Hospital Flowers

 Hello Readers

Hope you all are fine.

The whole world is a process, and we all are drops of water, we flow into the meadows and finally join the sea.

These remarkable words were quoted by Dalai lama XIV when he was asked about does he feel blessed about being chosen as a Dalai Lama?

Interesting side note Dalai Lama is a title given by the Tibetan people for the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or “Yellow Hat” school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Well, this one is about a life event which happened to me some twelve years ago.

I was in my per-university second year; it was a Saturday the second of August.

I was tucked up in a blue shirt and a cargo six pocket trouser and sports snickers, those were the days of no mobiles and no two-wheeler, only the most affluent were given all those luxuries, I have always been walking and public transport user until recently.

My college was far from my house. I had to take three buses to reach there!

 with a Michael Jackson song jamming in my ears, got down the first bus and saw the next bus on the other side of the road, was happy to see that bus as it would stop at my final destination, which would cut down a bus change, I waved at the bus to stop and stepped to cross the road.

That’s it, the next thing I remember is a group of people surrounding and me staring at my watch, the display for some reason was scrambled, it took me some moments to understand I had crashed!

A road traffic accident is what it is referred popularly in India! Was hit a bike.

I had a double fracture in my right ankle joint and a deep fracture in my left hand too!

 I borrowed a stranger’s phone and called my dad, and the person who hit me with a bike took me to the nearby hospital!

My dad rushed to see me; I was put in an auto-rickshaw.

Then the surgical procedures the bed rest for almost ten months then my road towards recovery and finally was back on my legs life moved on , but you know when I reconnect to that memory, it makes me feel cheerful.

You might be thinking have I lost my mind? a dreadful experience makes me feel cheerful? Will tell you why to read on.

Adam Young is a singer from Owatonna, Minnesota he founded a band called owl city in 2007 this band has only one member that is Mr. Adam Young he creates songs and performers using synthesizers and other equipment.

There is a song in specific which I felt was very meaningful to my situation, when I heard it first I was pursuing my graduation some five years after since i was back  its called “Hospital flowers.”

The lyrics go like this:

I survived a dreadful accident.

 In the car crash of the century

 My shattered hopes collapsed on a cold cement

 But in the back of the ambulance, I’d never felt so content.

  A high-speed collision gave a new sense of sight to me.

 And now my vision can render the scene.

  A blurry image of wreckage and roadside debris

 Happiness returned to me through a grave emergency.

 I tossed and turned in sterile apathy

 Until the violets arrived for me.

  The bouquet burst and blossoms filled the room

 And the place got smaller as they grew taller

 And taught me to bloom……………

 The last stanza is remarkable:

 A high-speed collision gave a new sense of sight to me;
And now my vision can render the scene;
A blurry image of wreckage and roadside debris;
Happiness returned to me;
Happiness returned to me;

Happiness returned to me through a grave emergency;
Through a grave emergency;
Happiness returned to me through a grave emergency.

 (album: All Things Bright and Beautiful song writer Adam R. Young lyrics courtesy lyricfind.com)

 Well, each word written by Adam was like a reflection that happened to me.

I wanted this blog to be as candid as possible, you know more like you are writing a journal.

This life event thought me so many things, how did my body react to a trauma, how thought that why me? the hopelessness a directionless feeling in my mind and the feeling of all over!

I understood what is to be handicapped! For the briefest period of 10 months of recovery, I felt the pain of each handicap in this world of what they go through each day and how unfair life is with them!

That night after I underwent the surgical procedure when I was kept in an intensive care unit.

Spoke to few old folks with hip fractures and heard their stories like: they fell from a tall building when they trying to earn their daily bread, a beam of light flashed up in front of me.

Do we realize how tiny and delicate we are, a bike came and hit me maybe at 40KM per hour which broke my bones, until then perhaps my approach towards life was something different, and after this, I think it changed forever, and I would say it changed for good.

 

Courtesy Google images

 If this event had not happened in my life not sure if my life would turn out good or bad, like I keep asking people can look at an alternative reality to check what would happened to India without the British invasion?

I learnt to be even more kind to people and empathic, on a lighter note became an advisor to all my friends who came to me for fracture-related advice used to direct them the doctors who treated me.

Twelve years, each year, still I remember that day, my family says I should not recollect something dark and painful.

But Only when we undergo pain in life, that we understand the beauty and marvel of life and how we are blessed we are, to get up in the morning and do our activities without help and eat a square meal and sleep in peace!

The people who have experienced such life events will understand that materialism is an illusion, I urge all to come out of this bubble which vanishes with a prick of a weakest pin.

Well, for the people who do not learn even after they undergo such incidents, maybe I would say better late than never, reconcile, retrospect and try to learn from such experiences!

Humble, courtesy, sympathy, selfless, compassionate are the qualities we need to imbibe in children in this era of brutal materialism and selfish attitudes.

We must all try to be motivators, well-wishers, a caring person to people, plants, animals around you which is the least you could do to show you are a matured human being.

 If you do not want to do it, atleast be an honest selfish individual and think about improving yourself, but do not harm this society!

Well, that is all I had today, I understand this is longer than my usual reads. Still, I had to be candid.

I  am thrilled to share my experience as a person who actually went through the ordeal and by the grace the force which makes all this happens, those doctors who treated me, my family and few friends, I am living a second life!

Each day you work towards suppressing your ego, you go ten miles ahead!

-Michael Jackson.

 Have a great week ahead.

Helios.

Wormhole Of Needles

 Hello Readers

 

Hope you all are doing well.

 

Blog number 253 let us begin.

 

It was half-past eight in the evening a regular day in the city of Bengaluru, one of the posh areas of the city in a central park, children were playing sports, youths were running in the track, a joyful sporty environment.

 

But suddenly, the whole environment turned into a gloomy one, a police jeep from nowhere parked in front of the park. Out came the officer and started scampered towards some people, who were surrounded by other police officials who were in citizen clothes, the officer handcuffed them and took them away.

 

The next day in the papers we saw to our astonishment, what had happened yesterday was a drug ring bust! And that was incredibly surprising.

 

Well, the above was a fictional episode which was to bring the substance of this passage.

 

But nevertheless, there are actual incidents such as these which has happened.

 

Well recently there is a lot of news coming out on drug rings operating in Bengaluru, and some celebrities have been taken into custody.

 

I would not like to write this is a report and show facts on this drug peddling and trafficking but want to take this in a different direction, because this is not a problem only in Bengaluru it is a global issue.

 

Let us try to understand why these incidents keep happening, we have an Act called "Narcotic drugs and psychotropic act of 1985" commonly referred to as the NDPS Act.

 

It is an Act of the Parliament of India that prohibits a person the production/manufacturing/cultivation, possession, sale, purchasing, transport, storage, and/or consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.

 

But still, the vice gets ground towns cities and states.

 

The main reason behind this is there is a nexus which goes on between specific class of people in our society it is a nexus of activities tightly knitted. It is backed by some so fake politicians, celebrities’ people from all fields including defectors in the law enforcing departments which is sad!

 

To improve this situation, the roots of this issue should be looked at.

 

It starts from good education, value education to children and a huge responsibility for parents to look after their kids, especially on what they watch. The overwhelming environment of the OTT apps and other media tools which are so-called "self-regulated" I do not see any regulation being enforced and the most sold shows are of genres of crime, drugs, and violence! (based on Nielsen Statistics 2019).

 

We are talking about IoT (Internet of things), but have we thought about connecting offline with our children and guiding them in life, do we have the time?

 

Me being a 90s kid used to see some children smoking cigarettes while coming back from school used to feel wrong about them, as I was of similar age as them and they were not attending school.

 

We were educated with ill effects of smoking in school, I thought what is the use of all that studying,I when I could not make these kids understand, felt very bookish!

 

This is a worldwide problem, lousy influence, people choosing the wrong businesses and trying to become rich! And another group of people the weak-minded, who want to forget this world for some time by injecting chemicals! And each victim has his or her sad reason why they chose it.

 

Who is at stake, folks who are innocent fall into the wormhole of needles! And finally perish, who profits? The Peddler, cultivators, smugglers basically the whole drug ring.

 

Globally, Quasi organizations like the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) the anti-Narcotics force, In India the (NCB) Narcotics Control Bureau have tough times trying to control these lucifers' who try to put this world in a trans with their drugs!

 

We as responsible citizens, parents, brothers, sisters, friends should always be aware and alert and fight against the spread of needles and try to make this world filled with people living out of trans.

 

Worth to be mentioned movies like udata Punjab (2016), Hare ram Hare Krishna (1971), fashion (2008) the panic in needle park (1971) human traffic(1999), candy(2001) are eye-openers to us.

 

Courtesy google images

 

 I also condemn some so-called "self-regulated" TV shows which are aired showing how some Narco kings ruled this world and people getting this feeling aww… and getting inspired by them! Well, that is becoming a hero in the wrong way, seriously not a way to sell your show! Maybe I am wrong, old school.

 

Try to build values in kids, exceptionally if we show them the right direction, I am pretty sure they will end up as good citizens and not engaging in such psychic fantasies.

 

Lastly, I bow to all the rehabilitation centers in the world who try to bring people out of drug problems.

 

Arise! Awake and stop not until the goal is reached.

-Swami Vivekananda’s message to the youth.

 

I leave you with these thoughts today, let us all be alert and take care of our gen Y and stop this inbreeding of needles, which is a business for some and an end road for the consumer.

 

Thanks for your time, have a lovely week ahead.

 

Helios

Folkways

 Hello Readers

 Hope you are doing fine.

 I have the highest respect for the concept of 'Advait' - the oneness of all humans - that is central to Indian culture, thought, and religion.

-Rajkumar Hirani

 From planning weekend outings to settling at home is what we have settled in for.

 Well, time and situations change us.

 Wanted to write about culture today, well a simple thing to discuss yet is so vast and ancient.

 According to the oxford dictionary, the customs and beliefs, art, way of life, and social organization of a country or group is culture.

 Why should we even consider culture as an essential aspect of our life?

 We all would have realized by this time; we are the SumTotal of the environment we are born and brought up.

 There is no way to prove it; actually, it is habitual that we learn to live by imbibing how our surroundings treat us. We understand the mechanism of how it works!

 Indian Culture

 The Indian culture I feel is one of the unique cultures in the world.

 There is a misconception where we think culture is related to religions and rituals.

 Absolutely not it is a way of life.

 Culture is the etiquette which have flown to us from generations to generations, from a simple "Namaste" to not wearing footwear to certain places, to bowing to the sun each morning, treating trees and animals as divine all comes in our culture.

 There was a time before the Macaulay era when Indians were attending free schools called "Gurukuls"  the highest preference was given to values, Then to the education in various fields, well that changed into learning education which would help the invaders to get their job done.

 Yet our culture was not totally touched by them.

 Culture of a country is its heritage we can see that etched in stones in the famous temples, with the beautiful stone carvings, in our dance, art, our dressing sense, handicrafts, handlooms and so on.

 When we visit temples, maybe because we are in the schedule, we finish seeing the significant places in the temple and continue with our trip.

 But if we try to spend time in the temple, and observe the carvings,  what you actually see there is our culture, how they lead the life in that era, starting from agriculture, trade commerce, wars, literature and art, epics in simple words an encyclopedia of those times.

 Therefore, for the people who think culture is just rituals and is about religion, it is not appropriate to say that it is about mannerisms, etiquette, the societal behavior and our present-ability of families.

 The Depletion

No doubt we have all moved on from an elementary life to a modern living lifestyle.

 The Orthodontic influence on us is also pretty evident, which is inevitable I would say, history says it all, we were invaded we were transformed. Some part of that transformation was for good, so I am fine till there.

 But I have one question, If there is a rose plant, which grows naturally, then a gardener trims and shapes the plant and maybe adds  some good fertilizers, but the essential nature that it is a rose plant and it has thorns and it bears the flowers which we call roses don't change right?

 Whichever country you are living today wherever you go and do what you like, why don't we remember that our origin is from your homeland and you started the first lessons of your life here and keep our culture intact?

 Every country and its culture are precious to the people of that particular country.

 But the zillion dollar question is that are we proud about our culture.

 Are you ready to stand for it and , preserve and teach to your future generations, or you just want to mix yourself like chemicals changing colours when some external indicators  are added to it and become something entirely different which you are not?

 Please sit for a while and think over, we ought to preserve the precious Indian culture, and our future generations should carry this lamp.

 

Courtesy google images

 

The Vedas, the Natyashastra (the art of dancing), Arthashastra (economic theories), Ayurveda (natural medicine), Vastushastra (the science of architecture), I mean the list endless.

 I leave you with these thoughts, please retrospect.

 Thanks for your time. Have a great week ahead.

 Helios.