Kaleidoscopic life

  As a kid, I loved playing Vaikuntapali (పరమపదసోపాన పటము or snakes and ladders) with my grandma using seashells. My mom, the resident rule enforcer, would constantly scold us for wasting our time. Fast forward to adulthood, and I've morphed into an anti-board game person. Their slow pace and long hours of sitting was a cruel test for my patience, a virtue I lack in abundance. With social media’s endless scroll of mind-numbing content, the irresistible lure of Netflix marathons, the dopamine rush of online shopping sprees, why would I bother wasting my time by rolling seashells (or dice) and moving wooden pieces. Why would any one select Feature phone over smart phone ? But then I stumbled upon a YouTube video about Vaikuntapali, and it sparked my dormant interest all over again. I started looking at the original game board (Thanks to Google's commitment to preserve the past) and I delved into a deep analysis, uncovering its profound symbolism and life lessons. It's like di...

The Ramayana is considered to be one of the greatest works of Hindu literature and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful stories ever told. Rama and Sita are the main protagonists of this beautiful story, directed originally by Sage Valmiki, and the same story has been rewritten into many different versions, interpretations, and languages over the centuries because it is one of the most influential and symbolic epics. It has been an inspiration to many poets, lyricists, directors, and musicians. Be it Valmiki Ramanyanam or Ramanand Sagar’s television series Ramayan, or Bapu’s Sampoorna Ramayanam, Be it Molla Ramayanam or Tulsa Das Ramacharith Manas, Be it Viswanatha Satyanarayana’s Ramayana Kalpavriksham or Ranganayakamma’s Ramayana Vishavruksham, Be it Tyagaraja Kriti or Ramadasa Keerthana or some folk song (now, many songs are running through my mind, situationally). What is running through your mind now? All of these versions of the Ramayana have something in common, and t...

  Karna is one of the most popular and complex character in the Mahabharata. Karna(Surya Putra) is the personification of   charity, valor, sacrifice and selflessness, however he also had some bad qualities which overshadowed his good qualities. There was always a dilemma whether to categorize him as a hero or a Villain.   Wait... why should we even try to categorize him? Do we have the right to pass judgment? Let’s consider Karna just as a character made complex by writer/fate/life/destiny/God to preach us a lesson of fortitude, sacrifice and acceptance, and focus only on the learning.   He went through a series of tragedies with/without his involvement/choice/knowledge are a proof of his misfortune.     Be a True Friend: It was Duryodhana who saw Karna’s capabilities. When everyone disregarded him and even insulted him, Duryodhana stood by him and embraced him. Though Karna and Duryodhana became friends for their own selfish r...

      Today is SriRamaNavami, celebrated as the birthday of Rama. The Ramanaya(Rama’s Journey) Epic is the best action/thriller/romantic/emotional/family drama featuring the most handsome hunk Rama(Ajanubahum , Aravinda Dalaya Taksham) as the hero, the beautiful Sita (lacks metaphors to describe her beauty) as the heroine,  the arrogant Ravana as the villain, and Lakshmana, Hanuman, and others as supporting actors.   The director started writing Rama’s Journey with the intent of teaching various life lessons to humankind with lots of devotion and finally he had to divide it into seven parts: Bala kanda, Ayodhya kanda, Aranya kanda, Kishkinda Kanda, Sundara Kanda, Yuddha Kanda, and Uttara Kanda. Each Kanda deals with a particular period of Rama’s life. As Winston Churchill said, “Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” We should strive to learn many leadership characteristics and gain motivation from role model R...