Law of the universe

A friend told me last night that we are responsible for everything that happens to us, EVERYTHING. It made absolute sense to me. If I had to look back at the last 34 years of my life, yes, there are a few things that seemed like I had no control over. There were no options when it came to choosing my family, hence, defining my childhood, upbringing, siblings, relatives etc. But really, if I had to dig really deep into the law of the universe, is that really true?
Do we really not have any control over our lives from day one? Or do we determine that by the way we choose to live our lives right now? Will whatever I do today determine my next life in the whole cycle of reincarnation? It's an interesting theory.
Everyday, we are faced with options, and we are constantly making decisions, choosing A over B or C. These are the choices that directly affect what goes on in our lives. Have you ever had the "What if?" or "If only.." thought before? What if I had taken the train to work instead of the bus, I might have met the man of my dreams? If only I had woken up 30 minutes earlier this morning, I would not have missed my flight. Well, the list goes on. When something happens in our lives, we owe it to many things, like good or bad luck. But did we ever stop to think that we could have made it happen by the genuine power of the mind? If there was one thing that I wish I could conquer, it would have to be my own mind. It is the most powerful and wonderful part of me as a living entity in this universe.
I do not know why it took the many challenges that I have had to face to make me realise my true potential. Is this God's way of showing me my true worth? I still have a long way to go building my self esteem and understanding my mind. But it has made me want to live a better life, never repeating the same mistakes, and carry on living. Because truly, no matter how harsh life can be, it is still the greatest gift of all.

God is one

As the world faces challenges brought about by man-made reasons like differences in religion, I realise my need to reconnect with spirituality and God, who is within each and every one of us.

This song is from a movie which highlights a person's struggle to prove himself against the powers of discrimination. When all else fails, faith in God will never let you down.

Noor-e-Khuda means light of God which actually means God itself.

Noor E Khuda….

Ajnabi mod hai,
What strange times are these
Khauf har aur hai,
There’s fear everywhere
Har nazar pe dhuan chha gaya
Everything appears foggy

Pal bhar mein jaane kya kho gaya
In an instant something is lost
Aasman zard hai
The sky is pale
Aahein bhi sard hai,
Breath is frigid
Tan se saaya juda ho gaya
Shadows are separated from bodies
Pal bhar mein jaane kya kho gaya
In an instant something is lost
Saans ruk si gayi
Breath flows haltingly
Jism chhil sa gaya
Body feels like it’s been skinned
Toote khwabon ke manzar pe
On broken dreams
Tera jahan chal diya
Your world survives

Noor E Khuda Noor E Khuda
Light of God

tu kahan chhupa hai humein yeh bata
Tell us where you’re hiding

Noor E Khuda Noor E Khuda
Light of God

yun naa humse nazarein phira.
Please don’t turn away from us

Noor E Khuda ..

Nazar-e-karam farma hi de
Shower your grace on us
Deen-o-dharam ko jaga hi de
Awaken mercy and goodness
Jalti hui tanhaiyaan
Burning loneliness…..
Roothi hui parchhaiyaan
Angry shadows…..
Kaisi udi yeh hawa
What sort of wind is this blowing
Chhaya yeh kaisa sama
What kind of atmosphere is this
Ruh jam si gai
The soul is frozen
Waqt tham sa gaya
Time stands still
Toote khwabon ke manzar pe
On broken dreams
Tera jahan chal diya
Your world survives

Noor E Khuda Noor E Khuda
Light of God

tu kahan chhupa hai humein yeh bata
Tell us where you’re hiding

Noor E Khuda Noor E Khuda
Light of God

yun naa humse nazarein phira.
Please don’t turn away from us

Noor E Khuda ..

Noor E Khuda ..

Ujde se lamhon ko aas teri,
Desolate moments hope for you
Zakhmi dilon ko hai pyaas teri
Wounded hearts thirst for you
Har dhadkan ko talaash teri,
Every heartbeat searches for you
Tera milta nahi hai pata,
But no one can find you
Khaali aankhein khud se sawaal karein,
Empty eyes ask each other
Aman ki cheekh behaal karein,
Peace screams in agony and pain
Behta lahoo fariyaad karein,
Rivers of blood plead with you
Tera mit ta chala hai nishaan,
Every trace of you is being wiped out
Ruh jam si gai
The soul is frozen
Waqt tham sa gaya
Time stands still
Toote khwabon ke manzar pe
On broken dreams
Tera jahan chal diya
Your world survives

Noor E Khuda Noor E Khuda
Light of God

tu kahan chhupa hai humein yeh bata
Tell us where you’re hiding

Noor E Khuda Noor E Khuda
Light of God

yun naa humse nazarein phira.
Please don’t turn away from us

Noor E Khuda ..


Noor E Khuda ..

Noor E Khuda Noor E Khuda

Light of God

aaj kal tu kahan hai yeh bataa
where are you?
Noor E Khuda Noor E Khuda
Light of God
aaj kal tu kahan hai yeh bataa
where are you?

Noor E Khuda Noor E Khuda

Light of God

Kya yeh sach hai ki tu hum se Khafa
Are you really upset with us?

Smile only if it's from the heart :-)

When a person goes through the trials and tribulations of life, it can be very easy to lose sight of the simple choices we make in our lives that make our day that much brighter. I realise that I should be thankful for what I do have and that should be reason enough to smile from the heart. Eventually the world will smile with you, and if they don't, they don't know what they are missing ;-)

72-14-0. Most of you are probably wondering what crazy form of vital statistics I refer to. Well, believe it or not, it's the simple science of frowning, smiling or choosing to be indifferent by doing neither. Yes, the "vital statistics" refer to the number of facial muscles used to perform those very actions.


Ahh, the warmth of a smile. We all know it does wonders to the unsuspecting friend, acquaintance, stranger even. My best friend and i were chatting recently about going out and meeting new people, socialising. She moved to Australia and was finding it hard making new friends. I asked her a simple question : "Do you smile at strangers?"

That got us talking. We realised that when we are in a foreign land, usually on a vacation, we take time to notice people, because they are different, and smile at them. And naturally, a smile begets a smile. Our instant interpretation of that is, "Wow, the people in this country are so friendly!". But wait just one second, does that mean the people back home are not?

When we go on a vacation, we escape the insanity of our routine lives back home and naturally we are more relaxed and HAPPY. When we are happy, smiles come naturally and the stranger on the street picks up on these things. Its sort of like a positive energy flow.

It's simple isn't it, when you actually think about it? We all need to have a positive attitude when we wake up in the morning, smile at ourselves in the mirror, the people around us and carry on with the "happy" attitude throughout the day. And when people feel the radiance from you, they will have no choice but to smile.

So go on, smile at a stranger today...

Happiness, what does it mean to you?

Another old extracted piece, it makes me wonder why I let go of certain principles...A good friend told me today, he needs to embark on a journey of self 're'discovery...I think I need too as well...


Happiness - defined as pleasure, contentment, satisfaction, cheerfulness, merriment, gaiety, joy, joyfulness, joviality, jollity, glee, delight, good spirits, lightheartedness, well-being, enjoyment; exuberance, exhilaration, elation, ecstasy, jubilation, rapture, bliss, blissfulness, euphoria, transports of delight.


Wow, what a barrage of words to describe a simple emotion. But truly, how does one know the actual feeling of happiness? How, when and why does one experience this state of mind, or is it more a state of heart?

A friend once asked me, why do we define happiness in material ways? Is it true? Do we tell ourselves that we will be happy once we attain that perfect career, big beautiful home, fancy car, found the perfect person to spend our lives with... etc etc (the list is endless for some)? And if so, does that mean we forbid ourselves to be happy now, having not achieved all that we want because there is always something better around the corner?

I surely hope not! If I have learnt anything at all in my thirtysomething years of life on planet earth (i know, i know, it does not make me an authority on the subject but nevertheless...), life itself should be about living in the moment...

The warmth of the morning sun, the smile of a child, the beauty of a perfect rose, the sheer joy of indulging in a pint of ben & jerry's (yummm) - all of life's simple yet blissful pleasures. So, if you feel happy today, embrace that emotion for goodness sake, don't wait for what might make you happ"ier" tomorrow!

And is happiness overrated? On the contrary - it's underrated and quite possibly misunderstood.



*Dragonfly's's so called "words of wisdom" comes from many lengthy conversations with many close and dear friends who spend hours talking about life and how its just like that box of chocolates...You never know what you're gonna get...*

Through my eyes

I went back to an old blog I used to maintain (and eventually forgot about) and picked out this piece about something close to my heart, travel.

India - an exotic land filled with tradition, culture and not to mention, the second largest population in the world. My recent trip to my native motherland brought about a roller coaster of emotions within me. I was surrounded by wealth, progress, the direct effects of globalisation and modernisation. And at the very same time, poverty, suffering and the absence of basic necessities.Travel through foreign lands leaves a thousand different memories, and true enough, my journey through the southern state of Tamil Nadu has left many vivid images in the mind. The ones that remain closest to my heart revolve around the little children of this vast land.Yes, I was incredibly touched by the faces of the young and innocent little beings who came my way. The culture shock was pretty apparent on my first day in India when I was approached by a young boy selling handmade beaded bags on the busy streets of Pondy Bazaar in Chennai. My first thoughts was, "Why is this young boy peddling on the street when he should be in school, where are his parents, why this, why that?" I was very disturbed. The realisation that this deprivation was the norm in India dawned on me. This was probably his chance at survival and a better life. It made me wonder about how we take for granted the luxuries back home.After visiting a few temples on our pilgrimage, I became accustomed to the many beggars who would crowd us asking for money. Most of them were women carrying their young babies. On one such occasion in Rameshwaram, a gypsy woman came running to us after we had completed our ritual bath in the ocean and wells of the sacred temple. She asked me for my old clothes and something about her sincerity in asking for clothes and not money, touched me, and I told her to wait for me while I showered and changed my clothes. When I did eventually go back to the same spot, she was waiting for me with her baby in her arms and as I handed her my old salwar, her baby gave me the most incrdible smile and reached out to touch me. How can one forget that cute little bubbly face? I was blessed by the woman to come back to Rameshwaram with my own bubbly baby soon. I went away feeling elated at the thought of bringing smiles to a few people. My day was made.It was the rainy season in Tamil Nadu and there was rain and floods everywhere. In the bleakness of the incessant rains, I caught glimpse of a young boy, 12 at most in age, carrying a little puppy and his face was a picture of joy and excitement. Another puppy rescue mission I witnessed in a temple Kanchipuram. This time a little gypsy girl carrying her little puppy away with that exact look of excitement. And I wondered, who rescued whom?Children will always be children, caste, creed, social status and all that BS do not mean anything to them. It was so evident when I caught sight of a little gypsy boy in Chidambaram. He looked absolutely comfortable wearing no clothes at all, playing with a stach of empty match boxes. And what was he doing? Lining them up to form a train and pushing them along the floors of the temple courtyard but careful as well not lose sight of his family close by. And one thought ran through my mind, "My little 3 year old back home does the same thing with anything he lands his hands on, bags, boxes, baskets - they all form little choo choo trains. And here, in a far off land, is this little boy who has the same idea. Children have the most untainted minds and how I wish they could remain that way."Travel makes a person grow, mentally and emotionally. It opens your eyes to the basic fact that we are not alone on earth, we share it with people from many other lands filled with many other cultures. And travel leaves these beautiful mental images in our minds and hearts.

Change begins with me

She draws a deep breath as she walks down the familiar path, the night warm and the atmosphere bustling. Her mind goes down a different path, one which she has been avoiding for a while now. She has gone through this cycle before, one of anger and hatred. And she is annoyed that she is here again.

A few months ago, her life fell apart. She had felt angry but she put that feeling aside, became numb and did what she had to do. And it worked. She was efficient, she made the right decisions and started to build a life again for her and her kids. She went through a wave of relief and many mistook that for happiness but she was just grateful that she had got out of a horrible situation.

But she forgot that she had chosen not to feel and never let herself get closure. And today as she lets herself feel, it comes flooding back. Good to feel again, but now, she knows that she needs to manage those feelings before they engulf her and take over the control that she has gotten used to. She does not like what anger does to her, she does not like how it makes her behave with others, and essentially how it makes her feel. Unhappy. She tells her kids, when they misbehave, they can choose to sulk and remain unhappy for the rest of the day OR choose to be happy with what they do have and have a good day. Its time she took her own advice. Move on and make a conscious effort to be happy and not let anger and hatred take over. And for that she realises, she has to do the most difficult task yet, to forgive and let go.

Acknowledgement and knowing what to do is the first step, she tells herself. Now its time to put it into practice. Happiness is free, and it lies in the choices that we make every day.

A Haunting Melody

This is a beautiful song from a movie I just watched about love and how it can leave a deep impression on everyone who has been fortunate enough to experience it. The song is in Tamil and this is my version of the English translation.

Will You Forgive Me?

I was a fish in the ocean
I crossed the shores to come onto land, just for you
I strived and struggled
Then, I returned to my familiar ocean

Chorus :
One day I smiled
The next day I was filled with hatred
I buried you alive
Will you forgive me, forgive me

My love, I stumbled while walking,
I became a raindrop at the end of a piece of thread,
You have transformed me into a poet,
You are the distant light,
I gravitate towards you,
What do I do with my heart,
That aches, yearns and longs only for you?

I am a small ripple in running water,
You are the moisture within,
My wish was granted but I let it go,
Will you forgive me, my love?

I was a blank piece of paper fluttering in the breeze,
You filled me with a beautiful poem,
Beginning and ending with love,
My entire life shall be with you.

Chorus :
One day I smiled
The next day I was filled with hatred
I buried you alive
Will you forgive me, forgive me?

This is a verse from Thirukural:

Love cannot be contained or confined;
A person in love will feel the pain of their loved one.

Another verse from Thirukural:

One who doesn't love is self obsessed;
One who loves would even be willing to part with their lives

Why did you come into my life, my dear?
Will you vanish like an illusion?
When everyone sleeps at night,
My pillows are drenched with tears.

Chorus :
One day I smiled
The next day I was filled with hatred
I buried you alive
Will you forgive me, forgive me?

My love, I stumbled while walking,
I became a raindrop at the end of a piece of thread,
You have transformed me into a poet,
You are the distant light,
I gravitate towards you,
What do I do with my heart,
That aches, yearns and longs only for you?