Shades of Being Alive

Books have never impacted me so significantly as they have in this year. Although all my school life a major part of my life revolved around them. Then what kept me close to them was the ‘syllabus’, now it was pure serene interest. The vital shift from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation made all the difference in my relationship with books. Now its like, when I am reading a book I am living with the idea, person, subject. It goes with me all over, becoming a part of me. It shapes the examples I give, experiments I undertake and the form of my purpose of being alive (in a deeper sense ;)). I thought to put a list together of the books that have left a deep impact on me, have helped me see life/world in a broader sense, have challenged my ideas, and have fueled my pursuit for more meaning. The purpose is dual. One, to undertake a reflection on what I picked up from each, and what stayed. Two, to pay the energy forward, that I felt, to you.  1. Infinite Vision   ...

I feel its happening to me, opening my self up to learner. I feel like a learner in ONUS more than a facilitator. ONUS has in a way, picked up the baton to educate me along with all of us. Yesterday as part of our Collective Service Day, we visited a community of transgenders (hijras) through an organisation called Pahel. More than two decades in this world, I have had a few chances of encounter with a transgender. At each point, my reflex action was to do anything or pay some money to get rid of them. Later I began to question why are we even supposed to give money to them? Most of us who went with us yesterday, shared this conditioning. In a stark difference, we were sharing space of warmth with them yesterday in a room. They so lovingly described stories from their lives, discrimination they face and yet how happily they live their life. For the first time, they felt like humans to us. Humans who have emotions and pain and joys. For the first time, I was able to move beyond the ph...

Yesterday gave me an opportunity to look at my footprint on the planet. No, footprint isn't the right word. Yesterday, I came face to face with the burden of my yesterdays, yester-weeks, yester-months and all those yester-years I have lived on this planet. We happened to visit the Gazipur Landfill, one of the biggest garbage dumps in the city. And like Suraj (one of the friends & ONUS co-traveller) had put, talking, thinking discussing the moon is different and walking on it is quite different. Similarly, it was quite something to have closely watched the huge mountain of garbage. To walk on the every subtle details of all that constitutes garbage. It was overwhelming. Simply put. ​ From Anand Vihar metro station, we made our way to the landfill, taking a shared auto, passing the murga mandi, chicken market and walking some rounds to find the path to reach closer. Up close, any people we met on the way, showed immense amazement on the fact that we chose this place to visit. It...