People are P.E.O.P.L.E!
Be it your haughty neighbour
or your friendly colleague

You think they are nice
They prove they are not

You think they are not nice
They prove they are not

And when you begin to think you are not nice
You find a flock of people around to prove you are not

And when you begin to think you are nice
You find your closest ones throw you in a ditch

This is the Cycle of Life
When you are at the Northern hemisphere
Life shows you the Southern hemisphere
ALWAYS!!

Bottom-most of my Top-most!

Life is mean
By all means,
Who cares if you live?
Who cares if you leave?

The only ones who care
Always care
Whether you are here
or you are there
Whether you reach the top
or the bottom

Life is beyond care
If not, can you dare
To vouch your life bare
To the ones who share
More than what is there?

Paradox it is,
Orthodox it may seem,
No one leads life on his own,
No one leads others' lives into his own,
Your life is neither yours
Nor is it someone's theirs;

All lives unite in one
All deaths lead to life
All lives lead to death
You and I take a share
You and I use the share
You and I lose the share
You and I unite in one
You and I live to die
You and I die to live

You and I are parts of the whole
You and I can never play foul
You can be your share
I can be my share
Clearly and meanly
You are you and I am I,
What then is the care for?

Those who share
Beyond what is there
Are not caring more
They are sharing more
For they earned a share more
Of care,than what they can bear.

Those who always care
Care for their share of care
If you have such a share
You too care to care for your share

What then is the care for?

Care is for your own self
Care is for self elevation
Care is for self evolution
Care is for self satisfaction
Care is for self motivation
Care is for self introspection;
For you care from your own self
For your own self
And the self is only yours, always!

India, the indormitable!

Anticipation,agony,ecstasy,joy,tears,excitement,nervousness,anger,pain,dismay,hope,vigor,zeal,enthusiasm,skepticism,attitude,disappointment,failure,victory-- Have you ever gone through all these emotions in a matter of a few hours?? If yes,then the only possibility is you should have watched the World Cup 2011 Finals.

Dhoni,the soldier who lead Team India from the front should have had breathless moments on field, right from the time the toss turned in favour of the Lankans.Imagine a billion things going around in your mind and you stick to one single thought, keep that as the base and build up a momentum with a steady head. Yes, it is remarkable for a person of his age to execute this with astounding accuracy and focus. He saw the final moment even when Indians fielded and took risks like a brave soldier fighting for his life!! What more can the Indian nation ask for?! He has surpassed all expectations and has risen above all these like an enlightened soul emerging out of common man.

Yuvi and Gambhir need to be lauded for their great ability to handle pressure and still deliver. They either do or die. Nothing else mattered to them. They exhibited the attributes of a warrior dying to save his mother,come what may. They revealed courage and sheer grit in the face of adversity. They have typically emulated the role of the soldiers protecting the border and providing comfort to fellow citizens.

Sachin needn't have even scored the 18 runs that he did. He deserves every bit of the success and even more than that. He is not made of flesh and bones. He is just a bundle of Class Cricket and his nerves are made of iron to knit together, the ebbing Cricket genius in his being.

Sehwag and Raina were accountable partners to the masterminds and contributed their might to the game, with the finesse of a Champion.

Sreesanth might be criticized for his expensive spell and casual attitude, but this goes unnoticed in the face of India's truimph, although this might spill some beans on Dhoni's gamble in dropping Ashwin and choosing lucky charm Sreesanth.Dhoni also gambled on Nehra for his last over show against Pakistan,all said and done, India finally wins the coveted trophy.

Can you ask for more??!! :-)

Sunday, a High day!

Starting from home as early as 7, that too on a Sunday morning, made me feel wearisome. Life seemed lack-lustrous. Like adding more fuel to the fire, the heavy downpour made it inconvenient to travel. To top it all,we hired a pretty old ambassador that even a bullock-cart could overtake!! After reaching our friend's place, we seemed to slowly revive back our forms, obviously we had to, for they made us feel so warm and drove us into feel-good conversations. After having breakfast there, my parents and I went separate ways. And tap came again, the heavy rains and the profusely active cyclonic winds. I took the road less travelled to cut across my moods and extract the best of my being..! :)




"Step-up",the movie I had planned to watch, co-incidentally depicted what had happened to my moods too! I became more of a lover than a grumbler and felt rejuvenated from top to toe. What followed after that astounded my senses and stood in total contrast to my dampened morning mood. I became a free being, and energy kept ebbing out like a gushing stream of water. The incessant rains did not dampen my spirit this time. I carried an umbrella and ventured in the rains, to dance to the tunes of the rain drops that nourished me like never before. Step-by-step,my spirits stepped-up and there seemed absolutely no end to this delight. I decided to take an auto, but chose the "Road less traveled" again! Street after street, lane after lane, I traversed in complete symphony with nature. We blended along really well and the physics and chemistry of this symphony cut across my being like a lightning wave. I can call it, THE EXPERIENCE of a lifetime.

Traveling by foot never seemed so mesmerizing. I walked and walked until I found an old heritage building, which seemed so alluring after the rains. Its roof-top made for a perfect scenic shot and I lost myself, soaked in its beauty.. As the evening began to show its face, my spirits became more subtle and calm. With a heart that was as light as a feather, I strode my way back home, still drenched in the rains of Love that only Nature can shower upon me.

That day left me conquered by a magical experience and this column has just expressed a drop out of the ocean of feelings I carried with me :-)

Swasam in Action- A real breather on Children's Day

Since its inception, though Swasam has shown snail-paced progress,its spirit stays unhampered in the face of a high attrition rate(considering the big bunch of people that it started with)!! This Sunday(Nov 14th) was not only a comeback of sorts to re-invent the purpose of the non-profit venture, but also set off a spark glowing in the minds of the fields-men. The idea behind the visit to Acharapakkam(about 90 kms from Chennai)village was to provide a small financial aid to the World Hope Centre for the HIV-afflicted children from the age group of 4 to 18. After our visit, though, our motive seemed to have been re-defined by the little children and their care-takers with whom we interacted.

On a cloudy Sunday morning, with enthusiasm only little more than nothing, five Swasam-ites joined to make this year's Children's Day a little more meaningful than usual.After having reached Acharapakkam by bus(a long, but beautiful journey),we bought some provisions that the Centre might need for the children,for about half a month. We proceeded by an Omni that the Centre had sent to receive us.

"Those who have little, keep little;
They give more,yet possess little;
They stand tall in times of trouble;
They stand tall in times of victory;
For,they see no difference
Either in trouble or victory
Either in rich or poor
To them, all times are good times"




The hospitality and spirit of the Volunteers from the Centre is indescribable. They were all unique and seemed like achievers in their own ways. About 40 children is what the Centre shelters, but what a difference it made to their lives!! The children were talented,sharp and witty. I remember feeling timid in their presence in some instances. We immediately planned to leave, but the children had more to share with us, than what we had. They danced, sang songs and seemed to enjoy life with great zeal. It was like finding back the long-lost zest for life. The enthusiasm of the children was over-whelming and filled the whole atmosphere with joy.

After a short interaction with the care-takers there, we visited their dormitory and knew more about their day-to-day activities and schedule. Some were learning tailoring, while other grown-ups went to Computer classes. Girls also helped in cooking. It was their home, after all and they seemed like a family.


We look forward to support the Centre on a continuous basis and drive more volunteers from our group to participate in activities such as these.


Yours fondly,

Swasam Team

Transcending barriers

It is very easy to train a cricketer to cross the boundary rope. It isn't so easy to show how to do it. Crossing boundaries require special efforts and then, there are many factors that should converge to make it happen. One fielder at the boundary can prove dangerous despite a plum ball by the bowler and a good hit by the batsman.



Life, in many ways, is just like the game-Cricket. Patience,Perseverance,Strength,Courage,Aggressiveness,Learning,unlearning,success,failure..almost all components are present in both. In relationships,transcending one's own limitations is as important as transcending the barriers in the relationship. It is a step-by-step learning process, and breaking both these barriers are essential for progress. Only rarely do we see the barriers broken on a single shot. Transcending barriers in life provide a greater elevation to see things as they are and helps in realizing how layered life is.

No one can show us how to transcend layers, just like no one can show a batsman how to hit a boundary. It is a process of self-learning and acquiring. Obviously because the more you want to grow, the more you have to learn; the greater the barriers you break within you, the greater the heights you reach in life. Your self becomes elevated :-)

LAKSHYA Website Launched

One step forward after nearly 9 months of lull.

https://sites.google.com/site/thelakshyasociety/


You can look forward to more improvements in the near future. :-)