Learning Sanskrit

 I have promises to keep.......

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1992 : I was 9 years old, in class 4. I began my senior school, with a third language, Hindi, in the curriculum. (My second language was Bengali). Those with Hindi as their second language, had Sanskrit in the curriculum. I was jealous. I wanted to study the classical language. I loved Hindi, don't get me wrong. Then and there, I promised myself that I would take up this course later in college (as a part-time study). Till class 8, I saw my friends study Sanskrit; and my resolve consolidated.

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2007 : I was a 25-year-old second-year PhD student at the University of Michigan. I was done with my PhD course work, and was occupied in full-time research. Then an idea struck me : why not take up some courses which I always wanted to take. I searched for courses in the Centre for South-Asian studies, and pronto! I found Sanskrit being taught that semester by Prof. Madhav M. Deshpande. Promptly, I joined as an audit course student. It was smooth sailing. I completed four semesters of Sanskrit and scored well. I loved the subject and wanted to learn more and more.

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After 16 years, I kept my promise I made to myself.

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Trivia : I was a good student in Sanskrit, and always got an 'A' grade. In fact, I was only student in the class with an 'A' grade. All others scored the A+ grade.

Face youself!

Have you looked into the mirror? Have you faced yourself? Are you living a full life? Do u think you are really alive or are you just existing? Does someone else decide your life-path or career-track? Are you a prisoner or you live like a free bird?

Before I start, let me have these disclaimers : 

1) You cannot chose when and where you are born.

2) You cannot chose who your parents are.

Now ask yourself the following questions : 

1) Do you decide what you do or someone else decided it for you? Did you choose how your life shapes out? Do you do what you want to do, or what others want you to do? Do you catch yourself in a particular situation, wishing you were somewhere else, or rather be doing something else?

2) Do you try to make others happy before yourself? Are you always falling short of what you expect from yourself? Are you often doing things too dumb for your intelligence level?  Do you allow pessimists to discourage you? Do you allow your standards to fall since/when no one notices/appreciates it?

3) Do you take others' opinion too many times? Do others tell you what to wear and what to buy and which place to visit? Are you copying others or being original? Do you have your own rhythm, or are you always trying to catch up with others, for "status"?

4) Before attempting something, do you think "What will others say"? Do you feel scared to be 'different'? Can you cause a real Change, or wait for changes to happen themselves? Are you contributing to India's development, or are you waiting for the day when suddenly you wake up one fine morning and realize that India has become a developed country?

5) Do you often feel "I wish I had done this earlier?". Did you forget to catch yourself young? Do you think it is too late to try something new? Do you say, "I am too old to try/do/learn this"? Do you make long-term promises to yourself, and keep them?

6) Do you feel on Monday mornings "Arrey yaar aur ek week shuru ho gaya!" ("Oh dear, another week starts!"). Do you have a job or a career? Are you in the wrong place? In the wrong environment? Among wrong people? Is your profession giving you happiness and fulfillment, or are just working for the salary to pay your bills? Do you feel you work is repetitive and monotonous, rather than exciting and challenging?

7) Do you get silenced by others? You feel you cannot voice your opinion and no one knows what you really want? Do others tell you what you should and should not do? Are you scared to answer back? Are you always looking for others to support you?

8) Do you find solace in pre-conceived notions and "norms"? Are you scared to have your own definitions of everything? Do you feel helpless? Do you feel suffocated? Do you put up brave (fake) smiles to show you are OK? Do you feel imprisoned by faceless powers? Do you dare to be better than your previous generation(s)?

9) Do you feel nervous going beyond your comfort zone? Do you do only easy things, or do you take up challenges? Do you take chances? Would you take the risk or play safe? Do you dare to "break rules" or you are too obedient? Do you start something different, but give up midway, without seeing the end? Do you follow through?

10) Do you avoid success since you are scared of the responsibility of maintaining success? Are you content in mediocrity? Do you chase your dreams or think "Oh! I have done enough!"? Are you unsure of your consistency in the future? Do you prefer to be average or stretch your limits?

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Dare to answer these questions.

Dare to face yourself.

Let yourself loose. 

Live your life. 

You do not need anyone's permission for that.

Chak De! India : My favourite movie.

What does it say......

1) India can be sports champions : they need not be dark horses or underdogs.
2) Regionalism can be overcome : you will have to think big and have big dreams.
3) Women can play sports, too. This requires physical strength, agility, stamina; and women have it. No more "damsels-in-distress" act allowed, puh-lease!
4) Discipline is the religion to achieve success.
5) Social 'conventions' need to overcome to achieve something big.
6) Society may misunderstand you for sometime, but will idolize you once you achieve your objective. All biased opinions can be reversed if you have the grit, and patience.
7) Pre-conceived notions can be shattered with will and determination. Seize this day!
8) With great success comes great responsibility. Maintaining success is the next challenge. Consistency is the name of the game.
9) You need to be prepared all the time. A little bit or nervousness keeps you alert. (Dil mein bechaini-yon ko le kar jee rahe ho to zinda ho)
10) Get rid of this attitude : "I-will-give-it-a-try-but-I-don't-think-it-will-work". It is important to deliver what you promise. Take the strategy : under-promise, over-deliver.
11) Ambition can unite people. And it is important to be sufficiently ambitious.
12) Women can unite if boyfriends/husbands/fathers do not come into the picture. It is a wrong notion that "Women are women's worst enemy". (We women make the mistake of not loving ourselves before loving others.)
13) You can support/help others only when you are yourself self-reliant and independent.
14) Do not expect any sympathies/special treatment because you belong to a certain, caste, religion, region, social standing.
15) Emotions should not interfere in your pursuit of success : your ambition should be your emotion.
16) Sometimes coercion works much better than a negotiation : you will have to force things to happen.
17) Stick-to-it-vity : Focus on your aim, and do not dissipate your energies in other things.
18) Women need not wear make-up on-screen : the audience has to get used to seeing the real women, who are neither sari-clad nor bikini-clad.
19) Women can do many things beyond marriage and motherhood; at an international platform.
20) If a man(father/husband) does not support your dreams, he does NOT love you.

Bonus : Bollywood has thankfully outgrown the sappy love stories of the '90s. No one is cast "opposite" anyone in this movie.

"Nowhere to run nowhere to hide. This is the time to Do or Die."