Author: Adi Sathe

  • Starting a new

    Starting a new

    86272169_10156732813596056_5804646281909370880_nIt has been days for me turning that page. I put the full stop on our relationship. You know how difficult it is to move on and start a new life. When there is no further page to turn, you have to accept the end. We had such a good time together. But alas, the journey has its destination. Wait, wasn’t I aware of this destination since the beginning? Ever since I took that first step with her, back of the mind I was always staging for the moment when we reach the end of this road.

    Isn’t it obvious for a book? If you open the cover and dived in the amazing world created by an author, there is always “the end” written on the last page of the book. Have you ever felt that you are in the same world with those characters? Witnessing those scenes written on pages in your hand, hearing voices of characters speaking dialogues scripted for them? There are a few books which have taken me in their world. And I must say, they are magnificent. Valentia created by Rajamayyoor Sharma is on top of my head as far as Indian fiction is concerned while James Clavel has taken me to medieval Japan. I have roamed in London with Sherlock and Poirot. 

    However, the journey in those realms, started from the cover page, has its end marked. The author takes the characters by hand and takes them to their destination by the end of the book. They fulfill their destiny. If a writer chooses to give happy moments at the end, we enjoy them. If it’s a tragedy, characters at least get closure at the end. But hey dude, you forgot to write something for me? What about my destiny at the end? What about my share of the closure? Haven’t you thought about me as an uninvited traveler of this journey when you wrote a book?

    This is my condition when I turn that last page of every fascinating book. I need more time to come out of the world between those covers. I know it’s crazy to some other level, but hey my fellow bibliophiles, aren’t we all crazy in the same way? Just like some love yearning person, I fell for a new world. I get pulled to the bookshelf. Aroma of those printed pages always fascinates me. It entices me to pick up a new book and start anew.

  • मन आज़ाद है…

    मन आज़ाद है…

    PicsArt_10-04-04.01.28
    Sunset colors, Photo by Aditya

    मन आज़ाद है।
    भलेही पैरोमें पड़ी है बेड़ी, वास्तविकता की,
    फिरभी वह आज़ाद है।

     

    अपने आपको सूक्ष्म करके, खिसक जाता है,
    इस जालीदार पिंजरेसे,
    ऊंचा उड़ता है, किसी बाज़की तरह।
    अपनी पैनी तीखी नजरे नीचे जमींके हालतपर जमाए हुए घूमता रहता है।

    कभी अचानकसे एक मंझे हुए गोताखोरकी तरह झपट्टा मारता है, और फिर उड़ जाता है अपनी शिकार को पैरोंमें फसाए हुए।
    कभी यह शिकार होती है किसी हदसेकि जो कोई कहानी बनके उतर आती है कागज़पे,
    तो कभी कोई बेचैनी पकड़ी जाती है उन मजबूत पैरोंतले जिसका दर्द कोई कविता का रूप ले लेता है।

    जब सांझ होती है और आसमान हल्का गुलाबी, केसरिया हो जाता है, तो बाज़ लौट आता है।
    इसी जालीके पिंजरेसे होते हुए जब अंदर आता है,
    तब वहां, सिर्फ एक मानवी शरीर मिलता है, भावनाओसे सराबोर…

  • A table for two: Photo Series

    A table for two: Photo Series

    Food and drinks have always been a major factors for people to have intimate one on one conversations. Relationships bloomed between friends, colleagues, partners and even formal business associates over a cup of coffee, shared plate of snacks or a couple of drinks. Amazing and cozy cafes and hotels around town help to create these experiences. I thought of sharing such cozy places through this photo series with the hashtag of #ATableForTwo. Hope you will enjoy these cozy corners and visit them to enjoy the vibe.

    1. The Fat Labrador Cafe, Bavdhan, Pune

    2. Chai Tapri, Thatte Nagar, Nashik

    3. Tayo Cafe, Indore

    4. Krozzon, Indore

    5. The Farm Life – Cafe & Store, Off S B Road, Pune

    6. Namgay Artisanal Brewery, Paro, Bhutan

    7. Citrus Cafe, Lemon Tree Hotel, Siliguri

    This series ignited a spark in one of my dear friend Deep Kandekar, who took some pictures following the same theme which she shared with me and allowed me to put them in front of you. So here is a couple of those pictures.

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  • Only a limitless now

    Only a limitless now

    PicsArt_09-10-01.06.37It has been more than two years since I finished reading “Shogun“, the first book of ‘The Asian Saga’ series of James Clavell. It introduced me to a feudal systems of Medieval Japan. The book revolves around the first British sailor – pilot who crashes on Japanese coast and a very powerful daimyo Lord Yashi Toronaga who is a main contender in a race to the Shogunate. Japanese philosophy is scattered throughout the book in a form of various quotes and dialogues between various characters. However one particular thought stayed with me the most.

    “How beautiful life is and how sad! How fleeting, with no past and no future, only a limitless now.”

    Lord Toranaga, thinks when he is pondering about his situation in whole feudal system and a race to the Shogunate, the arrival of  the Englishman in his province, possibility of clash between the Englishman and the Portuguese Christians at the same time. 

    “Live in the moment” is what we have always been told when one starts to dwell in the past or is daydreaming about the future. Brooding over what we missed in the past is not going to help us unless and until we learn from it and move on. At the same time, thinking about the future just enough to plan for our today’s action is perfectly alright, in fact, is necessary to be successful. However, dwelling either in the past or in future always make us lose the joy of the present.

    I remember a very heart touching scene from an animation movie Kung Fu Panda where Master Oogway gives his last and best teachings for Po, the Dragon Warrior. “There’s a saying, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the ‘present’”. Teachings of Master Oogway and the pondering thought of Lord Toronaga share the same belief. 

    We have always been taught to keep working on your job in hand, neither think about what fruits our efforts will bear nor worry about if we have missed something in the past. Unnecessary worry of future and regretting the past will only make us lose the moment in hand. In a way just like Clavell said, life is a very sad thing which lasts only for a moment. We can’t control the future nor can we change the past. But at the same point, it is very beautiful if we enjoy that moment. The only thing in our hand, is to live in “a limitless now”.

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  • On religion

    On religion

    PicsArt_08-13-07.16.20Knowing something about Egypt, a country which is far away and boasts one of the ancient civilizations of this world was always on my mind. Recently, I found an anthology of essays written by an Egyptian author of a best seller, ‘Cairo trilogy’ and a Nobel laureate, Naguib Mahfouz. This Anthology, “The meaning of civilization” comprises essays on culture, religion and politics.

    One quote in particular, “Religion is neither a science nor a branch of knowledge, it is a spiritual teaching whose essence becomes manifest through social intercourse, behaviour and vision.” is from the essay published on 8th June 1974, ‘Religion and school.’ Even though, this essay particularly talks about the way schools in Egypt were engaged in teaching the Holy Quran in the 70s, this sentence resonated with me.

    Drawing a parallel between the religious journeys of Egypt and the Indian sub continent,  both have witnessed multifarious changes in religion and philosophy throughout their respective histories. In the case of the Indian sub continent, there were witnessed the glorious ages of Hinduism during the Vedic era,  the rise of new ways of life in the form of Buddhism and Jainism, the integration of Parsis and sustained Islamic rule. Not to mention the deep impact the Colonial era also had on the religious equation of this country.

    In today’s world, we witness the madness happening around the globe in the name of religion. Religious fanaticism raises its ugly head in every part of the world with various such groups preaching their own brand of extreme religion. Consequently the less fanatic or hardlined individual is clueless as to what his/her religion is all about. We are witnessing a total disconnect from spirituality as we lack a vision as a religious person, religion has now been  reduced to a few rituals. The social intercourse through which religions evolved and provided individuals with the opportunity of a fulfilling and spiritual journey, has now halted. This blind ritual-centric behaviour has turned us away from this journey. 

    I agree with what Mr. Mahfouz is saying, religion is not a subject to be taught at school. It should be handed over to a child from his/her family with proper care and the freedom to be a theologist. One needs to study the religion and their personal relationship with the idea of God. Religion is not something absolute like 2+2 = 4. There is always a study involved, following the interpretation which leads to realisation. I remember the verse from a Marathi abhang by Sant Sohirobanath (18th century saint of Nath Sampraday, from the Sawantwadi area of Southern Konkan, Maharashtra)

    संत संगतीने समज, आणून मनी पुरते उमज,

    अनुभवावीण मान हालवू नको रे।।

    It literally means “first you learn from someone knowledgeable, ponder upon those learnings and don’t accept unless and until you experience the truth behind those thoughts.”

    One should follow these steps to understand and believe in something. Religion is not a thing which you should accept blindly. The attitude, “बाबा वाक्यम् प्रमाणं।” (The words of the elders are the ultimate truth) will lead to a disastrous life. So let all of us start being observant, think about the teachings of our elders, meditate and ponder the meaning with a fine tooth comb and then accept whatever is agreeable to you. Let’s try to make religion a spiritual again.

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  • A negative neon

    A negative neon

    PicsArt_08-29-02.06.38I am reading this very interesting book by an Austrelian – Kashmiri food writer turned author, Sarina kamini – “Spirits in a Spice Jar”. It is her memoir of a journey of rediscovering her roots. It says for Sarina’s Kashmiri family, food is love, love is faith, and faith is family. I reached the point in a book where Sarina is readying herself to once again accept who she is, where her roots are. And she says, 

    “That instead of being known by the sum of all the things that I am, I have become framed by the sum of all the things that I am not. A life scratched in negative neon.”

    These lines hit me hard. In those words, she is explaining her struggle of defining herself with “I am not one of them”. Many a times, in our lives, we tend to define ourselves in exclusionary terms. I am not this, I am not that, We don’t do such things. This generates preconceived bios about the community, race or any social group from which we are excluding ourselves from. It’s ok when we try to exclude ourselves from antisocial elements like thieves, frauds and cons. It won’t create any social strife. 

    However, when we start excluding from our fellow citizens based on particular habit of doing things in a certain way, we saw seeds of descrimination. Even though the criteria of exclusion is as simple and small as use of small amount of sugar / jaggery in savoury dishes. When a child is exposed to such statements very often, it may develop a strong beliefs about that particular point.

    Instead of defining ourselves in terms of “We aren’t like this” or “We don’t do that”, if we start defining in terms of who we are, I believe, we will start developing as an individual as well as society because having a positive identity always helps. It makes you self aware. It creates confidence about talents, good characters and values when we define ourselves based on these things. It is always good to tell “Be like him / her” rather than “Don’t be like him / her.” 

    In the age of social strife and discomfort, this “inclusive identity” will serve as a key to the happy and thriving society. I hardly doubt that there will be anyone who won’t desire for such happy and thriving society. Let’s all start creating this “Inclusive Identity” and wish for happiness…

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