Wise Gems

When we look at the night sky, we see those little twinkling beauties called stars. So often man has dreamed of travelling to these stars. And when the night passes away, all these little stars fade away to make way for the nearest star we can get to... the magnificent Sol. Sol is Latin for sun. Astronomers classify stars by their various properties. Sol is classified as the yellow dwarf. It is odd that this huge ball of fire is referred to as a dwarf. For us who exist on this planet, Sol is definitely not a dwarf. It is the central figure that holds the planets, moons, asteroids, rocks and dust that we refer to as the solar system. Be it the tiny Mercury or the mighty Jupiter, they all revolve around this dwarf. Sol brings energy to our earth. Life on earth is dependent on this energy. Both the light and the heat it brings plays a vital role in sustaining life. Generation upon generation of every life form has passed away, relying upon this constant, unceasing energy.

Recently I was at a mall. Since Independence Day was approaching, there was an event at the mall. On a large canvas, they were encouraging people to put their thoughts on it. Some were painting our beautiful tricolor. Some were writing messages. I painted our flag along with the word UP signifying the direction our country is headed. I felt really proud. At the same time I felt grateful to God. I was born a free man in a free country. Felt grateful to all the people who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Many did not even see the free country they strived for.  Felt grateful to God for the beauty of this country. Our Country is truly blessed. Snow capped mountains to sun kissed beaches, flowing rivers to flower filled valleys, lush green forests to golden desert sands. Name it... India has it. Felt grateful for the opportunities and the superb education we get in this country. I can follow my religion without threats. I can speak freely. I feel responsible for my country. Fe

Couple of months ago my wife and I brought a money plant branch from a good friend of mine. With great enthusiasm we planted it in a pot. I watered it daily. One day I noticed a small, bright green bud appear in one of the nodes. But the next morning I saw the bud separated from the plant. Perhaps nipped by one of the pigeons that roost in the window. After this incident, the plant showed signs of giving up. To my disappointment, I noticed that the leaves became yellowish. Eventually these leaves dried and fell off. For a few days the branch stood, devoid of all leaves. We then noticed that the color of the stem started turning yellow like its leaves had done a few days back. Thinking that this plant had died, we removed it from the pot. A few days later, we were surprised to see a small green shoot rising out of the soil. Perhaps, a portion of the root had remained. This joy was short lived. Pigeons at work again. This small shoot must have looked like a worm. Half of this shoot wa

It is a beautiful feeling when animals show their affection to you. They are indeed a blessing that God has placed around us. I live in a tiny lane consisting of eight blocks. Though the lanes belong to the Municipal Corporation, it is actually owned, quite literally, by two stray dogs. They are like the Centurions of the lane. It is fun to watch these two play all day. It is a wonder how happy they always are. They are not bothered about what comes tomorrow. Living for today is what we can learn from them. Not a pinch of worry about where to sleep and what to eat. Content with whatever they get. In the mornings, their playful activities are paused occasionally, to watch people rushing to their work places. As if wondering why are people so tensed up. And then back to their joyful running around. In the evenings, you will always find children of the lane playing with these stray dogs. I usually come home late in the night. The moment my vehicle stops, they become alert. As soon as

In my last article, I mentioned about weaver birds. As a child I used to be amazed about their nests. These tiny birds use the simplest of materials to build one of the best living places. The male is in charge of building the nest. There is a lot of effort put in to collect the right strands. And then they are weaved together to form the structure. Different kinds of complicated knots are used while building the structure.  The small sparrow like creatures use primarily their sharp beaks to cut the twins into the right sizes and then to weave it into this inverted pot like structure.  Trust me, these structures are amazingly strong. I have personally seen these withstand the strongest of winds... without any damage. The female inspects the nest before pairing with the male. Once the female is pleased with it, the male completes the long snout like entrance, sometimes with help from his new partner.  To understand how complicated this can be for the small bird, try to weave a ba

The words of the title are taken from the beautiful movie 'Sound of Music'. This is a classic movie and I grew up hearing the songs of this movie.  These are some of the favorite things I enjoyed as a child.  Near my house where I grew up, there was a lawn on a slope. I used to love rolling down this lawn, smelling the grass all the way down. Then run to the top only to roll down again. And repeat it several times. It was fun with a side effect. My entire body used to itch and the first thing necessary after reaching home was a good bath.  On the edges of the same lawn were palm trees with weaver bird nests. It used to be a wonderful thing for us how these birds used to build nests shaped like upside down jugs.  There was a group of trees that had bright red seeds. I remember spending hours collecting these in jam bottles.  Those were times when there was absolutely no traffic. The township was a maze of well tarred roads crisscrossing on a hilly terrain. Cycling to

The Squirrels I am blessed to be currently staying in a home where my window gives me a view of a tree top. It is wonderful to see the green leaves spread out and give shade to the passers by in the lane four floors below. This tree is so close that if I reach out I may be able to touch the leaves. Sometimes there are flowers on the tree which are fondly eaten by squirrels. Once, I opened my window and was watching the scenic beauty outside. I noticed the flower of the tree real close. And to my surprise a squirrel approached the flower. Normally, squirrels do not approach if they see a human nearby. But this one was unaware of my presence and started to nibble on the flower. I stayed still as I did not want to lose the opportunity of watching this bundle of fur so close to me. It stayed there munching the flower. Then suddenly, it noticed me. To my surprise, it did not scamper away. It stay put, munching and stared me in the eye. For a few seconds we saw each other. When it finis

Sunrise Today is Sunday, Woke up early today. Excited about seeing the sunrise, rushed to the window. Expected to see a grand show of brilliant colors across the sky. I hadn't seen a dramatic sunrise in a long time. The darkness was slowly disappearing. I watched a few morning walkers going about their routine and I thought to myself, "am I the only one excited about today's sunrise". In a few moments the sun was up and shining across a blue sky. The horizon was a little misty and there was no show of photo-frame sunrise that I was expecting.  Frankly, I was a little disappointed. Then some thoughts ran across my mind. How many people were still in bed and had missed to see this event. Though lackluster, it was a grand event. For today, this even was not going to happen again. I saw the trees and realized from their sway that they were not disappointed like I was. For them the sun had come to help them with their green creativity. The birds sounded joyous. They

We are living in times where we are looking for miracles. Lame walk, blind receive sight, illness cured.  For a moment, let us look at our own life. The greatest miracle is happening right now in your own life. You are created unique. Think about it. No one has the same fingerprint as you. No one has the same retina as you. Life is a miracle. Look around. Everything around us is a beautiful miracle. Take time to hear the birds chirp, the morning sun shine gently touching you, the gentle breeze caressing your skin. Every cell in your body is generating awesome amounts of energy for the day. Happening Miracles. Things will be awesome from now... FOREVER.