Well Left !

In cricket, there is a term called "Well left" . This is usually about a ball that a batsmen could have batted but chose not to bat , decides to take the bat away from the line of bowl and chooses to wait for another opportunity . In life we look up to people who are successes , usually all success stories are about people who have played magnificent shots in the game of life . We also sometimes look at failures , they are people who get bowled early or for a  duck . Surprising we very rarely look at how many "balls" were "well left" in one's life . I haven't blogged this year , its is taxing , I write snippets and delete . I don't complete a post till the dots totally connect . The dots keep collecting with thoughts , small conversations , deep conversations , revelations , poetry and songs, which are all too much to fit in one post, unless they become a garland and are not scattered flowers. They don't have an order , they are random yet so precious , they are not all connected by a single threads but they are a part of the bigger thought landscape  I want to talk about balls which came my way and I chose not to bat and I would call them "well left " . What are those beliefs, convictions , habits, relationships and affections that I chose not to bat . 

Karna aur Hona: In Hindi " Karna" means to do  and "hona" means to happen. My childhood was fiercely confusing in many ways. My dad believed in Karma and hard work and my mother was a conviction blinded destiny believer. My dad's subtle messaging was to work hard , as hard as you can, stay smart and every can be "done" . My mother on the other hand convinced me that Karma is a check in the box, your success in life is a matter of destiny. My first tryst with spiritual books started with Osho Rajneesh books from AH Wheelers book stalls at railway stations. Sadly, like other dying things around me in  India, Train stations have no book shops, trains are becoming like flights. Everyone is on phone . The "bowling" around me was either a Karmic belief or a  destinical belief . I left both balls . In fact Karma and Destiny are interwoven and interdependent. The universe needs Karma, someone needs to plough the fields , someone needs to milk the cows, someone needs to pluck the fruit or write books. Even if there was Zero destinical intervention, your Karmic responsibilities are non- negotiable.  There is however a birth destiny , to be born to parents who can afford basic education for you  and to be born in a country where you have the even the chance of  a free Karmic pursuit . Human Child is a very helpless animal , extremely dependent on survival , unlike other animals. I believe that there is a divine guidance for life . It's like the moon can shine without you watching all your life or it can be inspiration for a  calendar or poetry. Life is both , Karna and Hona . I still leave lots of balls unbatted. Some , because not every Karma is for me and some because not everything in my life will be destinical. The ball I bat is that , what matters through your Karma is important . If Karma of a  terrorist is to kill and doesn't make universe a better place , then it isn't right Karma . If you by luck , come across a dead person with a million dollars on him in cash , should you run away with that thinking that's your destiny . May be not . Every moment is a ball , play each ball thinking how it would sets a better example and not if it just gives you "runs" and "glory" . 

Bhakti and Love: Bhakti , which connotes like religious practice actually literally means "devotion" . Bhakti Sangeet means "Devotional Music". Bhakti ids often mis-connoted as religious practice and  rituals. The first rock star i knew in my childhood was Narendra Chanchal. That was all we could afford , walking into a night long "Jaagran" was a moving experience . Live music and the lyrics of his "bhakti sangeet" was all about the love , devotion and dedication one had for its "divine" mother.  The "nth" hand books I bought on pavements of Darya Ganj on Sunday Mornings included , Hindi translations of Punjabi Love Ballads and Poets . Sufi Poets often write about how the "love" as we know it is nothing but relentless , indefatigable  devotion. The mother and child love is devotional. The father and Daughter love is devotional too. Devotion isn't religious , it's just devotion . How do you keep loving someone as a "devotion" and actually not expect anything in return. In my initial batting , I sought a remit in a every relationship . This Bhakti just doesn't have a component of devotion , it was "sewa" too . Sewa means selfless service . Just sewa as a standalone duty , devotion as a standalone activity (like running a  fan club for  a fake celebrity or star) is also misdirected energy . Love manifests itself through devotion and sewa. The ball you played earned you an applause , good , if it didn't , play for the love of game and not for love of applause and bravado.  

Comfort and Happiness: These two balls are also often very misleading . The more comfortable and security means more happiness ? Not necessarily . Often however , people connect comfort, sense of security with happiness . Incidently , I was reading that the Happiness Hormone called Serotonin, which is actually produced in your stomach by the "food" you eat . It is in fact produced by pathogenic amoebae, and its excessive effect in the human gut is diarrhoea. so Is food what triggers happiness ? If you dig deeper , you will notice, Serotonin is found mostly in the digestive system but it's also in blood platelets and throughout the central nervous system. So in rudimentary terms, what you feel , eat , smell , sense , see is all leading to happiness or unhappiness and not if you are flying coach or business or first class. I often cook Karah prasad for a  temple and I see the happiness in people's eyes when they eat something they like. If you needed scientific reason why food and good company is happiness , here's another example .  I have been a tea addict as far as memory serves me , since childhood . Tea was bonding , tea was a warm hug in a mug , tea was hope . I realised it and I loved all kinds of teas and I have often written about it . Adrak Chai at Jubilee , Wipro Park Junction is possibly one , Kesar Chai at Giani in Amritsar in 1990 was what took this love affair to its peak . This depth and strength of this love affair with chai is something I realised in last few weeks when i tried to quit chai . I was grumpy and unhappy somewhere deep inside . Comfort and Things aren't always happiness . I play these balls carefully too . 

More thoughts as they bake on what stumps me and bowled me out soon . Keep your senses well fed , like the song today. 

Today's song is again by Satinder Sartaj , the lyrics are in English . I often wonder if there is a divine reason why he is able to write such deep poetry .