only one responsibility: to be inside the crease until a bowler bowls. Taking an early start, is his own choice against the rule that asks him to be inside.


For long, while the umpire standing behind is guarding the line, only to his left, the non-striking batsmen have been taking unfair advantage and never it had been seriously scrutinised for being 'outside the spirit of the game.' While, the overstepping of the bowler comes under scrutiny every ball, the non-striking batsmen go scot free.



Only few times, few bowlers dared to take advantage of the rule, and they were mostly ascribed with this 'being unfair' jibe. But, the unfairness comes from the rule. While the bowler overstepping had the penalty of a run and an extra ball, [which became a free-hit, later in shorter formats], taking off early would get a batsman out, potentially every time, which can be termed unfair. Earlier, there used to be a warning given to such non-striking batsman, but it was stricken off later.

Now, a balanced rule could be a penalty for such early start by a non-striking batsman, which also needs to be checked for every ball along with the bowler's foot [some part of the batsman or his bat being behind the line just like the bowler's foot at the exact time the bowler releases the ball]. A penalty of 5 or fewer runs for such early start could be the balancing act that can address the issue, putting a permanent end to the ever controversial manked-ing or the current ash-ing of the non-striker.

ఇది దేశద్రోహుల దాహం వల్ల వచ్చిన ఎరుపు!

దాహం..

తీరని దాహం...

ఆరని మంటతో కలిసింది...

రక్తాన్ని మరిగింది.. రక్తపుటేర్లు పారించింది...

న్యాయం చిన్నబోయింది..

దాహం కొనసాగింది.. ప్రగతి ముసుగేసింది.. దేశానికి పాకింది.. 

ఏర్లు నదులయ్యాయి.. సంద్రాన్ని నింపాయి...

ఆవిరై నింగికెగిశాయి..

నీలాకాశం ఎరుపెక్కింది... దేశాన్ని కమ్మింది..

ఇప్పుడు న్యాయం వణుకుతోంది... 

వాక్యం తొణుకుతోంది.. కార్యం బెరుకుతోంది..

ఇది దేశద్రోహుల దాహం వల్ల వచ్చిన ఎరుపు!

It has been us all along…

It has been humans all along…

Some created good things, some created bad, but once life came to earth, it has been humans all along..

Everyone created their own god, and prayed for happiness, but it has been humans all along..

Some declared themselves as leaders and godlymen, some really believed it, and again made some good deeds and some bad, but it has been humans all along..

Many gods came, many gods went, but they have been human all along..

Many inventions happened, some good, some bad, but it has been humans all along.. 

There has been development, and some devastation, but it has been us all along..

Writer's Window

Finishing with the early morning routine, he sits in the unfolded chair by the window, facing South, to write this write-up for the assignment. Sitting beside the window in the late morning hours, has been his practice to kick in the writer inside him, and put out his thoughts into writing. The chair with thick-clothed red and blue strips and long hands that hold a wooden pad, is at an angle to the edge of the window, letting him leisurely place both his hairy legs on the edge, crossed. The window is fully covered with an iron mesh with squares and rectangles between its fine metal bars. Outside the iron mesh are two horizontally-sliding glass panes, which would let you open only half of the window space, at any time. But, there is no scenic view outside the window except for a clump of buildings of all sizes and some miscellaneous trees.

The writer’s pent house with a single lengthy room is placed on the third floor of a building beside an unoccupied forest-like land. The elevation and the absence of any tall buildings surrounding it, allows a chilly fresh air to flow in and out of the room, keeping a pristine aroma, unless all the windows are closed. Adding to the almost virgin-isque uncontaminated environment are the chirping birds that somehow take their own time throughout the day, to let their voice heard along with the distant horn sounds from the main road.

The black and white wallpaper on his compact MacBook, placed on the wooden pad says, “don’t pray or prey; think, do, love and live,’ a small sample of his creative work that he always felt proud of writing, no matter how others felt about it. It struck to him few days back that he left out mentioning one of his passionate things about life in there: eating. As he smoothly touches the delicate keys of the Mac with his fingers to put the description of his own environment into words, the December sun reaches midway sending in his rays into the writer’s window. He shakes his crossed legs whenever he is in mood and has a writing flow that engrosses his mind. The legs stop shaking when he hits a roadblock, and they start moving again, after a while. He moves his left hand below the chair to gather the pale yellow water-bottle, rotates its lid off and takes a sip of the world-renowned flavourless drink, before going back to his writer’s window, which he knows would be soon closing.

You Vs Nation

A nation is its people, each one of them. In the name of nationalism, if you try to hit, heckle or hate someone just for not standing up for the national anthem, you are no more nationalist that him/her. There are better options to make your case before him or her, if you are really interested in showing the nationalistic spirit. But, even before that, make sure that it is the national spirit towards each person of the country that is driving you, and not just the mere symbolism. 

A Nation is for people, everyone of them, who is an end to oneself (as Ayn Rand calls it). It is a system that is supposed to make each of our lives better with vital freedoms to be and become whatever we want to, and live however we want to, for the time we have on this planet. But, we are being drawn towards trivial symbolisms in the name of nationalism, while dark clouds are looming over all kinds of freedoms. It's a time of reckoning, and it always has been, I guess.

Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. 

 - Albert Einstein

Misplaced, Misunderstood...

Beyond the cold gloomy winter nights,

Along the hot and humid summer days,

Through the Soggy pouring downs,

I hoped to walk towards the Spring.


Among the cries for help and survival,

Amid the blind acceptance of social practices,

Witnessing the reluctance towards love and sharing,

I stand, misplaced, misunderstood.



With an optimism that's seldom been this scarce,

But, with an ever conscious ego that never wants to give up,

Drawing strength from places and people afar,

I walk, lazily but steadily, in search of love and destiny, misplaced, and misunderstood.

Take the reigns of your Life!

Don’t let any other decide what you have to do in your life, and don’t decide it for others yourself.

Why are we on earth for if not to make this one chance count by doing whatever comes to your mind as worthy of doing. After all, this is the only chance you get to live. Now, traditionally, the conditions around us were not ideal for such things as our conservative society has certain apprehensions on what, when, how and where we should do things that are important part of the life for each one of us. But, the important detail that has missed there was and still is the ‘why’ part.

Now, the ‘why’ part has been dodged or even kept untouchable for centuries. all this time, It has been deemed as disrespectful to ask ‘why,’ especially to ask elders, who unfortunately couldn’t see that the progress of human brain, intelligence is irrevocably attached to that question, ‘Why’. So, they kept dodging it and kept punishing the knowledge seekers in one or the other, even though the latter had found a way through all the muck of blind premonitions and made the world, what it is now, a global technological village with end to end communication in seconds.

Not everything is about technology though, after all it is merely there to better the pleasure of living. So, it is crucial for every human being to understand that living is meant to be pleasurable and one should thrive for it in any and every possible righteous way. And for that you need to ‘why’ yourself as many times as you can. One should also remember that in doing so, he/she should not intently make it painful for others, not for their sakes, but absolutely for your own. But, to really live it large, It is imperative that you take the reigns of your only life and not leave them with others at any stage of it.

But, most of the time, what we do is the opposite of that, we heavily depend on others to make decisions of our own, and we heavily indulge in decisions that are to be taken by others. Yes, we do have our parents and elders making decisions for us while growing up, which unfortunately continues too far. Parenting is not about making decisions for your child, it is about making him/her learn to take them for themselves as they grow into a man/woman. But, keeping on making them even after the young ones come of age makes things complicated for every one.

It doesn’t matter how close or far you are with that other person, you can’t be him or her, and you can never have a common brain. So, an ideal relationship - even more so if it is that of love - is that one, where one never infiltrate into that territory of the other, where the decision to be taken is about the other’s life.

Yes, it is true that you can’t make all the decisions right, no one can. But, it is your life and you have the soul responsibility towards it. You can take as many advices, but you and only you make that final decision and you have the right to defy every existing premonition if you rightly feel so. And don’t forget, every incredible invention has a long line of defiers, who had persistently believed in their own brains and made their own decisions. And of course, not every one needs to invent some great thing, but every one must and should invent his/her own way of living, living with pleasure.

God is irrelevant

Don’t pray; Just think, do, love and live…

Whats the first word we utter when some one runs across our bike or car and we apply a sudden brake and successfully evade an accident? Thank god, good god or Thank heavens or some other similar versions in our own languages, and that is universal. Of course, it is an instinctive phrase and used as so by some. But, most of us do think we mean it and it was practiced as such for thousands of years, since the man’s creation of God.

The brakes we applied, the vehicle we are driving, the roads, and if I may go a little further, each and everything that is on you hasn’t come from god, but from human intelligence. Every luxury you are taking pleasure in, each and every utility you are daily using has come from our own wisdom.

Centuries of human brilliance, which had started defying the existing rules of blind faith, had often ended in tragedy for the real thinkers, the scientists. The fight between faith and science had always ended in tragedy. And it is an undeniable fact that we are here today, and not in jungles, because of science, but not blind faith. Many early scientists and philosophers gave their lives following what their minds told, paving a way forward for their destroyers.

I do come to the point, where god, or the creation comes into the picture even in the example i gave. The friction between the road (or earth) and the vehicle, or the earth itself, the atmosphere, the rains and all the creation that's there for the man had come or still comes from a god, they say. Whether it is a god, a supernatural force or the nature itself, who or which has created the world and us, the god, we, humans have created, and prayed and are still praying can be safely distanced from that, because we know that, with such prayers, we are reaching nowhere but only to our mind, or to a neighboring person, if you let them out. Now, he/she can surely help you, but not the blindness that you are praying to.

When science is moving ahead finding answers for everything that has been a mystery and declared to stay as one by the mystics of blind faith, we are long behind the times, still praying to wrong gods and cursing each other. Just remember before the next time you even think of praying for a divine intervention that you are insulting centuries of human intelligence, human spirit that put you here, that you are insulting your own kind, your brain. You are insulting yourself!