MODESTY (finally)BLAZE(ING) AWAY

The people of my generation may be familiar with the comic strip Modesty Blaize.
Though it had nothing to do with the quality that is hidden in the name,still it reminds me of a quote that I read sometime ago:
"Modesty has something weird about it. You've lost it the moment you think you have it."
Today's papers have featured the much later noted quality of Puyol the Barcelona Captain and Dhoni who preferred to have the sidelights instead of the limelight.
It is well known how Amitabh Bachhan has almost perfected the art of magnanimity and modesty to a fault.Never has he posed to have taken the credit of any of his film successes or KBC or anything.Even publicly accepting his failures and financial duress brought about by his financial ignorance has become legendary.
He has never ever called himself a superstar- he just calls himself an Artist unlike SRK.
Same has been the case with Dhoni.
All these public personalities are bringing about changes in the Indian psyche- that had become warped by the faulty influences of the west (read American).
It is also an irony of sorts that the American thinkers who gave the concept of modern management to the world and kept harping about team work and team spirit were the ones who brought about the culture of "I" or I-ism as we can call it.
It is always I did this, I achieved this for my company. Their arrogance was amply rewarded by fat bonuses by bosses who agreed that it was indeed "he" who did it.

This was indeed also reflected on the field where slowly the fine art of slices and cuts in cricket, tennis and soccer gave way to hard and power shots.This was accompanied with words like killing instinct, ruthlessness.The words did not belie the spirit of the sportsman.
While doing prayanama I have learnt and doing anulom-viloma very fast and forcefully gives rise to one's ego and reverses the changes that pranayama was supposed to bring about.
Speaking in the spirit of holicism- they are all connected.
Breathing hard while living normally will bring about anger,anguish,jealousy,depression etc.
Now I'm not preaching that all the sportsmen should start breathing slowly, but prior to their games in the dressing room they are always told to breathe deeply.How does that explain the western thinking of doing everything fast and shallow.
Fast food, fast exercises,power yoga,pop music etc.
We had simple yoga, slow breathing,slow eating and no aggression.
It's possible that we have not achieved what the west has , but we don't try to make a virtue of what we have either.In fact so strong is our spirit of self flogging that it hurts.
The kind of leadership that Dhoni is expressing will have very strong connotations in the otherwise emotionally starved country.With the prominent families of the countries like Reliance, Gandhi,Modis (remember?)etc showing gross distrust of their own families do not leave much for the public to emulate. Now that the bar has been moved by FEW GOOD MEN- I'm sure it will pervade down to the starving public.
It'll probably start like the cult of touching feet that has restarted in the Indian life courtesy the television.

THE INIMITABLE INDIAN WOMAN

Yesterday I was with a colleague of mine for lunch.
While my friend was away at a class for some HOLISTIC course (now how can I complain about that!), his wife was preparing the lunch.
All soaked with the tears generated by the onions she was cutting,the oil fumes from the frying- she was regularly being disturbed by the mobile phone.
Always emerging from the kitchen with a smile - she was patiently taking the calls and giving elaborate instructions to whoever was calling.
Knowing that she was a homemaker I was intrigued as to who she is talking and giving almost corporate like instructions.
Slowly as we slipped into a conversation she told me was the new President for the local chapter of Rotary club.She was planning some event for the induction ceremony.
I'm sure my face did not hide the dismay and various feelings that were adequately being reflected.
Here was a man no different than me doing something that was to improve himself after an arduous tour of duty.
On the other hand was a lady who like any seafarer's better half has brought up the entire family on her own steam.She is handling the college admission of her son and simultaneously an important social event for an international body- from the confines of her kingdom and the comfort of her kitchen while making a great Bhindi dish and other equally sumptuous dishes that so effortlessly seem to be ornamenting an Indian dining table.
I did congratulate myself for being born a male- for it would not have been easy if I was to be born in the shoes of any of these ladies.
Now I can comfortably get away by appreciating their cooking and writing a few good lines for them.

When I had created this blog , I had set out to explain "the world according to garp"(a book from the seventies)- I mean the world as I saw it.
I had hoped to put forward my point as to how the different aspects in a person's life are not as random as we think but are very closely connected.
It is not a rare accident that he gets to be born where he has no choice,studies in a place and in a way that he barely can control (right upto higher education)- then pursue a career that he has no aptitude for.
So far it was alright but hence on the way his physical health and spirit keeps up with him is in the same pattern that he has been destined or he has designed himself and.
The way that he will create wealth and succeed in it (or not), the type of illnesses that he will encounter; the way he will keep and raise his family will all have a single thread running thru. This thread will be the most natural thing when viewed in totality.If you fail to see this thread you will only see randomness.
It is this thread that is referred to as HOLICISM - or about the WHOLE.
It is very important for everyone to recognise this thread and try to bring about all the actions (taken and proposed) to be connected with this thread.
I do not mean that one has to conform to a pattern thruout his life - but simply recognise in everything that he does and happens to him.
All the philosophers from Socrates to Buddha have given philosophies so that this thread could be identified.
Buddha called it the five fold Madhyam marg.
Which I feel is very appropriate as much later even Shakespeare acknowledged (not that we care about his endorsement)- "It is no means to be in the means".
I still feel that I haven't written all that want to write- but considering what I'm thinking - this much is sufficient.