Let your Light Shine this Diwali...

"We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine." 

- Dwight L. Moody

Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It's the festival of lights (deep = light and avali= a row i.e., a row of lights), which literally illumines the whole country with its intensity and dazzles the faithful with its joy. Whatever be the traditions practiced by the people near and far one thing remains true and constant is the celebration of life and its goodness. The true spirit of Diwali not just lies in lighting up your house with candles, fairy lights and burning the toxin filled crackers but in spreading love, light and joy in everyone's life. 

This Diwali shall we go beyond and light up someone's life?

1.      Light up your Room

Perhaps this is the first thing one has to do this Diwali. The room one lives in needs  the light not just of the bulbs and tube lights rather of the cleanliness, fragrance and orderliness . Dust free, well arranged and organized living room would bring the rays  of light in the forms of  good health and happiness.

2.      Spend a few days at home this Diwali season

We forget how precious our parents are. Children grow up and get busy with their lives, the older folks are often left behind. Make their Diwali special by being with them rather than being  away on the picnic with the workplace colleagues.

3.      Teach something to homeless children

Teach them the English alphabet or how to string together a sentence or two. Teach them choreography on the latest Bollywood hit. Teach them how to play an instrument or how to make a paper carft. Sponsor a meal to a poor child’s family in your locality.

  There are a good many other ways where one could celebrate and make this Diwali a memorable one.   Let your light shine and may it illumine at least one individual’s life this Diwali 2016.
 

First Post

First Post and the journey continues...

After a gap of some years I am back to the business that gives me satisfaction. I enjoy reading and then writing. Past few months I ignored this beautiful hobby of reading not purposely but circumstantially. Due to the theological exams, pastoral exposure and other commitments  I couldn’t keep a track on the books that I had stopped reading. Though being busy in different commitments did not deter me from buying the new books. I did buy a set of wonderful books which I’m planning to have them read during the course of this year 2016.

Reading and writing goes hand in hand I believe. During the past year I had stopped reading the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Yesterday I resumed reading it and I tell you it was the right and the best book to begin the New Year with. I must thank the author E. Gilbert for such a strong motivation to live a creative life during this year 2016.

I also resumed reading the novel by Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. I have it in my Amazon Kindle. It shows me that I have some 29 hours more to finish. It an interesting read.

This afternoon I happen to visit and meet with a family of old couple. This couple is in such a miserable state where no one wishes to stay with them and serve them. Initially I was very sympathetic towards them for their sorry situation, but later as I conversed with them I was enlightened that its not the abandonment of their two children that has lead them to this pathetic state but their stubbornness. With all the patience I listened to their anguish and woes. I had no many words to console and strengthen them. I gracefully wished them the blessings during this New Year. (Perhaps in the future posts I shall share about this family)

Yes I did begin my New Year well. I’m sure I will continue doing so during this year. This year has a lot of things stored in for me. I pray the blessings of Almighty God on all the plans and events that are going to happen during this year. May God bless us.

haiku - gobi-wala

bright night

through broken window I see
dancing stars.

the road so lonely

 gobi-wala pushing his cart home
humming happy tune.

Gloomy Evening

Gloomy Evening

One gloomy evening she keeps browsing their wedding album on her Facebook. Silent tears wet her iPhone 5’s screen.

“Love is patient, love is merciful....” the lines from the holy scriptures that were read out by the pastor on their wedding day cross her mind.

She is the queen of this little bungalow and has access to anything on this earth. But she longs for his love, warmth and time.

On the evening passenger train he is returning home after a heavy day’s work. Having gifted his wife a comfortable life he proudly smiles at his achievement and assures his tired body a hard drink and a good rest.

She is awake and busy searching for those pages in the scripture only with a hope of consolation. His snoring resound all corners. 

my first memorable 5 Haikus

Haiku # 1

sunny day outside, 
a Spark-less lecture inside
I'm asleep!

Haiku # 2

one crappy Novel
four lectures in the background
i'm a fast reader. Yes !


Haiku # 3

i'm their Shepherd 
my lost sheep will hear my voice
i'm returning Lord.

Haiku # 4

my cat has littered
flowers have faded...
I'm growing old.

• Haiku # 5

cold dark evening
mosquitoes whine & kiss everywhere
my warm blood a sweet treat.
 

random musings...

darker the night
brighter the stars...
O Lord, 
do not let 
my soul sink into 
the darkness of foolishness.
lift it up,
shine it bright
with your wisdom and prudence.



a few are simple 
to be proud,
but
there are many 
'Proud-to-be-Simple' people.

A King ruled his kingdom so well,

But,

A few lovers ruled the hearts of his subject much better.

from Paulo Coelho"s Blog

          Here I would like to present before u something that fascinated me this evening regarding the concept of Beauty...As I went through the blog of my Favorite Author Paulo Coelho I found these interesting lines...

"People always say: ‘It’s inner beauty that matters, not outer beauty.’
Well, that’s not true.

If it were, why would flowers put so much energy into attracting bees?
And why would raindrops transform themselves into a rainbow when they encounter the sun?

Because nature longs for beauty, and is only satisfied when beauty can be exalted. outer beauty is inner beauty made visible, and it manifests itself in the light that flows from our eyes.
It doesn’t matter if a person is badly dressed or doesn’t conform to our idea of elegance, or isn’t even concerned about impressing other people.

The eyes are the mirror of the soul and reflect everything that seems to be hidden; and, like a mirror, they also reflect the person looking into them.
So if the person looking into someone’s eyes has a dark soul, he will see only his own ugliness.

Beauty is present in all creation, but the danger lies in the fact that, because we human beings are often cut off from the Divine Energy, we allow ourselves to be influenced by what other people think.
We deny our own beauty because others can’t or won’t recognize it.

Instead of accepting ourselves as we are, we try to imitate what we see around us. We try to be what other people think of as ‘pretty’ and, little by little, our soul fades, our will weakens, and all the potential we had to make the world a more beautiful place withers away."