Not sure if I am a religious and God-fearing – but

I open Gita every day and read couple of slokas and try to understand them, for it gives me peace and depth in life

Not sure if I am a religious and God-fearing – but

I sit in Pooja room and enjoy fumes of Agarbattis and burning camphor; for it make me lighter and keener

Not sure if I am a religious and God-fearing – but

I listen to Suprabaatam with deep devotion and attention, though I do not understand the meaning of it

Not sure if I am a religious and God-fearing – but

I visit temples for I like the deep and divine smells and sounds in the inner temple and faithful people around

Not sure if I am a religious and God-fearing – but

I undergo certain fasting disciplines on certain days and months as I feel good and pat myself my self-restraint

Not sure if I am a religious and God-fearing – but

I truly believe it is a way of life handed down from our ancestors to keep us happy, healthy and peaceful  

Moment of life

For all the standing you have, what would you really stand for

Of all the full throttle voice you are proud of, what do you lend it for

In every single whiff of breath you take in, what are you living in for

For every involuntary beat of heart, what is the worthy wish you wish for

Through the churn of conscious mind, what is the dream you are building

Hardened myself to complete half marathon at the entrance of ICRISAT

But after seeing the vast expanse of open land dotted with green

Fields and ponds, the hard self turned soft and the soft soul hardened

And I strayed off main cemented roads and ventured into mud roads

To enjoy the oasis of beauty chiselled by human endeavour and nature.

I have almost covered outer boundary of 1400 hectors of the campus.

I have encountered never seen birds like storks, variety of parrots and pigeons.

Diverse set of crops and multitude of agriculture practices, unique farm implements.

What a place -- a true place for making possible the simultaneity of excitement and soothing

A small quant. for weekend chewing. Assume you are 25 years old and so you can only look back 25 years into your past. So, you are biological product of two people, your parents. So you carry genes of two people. What if you look back into 50 years window?  you carry genes of 6 people - your 2 parents and 4 grandparents (2^1+2^2). Similarly, past window of 75 years and 100 years translate to 14 people and 30 people respectively. So from the ‘simple past’ of just last 100 years, you carry genes of 30 people and in 200 years, you carry a gene pool of 500 odd people. Isn’t it amazing??? When it is said that each one of us is unique, perhaps, biologically and historically, it is the genepool that is distinctly unique. The formula can be generalized to (n=1 to N/25) Sigma(2^n), n take only discreet values of multiples of 25, 25 years being roughly one generational span. This formula might hold good for few hundred years, but I guess, consanguineous marriages, few adventurous males, geographic limitations and common ancestors would have distorted the equation greatly. Just like explosion come in the way of exponential nuclear fissions, some of the natural phenomena would have stopped the uniqueness ‘thing’. Otherwise, 1000 years back, as per the equation, there were no one trillion people (2+….+2^(1000/25)).

In short and sweet, it is a nice feeling for the weekend that you carry unique genepool of 125 plus people since first war of independence (1857) :D. Do the math yourself.

It is quite poignant moment in writing obituary for my ABN AMRO/RBS account

It was opened just like any other account never knowing it would acquire giant proportions

Countless debits every month, but one timely sizeable-credit-replenish would annul all of them

Served me faithfully 12 long years selflessly and a mute spectator of personal and professional gr owth

Has seen rupees , seen dollars and multiple exchange rates only to make me better off

Transacted my house, few fertile lands and barren sites and few years of comfort – you are such an altruistic account

Stood behind me through thick and thin and you grew thicker when I was made to grow thinner, a selfless pal

Just because you were healthy and strong, I was confident to go to tourist places; would not have done otherwise

You were never shy of big ticket payments, school fees, jewellery purchases, family tours, mobile and automobile purchases

You were always there; without you, I would have been reduced to faceless and listless entity

During weekends and long vacations, inner soul was full of piece and piety with impregnable bulwark of your presence.

My signature was otherwise a deranged scribble, but you made it weighty bearer check

Will remember you forever as you gave me lifelong comfort and peace.

I am sure you will resurrect in another form and in another bank to bestow me even greater peace and comfort

ఓ జీవితమా నువ్వు ఎవరువు, నీ గతి ఎటు?
పగటిపూట ఆరుబయట వెల్లకిలా పడుకొని
ఎత్తుతెలియని నింగిలోకిచూస్తుంటే కంటికి
ఆకాశానికి మద్యలో తిరుగుతున్న నిరాకార
వలయాల ఆకృతివా

ఓ జీవితమా నువ్వు ఎవరువు, నీ గతి ఎటు?
ధ్యానం అంటే తెలుసుకుందామని బాసిబట్టం
ఏసుకొని మనసును లగ్నంచేసి కూర్చుని ఉంటే
బుర్రలో తిరిగే ఆలోచనల సుడిగుండానివా

ఓ జీవితమా నువ్వు ఎవరువు, నీ గతి ఎటు?
ధట్టమైన కారడివిలొ కాలం తెలియని మానుల
ఊడల మధ్యన తెల్లవారున లెక్కతెలియని పక్షుల
కిలకిలరావాలలో వినబడే హంసా ధ్వనివా

ఓ జీవితమా నువ్వు ఎవరువు, నీ గతి ఎటు?
రశాయనిక శాస్త్రజ్ఞుని  మదిలో మెరిసిన మెరుపును
ఏదో తెలియని పదార్ధాలతో పరికరాలలొ కలిపి
తెలియనంతసేపు వెడిచెసి తెలిసినంత సేపు
చల్లర్చి ఏదో క్రొత్త రకంగా కదిలిస్తూ చేసిన
ప్రక్రియలో ఏర్పడిన చలనయుత చేతనానివా

ఓ జీవితమా నువ్వు ఎవరువు, నీ గతి ఎటు?
ఎక్కడో సుదూర అంతరిక్షసీమలో గ్రహాల సమక్షంలో
ఉల్కశకలాల మధ్యలో అనంత చుక్కలు నడుమ
కోట్ల సూర్యచంద్రుల శాక్షిగా స్వేచ్చగా విహరిస్తున్న
నవచైతన్య శక్తియుక్తి స్వరూపానివా

Transliteration
[

O jeevitamaa nuvvu evaruvu, nee gati eTu?

pagaTipUTa ArubayaTa vellakilaa paDukoni

ettuteliyani ningilOkichoostunTE kanTiki

aakaaSaaniki madyalO tirugutunna niraakaara

valayaala aakRtiVaa

O jeevitamaa nuvvu evaruvu, nee gati eTu?

dhyaanam anTE telusukundaamani baasibaTTam

Esukoni manasunu lagnamchEsi koorchuni unTE

burralO tirigE aalOchanala suDigunDaanivaa

O jeevitamaa nuvvu evaruvu, nee gati eTu?

dhaTTamaina kaaraDivilo kaalam teliyani maanula

ooDala madhyana tellavaaruna lekkateliyani pakshula

kilakilaraavaalalO vinabaDE hamsaa dhwanivaa

O jeevitamaa nuvvu evaruvu, nee gati eTu?

raSaayanika Saastrajnuni  madilO merisina merupunu

EdO teliyani padaardhaalatO parikaraalalo kalipi

teliyanantasEpu veDichesi telisinanta sEpu

challarchi EdO krotta rakangaa kadilistuu chEsina

prakriyalO ErpaDina chalanayuta chEtanaanivaa 

O jeevitamaa nuvvu evaruvu, nee gati eTu?

ekkaDO sudoora antarikshaseemalO grahaala samakshamlO

ulkaSakalaala madhyalO ananta chukkalu naDuma

kOTla sUryachandrula Saakshigaa swEchchagaa viharistunna

navachaitanya Saktiyukti swaruupaanivaa

] 

Obituary

My office enclosure was little boring in the evenings

Work cubicle right across the corner was unoccupied

It was pleasant to sit in the open cube and working

I was getting interrupted by this gentle smiling face

It was his night work shift catching up on his hiring

Chander was little uncommon name, either Chandra

Or, Chadram or Chandranna are common names,

I said matter of factly, and reciprocate his funny giggle

How the hiring scenario changed with all the Trumpy

Restrictions, he used to detail out the difficulties

This earthly and unassuming soul is simply disappeared

Cruelty of fate unkindly ended a crest of life in high wave

I can never have mundane talk with this soul about simple

things in life, his name, his surname Yamjala, his night work,  

May his spirt rest in peace and courage prevail on his loved ones

నా అంతరంగం కదిలినట్లయింది

నాలోని జీవం లేచివచ్చింది

నిబిడమై ఉన్న జవసత్వా ఉవ్వెత్తున ఎగిసాయి

ఎదో క్రియాశక్తి ప్రకంపనలు లేపింది

నరనరాల్లో జడమైఉన ఉత్సహం పెల్లుబికింది

ఒక ఉత్క్రుష్టమైన ఆనందం అణువణువున అల్లుకుంది 

ఇదేనేమో ఒక మనిషికి ఇంకొక మనిషి మీద ఉన్న

స్నేహం, అభిమానం, మమతానురాగం ఇష్టం 

ఈ భావనను ఇన్ని పదాల్లొ చెప్పగలిగినప్పటికి 

ఆ తియ్యని అనుభూతి మాటల్లొ వర్ణించడం దుర్లభమే!!