I and my Name

Deepak Sonpar, that’s my name. Joyfully I am called, Deepak, deepu, chintu, waheguru, bhaiya and what not. Deepak means a ‘Lamp’ in Hindi; I was given this name by my brother because of my glowing face. He thought that I will spread knowledge, happiness and hope, hence such an enlightening name.

It’s wonderful at times when some people address me, even without taking my name. As time passed by, more adjectives were added to my name, and every time there was more responsibility. The meaning of Deepak changed every time every time I learnt more from life.

But there are some things that my name does not encompass, like my creative and writing skills. (‘I think therefore I am’, I pen these thoughts.) My ability to join the dots and much more…

No matter what anyone’s name is, good or bad. He is born for some unique purpose in life. At the end of all this, I am still trying to know, who am I? I want to stand true to the real meaning of my name before the oil gets over.

Man’s greatest creation

It is said that, God created the world and the man in six days and on the seventh, he rested. It is in-fact otherwise; man created God and has never rested since. Humans need to blame someone for their failures and someone to owe their luck to. Some have seen Him, but can’t prove him.

There is a logical reason for everything that happens on earth, from volcanoes to floods. Logic is a part of science, therefore its all science. Two and two is four, E=mc2. Such formulae are based on facts and not because God told anyone. But there are many a things, which can’t be explained, things which follow no logic and time sense. Such events fall in no scientific parameters. These small events are called miracles. How do they happen? God Knows.

The number of psychiatric cases reported in America are ten times than the ones reported in India. Reason, in America, if someone is talking to the wall, he is termed mentally ill. In India, people talk, pray and preach specific non-living idols and it is termed as spirituality.

Belief turns impossible to nothing. It’s your extent of belief that determines what god has done for you. One believes in God, he sees Him, talks to Him, prays and preaches Him. And that unselfish almighty finally replies one day. God, we call him. The un-attributed soul cannot be described to anyone. Even if described, his existence cannot be proved. It’s the deep rooted belief in god that a person talks and prays to god. It’s belief, that a person attributes all miracles and good happenings to God.

God knows what you need. Problems, downfalls and barriers are a part of life and are equally important as happiness is. Barriers are things a person sees when his eyes are off his goal. Instead of asking for fewer problems, one should ask God for giving him the strength to tackle them.

The smart ones in various fields are laggards in spirituality. One has to overcome the belief of material things and take a very broad view of life and he realizes that life is a waste if you don’t know who you are? What are you born for? When one has climbed the pyramid, he has gone through the truths and hardships of life. When he has gained everything, he realizes that gathering trivial things, he wasted his life. There is more to life than mere birth-procreation-death and working all the time for happiness. Self realization is the beginning towards journey towards the ultimate goal. The ultimate realization is that you are here to just play a role. Play the role so well that you remain unruffled by your day to day feelings. The realization of the goal is enough to set in tranquility

All possible happenings are connected. All relations are complimentary. The circle of life completes on various elements and lives complementing and leading to one another. What you are to someone, what someone is to you! Things you need are what others give away. Your expenditure is someone else’s income. Food chain and chain of elements are examples to name a few. What nature does is link the two ends and the world (commerce) lives and thrives. It’s an algorithm of life. There are multiple links, if something doesn’t come your way, the links lead to other multiple opportunities. If not this, then may be that, then something else. Things do come your way. You get not what you want but what you are good at, where you qualify in the algorithm and get a yes to proceed.

One person (or thing) that transcends all barriers of caste, class, race, religion and maya is God. He, who on being unknown is still the most searched for. The super programmer of zillions of algorithms, God, truly He is.

Beauty

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Old saying but concludes that beauty is subjective. What one sees and refers as beautiful may not be so, for someone else. Does beauty exist without its own perception?

Magnificence, radiance, attractiveness and exquisiteness are some universal features beyond culture and time. But these neither defy nor justify beauty. Some say beauty is eternal, some say it is internal not merely skin deep. One surely is beautiful by his nature and attitude than mere looks. However, no one has yet achieved a clear definition of what it actually is. What is universal beauty? What is eternal beauty? What appeals to everyone? I say beauty has its own class

Basics of math are numbers, basics of english are alphabets. All music, the sonatas, the symphonies, the rock and pop and R&B, the ragas, the thumris, the khyaals, the gazzals come from seven notes. Beauty can also be broken down to some basic facts. Symmetry and completeness could be some. Shape, Pattern and proportion have universal appreciation. James Joyce says that beauty is in completeness (integrity) and is radiant.

Fibonacci’s principle and numbers give mathematical ‘evidence’ of beauty in nature, music and in man made structures (Parthenon), flowers, leaves, phylotaxis, and nautilus shell etc. Fibonacci gave us the 1.681 ratio of beauty. Fibonacci concluded this on basis of numerous experiments that anything natural or man made which follows this ratio is by default beautiful. Elizabeth Hurley, Tom Cruise to name some, who qualify the Fibonacci ratio. Attractive, aren’t they? Beauty attracts. Beauty is perfect.

One doesn’t need to know art to understand beauty. Beauty is highlighted the moment some one appreciates it but its existence is beyond the frames of linear time. It is a natural inclination to appreciate and get attracted to it. Beauty transcends all barriers of class caste, culture. It’s universal. May be that’s the reason why, it hast been understood so well.

There are only two perfect men, the dead and the unborn. The whole reality can neither be, grasped by the human intellect, nor can it be expressed through the limited language of man. Beauty may be in the eyes of the beholder but from the divine perspective everything is beautiful. We just need to leave micro point of view and see the macro and all is beautiful.

The way to happiness

In the garden of happiness
There is sometimes an entrance ticket
But the real garden is the greenery
The soft cool breeze, swaying the grass
The tiny droplets of dew

On one side is the walking track
On the other, swing, seesaw and the slide
Life is like the road, from entrance to exit, a curvy walk
But happiness, incidents left and right

Happiness is like swinging a sweet girl
Happiness is like sliding down the slide
Happiness is like feeling the breeze in your face
Happiness is like loosening your grip on the seesaw
Happiness is like jogging with your best friend
Happiness is like waiting for someone outside the garden
Happiness is like watching the butterflies flutter
Happiness is like watching the sunrise
Happiness is like smelling the flowers

There are tall trees and short
The seesaw describes life, sometimes up sometimes down
Happiness is a privilege, it doesn’t come to you
You have to create it, before you exit
If the ship doesn’t come to the shore, swim to it
Change your thought and the whole world around you changes
Remember, in the garden of happiness, not all are happy

It seems like yesterday!

It seems like yesterday, that I travelled to Churchgate - all the way in the train
It seems like yesterday, that we all met for the first time in the class room.
The tall Mathew, the sweet Mansi, the weird Sanket, long hair Danny (then Dinesh), H-U-S-H-I-D-A-R, the smiley sapna.
It seems like yesterday, that we worked on the website project, roamed around capturing the city on camera, editing movies.
It seems like yesterday, laughing at Operas, having fun at the Pune Trip, almost being kicked out of the campus.
It seems like yesterday, we phrased "Modi Ka Baap", visited Oshos, made someone wash his socks at 1 am.
It seems like yesterday, we used technology to clear papers, hey Man!
It seems like yesterday, we booed the normal KCites, as we were above the rest, on the 6th foor
It seems like yesterday, we ate Chinese at HR canteen, had dessert at 210 degrees, ate manchurian from Ateeq's plate. I remember that i always ordered two glasses of juice.
It seems like yesterday, that we made Mumbai 360, No Ball, and late night editing.
It seems like yesterday, we went to Goa, Bad Luck Suraj, sleeping at the beach.
It seems like yesterday, we went to Hyderabad, the secrets-unrevealed till date, all my jokes, Ankits Reliance falling off the train, and he getting slapped for it. Oh Boy!
It seems like yesterday, that we went to Goa, yet again. The elite "Parallel Group", and then working on the annual magazine. The fights thereon
It seems like yesterday, we worked day and night for Blitzkrieg - one of my precious memories
It seems like yesterday, we discussed Kajal, Shagun, etc - you get the point
It seems like yesterday, Jerry Pinto addressed somebody as "Lipstick". Sun you would remember Jerry, very well
It seems like yesterday, we went for movies, before exams
It seems like yesterday, we called Mathew for all acedemic queries
It seems like yesterday, that we all separated after the finals.

I miss the parallel group, the HR chinese, the "This is my college" jokes, the Tarzan incidents, the intellectual conversations, I miss all of it.

It all seems like yesterday. Boy, It was a long day!! I hope the memories remain fresh forever