Parents are a definite proof of divinity on this earth!

There was, there is and there never ever will be, a better, living  and definite proof of divinity on this earth other than our parents. I am sure millions share this feeling with me…here’s why I feel so and wish to write about it…

       Their love, caring, sharing, thoughtfulness, kindness and dedication to their kids cannot match the feelings in sincerity as well as intensity with that of any other being, no matter how close the relation. I am fortunate to have such parents who inspire me to write this, not for the sake of writing but because of  my belief in their love for me. Though the realization of this truth was always there, it only intensified as my age and experiences multiplied.

          Both my mother and father  have strived hard to make me the person I am today, whether it is by imparting  the best education or passing on the right values through preaching and practicing both.

If it is my determination and my strong will, I owe it to my mom, if it is my spirituality and ‘my-never-say-die-spirit’, I owe it to my father.

If it is my will to go on learning and acquiring new skills, I owe it to my mom and if it is my honesty and integrity I owe it to my father.

If it is my creativity and adaptability, I owe it to both of them. These are only few of the qualities that they have helped me imbibe by nurturing me and grooming me right from my childhood to this day!

Whenever I face an audience or an interview and can manage to leave a good impression, I never fail to thank my father for his foresight six decades back, to understand the need for acquiring a good foundation for  the English language. Whether it was the acquisition of a good vocabulary or the verbal and written communication skills or even a presentable handwriting, for that matter, not to forget the significance of inculcating reading habits, by putting me and my sisters in one of the best convents, for one and through constant motivation and involvement at home on the other. 

Whenever I get appreciated for writing an article or poem, I  feel a deep sense of gratitude for my teachers who guided and goaded me to bring out this inherent talent of mine, of course I was fortunate to get such teachers only because of my parents' wish and willingness to provide me with the best education.

        When I am making a mention of my writing skills, how can I forget the innumerable quotations that my father drilled into my mind and pshyche,'Coming events caste their shadows before','Haste makes waste','Time and tide wait for no man', 'Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy,wealthy and wise', 'Try, try and try again until you succeed', 'There is no substitute for hard work','Pride hath a fall', to mention just a few.

Most of these valuable quotes ended up being the most valuable lessons of my life and  I have passed  these on, consciously to my children as well as to my students. One particular quote that left an indelible mark on my mind  needs a special mention here …

Great heights attained by great men

Were not attained by shallow flight,

While their counterparts enjoyed and slept,

They were toiling all through the night.

There is so much to share about the divine blessings that I have received  through my parents, that I could simply go on and on but I would like to conclude with some of  the most important lessons that my parents have helped me imbibe:

*Never ever give up, come what may!

*Be eternally grateful for what you have got in life, however big or small.

*Do not forget to have empathy for the less fortunate people around you.

*Share your joys and sorrows with your near and dear ones.

*Keep your faith in yourself and the divine always intact, no matter  how big or small the adversity you may be facing…through prayers…through patience…through purposefulness.

*Always be there, for your family and friends in time of need.

 It is because of these values that they helped me and my siblings imbibe through their teachings and preaching, through examples and exemplification, that  I found  endless solace and support  from them, my siblings, other family members and friends in all bad patches of my life.

I owe it to all of them, specially my parents (and parents-in-laws), to not just help me handle pain but help me emerge even stronger than before, each time.

Thank you family and friends for your tremendous support…and thank you mom and dad for being “ my proof of divinity on earth” and re-instating my faith in self and divinity and humanity as well, because 'where there is humanity, divinity cannot be far away.'

my daily doze of divine grace

Sometimes I wonder what I would have done without the daily doze of divine grace that I receive so generously in so many subtle and significant ways...these are the blessings that keep my spirit soaring...
Awakening to the fact that I am alive and kicking.
Awakening to the fact that umpteen opportunities are awaiting me to get going.
Realizing that there are so many well wishers around me.
Realizing that there is still plenty of love,hope and goodness around me.
Realizing that I can think rationally even during pain and suffering.
Realizing that God understands my needs and answers my prayers.
Having my parents and family with me and receiving their good wishes.
Receiving a warm smile from a stranger.
Being able to warm up someone's heart.
Being able to stick to my values and also being able to differentiate between good and bad.
For getting my daily food,water and fresh air.
For keeping me sane in this insane world.
These dozen odd blessings from God could well be multiplied by infinity and these He
keeps pouring in my life without being judgmental about me, showing love and care for me in an unconditional manner, not giving up on me even when my faith in self is in shambles...I am sure millions feel the way I do...today I feel that I need to ask God for yet another favour...to keep on sending me His blessings and my daily doze of divine grace till I am alive and above all help me be eternally grateful for all the blessings and not to take Him for granted!

suffering is a form of divine grace

Suffering is synonymous with divine grace.I would not say this if I would not believe this and I say this with full conviction because my belief and conviction in"suffering being a form of divine grace"comes from experience.

First and foremost,joy is not a true indicator of divine grace since joy is an intoxicating and exhilarating experience you would never know whether it is a product of divine grace or just one of those good moments in life that come and go and take you further away from reality and your real goals...whereas suffering is the true indicator for sure because... when you can smile through your tears...when you can believe in yourself and the divine in deep sorrow...when you can endure the pain and move on...when you can go on with your routines and responsibilities inspite of being completely distraught...when you can still love the one who made you suffer...when you can be in control of yourself for the sake of others... and above all,when you can hold on,let go,forgive and have your faith intact...you know for sure it is definitely divine grace.

Once my brother-in-law had said to me,"Isn't it a wonder that the oceans are kept under control, as if there is a divine hand doing it?".I had not comprehended this fact till I witnessed sunami along with millions of others.It was then that I realized the hand of the divine in controlling the rivers and oceans and preventing disasters on one hand and causing floods and sunami's on the other for mankind to realize the divine grace and not take things for granted.Another remarkable thing is that when such disasters occur how the entire humanity comes together to share the grief and offer help to those in need.Suffering brings people together and awakens mankind to the oneness of all creation.The formation of the UNO after the world war and the refraining from use of nuclear weapons after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear disaster are classic examples of suffering making people aware of the divine grace.

It is ironical but true that we do not participate as willingly and wholeheartedly in the joys of our near and dear ones as we do in their moments of grief,in fact we are ever willing to console even strangers in their grievous moments.Even if we do so due to fear of our own uncertain future and fear of suffering but it is true that in moments of death and distress people, families and nations unite and are willing to share their sorrow.Nation wide and world wide suffering has been known to have brought humanity closer and the most humane side of theirs to surface...isn,t it proof enough that it is suffering tha is a true form of divine grace!!!!

human beings vs divine creatures

    Today, the most discussed and debated topic of the common man and the environmentalist,alike is that of the terrible state of the earth that we are living on and destroying each moment. One very interesing trait of humans is to create a situation and then write,read,speak about it for years to come or atleast till the next juicy bit is created...whether it is directly created situations like war,nuclear power or indirecctly created ones like the environmental hazards,pollution etc  

    As a biologist,i am often exposed to these endless debates on" how and why a particular situation was created" and later "how and in what way can we salvage it"...after all we are humans,the most rational of all beings,isn't it???????????? Well, I beg to differ...we humans are most irrational of all...we are worse than animals...they follow more civic and civil rules during their lives than we can probably ever do...in fact we can learn from them...the jungle book is a perfect example of this and highlights the 'beyond the common observation and thinking skills" of the author as far as the animal world is concerned. If we really care to look beyond our snooty nose and high headed demeanor,every creature,however small or big,ugly or beautiful,significant or insignificant is special and if I may say so ,simply divine!

   These living creatures called animals are divine for innumerable reasons...they exhibit a rare kind of adaptability and tolerance for their fellow beings and also follow the rules of social living in a very disciplined manner,perhaps better than us humans...they also exude a very  innocent charm about them which makes them ever so endearing...I remember visiting the mysore zoo some years back and this particular incident is etched in my memory forever...there was this big chimpanzee that was lazing around but at the same time observing the onlookers intently,it refused to respond to any of the remarks or gestures of the onlookers.We stood there for a good 15 minutes during which time several individuals and groups passed by,suddenly out of the blue it stood up and started beating its chest furiously and later sped away,the onlookers obviously burst out laughing but I was not amused"Come on give him a break',was what I wanted to say and probably that is exactly what the poor animal was trying to tell everyone -"kindly leave me alone,just let me be,I am not on exhibition

   Those who watch the "Discovery channel" or "Animal planet" would vouch for the fact that these animals are so very endearing and peace loving. Moreover, they almost have a therapeutic affect on the human psyche..ask any of the dog lovers or owners and they will definitely agree to this.Another remarkable thing about these divine creatures,which I constantly tell my students is that they kill only for their survival i.e either for food or protection,they simply have no other motive unlike their human counterparts,who kill for a varity of reasons ranging from 'fashion' to 'ornamental value' to 'greed of money' to 'satisfying their egoistic needs' to 'pursuing their scientific urge'...the list is endless and perhaps more in number than the existing variety of animals on this earth.

  Having said that ,does it not seem ironical that we discuss and debate and constantly talk about teaching our future generations the meanings of the terms 'endangered species' and 'extinct species'? It looks like the human species is living with the fear of becoming instinct itself and increasing in population at such an alarming rate that are pushing these divine creatures further and further into the danger zones thereby violating the rules and rights of co-existance laid out by nature.It is definitely  the time for action and not for mindless talk!

  It is not that  we humans are not aware or not bothered about  all this,there is definitely an increasing awareness for attempting to resolve these issues,it is just that ony a handful of them are contributing in terms of taking some concrete steps to resolve some of these issues and salvage the situation to some extent. The ratio of 'concerned and caring humans' to that of 'self-centered and self-concerned humans' is alarmingly low. Isn't it therefore time to wake up and take actions rather than talking alone oterwise our future generations would only be left with paintings and pictures of these divine creatures  just as we have of the gods and goddessess.

   

  

destiny versus divinity

Both these words start with the alphabet D and end with Y
Both these terms are important for our survival.
Both teach us about trials and tribulations.
Both teach us the most important lessons in life.
Both are an inseparable part of our lives.
Both allow us to explore,experiment and experience life.
Both either rule us or allow us to rule them.
Both have infinite versions and dimensions.
Both pose innumerable challenges for us.
Both are the guiding light and the guiding force in our lives.
Our lives are definitely revolving around these two very important dimensions of life itself,there is no escaping these two realities of life,divinity affects our destiny and destiny plays an important role in the extent of divinity affecting our lives,they shape us and allow us to shape ourselves and our future,they are an inseparable duo and inseparable dimension of our life,forever trying and testing our strength and will,at the same time coaxing and cajoling us to accept the challenges and move on,simply move on with dignity.