Just what you thought you could't do.

             Your thoughts reflect you and your actions influence everything in your life. The human brain is faster and can perform more tasks than any supercomputer ever created. To understand what the universe offers, you have to be able understand your own thought process first. What a bunch of clichés! What obvious statements! Judge as we may, these are true. Simple, obvious truths which help us realize and accept wholly what we can be.

            Imagination leads to creation. Without visualizing anything, you cannot create it. If an architect cannot form a mental picture of what his next design should resemble, he will not be able to create a draft of it. If a writer cannot imagine what his characters are, his story will never take life. If a movie maker cannot imagine a storyline, his movie will never be born. Likewise, no action is taken without thought.

            Everything in this world, is born of imagination. Imagination is not something one can, or rather should, tame. Imagination shows its true potential the more you let it run free. One of the finest examples of unadulterated imaginative creations is the Lord of The Rings universe. Middle Earth. J. R. R. Tolkein did not write a story about a kid who’s thrown into a grandiose scheme of things. He created an entire universe, all by himself. He did not stop by just creating different kingdoms and races. He gave each race a language. And the language a script. And the usage, grammar.

            The characters Tolkein introduces us to are’nt just some run of the mill characters. They have a family. Their ancestors’ names, their roots, what their forefathers were known for. How they first came to be, how they came to live in their current predicament, everything. Even the villain gets a totally complete back story. Everything about Tolkein’s world is complete and undeniably original. He now, was a man who let his imagination lead the way, instead of trying to control it. The story of the Lord of The Rings is not about kings or wars or about some grandiose scheme to purge the world off of evil. It is about the little things that make up life. It is about the little things that make life worth fighting for and breathtakingly beautiful.

            Man has always been wary of the powerful and the untamed. Imagination too is such a thing. Nothing compares to the power of imagining something. Within a blink, one can traverse the whole world, explore the great seas and conquer the entire universe. What imagination offers us isn’t power it isn’t stature it isn’t wisdom. It is something far more fundamental and noble. Freedom. Freedom to dream, freedom from everything else, freedom to think what we want. Freedom to be what we want. Such a thing truly is the most beautiful.

            Today’s world, I believe, is moving further and further away from dreaming. Imagination is the stuff of dreams! Today, kids in schools aren’t taught to learn the subject, they’re taught to score marks in an exam. Today’s teenagers aren’t told to pursue their dreams, they’re demanded to decide among a set of options. Today’s professionals aren’t let follow their interests, they’re given a job and badgered into doing it. Today’s youngsters aren’t allowed to believe in their convictions, they’re cornered into accepting their position in the rat race. Today’s kids are tomorrow’s elders, realize it!

Imagine a balloon. Or rather a balloon yet to be inflated. Someone gives you a small box and says, this is the space allowed for your balloon, blow it as huge as you can! The irony of this situation is that it is happening all over again and again. Everywhere and to everyone. It is not that it is an unavoidable situation. It is because people are starting to think ‘this is my limit’. We are our biggest obstacle. The only person we have to outshine is the ‘us’ of a year ago, a month ago, a day ago, a second ago. As long as we keep moving forward with an open mind and a raging ambition, what the world will offer us is limitless. And to accept what all the world has in store for our awesome selves, all we need is to let our imagination run free like a wild stallion on the evergreen meadow that is our mind.

A friend of mine once said that as long as you’re positive towards what you’ve received, you will be complimentary to success in more than one way. All I say is this. Let yourself dream. Dream big. Dream huge. Dream ginormous! And work towards it continuously, unrelentingly and unforgivingly. And when you’re given your reward, reap it whole heartedly with your imagination!

What is yours? Naught but what you make.

        We all have things we want. Things we're good at. Things we're good at because we want them and then there's the best; things we want because we're good at. If there has been two things I've always wanted, its more knowledge of the world and the ability to fly. The inquisitive part of me was something I got from my father who is undoubtedly the wisest man I've ever met. When I was a kid, me and my dad used play 'Quiz' daily before I went to sleep. It was a fun experience because I got to learn beyond what I was taught in school and quench my curiosity too at the same time. Thanks to this daily dose of general knowledge, I was an active and successful participant in a lot of quizzes during my school life.

        Inter house competitions, Inter school competitions, whatever level it was, I was almost always a participant and more than once a winner. But eventually I left the inquisitiveness in my heart behind for academic priorities when I left my school. The years after my schooling were all focused on specific curriculum based subjects and practicals and the like. I got little to no time to even indulge in general reading. In my under graduation again, I started participating in quizzes but the two year lapse had taken its toll on my imaginative inquisition; not to mention the level at which these quizzes were conducted was entirely different from what I was used to. Nevertheless, my ego wouldn't let go of the memory of me of years past, besting people in contests of knowledge. But it was not to be, for a lot of reasons.

          College though, in one way or another, finds a way to keep you and your ambitions together. I one day saw an invite for an event where we could create questions for a quiz and send them in, which if selected would provide an opportunity to host my own quiz. I immediately got my grey matter on the job and created a quiz centered on my favorite and one of the most interesting topics out there: Indian Mythology and History. Sadly, I never heard back from the event organizers but it was a refreshing thought, that there were still arenas wherein I could continue to be a part of the 'knowledge race' as I like to call it.

         As circumstance would have it, I got another opportunity. My dad called me a few days later and asked me to create questions for the quiz he would be conducting at Rangaraya Medical College, where he has been teaching Physiology to first year medicos. I, for one, was taken aback. I did not expect I was getting to participate in such an event and certainly did not think my questions, which I have to admit were more centered on showcasing the grandeur of Indian Mythology rather than to tease anyone's grey cells would be up to the task. But my father encouraged me to do my best and create a lot of questions covering more than just Mythology and History. Thus started my association with a wonderful annual event which I've enjoyed only more as the years went by.

        I sent my father the questions and kept mum, not expecting them in the final draft for the quiz. A month later, my father tells me "The students loved the quiz. Your questions were very much appreciated. They actually want me to thank you, because contrary to every year there was a diversity in the questions this time. Good work!" I was really happy that I could help my father in conducting the event and that was it. But, since then, every year I've look forward to september when my father tells me, "The quiz is a go, get the questions ready!". I rush to my knowledge bank, full of anticipation and energy, happy to again be a part of what I left behind with little thought. Though I was so happy to be part of these quizzes, I never realized one thing. How much the students actually thought of them; until the year after I returned from my M.Sc.

        One of the first things my father told me on my return from UK was, "Its quizzing time, get your questions ready." All he had to do was give me the green light. The previous year too, I sent questions to my father thought I was still settling down in UK; the quiz was an event I too looked forward to now. I had been pushing an idea for a 'Rapid fire round' wherein the contestants would have to answer a lot of questions within the given time and stood a chance to make up for a lot of lost points in the final round. Though well conducted, the event sometimes would take up more time than originally agreed upon, and my father normally did not accept. But this year, I insisted. I was in a really enthusiastic mood, since y Masters had gone quite well and I was home after a year. 

        Finally the day of "Quizza", time for everyone to have their share of quizzing. I was there on time with my father and helped set everything up. The students were adamant that they do everything, but I was having too much fun!! I was actually part of a quiz after so many years and I was going to savor it! In reality I was quite surprised they all knew me by name and when they came up to me and started talking, since I never met any of them. They were all wonderful students, so eagerly looking forward to testing their intellectual mettle.

         The quiz started. I was sitting in the first row, making as much of a ruckus as that of the supporters of a particular team when the contestants would answer a question I didn't expect them too. In all honesty, I did not expect them to be able to answer a lot of the questions I cooked up, but I was happy to have been proven wrong more than once. Then came my favorite, the Rapid fire round. Even during my quiz participation days, I used to enjoy those kind of rounds a lot, being given the opportunity to turn the tables at the last moment. They faster my father kept asking, the faster they answered. Out of all the teams though no one answered all the questions allotted to them, they had totally blasted through the expectations I had for them. They were way more well prepared than I'd expected them to be and I was happy to have been an assistant quiz master. 

           Once the winners were announced, there was a lot of cheering and happiness about. But in reality, it was after the event was over that I got to know how happy the teams really were. Each one of the participants came down to me and thanked me. Each one. They all said the same thing, "Man, you create such interesting questions, we just can't wait to prepare well enough year after year." That was when I realized; the reason behind me feeling so much happiness from these events was not because I made it something of mine, but because the students made me and my questions one of their own. The event was a success year after year because the students kept rising to the challenge repeatedly, pushing me and dad to be better than ourselves in creating questions. Now I truly understood why my father took time off of his schedule however busy he may be. It wasn't because he enjoyed quizzing them. It was because they wanted to be challenged and they wanted to prove themselves and as a teacher, he was more than happy to provide them with that opportunity. After I realized this, I have been looking forward to the event even more and hope to be a part of it for as long as possible.

         A thing is not beautiful because it may last forever, but because while it lasts, it is always bettered through effort. My dearest friends in Rangaraya, you've truly made this ring true time and again! 

        

A family's tradition and a village's celebration.

        Somidevara Palem. A village in the east godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The place is quite small; you could walk around in an hour or even less. Dominantly an abode of farmers, it is the place whence we of the 'Saladi' household have our roots. And the identity and center of our village is the temple which greets you as you enter, the temple of Lord Venkateshwara. The temple built by my grandfather's father, the late Mr. Sri Rama Chandra Murthy.

        Every time we visit our village, we always visit the temple and thank both our forefathers and god for all that we have to be thankful for. Of all the things I remember about our temple, one that always instills in even an agonstic like me a sense of spirituality is the yearly 'Kalyaanam' (marriage) of the Lord. Every year, in the month of may there is a celebration commemorating the establishment of the temple. The temple was established in 1975 and in that may, the first ever ceremony of kalyaanam was performed. A couple from our family or any outsider who has received our consent can conduct this ceremony. A family priest always aids in the proceedings so as to guide the performers according to the traditional process(es).

         The entire kalyaanam process takes 5 days and is taken part in with the utmost devotion by both those conducting and witnessing. The first day involves letting everyone know that the ceremony has started and that they are invited. There is a 'pandiri' (an artificial enclosure) erected in front of the temple, signalling the invite. This is followed by a 'Dhwajhaaroohanam', a ceremony in which the central pillar, the 'Dhwajhastambham' of the temple is emblazoned with the image of 'Garutmanta', the messenger of the Hindu gods. This is done in belief that garutmanta will convey the message to all the gods that there will be a kalyaanam of Lord Venkateshwara in the forthcoming days. There is also the lighting of the holy pyre, the 'Homam' which will burn non stop for the following 5 days of ceremonial proceedings.

         The second day is the main, including the actual marital ceremony of Lord Venkateshwara to his consorts Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi, the goddess of wealth and of the earth, respectively. This part is especially well attended, being central to the whole 5 day ceremony. The devotees take great pride in witnessing the marital ceremony, every year, as if it was their first time seeing it. Every year we always have a lot of people wanting to perform the ceremony along with their husband/wife. This interest not because of them viewing the chance to conduct the kalyaanam as a position of power but as a responsibility they whole heartedly cherish and love. After the ceremony is complete, the 'Prasaadam', the holy offering is distributed amongst all the people.

           The third day is more about the devotees than it is about the Lord himself; being conducted in may, the devotees brav the peak summer heat in attending the ceremony and being a part of the celebrations. And so, the next day, the devotees who visit the temple are offered holy sweetened water and hand fans as a thanks for visiting the Lord even in such harsh conditions. The fourth day is conducted by and amongst the priests who've been overseeing the preceedings. They perform a 'Pooja', a holy ceremony to celebrate the Lord and his consorts' marriage.

          The fifth day is again an eventful day, involving two different ceremonies. The first is the 'Chakrasnaanam', wherein the effigies are washed in the water of the temple's pond as a symbol of sanctification. The second is the 'Pushpotsavam' wherein the Lord and his consorts are placed on a swing and served, much like the 'Unjal seva' in Tirupati. Later, the effigies are placed inside the temple in solace, much akin to giving newly weds their space. This ceremony, though done with simple elegance, has to it the heartfelt devotion of an entire family who show their thanks to the god and the appreciation of an entire village that shows its devotion with such wholesome participation in what started as a family tradition.

             I share this with you all not to build my family a pedestal but to portray the picture of what a true 'giver' can do. My great grandfather was a man of extraordinary discipline and scrupulous character and he had such an impact on our family and our village that to this day I see the Kalyaanam be performed with as much devotion and elegance as it was the first time. The very first kalyaanam involved my entire family of then, literally. My great grandparents were the ones conducting the ceremony, my grandparents conducted the dhwajhaaroohanam and my grandfather's two younger brothers established the 'Gopuram', the highest part of any temple.

               For a tradition of such simple roots to have been alive to this day in this ever disconnecting world is, I believe, a testament not to the strength of my family but to the amount of respect they have for their elder and the gratitude they have towards god for always keeping us afloat in the ocean of life. One day, I too hope to become a proud part of this tradition and carry on my family name with pride and a firm sense of belonging to the best of my capability. 

A 'New' year, altogether!

        4 days since I reached UK and moved into my accommodation. I'd attended the orientation held for our course a couple of days ago and now was waiting eagerly for the course to start. This was it! The new beginning I'd wanted. And I was going to make the best of it in each and every way possible. Studies, friends, travel, everything! Before I'd reached Colchester I had met another fellow classmate of mine on facebook. We kept in touch about things and were eager to meet up once the course started. Aiden Matthew Jayanth, my first friend outside India.

        Classes started. First day was as fun as I'd always hoped it would be. The most mention-worthy thing so to speak is about my classmates. We were friends with each other before we became actual students striving to obtain our post-graduation. After the first day of classes, a group of our classmates sat in the University square, talking about ourselves. We all were people who enjoyed traveling. We were giving off accounts of our previous tours and places we'd been to. One thing led to another and Aiden had the best idea, one I'd already been suggested before I left for UK.

        'Guys, whatever we do or don't do, we should go to London for New year's!' Surprisingly enough, everyone knew already that it was an absolute brilliant idea. 'Alright, we're going to London for new year's!' We agreed just like that! I was left wondering, basing my previous plans with other friends; 'We seriously going to hold by this decision? My history of outings, so to speak, is not on my side. Oh well, there's enough time to know anyway.' Indeed, New Year's was 3 months away, but that time passed like it was nothing. During this time, I made a new friend and definitely one of the reasons my one year in UK was awesome. She wasn't from our course but she was definitely one of our classmates. Divya Sukumar, my classmate Jiny Ann Abraham's flatmate was doing English Literature at our university. I was happy to have known such a wonderful person and one of the best cooks ever who's cooking I've had the immense joy to taste! And once we all got to know each other, well, it has been the craziest, wonderful-est and the nicest group of friends I've ever had ever since!

         We all were so hyped to get out to London for new year's! And thus we set out to London, finally. Me, Anisha Nazareth, Divya Sukumar and Jiny Ann Abraham. Aiden was going to meet us halfway through as he stayed at Southend-on-Sea, a place quite far from us. We got to London by train and got down at the Liverpool station. We all had huge backpacks, filled with stuff for the night in the then financial capital of the world. For me that was the second time I'd be in London within a week so I'd already gotten an idea of a few good places to visit and couldn't wait to go there with my friends. 

        We got to Hyde Park and ate at the McDonald's there. We had our fill and rushed out as we were eager to explore the city before it was time to get to the Big Ben area for the big night. There were a lot of rides in the far corner of the park which we wanted to get on but having just eaten, couldn't risk. I must say the fun part, though might come of as a little evil, was watching my friend Divya steer clear off the birds as she was afraid of them. We were walking around Central London all day, without a hint of fatigue or boredom, reveling in the history and grandeur that truly was 'Great' Britain. We walked past the Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus and a lot of other amazing places before we got to the bank of the Thames river from beside the Big Ben.

        The crowd was so huge and so enthusiastic, we didn't even complain about the rush there! People were so hyped up about the coming New Year and seemed to have forgotten about everything else. Luckily, we found a good spot and sat down there. We (Or the girls rather) thought things through and brought a blanket to sit on, food to eat and games to play along with them. We were having a whale of a time! Not just amongst ourselves, but occasionally someone beside us would say something and that would spark up a lively conversation! Everyone was in such good spirits and it seemed as if nothing could dampen them. No, literally. It even rained at one point but no one cared. They were happy rather, that the rain had chosen to take part in the festivities! And then something happened.

        My friend from Undergrad called. Ajay Venkatesh, my thick friend through my days as a B.tech Biotechnology student at VIT was in UK too, doing his Master's at the University of Warwick in Coventry. I knew he was in UK too but hadn't actually planned to meet him for new year's. Apparently he saw me walk into the area with my merry bunch of friends and called me. He too was with his friends there for the celebrations. I was so happy to see him! I introduced him to my friends and we had a nice time catching up on stuff. After he left back to join his friends I couldn't but revel at how happy I was. The most amazing part was that he and I could reach other by phone in that busy time. There was so much aggregation of mobile phones at that one area that we couldn't call our homes to wish our folks.

        And then the clock struck. Not literally though. There was a high rise building on the other side of the river and the countdown was showed on it, through it's windows. Everything seemed so truly brilliant to me! When it was 12'midnight, the crowd went crazy. The fireworks started, and then there were none. Such brilliance in the atmosphere, such happiness and love in the air, such peace and satisfaction in the mind, seldom has anyone else ever experienced, I believe. We were just standing there, so happy to be a part of the wonderful festivities that we forgot to even wish each other! Normally I'd take a moment to appreciate the emotions running through my mind but this once I lived the experience instead of trying to analyze it and understand why I was so completely happy.

         I'd be wrong to do so if I forgot an important part of our new year trip to London. The 'Joey hat' from the TV sitcom 'Friends'. Divya and Anisha got each a hat, and I was trying the whole time, just for the fun of it, to steal Divya's! Needless to say, I didn't succeed. 

 Aiden, Jiny, Divya, Anisha. That's my bunch of merry folks!

         Cliched, though it may sound, my truth in that moment was that I wished that tranquil happiness would last forever. With my friends, it was an absolute possibility! After the festivities, reality hit us. WE WERE SO TIRED! OUR THROATS WERE SO HOARSE FROM ALL THE SHOUTING! And above all, WE WERE HUNGRY! It was about another couple of hours before we got out of Central London and found a place to eat at. On our way back we passed through King's Cross Station. The train station featured in the Harry Potter books, from where the protagonist leave for school. Anisha was a huge fan of the novels and wanted to visit the fictional platform no. 9 3/4, which was commemorated by a luggage trolley halfway through the wall. Such appreciation of the creative genius that was the Harry Potter books really made me happy. But sadly, it was closed and we couldn't visit it.

        We then slowly made our way back to Liverpool station and waited for our train(s) back. Our minds were as energetic as ever but physically we were exhausted!Aiden left earlier as his train was a different one. The rest of us were waiting in the Liverpool station when it hit us. The 'high' we get into when our brain is exhausted, yet forced to stay awake and function. We were giggling and laughing and talking about random stuff. One memorable moment we all took away from this was a friend behaving like 'Mary Poppins'. Once we reached Colchester, it was exactly 24 hrs from the time we'd left the day before. We all crashed into our beds and slept like logs, not having the strength to do anything else. 

         I for one, did not want to sleep, holding back tears of joy that I'd gotten such wonderful friends. The amount of fun we all had in that one year away from home, the amount of support we gave each other, was something like the fireworks we'd all witnessed in London that night of New Year's. In our entire lives, it might be only one year, but it was magnificent and grandiose while it lasted. Such friends and such moments of tranquil happiness are what make life worth moving forward in, for me. I will always treasure you guys!