Santhosh's ramblings

I am marked again!  In 2019, after exercising my voting rights in rural Bihar, I wrote a blog reflecting on my observations and learnings. Far from the corridors of power, I ended with a hopeful note: "But to have a say with an unbiased mind, not biased by your group loyalties, an uncontrolled choice – not controlled by the undemocratic powers that be, is what we should pray for. A nation that votes with a free mind and will, but freedom undergirded with the desire for justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, and dignity of everyone, as enshrined in our constitution. That the vibrancy of grassroots democracy permeates the corridors of power too! And pray that God will bring in leaders who will facilitate this unbiased uncontrolled vibrancy!" https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2019/05/ijust-returned-as-marked-man.html Much water has flowed under the bridge since then. Today, as I cast my vote in NCT Delhi, close to where the power plays happen, I observed some striking sim

Much of life is lived in the “interim.” Interim is defined as “not final or lasting; temporary until somebody/something more permanent is found.” As a child, you are waiting to grow up. A teen would want to become independent as soon as possible. A student would want to finish their education and get a job to make money. If you are waiting to find a partner, life is lived in anticipation of that day when you will find your heart’s desire. Busy middle-aged people are waiting for the retirement day! And if you are at my age, where formal employment is over, but you are still active formally and informally, you are waiting to see what the future will be like. As of now, we are in a two-month interim in our nation. Elections are ongoing, and we are waiting for something to happen. One group is waiting for the current dispensation to come back with more power, while others are waiting for a change. Again, waiting for something to happen!   There is a mindset that one tends to develop as we

I remember the opportunity, we as a family received to care, when my mother was living with Alzheimer’s.     You can read more details of that season in this blog.     https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2014/06/hands.html   Reflecting about that season, some things stand out.  A sense of gratitude - The opportunity that we got to care for our mother, was something we would never trade for anything else. It was a privilege that we as a family received to care for the person who spent her whole life caring for us and many others like us.  Many lessons learnt - of which one was - We are frail, dependant human beings who need to be cared for at different stages of our life. One day we might be the care provider, tomorrow we will need to receive care with grace!    John Wyatt says in one of his videos, “dependence is not an alien or subhuman or undignified condition. No, it's part of the narrative of every human life. We all come into this world utterly and totally dependent on the

Martin Luther King Jr.   “ Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” “I have decided to stick to love...Hate is too great a burden to bear.” “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” “Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.” “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” “But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”   “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him”   “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor  popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”   “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” “T

A wise man had told us that something would happen in a few days’ time, and we should not resist it. As he predicted, it happened. He shared this insight with us at the end of a 6-day long trek to the Mardi Himal viewpoint in Nepal, a journey of over 75,000 steps to an elevation of 15,000 feet, accompanied by family and friends.  About 5 days after the trek, I can feel that something has shifted internally. I cannot quite pinpoint it, but I know it's there. These are my personal reflections, attempting to understand what this shift might entail. It may gain more clarity tomorrow, but for now, this is my clouded view of what has changed. Journey with a Desire but Rest in the Shadows Maintain a desire to see the majestic mountains in all their beauty, but also learn to rest internally as shadows may obscure the mountains. Understand that in life, you may often encounter clouds and misty mountains instead of clear peaks, and that's okay. Keep walking with a sense of internal peace

Day 1 - Grateful for the Journey   I am grateful for today’s journey from Pokhara to Pritam Deurali.   The journey from Pokhara to Kande by jeep and the journey of the first day was a journey of gratitude. Gratitude for the fellowship of the trek, a trans-generational community. From the Alpha generation to Baby boomers, with Alpha Gen and Gen Z leading the pack. Stopping every now and then to allow everyone to catch up and journey together. Accomplished trekkers, novices, and children whose energy was infectious.   Encouraging each other to see beyond the clouds that covered the mountains. A journey of faith, reminding each other that we will see mountains soon when rain clears the clouds. Hope that gives faith and courage to take the next step.   Stopping in between to see the big picture map, to recapture the long journey we have embarked on. A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. One day at a time, we will keep moving towards the Mardi viewpoint over the next five days

Visiting the “Genocide Museum” at Kigali was sobering. The pain the nation, communities, families, and individuals went through, and the millions murdered was beyond comprehension.   Seeing the museum, with all the pictures and videos of atrocities perpetuated by one community against their own brothers and sisters was disturbing and confusing. How can brothers and sisters kill their own?  But then this is true of many nations, including my own.  What encouraged us was – the national leaders had the vision to put the brokenness of their own nation, out there in the public as reminder for upcoming generations. Yes, the past is painful, but it must be openly communicated so that we can learn from our mistakes and not end up doing it again.  But then, many other nations too have created such memorials. Cambodia, Holocaust museums, Bosnia, and such others. Friends who have visited these locations told us, all these have something in common. These nations had the courage to put the inconven