Biology gives you a brain. Life turns it into a mind... :)

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Time is ticking yet in this part of the world things seems slow. It’s as if you are sitting in a stopped vehicle and the vehicle opposite to yours is moving fast and hence the illusion tells that you are moving fast. Yes, it’s funny but that’s how I feel.

The world around me is moving so fast and so many things are happening and I am as if in the middle of a huge library where I am searching for information. A never-ending search on Azharuddin – the former Indian Cricket Captain.

Since the day I saw the movie ‘Azhar’ my mind is stuck in finding what happened and as shown in the movie did he win and got all the allegations taken off?

The more I read about Azhar, the curiosity to know if he was involved or not in the match fixing and it just went on. Azhar captured my mind in such a way that I was thinking all time about him.

In between a thought crossed my mind, why not meet him in person and then my analytical mind wanted to seek some feedback. I asked my friends about Azhar and I told them how crazy I am searching about all this scandal and the response I got was that he is a criminal mind.

Something that I was not expecting or probably my heart doesn’t want to listen that he is involved or he is guilty. I saw some of the videos based on my friend’s suggestion and it just put me into a world probably I am never exposed. When you see celebrities, you think they are this respectful figures in their personal space too, but when I heard the cricketer Ravi Shastri using bad words in every other sentence it just makes you wonder why this dual face?

Anyway, it was very disturbing to see that how in the sting operation video people were just bashing one another teammates and officials.

Somewhere, I still have soft corner for Azhar don’t know why and I feel for his first wife too.

I feel India is such a place that it will keep you busy even if you don’t indulge in any work in India. I have my office work which I am managing remotely, however demonetization, Tamilnadu Chief Minister Dr. J. Jayalalitha and her death ( Rest in Peace 'Amma'), all kept everyone glued to the TV channels. This gave me another opportunity to start my search on Dr. J. Jayalalitha and its endless as it starts with Dr. J. Jayalalitha, then her mentor MGR, her close friend and advisor Sasikala and then Natarajan and the Mannargudi Mafia connection and the saga goes on from there. Politics can get so dirty that human life has no value sadly, yet poor people have Faith!

As I stay here, there’s more to this I feel but at the same time I know once I am back to my destination the search will reside in peace or maybe not.

Reading so many stories from the past and the present, my mind just wander visualizing those incidents and then it gets into a research mode. Indeed mind can get very complicated...it depends how far we follow the mind!

~ Dawn

Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost...

Traveling to India seems not so rare or unusual these days, specially when you have parents living there. Based on the time and need I got my tickets through Air India.
When the agent was giving me the tickets, I asked Air India? Is it a good airline as I have never taken this airline in my 19 years of stay outside of India and I have heard some not so good reviews.

The response was, yes Ma'm it's a three to four star..yes, when there is a need we all go for it. My journey was good from San Francisco to New Delhi, though this was first time that I was taking a direct flight with this long stretch of journey. The service was good but as expected I was only able to watch one movie after that system got hung. 
There were hardly any such movies that you would jump to watch, yes to kill time I saw Azhar - a movie that was made to show that Mohammad Azharuddin former Indian Cricket Captain should not have been baned from Cricket for match fixing. 
Frankly speaking, Azhar should have just done a press conference to share what he tried to share through the movie. After the movie, I just went back to my memories as I was a big fan of Azhar - he and his work with his bat was commendable...! My memories of meeting him in Toronto Curling and Cricket Club and those Sahara Cup matches... yes those are memories now!

Landing at New Delhi was a good experience as it brought all the memories of New Delhi the visits as a kid and as grown up. I am always scared of this city as a kid and as a grown up and now more to say ... the eyes are scary of men!
I had to just connect my flight from here to Kochi but it didn't seem that easy. The wait was never ending until I saw some folks started protesting and calling out 'Air India' Shame Shame'. For a moment I felt these days people just get on and protest for anything and everything. Immediately, I saw people started recording and sending it live to social media. It seems Air India needs to work on their air service timelines and customer service big time. 
When I checked at the counter they said the 5:30 pm flight should start around 7:30 pm but that's also not a confirmed one. I heard similar was for other destinations and that was the reason the protest was going on.
I am not sure if I was lucky but got into the flight by 8 pm and reached my destination around 11:30 pm. Now my worry is how will be my returning flight because I don't want to miss any flight.
Probably my last time with Air India unfortunately! Because I was very happy until Delhi though the TV was not working and but the crew staff was amazing!!!

I felt there is no use of saying anything to the crew and staff at the counter because it's not in their hands if a flight is not taking off because of weather conditions in another state and hence the delay - it's like the house of cards :)

Everything feels new in Modi's India, am I a stranger here?

~ Dawn

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” - Maya Angelou

It was a mesmerizing evening and an emotional one too. Being emotionally connected to dance and music it has always knocked me out by reminding my roots. Probably that was the reason that I got opportunity to support Sangam Arts, which believes in Arts and Music that will bring every human close and be in harmony.

I had an idea about Mosaic America, more over working closely with Usha Srinivasan the founder and president of Sangam Arts, I know her dream is to bring multicultural arts together on one platform. But to watch the performance really gave me goose bumps. I felt it's so beautiful that no matter which part of the world you come from, music is alway soothing and it brings out your emotions very well no matter what language you speak, what kind of food you eat or for that matter what color your skin is. 

For the first time I felt human civilization is so rich in arts and music and if we use this for our benefit this world would be a better place. I feel more proud to be connected with Sangam Arts for this one reason that it's not only about dance forms and music but it is also about people, culture and oneness.

To feel what I am talking about one must watch these performances that Sangam Arts brings to the valley. Its not only a dance and its performance, its about the costumes, its about the cultural impact that these artists bring live into performance when they all are local here. It brings joy when you see a kid who is growing up here, going to American school and yet when she performs Bharatnatyam she understands the expressions and then she brings it in her performance - I felt thats commendable for a kid to grow here and still bring that impact of Indianness while performing Bharatnatyam and if I say this was the same for other performers as well. The Flamenco team made me feel like dress up like that and do some dancing if not a complete one at least the tap on the floor with those shoes that they were wearing. Even before my desire go further, I see Chinese Dancers, such cute girls with their gymnastic moves and dancing with their props umbrella - made me feel like dolls dancing around. I was mesmerized by the Contemporary Dance where the costume were so good and flowy that it did bring that empathy feel and for a moment I was lost. 

There were many moments when I wanted to take pictures and I didn't want to. Because I was getting lost in there somewhere ...in the dance, thinking of those countries, people and the places out there and then my eyes filled up with emotions - what are we all here expecting? Only love and peace then why its so important to know what color, cast or creed we belong to?
Not to mention Folklorico, Bharatnatyam, the musicians on Sitar, Haitian Drum, Pipa, Oud, Mridangam and Dandiyaraas...! It was a meet and greet of culture, music and arts - all on one platform bringing people together across the globe.
Does it matter what we do or how we do as long as it brings a smile in everyone of us? I felt for the first time as human we can do so much with the talent around and be proud of what we can do than whatever is currently happening around the world.

If you believe in peace and harmony and if you believe culture, arts and music is what brings us together then you must support the vision of Sangam Arts. Please do like this page and supports us.
Lets be the example and lets make this contagious around the world.

"I think.. if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts."

~ Dawn

Life is so unfair!!!

He loved his dad like every kid would do

As he was taking every step of his beginnings

With his dad by holding his hands

He needed his dad's help and guidance

In every happiness and struggle times

When he came to know he is going to loose 

His dad to cancer, it was a shock!

He got so sad that he went into depression

A new life that is yet to see the world

Got lost somewhere...!

He wanted someone with whom he can share

Yet he didn't know who would understand his pain

He found a friend and shared his life in bits and pieces

The friend gave a listening ear and supported morally

He took some strength and tried to face the world

As he looked around, he saw people doing all bad things to their health

Some he saw smoking, some drinking without thinking 

And he asked life - why you are so unfair?

My dad never smoked and drank casually

Yet you took him away from me so quickly

Look at these people who are doing all harm

Yet living and making other living beings suffer

Why? Why? Why?

Life is so unfair!!!

~ Dawn

We must taste the bitter before we can appreciate the sweet..!!!

We talk about nature, water, land, fresh air, confidence and freedom but everything comes with a price.

I remember my time when I moved to Canada and was renting one of basement apartment where I was to pay for my stay and food.

One would imagine that if you pay you have no other obligation but that’s not how it was. I used to respect and treat the owner and his wife as my parents. I did everything in that house as if it’s my responsibility.

This nature of mine gave me a tough time to deal with my day to day things. When I was looking for a job, I was told to help with them in Jesus work. The owner was a priest who would make me translate his stories and poems in other Indian languages so that it can reach to those many people and that many people he will be able to convert them into Pentecostal Christians.

Initially, the way it was put on me as a task I thought I can ask them if my rent can be waived but then I was told I shouldn’t expect something like this when I am doing god’s work.

I saw that there was another room in the basement that was rented by another girl who came from Sri Lanka and we both didn’t take much time to become friends. It was her Yamuna who took me out in downtown and made me apply for jobs. Since the say I got the job the owner and his wife started telling me to stay away from Yamuna. It reached to a level where Yamuna moved out to some other place and I felt very lonely.

I was forced to go to church with them every Sunday and start praying every day in their house morning and evening.

Even though I was paying my rent and staying in that house. The couple made me do all their household chores such as help them washing dishes, cutting vegetables etc. I always took as helping them but it took too much stress when they started making me do things such as grate a whole coconut, cut the vegetables in different suggested sizes and pack them in zip-lock bags and put it in freezer during my day off.

Those days finishing my work at night and coming from downtown to home used to be almost mid-night and hence after a tiring day I went to bed at 1 am that too with a bad headache. At 4 am my door is banged asking me to wake up because we need to get up and pray for their son who is leaving for Malaysia for work. I had taken some medicine hence I couldn’t wake up and when I did wake up it was 7 am in the morning and the priest got so mad at me that he started scolding me for not being responsible and being part of the prayer. Even though I apologized for not joining the prayer he kept on repeating and making me feel guilty as if I did something wrong by not attending the prayer in the early morning for his son.

I really started feeling what am I doing. Why I have to be so obligated when their own kids don’t listen to them. As a human and as an agnostic person I did what I did but suffering and injustice is something that I am not taught to tolerate.

As they say everything has a limit. It was my time when I decided to move on and took an apartment to live by my own. Yes, in those days in a new place, new country it was fear in my mind. I was more scared because I was alone and being a woman I was scared of everyone around. It’s this fear that always kept me way from enjoying the freedom. Slowly, I moved from one job to the other and actually started living and organizing my life.

The freedom to live, the freedom to get to live by yourself and not be answerable to anything is something a relief which I only realized after what I went through.

Never suppress anyone even if you are in a position to because once a person starts disliking this behavior they want to go far from you. Love people and let people love you. Freedom should not be by losing anyone.

"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you" :)

~ Dawn