The Musing Mind

I walk down the memory lane Every now and then... I feel I am Mridula Chirmule When I wear a sari and tie my curls in a ponytail When I drive my scooter wearing a sari When I wrap the pallu of my sari on my left hand while driving the scooter And I drive away in dignity with a straight posture and firm expressions, but with a smile I feel I am Mridula Chirmule When I say "I don't like dishonesty, I don't tolerate indiscipline", Specially, to my juniors Yet, mentor them with affection And they warm up to me in return I feel I am Mridula Chirmule When I don't care about my career progression But do not compromise with my work When I put my foot down firmly on what I believe No matter what people say, workaholic, level headed, upfront, overreacting... I feel I am Mridula Chirmule My Mridula Chirmule is a beacon to me And I look upto her any time and always I am fortunate for sure, for I have her Because God smiled on me And I try to emulate myself to that beacon

“If we practice looking deeply we see that our notion of happiness may be responsible for our suffering. That is why the Buddha advises us to look again deeply into the nature of our desires. We suffer just because of them.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, Under the Banyan Tree. I was bestowed upon the title of a banyan tree today. I do not know if the title bestower considers himself as the seed or sapling that is trying to germinate and grow. Also, I do not know what is the point that the title bestower is trying to make. Let me try to make an attempt to understand what the title bestower is trying to communicate.   Let us, for the sake of this conversation, believe that I am a tree. Traversing back in time, I recall, I was brought to this place as a mid-sized plant. I was planted and expected to grow with time and deliver results of blooming and fruition. Whether I grew strong or not, only time and the people who saw me can say. I tried my level best to utilize all the resources and oppo

He said he is leaving. I had no time to react. I was supposed to go online to start my lecture in the next few minutes. Before that I had to give finishing touches to my notes too. Already I was running late in preparing for the lecture. These days everything is at the eleventh hour. Having a work-life balance is a forgotten concept. No complaints whatsoever. Interestingly, the topic of my lecture for the day is about resilience and agility for librarians. What a stark contrast of situations! Sigh! I did not say a word. Silently I did my part of formalities. I sat at my desk and opened my slides and notes. Mechanically I ran through the slides. Words in my notes were dancing before my eyes. His words were ringing in my ears. It was getting difficult for me to concentrate. I closed my eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and reprimanded myself – “nobody is indispensable”; remember? This is what the Head of the Division said to my Reporting Officer when my contract got over in my very fir