Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.

This Quote is by Alex Pope who wishes to express something about a 'nun' who sacrifies worldly pleasure in service of GOD. The world forgets her. He poise her to have an eternal sunshine inside her mind with no spots of love, relationship or attachments. GOD accepts her all prayers while she herself has resigned worldly pleasures.

The other way to look at it is to be blameless is to also be empty, meaningless and blank, without the weight of choice and consequence. The liberty of the lack of responsibility is naturally also the restraint of having "each wish resign'd". If we want only what we're given - is that happiness ?

It's interesting that what I got out of the movie was a strong theme of personal authenticity and self-determination. And ironic also that in that self-determination came a strange theme of fate, of "liking someone and not knowing why, just because".

Almost as if our preferences came through more strongly than our choices or past choices, and that almost inevitably, we end up falling for the same person, for the same type of person, we look for things that remind us of that one true love we almost seemed to have used to know.

Spirit of True India

Saturday was never so interesting as yesterday when I got a call from teach India people to join for first task of getting acquainted with some children of an orphanage nearby a slum. I had quite a mixed feeling of excitement and lazyness. To be honest, I did not have a absolute willingness but a partial enthusiasm of doing something good for people and society owning to my job responsibilites and being an MBA aspirant.However, things changed when I visited the orphanage.

The orphanage was located in a really shabby place with horribly stinking stream of water passing around the building and some ill constructed houses in the vicinity with a very small pathway to walk down to orphanage. It was a small place with hardly three rooms and a lawn outside. One room was a class room and other room has beds like racks for children while last room seems to be a office. There was a small kitchen too.

Being a part of social activity is not a piece of cake. It is tough and you have to maintain a composure, hope, enthusiasm and lots of infectious energy. I had a very nice feeling of being with childrens. They were totally different then what I expected them to be. They have willingness to learn, were quite interactive and perhaps cute. Some were even having a good sense of humour and were smarter than expected. Most of them were able to write their names on the blackboard when asked to do so and were more interested in learning while playing.

There is nothing to sympathise with them but perhaps a lot to learn for them. I was feeling more deprived and left over than they were for not having the most challenging suitations as they were going through. I have a very strong feeling that they will come out to be strong, bold and successful.

Lastly, I have a wonderful story here to share. While I was teaching them, I notice one kid very excited to recite his poems. When I was listening to his rythmic poems, most of the kids tried joining him and recited in chorus. There was no one to recite poem absolutely correct but him. He kept correcting other people before I did and finally when I tried correcting them, he felt ignored and finally left the place. He went to the maid and helped her cleaning utensils for the dinner. Though matter of fact is that he is not so mature to understand gravity of suitation he is dealing with but we have lot to learn from him.

That kid gave me a hope that India would be brightest among all countries in the world because young india has not lost the spirit to fight back. They have learnt to survive against all odds. That small kid posses enthusiam and spirit of true india.

Finally, lets make them not lost hope, The concluding message is simple, ‘Education is not the filling of a pail, it’s the lighting of a fire. Lets Spread It.'

Taj lost scent of Jasmine

There will be one regret Maninder Singh, a DIG in the ITBP will always have -- he protected the country's borders all his life but wasn't there to guard Jasmine, his 22-year-old daughter working as a trainee at Trident, when terrorists barged in spraying bullets on Wednesday night.

Jasmine Bhurji was one of the first to be gunned down during the Mumbai attacks Wednesday night. She was a Mumbai resident managing the five-star Oberoi Hotel, having the sad fate of working the front desk that night.

"Jasmine took two bullet hits from terrorists on her arm and near the ear. She was rushed to hospital but could not make it," Jasmine's friend said over phone. The crestfallen parents rushed to Mumbai almost immediately.

"When terrorists struck, Jasmine was working as a hostess at the hotel's Kandhar restaurant," the young trainee's relative told TOI on Thursday. "They (terrorists) entered the premises and started firing indiscriminately." Having finished her schooling from St Xavier's high school in Chandigarh, Jasmine had gone in for a management course at the Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development, New Delhi.

On Friday, as Jasmine came home dead and cold, there was a painful silence at house number 1083 in Sector 63, Mohali. The hundreds who had gathered to pay their last respects and catch a glimpse of the cheerful girl, seen smiling in most of her photographs, barely whispered. "I have become numb and don't know what to say," was all Singh muttered as the body was taken for cremation in the evening.

"She was always smiling. A good human being, she did not deserve to die like this," her friend Megha Verma said in between sobs.

"Jasmine was a very vibrant girl, very vibrant and very, very cheerful. She would light up any occasion", her uncle Nirbhye Singh Bhui of Surrey, B.C. says of her.

Avnish Hundgenn, the victim's aunt, is equally overcome with emotion as she tries to understand the reasons behind the tragedy. She calls Jasmine "another daughter" and her tears flow endlessly as she contemplates the loss.

"I can understand the feeling she's going through," Hundgeen explains. "I was imagining last night ... my entire family, my brother-in-law, my sister, their son. To board a plane to bring that body back..." He begins to sob openly as he contemplates the death of the innocent that has so terribly crushed his family.

"Why her?" she demands. "She didn't do anything wrong! Never! I can't see how - she's so innocent looking. If you see her face - she would never have done anything wrong in her life."

It's a life that was cut short at just 21.

Avnish has a message to those who committed such unthinkable atrocities.

"See what you're doing!" she demands. "What do you have against innocent people?

Avnish is right and we should all convey this message to brutal terrorist. Jasmine story not only touched me or you, she has touched the hearts of entire nation. Our nation should understand the price she payed for being truthful and loyal towards her work serving hospitality in a same way as her father served nation at the boder for years. In the similar fashion, Taj lost many people in this ghastly attacks. Let's pray to God to help their souls rest in peace and may God give strength to their families to bear this intense pain.

Bleeding Emotions!!!

What was your reaction after listening to recent mumbai attacks ? Did the mass feel the same way as I do ? Was the gravity of suitation caused due to recent terrorist activities intense enough compared with those activites happened earlier ?

After I heard news on 26th Nov, 2008 about the recent attacks on mumbai, I felt hopelessly pathetic about terrorism growing in the country. This was another unsuccessful attempt of external forces to disintegrate unity, non-communism and spirit of true India.

I feel hopeless, insecure and emotionally broken after death of most talented professionals. Perhaps the gravity of the suitation is quite intense and horrifying. This attack seems to be the strongest among all attacks to national security and freedom of mankind.

Lets us all pray to God for all those people who lost their lives in recent attacks. May their soul rest in peace. In this trouble times, we should appreciate the efforts of Police, ATS, commondos and army in rescue operation. May God bestow them with strength and valour to fight against terrorism.