Spiritual You Spiritual Me..!

Spirituality! What comes to mind when this word hits the cerebral cortex of our brain? We picture a tranquil place somewhere deep within the heart of a valley embedded by serene mountain tops flirting with low hanging clouds. This scene is most common and I totally agree with the connection one might see between spirituality and the place.

I was 10 years old when my father woke me up one Sunday morning and asked me to accompany him somewhere. Obviously having no qualms or the courage to have qualms as a young boy, I followed him. In about 20 minutes I found myself at a place where more than 50 people were taking different positions and performing some sort of unified physical ritual. I was still trying to deduce the meaning of all this. And while I was still scratching my head, an elderly person tapped me on my back. He pretty much reminds me of Gandalf now. This bearded soul explained what the gathering was all about. He taught me the art of Yoga. 

For years to come I indulged myself in the true spirit of Yoga. However along the way life happened and I zoned out of it. When I look back today, I realize it was a tranquil state of mind that I dwelled in. 

Having said that, I came across a few people during my days of Globe Trotting and these people pride themselves at being utterly spiritual. I asked them if they indulged in Yogic Activities. The answer no! I got intrigued and spent hours with these individuals learning what their understanding and essence of Spirituality was. 

It is beautiful to know how Spirituality can be found in the simple ways of life. For this one person it came from spending an entire lifetime recycling things for the cause of a greener world. A math teacher discovered her Spiritual self by giving Match lessons to economically strained children for no cost at all, although she spent thousands of dollars to learn what she was teaching now. If you ask me, I would say the purpose of our lives can easily become spiritual to us. This is because we are one with the causes we live for and what we intend to achieve. This unison of the mind and the soul is the elevation of our spirits.

I have read hundreds of books with the crux of the matter revolving around Spirituality and the joy of enlightenment. Life for me is that tutor who never charges you any money to teach the best lessons. I figured how soccer players are one with the game itself and find solace in doing one thing that they have made a purpose out of. This goes for any profession and this remains the key to finding your spirituality and more importantly, yourself!

We can all take hours of our days to sit and ponder upon what the term really means. Some of us may never decipher the true meaning and some of us would look for other ways to find answers. The day we understand ourselves to be particles of the cosmic universe, we would have found the true meaning of our purpose.

Mahatma Gandhi's efficacious efforts of single handedly uniting millions of people for one cause is widely respected. He was able to harmonize the minds and souls of such a huge number of individuals through the mere power of spiritual transformation!

Little things come together to make everything around us meaningful. One of them is positive manifestation and I have used the power of this freely available state of mind so many times and I kid you not, it has worked! I feel Spiritually enlightened and educated because of my positive attitude towards life. There could be a wide array of things that will lead you to a meaningful destination. I found mine and I hope you find yours.

Ragz

"Spirituality does not come from Religion. It comes from our Soul"

6ft something..!

There are a million breathtaking stories that we come across in a lifetime. How many of those have we lived ourselves? Many! Then again, how many of those have we revisited time and again? A few.

I am not big on writing fantasy engraved tantalising stories. But I am big on playing a part in many!

When I first met this 6ft something (too tall for most men with average heights, including me although back home I would be considered tall enough), I said to myself these very words "aww look at that innocent face".

Little did I catch the intricate symptoms of crazy, wild, super fun, and unpredictable madness that came with the package named Theodora Baos. Uh well I have never been good at prognosis! 

She said to me, "my name is Theodora but call me Teddy"..and that had a stern intent associated. At times you meet someone and the arteries that connect your heart just feel an inflation which leads to the vigorous supply of blood to your brain cells! No I am not talking about love or sexual attraction. I am referring to the mere feeling of knowing that this person is just the one you wanted to meet for a while now. 

A friend, a confidant, a compatriot, and just that person who will give and take blows for you!

She has this un ignorable persona which makes you want to know more!! Yes Ofcourse she is an attractive young woman who can also be your perfect wingman by the way. Anyway, Teddy always has a story to tell. She has lived in 4 countries, speaks 4 languages (fluently), has traveled the world on business trips, has maybe more friends (real) than I even have on my Facebook, loves attention (both giving and taking), is mostly Mexican but partly Greek, will listen to you for hours and then make you listen to her for hours, cooks like rubbish, though eats like a boss. If you meet her at a bar when she's drunk, you want to be close to a bouncer (who by the way has to be close to another one).

She's undecided about her life but knows exactly what to say about yours! She's a friend. A true one.

I told her as she left for another adventure, that she will be the God Mother to my kids (if and when I have) and she just smiled. 

And just like that, the million small talks, the drunken nights, the fights, the frolic, the frenzy, the chaos, the noise, and all embodiment of relentless fun and love just came to a serene and calm aftermath. She's left for another country to conquer more hearts and spread more laughter and love. That's her forte..that is Theodora Baos.

As we look back at how we have lived our lives at 70, we want to be able to be proud of stories. Stories that remind us of our existence, that inspire us, that make us laugh and shed tears at the same time, stories that define us. I have many a small stories to share with my grandchildren and this story about this 6ft something, 4 language proficient, crazy, full of life girl will top the charts.

For all those we met and lost in our journey..

"The strength of friendship that goes the distance will be unconditional love.."

Ragz

To Hell and Back..!

Snip snap chop chop..the way she goes on about her day..! 10 hours of relentless, back crushing, tiring, standing at the salon! Giving the likes of us a big reason to feel better about ourselves with our hair as we walk out. 

It's just flabbergasting how, the simple task of grooming has skyrocketed in the eyes of the commercial business-minded man and that this industry is churning out more money than the hair strands they chop!!

After a strenuous few trials with many salons across the ever so vibrant city of Toronto, I found eternal bliss as I stumbled upon this extremely chirpy, noisy, full of energy salon. Now not only was this place rich in history, but also had a state of the art aura to it.

The first time I went in, I was sent straight to Laura! This is what my story is about for those who are wondering why I would be interested in sharing details about my haircut.

Laura!! She possessed this calm energy which I have been seeking for myself for years now. She had the most electrifying look in her eyes and the way she accessorised herself, would give you an impression about her spiritual sensibility. She has this poise and vibe about her, which settles you down, even if you had a crazy day! 

In our dainty little conversations, she took me through her phenomenal journey which left me amazed, astonished, inspired, and in complete admiration for this gorgeous lady with mesmerising eyes!

She is a young single mother who has had quite a journey from being a Spanish descendant to being an industrious, independent, fearless woman, she is today!! Being wedded to the idea of "alcohol makes me happy and makes my worries go away", Laura did face some dilemma. Some call it mid-life crisis, whilst others just blame it on every day struggles! But her idea of life is way bigger than giving in to the pressure of a habit. Due to some unavoidable circumstances, she couldn't be with the one guy who gave her the most desired gift for a woman, her baby! 

Years later, when she finally found someone, who she could confide in, he was snatched away too! Through the thick and thin of these circumstances, she could have easily given up and gone back to her old ways. But here she was. Chirpy, happy, clean, spreading so much joy with just her beautiful smile!

She says, she found strength from within to withstand the evil temptations. What went through her mind, will always remain a mystery. I feel, she imagined of the look on her daughters face and that changed her. The point is, no matter what the reason we make it to be, crossing the threshold is the most important factor.

Fighting with yourself is tougher than fighting for yourself! It takes more than courage to be able to be positive each day knowing, tomorrow is another day of new troubles. All of us, have a lot in common. Some of us are fighting for our rights, for better money, for better living conditions, for better technology, for better education, some are fighting addiction, some for property, some are fighting crime, some are fighting for food, and some are merely fighting for survival!! No matter what your fight is for or against, it all has a meaning. If we look at such simple stories in life and draw even the tiniest bit of inspiration from them, our fight will weigh lesser.

I salute the everyday heroes like Laura, for bringing us to the juncture of sanity, and fighting spirit. 



Ragz..

You are why I am..!

"Son, you are always surrounded by your friends..you give them way too much importance.." My mum used to tell me this when I was a teenager. Wow, I never thought I would one day say these very words "back in the day when I was a teenager." Time trumps life. 

Coming back to my mothers analogy of being a little more self centred, I do get it. I know why my mum world say that. Not because she had any abhorrence towards my friends. It was more so to bring me to a juncture of self realisation that life does not work with having friends alone!!

I do not agree. It is probably a subjective argument. Let me ask you this, do you remember your earliest memory of a friend? That one kid, you literally remember being yelled at with, that kid whose lead was followed by you like he was the carrier of the beacon of your life, that one kid who you probably knew was so wrong yet you would stick around, that one kid who you fought with and still shared a lolly with, the cognisance of those days!! Flashes of your childhood and that one kid makes a whole lot of difference to the place where we are today because we laid the bricks to the monuments we are, a billion hours ago!!

Why do I remember 99.97% of my friends? I know that seems statistically impervious. I feel like every time some one uses numbers, it enhances the credibility of the matter. Regardless, the crux being, I remember not only the people tagged as my friends, but also the varied incidents associated to them.

My first ever buddy..Shantanu..who is a successful dentist today and has a beautiful wife, was the kid I wanted to be friends with. You mostly don't choose. Petty things like seating arrangement in a classroom can make a world of a difference in deciphering who you will grow up to be like. I feel friends are of paramount importance when it comes to who you become. Like parents and teachers, friends are an integral part of the architectural crew that moulds us.

My friendships have always taught me two things, first, find out the similarities, second, accept the differences!!

The preposterous pranks, the unconditional support, the study help, the covering up, the feckless laughter, the sand castles, the swing in the park, the first book, the sharing, the caring, the stories of how you like a girl, the secret keeping, the jealousy to not let anyone else be their friends, the going away, the coming together, the tears, the emotions, the gifts, the song, the birthdays, the break ups, the sex stories, the clothes that would disappear and found in her closet years after, that shoulder, that hand!!!!! No ma..my life has been defined by these people.

I am way past my teenage and my mid 20's and I still feel the exact same thing about my friends!! I make friends with the same intensity as I first made friends with Shantanu. 

The thing about life is that we are yearning for success and advancement every minute every moment in time. When did you last take a step back and think about that one examination in school which would have been monstrous mountain to climb if it wasn't for your friend who helped you learn or gave you the answers in your exam? How many times do we take that plunge into the past and think those people who made a difference? Almost never, not because we are bad people, but because we are lost!!

I cherish my friends. Yesterday, today and tomorrow. Those who came and went, those who stayed and those to come. I owe my life to them as much as I owe it to my parents and my sister as they are as much of friends to me as my friends are!

I might miss out on names here but will never miss feeling gratitude and love for each one of you. Thank you my people!!

In memory of my friends Santosh, Harshad, Fayaz and all those who we lost along the way!!

"Walking with a friend in the dark, is better than walking alone in the light.."

- Ragz

Who are we..?

When she told me I should go with her to a convention named Revival of the Islamic Spirit, a sense of utter cynical thought hit me hard. I said to myself, " is this a mass forum to cajole the minds of different faiths into accepting another religion?".

I was ready to take the plunge at one point. Not exactly knowing what is in store. We enter this fabulous architectural structure and I see people. None of whom transmitted vibes of any one religion or faith. Ah! That's a pleasant welcome. We get our tickets and glide down the long escalators to the main arena. 

The first thing to catch my haywire attention is the elephantine hoarding which displays a picture of a young girl in a distorted state. It reads "I am a refugee". It is a piece of art made to create awareness about the 9.8 million innocent lives who now carry the burden of being tagged as refugees and some people have the audacity to call them outcasts. 

I fathomed the message, the theme, the vibe of the whole event in split seconds. This wasn't about Islam! It was bigger than just a religious consensus. It was about humanity.

It's a fair. A gathering of people from the majestic Islamic faith from different facets and corners of North America. These individuals get together for 3 long days from dawn to dusk. They display art, they provide food, they sell ittar (traditional Muslim musk), they sell books, they network, they collect donations (for building a bright future for the less fortunate ones), they pray together, they laugh, they shed tears for those facing atrocities around the world (regardless of the faith), they attend long speeches,  and they unite as one!

You see, there are scholars from across continents who come and deliver mind boggling anecdotes. They amplify the feelings of human gratitude and generosity through excerpts from the holy book of "Quran". Now, not once in their lectures or speeches are they trying to up sell their religion. You won't hear them say things like "Islam is the ultimate religion or your guide to heaven". They talk about life and it's varied trepidations and phases. They talk about youth, they talk about parenthood, about marriage, about how some people misconstrue the message of Islam and make others get involved in wrongdoing to humanity.

I was flabbergasted when one lean looking guy, who is famed to be a scholar of some level, came up to the podium and when he walked off in 9 minutes, he had convinced quite a few folks to contribute towards the state of Syria. Those 9 minutes resulted into a total net donation of 170,000 Canadian Dollars. It shows, not that people want to splurge. It shows that there is hope. Hope for humanity. You and I could be at the receiving end some day and if people like this lean scholar and people like those who loosened their purse strings on the night exist, believe me you, we will always have hope.

I went in a human and came out a better one. I left a burden of another cynical virtue out and I rejuvenated again. Life is so strange as it takes you through the most daunted and illustrious  examples in the most unexpected ways and forms. 

Religion I feel is just that rope we humans hang on to when we see other humans create rifts and conjure atrocities. No matter who and what you follow, or if you follow, places like these and events like these will go a long way in Reviving your spirit..!! 

Ragz..

Flashback..!

Ever wonder what is in store? I do. There is so much and there is so little. She would sit and gaze at the beautifully cascading horizon. The pure warmth of the setting sun beyond the shimmering water would mark the end of another ever so marvellous day of sitting back and loitering her fragile brain to the wondrous days of frolic.

And today here at 87, she would try to churn out the memories and battle herself to picture them. Some days she managed going back all the way to when she was 14. But that was the pinnacle. Never beyond! She would remember the fondness she had for her gorgeous mother. Her amazingly tantalising cooking. Her ever so strict upbringing. Her support. Her confidence in her that she would be someone and do something extra ordinary though she knew it was not a reality.

What can you say about mothers! Whatever you do, they think you are the best at it. And then she would race back in time to catch up with the fun filled memories of her father and her brother. They were a bunch of clowns. Always hilarious. They were also protective of her and pampered her to the point that she truely believed in princess stories.  

So much more. Friends, school, university, first job, the first kiss, that rainy day, the first exam, the taste of success, the first job, the parties, the fancy dinners, the long walks, her husband, her adorable kids, her grand children, the beautiful house, the fights, the games, the wedding, and so much more.

What's left of a lifetime of activities is embedded in a single 6 letter word.."Memory"..It's ridiculous how life works. First you strive to do things. And at the end of it all..all you are left with is 6 letters!! Then again, only the fortunate ones get to make good ones. 

We have no realisation of how soon things change. For the good or for the bad. A lesson is learnt every day. Big or small, doesn't matter. If we have come to terms with this analogy then we must act. Act to make good memories, act to give good memories, act to be good, act to be kind, act to succeed, act to remember, act to forget, act to forgive, act to love, act to be there and act to live life every single day as this very story could be the last one you and I read. Who knows what's out there! All I know is that I wanna go out smiling and having left amazing and fond memories.

"We don't remember days..we remember moments.."

Success is a Choice..!

100,000$. The figures struck his ears like someone just pierced them with the mightiest sword. On a day with blue skies, one would feel positive about such an astronomical amount. Although for him, it wasn't there for the taking. It was his target of sales for the month.

Sales!! It could bring excruciating pain to your mind or enormous amounts of joys. For those who do it and for those who are recipients of it. 

Out here the day starts before everybody else wakes up and ends after everybody else is breathing that sigh of relief as they look at their mushy pillows. As a sales person there ain't no resting!! You snooze you lose is what they say. And it is true as a matter of fact.

There are vultures around you..not people mind you..but vultures who would swoop in and fly out with your bread if you were to as much as blink. And rightly so as sales is all about perseverance, agility and focus!

The day he stepped into this awe inspiring office, he could feel he will either be trampled over by colleagues or his spirits being crushed by the ever objecting potential clients. Nothing that the trainers filled his lucid mind with, was an easy grasp. He would ask to himself, "why should I be manipulative in the way I talk?" Why should I sound confident when I am not? Why, why and more why????

Get your arse off the seat that you warmed enough to cook pancakes on. Those words..gosh did they feel rude..! Honestly, if it wasn't for those words, he wouldn't have ever felt the pain to be insulted. The zeal to pick up the phone and start pitching. That's the way the cookie crumbles. There is nothing more fearful for a sales person than blanking.

They fight, they argue, they retaliate, they whine, they cry, they beat each other and all of that. Though, at the bar they behave like a family. A family that runs like a well oiled machine to rake in moolah!!

If anything, sales taught him some of the most important elements in life. Money being the least of worries. It taught him respect, fighting spirit, the never back down theory and dreaming big.

Everybody at some point in life or more than that is selling something. Emotions, work, physical activity, intelligence, skills, craft, commitment, time, or anything under the sun. We all sell and we all buy.

He sits today at his beach house sipping on some chateau neuf de pape, gazing into the bewildering scene of the skinny dipping sun and thinks to himself.."Get your arse off the seat that you warmed enough to cook pancakes on and pick up the damn phone.." And so he does!!

Believe in this "either you run the day..or the day runs you.."

Ragz 

Wishing Girl..!

Simplicity is the glory of expression..and boy is she simple and expressive and grounded and so humble..! Then again, take another look and with a wink of an eye that opinion puffs up as the steam in your iron box. She is a live wire, she lives off the energy around her and delivers it back too.

A someone once must have denied her of a little something. That denial must have been enough to spark off a rage within her. A rage to win, a rage to thrive, a rage to succeed, a rage to be the best, a rage to do good.

Tasting different waters of different lands may lead to abashment, bewilderment and at times paint a scary picture of instability. But for her it was a glorious journey. Every twist every turn..a classroom full of people as mates, experiences as teachers and her mind as books. She embraced, she adapted and she dwelled.

Her eyes are serene and have an intensity of a glacier at its peak of prowess. You know she is an avid art fanatic. She loves talking about art and listening too. 

Take her to a restaurant and she won't surprise you by not eating much because that is not her. 

On those petite shoulders she carries burdens and on her skinny forearms, two bags which weigh as much as her. Behind those beautiful eyes, those blushing cheeks, the enchanting smile, there is an ocean. An ocean of untamed emotions, immaculate passion, so much sadness, excruciating fears, love, hate, and a list of things which don't have humanly words of delineation.

She says she wants to learn to be a Lady. How does one tell her, she is far beyond that point. She is a good daughter, a splendid sister, a caring friend, an industrious employee, and a human being. She has been a Lady forever!

A mind which is the pinnacle of conundrums. How does she contain herself. Why is she special? She has a streak going on. A streak to outgrow her simplicity and zoom into a world sprayed with success and still retain the essence of her simplicity.

A girl who respects her parents, her religion and in general..humans..she deserves. She deserves to smile, to be happy, to grow, to succeed, to see the world.

It's never about where you come..from what you are and what you do. It's only about where you will go..what you will be and what you will do! 

For me and many of us stories like these teach. They enlighten our rusty minds to look around. Give us a jolt. True awakening and what not. Nobody will ever know you more than one person..YOU! 

Dreams aren't meant to come true..they are meant to give you direction for you to make them come true..! Whatever we do in life is a direct reflection of how we lead it. Let's stay up let's fight let's dream and let's achieve what is meant to be ours. If she can fight so can we. 

A girl..a simple girl in the illuminated city of a million shining lights finds her way past her demons and abhorrence. So we will and so it will..be a happy ending.

"Don't wait for the perfect moment..take the moment and make it perfect.."

Ragz

Let go..!

That lull in the sky and that mediocrity in the air all but vanished with a sudden shimmering thunder over the horizon. A routine busy night in the hustling city gave in to the elegance of bewildering fireworks high up in the night sky. A moment of magic to the very eyes which were exasperated with sight of the daily chores, the traffic, the fire trucks, the tears, the papers at work, the homework, the bars, the clubs, the devices, and more so other people.

We humans are such infants when it comes to finding a moment of bliss out of the smallest irregularity in life. Something out of the normal. In fact anything that gives us a gasp of awe. We are scared most of the time otherwise. Scared of the debacle life might present to us.

Ana is the name that strikes like the melodious notes of trombone to me and many people she knows. My friend! I might not have known AP (as she likes calling herself) for long enough to deduce her persona completely. However, I am captivated by the strength of her resilience to not give in to biggest catastrophic change she and her family endured. In the time I got to know her, not once did she come across as someone who knew that her very reason of existence was to fade away. Her mother would leave her side in a matter of months.

I got aware of this only after she finally left and went back home. Even after, the only vibe I ever felt from her were that of positivity. Deep inside she knew it was all but a matter of time. And where did this tenacious strength to unravel the sadness of life come from? I am certain, it came from the woman who was about to see the light anytime. Her mother must have passed on this magical ability to her.

It is just so bemusing that amidst all the chaos and negativeness in life, a single sign of strength from another human can push us to literally go past. What is it that we crave for and what is it that we attain.

Like the fireworks in the sky, we all have a certain spark inside of us. That glorious gift of strength to smile in the most horrific times of pain and sadness. That gesture of standing up and not giving in to the melancholy. Ana and her Mother have taught me to face my darkest fears with demeanor. We need to but learn the beauty of embracement. This is not only to accept defeat at times, but also to help ourselves balance our life in retrospect to how we looked at it and how and what we would do differently going forward.

This is for all those people who lost their lives trying to fight to live another day and when the time came, went out smiling.

“Giving up doesn’t mean you are weak..Sometimes it means you are strong enough to let go..”

For – 

Ragz

Fire Flies..!

"Life begins where your comfort zone ends" He said this with a lot of conviction behind his words. It is surprising how the universe conspires at times to put you in the right place at the most bizarre times! There are multiple facets of life that dawned upon me as I took this 20 minute Uber ride.

As talkative as I ever am, I met Brett who did one better. He was an intriguing conversationalist and an avid story teller. Obviously driving Uber wasn't his primary objective in life. He is in a profession most of us would either dream of or dread to be in. Two extreme scenarios. Well Brett is a firefighter!! Now most girls would jaw drop right at this moment.

The moment the words firefighter left his mouth, my mind had processed 729 questions for him. I was outpacing myself..all I had to do is say these very words.."What's your story Brett?" He had a big smile on his face right away and I would assume he gets that all the time. Eh..whatever..I am still down to listen to a few good awe inspiring crazy stories of bravado.

He gave me some unbelievable stories. One of the most intriguing ones was about these two farm boys who got stuck in some sort of farm equipment which is used to churn huge stacks of hay. This poor blokes sweater got stuck in the propeller and the next thing he knows..his arm gets squished in between those giant wheels of fury. Due to the toughness of the human bone and I would say some good karma..the propeller got jammed and it stopped. Brett was onsite on call in 4.5 minutes and found himself detaching this mans arm from the wheel to save his life. How must it feel to do that???? I was having multiple rounds of concussions just listening to the story and guess what..this man sitting next to me actually did it!!

The best part about this guy is his final words before we parted.."Hey man I love my job"!! Wow..now that is a lesson for each one of us to take home when we aimlessly cry about our jobs. I am not implying we all have the most satisfying jobs. But look at these folks. Firefighters, nurses, soldiers, cops, paramedics, and so many others. Some of them have no social life whilst others don't even know if they would have a life after finishing their hours for the day.

In retrospect, I want to look at my own life and say to myself..that I thank my parents and God to have given me this life and whatever I am doing today. I want to embrace every moment of this life and all that comes with it..my people my friends my colleagues and strangers!! 

Life is a gift and we must learn to treat it like one!

Dream on..Little dreamer..!

I am so high I can feel heaven..oh heaven..! I feel like the moon has opened its generous arms and I can cuddle with him. The Stars tell me I am one of them. The breeze is blowing my hair and the mellow green grass is inviting me to lay down and soothe my aura, the lull in the air tells me I am so serene. 

Words are such an addle when played right. It can bemuse us all with its tenacity. This girl keeps talking about how her life is so beautiful at that very moment, that instance! Knowing little of reality or rather when it will hit, she got moulded into shapes that the winds wanted her to transform into.

That is the thing about being in a state of trance. The dreamville of paradise. We all in some way or the other this way or that find that space at some point. More and more people resort to intoxication and psychological impairment aids. They call it psychedelics while our ancestors called the exact same thing meditation and out of body experiences. The source might differ in a big way, the destination remains constant.

For some it might just be as simple as music, for some the view of nature, whilst for others it never comes for a lifetime and the only out of body experience they have is death!

I have come to realise, it is imperative to give in to the wondrous charms of the unknown every once in a while. As they say go with the flow! It means something. It changes perceptions, opens new dimensions in the ever so industrious human brain, it lets you fly. 

My parents would probably not get what all this is about. But I can guarantee they have their moments of going away too. If they deny, they would be lying. I know a few people who just love gazing into the sky sometimes and build the Taj Mahal in 20 seconds, demeaning the hard work of those 40,000 craft workers who had their hands chopped off after building the beauty in 7 years.

All we need to know is that the sky belongs to no one! We have always had the right to dream. Choosing whether you want to stay in that world of fantasy or come back and make things happen in reality is a choice we all have. As they say, if you don't play you never win. At the end of the road, whether there is a brick wall or a new pathway, it shouldn't matter as we still have the choice to climb that wall.

Choose your source of getting away and remember - You gotta come back!

"Follow your dreams..they know the way.."

Ragz

If tomorrow never comes..!

I wake up to the brisk sunshine kissing my face while the sweet sound of merry chirping birds creates the perfect melody. As I am getting into the usual cluster of early mornings I hear a thudding on my door. Who thuds? As I sprung to open my door I saw a girl panting profusely. She looks at me and says, "it's done. We have 27 hours. The apocalypse is here."

I was inspired to write about this as I watched a fascinating film called "these final hours".

I have come to realise that all matter  is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration and that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves.

Look at it this way, what if you actually had 20 odd hours to live and you knew everything and everybody perishes after that. What would you want your life of 20 hours be like?? Friends, family, partners, random people, classmates, colleagues or if you can't reach out to any of this set, maybe you would want to be with just your neighbour.

If I had 20 hours, I want to be with my parents, my sister, my niece, my cousins, my partner and me friends. I want to cook for them. I want to  listen to good music, dance, play football, watch Anne hathways movie, and give head massages to everybody. 

I would want to see the light arms in arms with all these people because in the afterlife, for those who believe there is one, I want to see those faces  again.

Your life stares at you every morning. It thuds at your door and says, "hey this is it. I don't know if you will see me again tomorrow.." What does it mean??

Now think about all those things you kindled your brain with whilst thinking about the last few hours of your life. Do exactly those things today! Pick up the phone call your mum and say you love her, hug the breath out of your friend, smile so much today that 1% of worlds sorrows give in to your smile, embrace every breath of air cajoling your insides, love yourself!

And hey when it is time..you and I will go out smiling..! 

Ragz

"You don't know what you are alive for..until you know what you would die for.."

Maiden Mass..!

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another".

No. This is not a religious blog post. Those words hit the tympanic membrane of my ears as I stepped into the St. John XVIII Church completely soaked and gushes of the cold Canadian winter air still pumping my lungs. 

My first ever Mass!!

There is a reason why people, well predominantly, well ok only Christians call it a Holy week. Not that the other weeks are not worthy enough, but as I mentioned there is a reason to it. The departure of Jesus Christ, the agony that left a blemish on Earth's face and his ever divine Homecoming. These are the occurrences that constitute the embodiment of a celebratory week.

A friend of mine, much younger to me had the unsettling urge to attend the mass because she is Catholic and mostly because she wanted to please her Mother. I had never been to any Mass before. Although, I would every now and again go to a Church when I was studying in Switzerland. The reason - It was enchanting! The architecture!

I was  the only non-catholic figure in the premises at that time or at least I am pretty sure of it.  The hymns were supremely melodious. There were people of all ages, whispering, settling in, talking, coughing and some just calm. 

I was all ears and eyes to every movement, every sound, every turn of the page because I wanted to congregate information of what was going on. Why were people there. What do you mean by Mass. Why today.

Well literally mass just means a coherent, typically large body of matter with no definite shape. I heard the story. The story of Faith, Courage, Treachery, Supernatural, Kindness, Cruelty, Union, and more. I was nothing but flabbergasted. It had no twists, no creative touch, no manipulation. Simple, pure, straight truth.

Technically I am Hindu. A religion where you are never short of options of Gods to choose from. I believe in all of them. I do because I am scared. Because I am human. I do not know why, for the last 10 years I have always said a tiny prayer and crossed myself whenever I passed by a Church and this action has been involuntary.

I have been to Hindu Temples all my life. They are different. Louder, colourful, brighter. Churches are quieter, whiter, calmer. What was common? The believers! No matter where I went, or have been to, I found devotees from different parts of the society, backgrounds, orientation, race, and other classification there. All of those who believe. Who have a twinkle in their eyes.A twinkle of Hope and Progress. Honestly, I didn't feel like I was from another religion. Because, the one everybody was praying to, didn't look at me differently.

Nobody even knew. The message is clear. We are all going back together. One way or the other, this way or the other, we will see each other on the other side. The welcoming smiles, the soothing hymns, the cozy atmosphere, the beautiful white robes, the bewildering story telling and the classy oakwood furniture were all conspiring people into believing and having faith. That is the key!

Whether you follow a religion or not, there is always one source of energy that will work for you. That is your GOD!! Worship it, Respect it and Believe in it.

I went in a Human and came out a Human. The difference - I believe in peoples belief. 


Believe and Breathe..

Ragz

7 Years 7 Days 7 Years

The mist in your eyes..the glitter of your smile..the calmness in your voice..the clinging of your earrings..that killer smile..the sleepless nights and the overnight talks..the poise in your stance and that crazy dance..the way you say cuteness and the sudden shyness..the way you finish two pitchers of beer..and how all your plans were so clear..your kiss and the the way you said call me a miss..how you love to fight and how everything was so right..your beautiful long hair and your personality with so much flair..there was nothing I do not love about you! Be mine.

He wrote her a proposal. When he first met her there was nothing but sheer attempts of impressing that cute girl you see for the first time. And nothing more to it. In 7 years he kept in touch. She never let go. There was a certain energy about their relationship. An energy only a few feel, understand and embrace. There were never talks of commitments, or planning, or restrictions, or romance, or sex or anything. It was just a powerful and mystical energy that kept the flame going.

They knew when it was time. She met him. They hugged and the musical notes of the most romantic songs hit the right chords at the right time at the right place. Nobody could ever pierce even something as thin as a thread between their bond. They knew they would die for each other.

7 days before he wrote her the proposal, she said to him - "if this is the only life I have and if being with you would take me a 100 deaths to be there.. I would go for it.." He did not need another moment to grab his car keys and go buy a ring.

He reached and knocked on her door with the letter and the ring in his hands, trembling with anxiety and cold with fear. A lady, someone he doesn't know answers the door. He peeps in without trying to know who that is. There are people. People he hasn't seen or heard of. He storms in and drops the letter and the ring. 

7 years 7 days and 7 years since. He sits by the trees and gazes into the setting sun to wait for it to rise again. She's gone. He has the letter and the ring. He waits. 

I will survive..!

Why do you have to suffer when I get to go out and play and have fun? What is wrong with you? Why are you so weak? Daddy where is mom? Daddy when is mom coming back? Zee why hasn't mother come back from her vacation yet? Questions of a growing kid whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and would never come back. After a few years, the questions begin to dry up. There is no more appetite for curiosity or anxiety. The kid has grown up and accepted the fact that mother ain't coming back..Ever!!

There are thousands of families whose dreams are shattered to fine particles in split seconds when mothers, sisters, daughters, or aunts are diagnosed of the dreaded C word. How will you tackle that attack? How would a family with single parenting at the brink of occurring prepare itself? There can never be enough prep for such situations. Imagine the wrath of nature when such harsh things happen to someone who has never had any vices for a lifetime and still gets slapped with it.

I lost my aunt to Breast cancer when my cousin and I were still learning the traits of perfecting cycling. My memories about her are all fun. She was the most ecstatic personality I have ever come to be introduced to. Always cheerful and full of zeal and passion for everything around her. And then one day, just like that she was gone never to come back and take us kids out for fun shopping or a picnic.

I saw my cousin turn into the most boring kids after that. He went into his shell and suddenly became notoriously mischievous after. Today he has a family in California and looks back at his life as a guidebook on how not to handle tragedies in life.

With technology amusing us everyday, it is no surprise that Breast cancer can now be dealt with and pulled out of the very foundation. But does that mean a sigh of relief for getting life back or getting back to being what one was before? In many cases women who undergo mastectomy face mental challenges after surviving the cruelty of the condition. Most of us don't realise that it is as difficult to come out of this condition and try to gel into normal life as it is to get into it. My friends mother underwent mastectomy and it has shattered her level of confidence for the last 20 years. I am not sure if it has got to do anything with being in the Indian society but in general she has not coped well with the trauma.

The woman is scared for her daughters, has been scared that her husband wouldn't love her enough, has been scared that people might notice her deformity. A life engulfed with anxiety and sheer pressure to fight her way back to normalcy is an act of bravery. Such women have the courage, the ambition to survive, the strength to see their families happy.

It takes a lifetime to experience the true value of life itself. Ask those who suffered and have had a close acquaintance with death itself. Ask them how much they value life. My thoughts, my prayers, my strength goes to those who did not make it and to those who did. 

You have the power to say, "This is not how my story will end"

#Fashionvoicesbreastcancer

http://fvbc2015.wix.com/fvbc

@FVBC2015 

Ragz

Worlds Apart..!

Sheer anxiety or excruciating excitement, call it what you may, is the biological experience that a 19 year Indian kid feels on the way to the International Airport knowing, in less than 24 hours she would be in a different time zone and a place where no one but the sky knows her. A bumpy flight, a connecting flight, extreme adrenaline rush, and a chill running down the spine. The audacity of this young girl to defy the odds of her orthodox family boundaries and fly oceans apart to realise what some may perceive as a dream.

Toronto is one of those cities which houses tens and thousands of such brave individuals. I say brave as I know what it is to be away. To be in a surrounding where uncertainty is your best friend. There are people who travelled in search of freedom and economic upgrade. And then there are youngsters who venture out looking for the grand stage of educational excellence.

There are a few things common amongst these migrants from all over the world. One is the passion they possess to succeed and the other is the grief they dwell in for being away from their own people, their country.

Do you know the plight of being removed from your comfort zone and expect you to swoop into a new system gracefully. But hey, look here, we all seem to be pros in this transition business. It doesn't take us to be super human to do that. It takes a lot of motivation, perseverance, and inspiration from people who have been doing this for years.

I met a woman on my way to school to whom I offered my seat on the bus. She had a twinkle in her eyes though her face spoke about the tiredness she was experiencing. She looked at me and asked if I were from India and it is one question I respond to like I could foresee the future..instantaneous!! Then she told me her story. I was in such awe to learn that she had traveled from Mumbai 35 years ago with her sister to make a successful career in baking. Well, she does have a small bakery today. The awe was not because she came to Toronto. It was because she never went back to Mumbai ever. For so many Toronto is now life, toronto is home! 

I have had my share of anxiety when I first travelled to Switzerland for my masters degree. The thing about this is that, even after years of travelling and the experience in living away from home, I still feel anxious, feel the uncontainable urge to just go back and embrace my city, my friends, my support system. But what do you know..here I am fighting the sub zero temperatures everyday, eating out of cans, and sitting in the subway sharing my thoughts and respect for those who brave the distance and look for progress.

Life is a book..Make yours the best seller..!

I leave you with a link to a beautiful song and video - http://youtu.be/UtF6Jej8yb4

Ragz

Mother's Way..!

"There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it"

Mother, Ma, Aai, Ahm, Moer, Mère, Mutter, Màna, Madre, Ammi. So many ways to address the reason why you and I are all here and still just one sentiment; UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Every single year, the 10th of May brings out the child within most of us to either pay tribute to Mothers or to even just pick up the phone and tell the lady who suffered the excruciating wrath of labor for you, that you bloody well are thankful for this life!! 

But why just one day? I mean I for one am extremely grateful to Anna Jarvis to have introduced this beckoning gesture of honouring the existence of mothers and motherhood itself. However, if it wasn't for Anna, would we still not have celebrated the life of our creator? I totally accede with this single day of celebration and feel that it brings out those essential emotions from some of us who otherwise defy the science of expressing and emotionality. 

Although, a strong voice asks me why not celebrate her everyday? Why not take that one moment out of our relentless fight against life itself and look at her and tell her how much she means to you. It does not dawn upon us (and trust me when I say this) that life is perpetually on a mission to hurry past us. I have two friends who shared their stories with me. One who lived with her mother till she passed away. And the other who was engulfed with his personal agenda and could barely make it to his own mothers funeral. The one thing in common was grief. After living for years with her mother, my friend still felt she hadn't spent enough time together. Whilst the other guy moaned and regretted in vain about not being fair to his mother. The point being no matter how much you give back, the benevolence, the love, the affection, the care, the passion, the unconditionality, the emotion, and so much more, can never match her standards. Those are the shoes that can never be filled by any deed or virtue by any one else. The void that a mother's absence leaves behind is an unconquerable abyss.

A confederate, a companion, a friend, a teacher, a guardian angel and the only match to God himself is mother. She spends her entire life deducing your life's conundrums and even if you are 50 and she is still alive, she will come up with the best advice you have had in half a century of your existence.

I found my first experience with emotions like love, friendship, hatred, anger, frustration, motivation and fear all together in my mother. There were times when as a kid I swore to myself that I hated my mom's strictness. Well, I wonder if it wasn't for her constant nagging and support in disguise, I would be here playing adeptly with words and trying to enchant the world with it. I owe my life to her and there will not be a seconds contemplation of thoughts if I were to give my life up for her. 

No matter what I do, where I go, what I become, I want to at best embrace the power of expression and let my mother know that I am..for you are..! Mother's hold their child's hand for a moment and their heart for a life time.  

Ragz