Niyuta

Niyuta: One can tell the personality differences between the age-groups. When art was compulsory in the elementary school curriculum, more children grew up as thinkers, and leaders with high humanitarian traits than the periods which came after the Art became an optional subject. Today, Technocrats rule the business world and we have so much discouraging outlook towards the progress of humanity. Rising cruelty and lack of empathy for refugees and displaced humanity, shows that educational institutions throughout the world, have become factories.

Niyuta: Elections are over and a President is in charge of a mighty nation. Debates are raging- Why things happened the way they did; I reflect on the whole phenomena of competing for power. I feel who wins and who loses is not the question; but how one wins, is the question. It seems in the realm of human endeavors, greed, often becomes the driving force and end justifies the means. If that is acceptable to most of us, then, why call ourselves Homo sapiens? Animals live by that rule out of survival necessity; not greed. How then we claim ourselves to be evolved beings is beyond my understanding of who we really are and what really set us apart from the other species. Civilizations have come and gone and their history has become irrelevant with the passage of time and advancement of technology . We overcome nature, discover secrets hidden in the elements and yet, we see our own behaviors matching those of beasts, but unlike the Homo sapiens, in the animal species, it is the way of living and a necessity of increasing chances of survival of the species. What then one could explain to an alien from another galaxy who we are and why we decimate our own kind and destroy the future of our planet? How many Millenniums must pass before a true Homo sapient being will emerge Too many questions- very few answers forthcoming and I wonder, if I will ever have them in my lifetime.

Niyuta: In few hours, year 2016 will be a history and we will welcome 2017; the New Year. I am grateful for passing of one more year with its ups and downs like everyone else. Feels good that I managed to get over the writer's block and ending 2016 with addition to my Poetry Book,"Random Reflections", one more poem-." Lipizzaner Stud Piber (Dancing Horses of Spain)".
Feels bad that I failed to do proof reading of two novels in print since 2015-"Samsara. A Complete Circle." & "Room Number-420". I wanted them to come in the market for this year's Christmas, but change in circumstances after April, stopped me in my tracks. When my heart is heavy and I feel life is going to pass me by, I reach out to collections of poems and read Henry Wordsworth Longfellow's poem:
A Psalm of Life
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world?s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe?er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,? act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o?erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o?er life?s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
*************************************************
It brings back the positive force that diminishes with the past strife and hopes of doing better in the new year,
gains the heights. Happy New year to all my fellow travelers.

Niyuta: Indeed, so much importance for a biodegradable body and so little attention to the spirit within.

Niyuta: Art is a universal phenomena! No one culture, nation, society can have a claim on any segment of it. African Drums reverberate in every percussion sound, Indian raga touch is often evident in the symphonies of Beethoven and operatic music of Wagner, and Latin rhythms bring all together. Culture is not a broach one would adorn to complete the ensemble; it is a reflection of who you are and is never advertised, it is subtly present in one's idiosyncrasies

Niyuta: After almost four months I am making efforts to crawl back to my writing. Personal tragedy in my family dumped enormous burden on my shoulders and now I am fighting to overcome mental as well as physical fatigue. Hope to revive my spirit and become active on Fanstory again. I hope you all my precious friends, have not given up on me.

Niyuta: To the river of eternal life I struggle to reach.
Death is only a pause for my soul to catch a breath.-Niyuta

Niyuta: It is a natural thing not to notice own behavior unless forced by the consequences. Introspection is not a common trait among human being; it requires a discipline of 'Self Awareness'; that too begins with an inquiry- 'Ko Aham? (who am I?).

Niyuta: There is a difference in 'Loneliness' and Aloneness. Former is painful state of mind that often leads to suicide; the later is a yogic state of mind achieved by knowing the Self-that 'I' within you. It requires systematic adaptation of the practice, proper technique of meditation and self-sufficiency; only then one becomes peaceful and Alone, no matter where one is at any moment. Desires and attachments prevents one from achieving it, but once achieved, it opens up that vista of tranquility and vision of the Self, one can never leave. It is a quest that Prince Gautama undertook to become Gautama Buddha.

Niyuta: Hurts just don't disappear nor can they be wished out of mind; they are cured by the kindness, empathy and love received during our existence. In spite of the scarred psyche, the pain goes away with it.

Niyuta: Mindset, just like rust is the oxidized iron, is a product of toxicity of a person's mind. Like chrome protects the iron from rusting; the coating of reasoning, sense of equality, sense of justice and compassion for all living, protects mind from becoming toxic- mindset on the right path then becomes a virtue.

Niyuta: I often feel spiritualism has become a cliche. I write on the Speekingtree.in.com lengthy responses to some one else's blog and get many praises but then I question myself am I a fraud? Do I really believe in all that stuff or I am just a well read person simply regurgitating what I read or heard from other source. As a writer, I should not have such feelings I wonder how many will agree with me.