Maybe try and fail, but never fail to try!

Everyone applauds our successes 

But no-one teaches us to appreciate failures.

That is some learning, I guess, we have to do ourselves.

No matter how many times we fall, we have to keep trying!

For there will be a time we'll fly!

Just like the caterpillar turns into a butterfly - we have to shed our cocoon to flutter by!

In the end, 

it's not the failures,

Not even the successes that will count!

What really will seal the deal is that you were at the sails,

you laboured,

you tried,

you didn't give up -

Even if - every cell in your body was telling you otherwise;

you simply kept on going;

That is, the real success!

And i believe that - as humans - that is our superpower!

To be capable of action

To be able to do -

at least something -

Success is a byproduct

as is failure -

We never choose them

We can't choose failure -

We can't choose success -

But,

we can choose to try.

And, that is something

that will define you at the end!

And you have to make yourself immune to failures,

hell, even empowered by them!

Because it is then, you really are, comfortable accepting the outcome -  

whatever it may be!

It is then that you have mastered the art of living!

🙏

Heartfelt gratitude and a little write-up coming your way...

If only, emotions had a language;

- an overdrive of happy hormones -

- almost like a catharsis -

is, what I experienced yesterday.

Once again, written words come to my rescue where, almost everything else - fails.

And while life is never easy -

the journey we embark upon, with our loved ones, makes every single moment alive - worthy.

And in moments like these you realise the significance of life (albeit despite all the hurdles) -

Simply living, just as is

- come what may,

- night and day,

- moment after moment,

- consistently; and - 

before you even realize -

you mould a life which has been —

lived.

समता

मन मेरा फिर घबराया -

अश्रुधारा बन बरस आया,

मन को मैने लाख समझाया 

पर हठीला मन कहाँ समझ पाया?

' जीवन ज़िंदादिली का नाम है

जीवन से ज़िंदादिली - ज़िंदादिली से जीवन।'

कुछ क्षण समझा,

फिर बरस पड़ा!

मैने फिर उसे समझाया 

इस बार वह समझ गया।

कुछ क्षण सही - समता को पा गया -

वही समता जो योग है -

जीवन का उद्देश्य है;

उतार चढ़ाव के मनोवेग में -

कभी उदासी कभी उल्लास में

जो तुम कुछ ठहरना सीख गए,

हर हाल में बहना सीख गए -

कि कल जैसा भी था,

कि कल जैसा भी हो!

इस क्षण में बसा है रहस्य -

क्षण भर जी लो मनुष्य!

क्षण ही जीवन का परमाणु,

क्षण दर क्षण जो जी गए,

जीवन को भरपूर पी गए;

बाधाओं के जंजाल में -

उलझ कर फिर सुलझ गए,

और खुशियों के मायाजाल में -

कुछ डूबे फिर उभर गए;

तो जी गए तुम!

क्या बंधन - क्या मोक्ष —

इस भूमंडल में ही परमधाम पा गए तुम!

तो, मन तो घबराएगा -

कुछ विचलित कर जाएगा,

हर हाल को स्वीकारना

जो व्याकुलता को स्वीकारा 

वहीं उसका संहार, और धैर्य का सृजन होगा -

इसी समता को अभ्यास से,

ध्यान से, योग से -

जो विकसित करोगे

तो जीवन का रहस्य - स्वयं 'जीवन' खोज लोगे।

समझ

🤔

"अच्छा! अब समझी!"

यह कहकर मैंने ख़ुद को समझा दिया -

कि मैंने उसकी बात को समझ लिया -

क्या वाकई?

हो भी सकता है और नहीं भी

हर इंसान अपनी समझ के अनुसार ही दूसरे को समझ पाता है -

या अपनी नासमझी से नहीं या कुछ और समझ जाता है!

अब सवाल ज़हन में आया कि क्या हम ख़ुद को समझ पाते हैं?

तो इसका जवाब भी सिक्के के दो पहलू की तरह ही -

कुछ हद तक हाँ है,

और कुछ हद तक नहीं।

कुछ सही ग़लत नहीं होता -

सब अपनी समझ के अनुसार सही या ग़लत होते हैं।

तो जब धीरे - धीरे हमारी समझ का दायरा बढ़ता है,

तो हमारी सहनशीलता भी बढ़ती है -

और हम सबको - 

जो जैसा है, वैसे ही स्वीकार लेते हैं।

बस समझ - समझ की बात है

जो समझ गए, तो समझदार -

और जो ना समझे - वो भी कुछ तो समझे ही।

बस इतनी सी बात है!

The Prize(/price?) of Brilliance

What's brilliance if not -

Van Gogh's self portrait,

Beethoven's symphonies,

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa,

Einstein's theory of relativity,

Phelps' Olympic golds,

Jobs' Apple,

Newton's laws of gravity,

Rowling's Harry Potter?

The common denominator among them, you ask?

Geniuses in their own right, all struggled with handicaps...

Creativity demands a demonic prize,

Van Gogh had to do away with his life!

So, a salute to all those still holding up -

in them -

An ocean of creativity -

not the doom of darkness!

For life can be a success and a tragedy at the same time,

But real success is when you are comfortable living both, big time!

So brilliance may or may not come at a price

But the prize you pay is what you decide!

Leh-Ladakh diaries

As I started my excursion to Leh,

I tried to capture all its beauty  

through my camera's lens

onto my brain's hard drive

And I must say there was a lot to marvel 

as I tried my best to register everything.

Breathtaking landscapes through flight's window on the way - 

mountains with lush greenary, snow-capped, some even appeared to be covered with clouds,

And then came sandy mountains - marked with rainbow like colors - magenta, reddish yellow, green

Nature casting its spell in its entirety!

A lot of monastries and palaces - which involved a lot of climbing and provided a bird's eye view - the best that nature has to offer.

  

Very high motorable passes - every biker's dream and delight.

A plethora of wildlife - home to pashmina goats, marmots, yaks.

Pangong lake at Indo-China border (- 30% in India - still better than nothing)

 

Perfect - the lake, the mountains, the sky - like a portrait

All peacock colors and the lake dancing like it.

Awe-inspiring star-gazing at night 

  

Also home to the confluence of Indus and Zanskar rivers (- where we went rafting too!)

And this one's for the record books - Magnetic hill - that seemed to defy gravity (- car stopped at slope seemed to skid upwards!)

And my account would be incomplete without mentioning that 3 idiots (the movie, duh!) was shot here (the reason for the increased tourists' influx?)

जहापना, तुस्सी great हो!

And talking about tourists, Summer season is the tourist season here since winter temperatures touch a freezing -25 degrees!

(Was it me being fancy or really) the sky was colored a different dark blue here?

Will leave that for the rest of the zillion tourists (and of course you!) to decide. 

Julley Ladakh, until next time!

अग्नि

मैं, अग्नि

- प्रकृति के पंच तत्त्वों में एक

यज्ञों में पावक संचालिका।

हीरा मेरी तपिश से निखरा 

रावण मेरी तपिश से भस्म

मुझे समझने के लिए तुम्हें कोई अग्निपरीक्षा नहीं देनी होगी

न ही कोई जोहर करना होगा

अपने प्राणों की आहुति नहीं देनी होगी

मैं एक आईने समान -

तुम्हारे स्वरूप को प्रत्यक्ष दर्शाती —

मेरे प्रभाव से सदाचारी प्रह्लाद जीवंत

तो प्रकोप से दुराचारी होलिका का दहन

तुम्हारे जीवन पर्यंत मेरी उपयोगिता

और जीवन का अंत मुझमें ही।