When I was a kid, it was all about the littlest of things… Getting new books, new bags, new rainy footwear, new raincoat/umbrella… and then going to school during the rains, meeting friends after a whole two months, playing in the water, jumping around in the muck …

The monsoons have always marked a special place for me… somehow, every monsoon has brought something special for me. And it generally comes with a mixed surprise. These things bring out the best in me, and they’re generally so strong that the hold the potential to turn my life upside down. And every time I am in a slightly unstable state, and it rains, my thoughts overpower me and I feel my life turning upside down…

It so happens that we may be at a point in our life when everything is going the way it is supposed to… everything seems just right. And we don’t wanna screw it up. But invariably circumstances bring us to a point wherein we know some things are not in the best interests as they should be in.

But a lot of times we end up doing something stupid. We ignore those facts. We are not ready to accept the truth. We feel that unless we accept the truth and acknowledge it, it does not become true. And hence we pretend that everything is alright, and as it should be.

All our actions are based and governed on our instinct… And as living creatures, our basic instinct is protecting ourselves… And here, protecting ourselves also means making our lives more comfortable. Our protective nature extends to our loved ones too. So basically, whatever actions we take, are just to protect ourselves, or our loved ones or for betterment of our lives.

Our actions/decisions are mostly based on our feelings and not rationality or logic. And for good reason. Many times when we are faced with important decisions, we are in a tight position with two options. Do what is right, and do what feels right. Seldom does it happen that both these decisions overlap.

And the downfall of the “RIGHT” decision is that there is a very high chance of hurting ourselves or our loved ones. Hence we choose the safer option… We do what “FEELS RIGHT”.

And most of the times, it works out just fine for us… but at times when it doesn’t, things can get pretty ugly. For us and for the people around us.

Just like this, I know some things are meant to be. It’s a strong feeling, which tells you that certain things will last… no matter what… I know someone, who is so pure of heart and so selfless that he can be the most generous and giving to even the people who are not even deserving of his acts. That’s a level of selflessness which I have hardly seen in the people around me, and something which I am not even close to as far as my nature goes…

This post is a tribute to one of the most wonderful human being I know… My friend Shreyas…

We have been through a lot, have had our share of ups and downs… but even through all that, even in the times where we were not on talking terms, I knew, deep down, that if I am in need, he will be there… no matter what. He is that giving and forgiving…. I think it just comes with being Shreyas.

I don’t know why I chose today, but I want to say that it has been an honour knowing you, and it is my greatest pleasure knowing that I have you as my friend.

And even though we hardly speak and rarely see each other, I know for a fact, that if I am in need, wherever I may be, I will find you by my side at that time… Cheers to us mate…

I added my entire music from my PC onto iTunes and was playing it on random. A song played… one I haven’t heard in a long time……. A long long time…. The time I was introduced to the song was around 4 years back and I was staying in the hostel at that time. But I haven’t heard the song in around 2 years or more… when it played today, I was not only reminded of the things that had happened, and the fun that I have had, but even the feeling of being in the hostel for the first time, of the difficulties faced, the joy of getting water after 3 days , the calm and serene midnight and early morning walks in campus, seeing sunrise and enjoying the morning tea with friends, watching movies till late night the night before an exam, and then the feeling of getting screwed the next day …

Some things you cant explain and never experience again… but once you have, it remains… FOR EVER!!!

Thank you for the memories dEE, Avi, Aloo, Mahaguru, Ric4, Rohit, Hitesh, Sunil, Chintu, and the countless others who I cant even picture right now…

What’s so special you must be wondering… Well, I haven’t had a bubblegum in years. And I’m not talking about the minty breath fresheners, but the real deal… the fruity pink colored bubblegum…

I just popped it in my mouth…. And it all just crashed down upon me… those kiddo days… saving up the limited amount of pocket money and buying small toffees, bubblegum, stickers… tossing the sweets into our mouths and cycling down the then undeveloped roads… the wind blowing into our faces… the sense of freedom and just pure “FUN”… no bonds, no ties… it was just me, my bicycle, and my friends… and the wide open spaces… our playground…

Its strange how in our adult life, we are always in the pursuit for happiness. We are never satisfied… never happy…. Nothing is ever enough… things were so simple when we were kids. Small tiny things were enough to make us smile. Little things were enough to make our day…

But if we really think of it, it’s still the small things that give us the most wonderful pleasures. And the funny part is that we don’t even need to go searching for it… it’s always around…

Things like…
Listening to the rain outside while lying in your bed…
Finding money in a pant that you haven’t used since last year…
Accidentally hearing somebody say something good about you…
To hear a song that reminds you of a special person…
To watch the sunset from the hill top…
Feeling butterflies in the stomach every time you see THAT person…
Passing time with your best friends…
To see people that you like, feeling happy…
Taking an evening walk along the beach….
To laugh……. Laugh…….. And laugh…… Remembering stupid things done with stupid friends…

These are the best moments of Life!!!

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to be enjoyed!!!”

But we are who we are, because of the decisions that we make. Because of what we choose, because of what we decide not to choose. Because of what we have been through. And all of it comes down to the basics; that is the human nature. However predictable our decisions and actions may be, there is a high improbability about our reaction to every situation. There is always a multitude of ways in which we can possibly react. But we choose… every time… just one path. And that is how life unfolds for us.

A friend once told me, “Life unfolds before us as it is supposed to.” It is probably true. But we are the ones making the decisions for our life to unfold the way it does.

I am just completing my education now. And before me there is a wide choice of what I can do. I can choose to study further, or get a job and work. Or work for a couple of years now and then think about higher education. And even if I make any of these choices, I have many options to choose my sector for higher education, or for a job.

What I am saying is that there are many ways in which my life may unfold when I think of it. But finally when I make my decision, it’ll be me who will be deciding how things unfold for me. We normally do not realize, but even the smallest of decisions can have big effects on our lives. Taking a wrong turn for coffee, missing a lecture and going somewhere else, playing an online game, sleeping at home when I’m supposed to be out. All these small decisions that we make can lead to monumental happenings without us even meaning for them to happen.

Before I start, let me just say that this is an article for informative purpose and is not intended to offend anyone’s faith of feelings. I have just presented the beliefs that are propagated in Islam and it is not meant, in any way, to degrade or defame any other faith. Please pardon me if I make any mistakes. A lot of reading has gone in to formulate this article, and I have made sure it is accurate. But if you find any mistakes, please let me know. I will be glad to rectify.

In the name of Allah, the most merciful and kind…

Islam is the complete way of life. It is more than just a faith or belief. It is guidance to all mankind from Allah, the creator of the universe. It involves every aspect in the lifetime of a being. Islam tells us the purpose of our creation, our final destination, and our place amongst other creatures. It shows us the best way to conduct our private and public affairs; including social, political, economic, moral and spiritual activities.

Islam is an Arabic word meaning SUBMISSION AND OBIDIENCE. Submission is acceptance of Allah’s commands; and obedience is putting His commands into practice. Submission and Obedience to Allah brings peace in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. A person who accepts the Islamic way of life and lives by it is a Muslim.

The final messenger of Allah is “Muhammed-Sallallah-o-Alaihi-o-Sallam” and the final book of guidance is the “Quran”.

Islam has five basic duties which the follower of Islam must do. They are known as the five Pillars of Islam (Arkanul-Islam). These are:

1. Shahadah (The declaration of faith)
2. Salah (Five compulsory daily prayers). Also called As-Salat.
3. Sawm (Fasting in the month of Ramadhan). Also called As-Sawm.
4. Zakah (Welfare contribution). Al-Zakat.
5. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca). Al-Haj.

Let us elaborate and see what these are…

SHAHADAH

Shahadah is the declaration of faith. A follower of Islam declares his faith by reciting:

“La-Ilaha-Illallahu-Muhammadur-Rasulullah”

This means, “There is no God except Allah, and Muhammed is his messenger.”

SALAH

A follower of Islam has to pray 5 times a day, everyday, compulsorily. This prayer is called Namaz. The 5 Prayers are;

1. Fajr (Before Sunrise)
2. Zahur (Afternoon)
3. Asr (Evening)
4. Magrib (After Sunset)
5. Isha (Night)

ZAKAH

Zakah (Zakat) is the contribution we make from our savings and possessions to the society. It accounts to 2.5 percent of our cash, bank, gold, silver and jewellery, which has to be given to the poor and those in need. It is calculated when you have had the assets or cash for a year. Material assets like house, furniture, etc (not used for profit purposes) is not taken into account. Only excessive cash, gold and silver. (Cash includes bank)

HAJJ

Hajj is the pilgrimage every Muslim has to make to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is compulsory for a person having pure funds (No Debt) at least once in a lifetime.

SAWM

Fasting in the 9^th month of the Islamic calendar, i.e. Ramadhan, is compulsory for all men, women and children above maturity (The age of maturity is different for males and females. Females are said to have matured on the commencement of the menstrual cycle, and males are considered mature for fasting at the age of 12.) . This fast is called “Rozah”, which means abstaining from eating, drinking and conjugal relations during the hours of fasting. Travelers and the sick can defer from fasting in the month of Ramadhan and make up for it later. The hours of fasting are from before Sunrise till after Sunset.

Fasting helps us in developing self control and overcoming selfishness, greed, laziness, and other flaws. It is like an annual training program to refresh us for our duties towards Allah.

Fasting also helps us to not just think about our comforts and restrain ourselves from sexual activities. Fasting not only teaches us to control our hunger and thirst, but also to control our speech, our wishes and our feelings. It is also essential not to tell a lie, break a promise or indulge in any deceitful activities while fasting.

The Holy month of RAMADHAN

The Quran was first revealed in the month of Ramadhan. There is a night in the month called “Lailatul-Qadr”. It means “Night of Power”. It is said to carry the blessings of a thousand months of prayers. An additional prayer called “Taraweeh” is conducted in the month of Ramadhan at night.

At the end of Ramadhan, Muslim’s celebrate “Eid-ul-Fitr”, a day of thanksgiving and happiness. It is the greatest occasion for the Muslim community. On this day, Muslim’s offer special prayers in congregation and thank Allah for his blessings and mercy.

EID MUBARAK to all my friends and readers…

SELAMAT HARI RAYE to a special friend…