RANDOM THOUGHTS -1: DREAM OF DEATH: IS THERE ANY MEANING IN IT?

Random Thoughts-1: 

DREAM OF DEATH: IS THERE ANY MEANING IN IT?     

Originally posted: July 29, 2004

Reposted & refreshed: August 2025

Hands typing on a keyboard — Photo by Cangjie6,

licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

These are just to tighten flow and polish grammar while keeping your style:

> One morning, my friend was on his way to the office. At the entrance, he saw a crowd. Curious, he asked what had happened. Someone told him, “Suri has passed away.”

He woke up in shock — it was only a dream, but it left him deeply unsettled. The first thing he did after reaching the office was to check if I was there. I wasn’t — I was out of town. Worried, he consulted his astrologer friend, who reassured him it was actually an auspicious sign or a good omen from God.

When I returned, he rushed over, clearly relieved to see me alive. We both laughed heartily over the dream. But that night, as I woke briefly from sleep, the thought returned: Was it just a dream, or was it a warning?

I decided to treat it as a signal to reflect on my life. When I reviewed it, I saw too many loose ends. If I were truly gone one day, it would leave behind confusion and unfinished matters. I resolved not to leave too many loose ends, creating a headache for my people. I would settle as many pending issues as possible. That would take time — and meanwhile, I still had my own dreams: becoming a writer, running a purposeful magazine, and more.

Around this time, while exploring the internet, I stumbled upon something new called “weblogs” — colloquially, “blogs.” I landed on Blogger.com and decided to create a blog for myself, as it was absolutely free. In effect, it would be my personal website. On the spur of the moment, I gave it the title SURiMOUNT — all caps except for the small i. The philosophy behind it: If you want peace of mind, you must surmount your ego — the little i. This was my first post.

Who would read it? I had no idea. Maybe no one. That was all right. Writing here would help me unburden some of my thoughts.

So, let me stop here for now. Tomorrow — or perhaps later — I might continue.

Original 2004 blogpost:

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for the creative idea and the polish and Cangjie6, Wikimedia Commons for the image 

Random Thoughts-37: Unique Talent

I strongly believe that every living being is endowed with some unique talent.  Take human beings, nay take only Indians; the figure runs to more than a billion.  Then take the entire population of the world.  Go further, take all the living things including plants, animals, insects etc.  You get a mind-boggling number.  Still I believe every living being is endowed with some unique talent or the other.  No kidding.

The tragedy of life is most of us, human beings, are not even aware of this fact.  Even those who are aware of it - or who get an inkling of it now and then - never pursue or probe it further.  Tragedy again.  Some of us - the number dwindles down further - do not stop with the awareness but try to identify it; look for it; search for it.  The number is down further.  Sometimes life is gone before we identify it.  Greater tragedy.  The few who nurture it, cultivate it but use it only for their own selfish ends or still worse, use it to oppress or exploit others.  Even greater tragedy.  Then there is the luckiest few who become aware of their unique talent at a very young age, nurture it cultivate it, allow it to blossom and manifest it in their lives; they go further and use it not only for their own welfare, not only for the welfare of near and dear but also to the welfare of the world at large.  I feel only these people find fulfillment in their life.  Their life becomes meaningful, purposeful and fruitful.

What stops others in making life meaningful and fruitful?  Past karma? Lack of effort?  Plain laziness? Lack of divine grace?  or something else?  Honestly, I don't know.

But I do know this.  The least one can do is to strive.  To borrow a few lines from Tennyson's Ulysses, Strive, Seek, Find and Never Yield.  Never yield to distractions, temptations, unmanliness, slovenliness, laziness and faint-heartedness. Continued effort, relentless effort with a strong will - that is what is needed.  I am sure divine grace shall follow.

There is this assurance of Lord Krishna in the Gita:

NO  EFFORT  IS  EVER  WASTED.

Let each one of us put in our efforts to the best of our ability.  All the best.

Random Thoughts-36: "Living in the World of Walter Mitty"

I was rearranging books in one of my shelves. I came across this torn, battered copy of a book of short stories collection. Even the title page was not there and it started from the contents page. Out of curiosity, I perused the titles of the short stories. When I came across James Thurber's, "The Secret World of Walter Mitty", I remembered having read it long back and having discussed it with my friend VC, while we were on a 'padayatra' (pilgrimage by foot) to Palani. It is a world-famous story and a masterpiece.

Before I go any further, have you read the story? If not, kindly read it before proceeding further; am providing a link to the full story from All-Story.com:
http://www.all-story.com/issues.cgi?action=show_story&story_id=100

Walter Mitty is a pathetic, pitiable character, a no-body. He finds it difficult to face reality and indulges in heroic daydreams assuming himself to be a famous general, surgeon etc. In short, though harmless, he is an escapist. To balance his inferiority complex, he indulges in grand and elaborate dreams of heroism. The world is full of such pathetic characters, to whom life has been difficult to bear. Probably they could easily empathize with Mitty. That may explain the popularity of the story. It was so popular that the word "Mittyesque" got into the dictionary.

People who lead a dull and dreary life, who keep repeatedly bumping into reality, find a way to hide themselves in their wild fantasies. Instead of facing their problems and fears head on, they just run away and hide themselves. At one time or the other, everyone might have indulged in this sort of dramatic fantasy, though not to the extent of Mitty.

I also used to be another Mitty. I had a very difficult life. Sometimes I wonder how I got out of it and feel grateful to God that I am out of that miserable condition.

I think Spiderman, Superman and such characters came into being because of this sort of fantasy deep inside everyone of us. It also explains their runaway success. It proves that in a limited sense, it could be helpful to one and could help one to get out of depression once in a while.

For further reading:
"The Secret World of Walter Mitty" from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Life_of_Walter_Mitty

Write-up on "James Thurber" with his picture from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Thurber

I take this opportunity to salute the memory of James Thurber. Also my grateful thanks to All-Story.com and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Random Thoughts-35: "Taking the Mind for a Walk"

If one is suffering like me from sleeplessness or frequent interruptions in sleep due to some annoying disease or due to some other reason, the question arises what to do from one's mind from worrying or brooding over unwanted things. As that only makes the suffering more intense. Suppose one could utilize this time creatively without being a nuisance to others that would be great. I found out a way unexpectedly. I am admirer of the cartoonist, late Abu Abraham. What he once said about creative idleness caught hold of me. Creative Idleness is like taking your mind for a walk. This sounded great. You don't get up from bed; do not switch on the light and roam the house like a caged lion and annoy others sleeping at home. I decided to experiment and give it a try.

The first day I decided to implement it, I had a small problem. I did not know where to start from. Then I remembered it was already past midnight and I was already into a new day, which was a Thursday. Thursday, well, do I not know something about it? Ya, it was actually Thor's day, named after the Norwegian God of Thunder. Then I remembered that I had come across the name somewhere else too. Where? I remembered that too. It was Thor Heyerdahl, the great explorer, adventurist and scientist and immediately his famous Kon-Tiki Expedition of 1947 came to my mind. He, along with a few volunteers, crossed the great Pacific Ocean on a balsa wood raft (nearly 8000 k.m.!) to prove the theory that when Incas invaded Peru, the natives escaped and migrated to Polynesia by balsa wood rafts. He built a balsa wood raft and named it 'Kon-Tiki' after the Polynesian Sun god and travelled 8000 k.m. in the Pacific and reached Polynesia. The book describing this expedition, Kon-Tiki expedition became a best-seller and the documentary made about the voyage won Academy award.

Now more about Thursday. It is an auspicious day for the Hindus, the Jews and the Moslems and they observe fast on this day.

To Kon-Tiki now. If Kon-Tiki is the sun god for the Polynesians, the Hindus many names for him like Suriya (from which my own name, Suri, is derived) Suresh, Sourav (remember Saurav Ganguly?), and a lot more. In fact, the Hindus worship the sun god by a hymn called 'Aditya Hrudyam'; by the way, Aditya is another name for the sun god; This hymns is full various names for the sun god.

Does Thursday any significance in my own life? Yes, it does. More than 30 years ago, a team of volunteers came to Karaikudi to popularise Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation, TM. I got interested and took initiation from Mr.Frank Carpenter. I still remember the fascinating way he gave us his home address. En Cino, City of Oak Trees, California, USA. I was given a mantra, 'shreem' which I vaguely remember to have some connection with 'Guruvaar', the Sanskrit equivalent of Thursday.

If you turn to literature, there you find many books which has some link or the other with Thursday like:

The Man who was Thursday by G K Chesterton

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck

Thursday's Fictin by Richard James Allen

I find other references on searching, like:

Black Thursday referring to October 24, 1929 when the New York Stock Exchange crashed.

Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter.

Thansgiving day in US, which is usually celebrated on a Thursday in November.

The General Elections are traditionally held on a Thursday since 1935 in the United Kingdom.

It went on like this till it dawned. Needless to say, I got up refreshed and excited, instead of being depressed and tired. Unfortunately, this idea slipped my mind. Another reason may be my biggest weakness: lack of perseverance. My people say I always give up things in the middle and never see them through.

Ok, let me take it up again. Thanks to Abu Abraham, may his soul rest in peace!

For those interested in looking up some of the above topics, I have subsequently searched for and have found some links, which I am furnishing below links from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

THURSDAY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thursday

THOR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor

THOR HEYERDAHL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Heyerdahl#Heyerdahl.27s_theory_of_Polynesian_origins

KON-TIKI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kon-Tiki

THOR HEYERDAHL EXPEDITIONS and
ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE PACIFIC PEOPLES
http://www.greatdreams.com/thor.htm

THOR HEYERDAHL'S BOOK,THE KON-TIKI EXPEDITION FROM AMAZON.COM
(BOOK DETAILS AND EDITORIAL REVIEWS)
http://www.amazon.com/Kon-Tiki-Expedition-Bridge-Thor-Heyerdahl/dp/0582530067/ref=sr_1_1/181-1256319-1944528?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265423796&sr=1-1

KON-TIKI, THE 1951 DVD FROM AMAZON.COM
http://www.amazon.com/Kon-Tiki-Thor-Heyerdahl/dp/B000FDK746/ref=pd_sim_b_1

BOOKS ON AND BY THOR HEYERDAHL FROM GOOGLE BOOKS
http://books.google.com/books?q=+THOR+HEYERDAHL&btnG=Search+Books

THE KON-TIKI EXPEDITION - COLOR FILM FROM YOUTUBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m2Z5amr_DE

KON-TIKI, FULL FEATURE PROGRAM (58 MINUTES) FROM YOUTUBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGooopCTmpg

OBITUARY OF THOR HEYERDAHL FROM BBC NEWS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1938294.stm

OBITUARY OF THOR HEYERDAHL FROM THE INDEPENDENT
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/thor-heyerdahl-729937.html

ADITYA HRUDAYAM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aditya_Hridayam

SURYA NAMASKARA (SUN WORSHIP)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surya_Namaskara

Grateful thanks to Abu Abraham, Google Books, YouTube, BBC News, The Independent,UK, Amazon.com, Great Dreams.com and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Random Thoughts-34: "World Savings Day"

October 31. Today is World Savings Day. I am definitely not qualified to say or write anything about savings. For me, savings is an eluding art, in spite of my having lived for nearly 40 years in and around Karaikudi, the stronghold of Nattukkottai Chettiars, who are well-known for their thrift.

Long back I wrote a poem for our inhouse magazine, WINGS. I recall that today and copy it below for your benefit:

Religion
proudly proclaims:
"GOD SAVES".
As for me
Always overspend
and
Overshoot my budget;
End with a deficit,
Every time I make a budget..
God saves;.
No wonder
God is great..

While waiting for the bus, I saw a neon-sign saying "God Saves", which pushed me to write the above poem in a lighter vein. Don't take it a blasphemy or some such thing. I trust in your sense of humour. Believe me, I am a very pious man.

Random Thoughts-33: "The Story of the Tirupati Lock"

Many years ago, we, my dad and myself, had been to Tirupati as we had some work at Sri Venkateswara University. Then we left for Tirumala along with an influential friend. The friend helped us to get a quick and easy 'darshan' at Tirumala. On an impulse, I told my dad that I would like to stay overnight at Tirumala. We could get easily get a cottage. We hired a 'Godrej Nav-Tal' lock and key from a nearby petty shop after making a cash deposit of Rs.300/- and moved into the cottage. The atmosphere at the hill was serene and peaceful and I loved it.

The next day morning we vacated the cottage and went to the petty shop to return the lock and settle accounts. We got back our deposit and left for the bus station. The queue for the bus to Tirupati was long and it appeared it would take a long time to get into the bus. Fortunately for us, through the Railway Reservation Counter at Tirumala, we could get into a bus quickly, circumventing the queue.

As our bus was half way through, I opened my bag to look for something. I was shocked to see the lock and key there; somehow we have forgotten to return them; the shopkeeper also obviously forgot it. I did not know what to do. As you are probably aware, the buses from Tirumala to Tirupati do not have a conductor and they do not stop in between. I did not remember the name or address of the shopkeeper. So there was no way of returning the lock and key. I felt terribly sorry and realized that there was nothing I could do. So the lock and key came into my possession. I was using them for some time. When my kid brother, opened a shop, I gave him the lock and key. He was using it.

Then one morning when he went to open the shop, he found the lock broken and everything inside the stop stolen. The thief or thieves did not leave even a small chocolate. It was a clean sweep. When I heard the news, I was upset.

It occurred to me that there was some connection with misbegotten lock and the theft. The lock was not rightfully ours. We did not cheat the shopkeeper intentionally. Still there was a price to pay. For a 300-rupee lock, we had to pay more than Rs.10,000 worth materials. You can say we repaid it along with heavy interest. Generally, the dispensation of justice is not that simple. Still let us not forget the Law of Karma holds good for everybody and nobody can escape it. If you do something bad, you cannot escape the consequences; sooner or later, you will have pay for it.

You read, hear and see about people acting greedily, adopting all sorts of foul means, taking possession of other people's wealth. You can only pity them; for, they don't know that they will have to repay it with heavy interest; in the process, they will have to experience a lot of pain and misery. When you find that even rightfully got wealth do not remain with you for long, this covetousness is pointless and plain stupidity. If only people know this, there will be less greed and covetousness in this world.

At least, I have learnt my lesson.

Random Thoughts-32: "Crime and Punishment"

I have found morning walks energizing, enthusing, enlightening, stimulating, thought-provoking and a lot more things.

The other day I was performing my morning walk. Two middle-aged women were ahead of me. Though I was doing 'japa' mentally, I could not avoid their conversation entering my ears.

One of them was obviously a government employee. She was narrating of her tale of woe in getting some payment due to her from the government. She was harassed, made to run hither and thither. The villain, a clerk, would not prepare/pass her bill unless he is 'paid'. To make her pay, he was indulging in so many dilatory tactics. She became miserable and ultimately, after several months of suffering, paid him and got her payment. All along she had been mentally cursing him. It seems that fellow passed away within a month after that. She was gloating: "My curse was not wasted".

How simple it all looks! Crime-Curse-Punishment. A very simple linear equation! If it were so, there would be less crime, less corruption, less evil. Unfortunately, the dispensation of justice is more complicated, sometimes mind-boggling. Courts, lawyers, witnesses who do somersaults, police personnel, endless adjournments and a lot of other factors enter the arena to make it so. I recall a saying my dad used to mention: "Justice delayed is justice denied." If that is right, then you will have come to the painful conclusion that there is no justice in this world.

The divine dispensation of justice is even more complicated and would probably drive everyone crazy. We hear about good people suffering for their past deeds, unknown deeds they probably committed in some previous birth. Oh God! Does it mean that justice cannot meted out in one's single lifetime? Does it mean carry forward of your bad 'karma' to several births?

No wonder evil thrives in the world!

By comparison, our courts look better!

What do you say?

Random Thoughts-31: "Sri Jayanthi"

Bhagwan Sri Krishna's birthday is celebrated by Hindus as 'Sri Jayanthi', 'Janmashtami' and 'Gokulashtami'. Generally, eighth day (ashtami) and nineth day(navami) of the lunar month are considered to be inauspicious days. Hindus generally avoid these days for undertaking anything important. The idea is if you start anything important on these days, you will not able to complete them and you may have to do them again and again. However, two major incarnations of Maha Vishnu, Sri Krishna was born on an 'ashtami' and Sri Rama on a 'navami'. Consider this along with the assurance of Sri Krishna in the Gita: "To protect the righteous, to destroy the sinful and to reinstate morals, I am born again and again in every age"; now, you get a special meaning. In every age, the Lord takes birth on this earth to destroy evil and protect dharma.

So Sri Jayanthi is very special. Now-a-days you have not just one KAMSA, but innumerable of them; they are more deadly and dangerous. So naturally we all wish and pray that Sri Krishna takes birth again and destroys all these Kamsas and protects us.

Written on Aug 13, 2009 and posted on Aug.14, 2009.

Random Thoughts-30: "On Advertisements"

Advertisements are mostly a nuisance, a pain in the ... ok, neck. Some advertisements specialize in driving people mad; irritate people. Especially TV advertisements. They are disrupters. One wonders how the advertising business is thriving with all this. Sometimes they repeat the same advertisements three times successively; it is clear they want to brainwash everybody. But personally I feel their effect is seldom the one desired by them.

Advertisements in the print media are comparatively less painful. For TV advertisements assault your ears, eyes and mind at the same time. In the case of print media, at least your ears are spared. The most irritating part of TV ads is the volume goes up automatically. I am grateful to the man who invented the remote control. At the commencement of advertisements, I mute the TV or change the channel and thus have found a way to escape of the onslaught of advertisements.

As for the print media, if you don't like the advertisement, you turn the page. Occasionally you come across some advertisements that are pleasing. I came across some of these during my travel to Chennai by Pallavan Express.

These advertisements had these following features in common: First, they greet you: HAPPY JOURNEY, which is very nice of them. Then they have useful message and sayings like: "No man can stop what god wants to give; No man give what god wants to stop".

These advertisements for kailis, banians and underwear by K.A.S.Jainulabdeen Co, Chennai, deserve appreciation. Other advertisers can emulate them. This is how ads should be: subtle, unobtrusive and less-aggressive. I have snapped one for a sample, which appears above. I am sorry the photo is not up to the mark. But then I am only an amateur photographer, who has to learn a lot.

Random Thoughts-29: "On Dreams"

Yesterday night I had a stupid dream. I was in a train with my bag and baggage. Next I find myself inside a temple (probably on the railway platform itself or just outside), performing some 'puja' as dictated by the priest there. Then I suddenly remember my bag and baggage in the train and abruptly stop the 'puja' and rush to the platform, only to see the train gone. Frantically I look for a taxi which can help me to catch the train at the next station or so. But no taxi was available. Then I try to think of somebody who could be traveling by the same train so that I can call him over my mobile. This is where the dream got broken. I heaved a sigh of relief on realizing it was all a dream.

I have plenty of stupid dreams like this at night and self-cheating day-dreams during the day. Is there some meaning in all these? Can dreams be interpreted? Of course, you have Freud's 'Interpretation of Dreams'. But the problem is he links every innocuous dream to sex, which is too much for me. (I had at one time Freud's 'Interpretation of Dreams" and 'Sex Theory'. One of my good friends, a practising-Homeopath, relieved me of these, probably thinking they would be more useful to him and hence not bothering to return them.)

If you go through the Homeopathic Repertory, especially Kent's, you will see a lot of references to dreams and delusions. Not that you take these homeopathic remedies to stop the particular dream or dreams; but sometimes they help the homeopath to pinpoint the correct remedy. Unlike Freud, Homeopathy does not try to interpret dreams; it only uses them for selecting the best-suited remedy for the patient.

I hail from a railway family (many of my people were/are connected with the railways) and used to travel by train frequently. In fact, I used to commute to my college by train. Further, when we were in Manamadurai, I used to go to Madurai often, which was just an hour's travel by train. During night travel, I always end up sleeping on the upper berth or the rack above meant for luggage. Probably because of this, I used to have dreams of falling down from the upper berth, only to find that I was lying on firm ground at home. Later when I was studying Homeopathy, I was surprised to find this symptom in the Homeopathic Repertory, which had 'Thuja', a many-sided and deep-acting remedy, for this symptom. On going through the Materia Medica of Thuja, I found I had many Thuja symptoms like 'after-effects of vaccination', 'warts' etc.

Another interesting symptom worth mentioning here is 'dream of snakes"; I know of a case or two where this symptom has helped to find the right remedy and cure the patient. 'Lac Caninum', a medicine made from dog's milk, was the remedy.

So, if you are taking Homeopathy treatment, don't forget to mention your dreams to your physician.

Random Thoughts-28: "Unique Talent"

I sincerely believe that every one of us has some unique talent. Only most of us are not aware of it. So the first step is becoming aware of this and then identifying one's unique talent. Then comes nurturing it and manifesting it - Manifesting it for one's own welfare; for the welfare of one's near and dear; and also for the welfare of the society at large.

It needs nurturing because it remains just a spark. When you nurture it, it starts growing and glowing. In the light, you see your life's unique mission. Then life becomes focused and meaningful. You cut down all distractions and march towards your life's unique mission with single-minded devotion. When you attain your goal, your life becomes fulfilled. Even if you don't reach your goal, the very process of striving for it with all your mite should be satisfying and make you happy.

The greatest tragedy of life is not having this awareness. The spark flares up now and then to draw your attention to it. But if you still ignore it, it is really a pity.

Nurturing it and finally manifesting and utilizing it for your own selfish ends would be a crime.

How to identify your unique talent? Turn inward and dive deeper and deeper and deeper; you will find it. Why waste your precious time in the pursuit of limiting materialistic goals?

There is this reassuring advice from great sages: "Know that by knowing which everything becomes known; attain that by attaining which everything is attained."

Blessed are those who have found their unique talent early in life; nurtured it properly and manifested it fully for the welfare of one and all.

Random Thoughts-27: "Number Thirteen"

Thirteen is considered to be an unlucky number by many. In US, many hotels do not have a 13th floor; after 12th floor, you get to the 14th floor! Likewise, there is no Room No.13. People do not want to commence or take up anything of importance on the 13th day of the month. Whatever you take up may fail or there may be worse misfortunes. People seem to be damn afraid of that number. This superstition seems to be universal breaking borders.

I have a special connection to number thirteen. My official date of birth is 13. My real one is something different. Those days schools won't admit children below six . When I was 5, I was admitted in school; probably somebody added a year to my age, which is all right with me; but they changed the date and month. At random they might have chosen the numbers. I had my share of troubles and misfortunes in my sixty-year old life, whether due to it or otherwise.

This fear associated with number thirteen makes me think. For me, Swami Vivekananda is the embodiment of fearlessness, courage and manliness. He says that if there is one word that keeps recurring in the Upanishads, it is fearlessness. The Bhagavad Gita also puts fearlessness in the first place when it starts listing out divine wealth or divine values. So it is a virtue or value one must cultivate. Analysing our fears one by one threadbare may help. Facing your fears head on may be a way. If you are spiritual like me, japa (repetition of the holy name), meditation and prayer also should help to some extent.If there are other ways, I shall be glad to learn.

On looking up 'Thirteen' in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, I found a lot of interesting facts:

* There were thirteen disciples of Jesus in the Last Supper and Judas Iscariot was the thirteenth.

* In the Sikh holy scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, the word 'Waheguru' appears 13 times.

* 13 is the age at which a boy becomes Bar Mitzwah in Judaism.

* 13 is the sixth prime number.

* The morbid fear of 13 is called Triskaidekaphobia.

* Thirteen is the age when one becomes a teenager.

* The unsuccessful mission to moon by the US is Apollo 13.(An oxygen tank exploded in Apollo 13 on April 13(!), 1970 leading to failure of the mission).

The surprising news is that there are people to whom 13 is a luck number. If you look up Wikipedia, you will find more details about them. For example, in Italy, 13 is considered to be a lucky number. So also at the Colgate University. But then considering a number lucky or unlucky, is not the same, I mean, superstition?

The world is full of superstitions, some of them very interesting though. One day I should sit up and collect the details; maybe I would write an article for my blog about superstitions.

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Random Thoughts-26: "Swami Vivekananda Memorial Day"

Photo of Swami Vivekananda at Vivekananda Kendra, Kunyakumari,
taken by Suri using his Canon Powershot A-590 camera

It is on this day, July 4, Swami Vivekananda attained Mahasamadhi. It also coincides with the American Independence Day.

I call myself a devotee, admirer, follower, worshipper of Swami Vivekananda. He is just 'swamiji' for his devotees. He has been a great source of inspiration for me. His writings have moulded me; but still I have to go a long way to call myself as a true devotee of swamiji.

On this day, I choose one of his great sayings and would like to dwell on it, discuss it and share with you my personal thoughts on that.

"Strength is Life, Weakness is Death.
Expansion is Life, Contraction is Death.
Love is Life, Hatred is Death."

The first line exhorts us to develop strength of mind, body and character. With strength you overcome weaknesses, don't yield to temptations, surmount obstacles however big they seem to be and face evil with courage and confidence.

The third line reminds us that without love, life is meaningless, worthless, pointless and a total waste. When we hate somebody, whether it affects the other person or not, it definitely affects us; not only that, it could destroy us; it takes us away from our goal of life.

The second line is the most beautiful to me. We all begin our life, so to say, as a dot. That dot grows into a small circle encompassing our beloved mother and father; then the circle gradually expands to include all our near and dear; people of our place, our country and our world; not only that, even plants, birds and animals; finally breaking all barriers, we become one with the universe. (We find this all-embracing love in great souls like the Buddha, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and others.) It is the goal of life, the purpose of life, fulfilment or whatever you want to call it. So if we stop or stagnate at any particular point, it is a pity, for we lose the purpose of our life; we have fallen short of the goal; if you are a believer in reincarnation like me, then we may have to take more births and continue from where we left off till we finally reach the goal.

It is 'maya' or ignorance which deludes us and distracts us from our real purpose of life. We think name and fame are the goal of life; or still worse, money and other material possessions are the goal of life; they are not. We easily forget this. Days like this are to remind us of our true goal and to goad us to seek and strive for that goal- no matter how many times we forget it or lose the battle; it may be a thousand times; still we keep on trying and never stop till we realize the goal of life.

Jai, Sri Swamiji Maharaj ki Jai!
Jai, Sri Mahamayee ki Jai!
Jai, Sri Guru Maharaj ki Jai!

Random Thoughts-27: "Smoking in Public Places"

Notwithstanding the law, I see many people smoking in public; they seem to be flaunting it in defiance and seem to be spoiling for a fight with anyone who even looks at them with annoyance. There is also a feeling that the state government is not very serious about implementing the law, their sympathies being with the smokers. Another reason could be that it was introduced by Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss. Whatever may be, we are all , including women and children, are still a victim of passive smoking.

These public-smokers stand near you and exhale tobacco fumes arrogantly, making it clear to you that they care two hoots of the law and for your health. I used to get mad when subjected to such arrogance. But, of late, I feel only sorry for them. What is the reason for this change of attitude?

I remembered one of these days that I also used to be a smoker during my college days; but I used to do it secretively, being afraid of it coming to the notice of my dad. But I was not a chain-smoker.

One day I had been to Madurai to appear for pre-university examinations to clear my arrears. I was staying in a lodge. In the evening, for a change of scene, I went to the Madurai Railway Station and incidentally met a few of dad's friends. At that time, my dad was in Gummidipundi performing census of passengers for the railways. What I did not know was that there was only one more day left and my dad managed to obtain permission from his boss and came straight to Madurai. His friends who had seen me told him where I was staying. He came straight to see me.

I was enjoying a smoke inside the room, after an hour or so of concentrated study, when I heard somebody knocking at the door. I immediately put out the cigarette and opened the door. I was shocked to see my dad. He came inside and could easily inhale the tobacco odour. Further, he could also see a new pack of cigarettes with a matchbox on the table. Before he could ask anything I told him that they were probably left by the previous occupant of that room. He did not probe into it but only asked me to take care of myself, study well and write the exams confidently. Then he left. I heaved a sigh of relief.

After the exams, when I returned home after a week, the first thing he said was: "Promise me that you won't touch tobacco in your life again." You can guess my discomfiture. I had no other alternative and touched his outstretched palm with mine. And that was that. It never occurred to me all these years to break that promise. But for that probably I would also be smoking now; though I doubt I would have had the courage and audacity to smoke in public, being a timid guy.

My dad is no more now; he passed two years back at the age of 80. Unfortunately, during his lifetime, it never occurred to me to say: "Dad, I am very grateful to you; you saved me from a great evil." It would have made him very happy. It gets added to the things you regret of not having done.

So now when I see somebody smoking, I only feel sorry for him and think: "Man! you probably did not have a dad like mine."

Random Thoughts-24: "World Asthma Day"

May 5th is observed as World Asthma Day world over. I am well qualified to write something about asthma on this day. Yes, as a chronic patient of bronchial asthma, I have much to say about it. But don't worry, I shall be brief. As I am opt to boast whenever I get a chance, I inherited love of books and bronchial asthma from my paternal grandpa. Fortunately for me, asthma reminds me of its existence only during winter. DrMathur might have classified it as wet asthma.

I used to suffer a lot during winter. No doubt my way of life and my inherent nature added fuel to fire. For a chronic patient of asthma, choosing the hobby of book-collection is nothing but stupidity. I should have chosen some active, outdoor hobby. But as I said before it chose me rather than my choosing it. When a person belonging to lower middle class indulges in book-collection, naturally the books are procured from secondhand bookshops and platform booksellers and then comes the problem of storage and upkeep.

Old books easily attract dust and silverfish. If I so much as go near the bookshelf or handle a few books during winter, an attack of asthma is bound to ensue. During the early stages, the medicines I depended upon, made me sleepless and there were other side-effects. So I became disenchanted withallopathy and started looking for an answer in alternative medicine, especially Homeopathy. Homeopathy definitely did help. As you probably know, homeopathic medicines do not fight or cure the disease; they only strengthen your immune system, which eventually overcomes the disease.

Chill wind has been my first enemy. So I learnt to protect myself by wearing protective gear and also by avoiding exposure to it. During winters, the sun has been my best friend. My moods would go up and down with the sun. Incidentally, my short name, 'Suri' literally means the sun.

The other precaution is with regard to food. By trial and error, I found out the food stuffs allergic to me and started avoiding them. The generally rule regarding food is, take simple, easily digestible and warm food. Also you take your dinner early and by the time you go to bed, the stomach is not heavy and the sleep is not disturbed.

However, asthma had a positive side for me. It would make me get up around 4 am daily during winter and after that sleep is not possible. Now that has become a regular habit and get up around 4 am throughout the year.

As Robin Sharma says, you have an edge over the other guys as you start the day very early. As the saying goes, early bird catches the worm. OK, that is all for today.

(Written on May 5 and posted on May 6, 2009)

Random Thoughts: "May Day thoughts on Labour and Management"

May 1 is celebrated as International Workers' Day or Labour Day world over. Labour has become a broad term encompassing all employees of private sector, public sector, government undertakings and government institutions and organisations contrasting with their management. As one who has worked in a government-funded institution which follows the Govt of India's rules 'mutatis mutandis' for nearly 40 years, I would like to record some of my thoughts on Labour and Management.

When an organization grows, especially when its workforce grows in numbers, labour problem creeps in. Generally, when the labour is strong and united and have a registered union, more often than not they misuse their strength, resort to arm-twisting, put up impossible demands, go on strike at the slightest provocation, even turn violent beating up people and destroying property. Votebank politics will not permit any politician to antagonise labour; so they start fishing in troubled waters.

When there are more than one union, inter-union rivalry leads to lot of trouble and the relationship between labour and management worsens.

On the other hand, when the management is strong and has the support of the government either explicit or implicit, with the labour weak or not so strong, the management misuses its power, tries to suppress any union movement and ill-treats its workforce.

In short, it seems labour and management are always at the throat of each other. There seems to be no balance. It is a curse plaguing many organisations, especially industries.

I would like to refer to one company where for want of this balance the company closed down many of its operations, leading to loss of jobs for the workforce not only of the company but its ancillary units and thus affecting prosperity of the town. It was a major automobile company employing thousands of people. Everybody was paid reasonably well, compared to other companies. The company extended a lot of facilities and benefits to the workforce. The workers of that company were the envy of their counterparts in other companies. Everything was going on well till trade unions came up and politicians entered the fray posing as champions of labour. The unions were itching to fight with the management on flimsiest grounds. They started putting up impossible demands. Naturally when the management was not able to accede their demands, there was strike. The strike turned violent and there was bloodshed. There was lockout for some time. The Govt tried to negotiate. Prudently, the company decided to prune its labour strength by curtailing its operations and people started losing jobs. Most of the auxiliary units supporting the company also had to close down, resulting in further loss of jobs. Unemployment grew. The prosperity of the community suffered. The town started declining.

Many problems between Labour and Management can be solved by mutual trust. Bad relationship between them is due to fear and suspicion. When third parties like politicians enter the fray things deteriorate; the politicians always try to manipulate Labour for their own selfish ends.

Why can't the Labour and the Management be reasonable and realize that the welfare, nay survival of the one depends on the other. Why can't Labour and Management tackle their problems themselves, without allowing self-serving politicians to enter the arena? What needs to be done to foster better relationship and mutual trust between Labour and Management?

These are some questions Labour and Management have to ask themselves.

Detailed article on "May Day" from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Random Thoughts-22: "More on Hanumanji"

After going through my post on 'Hanumath Jayanthi', my friend, Mr.Kannan, felt that I could have highlighted the strengths of Hanumanji and his relevance to the youth. He was right; further, I felt I could have included a few pages from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by Mahendra Nath Gupta or 'M' as he preferred to be known. Hence this addendum.

Hanumanji is a great of courage, confidence, concentration, strength, faith, devotion, celibacy and many more sterling virtues, which mould one's character and equip one to face whatever comes in life with courage and confidence. So the inculcation of the worship of Hanumanji in the formative years has special significance.

In ancient India, life was divided into four stages, the first of which being 'BRAHMACHARYA' - the period from childhood to entering adulthood. This is the period one devotes to acquiring knowledge, developing self-discipline and all the other virtues that mould one's character. With the knowledge or the skill acquired, one enters a profession; then only comes the second stage, 'GRUHASTHA' : getting married and raising a family of one's own. So the first stage is a very important one, the foundation on which the remaining three stages are built up. Distractions during this first stage could seriously hamper one's growth and development.

Unfortunately, there is every kindly deadly and dastardly distraction today; they corrupt the young minds and lead them astray. In the movies you see nothing the love of the other sex, right from the nursery school stage. What is meant for the second stage is needlessly and crudely thrust on the young when they are not yet ready for such things. Further, rowdyism and goondaism pass for heroism. Most of the evils in society are due to this. Hence it becomes the duty of the parents, teachers and other elders to introduce and inculcate the worship of Hanumanji, highlighting his sterling qualities and advise them to take Hanumanji as their role-model rather some movie star.

As a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, to me 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' is the Bible. Sri Ramakrishna greatly admired Hanumanji. He would try the different paths like Christianity, Islam, Tantrik and advaita and realize the Supreme through every one of them. He also practised 'sadhana' dressing and behaving like Hanumanji, identifying himself so completely with Hanumanji that he almost became another 'Hanuman'. Within a few days, he realized the Supreme. After that he said with the authority of one who has tried many paths, "whatever path one chooses, one reaches the same goal."

One comes across many passages in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, where Sri Ramakrishna refers to Hanumanji on several occasions. I am fond of a few of them, which I am reproducing below:

'Rama asked Hanuman, "Hanuman what attitude do you cherish toward Me when you worship Me?" 'Hanuman answered: 'Sometimes I see that You are the whole and I am a part; sometimes I see that You are the Master and I am thy servant. But Rama, when I have knowledge of Reality, then I find that You are I and I am You."

"...It was through the power of his mind that Hanuman leapt over the sea. 'I am the servant of Rama; I have repeated the holy name of Rama. Is there anything impossible for me?" - that was Hanuman's faith.

"Once a man asked Hanuman which day of the fortnight it was. "Brother," said Hanuman, "I don't know anything about the day of the week or the fortnight, or the position of the stars. I think of Rama alone." (All the three passages are from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by Mahendra Nath Gupta - Translated into English by Swami Nikhilananda and published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai).

Random Thoughts-21: "Swami Vivekananda's Birthday"

Swami Vivekananda was born on January 12, 1863. The devotees of Swami Vivekananda world over celebrate it as "Swamiji Jayanthi". Swami Vivekananda's ideas have had a great influence on the Indian youth and still has a lot of relevance to them. Hence, the Govt of India has declared January 12, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, to be National Youth Day. In schools and colleges all over India, Youth Day is being celebrated today.

"Swamiji" as Swami Vivekananda is fondly referred to by his devotees, was a great teacher of mankind. His address at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, USA, captivated not only the audience but the entire world and he became well known thenceforth. He restored a sense of pride in the hearts of the people of India. His teachings influenced the thinking of national and international leaders, politicians, men of science and philosophers, like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subash Chandra Bose, Aurobindo Ghosh, Tagore, Rajaji, Radhakrishnan, Nikola Tesla, Jamshedji Tata and many others.

He founded the Sri Ramakrishna Math and Mission on the principle, “for one's own salvation and for the welfare of the World”. He advised his followers to be holy, unselfish and have faith in themselves.

He is the maker of modern India and is widely considered to have inspired India's freedom struggle movement.

During my bachelor days, Dr Janakiraman would convene weekly meetings at his residence under the banner "Vivekananda Study Circle" and we used read a few pages from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. After that we used to pray/meditate and Dr Janakiraman would distribute "kalkandu" as "prasad". He used to present me Sri Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature at every opportunity and thus my acquaintance with Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda grew. He took me to the Ramakrishna Tapovan at Tirupparaithurai thrice, which was the nearest Math to us in those days. We used to worship in the shrine there and then seek the blessings of the monks there. Srimat Swami Chidbhavanandaji Maharaj, the founder of the Tapovan, was alive then. We would go and prostrate before him and he would enquire about us and bless us.

When the Madurai branch of the Ramakrishna Math came up, Dr Janakiraman used to frequent it. Once or twice I went there with him. He used to collect donations for the Madurai Math and when he left Karaikudi, he entrusted it to me. Then slowly I started visiting the Madurai Math. After a time, it became a regular monthly visit as the monks there were very kind to me and I caught got in their love, to borrow an adjective from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, "unreasonable" love i.e. love without any reason.

I read all the nine volumes of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, The Eternal Companion, Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master and then everything published by the Ramakrishna Order that I could lay my hands on.

During my FASOHD days, we used to organize seminars to commemorate the National Youth Day at different colleges. We used to distribute a booklet containing the essence of the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda called “Swami Vivekananda: His Call to the Nation” to the students. This booklet was priced at less than Rupees Two.

I shall take up only one fascinating quote of his for this post: "Strength is Life, Weakness is Death; Expansion is Life, Contraction is Death; Love is Life; Hatred is Death." Though there are numerous wonderful and beautiful quotations of Swamiji, this quote has fascinates me. There are numerous quotations on Life and Death which you can find in Books of Quotations. But, to me, nobody has so precisely and comprehensively have described Life and Death like Swamiji. Its positive note, its universal relevance and enormity of its implications are incomparable.

For example, let us take a single word from the above quote, viz., "expansion" and proceed. I started as a dot; as I embrace my parents, the dot grows into a small circle. This circle goes on expanding as I include my brothers and sisters and later on other relatives and friends. Thus this circle should go on expanding, finally becoming all encompassing - encompassing the whole universe - breaking all barriers; ultimately I become one with the universe. That is the fulfillment of life. When I get stuck up in between somewhere, it is a pity. I should keep on striving and get moving. This is what I infer from that word “expansion”. I have taken just only one word from that quote; like this, one could take up every word and focus one's mind on it, try to visualize the great message contained in it.

I shall conclude this post with a quote on Swamiji by Netaji Subash Chandra Bose: “I cannot write about Vivekananda without going into raptures…. His personality was rich, profound and complex... Reckless in his sacrifice, unceasing in his activity, boundless in his love, profound and versatile in his wisdom, exuberant in his emotions, merciless in his attacks but yet simple as a child, he was a rare personality in this world of ours.”

Detailed Wikipedia article on "SWAMI VIVEKANANDA": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Vivekananda

Random Thoughts-20: "Decluttering the Mind"

After reading the article in my blog on "Cluttering, Uncluttering and Decluttering", a friend of mine asked me: "Hey Suri! What about decluttering the mind?". Good question. As some work came yo, the question slipped into my mind and rested there. Then on one of my sleepless nights, as I was rolling in bed restlessly for want of anything to do, it surfaced and I had to face it.

Mind has always been a fascinating subject not only to seers, sages, mystics, philosophers, Freuds, Jungs and Adlers but also ordinary mortals like me. As I have been surfing through life for nearly 60 years, I have picked up many interesting facts about mind from books, people and personal experience.

First, the limitations of space does not apply to mind. Decluttering your room or house has the compelling reason of space behind it. But you can put any amount info and thoughts into your mind. I was taught beautifully and convincingly of this truth in a Sahaja Sthithi Yoga class.

Second, people who talk about mind-control do not know what they are talking about. For mind can never be controlled. As those, especially the ones, who tried control it by force. With redoubled force, it challenges you and makes fun of you. What to do then? Vedathri Mahrishi comes up with a wonderful suggestion: MIND WATCH. (மனதை அடக்க நினைத்தால் மதம் பிடித்த யானை போல் வெறிகொண்டு திமிரும். மனதை அறிய நினைத்தால், அடங்கும் - வேதாத்திரி மஹரிஷி) This practice of focusing mind on the mind seems to produce miraculous results. During mind-watch, the mind settles down and behaves itself like a thief who knows that he is being watching by the police surreptitiously from every nook and corner. So it behaves like an innocent child.

Third, to me, the greatest discovery of our ancient saints and sages is the close connection between MIND and BREATH. When your mind is agitated, your breathe fast and when you are totally absorbed in some good music, or natural scenery or anything that has the capacity to absorb you completely, your breathing becomes even and almost imperceptible. From this discovery, came the inference that by regulating your breath, you can regulate your mind. This is how PRANAYAMA, JAPA, MEDITATION and many other spiritual practices came to be designed.

Fourth, once a thought enters your mind, you can never erase it. This is the most dangerous part. So watch out and beware of your thoughts. Don't let bad, evil or disturbing thoughts to enter your mind. Prevention is the only remedy. Once a bad thought enters your mind, it hides itself somewhere in the subconscious mind and surfaces at the most inconvenient time and cause endless embarrassment or make you thoroughly miserable.

Fifth, mind and thoughts are like and its power to burn, inseparable. As long as you have a mind, there will be thoughts. Going still further, you know that even after death, your thoughts live encoded in the genes of your off-spring.

Sixth, It is exhorted to destroy or annihilate the mind. OK, what is mind? Mind is the objective form of life-force.('உயிரின் படர்க்கை நிலை மனம் - வேதாத்ரி மஹரிஷி). So as long as you live, you will have a mind and as long as you have a mind, you will have thoughts.

Seventh, is there a thougtless stage? Rishis speak of 'samadhi' (samam + adhi = reaching the original stage i.e. merging with the cosmic mind from which your individual mind came about. But this is for great sages and rishis and not for ordinary mortals like us.

Finally, it all boils down to the fact that you could declutter your room or home and tidy it up. But decluttering the mind is a very serious and entirely different matter. Practice breath-watch, pranayama, japa, meditation, silence or do something that totally absorbs you like listening to the music you love, watching the beauty of nature, paintings or even a movie that you love. Consciously think of good and godly thoughts. That is all I could think of for the present. If you can think of anything better, please tell me, I am all ears. Thank you, thank you very much for your patience and interest.

Random Thoughts-19: "On the New Year"

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!

The New Year always brings hopes and expectations, thus making almost everyone an optimist. Even those who had a turbulent or miserable life look forward to the New Year in the hope that it would bring an end to all their sufferings and things turn out to be all right. That is why we celebrate the New Year's day.

Let us hope the New Year will bring the very best in our personal lives. Let me borrow the prayer of my little nephew Aravind: "Let there be no bomb blast anywhere in the world! Let there be no Tsunami anywhere in the world! Let me live happily! Let all the people live happily!" That was a prayer Aravind offered at the Kollan Kali Amman Temple, Karaikudi, when he was just seven or maybe eight years old. I am slightly modifying the prayer: "Let hatred and violence disappear from the face of the world. Let nature be kind to all of us and let there be no disasters. Let all that happens to me in the New Year be the very best. Let everyone on the globe find peace, harmony and happiness.

Saw a very old cartoon (of 1920s) in the public domain, depicting a child (the New Year) chasing an old man(the old year) into the history book and closing it tight. Yes, the past is for history and let us live in the present and make the most of it; naturally, the future will take care of itself.

Making resolutions on the New Year's day has become almost a ritual with some of us. Whether we follow them through is a different matter. However, it proves that there is still a streak of optimism in us and of course, reveals lack of perseverance. Let us hope that we could add perseverance to our enthusiasm and realize our dreams and fulfill our promises.

Wishing you a Happy, Prosperous and Purposeful New Year!

Grateful thanks to Vinod for providing the photo for this post.