Angels in Tiger Land

I was pleasantly surprised just now to see on the internet a story I had written a few years ago on a film on butterflies. I am not a butterfly expert. However, while doing the story I had clearly taken a lot of pain to learn the subject of the film, although I have by now forgotten everything I had learned for the sake of the story then. With the writing of the story, I had forgotten everything. I don't even remember writing the story. That was what surprised me... Just recording the surprise...

This is the link to the story: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/21/stories/2007092156270800.htm

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Story of the year 2012

Given below is the link to the story I enjoyed the greatest doing in 2012.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/isro-case-police-officers-freed-of-charges/article3960101.ece

My friends tell me it was the story of the year from Kerala and I too feel so. By googling the name 'Nambi Narayanan' you will land on a string of news reports that will give you some idea about the impact the story had made. There has been several developments. The story helped reopen something that had remained closed for more than 10 years and, finally, there is justice happening.

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Picture of the year

This is a photo I received forwarded by my son in Mumbai from my daughter in Kannur of my granddaughter Neha playing travelling to Thiruvananthapuram in a night train to see Appooppa. She has converted their dining table and chairs into a cabin and has taken the lower berth and the train is chugging along and when she wakes up she will be in Thiruvananthapuram (and not in Kannur) and Appooppa will be there at the railway station to receive her.  That is the game.

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Letting fall body and mind

Reading 'Three Pillars of Zen' by Philip Kapleau.

Therein is the story of Dogen achieving full awakening through these words uttered by his master Ju-ching: "You must let fall body and mind." As Dogen heard these words his Mind's eye suddenly expanded in a flood of light and understanding.

Later, Dogen appeared at Ju-ching's room and lit a stick of incense as a ceremonial gesture and postrated himself before his master.

The master perceived at once from Dogen's walk, his postrations, and the comprehending look in his eyes that he had had a great enlightenment.

"Why are you lighting a stick of incense," he asked.

"I have experienced the dropping of body and mind," said Dogen.

"You have dropped body and mind, body and mind have indeed dropped," Ju-ching exclaimed.

Dogen remonstrated: "Don't give me your sanction so readily."

"I am not sanctioning you so readily."

Reversing their roles, Dogen demanded: "Show me that you are not readily sanctioning me."

And Ju-chin repeated: "This is body and mind dropped," demonstrating.

Whereupon Dogen prostrated himself again before his master as a gesture of respect and gratitude.

"That's 'dropping' dropped," added Ju-ching.

Dogen continued his zazen training in China for another two years before returning to Japan...

This is a story at the start of the book and I feel excited reading it!!!

How can one let fall body and mind?

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in a womb

in a womb.
time non-existent;
not even the concept
of time, cold, fear...
only the beating of the heart
beating in the womb;
the whole womb beating
from vacuum to vacuum,
beyond beginning and end;
a vague sense of something infinite;
a womb beyond the womb,
nameless...

*****

bump

distant cyclone
soft breeze wafting in
through my window
the rain, a steady monotone
over cricket chirping
the glow of the cigarette butt...
the thought of a joke!

***
i punched in the above lines on the blog last night so i could remember the mood of that moment. now, the morning after, i am trying to recapture it. not of any particular relevance, except that i am monitoring the ebb and flow of the mood these days and finding it fascinating.

as a person interested in the weather, its mood changes and its illogical logic, i was watching the progress of the cyclonic storm 'Nilam,' which spiralled in over the peninsula from the southwest Bay of Bengal on Wednesday evening, causing heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and nearby regions. the models of the India Meteorology Department had shown the possibility of the cyclone bringing rains in Kerala also.

as i sat in the dark smoking my final cigatette of the day, i could imagine the cyclone far away perambulating over the peninsula and feel its sweep blow softly in through the window. i felt like being in the entire system, and the system kept expanding beyond even the circle of 'Nilam.' another severe cyclonic storm had only just now breathed itself out on the other side of the globe. i was sitting there by the window smoking my final cigarette of the day and feeling the entire atmosphere flow and heave over the earth and i was moving farther out and expanding into the solar system and i felt like i would expand further into areas unknown, when, suddenly, i came down with a bump. the thought of something foolish i had asked someone during the day, making everyone laugh, of course at my expense, ended the journey. i finished the cigarette and went to sleep.

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Neha starts into the world of letters

We initiated Neha (who turns three next month) into the world of letters on October 24.
No function as such. Just Neha's parents, uncle, aunt and cousin, we grandparents and my mom.
I take her finger over a spread of rice on a plate sprinkled with a few tulsi leaves and take her finger around the letters HARI SREE GANAPATHAYE NAMA!
And I visualize Neha launching on her wings gently into the air fanning her wings to stay still in the air to seek everyone's blessings before soaring up into the skies.
Keep your freshness all through your life, Moloo, and then you learn exciting things all through your life!