THE GLOBE ON MY TABLE... AND THE GLOBE I LIVE IN











Pic.: Aparna Khanolkar Sheth


“At its best, life is completely unpredictable.”


Whenever I see, on someone’s table, the globe, I, instinctively, take my hand over it... “How cute; how smooth and gentle!” I tell in my mind as I start rolling it...

Then, invariably, a thought comes to me: “What if I were to run my hand over the real globe, the real world? Would I feel the same cuteness... and, would I tell myself, “How smooth and gentle?”

The world I live in – the real globe – is rough, uneven, and even dangerous and scary! Imagine the fierce oceans and mighty mountains... Imagine the deadly jungles and burning deserts... Yes, the real globe comes with roughness, danger and challenge... as much as it comes with smoothness, safety and ease. In fact, I live in the world which has more unevenness than evenness!

But, then, the globe on the table reminds me... that’s how it is... and, that’s how it is supposed to be...

Uneven-ness and unpredictability, quite regularly, comes knocking on my door, right as the Sun goes up... often, any time during the day... often, when the Sun has gone home...

The globe on the table reminds me... that’s how my day and night are going to be – uneven, volatile and unpredictable, at times... And, that’s how it is supposed to be!

Thus, it is sensible to accept the reality, that, the world I live in – the real globe – is not all that cute, smooth and gentle as the globe on the table appears to be, feels to be. With this very acceptance, I think, come the inner silence and strength to go about living in it... Yes, with all its unevenness, unpredictability, danger and ferocity...

When God put those mighty mountains and fierce oceans, those deadly jungles and burning deserts on the belly of this real globe,  He must’ve, certainly, had a plan, a design...

I am sure, this divine plan includes the well-being of His children – you, me and all of us...

Let the globe roll... Let’s feel the roughness, the danger and ferocity... and, still feel the cuteness, smoothness and gentleness of ‘What IS’...



GERALD D’CUNHA



Comments

Lohita said…
Excellent piece and very apt. Lohita
September 18, 2014 at 12:18 PM
Girish. Patil said…
True, the world we live in is not 'flat'! Girish
September 18, 2014 at 1:28 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi...
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How ...
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or pain...
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...