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WHEN SOUL IS ON FIRE

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“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” Ferdinand Foch W e keep talking about being passionate about the things we do in life. Like, when we meet someone after decades, and if he/she keeps still talking to us equally, or even more animated – possessed and consumed – manner, well, we can convincingly say, that the person is passionate about the thing he/she is talking about. Passion is blood-red... Once it sets in, it goes very deep into our soul. It’s, as Ferdinand Foch said, ‘the soul on fire’... Some say, it’s a kind of obsession, and many others say, it’s a kind of insanity, madness... Well, it’s a good madness... A thousand times better than walking on this planet with no fire in our souls... May, therefore, the souls continue to be on fire, like the burning bush of the Mount Horeb... (Justin & Uday with Shankar Mahadevan) J ustin and Uday were my students when they were doing their T.Y. B. Com. They were least interested in studies... Their...
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SURVIVAL IS A TALENT

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  “I told her once I wasn’t good at anything. She told me, survival is a talent.” Susanna Kaysen   S ome days ago, a dear friend of mine and his wife called me. They wanted me to help their house help’s son in the Accountancy subject. “Our house help belongs to UP sate, who has been living with us for a very long time. An extremely sincere and caring woman, she has been taking care of our son (now a young man) since he was a little boy.” They continued, “Her own 16-year-old son, who lived with her husband in their village has left home and come here. The boy is fed up with the physical and mental abuse from his father. Because of the situation at home, he hasn’t prepared for the upcoming class X1 exams (which are scheduled to be held in the second week of February), particularly in Accountancy. Can something be done?” I have already completed the portion with my Class X1 students and revision classes are expected to go on for a week or so. When I checked with this bo...
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WHEN WILL YOU TEACH ME HOW TO DO WEFAST?

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  “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”   Mark Twain W hen American writer, essayist and humourist, Mark Twain, lived, he must’ve imagined, that a motor car, rail engine, telegram, a steam ship and some more technical innovations were a near possibilities. But, internet, mobile phones, zoom and its cousins, social media, YouTube, Uber and Olas, Swiggy and Zomatoes, Wefast (now Borzo) and its cousins, remotely-performed robotic surgeries, and, above all, the all-conquering AI – yes, the great Mark Twain, by any stretch of his wise, wild imagination, must’ve never thought, that they would soon be coming to ‘disrupt’ human life... Did I say, ‘disrupt’? Yes, I did... A week ago, my wife and I were to visit our elderly uncle and aunt who we lived in faraway suburbs. We had organized some delicious food to carry and have lunch together at their place. But, as we were about to book an Uber to proceed to their place, we received a c...
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BAD TIMES ARE THE BEST TIMES TO REINVENT OURSELVES

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“When things are bad, it’s the best time to reinvent yourself.” George Lopez   R ecently, when Amitabh Bachchan ended his 17 th season of KBC, I went into a reflective mode: “What a man! What a man!”... Yes, I kept saying this to myself. I had first read a small article about this tall, awkward-looking newcomer in the Hindi filmdom in an unknown magazine in our school library. I must’ve been in my 8 th   standard, and Amitabh Bachchan must’ve just completed his first film, ‘Saat Hindustani’... Yes, Amitabh was just one of the ‘seven’ actors in this K. A. Abbas film. But, somehow, I fell in love with this lanky star and kept following his career path – almost every milestone, every crossroad – his ups, his   downs... his rise and fall, and again his phoenixlike rise... This, once awkward-looking man, when he concluded his latest KBC season, was an incredible magnet -   yes, even at 83! Now, why do I remember Amitabh Bachchan in my today’s Post? A n...
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TAKE LIFE IN SIPS AND IN LITTLE PORTIONS

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“Sometimes, the most beautiful truths aren’t ahead  but beside us, waiting to be noticed, to be cherished, to be seen.” AshRawArt   A dear friend of mine retired, a few years ago, from BARC where she worked for several years as a senior scientist. In an organization like BARC, the tag ‘Scientist’ or a ‘Scientific Officer’ makes no one raise his/her eyebrows... Every other person working there wears that tag. And, yes, hardly anyone is impressed by the crown – ‘a PhD’... You are only one of the many out there... Now, this Post is not to belittle a Scientist or a PhD... It’s to show my appreciation for the ‘never-say-retired’ sprit of my friend. “I am retired, but not tired,” she loves to say. Just as a famous person said, “Retire from work, not life.” Two days ago, I was talking to this friend about her recent trip to Cambodia. “Did you cover Vietnam, too?” I asked. “No, I don’t like to rush through my trips... I don’t like to pride myself saying, ‘I covered five...
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LOST IN THE MOUNTAIN CALLED FOMO

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  “That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything.” Etty Hellesum   T oday is 7 th Jan., exactly a week since the advent of new year 2026. In the evening, I received this message from my dear, old student, Rekha: “Good evening Sir, wishing you joy, prosperity and endless blessings in 2026. A Happy New Year to you and your family.” She added, “Sorry for the delayed response, Sir. Your new-year message, somehow, got lost in the mountain of messages!” I loved that imagery – ‘lost in the mountain of messages’... My reply went to Rekha, instantly: “HaHa... ‘Lost in the mountain of messages!’ Rekha, I found the title for my next Blog.” “All the best for your next Blog, Sir,” Rekha cheered. Rekha and Srikar were my students when they were doing their TY BCom. They were in love... Soon after graduating, they got married... and, they never forgot to invite me for their wedding reception... A few years later, their little girl Sharika was born, ...
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IF YOU HAVE TWO SHIRTS IN YOUR CLOSET

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  “Doing something for yourself gives you motivation; but, doing something for others gives meaning.” Maxime Lagase   T here are our own ways through which most of us help others. Whenever we hear the word ‘help’, we tend to think of helping with money. No, help is not just with money. There are a hundred ways, with which, people out there need someone to help them. And, all of us, out here, are ready with our own way... Now, when I say, “All of us, out here” – yes, is each one of us here really ready to help someone out there – in his/her own way? Is it really so? I would love to think so, even if that makes me sound very naïve... Our hearts resonate with someone’s ache in our own way... Y esterday, a dear friend of mine, shared a post on her social media platform. She was promoting some healthy, home-roasted nuts and seeds which were beautifully prepared by one of her nieces. A pack of 250 grams was priced at Rs. 300. And, there was a line at the bottom: ‘Pro...
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YOU CANNOT LOVE WITHOUT GIVING

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  “You can give without loving; but, you cannot love without giving.” Amy Carmichael   K ahlil Gibran says, “ You give but little when you give of your possessions. It’s when you give of yourself, that you truly give.” I do not know, how to convey this truth to a young one who wants to know how to shine in life... “By giving, and by giving more and even more,” I say to every young one. Now, you can understand, why Gibran talks about ‘giving of yourself’ – and not ‘giving of your possessions’... The wealthiest man in this world may not know what giving is... and, as Amy Carmichael says, “You can give without loving; but, you cannot love without giving.” S ome days ago, a young man – a very creative, very gifted soul – wanted to know from me how to find true happiness in his life. Well, I knew, that happiness was not any destination; but, only a continuous journey... It’s along this journey, that one could hope to experience happiness. So, I said to the young man...
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THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...