Lokmaya Tilak: the man who dared to dream

*Lokmanya Tilak

Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it!”- Lokmanya Tilak

Every child in India knows the above sentence and the man who said it. However, when he talked about it Swaraj was considered a hopeless dream, a mission impossible. The British had invested in a lot of propaganda to make Indians believe that British Raj was for their own good and how freedom wasn’t a happy outcome. Many Indian leaders shared the outlook. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the first leader who not only challenged the idea but believed that freedom was possible.

Most of the leaders of that time preached from the dais but half of them weren’t eager to work along with the people. They considered the Indian people backward in ideas. Tilak was the leader of the masses and earned the title ‘Lokmanya’(acceptable to the people) with his involvement with the people from all strata of society.

A drop of water

Water is the driving force of all nature- Leonardo da Vinci

She was living her dream in a beautiful city and an adorable house, only if it weren’t for water supply shortage.

She stared at the dirty dishes in the sink wishing for the faucet to flow continuously.

She should have dreamed something different like life on the sea―a gorgeous yatch, her hair blowing in the wind, dancing waves.

Her reverie broke when she realised, she couldn’t use that water either.

Life would be just the same, beautiful yet empty.

Dutch lessons

Netherlands vs Mexico match in round of 16, besides being an amazing match also gave some life lessons. Mexico had almost made into quarter finals when there was a dramatic twist in the last few minutes.

This was one of the Fifa matches, I'm glad I did watch. The match gave valuable insights to life.

People watching the match on big screen at Museumplein, Amsterdam

• When the going gets tough the tough get going

   

  The dutch players demonstrated the expression to thrive under pressure. Only three minutes were left and Mexico had almost won. The dutch tried their best in spite of the odds piling against them.
  
  Life also keeps on piling problems at us. If we let the problems affect us, then we start losing hope. We have to remember at such times that victory wouldn't be so much sought if it was very easy. tough times help us prove our mettle, don't let them discourage you.
  
  

•  You can't be sure of the outcome till the end of the game.   

   

  By the end I was going to switch off the television thinking Mexico had qualified. That got me thinking. How many times have I given up trying thinking it's too late?
  
  The game can change course in the last two minutes, never quit trying till after the last second. Most of the times, we quit just before the game was going to turn on our side.

The winners win because they don't breakdown or give up. Remember, winners aren't born, they are made. Every life is a making of a winner, some follow through, some quit.

Get up and follow your dreams, happiness is awaiting you at the next turn.

That which is right

I’ve wondered how people brand each other, either conservative or modern. As I see it, both the terms are illusions. If you are in agreement with the current values, then you are modern. The problem is modern keeps on changing. The values which are modern today might be outdated years later. It must be exhausting to keep up with the latest values. Liberals (today’s modern trend) might blame the conservatives but they aren’t very fast to embrace real progressive ideas either. The real progressive people are remembered in history as ‘the man who was ahead of his time’. The poor guy is thought a weirdo in his times.

Poems worth knowing - 2

Recently, I came across a poem written by Krushnaji Narayan Athalye, the poem serves to remind that good and bad attitude both are just as problematic when taken to the extremes. The key to finding happiness is to find the middle.

It is a 20 stanza poem written in the style of Manache shloka by Saint Ramdas. The below mentioned stanza is my favourite. Pardon my translation, I tried my best to convey the meaning.

अति कोपता कार्य जाते लयाला

अति नम्रता पात्र होते भयाला

अति काम ते कोणते हि नसावे

प्रमाणामध्ये सर्व काही असावे!

             -

atii kopataa kaarya jaate layaalaa

(Excess anger leads to failure of your work)

atii namrataa paatra hote bhayaalaa

(Excess humility gives an impression of cowardice)

atii kaama te konatehii nasaave

(Never do anything in extremes)

pramaanaamadhe sarva kaahii asaave

(Everything is good in moderation)

The search continues...

Life has been defined various times. Whenever, anyone has time on their hands. he sits down and contemplates on the mystery of life. Life according to me, is a quest. We are all in search of something or the other. It might be the search for recognition, perfection or some higher ideals like working of the universe or life on another planet.

The truth is everyone has their own search, and so a different pathway of life. A poor man is in search of wealth, the wealthy man in search of happiness, the sick man in search of wealth, the lonely man searches love and so on. The truth is whatever your search is, it continues as long as you are alive. If you find whatever you are looking for, you realize you have lost something else and the quest begins all over again. 

So in order to not lose something on the way, you need to look at the larger picture. It’s not just about the quest but the reason behind the quest. Why is this quest important to you? While embarking on your quest, remember to enjoy life along the way because some things can never be found once you lose them.

The important thing is to remember you aren’t alone in this search. Your family, friends are part of the search team. Be careful not to leave behind any of your team-mates while you are busy completing your quest. They may slow down the search at times, but they add to the fun. 

What is your quest in life? Have you found your goal? Are you satisfied now? I’d love to know your views.

Disclaimer: As I have already written, ample of free time forces us to speculate on philosophies of life. Since, yours truly has much of this free time on various days, I might postulate various theories as regards to life. It wouldn’t be decent of you to point out that some of my theories contradict each other. ;) :P

Mirror, mirror on the wall

She smiled at the mirror and waved at her reflection. The reflection waved back at her.

The smile froze on her lips when she realized that both were waving their right hand.

 - Acharya K. A