Back to the Roots

The times have changed. There was a time in this ancient glorious history of India when everything that was there was full of excitement , was full of joy and more importantly was full of peace of mind.
The times have changed really and they have changed a lot. We may be well ahead of the average population of India , sitting in our AC chambers and writing good , sound computer programs but the real taste of India , as they say , has to be cherished not on our silken buidings but in the old glorious past of India.
How many times do we really get a chance to go out of our routine, monotonous work schedule and enjoy the life as was enjoyed by the ancient India and is still being enjoyed in many rural areas.
How many times do we really get a chance to throw our 'big men' status and enjoy life as it is .Simple and full of joy.No regrets about the missed opportunities.
No threats looming over our head like the Sword of Damocles.No anxiety about the upcoming business deals .Enjoying life as it is.
I was really lucky to be a part of our project team which got an opportunity to visit a theme park named Abhiruchi,on the outskirts of Pune city.And as you might have by now guessed, the theme was the beautiful life of a village. A village which was reminiscent of the simplistic view of life which was enjoyed upto to the hilt by our ancient fathers.
There was something in the ambience, I still don't have an iota of what it was , but there was something that made me draw to the surroundings of the place.
There was something spectacular about the whole aura of the place. From the different trees spread out like the dark forests of Arizona to the 'khats' placed out in the open to rest , from the mild waterfall coming out in the middle of the farm to the swings hanging out from the branches of the trees ,from the water pumps to the cammocks,from the camel to the bullock cart ride , from the water park to the magician , there was this feeling of what new age gurus take millions of dollars to convey to the ignorant masses. The feeling of joy , the feeling of being in the present, the feeling of relaxation, and if you pardon me for being boastful , the feeling of utopia.
To add to the excitement , there was this workshop for pottery. How many times do we bargain for buying a clay pot in the market but never realize the hard work behind that beautiful piece of sheer creativity and the art of playing with fingers.I realized how difficult it is , in fact , to make a single and simple,leave alone beautiful, piece of clay pot.
And the best came in when we sat down for the lunch.I have been living in this place for nearly 4 months now and have been to many places to get a hint of the local taste, the taste the people so dearly call the 'Maratha' taste.But never in those highly made up places , forget expensive , I have been as close to the 'Maratha' taste as the people at Abhiruchi took me to. The food was made entirely from the local vegetation but was as exotic as the Continental or the Thai.The dishes that I had just gone through in the menus of the big restaurents came out in life as they were some beautiful piece of poetry by the Bard himself.The taste being delicious ,the smell being terrific and when you know that you can have unlimited amount of food for the same price then you tend to forget that you were a mild eater up until the previous night.
The day went on smoothly , smooth as the flow of Ganges in the month of November which not only castes all your troubles away to soem forbidden land but also invigorates you to handle the next blow of the hectic life.
After leaving Abhiruchi , we went to visit the Panshet dam but that was just an add-on to the already satisfied day,like the 'dhaniya' topping on the 'dal'.
At the end of the day, when I reached my place back, I was something different.There was this gut feeling in me that I am prepared , prepared to work like hell before our project manager and the party manager decide for the next trip to a place like Abhiruchi.
Till then , you will have to assume that I am working hard on the dull computer screen.

The way to creativity

The way to creativity lies in realizing that creativity is an art in itself.