“Its kinda hard with you not around,
Know you in heaven smiling down,
Watching us while we pray for you,
Every day we pray for you”

There were a thousand prayers, and a million tears. Now all that’s left are a few regrets. And, a couple of wishes.

We will always look for you in the heavens. You helped us look for the rainbow on a cloudy day.

We will always remember the smiles and the laughs. You constantly reminded us to be happy no matter what.

We will always talk about you with fond memories. You never went a day without talking to us.

We will miss you forever and a day. You always remembered us, even though we might have gone a day without thinking about you.

And most of all, we will always hear your voice. You were the sound of love and reason.

Love you Chacha. I was and always will be your Munna.

I’m not a “religious” person, nor do I believe in any particular “religion”. For me, the idea of God has been one that rests in the realm between divinity and the romantic. In the simplest sense, I believed that there was “something” above us all that I could not explain nor minimise by ritualising it. I did not believe in rituals, deities, dogma, etc that in my belief trivialised that “unknown”.

And then I found myself standing in front of Harmandir Sahib or as it is commonly known, the Golden Temple. I knew at that moment that I had been wrong all along. There was more to it than just accepting the reality of a ‘divine’. And there was definitely something more to it than immersing in rituals and dogma.

The Harmandir Sahib also known as Darbar Sahib and informally referred to as the Golden Temple is a prominent Sikh gurudwara located in Amritsar, Punjab. It’s a place that has a long history and a place that draws people from all over the world. For me, it was a wait of a couple of decades before I could find myself in front of it. And it was well worth the wait.

I saw hundreds of thousands of people visit the temple everyday but still there was hardly any noise. I was immediately overcome by a sense of peace and tranquility. I realised that these were essential to embrace the idea of the “divine”. One cannot understand anything unless the mind is free of clutter.

I noticed hundreds of people selflessly volunteering at the temple. Some collected shoes, some mopped the floors, and some served food. I knew then that these selfless acts were more important than any ritual, sacrifice, or monetary donation. It is more rewarding when the goal is to serve without any wants.

I found that there are four entrances to the Golden Temple from the four different directions. This is to symbolise that the temple is open to people from all religions and walks of life. And I knew then that it was important to be tolerant of individual beliefs and ideas. It was important to be tolerant and understanding of the fact the everyone is different.

So do I have all the knowledge now that I need? Not by far. This was merely one part of a continuous journey of learning and self-realization. And the best part is that this journey never really ends. There is always something new to learn and always something new to experience. Sometimes, though, one needs to go back and re-learn, and I know that I will find myself going back to the Golden Temple.

Technorati Tags: Amritsar, Golden temple

Technorati Tags: bharatpur, bird, endangered, india, rajasthan, sarus crane

I know God exists.

I know God is everywhere; in me, around me.

I know God knows me, my faults and my strengths.

I know God sees me even if I’m not in front of his statue, picture, etc.

I know God listens to me even though I might not pray or perform rituals.

I know God. He is in the kind words I speak. He is in the good deeds I do. He is there when I am flush with the joys of everyday life. He is there when I am quiet in the solitude of my worries.

I know God. I don’t need to go anywhere to find God. I don’t need any mediums to connect me to God. I don’t need occasions to celebrate God’s presence.

I know God. I just know.

First things first, I am not a professional photographer. I have only been “using” my DSLR properly for a few months. The only thing that changed recently was that I attended an awesome street photography workshop. Since then the setting on my DSLR has changed from Auto to Manual. I now know about things like f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, depth of field, etc.

As I was clicking photographs and playing around with my camera some thoughts came to my mind. I started to realize how similar “life” was to “photography”, and in some ways followed the same principles.

1. Focus is the key!

In any photograph, there has to be one subject that is in “focus”, or sometimes “out of focus”. This defines the entire image. The rest of the image complements the main subject. Too many things that are in focus usually “clutter” the entire image. Unless, clutter is what you are aiming for.

Isn’t that what life should be about. Have soemthing in “focus”. It could be a career goal, a personal becnhmark, anything. Everything else should “feed off” of the main focus point. If there is too much “clutter”, then living become difficult.

2. Beauty lies in the Composition

One of the funamental rules of photography is the Rule of Thirds which basically tells us to place the subject of the photograph at one of the points of interest. The theory is that when a person views the photograph, the eyes first go to one of these points of interest. Similarly, there are various other rules depending on whether you are shooting a portrait, a landcape, etc.

Now, imagine your entire life as a photograph. What should be seen first? Where will the “point of interest” be? What defines your life? How have you composed the photograph of your life? Have you adjusted your life (photograph) so that it is beautiful? Always be aware of the “points of interest” in your life. Adjust your living accordinly.

3. You have to tell a Story

Most of photography is “capturing the right moment”. Lighting matters, Expression matters. Composition matters. Color matters. By picking the “right” moment to snap the shutter, we choose how to tell the story. That makes all the difference.

Similarly, life has to be a story. The “right” moments have to be captured. The difference will be in how the story has been told. The story should be a culmination of vaious things like your career, personality, family, friends, desires, achievements, etc. All these should come together to form a story. Ask yourself this, is your story worth telling?

In the end, Displine is the Key

Then I read an article the other day: Get Disciplined, Not Motivated. The idea here is that motivation last only momentarily, while discipline sticks around. Whether it’s photography or life, the key is to be disciplined enough to keep “living” it.

Learn the basics, practice, implement, re-learn, practice, implement, re-learn, pratice…the cycle continues. At some point, everything falls into place and becomes a story/life worth talking about.