The Story of a Stone!!!

          This is a very inspiring story that I heard from a cousin of mine who in turn heard it somewhere at a lecture given by some learned person (I apologize for not knowing the name to the person who actually said it and hence not being able to acknowledge him.)



(White marble temple- this is not the actual temple mentioned in the text)

 

            The story starts in a village in Rajasthan in olden days when there used to be kings and queens ruling their kingdoms. The king of a village called Kaurali used to remain very ill and always stressed. He would not be able to sleep or eat. His health had deteriorated over months. This worried the queen who in turn one day decided to pray for her husband. She fell asleep after her prayers and a Goddess came in her dreams. The queen stood there with folded hands and even before she could ask anything to the Goddess, she said, “Daughter, I know the reason for your worry. Your prayers will be answered. Go and ask the king to build a temple at the river-bank and place the idol of Lord Mahavir in it and worship it every day for inner peace and tranquility.” The queen was relieved at the answer to her prayers and went back to sleep. In the morning after waking up, she told the king about her dream and so the king ordered his men to start building the temple. He ordered the entire temple to be of white color built with architecture so as the cold breeze blew and quietened the senses. The complete structure was designed to be made of white marble stones. He also ordered his best craftsmen to carve a 6-feet tall statue of Lord Mahavir, sitting in a padmasan posture made entirely out of a single white marble stone without any cracks or cuts in it. The workers got to work, and the temple was started to be built. The marble mines were blasted and tons of marble stones were procured to make the ceiling, the flooring, the idol, the staircase and every possible thing in milky white marble stone.


             One evening from the marble mine after getting blasted and shaped and polished and carved the marble stones were being transported in a truck. The truck was making its way through the sand dunes in the desert. The clouds of sand were blown by the wheels of the truck. The soft orange glow of the setting sun bathed everything in a golden light. The sun rays bounced off the white, shiny marble stone idol of Lord Mahavir, giving it a golden sheen and making the stone look alive as if a real person is calmly sitting and meditating admist the chaotic truck movement, deafening din of the truck engine and dusty clouds blown by its large wheels. Along with the pristine, divine and enchanting marble idol lay a dull looking flat marble stone. It didn’t reflect any of the splendid light; it looked as if it was wailing in the atmosphere. It lacked the prolificacy of the idol. The idol just smiled at the marble stone.

Pristine white marble statue of Lord in Meditating (padmasan) posture

              The marble stone looked at the idol with despair and then looked towards the sky and wearily said, “Nothing is fair in this world. O’ Lord, we are both born in the same mine. We are both white in color, we are both going to the same place, we are both being transported in the same truck, we both will be adorning the same temple, and our buyer is the same person and is using us to build a beautiful temple. There is no difference between both of our origin or destination. There is nothing different that either of us has gone through, but look at the difference of reverence that we will receive. Such is the play of destiny that while that stone, he said pointing at the idol, will be worshipped and people will bow down to it and pay their respects each day. They will bathe it in milk, apply sandalwood paste to it, adorn it with flowers and give the highest form of respect to it. While what will I get? People will just walk all over me and trample me under their feet with each coming day. No one will even give me a second look leave aside giving any respect or reverence. I would just keep lying there being walked over at without any respect.” At this the idol who was listening to the weeping of the stone, smiled and replied, “Dear brother, I agree that both of us have come from the same place, and our destination is the same too. Both of us are going to serve the same purpose in our lives as well but we have the biggest difference between us. It is this difference which makes me worthy of worship and not you. That difference, my friend is how each one of us reacted under pressure, when they blasted us in the mines and tampered us with their chisels and hammer. When they made us go through the hardships, you broke down and shattered into small pieces, but I held on. With each blow of the hammer, I kept strong and steady. With each sharp sting of the chisel, I shaped myself into a beautiful nose and eyes and lips, or hands and feet. With each grinding stone rubbing over me, I shone more and more, unlike you. It’s because, I acted well under pressure and held myself together in the hardest of times, I stand here in front of you as an idol ready to be worshipped and it’s because you broke and shattered under pressure that you will not receive the same status in spite of coming from the same origin.

               This story made such a deep impact on my mind. In spite of having given the same circumstance in our lives some of us shine through it and some of us end up being mediocre and the most important factor contributing to our ability to succeed or fail is how we react to each situation apart from the destiny. Destiny has always done and will keep doing its role in our lives but you have to make yourself “Deserve the Destiny”

A Dent in the Car!!!

               My very first post received a warm welcome from my dearest friends and the fellow bloggers. At the outset, firstly I would like to thank my dearest sister Namita (who also writes amazing poetries) for inspiring me and for coaxing me to give a hand to writing. It is because of your words that I am writing this.

             Today I was driving to work in my car and an auto-rickshaw came and bumped on the side panel of my car to overtake and sped away before I could even realize what had happened. I felt bad for a second and then got absorbed in the music and didn’t give it a second thought. I didn’t even bother to check the size of damage after I got off the car, but resumed everything normally as if nothing had happened. I was just recollecting the day’s event before sleeping and I realized how different my reaction was to the bump today than it was on the day when my car got its very first scratch. It was just two days after we had bought it and I was coming from the market when the auto-rickshaw scratched a bit on the rear end at the signal. I was so mad; I got off the signal and started yelling and screaming at the driver, the traffic got jammed for a few minutes because of the commotion and then a traffic police had to intervene and he made the driver apologize to me before I drove away. I also made a fuss at home and couldn’t stop telling it to my mom and dad, and my dad said “Its ok, this is your first scratch so you are over-reacting and you will be okay after some time” and I was like, “How can you say that, I love my car and will never tolerate such rash driving with my car.” And he just smiled and said, “We will see.” The scratch was smaller than it was today; the reaction was much bigger than it was today. The reaction kept getting diluted with every passing scratch or dent on it. (Well it’s not that I am a bad driver but one should try driving in Ahmedabad. There’s no traffic sense especially the auto-rickshaw drivers). It made me wonder that it’s basic human nature. The first scratch is always more painful and as the amount of damage or dents and scratches increase, our reaction starts getting milder.

 

            The first time lack of contact with a friend is a worry. You would immediately and eagerly just pick up the phone, chat, have a conversation and feel good about it, but as these instances keep repeating, you would think you would do it later, you would wait for the other person to call, you would get busy with your other work and the time elapsed between conversations increases and the friendship may even end eventually due to lack of initiative. Similarly, the first fight with a loved one is very upsetting. We would try to do everything under the sky to make him/her feel that we are sorry and that they are special, even when it’s not your fault. There’ll be flowers, cards, gifts, attention and so much love and hugs and kisses after a fight in the beginning when the relationship is ‘new’. But as things get older and the relationship passes more and more years, your reaction to fights keep getting diluted to the extent that after a few years neither would even bother to say or feel sorry for the fight and the life goes on. And depending on the kind of people involved in it, the relation either becomes a habit or the grudge keeps piling on and the scars eventually lead the relation to end. The first kiss is so special but then its special charm fades away until it becomes a routine. Even in a marriage, first month after the wedding, the husband would come early from work, the wife would prepare all the favorite meals for the husband just like that without any reason, the only reason being love, but as time passes this behavior becomes limited for the special occasions and a few years later neither of them bother much. Why do we care for our car less because it has been dented more than once? Why do we not call our friend because they haven’t called us in a while? Why do we not give the flowers every time that we upset our loved ones? And why don’t we want our spouses to feel special every day and every time, just like the first day of marriage?

          It’s the human nature I feel that is responsible for such behavior. We all are like children in that sense. The new toy and the joy of it remain short-lived, and then everything just starts fading away. I really fail to understand whether it is good or bad for us. I think it has both sides to it. It’s bad because the value of a thing, value of a person, value of the relation keeps fading away. I am sure each one of us misses it once in a while. But on the good part of it there is much less fuss around and the life becomes easy going. These relations gradually become like the salt in the food, even if they are not visible they form the most important part of your life and the absence of it will make you realize the worth of it. Sure thing these special gestures add color to our lives and make them pretty just like the exotic edible flowers and decorations make your dish look pretty. But the ultimate goal is not a pretty dish. You cannot eat a pretty dish if it does not taste good. Similarly the people you love don’t have to be visible to you all the time, but they are always there to add taste to your life. Having said this, I just feel and want to convey this thought that it would be nice if things never got diluted in life. Even if it’s been a hundred times that you have called your friend and he hasn’t called you, if you value the relationship, pick up the phone and make a conversation. Every time that your loved one is upset over something that you may think is not important, still shower them with your love and attention, may be they are just missing the 'special feeling' and everything would become better with a hug and a kiss.

 

 Life has been bestowed upon us just once and its worth making every moment of it special for your loved ones and thus ultimately for yourself!

 

 

Date with a Star!!! @ Vikas Khanna

I wanted to start writing this blog as a part of my new year’s resolution. I am already a day late but hey, better late than never. I am an Ophthalmologist and a Cornea specialist by profession, but my passion lies in food, art and travelling. Today I am writing about an incident in my life a few months back but it is so close to my heart that it only makes sense to start with this one!!!

So my first post is about a man!!! Not just any other man but he is the one who has inspired me in various ways. He is the one who taught me how to see positive in every curve ball that life throws at you and in no time you will be getting your strokes right and scoring home-runs. I was introduced to this person through a social networking website where I saw a post that a friend of mine had liked. I saw a handsome man with nice simple crisply ironed clothes sitting humbly admist few local south indian people on the floor and eating a simple meal off a simple stainless steel plate. That image of this elite man sitting in such a humble setting with no air of superiority within himself but a sense of belonging in that very atmosphere. It tempted me to look further into this man’s profile and I kept digging in and I kept getting impressed. Then I did a little more ‘research’ from my side by looking at his interviews and his books and the story of his life. And there I was awe-struck by this simple boy from a small town who had nothing but dreams in his heart and determination in his eyes out to reach for the stars.

Vikas Khanna- the picture that started it all

 

Today, he is a Michelin starred chef and restaurateur, an author to 18 books and probably the world’s sexiest man as GQ magazine calls him. But to me he was this man with an eclectic smile and a peaceful aura and certain stillness but loads of enthusiasm in his voice and substance in his words. It was announced, one day that he was launching a particular book in the city of dreams, Mumbai and as luck would have it, I was scheduled to be in the city that day. I made it up in my mind that I am going to visit this event and take a look at him in person. I was alone, dressed in a light sky colored kurta and a white dupatta, admist people like media personnel and hoardes of students from hotel management, chefs etc seated in the hall. I felt like a complete outsider to the whole crowd. I just went and seated myself in corner seat so as not to come in way but get a good view of the stage. Then the dhols started playing a Punjabi tune and this young ‘boy’, I call him boy because although he must be over 40 he has the enthusiasm and charm of a 20 year old boy, entered with his arms in the air, dancing to the tunes of bhangra. The music stopped and he was asked to sit on the stage when someone from the audience requested another dance step and he very happily obliged saying “Koi wish adhuri nahi rehni chahiye (No wish should be left unfulfilled)”. The programme went on smoothly and the successful book was launched. They then announced that he was going to meet his fans and media people and ‘Oh my God’ the swarm of people just thronged him like a swarm of bees throng a nectar filled garden. I too grabbed my copy of the book and rushed to get a closer look of him to believe that he, the man of my dreams actually exists. And then I heard a voice from behind “Dhwani!”I didn’t look back thinking who would call me in this hall full of unknown people. But she called out my name again and there she was my cousin who was visiting the event as a guest and knew him personally. She had the access to the VIP areas and she promised me to meet him and take his signature in a saner environment in the lunch room. I agreed and we headed to the lunch room. The lunch spread was scrumptious but I didn’t care. All I was worried about seeing the man. I kept thinking what will I tell him, how would I react when he would come in front of me and so on. I just ate a few scraps of food from my cousin’s plate. Then we were anticipating his arrival but the news came that he is delayed because he can’t say no to any fan and they weren’t just letting him go. I heard people talk about him as how he would ask the publishers to give away copies to the children to help them and spread knowledge etc. Finally he entered the room and the entire room was filled with the light of some different kind, may be it was from his smile or his presence. My cousin introduced me to him saying that I was an eye doctor and I still read all his books and I was a great fan of his. He is standing in front of me with folded hands and he gives out a hand saying, “Hi, I am Vikas Khanna” and I was thinking of course I know you are Vikas Khanna. Then he says to me, “Do you know it’s not the eyes that see, but it’s the brain that sees”. God knows what I was thinking but I blurted out “The eyes see but the brain interprets”. I repent till date saying those words. He was taken away for some pictures by his publicist. He hugged and sat on the table with the kids from his previous show. I heard from one kid’s mother that he stays in touch with them and helps them financially and professionally in all ways that he can and I was totally spell-bound by his generosity and caring nature. Then he sat for lunch and I got a comfortable place to stand just besides him and see him. I was so close to him like at an arm’s length and those were the few best moments of my life. I saw him as he conversed with his co-anchor, his publicist etc. Then he suddenly realized that I had been waiting for him for quite some time and he said “Oh, you are waiting since quite some time, let me sign your book for you”. I trying to be polite said, “Please finish your lunch, I will wait”, and he’s like “No, no you shouldn’t wait”. He took my book and asked my name and wrote a beautiful message that said “May the light shine in your life, love Vikas Khanna”. I was on cloud nine. But I still had one last wish to be fulfilled so I continued to stand there and he gave me the look and I said, “Can I get a picture with you, you can sit and continue your meal, I will ask someone to just click.” Then he did the sweetest thing ever. He got up from his lunch table (which I am really sorry I made him do), gave me a nice hug and asked the person to click a picture. I lastly told him that he is a big inspiration to me and he said “Main ta chote se pind da bacha hun (I am a boy from a small town). Those were my last words with him. My life was full of colors. He had officially made it the best day of my life. I saw him being nice and warm to everyone, no matter how hungry or tired he was. He was just nice and sweet and full of positive energy.

Vikas Khanna- writing a beautiful message for my personalised signed copy of 'AMRITSAR"

 

 

 

I love Vikas Khanna. I don’t love him because he is a Michelin stared chef or a successful restaurateur, I have never tasted his food, I don’t love him because he is successful, he is not affected by it, I don’t love him because he is the sexiest man, he is, but even if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t care much. I love him for the person that he is, the largest heart that he has, the philanthropist that he is, the enthusiasm that he carries on his sleeve, the positive aura that he exudes, and the fact that he is aware that his presence can change people’s life and instead of being arrogant about it he is sweet enough to make those moments even more special. When I was going through a debacle in my life I was introduced by destiny to this man and it changed the way I looked at things completely. It made me a positive person, filled enthusiasm in my blood and taught me how just a warm smile can change people’s lives. His life instances that he has opened to us through his books and interviews makes you want to appreciate the little things in life that you already have but also to keep yearning for more. His simplicity makes you want to abandon the materialistic pleasures and give in to simplicity in life. I think it was a destiny’s play that I be in the same city that his book was launched and the fact that my cousin saved me from being another lost face or hand to write an autograph on. Now I am waiting for another day that the destiny would want to shower me with affection and give me the opportunity to meet my IDEAL and my True Love and have a much more meaningful conversation with him.

Vikas Khanna with me