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

Serendipitously I knocked at the door of knowledge Unaware that it is the portals of learning I barge into a magical world I stepped Incognizant of the aromatic source, I stopped to inhale a pleasant, dewy petrichor from the knowledge-shower It rose at intervals, gently patted my shoulder And said, be mindful child! Every moment is precious Every moment is divine Each moment you are blessed Each moment you shine Like a bard I sing the hymns in solitude For I met angels of fortitude Each one bore a distinct fragrance Each one glowed a vivacious radiance A wand of knowledge they waved on my head A kiss of learning they planted on my forehead Spinning the magic of fleeting lights around A handful of fairy dust they sprinkled to surround A new angel I met every now and here Who left a Christmas miracle every year I know not how many angels and fairies I meet in my life’s mountains and prairies The path of my life is guided indeed Alas!

And then Lord said, "Let there be week days"! --- 1 --- Manic Monday Hello Monday! Starting day of the week is usually the one filled with frenzy. You are the day when the "To Do" list that's written in the first morning hours is long; and the Inbox gets flooded too. Chase and get chased; and it runs into the other days of the week when the chase weakens by Wednesday and tries to pause by Friday, only to start afresh the next Monday. Home takes backseat. --- 2 --- Turn Up Tuesday Hey there Tuesday! Work craziness continues with growing number of rush hours, calls, clicking and clacking of keyboard and mouse, multiple windows of word processors, spreadsheets, and browsers strewn open across multiple systems. Programmers feverishly scripting away their ideas to meet the expectations of their principals amidst balancing the poking requests of a network of users.... silently cursing themselves and their days for they cannot satisfy all.

--- 1 --- The week started with 66th Republic Day. The much awaited day when the US President graced the occasion as the chief guest and Indian women soldiers marched down Rajpath leading way; followed by Mann ki baat  by Obama and Modi on the All India Radio. Well, we too celebrated the 66th Republic Day, at office and also at the residential campus of our Institute. The celebration at our residential campus was in the form of a cultural program. I was a part of it by way of compering the program and also singing a couple of songs. Though it was a bit tiresome, I'm glad I did. Sometimes it is nice to tread off from routine and do something else. Ofcourse, the chilly winter weather did impact me, nevertheless, I bounced back soon. What I liked the most is the exhibition put up by our students, of their pictures and paintings, showcasing their skills in art. I totally loved it. And, I must appreciate the students for their musical skills too. What orchestral support!! I'