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Blog 26: Mindfulness

No food will ever hurt you as much as an unhealthy mind – B.B.

Think about this:

I want to click a lovely picture – Take help of i-Phone or Google Phone
I want to cook the best recipes from the local ingredients – Take help of online recipes!!
I want to build a nice model of house using my own specs – Take help of online tool for designing and modelling
I want to actually see how my new house will look like: Take help of 3D printer
I want to order food, clothes, grocery, tools, cosmetics.. well almost anything : Take help of Amazon
I want to get my car repaired / serviced: Take help of online tools of car companies
I want to withdraw money from my bank account : Why??? Do everything online
I want to pay bills, taxes, subscription dues: Well do it online
I want to create a good music note: Get help of online beat creators
My voice is harsh and coarse, but I still want to sing: Get help of voice editors and recorders
I want to make good sketches: Take help of online painting assistance
I want to write a novel: Tell GPT about the characters, and it will build a story for you
I have money and I want to build a restaurant: Tell AI and 3D printing can be done to build an entire restaurant!!
I want legal advice: Take help of online literature. No lawyer required
I have to take a medical advice: Take online help of hospitals and doctors’ prescription

Look at all these pointers above. A painter, vocalist, musician, infrastructure builders, lawyers, bankers, chefs, doctors are having tremendous help from online tools, Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms and not-to-forget, Chat GPT platforms!

Courtesy: https://bdtechtalks.com/2018/08/21/artificial-intelligence-vs-human-mind-brain/

We are living in an extremely interesting time frame, when the digital world is overwhelming all of us! Listen to the talks of Yuval Noah Harari, a noted Historian and public-speaker (links given below) from Israel, and you will find that the “help” which we see now, is going to rapidly convert into “absolute help” in a very small time of about 5-10 years! A painter may not be required to paint anything. A good camera and a painting software will do a job which no painter can imagine. Volumes of legal books can be assimilated in a fraction of second and we would get a much-balanced legal advice from the AI tool, as compared to even a most-intelligent Lawyer. Take any domain, for that matter, and you will find obsoleteness of the Human over a “AI-enabled entity”!!

What would humans do then, beyond, say 10 years down the line? Mind full ness is very crucial at this stage. Well, people say that this will go towards unemployability. But that may not happen. With industrial era (18^th and 19^th Century), unemployability was predicted, but it did not happen, for example. Hence a domain where human intelligence cannot be replicated has to be tapped. Creative jobs have to be identified. Novel teaching methods, learning models, fine engineering methodologies and researchers would be still required to keep humanity intact. This is a picture of an intellect!

Courtesy: https://www.dreamstime.com/human-vs-robot-human-intelligence-vs-artificial-intelligence-face-to-face-duel-views-image248823838

Just as food is ample in the world now (see my Blog 25: https://sangeetakale.blog/2023/12/31/blog-25-abundance/), so is the skill-set! Good supply-chains and organic-inorganic merger for food production has yielded in low-food-deficit, so is the availability of lawyers, doctors and architects.

Therefore, if an individual lacks the skill of being thoughtful and mindful, he/she may not have a decent place in society. We will not need a carpenter, sculpturer or a construction worker now. We will need AI-handlers, 3D printing professionals, network security implementors and fine materials engineers to supply the hardware and software gadgets, their “raw-material”. We have to ensure that we remain the custodians of the next-wave to come and have an edge of “creativity” over AI-ML.

This is a time to gear-up! We have to see where the technology is leading us. Before the technology takes over us (it has, over 80%, already!!), we have to find new ways and means to get ourselves employable! It is not easy… Mindful approach towards our life is important.

The only one single thing we have, and which will differentiate us from our previous versions is “our imagination” and “creativity”. Just as food is abundant, so is the technology and conventional skills. Humans have to upgrade themselves rapidly..!

Therefore, just as junk food and mindless eating is injecting life-style related diseases in humans, non-utilisation of brain would lead to related mental diseases. Just think of the cases of Alzheimer’s and vascular Dementia… these cases are rapidly increasing.

Therefore, new definition of Poverty now, is: Who is mindlessly consuming food and mentally not vigilant, but sticking to old models of professions are poor-enough to perish!! And this perishability is going to be very very fast!!

Hence, as 2023 ends, today, I would like to say that mindful diet should be given to both Body and Brain. Else human race may suffer a unidirectional paradigm shift and we will have no path to return!! And slowly and cluelessly we may fall inferior to the AI and ML algorithms, when we invented them just with the reverse intention!!!

References:

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Blog 25: Abundance

“Create healthy habits, not restrictions.”

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

Living in a big city can give rise to complexities and blurriness of reality. While I travel everyday to office, which is about 50 kms per day, I observe the changing face of the city, which brings me to this blog. Along with one more Blog which will be the next, I will cover my take on inter-related issues emerging through my observations.

I recall while I was a small child, around 40 years back, me and my brother used to wait for my father to take us and my mom for an ice-cream treat. It used to be a feat!! Having lot of sweets and savories during Diwali was also a feat and we used to get these special food items (chakali, ladoos, anarsas etc.) only during this festival. However, now in 2000s, as I travel everyday through the cities, small towns, and even villages, we find the food stalls everywhere. There are literally all items on the food stalls and food is indeed in abundance. A poorest of the poor will get food to eat and very few people will sleep hungry now. Try and give some food items to the beggars on street, and you will visually see unhappiness on their face!! They are looking for money and not food!!

As I did some statistical survey, worldwide, and also in India, in 1900s, majority of the deaths in the world (and moreover in the developing and under-developed countries) was due to epidemics and malnutrition. This was related to sanitation facilities and food shortages. Economy of the country was ofcourse the main reason, which was linked to population, farming facilities, supply-chains and implementation of healthy practices in all parts of a specific country. However, the fact remained that many people would die of hunger and food shortage and affordability. As we come to 2000s, the scene is very different. There is lot of food around. It could be as simple as a burger or vada-pav and as rich as Au-gratin and Tiramisu!! But now, very few people sleep hungry. Food insecurity is not a major issue now.

So, what are the NEW reasons of death? Statistical data shows that diabetes, digestive diseases, cardio-vascular diseases, gastro-urinary diseases have emerged to be a major culprits. The food-scarcity has now taken place in “Others” category, which amounts to merely 7-8 % in this total chart. Watch carefully… All these new diseases are related to in-appropriate and abundant food. Some of these would be related to genetics, which is a complex function (and a slow-varying, but definitive function of multiple parameters, including food!).

Improper food habits, eating more than 3-4 times a day, continuous munching and lesser and lesser exercise regimes lead to complications which are described as “diseases”. Worldwide, as the economy improves, the sanitation facilities have become better. Supply chains have become better, transportation, production and delivery have been linked properly and hence there is abundance of food. Junk food is emerging in a very big way! Inorganic food stuffs are multiplying and quickly replacing the organic and natural food stuff. Lot of chemicals are floating in the food industry, of which one is not aware of, at all!! Resulting situation: Lot of food stuff, too many options, availability 24×7, and mindless munching!!!

As we analyze this situation, we find that more and more people are sick now, not because of epidemics, but because of abundance which the body is not capable of handling. This is a new problem. The solutions have to be new! Otherwise, now we see obesity as a problem, but tomorrow we will have it as a part of our own genetics and it would be impossible to re-arrange the code!

Courtesy: https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/plant-based-diet

A noted Professor from Harvard School of Medicine, Prof David Sinclair spoke once on a media interview (link given below) that ageing in a person is highly related to mindful eating. Having plant-based food, fresh cooked food and non-alcoholic diet helps in remaining mentally and physically fit. Now, in the social arena, food does not cost much. Hence people consume themselves in alcohol and untimely munching which is deteriorating the younger population and older ones, too, rapidly.

Just think about this: what will an unhealthy large population serve the community? When anything is vastly available, mindful consumption is very important!!

More on thoughtful mindfulness in the next blog!!

References

Sameul S Mayers et.al., 10.1038/s43016-020-00157-w

RJ Walker et.al. 10.1016/j.annepidem.2019.01.014

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Blog 23: Nothingness and Beyond

Recently I did one bicycling ride. A long one. Into an unknown terrain, with unknown people (then) and with lot of skepticism (then). This was mind-blowing..! It changed me quite a bit, as a person. It modified my thought process in many ways and made things look very simple..! Through this blog I embark you all on this journey!

Well it started with one of our family friends (Yogesh) telling me about one group through which he and his wife (Gauri) had done several bicycling tours in different parts of the country. We all are sports-lovers. I love to play, do gym, jog and bicycle. Pune is becoming more like a cement city and has less to offer in terms of good bicycling trails. Hence I would follow a standard route mostly through the city each weekend. The pollution, traffic and noise would keep me alert on the roads and was happy doing the same each week, until Yogesh and Gauri spoke to me. I have a busy schedule, professionally, and hence I barely gave any thought to their suggestions. However, I did see their videos and photographs and it did interest me. I met Gauri and she told me about the upcoming ride to Bhuj and Rann of Kutch, in Gujarat. I still procrastinated and didn’t respond. She told me about the wonderful train journey and bicycling through infinite roads. This time, I put an enquiry to the organizers (www.speakingwheels.com) and got some information. This way I met Rahul, one of the organizers, over phone. Rahul was in no rush. Very slowly and steadily he explained the scope of tour to me. I had called him to tell him that I will not go; but the call ended up with my confirmation to go! “I would rather travel with unknowns, rather than the known, if I wish to explore in life”, was the sentence from Rahul, which was the turning point! Now I was set to explore on a journey with 20-odd unknowns, into an unknown terrain and with almost zero expectations!! And the day arrived.

Travelling from Pune to Mumbai, I met Rupali, who was as new as me, but knew the group well. We had wonderful journey till Bandra station. I saw a railway station after two decades and it looked different. It was quite busy, but since it was late night train, comparatively one could concentrate on details of the station. It looked clean. There were electric carts for old people to commute between platforms. The platforms were well lit, displays were clear and coach positions were clearly electronically marked. I was impressed!! In the train the coaches were clean and Indian Railways provided neat and clean bedsheets, blankets and pillows. Each one of us (20+) had different coach/seats and arrangements. Hence, we would not have met for the entire journey at all. Anyways I didn’t know anyone, except Rupali, by now. But Rahul came in to chat. Amit, who was another organizer, also came to my seat for a chat. Many of our troop gathered around and I found that each one was on their own journey into the unknown. Amit also made me comfortable through his conversations. We got talking to the Gujju family in my compartment. They shared their Theplas and laddoos magnanimously. They didn’t look very well-off… but “being Royal has nothing to do with being Rich”!!

We reached Bhuj and in a small autorickshaw travelled to a hotel and settled in. I got introduced to Netra who was sharing my room along with Rupali. I was sharing a room, also, after a decade, with someone. Netra had come from Jodhpur and her bicycle had come from Pune, which was rented. She was on an exploratory trip, next-level! I was impressed.

As we started the drives, I realized that it was utter fun!! Some snoring in the rooms, great food during the stay at each place, people whom we met in Bhuj and Rann, the artisans and artists we met, the wonderful back-up vehicle people and infinite memories created during the next four days were just amazing. Aboli, one of the co-participants, a doctor by profession, was amazing! She accompanied me in an extremely boring patch of track. A wonderful person with a mix of maturity and fun-loving nature at the same time! Everyone enjoyed the place by afternoon and evenings in their best attires and infinite photographs were taken.

The cycling through Chari dessert was the best!! It was literally patch of sand track. It had no vehicles. Just camels, bullocks and few foxes! This stretch of land had no habitat. The Infinity-road was also the same. It was a long road of more than 30 kms of stretch with no vegetation, trees and traffic. As you drive by yourself, you experience something which you will never feel in any city/town. Driving through nothingness, emptiness, blankness and still consciousness. You are only with yourself. This is a unique experience. Thoughts just come and go and slowly they disappear and you are into entire consciousness with bliss. This is a meditative experience. This is the state in which you are not tired, thirsty nor hungry. You are just in your own zone, with yourself. As I travelled through this terrain I thought, all co-riders are just fellow travelers, enjoying their own journey, which sometimes coincides with mine. We travel a while together, talk a bit, exchange our ideas and views, and then we continue our own track. I am not expecting anything from them and vice versa. It’s just pure chat, eat and enjoying together. Make good memories together, joke out on the situations and live in the instances and pass by. It appeared so simple. In fact, we all were together, and yet were independent!!

The highlight was the ride on the Independence Day. The drive towards India-Bridge which is Indian Border was magnificent. The day had a ride of almost 90 Kms. This was the most bicycling I would have done in my life, on one single day. I did it quite comfortably and reached the destination. But on that turn, Amit was waiting. He said we have to go 10 kms more to complete 100. I said “no-way”! 90 is also my first time. He said 100 is great and I should do it. He will come along. With hesitation I agreed and he pushed me to complete it. Conversations, jokes and observing terrain around made these extra miles look less tiring and we completed 100!! Was a great feeling. I came home with new energy, new lessons and new experiences.

I realized that if I had gone with some expectations, I would have had something to compare and the experience would have been biased. If I did not had Amit to push me to 100, I would have missed the experience. If Rahul had not convinced me to “venture with unknowns”, I would have missed a great experience. If I had not travelled infinite terrain with 360^o views, I would not have “found myself”. I feel that our life is actually this simple. If we live it with zero expectations, it will keep on surprising you and make your journey interesting!! You will find good people at every turn and corner of this travel who would push you to do better, guide you to new routes and just let you be with yourself!! Sometimes you will also find “sweepers” who would assist you through the travel in difficult terrains. Such journeys will slowly give you an opportunity to be either one of those who helped… to boost your fellow-mates, to sweep and upbeat the lagging riders, to assist others for arrangements and scheduling. Just like your professional experience makes you mentors!

It was a wonderful bicycling experience which helped me realize the simplicity in life..!! Therefore, as I always say, atleast one road in our life that we should choose, has to be a dirt-road!! This road helps you self-realize, re-boot, meditate, take your own stalk and explore your horizons! It gives you a perspective from Nothingness to Beyond..!! Thanks to team Speaking Wheels!!

Useful Links:

https://rahulnene.blogspot.com/

https://www.speakingwheels.com/

https://www.instagram.com/speakingwheels/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/speakingwheels/

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Blog 21: Starry Constellation.

Did you know that around 2,200 satellites are already looking at us? Just the way in which the stars and planets look at us from very far? You may not see them, but they are always watching you. And this number is set to increase to 12,000 and further, up to 42,000!!! And mind-you, they are not as far as the “real” stars. They are near to the earths surface and they are “in-communication” with each-other. They are 550 Kms from earths surface, which is called as “low-earth orbit”.

Taken from: Things-To-Know-About-Starlink-and-its-Internet-Services-In-Detail

Welcome to this technological miracle developed by Space-X, the Elon Musk’s aerospace company. This is called as Starlink Mission, which started in May 2019. Each satellite is called as a star and this group of stars form a constellation. These satellite constellations have connected more than 32 countries, so far, which have poorest internet access, otherwise, sheerly due to their geographical location and economical status. Thereby, Starlink has connected the entire world to each-other, well.. almost! Every Star in this constellation comprises of the following technical modules

1. Antenna arrays

2. Solar arrays

3. Ion propulsion system

4. Navigation sensors

5. Debris-detection and collision-avoidance mechanism

6. Laser-based internal communication system

When we (a normal user, using his/her cell phone or computer) send a request for internet access (for google browsing/shopping/calling a friend / watching movie / banking etc), depending upon our location, using the antenna structures, one of the star satellites will receive the Internet signal and understand its final destination (depending upon the receiver address). Further, using laser-based internal communication system, it identifies the destination satellite, which is closest to the destination user. The communication of next leg is done by that satellite and destination user gets the data transferred. This communication, which happens within the constellation itself, does not require the signal to transfer back-and-forth onto the earths ground station satellite (which was the traditional way of signal transfer in conventional satellite communication, i.e. 3 geo-synchronous satellites). This reduces the delay tremendously and hence the latency is minimal, and the speed is very high.

There are a series of mega-constellation also, which are the satellites moving in the higher orbits, again, mostly launched by SpaceX / NASA. The Starlink satellites are always in touch with about 4 such mega-constellation satellites, at any given time.

Let us see what are the functions of the main components in these satellites:

The phased array antenna allows huge data transfers in minimal time and since these satellites are located much above the earths surface, they can reach remotest location of the earth, where, otherwise the signal cannot reach (This is just like a man on the top of a watch-tower can see the farthest).
The in-built navigation sensors are used to identify the exact coordinates of the location of internet users and optimal identification of nearest star-satellite for target receiver.
The ion thrusters allow the satellites to move in orbit, maneuver in space and also de-orbit during their end-of-life. The satellites are equipped with krypton-fueled Hall thrusters which allow them to de-orbit at the end of their life.
The debris-tracking system helps the star to avoid collision with other space objects, thereby securing their safety. The satellites are designed to autonomously avoid collisions based on uplinked tracking data.

Difference between SpaceX technology for Mars Mission v.s. Starlink in terms of re-entry strategy is very interesting l!!

Following concepts have rapidly evolved, world-wide, due to multiple satellite programmes, missile programs and advanced data communications:

Laser-guided communication
Concept of Ion Thrusters for propulsion
Communication with higher constellation orbit satellites

We will understand all these technologies, one-by-one, in upcoming blogs. At this stage, I would just say:

The way in which data communication is taking over every human, exploiting the human hunger towards Internet facility (not only for entertainment, but also for e-commerce and industrialization-cum-globalization), we are giving away every inch of our privacy to these stars who are constantly looking at us!! Imagine the power of these stars!! Imagine the amount of data these satellites are collecting and storing.

On another note, we do understand the Starlink programe because it is created by us, the humans. However, think of those actual stars which are also continuously looking at every spec on the earth’s surface. Are they doing anything which we do not understand? Let us also recall that the ancient Indian Pandits have told us that the stars and planets in the universe actually rule our lives, and decide our future in some mystic way…

Just as a common man in any country is innocent about the way in which his/her cellphone is catching the signals, are we (all humans) ignorant about some facts/missions of the “real” stars and planets in this universe?

What do the “real” and “unreal” stars and the planets doing there (wherever they are!!)? Are we “subjects” to them? Are these stars and planets also reading us and who are “we” in this humongous universe? Not only this Blog wises to catch your attention to technological advances and the gain of absolute control of big giants over every common individual, it is also trying to struggle and understand our very existence in this vast universe.

I do not pretend to understand the last line in earlier paragraph, but the technological advances made for such missions, especially the Mars Mission and the Starlink project are phenomenal. I shall unfold some of these concepts in the upcoming blogs.

There is a thick philosophical underplay to this blog, which I shall try-understand-and unfold. Everything is finally going to make sense!!! I mean, I hope so…

Blog 28: Manifestation

“When you want something, the whole universe conspires in order for you to achieve it” — The Alchemist
“Life is an echo. What you send out, comes back” – Zig Zaglar
“Be positive and always talk positive, because Universe is listening to you” – Anon

Through this blog, I have tried to compile all these thoughts together and bring them to one single platform, which is “Manifestation”

There are many interesting events which happen to us and around us, continuously. Some of them we do mindfully and some are happening to us, kind-of, automatically. However, our thoughts are very powerful and they control many events, phenomenally!

For example, I am riding a bicycle and going through a rough and uneven road. If I am confident enough to pass through without falling, I will be good. But if a thought comes in my mind that I may fall and topple down, I will indeed lose my balance.

If I am going for an interview and I have prepared very well for the same, but am low on confidence and highly aware of the interview committee and its capability, I tend to forget many things which, actually, I do know! The fear catches up very fast.

There have been personal experiences of many of being worried to the highest level for their child’s health, and have actually found themselves getting unwell, while the child was almost cured!!

Many a times we see that some specific type of people behave with extreme arrogance and look down upon or humiliate their own friends / subordinates. They find themselves in exactly the same situation in which they have left the sufferer.

There are many things which science cannot perceive and cannot provide answers to. One has to understand that humans have very limited range to perceive things. We have limited vision (literally, 400 THz – 800 THz), audio range (we can hear only in the range of 20 Hz to 20 KHz) and speech range (100 – 300 Hz). We cannot smell all odors equally and perceiving touch is also very limited. Therefore, with this limited skill-set and data-set we cannot portray “I know all”.. We cannot understand everything which is happening around. And hence absolute confidence on our capability can be a gross mistake and utter ignorance.

Taken from https://gujarati.pratilipi.com/series/tathastu-by-alkesh-shah-md2yfncbrnvf

I was always told my mother and father that in the house you should always talk positive and good, because “Vastu” is always saying “Bless-you” or “Tathastu”. I have myself experienced the power of prayer. So what is Prayer? It is just a wish that you ask for you and your loved ones, repeatedly to God (in some sense, it’s the universe). You will find that if the prayers are genuine, they manifest into reality.

If you wrong someone, that person’s pain manifests into your pain. And they say that its Kalyug! The return is very fast!! What you do today, you will see its effect almost immediately!

Therefore, Wishes, Prayers, and your behavioral patterns are all a function of “repeated asks” which you are asking this universe for. Therefore, be mindful in your conversation with the Universe!!

Let us all be careful in what we wish for, what we talk, what we eat, read, see and pray for!! Because it will manifest into some form of YOU, for sure! The universe has good book-keeping software! Respect it!!

Disclaimer: These are completely the personal views of the author of this blog.

Blog 27: Fictional Reality

World is going through multiple upheavals, in fact, since humans have started evolving thousands of years back. Recent war in Gaza with Israel- Palestine tussle, Ukraine-Russia conflict, India-Pakistan conflicts, Afghanistan-Taliban takeover, USA-China competition and so on are few examples. These are wars between rich and poor, right-and-wrong (?), and religious encounters. On the other hand, we have extreme problems related to pollution, deforestation, ozone depletion, water scarcity and plastic overdose. These have led to major natural calamities such as global warming, cyclones and floods. Let us think deeper. How have we managed to drive our planet from a beautiful and colorful place into a pathetic place to live?

Think of humans versus animals/birds/insects/fishes etc. What is the difference? What is the difference between a Chimpanzee and a human? Well, we may say that these are insignificant apes and we, humans, are significant species! But major difference is that we humans are collectively different, because we have imagination capacity much stronger than Chimpanzees or even bees or wolves or tigers, for example. Our capacity to collaborate is very different from the collaborations of animals/insects. For example, bees or ants operate with phenomenal discipline collectively. They will collect food, feed the queen and will operate with amazing cooperation. But what is lacking (?)?? The flexibility in cooperation is lacking. Monkeys will never accept a Pizza in exchange of bananas, for example. Similarly, a tiger will not negotiate a dead wolf with money!

Flexibility in cooperation is a capacity of only the humans! Think of the Egyptian pyramids, beautiful Indian Taj Mahal, Moon mission, industrial factory setups of Ferrari or even generation of a fantastic application software like Amazon services.. they are an outcome of human cooperation which is gained by mutual understanding and imagination. But this cooperation is not always nice. Imagine slaughter houses, concentration camps and prisons. They are also generated out of human cooperation. How do we build such creations? Well, because of our imagination.

Imagination, which is quite unique to humans, enable us to create stories. These are fictional stories. Interestingly, if all humans believe these stories, they slowly become real. Religion is one such example. The story of religion makes humans build temples and mosques. Legal system is also another fictional story which makes human abide to some rules, which are actually not real..!!

Courtesy: httpsmindisthemaster.comexamples-of-duality

It is just a fiction describing some thing as correct and other thing as incorrect. Legal system talks about Human Rights. But what are human rights? There is nothing like that. It is just human fiction. Country and its borders are also an example of fiction. We fight battles for a fiction, which we have made to believe as reality. But it is not. Corporations like McDonalds’, Apple, Google, Mercedes Benz automobiles, Stock exchanges are all stories.. which are made to believe as real! Money is one of most successful fictional story!!

However, the pain is that Humans, who live in objective reality, like trees, plants and animals; also live in fictional reality which comprises of money, country and concentration camps. Mountains, Lakes, Rivers, Trees, Forests, Fishes, Insects, and ants live only in objective reality. Humans have created a layer of fictional reality which is sitting on the top of objective reality. And hence, mountains are covered with arms and guns to protect country boundaries (which are fictional). Industrial waste is thrown in atmosphere and water beds to pollute them. Animal killings are made “legal” in some religion leading to animal cruelty and massacre. One human gets a “right” to kill another in the concentration camps, merely for some fictional story.

Humans live in this dual reality and the Nature on this planet is at the mercy of we all humans. It is a pain to see how fiction controls the Lions, rivers, mountains and wonderful jungles. Can we let go and see beyond this fictional screen which controls our mind and brain? If we do, then and then only the planet can breathe….

Else, as it is commonly said, Planet is non-forgiving. Some day we will have to pay the price.. Recall Uttarakhand’s landslides and uncontrolled floods..???

Note: Literally Inspired from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzj7Wg4DAbs

Blog 24: Omnipresence

I have been wanting to write this blog for a long time. Maybe for last two months. I kept postponing it, deliberately, so that I am able to write with a calm mind. This is about my father (baba), who left us for his journey abode (this is the way people put it) in December 2022. With a big vacuum in my life and with the infinite memories in my mind and with frequent wetting of eyes, I thought it is better to postpone. But now, I guess it is good time to write this small blog.

Like most of us, I had a wonderful childhood while he was around. He had a unique feature of being protective towards me and my brother, Uday. We have countless memories of he taking us out for nice evening dinners and ice-cream stops and also to movies and marathi plays. I remember him taking efforts to make me join University, while I was thinking of some diploma course. I recall him taking efforts to ensure that we both are well educated, get an appropriate life-partner and so on. Nothing new, perhaps.. every father does it. But many-a-times, the expression is poor and we fail to realize it. If this realization is late, it can be very painful. But if it is not, and if we, as children, get an opportunity to realize and give-back, even 5% of what parents do for us, I guess, we are very very fortunate. The peace within us is immense and very satisfying.

As he was sick during his last few days (maybe for ~ 3 months), I had very close association with him. Me and my brother (along with our mother and Narendra (my husband)) took care of him and I spent lot of time with him. Uday was not around for long. But whenever he was, he gave 100% of his time to him. Even while baba was so unwell, baba never complained. He did not express much of his pain and we would keep him happy showing him our old photographs, videos, old songs and movies and reading books for him. Uday was highly instrumental in making me aware of such small things which we could do, as his children, and make him happy and smiling. I cannot thank Uday enough, for making me realize that the quality of time we spend with him is important, and not only the medicines and treatments which we give (anyways, even a nurse would do that). Narendra was my baba’s favorite and baba would answer all questions which Narendra would ask him, religiously (It was a way to understand if his memory is working fine, and Narendra used to ask him standard questions to gauge his health parameters). Madhavi (Uday’s wife) would be in touch continuously to check on baba’s well-being.

Normally, as we grow up and engage in this society for our own professions, our own children and for our family chores, we tend to forget the root of our existence, which are our parents. The time when most of us realize this, it is probably very late. I am lucky to have my aai and baba close to my house. I could meet them almost every day and sometimes twice a day and could chat with them for long hours. Not everyone could be so fortunate. Towards the end of his journey, Baba would insist that we all stay close to him, talk with him and pray together. It was a time which I will never forget. As he left us, he ensured (in some mystic way) that we were fast asleep and did not feel his departure. He left gracefully and again, protecting our emotions. I felt very sad and so also everyone in the entire family.

Now that some time has passed, I do not see a single day on which I wouldn’t remember him. Initially I missed him and it felt like a vacuum in the life. But slowly I got over it. Some say that it is the natural instinct of humans to come to a path of minimum pain and hence we tend to remember only good memories. However, something interesting struck to me while I was travelling (for work, or leisure or adventure). It so happened that while I was alone and by myself, his memories would come in, in such a way that it was almost like him just being around. I could relate a part of him in the people whom I met, I saw on the streets, in the cool breeze that passed me, in the silent waters of rivers and sea, in the golden sun shining and setting in front of me. I just thought that as a person is born, just the way in which it is made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, naturally, as he/she dies, it just gives back to the nature, the very same ingredients. In that sense, nobody is extinct. Everyone just would change the form and be around. Therefore, my baba, I feel, in the same way, is omnipresent. Whenever I would be alone, or in unknown territory or in trouble, I guess he would be around to hold and help and assist. The form may be different, but his presence will be felt. The feeling was quite refreshing..!! And how does he show his expressions then? Well, as I see my brother’s calm face, I recall baba’s calm face. Baba is (in some sense) expressing himself through Uday. As I see myself in mirror, I resemble him. Therefore my smile, Uday’s habits, style of talking, walking, dealing with problems, everything will have his expressions. Therefore he is surely living through us now..!!

Such a wonderful feeling was this, which relieved me from the grief of his loss. There is nothing to lose, because nothing is lost from this universe. The presence is omni.. enveloping this universe and our own personal universe..!! As he lives through us now, it is a moral responsibility of ours to be of same type. Caring, responsible, passionate about our work and taking responsibility of the well-being of aai..!

Does the universe ever get filled up with presence of such all those who leave us, physically? I do not know. But my baba is omnipresent, for sure. He will be at peace when we are at peace. It is time to live with good responsibility and happiness…!

Blog 22: Illusive Likes and Dislikes

Recently I was watching a very interesting episode called “Our Planet” by David Attenborough. The episodes are mind-blowing and they are streamed on Netflix. Those who have seen such episodes, even like one on National Parks or Wild Babies and so on, would know the level at which the photography is explored and the number of geographical areas these teams cover to bring the best of the best to us. It is a treat to our eyes, ears and to our brain…!

Courtesy: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/phyto.html

One such episode connected me to the deep-rooted existence of our own species and the way we have been in illusion, by ourselves, via brain engineering. This story starts with moving plants called as Phytoplankton. These are wonderful plants found in seas, and are widely existing near the surface of water. They create oxygen through photosynthesis; and that is why they need sunlight. Since sunlight can travel only few meters from the sea surface, phytoplankton are not found in deep seas, but only till few tens of meters from the sea surface. As they emit oxygen, this is used by fishes and other marine life in the seas. It is said that the oxygen level maintained in the seas is mainly by these phytoplankton. Not only that, this emitted oxygen also contributes to the oxygen level in our atmosphere. The percentage is not very small. It is said that at least 40-45% of the oxygen in air is contributed by these plants. So, we can understand the importance of them!

Now how do these phytoplankton grow and survive? Well, they depend on the nutrients given by droppings of Dolphin fishes. Dolphins survive on smaller fishes like Lanterns. On similar lines, droppings of Ray fishes, Whales and Sharks also are used by these plants, as food and nutrients, to survive and release oxygen in the water and in the air. This is a fantastic and a closed-loop ecosystem, in which the fishes breathe via phytoplankton’s and in turn offer nutrients to them to grow. Going ahead, the phytoplankton creates a beautiful layer of particulate matter just above the sea surface. As the sea water evaporates due to sun, the water vapors condense on the surface and due to these particulates, clouds are formed. These majestic clouds travel up the sea level and grows to bigger and bigger clouds, which bring rains. Rains help the wild forests and oceans, and the entire nature thrives!! A lovely ecosystem of plants, birds, wild animals, aquatic life of fishes and plants and jungles live in perfect synchronism!! The dance of this cosmos can be seen on sea surfaces, in the interior of jungles, in deep seas and also on mountains!

Where is the disruption then? Humans bring it, in a big way! We all want to eat fishes. The small ones, like Tuna and the big ones like Sharks and Rays. We do ferocious fishing for this, and we disrupt this entire ecosystem. As we eat big and small fishes, lesser nutrients are available in water. Lesser growth for phytoplankton and hence lesser oxygen formation. This disrupts everything! Oxygen in atmosphere and life of aquatic animals. We disrupt the ecosystem, merely because we wish to “taste” fishes.

I am aware that many of us know about the synergic ecosystem and we do know that we have disrupted it. Let me go one step ahead. As the Lantern and Tuna fishes count goes down, new species in water, namely Squids, start populating. These look very pretty. But bigger fishes, actually do not like them. They do not have enough nutrients. Dolphins, Rays, Whales and Sharks “compromise” with squids, as food, since the favorite ones are not available. This amounts to lesser nutrients to the planktons and the aquatic system becomes “unhealthy”. But let us remember that squids look pretty! Just as humans, the big and small fishes have started (in some sense) tolerating them. Nature, suffers, though.

In the very same way, just shift gears and imagine a sunrise or a sunset. We all wait for this sight either at the horizon, or behind the gigantic mountains or at the edge of sprawling oceans. We want to see the lovely spread of orange light throughout the sky, isn’t it? But how many of us realize that orange light is a signature of “polluted air” and yellow is a signature of “pure air”? We know this from science books. But we like that wonderful “Orange”. We have started liking the polluted colors and have also started enjoying it…!!

On similar lines, as we travel on roads, we see these lovely looking yellow flowers all around the edges of the roads. They look very pretty and cover the entire land with a carpet! The scene is magnificent, especially in winters and start of summer. However, how many of us know that they are mere cosmos? They grow aggressively and do not allow other natural biodiversity plants to grow? We should, in principle, cut them and allow the vegetables, flowering plants like Roses, Lilies and Jasmines to grow. These cosmos plants and flowers repel butterflies and bees. The cross-pollination is hampered and the biodiversity gets killed. But look at humans. Again, we have started liking these cosmos flowers. Instead of cutting them, we are enjoying them! Same is true for Palm plantations, for which huge jungles are cut. Palm plants are grown for oil, in an un-natural way. We are now “okay” with palm oil, with a fragrance and inorganic additives of groundnut or safflower, rather than the original safflower and groundnut. We have compromised our tastes without even applying our brains there.

Therefore, we all eat, drink and breathe everything which is un-natural. We have broken the ecosystem to generate these polluted products and environment, and still, we “feel” that we are perfect…!!

Un-natural production of poultry products, chickens, goats and others, including aquatic life is a route towards disaster. Imagine that depriving the nature to grow naturally is indirectly leading to depriving ourselves from our healthy existence…!! But if we still think that we are enjoying the fishes, chickens, mutton, orange sunshine’s and hazy climate, then we are going towards destruction, rapidly.

Seas are around 70% of the total earths surface. The changes therein create humongous changes on earth. They are powerful, merely because they are huge. But nature is resilient. It can very quickly regain their original potential. Humans cannot. We had to survive many generations, just to come out of nuclear disasters like Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The generations are still paying the price. If we have to survive and thrive, we have to take care of nature and its natural ecosystem. We have to be aware of our tastes using our brains, which (we say) is very powerful!!

I remember a dialogue in one movie called “Agneepath”, where the villain Kancha says “This Mandava town people have chosen a Monster and they have started liking him. Now even if they see God, they are not going to like him…!!” We all should be worried, careful, responsible and grounded to Live and Let Live..!

Blog 20: Side-Dish

As a child I remember that I used to like roties (wheat tortillas). The wheat roties. My aai (my mother) use to make them fresh and right from the hot Tava (hotplate), it used to come in my plate. The smell of it was like heaven!! I do remember that I used to eat more than 3 to 4 such roties and it hardly used to matter, as to what goes with it. My father used to eat those with milk cream. I often ate it with dal or vegetable with even ghee. My objective was to eat roties..!! It was my main dish and rest all were side dishes..!! Slowly, as time passed, I started liking bhakris (thicker tortillas made of local Indian grains such as jowari or bajari) and vegetables and dal more. I also became aware of eating more of green leafy vegetables.

As exercises became a part of my routine, I became more careful to watch the ingredients I eat. Life went on, and my likings also changed. I do not know if I liked what I ate, or I ate what was good for better health. I think it became my tendency to like what was good for health, and not necessarily which was good to taste.

Hence now I tend to eat more of dal and veggies (sometimes, a mix of both) or even salads (with variety of dressings), than roties. The side dishes became the main dishes and things changed and reversed.

Similar things happen in different modes of journey in our life. I recall, when I was very young, I wanted to become a writer. I wrote articles on scientific discoveries and innovative concepts (miracles, as I thought, at that age), like on Kaleidoscopes, planets and black-holes, to name a few. I thought I would become a writer as I grow up. But as time passed, I became a Physics person with teaching and research as my main profession. My skill of writing was still used, for writing research papers and project proposals; but was quite different. Writing became my side-dish and main-dish was my own profession (and all the paraphernalia which comes along with it, including administration, student mentoring and applied research). I enjoyed it thoroughly (and I still do!!) and hence my main-dish was quite sumptuous and satisfying. However, as time passed, I took to writing again, and try to write on various topics of varied domains; this blog is also one of them! This is a shift from main dish towards a side-dish!!! Similar things happened with my sports activities, when I shifted from playing badminton to gym to marathon-running and now bicycling.

I find this very interesting!! As a college-going student, we never think of our school buddies. We think that their paths are different now and they are “not relevant” to us, anymore. Slowly they are side-tracked. After few years of professional experiences, we again get attracted to those old buddies and they give us happiness, which is much different and pure. A shift occurs. We happen to take some important steps which are indications of this shift of “dishes” (these are like our preferences)!! It may be exactly this reason for people to change their profession dramatically at some middle age. The hobbies become a profession and the primary profession gets converted into a side-dish!!

There are several aspects and reasons to this phenomenon. One may be the boredom of the routine. Other may be an urge of every human being to try new things and explore new excitements. One another reason may be that we wish to explore new people and places around. I personally feel that even though all these reasons may be correct, it is basically “you” who is changing. It is said that after 7 years of life time, each cell within your body is new..! In that sense, you are a totally new person. You wish to have different experiences and also wish to have new people around. You want to explore new hobbies and therefore your side-hustle (side dish) tries to become main profession (main dish)!!

Let the passion be our priority and may courage drive us towards unknown territories: be those of food, profession, hobbies, geographic locations, arts or culture. As one walks through typical paths, whenever we see multiple routes ahead, its nice to choose a route which is not well defined. It is good to choose a small track, which is less-taken. Maybe it will surprise you and offer you a great dessert-like side-dish!!!

Blog 19: Getting Extinct

This blog has been on my mind for a long time. I thought of it and then gave up, because I thought it became less relevant as the global affairs slowly opened up and people started becoming more mobile. However, with new recent news of a new virus variant reported by South Africa, the same stream of thought clogged my mind. Let me share and vent off!!

How do people normally die? If we talk to older and wise people, they say that those who die naturally normally die of pneumonia. Pneumonia is caused by micro-organisms like virus and bacteria. They induce infection in our body, which is indicated by fever, breathlessness and lung infection which results in end to the life. This is like slow organ failure. More like a war, which is normally won by the microbes and lost by the human life. I am sure, most of the readers would guess, where this blog is going..

There is a close connection between microbes and humans. Experts believe about half of all human DNA originated from viruses that infected and embedded their nucleic acid in our ancestors’ egg and sperm cells. Microbes occupy all of our body surfaces, including the skin, gut, and mucous membranes. In fact, our bodies contain at least 10 times more bacterial cells than human ones, blurring the line between where microbes end and humans begin. Microbes occupy certain parts of our body (like the gut, liver etc) and establish their colonies. These colonies help the human body by offering beneficial roles; for example, microbes synthesize vitamins, break down food into absorbable nutrients, and stimulate our immune systems. And what do they get in return? They get to establish themselves and flourish inside our body. It is a synergistic arrangement and a positive collaboration. Now this becomes a “tendency” or “prakruti” of our body and therefore, these microbes have found their place in our DNA as well..!! They transfer to new generations as well.. and hence they are integral part of humans..! Therefore, if you have a diabetic tendency, for example, your next generation will also tend to have the same.

As the person ages, the immune system is not that strong. The functions of various organs also slow down and then these resident organisms find it hard to survive in less-balanced environment. Cough and fever is the starting point, after which, these microbes start to multiply. External agencies (like hospital infections) also help them for their rapid growth and slowly they take control of the total body, occupy the lungs and person dies. This is like “Population Inversion” phenomenon which we study for Lasers..

What is the message here… I think it is this that a perfect balanced physical body has microbes which are like “Heroes”, helping the body to do well, remain healthy and do the functions with best output. The same “Heroes” become “Villains”, as they find feeble organs and lesser nutrition to thrive on. They then take control of the internal organs and result in disaster. The mission is then to fund another host… However, not to forget, they have already sent their signatures and representatives in the next generation… It is a cycle…!!! New offspring is born with certain tendencies which are hereditary..!!

Taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7LjWTxHPNA

Now let us see the Mother Earth..!! Let us imagine it without humans. It is a perfect system. Microbes are in the environment and in the ground soil. They thrive on animals and plants. They decompose certain food (like dead leaves and animals), which enrich the soil. They help nitrogen cycle, they fix the carbon-dioxide and help in natural degradation of all those entities which are dead, to convert them into basic entities like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen. This is synergy, which keeps the earth rich, alive and very vibrant.

Humans are a part of all this. They are supposed to live with basic amenities which are food, shelter and clothing. And earth gives them these things in abundance. However, humans are greedy and search for more. Technological advances have created much havoc. Huge earth excavations have given tremendous stress to the foundation of the planet. Large forests have been cut and biodiversity is widely affected. Automobiles and their pollution have changed the environmental air ratios. Natural resources are being depleted. Cement and concrete is prohibiting basic breathing mechanism of soil. Well, this is not new. We know this, but we refuse to “feel it”.

There is a bigger challenge, further ahead. Humans are also like microbial colonies. Each human being is nurtured in specific environment and hence, with specific genetic material. Their “Tendencies” are highly dependent upon their ambiance (both culturally and spatially). The ecological balance is also set. However, with huge advances and globalizations, people move to various regions and different countries. They carry their tendencies also. As they interact with people, nature and other entities in the new environment, their internal systems also are subjected to a different environment. In the efforts to cope-up (with different food and weather and external stimuli), new variants are propagated. The resultant variants, so generated have a hybrid colony culture, which is hard to imagine. Probably the microbes mutate in this way..!! They develop natural resistant to a new ambiance and hence they survive. Humans are thus responsible for these mutations. They get added inside the human and inside the planet. The behavior of these variants is quite unpredictable. Further, the ecological cycle is disrupted as well; the natural environment is then not able to take care of these new variants, which start occupying different colonies, in different animals, plants and humans. Before a medical expert is able to “see” these and act upon them, these microbes “take over”! Migration, pollution, skewed carbon footprint, de-forestation and extreme earth and sea excavations makes the planet weak. The effects are untimely rains, increase in sea level, and decrease in water levels (at some other places), temperature variations, pollution and decreased vegetation. We slowly approach population inversion..!!!

Who is the first victim? It is the nature. With the tremendous effects on its basic ecology, the planet suffers due to deprived air, water and rich soil resources. This is a signature of “diseased nature”, which is slowly controlled by unknown strains of microbes. These strains if leave their harmonious nature and expand their colonies, the nature, who is the mother of humans, will struggle for its existence. This will, ofcourse take a long time… But just as a diseased body cannot hold life, a diseased planet cannot hold human life (any life, for that matter). Humans may become extinct in such a scenario and only after that the nature may then get a breather… out of industrialization, excavations and pollutions. It may reboot itself, and humans may need thousands of centuries to reboot.

We still have time. We can avoid this by mindful industrialisation and growths. Green energy is hence so important. We may not (which we should) care for mother earth… but even if we care for our survival, we can help and avoid microbial propagation and stop viral growth and contain the variants. We have to stop the variants becoming a part of Earth’s DNA.

Life inside the human body and life on this earth is not different.. and it’s horrible to get extinct… Let us take care.. Remember Dinosaurs???

Useful Links: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209710/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209711/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209707/