I have no Aim ..

I have no aim of my own. 

I rise with Sun, and someday am gone.

I have no aim …

I love all, around me; the blooming spread or the ghastly sea. 

I blend with good and survive the dead. 

Running to heal the pain, and patch their shred. 

I have no aim … 

I strive for none and crave for nothing, for You are there to usher everything. 

I hold no pride in whatever I do because I serve it all to you. 

I have no aim .. 

Strengthen me to persist in-line.

And prolong the faith in all hearts of Thine. 

Neither to glee nor to moan; I wish to maintain a confident tone. 

I have no aim .. 

I am for Thee and Thou art mine. 

I have no aim that is solely mine.

All are Human

This is a small recollection of my journey as an orator. With 15th Aug around the corner; I remember my first appearance on stage as a speaker.

I was studying in second grade, when one day early in the morning, I was overwhelmed with patriotism. The day was Indian Independence Day. I felt like pouring all my nationalism into a speech (just 1 page scripted in my big bold handwriting).

I quickly wrote all my feelings and gratitude for the freedom fighters and conveyed my mother about the "Eureka" feeling. As supportive as ever, she allowed me to take that piece of writing to my Principal and request him to allow me to speak.

I was bubbling with enthusiasm and I did not care about the audience or anybody else. Till this day, I am amazed, how my Principal allowed me to speak on the writing, I had. I don't remember the applause, I got, but I was satisfied that I could vent out my feelings for "My Country".

Things changed; as I grew up. By standard fourth, I started feeling shy and steadily developed a fear for public - speaking. The audience, who were never visualised as scary people, had gained a lot of emphasis as bad critics.

On one of the D days, I goofed up the show. There was a face in the crowd that continuously mimed my gestures; and that was enough for me to forget everything.

It was hard for me to come back. I used to start the speech and come back mostly messing it all up. My mother, who had been preparing my speeches for various competitions, gave up on me. She left me to do an introspection.

The guilt of losing to my instincts was killing me and so I decided to take a leap on my own. In one of the debate competitions, I prepared myself very harshly and took the note along with me. This time I had to hit the front in any case. After trying once or twice, I was back with a bang.

As a teacher, trainer, participant, I have come a long way and have exercised my oration in vivid ways. There is no assurance (from within or outside) that my continuity may never break, but now I remain prepared for the "losing grounds".

Some are born orators and some delve deep to become one. A good public speaker needs the grit and guts to face the crowd. A lot of preparation on the material, to be expressed, has to be done beforehand. Sometimes a bit of nervousness keeps one up-to-date.

All of these are achieved only when we consider ourselves and the other as "only human". We are born with some inhibitions which can present itself in various ways. But this life and its journey, throughout, provide many opportunities to overcome them. The dialogue of one of the Hindi movies (Sholey) -"Jo dar gaya wo mar gaya (The cowards can never survive)", holds very true for all our fears.

Note, there is always a face in the crowd that can scare us any time. But if we reflect on the lost battle, it is always we, who had yielded to the face. This is again a human weakness.

The habit of yielding to anyone else's attitude/thought/expression can take all the happiness from ones life if they are considered beyond a limit. Let us be free from all weaknesses of human mind.

All are human, and so the best you can do is to keep forgiving people and liberate every soul from malice by putting on a good face on the march of adversity.

Move Ahead and Show the World What You Are. Happy Independence Day!

Out in the Open

The knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world, and not in a closet. - Lord Philip Dormer Stanhope Chesterfield

I met a software professional who no more wants to continue in the IT industry. From his parents he got the inspiration to become an engineer but now he has a different story to tell. He wants to stand on higher pedestals in the field of his interest. He has planned to move into Financial Management.

There are so many kids who have a "dare to be different" attitude, oblivious of what they have been learning from their elders and "should-follow examples" and want to tread a different path shunning the so-called "secure routes".

Probably these shifts in the likenesses have called for wider introspections into ones "must do" and "want to do" tasks. People excel only in the latter. This has paved way to the requirement of a psychoanalysis on people before they participate in any exercise to achieve a career growth or deciding the future course of action. We find we may have strict norms and principles but changing for good becomes necessary.

Krishna Gopal and Sidharth Bhimania, were two IITians who have joined hands to manufacture biodegradable ink. The founders of the company EnNatura had little idea that they would land up in such an entrepreneurial venture. After a great deal of struggle, planning and introspections, they are doing good and look forward to achieve greater heights.

Stints like this cannot avoid the risks involved but still human mind finds it way to leap ahead and turn their dreams to life. It is better to be happy, earning small rather than lamenting and earning big. There is an ocean full of opportunities ahead. Only a start and a daring step is required. Your earnings and your dreams are very well taken care of.

The world is full of stories of people like this. Every great achievement has always involved risks at some point of time. We can take calculated risk but cannot avoid them if we need to be successful.

Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down. - Ray Bradbury

Sources:
EnNatura's Founders tell their story. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13764622 on 20th June 2011.

The Present - Continuous

Life is a journey where gains and losses are of common occurrence. Every new day brings a new beginning, coercing us to throw the past in the trash, as if it had no significance in the present. Memories whether good or bad seem to keep us attached with the happenings of the past. There is nothing in this world that can be rewoud from the bygone era.

The only take-away from the past is the learning. If we gain, we should endeavor to exceed the parameters, set by us, in the next stint. In case of loss, certainly the things to stick with, are the improvements, we can make, on our performance last time. Agonizing on the losses brings nothing.

The present is the only thing worth gaining all the attention in this whole universe. We must be constantly moving towards our positively creative goals. Stagnancy or merely defining work schedules have a very high probability of leading us to unknown and unwanted consequences. We must be moving all the time even if it’s only a bit.

Constant effort always yields good result. It is better late then never.
Bring the past only if you are going to build from it. ~Doménico Cieri Estrada

To Start Somewhere

A good start is always a good omen for the success of any task. But I feel a start is more challenging sometimes.

I meet so many people who want to achieve something in the life but that has been postponed for "some day". This "some day" comes in their lives for only 2-3% of the people. Not to forget, these 2-3% rule the world, because they have achieved what they wanted to. Most of the time when we are not able to make our dreams come true, then we have to adjust/compromise to whatever is available.

Why should we allow this to happen to us? Why should we be left to compromise when the whole world is waiting for us with open arms? I found that there are majorly two factors which act as hurdles to our desire to grab the most wanted things. I would repeat our desires should be positive and creative. Any destructive act doesn’t bear any fruits to anybody.

Hardwork. This issue is prevalent throughout the various strata of society and frames of mind. To achieve more with less work; is a golden rule for many. I have seen people succeed, but the lure ends with a disaster which had originated by a slow poison which was continuously consumed and the side effects were neglected.

Commitment to goal, dedication to achieve and a fervor for constant effort is the only key to long lasting success. The rest all shortcuts are only illusions.

Fear. The fear of the unknown or the fright of messing up things is natural. I don't say the masses are all equipped to fight fears but certainly persistent practice of the mind and an optimism in oneself, life and God certainly can turn the tables.

So, it is good to start first, the rest of things follow. If you are working for a good cause, you will surely succeed. The fruits of success may turn up in shapes of bananas instead of apples but you should learn to enjoy the fruits. Something is always better than nothing. Don't forget you should put more efforts in being always up and running. The journey to success may be long. Tomorrow if you stay healthy and your mind is always jubilant you may own an apple orchard.

Have a nice start!

There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting. - Gautam Buddha

Bearing Resposibilities

We all are born social animals. We need people around us even if we don't actually converse. We undoubtedly leave effect on each others.

Indirectly or directly all our actions relate us and some or the other way we get connected. There has been a new law enacted in Spain to ban smoking in public places. There are many who think that it is an assault on their freedom. How can one lose freedom if they are asked to protect other people from suffering because of their harmful habits?

As the data suggests some 4 people die everyday because of passive smoking and some 160 due to active involvements.

In the above case the enactment of the legislation is to save the ones who are not actually committing any mistakes. The regulation is only to discourage the offenders. No body has asked them to actually quit smoking. But the hue and cry on human liberty and legality still persists.
Aren't the smokers defying the healthy existence of their brethrens who have to stay in vicinity, because they have no choice at times?

In a different, but not quiet unusual event, the society has come together to put a limit to such nuisance.

Belgaum, a district in Karnataka, India was recently in the news for banning alcohol and gutkha in its two entities Balobal and Beerangaddi.
The village panchayat has strictly levied a fine of Rs 5,000 on those who are involved in liquor consumption.

Till date the revolutionists like Sanjeev T have achieved considerable success in discouraging the upsurge of shops selling the illicit items and, consecutively its sale.

Further positive effects include decrease in domestic violence arising out of the unruly behavior of the tottering-teetering drunks and misguiding of the teenagers, who had resorted to spoiling there lives getting habitual to finding out new ways of consumption and insanity.

"I must do something" always solves more problems than "Something must be done."




Sources
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12104056
BangaloreMirror (Pg11), Dec 15, 2010