Poetic Scribblings: 30 Nov 2010

हर वक़्त ज़िन्दगीके,
दायरेपे खड़ा हूँ |
क्या पता किस कदम,
उसे लांघ जावूँ |

Ganesh Bagler(30 Nov 2010; Diary Notes)

Gravity

"Why is thought, being a secretion of the brain, is more wonderful than gravity, a property of the matter?—Charles Darwin
(Ref: "Phantoms in the Brain"—V S Ramachandran; pp. 227)
(Links to: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; Calvin and Hobbes Cartoon)

"But, is gravity a property of matter or a product of secretion of brain!?"—Ganesh Bagler

Lunar Eclipse Snap

This is a multiple exposure snap of lunar eclipse that Amit Adhikari and I took from the terrace of "Abhigyan" (graduate student residence of CCMB, Hyderabad, India) with Amit's camera. 9th November 2003.

I am deliberately posting digitally concocted image processed in GIMP; which shows the way we actually intended to expose the film. :)

Why play?

This note is based on newspaper cuts from an interview of Indian ace badminton player Aparna Popat. She expresses a basic doubt that could cross the mind of practitioner of any similar discipline. That includes workers in science, sports; or in general anyone who, even at times, feels is caught in a rut.

While the context here is that of badminton, the "place of being" from where Aparna asks following question is quite universal and could easily be connected to. "What do we do in this game? We just seem to be hitting the shuttle again and again for 10 or 15 years!" Essentially asking, Why play?

Almost as an answer to the question Aparna says, "No two strokes are ever the same; no two points are ever the same. You are constantly playing mind games with the opponent and that's the fun of it. Otherwise, it would be very boring."

Ganesh Bagler (20 January 2004; CCMB Diary Notes)

Ask me

Ask me not where all I've been,

Ask me where do I come from;

Ask me not what all I've seen,

Ask me what I hold within.

                                     —Ganesh Bagler 

पुछो ना हमसे हम आयें कहाँसे,
पुछो नज़ारे क्या देखे हैं हमने;
ना पुछो क्या-क्या गुजरी हैं हमपे,
ये पुछो क्या-कुछ समेटा है हमने,
हर इक कदम पे.

                     —गणेश बागलेर

shade of innocence

Carpe Diem