SELAH !!

I lived in a valley all my life as a kid surrounded by mountains and then my first job was in the mountains so for some reasons unknown I have an attachment with the mountains. The thing that I miss the most of the mountains is the peace . quiet , calmness and above all the scenic beauty ; be it the snow capped fir trees or the cloud covered mountains. They always fill me with a sense of awe , wonder and peace.So when I read the Psalms especially Psalm 23, it just feels as though that Psalm is all about rest and comfort . It somehow gives a picture of sheep grazing the mountains carelessly without a care in the world unaware of any danger lurking nearby and in complete trust on the shepherd.
But needless to say I have since then moved from the mountains to the plains and presently residing in the island that didn't want to become a part of Europe. My life seemed to be running the race of it's own and I became oblivious to God. But then God always get our attention one way or the other and He gave a word: Selah

Selah is a term I usually find in the Book of Psalms in The Bible, As a kid I always wondered why Selah was placed in the between the verses , they seemed more of an interruptions rather than anything else.At times I thought they might be a musical notation that the psalmist wanted to add to the songs of praise. I never gave it much of a thought until recently when my world was sort of turned turtle and I was lying haplessly on my back , not knowing what to do. And in that position there is only one place you can look i.e the sky above and call on the Lord. As I spent days praying and crying out I found out what Selah means: SELAH (see-la) is a Hebrew word meaning 'a musical interlude; to pause and think about what was just said or sung; or to pause and watch for a visual demonstration of what was said or sung.'

God seems to be telling "Hey Son ,hey daughter just Pause and think. So it got me thinking that sometimes all God is asking is Pause and think . See what's important and hold on to them, remove the excess baggage , it'll only bog you down in you journey of life. Prioritize people, family , friends and time spent with loved ones. No one is too important to take your peace by withholding your forgiveness, Just let it go.
 Every machine breaks down on constant use without rest and repair, our mind, body and soul are also  something similar, it's time we just Stop Pause and Think .
God Bless ... Selah !!!

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Worship

John 4:24New King James Version (NKJV)24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

This is my first Christian post and hopefully I can keep it coming. I had just come from the Hillsong Conference Europe 2016 . The conference had roughly 15000-20000 delegates probably even more I'm not sure . I had gone to the conference without any companion or friend.  Yes I did talk to a few people ,who like me came alone to the conference. But in this huge crowd it's so easy to become lost. .But that's not what I'm writing this for .

In the O2 Arena  which was filled to the capacity , you turn around and you are surrounded by a sea of people. It's so easy to get lost in this sea but this what is so amazing about worship. Even though people from 70 nations (not all English speaking) had gathered , we were all under one roof , under one Name Jesus and that was what bound us all together as we worshiped Him in spirit and truth.Every arm raised and every tongue confessing that Jesus is the Lord. Bible says " Where two or more are gathered in My name ,I am there." Now imagine 20000 gathered together on the name of the Lord. It is here that I felt we were all one , each connected by the divine love as we sang and worshiped: the church , which Jesus said the gates of hell won't prevail against. That's what's so amazing about worship, it transcends boundaries, barriers, prejudices and brings us all together right to the level of an individual.Each one with his own story , struggles, problems and hope bound together by the love shown on the old rugged cross.The best that you or me can give is, worship. A worship that's in Spirit and truth, that holds nothing back.

 Its amazing and probably beyond words how it is to worship the Lord Our God. Singing and shouting at the top of your voice with one purpose that is to praise Him. It is here that as we 20000 people sang together to the Lord in unison with one purpose and heart that you could only get a minuscule idea of what praise and worship in heaven might be. 
I had always had this nagging thought in the back of my head at times that "How will we be  worshiping the Lord in heaven at all times? Won't it get boring? But my time in this conference left me wanting to  worship the Lord ceaselessly and I know that's what I'll do there.

Why all Indians should watch BBC'S India's Daughter

Last night being restless and insomniac , I thought of watching the banned BBC documentary " India's Daughter" which I had downloaded just before you tube removed it. What followed the 59 minutes was gut wrenching and just unbelievable. I had to pause in between as Mukesh nonchalantly explained the crime in such chilling detail. There was hardly an iota of emotion, remorse or guilt of any kind, which left me wondering as to why this monster was even breathing.

The activists, government et al are all up in arms against BBC and Leslie Uwdin. And the government did what it does best, bury it's head in the sand and ban it , hoping the storm will die down. Irrespective of what the motivation was for both Leslie Uwdin and BBC (some suggest a greater conspiracy in which we are forever going to be pushed around on the basis of foreign agendas masquerading as concern for human rights.) There might be a myriad of reasons for the documentary to be made and released,despite India's vehement refusal to release it in India. But setting aside the fact that a foreigner had come and washed our dirty linen in public leaving us all naked and morally wanting and scandalized. The documentary shows the mirror to the state of our regressive minds today.
I'm not talking about the illiterate, slum dweller Mukesh, as nothing can justify his crime but of those two defence lawyers ,who are not even worth naming. Some might say that they were just doing their jobs , but their statement exposed the sheer intellectual poverty they possess. Their misogynistic attitude and patriarchal mindset might even leave the Islamic fundamentalist read ISIS to shame. But what surprises me is that these statements were not made by some wayside , slum dwelling vagabond but by the so called defenders of justice in their plush offices. So the question today is , has education made any difference in our mindset . Has our education system failed us and made us so morally bankrupt that we can't accept the the other gender as our equals. Are we so entrenched in our self made cocoon that we have all forgotten to become good human beings. In our pursuit to be literate have we forgotten to be educated.

Another thing that will most likely be forgotten in the hullabaloo of Mukesh's arrogance and the lawyer's misogynistic statements is the statement made by one of the lawyer, who said that there are around 250 sitting parliamentarians who are facing charges of murder and rapes. I can't vouch for the exact figure but it appalled me that our system allows such criminals to formulate laws for us. Our conscious has been numbed to such an extent that nothing can shock us , except when something as brutal as December 16 gangrape happens and shakes us all out of our collective reverie.

A couple of months back I was was talking to some young school going boys in their teens a long time back and to my chargin , these guys held the same thought that Mukesh had " that it takes two hands to clap". In other words indirectly insinuating the victim also as responsible for rape. So where have we all gone wrong as a society. Instead of passing on the buck ,it's time we all take a collective responsibility. The malaise lies in the deep seated patriarchal attitudes that's so well encumbered and protected in our society that whole system needs a overhaul. Be it the khapland dikats or the right wing fundamentalist rantings. Such discourse has no place in a civilized society and the government shouldn't pander to these fringe elements. We have inherited a rich and diverse culture , and every culture comes with it's downside and these pitfalls are  coming to the fore. Skewered sex ratios and gender inequality , violence and discrimination etc shows that all is not well with our " culture".
The documentary exposes us for who we are , ' a country for no women'. It's something we knew right from the start and never made any amends but when an outsider comes and points out our failings, all hell breaks loose. So instead of finding excuses and circumventing the issue into something unrecognizable let's take suo moto cognisance of the issue and take up the problem head on.We can't keep ducking the issue now. Tomorrow it could be someone from your family.So my dear friends wake up from your slumber, it's time. I for one would want all men of this country be made to sit and watch this documentary. Let's all become uncomfortable with the truth that is in our midst. Unless we as a society become ashamed and squirm in our seats nothing will change.
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Au revoir!!

I've never been good at goodbyes. The last time I had to say bye to a friend I didn't know how to react. The environment gets laced with an emotional charge leaving you numbed. I would rather meet my friends a night before than having to say good bye the next morning at the station.
But despite all that there is someone I'd like to bid adieu to as soon as possible. It's like I'm literally dying to say sayonara ,irrespective of the fact that she had been in my company for the last 12 months. Yea though our relationship has not been that pleasant and memorable throughout, it did have it's moments in the sun. And in the last couple of days as the year draws to a close,it puts me in a very somber mood, as I look back to the year gone by and the relationship we had as I say one final goodbye to her probably for one last time.

She came with a bang, with snowy flakes from heaven , the mountains with their firs drenched all white, as I looked out of my window. Yea this postcard picture perfect place was where I started my acquaintance with.At first I thought that she would be perfect, what with the almost flawless entry in my life.
But alas my friends that was not to be, like the old adage goes , looks can be deceiving.
The heartless thing gave me a choice , to be or not to be at a wedding of someone for whom my heart had lost it's direction for. This was the first dilemma in a series that would follow, that she cruelly kept on giving me.
As if that wasn't enough, to test my loyalties toward my priorities.( Talk of a jealous woman),she gave me three choices whether to take the government job handed to me so unexpectedly or keep trying for foreign shores or complete my masters in the college I always dreamed of going.Such a barrage of options left me confounded.
So with a heavy heart and leaving all my emotional and physical baggage I decided to make a sea change in the scenery, as I adopted to the hustle and bustle of my new city, away from the langley pace of life which I had become so accustomed to since the past two years hoping to get rid of her "pichha", but sadly that was not to be the case.
She forced me to say goodbye to my relatively new friends and some very good old friends probably never to meet owing to distances both physical and otherwise. Then she brought in Old friends, who entered my life like classic re-entry of the hindi movie hero , who everyone thought had died after falling off a cliff. These guys brought a semblance of sanity and order to the insanity and chaos called my life.

Couple of months following the reentry. Like they say yeh dil maange more, and so I craved for something more tangible and satisfying , so somehow she led me to this awesome fellowship that has helped me countless ways emotionally , spiritually etc.
Here she did me a huge favour because as an added bonus she was unselfish enough to help me forge some new friendships. In one of these friendships came a puny little package. And in this package I've found a friend who hears me , guides me , counsels me , making me wonder how one so small can be so bright and intelligent. Thank you dear friend and hope this friendship lasts. Here's to a friends who are rare to find, and when you combine all these rare people, this one will be rarer still.
Oh oh I digress, anyhoo here I am , at the end of the year and it has been one hell of a ride since the past 365 days. It was well worth knowing you cause if you weren't there I wouldn't there too, such was the nature of our relationship. One couldn't do without the other. Yes she made me cry , she made me laugh,she gave me moments I'l cherish for a lifetime and some valuable lessons which I'l remember lifelong , but time has come to bid goodbye to someone whom I'l never meet again. So adieu my friend 2013 . So long my friend, so long.

Colours of the female shopper..

For better part of my last seven years I've come across more females than males as  acquaintances and friends. Seven years is a really long time. But if you think I have understood the female psyche by now.Then you are gravely mistaken.There is no manual for that. They are as unique or quaint as they come.However I'm no expert on that topic either and neither do I have any intention to delve into it. But among the many things uniquely female like their elephantine memory for dates , events anniversaries ,and remembering slights of yesteryears which have been long forgotten, among others. A couple of things that stands out is their vast vocabulary of colours  and then there is their insatiable desire for shopping , it's almost frightening.

It just amazes me as to the vast array of colours they have, which for me is blue , red , green , yellow , orange ,purple and yea pink too. And additional names of colours that I know of is violet and indigo from VIBGYOR the colours of rainbow.And even then I think violet and indigo are purple.( hang on ' while I ask google. )And so this is how google answers me verbatim, "So in all due respect there is a difference between violet and indigo, violet is purple and indigo is a dark blue."So you get my drift.Consider this example, my uniform for work is a green shirt but my friend,she says it's a mixture of sea green and some other green , whose name escapes me.And here I was thinking the colour of the sea was blue.

I had the misfortune of accompanying a couple of friends( all girls, all crazy , insane shopaholics) to the mall(Big mistake; guys you better go alone with a girl rather than a bunch of girls.Long story maybe, will tell some other time.)however let's return to colours. So as these friends were going gaga over their clothes , one of them asks me ' How's the hot pink dress?'.I was like, Now how do you describe a colour by temperature is beyond me. Hot , lukewarm or cold for that matter. And woe is the man, whose woman sends him on a hunt for finding the matching duppatta, by handing him a piece of cloth ,on his grocery expedition. It's a thankless task, no matter what he does, he'll never be able to make her happy.

While I was accompanying my friends I was just observing how my other male counterparts were faring in the female section as they tagged along their female companion. I could see a couple of unfortunate blokes become a portable hanger as their females delved into pile of clothes talking animatedly to each other , lost in the colours as they made one selection after another and non nonchalantly giving it to their guy to hold , quite oblivious to his discomfort as he tried juggling the clothes on one hand and the kid on the other. And all the snippets of conversations that reached my ears was, I like that mauve jacket and see that midnight black .... Omg! Look at that... And the rest of the conversation was lost as I was pulled out of my reverie by my now maniacally restless company who simply couldn't get enough of this store and now wanted to try the adjacent store.

Over the years ,their shopping has undergone a sea change first it was the local kapde vala ( cloth merchant) ,where they would just keep on asking the shopkeeper to show his stuffs and he tirelessly and enthusiastically meets all their demand, hoping for a jackpot sale but in the end they leave him staring at a heap of clothes to fold and replace.Now with the advent of trial rooms it's simply all too convenient. All they do is just try on the whole store take selfies and leave empty handed at times and at other times two hands are simply not enough.

So all you guys out there I suggest that as for the colours you will probably never remember the whole lot ,no matter how hard you try ,so just go with the flow and translate the colour in the language you understand. But for shopping there is no middle ground either you join them or you don't . As for me I've done the latter and life's been blissful ever since. 

Who's your papa ?

Someone recently came to me introducing a person by telling me to keep in touch with this person as his father is a bigshot.This statement put me into a lot of thinking, and as I observed around, I realized ,how inherent it is, for all of us to to judge a person.To make an opinion even before the other guy even gets a chance. It's like we give undue respect to a person just because his father is a renowned person or a bigshot when on the other hand we ignore someone ,who in other words is a nobody. I heard someone discussing about another person saying he is an interesting person and started narrating the person's  parents and background. Seriously, can you just describe a person as interesting because of his parents.(someone should knock some sense into this someone in the first place ,for talking about someone ,to someone, behind someone .)

We have all become so myopic in viewing people we meet in our daily lives , we tend to see them in the light of their wealth ,position, lineage and ignore what really matters.It's so easy to get lost in the mirage of external trappings of an affluent upbringing as we all swoon with our collective ooohh's and aaahh's. I mean forget the higher echelons in the corridors of power wherein the destiny of a billion people is forged ,where mai baap or mera baap is prevalent and who you are depends on who your parents were,but I am talking about you and me common people or the aam admi.We who distinguish between the privileged and the unprivileged.We go "pata hai uska baap laal batti mein ata hai"(did you know,his dad comes in a red beaconed vehicle; i.e.VIP vehicle ) The reply will usually be,kya baat hai (wow).When in fact he might be be a driver of that vehicle.

I've heard a couple of times people ask a newcomer ,who's your papa?(not necessarily in that manner). Now for me ,that's a moot question. The person is judged either way. He is already labeled from the get go.He has to live up to the expectation of what society thinks should be the appropriate behaviour from a son or daughter of, say a principal of a school.
Similarly it's the reverse too.

However what I have written is just one facet in the uncountable ways we judge people and I'm not writing this to preach to you to do this or that because even I find myself guilty of doing  the same thing.This is what is wrong with us today.We refuse to see you beyond the appearances.It's so entrenched in our collective mindset,that other guy never gets a chance. I know it's hard to break years of habit , something that is second nature to all of us which is, to have an opinion about a person, even before they get an opportunity to prove otherwise , so lets make an effort to give this other guy a break, because more often than not people will surprise you. All you ever have to do is , give them a chance.

What's in a name ?

I have been posted in the OPD(out patient department) for well over six months now and one thing I like is, calling people's names out loud as I sent them to their designated rooms.  Unlike in the inpatients ( i.e. admitted patients) where I usually refer patients by their bed number. So I have come across a cornucopia of names since then.Some name's are intriguing and interesting and some outright puerile and funny.

  Our name's are something that we all identify ourselves with. It's ours and ours alone. It's more than an identity. But what happens when your parents who are supposed to give you names ,bungle up.I mean just imagine if your name is the butt end of everyone's jokes.

I recently came across a name called 'Awake'. Man! imagine that.By the way, who names their kids Awake.  And another kid named 'Frooty '. Yea right! I had actually asked the mother and she confirmed that it's the official name. Sometimes I wonder what were the parents thinking while naming their children.It is a heavy responsibility,and it's repercussions are felt throughout the child's life. I can well imagine the years of teasing and harrying these kids might have to face. Then there are names which are exquisite and recherche` that roll from your tongue, effortlessly and fluently with poetic grace.

On the other hand take my name for example. It's ,Manivarnan Chinnathambi '. Anyone mentioned tongue twisters. Yea try saying my name slowly at first and increase the speed as you go. That'll give you a kick.When people hear my name for the first time , almost every time I'm asked to repeat my name. So there I go gracefully obliging them by repeating my name again slooowly. Then the next question that immediately follows is ,"where are you from?". Actually, I'm from the planet 'Kriptine ' part of the ' Nebula Blue galaxy' ' the planet adjacent to ' Krypton ' (Superman's planet.)

Another thing I come across ,when I tell my name,is that I get to hear an assortment of names as I see people try miserably to get my whole name right in the first go. It's more like a polite name calling. I remember being called 'Manivarium' by a friend as she attempted to speak my name.( I don't fault her though , she is an 'angrez',read British, after all.) Then there is 'Maniva' and my all time favourite is "Manivarachitta  blblba what ... Could you repeat that again."

My 22 alphabets name sometimes runs out of boxes in forms so I always count the boxes before filling them up ,you can't go asking for extra boxes in a form now.Can you? It's even bigger pain if there's a straight line in the name column of a form. On a straight line I go all bold and nice with the first part of my name . Then on coming to second half I realize I am running out of space. So I cramp the letters so closely, they are almost jam packed. It reminds me of the Indian Railways; wherein the first  of my name is like like A/C coach all spacious and beautiful and the second half like the general coach with bodies all cramped together and an arm here and a leg there poking out from the windows.

So for practical purposes I use the name ' Mani ',usually for non official and informal situations. However even then too people write my name as 'Manny ' ,Money and 'Moni' but rarely do they write 'Mani'.So at the end of the day I have come to realize and accept that my name's distortion is here to stay ,maybe will be remain so in the future too.Like the lines from Shakespeare's famous play 'Romeo and Juliet' ,in which Juliet Capulet speaks the following lines to Romeo Montague .
"What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes       
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name...."
So ultimately whether I am called 'Manivarium or Manny or Money it really doesn't matter because who I am as a person will not change with the names that I am called. So all you out there, if people don't call your name correctly, just chill; and join the club of people who oft repeateth Juliet's question"What's in a name ?"

P.S. : So dear readers , How's your experience with your names?