Year draws near to end........

Dawn of new year is nearing and yet I haven’t thought of any resolution. I have no plans to have a resolution though, since it  has never got well along with me. I would rather want to go back to days, weeks and months that I have left behind to remember all the deeds that I have done. 

Our body is physiologically and psychologically organized in such a way that it is not in our hand to control certain emotions that we encounter in our life. Happiness tends to bring joy in us ultimately finding the world infront of us full of happiness and when sadness and anger creeps in, everyone around us is a disaster.

Like everyone, the year of snake for me had been a cup of sweet coffee some times while some had been poisonous enough to make the moments one of the worst nightmare.  There were times where I used to make whole lot of people laugh and smile and yet some boiled in anger sometimes because of me. Moments where I made great things out of everything and yet spoiled some things very badly. Times where I devoted myself in reflecting the state of impermanence and prayed for all living beings.  And yet, lost my track again and got involved in activities unhealthy for me if I were to take my last breathe. I did and enjoyed my life with my friends with the thought of not getting the gift of human life next again. Along with it, I did waste a lot of my precious time forecastinating and lengthening my life to be having still more 50 years to be alive. 

The most important people in my life, my parents had been happy throughout having to see me smile but I made my mother cry once because she couldn’t stand seeing me with a smile anymore since the smile was not natural but induced by ‘OH’. I might have smiled for a very much longer period where she couldn’t stop her tears falling down because my lips were stretch involuntarily by the toxic maize juice ( asham juice) in my blood.

Do’s or don’t, I have had both equally in my life. For the good do’s that I have done in the year 2013, I wish to have my motivation spirited high up and keep me up forever awaken with it and for all the don’ts which I would have done intentionally or unintentionally, I wish to beg for forgiveness and help me get rid of those stimulus which brings about those actions and prevent me from further committing it.

                                                                              

I pray that the “Prayers of those wearing red robes residing in isolated caves, Rimpoches, Lamas,

trulkus, and all the lay mans constantly meditating and begging pardon from the almighty of wisdom to free sentient beings from the world of suffering”  be fulfilled. 

AND….Happy New Year to the fellows all around the globe. May the year bring  star of lovely surprises to make your life glow with infinite voltage of glittering power.

A Wonderful Weekend: An encounter with imaginary Wangdue Phodrang dzong

Noticed something familiar???  Well, i did and realized only when I took a snap of it.

It was Saturday. Was a hurrah day for me after having a hectic continuous week of sleepy classes in the lecture room . As  evening approached with the sun dipping behind the hills spreading the beautiful reddish yellow rays, I took a ride on a bike with my friend towards the Amtalab park, the one and only place to be having a restful and peaceful weekend. The night there wasn’t so quite though, family, friends, couples all seated on the hard-stone seats  having a view of amtalab lake surrounded by glittering, colorful lights all around. 

Firstly, both of us wanted to fulfill the desire of our grumbling stomach asking for a delicious gobi manchuri or a pasta. We ordered a pasta plate each from the restaurant situated near by on the first floor with the open roof with fresh air kissing all around us and a beautiful view of the park below.

Delicious feast of the night: Mouth watering pasta.

Then, we strolled through the lighted street of the park where people were all enjoying the weekend feast of peaceful rest. All the seats were occupied, so we stood near the edge and had infront of us a magnificent lake shining with the reflections of moon and lighted houses around .

Just then, I turned around onto my left side where the hill occupying the ancient castle- like, long stones arranged one upon another about a 100 m long in height had my eye captured. The edge of the area was lightened by beautiful green glitters within a certain distance apart from eachother. In the day, we never take notice because it looks just like an old,dry muddy part of stones, attached to the hill. But when I took a picture of it, it instantly made me feel that the design somewhat or almost resembled what looked like the Wangdue Phodrang Dzong after the fire engulfed it completely last year. It  was as if I was standing on the highway road below, where my imagination took hold and  made my past memory of  Wangdue Phodrang Dzong resurface.  It felt ,as if the dzong has enliven just infront of me cutting thousands of distance and at that moment, it took me miles away from India only to have myself standing on a cozy stone watching the old, yet historically beautiful castle of Wangdue. I almost forgot about the dzong blazed into fire and how the history of many centuries also got burned along with it. Hope the reconstruction work is already on its way to completing.

It was a perfect weekend which took me back to my motherland and I have decided to often  visit that again to experience  the miracle of flying thousands of miles and tour above the gigantic, elephant castle.

Heavenly way towards the lake.

Amtalab lake

Imaginary fortress of Wangdue Phodrang Dzong in Raichur.

Mulee khang :Raddish stem

Chopped into pieces of about 2cm each, mixed along with onions and tomato and red chilli powder over it and some salt to add a taste. That become the traditional pickle( raddish stem ezay) of Bhutanese mostly common among the sharchop families prepared very easily and fast. That’s one of mother’s favorite. She would call upon her friends and neighbor aunts and deliciously prepare with lots of spicy talks  about other aunts and laugh out loud with their mouth wide open such that if we try to throw a grape, we wouldn’t miss the target. Hahaha!!( quite a exaggeration though…:D). It is included in most of our meal menu at home.

At home, it doesn’t flavor my taste bud much, so it wouldn’t be on my plate most of the time. But, here, yesterday when I saw the fresh raddish with long beautiful stems on it, it instantly triggered a picture of mother’s watery mouth and the way she used to eat with full delicacy and enjoyment. So, I thought to include that into our dinner menu so as to bring back my memories of home back alive.
I was sure that the flavor wouldn’t be as same as it used to be when my mother prepared but to my surprise, it tasted much more better and was delicious. I had some chili powder mixed with pepper brought from home during my vacation last month, I added that along with tomato and an onion. Some salt, ginger and garlic paste and little melted cheese from the curry we were preparing. Then, I mixed with full force of my palm and finally came to be like the one seen below in the picture.

Doesn't seem tasty in the picture though but we had it best with our meal.

Having to make traditional items in  a place  far away from our motherland is an enjoyable moment where few of us from same place get to be together and feel the presence of “home sweet home” air all around us.

Blog for change

Just like 'toast for change', 'taste for change' and 'dance for change', i chose to keep the title of my blog today as 'Blog for change' because i believe myself also to be a" freedom writer".
Since the day i read a review on this movie "freedom writers" in Sir Passu's blog few months ago, i had been searching to get hold of it. Luckily i got it just after a month i read about it.
Most of you must have read and watched the movie as well. I, too, have been straining my eyes time and again with this movie which, every time i watch awakens something powerful inside me( yet to discover that powerful thing...wink!!). That is why i wanted to give my own review on the movie to be shared online with my fellow readers.

Miss. Erin Gruwell

With a fight among the students, Miss Gruwell's first class in the school starts. Class divided into groups of different racial origin and everyone with hot burning grudge against each other, ever ready to start a battle. She tries hard to make the class peaceful and interesting. Instead of just lectures, she let the students understand her lessons through audio visual clips and through games. During one of her class, to bring some union among the parted class, she organizes a game where she let  them  stand on the line made on the floor if the question she ask correlates to their lives. A turning point strikes in which one of  her question silences the whole mood of the class. "How many of you have lost your loved ones, your friends, in a fight?". 90% of the students stands on the line. There, everyone realizes that they were not alone in case of losing someone they loved and understood the impact,  fights and angers brought in their lives.

To each one of them, she gives a diary where she tells them to write anything they want but to write and maintain everyday. All of the students come forward and jot down their own share of sorrow  they faced in their personal lives. By doing a part time job, Miss.G( as mentioned by students) buys the book " Diary of Anne Frank" and hand over each copy to the students and ask them to relate it to their lives. She takes them to the museum and shows the clips of the people who fought discrimination and racism during early centuries and what impact that brought to them. The constant hard work of Miss G pays off and soon she finds her students shining with positive changes. Everyone finds a reason to correct their lives. Miss G gains trust from all her students BUT unfortunately, the knot of her own  personal life loosens under the hands of unpredictable fate where she gets divorced with her husband. 
Despite all of that, she continues to support her class. She is a great inspiration to all the teachers around the world and  a picture form of example to the students to understand the difficulties, a teacher has to go through. 
The" freedom writer diary" depicts that we are not alone who come across disastrous challenges in life and teaches us how to tackle them. 

The two Miss.Gs with the freedom writers

A soup of supportive love to my Sister

The day of 5th December was a day planned for the the fellow graduates to finally know their fate of future which they will be living along with throughout their life. 'Joy of happiness for the success" for some and " sorrow of failure" for some. Some would have already stored pennies to give treats to their loved ones for their rising up and some ready to use their handkerchief. 

Well, like all of them, i was also in a state of  apprehensiveness along with excitement, not for myself, but for my dear sister. She got through the Preliminary round and  also came with a sweet of satisfaction on her face after she did her final. We were quite sure that, if not that good, she would at least make it through with satisfying fruit. But, the result banged not only her heart but mine too. By one point, she didn’t qualify and I am sure it would have been a disaster for her.  

I know she had been crying whole day after knowing her results. I can feel the pain and the lowness that is jumping inside  her at the moment. So, though I am not near her, I want to reach out my support  to her through my freedom diary .

Dear sis,

I know how much you been working hard, burning the midnight lamp and waking early to prepare and give your best for the final test of your life after 16 years of continuous studying. Whole of my vacation, I have seen how hard you fought your sleep to gather the knowledge from the papers into your mind and always being surrounded by them day and night. I know you have  always been feeling responsible for the family being the eldest  and I have no words for thanking you for how cherishing and caring you have been to me and brother. I know that you have been battle ling hard to soon get yourself secured, in order  to lend a hand to our father to loosen his burden a bit. Despite all of your input, the fruit bore a bitter taste. I know how hard it is for you to absorb this at the moment but we never know what the next chapter of your life would bring upon your shoulder. Things might have turned out like this , may be to give you a bigger surprise for you in the coming future. May be it is too early for you. I have full faith that your hard work won’t go in vain. May be the result of just now would have been just a trick to you. Real one might be, yet to come. Have patience, strong willed and know that you brother  will always be by your side to protect and pull you up whenever you fall. Lets us fight this together keeping in our mind that this a just a temporary wound which would soon shed off giving you a brand new skin of life. Let us think not of past but of present and future by which we will bring a change not only in our life but in our parent’s life too and make them proud of having us.

                “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment.                        Full effort is full victory.” 

                        ― Mahatma Gandhi