Let's not say "Rest In Peace" Dr. Kalam

Let’s not say “Rest In Peace” Dr. Kalam. Yes, You read it right, I would not say Rest in Peace. In fact, I would not even pray that such soul should “Rest in Peace”. Before, you get angry on me, please read my appeal to all of us.

I was surprised to see, how quickly all social medias were filled with RIP message for Dr. Kalam. Billions of us felt sad on his demise, post some of his pictures and quotes on social media, talks about his achievements with friends and life moves on. It is natural to feel sad on death but problem is, we all are so habitual to pay tribute to anyone like this; weather he is the best scientist or a common man killed in bomb blast or road accidents. Let’s face it, it is not a tribute but mockery of his death because we JUST feel sad. But, just feeling sad about his demise would change anything? Simple answer is No. Dr. Kalam himself said once, “Please do not declare national holiday on my death, rather work for one extra day”. That exactly is my point.  Let’s not just feel sad about his death. Let’s do something that brings some change to the present situation of our life and thereby bring some change in our nation. I am not asking to build rocket or conduct some radioactive experiments like him but do very simple and basic thing.

Can we take pledge that now onwards that I will not waste food as a tribute to the person who fought against hunger? Can we all take pledge that we will not throw garbage anywhere for next 6 months as tribute the person who saw godliness in cleanliness? Can we all pledge to plant one tree and take care of it just for 1 year as a tribute the person who respected environment? Can we all take pledge to drive carefully and respectfully for next 6 months as a tribute the most civilized person? Can we take pledge that, I will donate blood every year on July 27^th as a tribute to the health conscious person?  Can we take pledge that, I will do my best to study all my subjects thoroughly as a tribute to the great teacher? Can we take pledge that, I will not take bribe or bribe anyone for next 6 months as a tribute to the most honest person? Can we take pledge that, I will save Rs. 500 every month and donate that money to educational institute as a tribute to the most charitable man? Can we all pledge that I will respect all citizens as a human first as a tribute the noblest man? Can we all take pledge that, I will respect human soul first before respecting any religion as a tribute to the most spiritual man? Can we all take pledge that I will not drink one coffee per day for a year and use that money to buy a book for the needy as a tribute to the most avid reader? We all can come up with millions of such pledges.

These are just few simple things that we can do as a tribute to him. Dr. Kalam’s soul would feel much better, if we all do the simplest etiquette first. These sure are simple pledges but when billions will take these pledges then life and thereby nation will change. Wouldn’t he preach the same?

And I feel that such soul would never like to rest in peace. Rather, he would like to reborn and continue doing something with best of their ability to bring some change and make difference to the humanity. I would not pray for the Rest in Peace to such soul. I would rather pray, please come back, we need such soul here to save humanity and guide us to contribute something.

Death is inevitable truth that we all will accept one day. But, May I request you all not to feel sad on his death, rather let’s celebrate his death because one soul has taken another journey, but his last journey has inspired millions of life and has awakened billions of other soul to do something for humanity. I never met him but I strongly believe that, we remember him today, not because he was the greatest scientist but because he was the SIMPLEST human being. So let’s not say Rest In Peace Dr. Kalam, just for the sake of saying but LET’S DO SIMPLE THINGS FIRST; BRING SOME CHANG IN OUR LIVES FIRST; THEN IN SOCIETY AND COUNTRY WILL CHANGE. MAKE HIS DEATH A REASON FOR THE CHANGE THAN A REASON TO WEEP.

- MIHIR PATEL

DATE: JULY 28TH 2015, 4:37 PM

मैं दर - बदर, मेरी रूह बेखबर

In the midst of living materialistic life, I feel as I lose my "self" and life simply drags along. These lines are my attempt to poetize my search of "self". Read it in the context of some wanderer who is search of the "truth". 

Title is

"मैं दर - बदर, मेरी रूह बेखबर"

तू मेरा साया या मैं तेरा सरमाया,

पर दोनों मैं फर्क नज़र ना आया,

मिला ना तेरा हमसाया एक पल भर,

क्यूंकि मैं दर - बदर, मेरी रूह बेखबर

ज़िंदगी की तलाश मैं दिल शोरो-खरोश  हे,

ज़िंदगी की आखरी देहलीज़ पे हर दिल चुप हे खामोश हे,

जीते जी महसूस हो इस ज़िंदगी का सुरूर,

क्यूंकि मैं दर - बदर, मेरी रूह बेखबर

साँसें चलती रही, ज़िंदगी बढ़ती रही,

तम्मान्नाओँ के बाज़ार मैं साँस घुटती रही,

ख्वाहिशों को कभी रोका नहीं एक बार,

क्यूंकि मैं दर - बदर, मेरी रूह बेखबर

इंसान बने रहने की फ़िराक मैं जीता रहा गुमसुम

दुनिया की भीड़ मैं खुद को खोया रखा हरदम,

खोजा नहीं खुद को अपने अंदर, बस रहा बेफिक्र,

क्यूंकि मैं दर - बदर मेरी रूह बेखबर

आसमान पाने को अपनी ज़मीन को छोड़ा,

सब कुछ पाके भी ख़ुद को किया ज़ाया,

उड़ता रहा पतंग की तरह, बिना डोर बिना छोर,

क्यूंकि मैं दर - बदर, मेरी रूह बेखबर

नहीं पता मुझे क्या चाहिए,

सुकून चाहिए या खुद से रिहाई चाहिए,

मुझे तुजसे मिला दे या मुझे खुद से मिला दे कोई राहबर,

क्यूंकि मैं दर - बदर, मेरी रूह बेखबर

The One

One that can be seen, is not the The One

One that can be touched, is not the The One

One that can be destroyed, is not the The One

The One is intangible, yet the origin of all manifestations,

The One can not be seen yet perceivable

The One is nameless yet named

With desires, one finds scarcity,

Ever desire less, one finds abundance.

With contemplation, one finds no understanding,

Ever silent, one can find all answers.

With indulgence, one feels discontentment,

Ever restrained, one can feel satiated.

With name, one finds no recognition,

Ever nameless, one can find true acceptance

With retention, one finds miseries,

Ever surrendered, one can understands  the mystery.

Ever desire less, silent , restrained,  nameless and surrendered

one can find the doorway to The One

Date : November 27th 2012, 11:04 PM

Understanding the law of karma

Understanding the law of karma

Childish vs. Childlike - My son my teacher

Stop behaving like child? This is so childish...This is such a child like attitude...Grow Up...Behave...There are an inexhaustible list of phrases that we use when an adult does not behave as per the etiquette prescribed for an adult. Any insignificant breach of this norms entitled to an adjective called Childish or mistakenly Childlike. Yesterday, When I was playing with my seven months old son, my wife entitled me with same adjectives. “you are so childish and become completely child like when you play with our son”.

Embarrassed with her remarks, I started introspecting and retrospecting myself and my behavior. I started thinking about these two words, CHILDISH and CHILDLIKE. Childish word generally use for person who behave with immaturity, behave irresponsibly, careless or do something suited to child. This leads to another important question how does child behave?

I started observing my son and noticing his minute behavior and I learnt few important lessons of my life and miraculously witnessed the unfolding of the mystery of life and my son unknowingly taught me how to live life.

I see my son gets so cheerful when he sees other kids. His behavior towards other kid, whom he doesn’t even know, is like friend forever. His behavior towards other kid and the feeling of joy doesn’t get affected by the color, shape, ethnicity, cultural labels, religion of other kid and he seems totally impervious to any such compartmentalized life that we all live with. With his little intellectual capacity, he may not understand the meaning of such words or such words do not have any existence in his life as small kid. Such compartmentalized life has not given us anything constructive motive so far. Influence of such words on adults with developed intellectual capacity is far more pronounced and disastrous but we still pursue that. Childish, isn’t it?

He started playing with them and teaches me how accommodating he is. How many times in my life, I accommodate other people ignoring their skin color, religion, ethnic identity or even what side of border he grew up. We live in diversity, work in diversity and in fact diversity has become important concept of life. But, We live our life with conditioned mind and identify, differentiate, or sometime discriminate other with such identity, knowingly or unknowingly but we all do or have done.

I see my son to be so nonjudgmental, all loving, all accommodating, incapable of placing label or anyone or anything, all accepting when he plays with other kids. While we as an adult have completely opposite traits to lead our life. We live our life with so many judgmental thoughts and continuously placing label on other person. Our respect or judgments for others is directly related to how many scholastic diploma one has, how much wealth one has accumulated, how much strength one has, what is his intellectual capacity, how beautiful one looks etc. And we all forget or knowingly ignore the very essence of human life. Is it childish or childlike behavior?

I see my son playing with toys. I observe some unwavering affection for some specific toy. While playing, I put that toy little away from him so that he can try to grab it and hence learn little crawling. I see him trying so hard unless he get that toy without thinking his physical capacity or skills. I learn the perseverance while ignoring the disability. We all know about perseverance and have applied in our life or have been forced to apply them. But, how many time, we use so called disability as scapegoat.

I see my son so inquisitive when i give him new things. He sees it, and try to understands it with his limited capability and understanding. But Important aspect to notice here is the inquisitiveness of kid. Can we relate this unique capacity with great scientist and geniuses. They all have this childlike inquisitiveness in them and perseverance to explore any given subject without thought of failure or being criticized.

I realize why I / we as an adult are so empty and small kids are so full. A very simple reason is that, kids behave childlike and they are nonjudgemental, all loving, all accommodating, incapable of placing label or anyone or anything, all accepting and above all pure and loving . I strongly believe that we all have such child inside but we afraid to take it out.

I guess, I got the answer. I was really childish but certainly can be a childlike. Truly, My son is my teacher today. Love you Ayan.

Mihir

April 30th 2011 @ 11: 54 PM.

Teacher of the day

I called it a day at 7:00 PM after long working hours at university’s research lab. Mind was swarming with plenty of thoughts about the most prevalent questions of any researcher’s life, such as “Why and How”. Just like another researcher life, happiness of my life relied on successful outcomes of experimental results. And needless to say it was a day when my happiness was snatched away by so called contradictory results than speculated. My mind was pondering upon those thoughts and stressing my brain tissues.

My car stopped at traffic light and I saw a handicapped old man in complete disheveled condition with quotes on his dirty t-shirt “Blessing Moment”. He was playing violin and was lost in the tune of it. He was looking hungry and feeble but his face had some contented smile. I offered him one dollar and he said “God bless you with blessed moment”. This wish in exchange of one-dollar bill was so comforting after so called unsuccessful day. He asked me, How are you and my obvious response was "I am okay" with fake smile on my face. I asked same question to him and he replied “I AM BLESSED”.

Astonished with his replied, I realize that these three words can be more powerful than any rationalized scriptures teachings to make this very moment happy. We live in life when stress and blame game is almost ineluctable. We whine for almost everything. Past history and unpredictable future drives our present. Stupid but true !!! The influences of past history on illusive future jeopardize our present moments and we enroll ourselves in world biggest and everlasting Olympic game call Rat Race.

This sentence penetrated my mind and made me realize my stupidity through out my life. A handicap old man having one amputated leg was feeling blessed with my one dollar. An old man completely clueless about his provision of meal for next day and still feel blessed. An old man whose life was completely out of so called normal rhythm of life and still feel blessed with violin tunes. He was my teacher of the day and has taught me one of the best lesson of life, I AM BLESSED.

So far, I have made countless efforts to keep and maintain happiness by exploring various ideas, whims and fancies using the all external means. But, looking happiness outwards is probably most foolish things, I have ever done. Happiness can never be external but internal. Today, being contended is one of the prime aspect of feeling happy. The lesson behind this three words I AM BLESSED is deeper than I thought.

If I count, I find numerous reason to feel blessed. I am blessed because I am alive perfectly healthy, with shelter and with my love ones. I am blessed because everyone around me is happy. I am blessed because I met one great teacher on the road to ease of journey of my life. God bless him to make me realize I AM BLESSED.

Father - Son - Dedicated to my unborn kid

This post is dedicated to my unborn kid. It is about my feeling as a father of an unborn kid, when I am counting days just few days before his birth. This is my attempt to express my joy in these following words.

Dekhane mere ansh ko, taras gayi ye ankhen he

Kab aaoge ansh mere, rah ye har roz dekhe he..

Masoom wo nazar kaisi hogi , Kaisi hogi wo pyari muskaan,

komal sprash wo kaisa hoga, Kaisa hoga hoga wo nirmal mann

Yahi Soch ke dil mera, roz khusi se jume he

Khalane tere sang ko, dil bachpan me laute he.

Dekhane mere ansh ko, taras gayi ye ankhen he

Kab aaoge ansh mere, yahi roz ye puchhe he..

Tuje thamane ko tarase, ab meri ye bahen he,

Tuje dekhane ko, bachain rehati ye ankhen he,

Sochata hu har pal kaisa ajib ye rishta he,

Bina dekhe bhi tuje, muje pyar kyun ata he…

Kab aaoge ansh mere, yahi roj ye puchhe he..

Dekhane mere ansh ko, taras gayi ye ankhen he

Mihir Patel

Sept 11th 2010