The boy in fair land.

There was a child, in a fair land. The land was wet, the land was dry. The land had friends, the land had foes. The land was growing on its tip-toes. The child was born, the child was small. He had few friends, he called them all. He called them to party, he called them to play. He called and called and he called them to stay. He shared his chocolates, he shared his games. He shared his heart with everyone one of them. He had his friends and they had him, together forever they all used to say.

A few years passed some friends were gone, the child was gone and there stood a boy. This boy was growing, the land was growing. The child grew fast, the land grew on its tip-toes. The boy that stood, had a few friends, some were old and so some were told. He called them to party and he called them to play. He called some to his home and some were kept away. He shared some pages and kept the books away, they shared some appetizers and kept the main course away. He shared his heart with very few who bargained their hearts for pleasures new. But he had his friends and they had him, together forever they still used to say.

A few years passed and most friends were gone, the boy was gone and there stood a man. The man was now in a faraway land. The man was growing, the fair land was growing. The man grew without the fair land, the land grew on its tip-toes. The man that stood had new friends, he now followed different trends. Someone in the past had bargained his heart, for some pleasure, for some pain. The man that stood now fought in wars. Wars of past, wars of the future. Some for survival some for revival. He had a few scars, he had a few friends. His friends fought the same adult wars. His new friends had scars, his old friend had scars. But none of them shared anything so far. They put their bodies on displays of perfection and hid their scars in godowns of neglection. They saw a perfect picture, they showed a perfect picture, but there were piles of scars till so so far. Only if one saw, only if one realized, only if one improvised. Only if remained only ifs. Perceptions of perfection melting through the glass of improvisations are somethings that remained hidden.

But the man had friends, and the friends had him. In a perceptively perfect land, they lived. He called them to party, he called them to play. He called and called but never to stay. He shared his experiences, but not his feelings. He shared his views, but not his thoughts. He has his friends and they have him, together forever now they never would say.

A thank you note

A four-leaf clover, a horseshoe charm, rabbit foot, goldfish, rainbows, dream catchers, to avoid misfortune an ugly evil eye and what not one collects. The things that we collect to bring luck, success prosperity and abundance. Deliberately turning our backs to things unseen, untouched. The things one can only feel and live through, with a brain in the right place. It belongs to no one, it works for no one, but the collective. Yet it cannot be called "communism" in this worlds sense. It is a part of you. It is a part of me. Flowing through your blood and mine, and all the veins that blood flows through. Upon the right hour, it raises its head, touches all the heart and goes back slowly to existing silently. To live through, as it has always lived there. To be passed on, as it was always passed on. To raise up once again, as it has through times immemorable. 

This letter does not mention any names on grounds of being unbiased and all-inclusive. It is open to interpretation. There will be several. There must be several. And it does so because there is an unselfish man who has a beautiful heart, there is a god who indulges the beautiful and there are stories from the one who indulges all. There is always the backend who everyone relies on. We also always have the sweetener to our desserts and the curator of our food. We have the man with untapped creative potential and the artists and wannabe artists. We have warm hearts from the coldest regions, dancers who beat professionals. We have music from generations, but a heart filled with passion who beats all. We have immeasurable support and uncountable helping hands. There are the ones who pray for us and the ones who bless us. 

We are one!

We are strong!

Hence, it will be wrong to call names. It will be so unfortunate to put people in boxes of their own qualities and not let their hearts explore the adventure of it all. What terrible boxes those would be! The canvas of life allows one to play so many roles, it paints your hearts and dreams. But its the most beautiful with all the colors. All one can hope is to be the best color at a time, adorn this picture and move on to the next with a different shade. Till one becomes a beautiful painting in itself. 

To all the humble hearts, I thank thee, with one hopefully equally humble. Isn't this wonderful that we move into the icy cold winters with warmth in our hearts?
I know that its all a little poetic!! Am I not allowed to be?  

The invention of Zero

Different views regarding the invention of the number 'Zero' exist. The ancient Egyptians are believed to have a decimal number system. 'Zero' is also said to be invented independently by different civilisations. India is also considered an independent inventor of 'Zero' and developer of Mathematics around it.  

The fact that who invented 'Zero' is not so important to the idea behind what made these civilisations invent it. And if some particular civilisations did, why couldn't others? It seems like a very obvious thing to account for non-existence when one is considering existence in finite terms (1,2,3...).

The key to the invention of the digit in question, lies deeper in the lifestyles of different civilisations. 

Lets consider two groups of people at present, 'Indians' and 'Germans'. 

Punctuality is a virtue in Germany. It is said that in the German way of life you own time, and you spend it. You are the sole authority of your resources and you use it at your will to achieve certain tasks. Individual is the focus in every situation. An Individual is the owner, doer and the person responsible for everything happening around him. 

Now lets consider the Indian style...

Lets make some counteracting points before we dwell deep into this. 

Indians are famous for not being punctual. There is a saying in India that everything starts at the 'Indian standard time', which is late than scheduled. Another common dialogue by any devout individual you might hear is, 'The God works through us and he has given us everything'. Also Indian tradition encourages to search for the 'God' (read goodness) in everyone. Thus, an Indian mind does not possess time, nor the resources accessible to him. He/She performs actions and dedicates them to the Higher Authorities.

When Alexander the great meets a naked sage on the banks o river Indus, he offers the sage gold and gems and all the luxury in the world. But the sage replies that he has no use of any such things. Whatever he has or had, he did not acquire it, it did not belong to him nor is he going to retain it. He replies that the universe gives us things and it takes those things away. The existence of an individual does not make some things belong to the individual. Alexander on the contrary came from a different line of thought that a person had to earn everything in his one life and everything that he earned belonged to him. He believed that every person must work to make this one life rich and worth to have lived. While the Sage believed that this life is just a part of a big cycle and it has to do its role on the big canvas. 

These contrasting belief systems, according to me determined the invention of zero. Where in some civilisations the idea that the individual holds nothing and does nothing according to his own accord are imbibed. The ideas of ownership and belonging are the key to other. The idea of nothingness, non-existence or not non-possessiveness gave rise to the invention of 'Zero'. And the lack of such a ideology led others to be completely unaware of a digit. Thus, the invention of zero represents more a bridge from philosophy to mathematics and a little less the advanced mathematical concepts it enables the mankind to perform. :)