This is the end, beautiful friend

This is the end 
Beautiful friend
This is the end 
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end

Jim Morrison echoes in my ears as another year comes to an end. 2012 as the end of the world is a much discussed topic, so much so that there is a movie, a million websites and some zillion discourses on it. As 2011 winds down, one can't but, for once, think about the unknown awaiting us next year. Is the world really going to end? Well, I think it is. This is the end of the world as we know it. This is the end, beautiful friend....

If you look at the signs that have been strewn down our path in 2011, it is but obvious. The world is already changing, it is already a different place. It is as conflicted as ever, but new voices are being heard, new order is being established. If the nineties saw the fall of the communist regime, this millennium has seen the dismantling of many a dictatorship, many a monarchy.  Tunisia's Jasmine revolution, America's Occupy Wall street, India's Anna Hazare and many others have taken on the establishment. Corporate greed has been questioned, political  hegemony is under threat, bureaucratic indifference is being shaken up. The new voices through social media, the echoes of these voices in an extremely connected world, the tremors of the actions spurred by these voices are seen in civil society today. The last bastion of established order, capitalism is under threat now. The fall of capitalism will change the world order, the economic might of nations and corporations will not matter, the playing field will change. Is that what 2012 is going to be about?

What will be the new social order? Will it be one where individual freedom, enterprise and creativity is celebrated? Will it be one where corporate greed, network and scale are not adulated? Will it be a more equal world which is less insular and more inclusive? Will there be self sustaining smaller local economies that focus on the immediate needs of the community? Yes, 2012 has everything going for it to be a decisive year. A year that changes the way the world behaves. A year that awakens millions, a year that is the beginning of a new social order, a year that is the end of the world as we know it. This is the year that can set us free, go grab it...

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die
This is the end

Remembering all things Grandma, all things love

I remember one of the very first job interviews I attended. In the midst of all the esoteric questions that determined if you got the job or not was a seemingly innocuous one. The question was about my favorite cuisine. What was it and why....and the answer was on my lips straight away, I did not need to think too hard. I did not have to choose between Thai or Italian. I did not need to elaborate on why Pad Thai or Thai Green Curry suited my palate. Neither did Risotto cross my mind nor did Chicken Tikka Masala. Because the answer was straight forward, what I really enjoyed was my Grandma's cooking. Her homemade curries and pickles were unmatched and that was because of the special ingredient you only found there. Nothing could beat her lovingly made spicy hot curries and pickles. And yes, it is not the salt and pepper that matters, what matters is that special ingredient called love.

I am told that as a child, I was a difficult one to manage when getting to go to sleep. You can't fault me for my consistency. My sleep cycle has generally been consistent since those days.....I sleep late and wake up late. In a household where generally folks sleep early and rise early, this was a disruption. I am told my Grandma would stay up late telling me stories, singing her lullabies and trying every trick in the book to get me to sleep. And I know she did that, because the stories she told me are still whispering themselves to me after so many years. Stories from Indian mythology, stories of the Lords , stories of brave men, stories of righteous men, stories that teach you to live your life with dignity. I know she stayed up for me, because the lullabies she sang are still soothing my frayed nerves on those not so wonderful days and nights. And her stories and her lullabies have what no best seller book or Billboard Top 20 song has. It has a soul, a soothing note. And yes, it has what matters most, it has love.

I don't know why I am so nostalgic about Grandma, but, I remember today, the simple joy that permeates everything that she touches. I remember today, most of all the love she showered on us unconditionally. I am grateful for her love and the simple lessons that shaped us grandchildren into what we are today. My first tryst with unconditional love came not from reading about it in a book or in hearing about it in songs. It came from the grand old lady who was there for me unconditionally always. Finally, I remember this story,  I am not sure if fully fact or partly fiction. My grandmother was at a spiritual gathering at an aunt's place. A revered spiritual guru was visiting and many folks visited her for her blessings. The spiritual leader took one look at my Grandma and said " Here is a lady who needs attend no lectures or read no scriptures, for on her lap plays the little Krishna". I have often wondered what that meant. Today, I know what that means. It means that there is no higher ideal than love. The little Krishna plays on her lap because of the uncomplicated and unconditional love that she showers on him. Remembering all things Grandma is remembering all things love....

Hand'la glass-u, Glass'la scotch-u, eyes full'a tear-u...

The Kolaveri Di song has gone viral across, breaking million hit records on You Tube and garnering prime-time conversation on television. Big celebrity daddies are either tongue-lashing the song or endorsing it. I saw report that a much respected lyricist called the lyrics an insult to sensibilities. I don't want to get into that debate. I enjoyed the song, period. I had a good chuckle at the lyrics. The music made me tap my feet. My mind was set free. But, recently, what has truly amazed me is the universal appeal of the song. I was dropping my girls off at the school bus and I see a bus load of school children singing the song. I see videos of Barack Obama enjoying the song. So, what makes this song click with a diverse set of folks. Maybe lyrics like "Hand'la glass-u, Glass'la scotch-u, eyes full'a tear-u" ring a bell with most folks!!

Mostly, I think it works because this is a song with no airs about it. It is spontaneous. It is honest. It is from the heart. Creativity comes from an external force that runs through you, it is said. The composers were possessed by a spontaneity that is probably lacking in the world these days. Most of the world today is calculating or calculated. Most of what we see and hear is packaged. Honest and original expressions are few and far in between. Kolaveri D is simply put an original, honest and spontaneous composition. It has the kind of spontaneity and disdain that a heartbroken drunkard can have for this world. Isn't it Hafiz of Persia, the famous Sufi who likened wine and love to losing your self, your ego. Wine lets you forget yourself with no regard for the world, though you wake up with a bad hangover and some shame. Love makes you forget yourself with no regard for what the world thinks of you. And you wake up with a smile. Kolaveri D captures that essence. It makes you forget the world and brings a smile on your face. It shares a simple message about the duality of this life. Love-u and Boov-u. Joy and heartbreak. All of this in a few spontaneous lines. Hand'la glass-u, Glass'la scotch-u, eyes full's tear-u.....Machha...enjoy it....