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Three Random Conversations

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Yesterday during my evening walk, I ended up having three spontaneous conversations.  Here they are, with some added ramblings.   I visited an elderly uncle who no longer recognised me, repeatedly asking who I was despite our families’ close past relationship. Once a respected technical engineer in the Middle East, he had taught us about energy conservation and sustainability, even implementing solar panels and gardens at his home. Now, he has lost most of his memories but accepts it with a smile, unlike my mother, who struggled for years with her memory loss before eventually becoming unaware of it. Will I...?   As I left the house, I recalled this poem by Bonhoeffer:   “Who am I? This or the other? Am I one person today and tomorrow another? Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others, And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling? . . . Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!”   Does a pers...
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The Human Body: A Slightly Used Vehicle

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I bought a new car not long ago. By “not long ago,” I mean sixteen months, which in car years should still count as youthful. Unfortunately, my car has already acquired the expression of a middle-aged man who has seen too much traffic, too many potholes, and too much enthusiasm from its owner. The engine is fine, the wheels are still attached, and the horn retains its theological confidence. But the body has needed repeated visits to what I call “car hospitals” for denting and painting. If there were a loyalty card for such shops, I would probably qualify for a free bumper massage. My wife, who represents the voice of wisdom, economy, and inconvenient truth, once asked, “Why do you keep spending money on denting and painting? The car still drives.” This was difficult to answer because she was entirely right. The car could move, turn, stop, and even look respectable from a generous distance. But I could not bear the sight of its small scars. A scratch on the car somehow felt like a scra...
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Am I Crazy?

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This blog is a travel blog. Annapurna Base Camp trek. At the outset itself, I invite you on a journey. Rather, two journeys: one diagnostic, another experiential. (It is a bit long too – you can skip the reading for the pictures if you are too busy – but I advise you to stop, sip, savour, and move on.) Diagnostic one – to decide if the author is crazy or normal. The author was almost convinced by the middle of the journey that he was crazy. This was acknowledged by close family members and a few observers. You too can come to your own conclusions.   Experiential one – I have tried to give as many pictures as possible (a photo blog) so that you can experience some of it. (To try to instil a bit of infectious craziness in you too.) There are multiple reasons why people go on challenging journeys. The most likely one is to prove that he/she can do it – an adventurous spirit. But at the outset itself, I had mostly given up that spirit, knowing very well that I may not reach the end po...
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