Blinded Me...

This was a surprise evening for me with an experience 

restaurant with theme of blindfold. 

We reached there by our timing and waited few 

minutes in queue as we saw few people coming 

out after finishing their dinner. 

As they took off their blindfolds , it was taking 

them some time to adjust to the ambiance outside. 

As their opinion was that it was an amazing experience. 

As they gave us introduction about how the idea

works they mentioned not to remove our blindfolds 

and how we can communicate if we need anything. 

When our turn came. we made a queue and started

walking inside while placing hands on their volunteers shoulders.

It was bit uncomfortable at first since I was quite

worried about my lenses. 

We started walking towards the restaurant as they

asked us to take baby steps. I could feel a pull 

from behind as some people were lagging behind. 

There was some meditating bird sound music 

playing in the background. We walked and they

guided us to sit on our respective places. 

We were given some guided meditation and then

served with the starters and beverages. 

Beverage being soda based I shook it mistakenly

and it spread around on our table, but it was

cleaned afterwards when we asked them to. 

We were given some activities to complete and 
We recognised 

those correctly as it seems when our eyes are closed 

all the rest of our sense start to work out better. We 

could even smell the disinfectant so strongly like never

before. 

We were  told to write and draw while our eyes closed. 

Never have I ever in my life tried to sketch or

write while my eyes closed, it's hell lot harder. 

It took me few minutes to actually make out the outline

of the paper while my friend gave me an idea to fold it

so we can identify it easily. 

We draw and our papers were collected 

to be given later. 

Then we were served dinner in plastic plates , 

ours was non veg preference so we were served with

fried chicken and chicken gravy with roti and rice. 

We could hear everyone munching around, well

yeah that seems even more annoying when your

senses are highlighted, but it was fine. 

I started to eat and it felt as natural as eating with

our eyes open. We finished through our course and 

then the desert was served. 

There was meditation music playing on the background. 

All the volunteers and the host especially were courteous 

and professional that not once we were confused or

surprised despite of being blindfolded. 

It wasn't anything fancy but some cakes and sweets. 

We were given some tissues to clean up and we were

led outside the same way we entered. 

While going outside I felt few curtains besides me 

and it was really nice feeling that I was able to get that. 

After we were led outside and told to remove our 

blindfolds. 

It took me few minutes to get used to the disoriented 

lenses but then it was alright after some time. 

We picked up our paper over which we draw 

our objects and then left for the

night after thanking the host. 

 When I returned I remembered something, 

When I was in college, there used to be a guy

in my route who was blind. he would travel by

public transport everyday. He would chat around 

and act as if he was normal. He would even tell which

stop is it just by keeping track of the stops went by. 

He would be right every time, as he would tell the 

right stop when people with eyesight couldn't 

see due to rush. 

I would always imagine how difficult his life must be

or that wether he only tries so hard at trying to be treated

normal. 

I think today I have received my answer. 

It's just that when we lack something, our other

senses make up for them. 

It's not something less. it's just something special

that you don't own it, but you are given something 

else to balance it out. 

I guess thats enough for me now to get used to

the fact of my own defects, that they aren't something 

less but evened out. 

 An absolutely amazing experience… 

#Blindfold #experience #restaurant 

On The Eve Of Work Anniversary

Good times are like diamonds, you have to

identify them to know their value … 

It had been an year since I started my new life

rather corporate life here at Bangalore. 

The day I stepped foot into my office campus 

a weird sense filled my mind as if something 

amazing was about to begin. 

I saw the water fountains and so many people 

around me going on their own, but it was special 

for me. As if I was going for a ride of lifetime. 

Today after an year I feel absolutely amazing 

filled with this feeling of satisfaction that

a lot can happen over an year. 

Things can go wrong, things can go absolutely 

fabulous, people can hurt you as well they

might just love you to the moon and back. 

This place holds a special value for me now,

for teaching me the fact that our wishes aren't

just some kind of useless thoughts we have. 

But that they do come true. 

This place with all its aura and shadows and 

sun rays and evenings and weekends has been 

making my days better and better as they go by. 

Looking forward to the new ones to celebrate 

the festival of life. 

#workanniversary 

A memorable Sunday Service- Gurudwara

It has been almost two years, since I been to some another religious place of worship.
This Sunday we received an opportunity to visit Gurudwara- a place where Sikhs come together for congregational worship.


I wasn't really expecting much of an experience here since I have never been to a Gurudwara before. As we started our journey we found out a reason to be happy about our visit there.


It was a dry afternoon yet roads in Bangalore seemed to be holding afternoon shadows making it warmer rather than parched. I could clearly see the leaf patterns the shadows made on the roads we were passing by. I could feel the afternoon breeze around us making it even more pleasant.


Another thing about Bangalore weather, they have the sweetest afternoons...


We reached and I could hear voices singing something in higher pitch, I saw a white curvy dome shaped building which stood on one side of the road.
We crossed the road while covering our heads which is actually a custom here so as to depict the respect for the Guru that resides there.


We then washed our feet in a water filled stone and washed our hands.
I entered the door which lead us inside and the first thing I noticed was the beautiful yellow light that hold the ambiance of the place. As I searched for the source of it, I saw beautiful glass bead chandeliers hanging around on the top.


As I didn't know what else to do, I just stood there crossing my fingers and listening to the prayers they were reciting. We had to bow and touch the ground three times before saying the final prayer.


We then lead to the Langar where food is served to anyone without any charge. We had already decided that we will be doing the help in kitchen. So many people were helping in making the meal, including kids, adults and the elderly.  We did help by making some Roti's. Huh! Missed the old days of cooking at home...


We then waited in line for the lunch and sat for the lunch.


We were served with a simple food of Roti, sabji, rice and dal. There was also a desert of kheer.
I have to say, whenever the food is served in any religious place, despite of all the simplicity of it, it tasted like the most fulfilling meal you could ever had.


I did bow down to the Guru Granth Sahib, listened to their prayers and tried to find that one moment I try to find when I go to such places, but it came to me when I was just about to start my meal and I looked around.
I could see random people serving the food, people opening their palms to the Roti that was served to them and at that moment I felt being  part of a feeling. A common feeling of equality. Under that specific roof no one was poor, rich, unaccepted or unwelcomed. We were all being there as one and it was all so serene at the same time. As if our individuality had been shed outside of that door, and we were being together through whatever it was.
I finished my meal, each grain of it and felt as if being happy for the satisfaction that was there.


We then collected some Prasad for our friends who could not join us and left for the day again in the brisk afternoon.


Temples give me a sense of serene presence as if being with someone elderly whos advice we seek in the moments of doubt, Churches give me peace as if being true to ones inner voice, and now Gurudwara lets us forget the Me part of myself, and its indeed one of the memorable feeling I am going to remember for a long time...


To the integrated souls, to the humble and down to earth place of worship...


To Gurudwara!




Merci!

Philosophize this 2. Friedrich Nietzsche and the truth of his Nihilism, Love, Philosophy

Whenever till now I have heard this name Friedrich Nietzsche, I start to hate this man, rather I used to hate him for his Nihilism concept. A concept which tells a sort of weirdly pessimistic world where there is no hope and we are just meant to come into this world and die.

After going through three episodes of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy I want to admit my mistake and stop hating this guy.

Again a short post about what I understood that made me change my prejudice about Friedrich Nietzsche's world view.

Envy- Since we start to understand what envy is, we are taught to resist its poisonous thorns  and keep ourselves satisfied in what we have. Nietzsche on the other hand gives a view as to take envy as a reminder that you lack something and you should work to achieve that thing. I found this very interesting way of figuring out what we actually look for to become.

Religion and Alcohol- Nietzsche talks about avoiding alcohol to momentarily escaping the reality and sadness we feel. Alcohol has a pro and cons column where in pro's we can list that it gives us a 1 hour or 2 hour high of happiness or relaxation which we steal from the next day in order to escape the suffering of today.
Religion on the other hand has the same effect where people tries to be lost in an oblivion where we forget our worries and try to put them onto something greater than us just to escape the reality. Again the same effect as being drunk on alcohol. (This was very hard for me to grasp, being one of the  most drunkard on prayer stuff. But once it made sense, I was surprised that how fitting this all is.)

 Nietzsche says if you are trying to escape the thing you should suffer through, you will never have the will to fight it through, which in turn will leave you into a careless state which neither helps nor leads to anything else. In his opinion we should rather stay cautious and find out the real ways to fight off this feeling of suffering by overcoming the difficulties we face.

Nietzsche's nihilism concept was actually meant to be fight off by the use of our mind and goal making ability to obtain certain meaning in our life. He says one should actually think of their start of life as a Nihilistic place which we have to escape by finding out what we love from the bottom of our heard regardless of opinions of others, traditions of others and influence of others. Only that way we can get the desired person we want ourselves to be. The happiest, capable and your own higher self by keeping the calculated goals ahead of us.

Nietzsche's concept of love kind of made me sad, although I think its worth thinking about.

Nietzsche thinks when it comes to love, love and greed aren't really two different things. When we want something in our life, we wish to attain it by no means what. When we chose a person to fall in love with, he is like the counterpart of the things that we desire to pursue. If you are a short person, you wish to find a tall person. If you cant sing but love the songs you wish you'd find someone who can. and so many such things  that we lack and find ourselves attracted to. Nietzsche doesnt really call us bad people for blindly thinking this greed of traits as love, he just puts it forward as it is.

The end of the series was that Nietzsche was probably the most misunderstood philosopher of the history with having so many layered opinions about human beings. I am so glad that finally my views about his work have cleared up. I have actually started liking this harsh truth guy instead of hating his prejudiced conception I had.

This one is to Nietzsche! A progressive philosopher...

Merci!

Philosophize this 1. Arthur Schopenhauer and the dark cloud hanging on our heads

So while taking on new challenge of understanding philosophy I have started listening to philosophize this.

I came across this unusual concept of will to life.

I am just keeping to short so as to put forth what my takeaway was.

In human mind, there is a constant yearning for something always. We have this craving so as to achieve the so called happiness we feel.
 Our world is made of things which all have this will to life, a will to exist and coexist.
We earn, play, eat, drive, buy, sell, love only to escape from this yearning, this constant restless feeling of not being happy enough.

We fall in love because of this restlessness, we try find people who are better than us, we try to find those who compliment us by having something we don't possess. This is because we wish to create our future generations better than us.

There are three types of people in the Arthur Schopenhauer's theory.

Two of those have this restless feeling constantly nagging them, who are 99.99 % of the people.

Type 1 decides to escape this by keeping new goals ahead of them, by trying to get rid of feeling of nothingness.

Type 2 gets irritated with the constant struggle and decide to do nothing to escape this feeling, going into depression.

and there is a Type 3 who take this feeling and transform it into a heavenly bliss by considering everything that exist around them as one.

They are always in bliss because to them its all one. It is always the happiness that surround them.

The few times we escape this restlessness is when we feel calm and soothing in the natures presence.
The mountains, sea and meadows makes us forget our struggles and allows us to exist just as a part of it all without any struggle reminder to make us sad.

I guess its all self explanatory, I didn't agree with all the concepts Arthur Schopenhauer has. But some of them are worth thinking about...

Mercy...