Deriving Inspiration

A Collective of write-ups on some of the inspirations that we can derive from events & people

By

Murali Murthy

The showmen

I was watching Bengaluru Ganesha Utsav #bengaluruGaneshautsava  telecasted Live today, it's a Musical Ensemble, a Musical Meditation.

Each year, BGU ups it's game with loads of talent and performers, it's a gala night each day BGU season is on.

And today I heard and witnessed the performance of Varijashree #varijashreevenugopal.

Wow, she is a Talent Bhandar, she rocked the stage with pure brilliance, control over music, knowledge, and dedication.

And the musicians around her were just having Fun with their instruments creating some mesmerizing sounds. She was just flirting with music at ease, she experimented, slipped in Jazz, Hindustani Raags, Karnatic Raags at will, and presented all the well known Kannada movie songs in a new Avatar.

She added her own flavour, essence to all the known songs We have been humming all our lives and gave it a new fresh life.

What made me thinking was, how do these guys practice and train to improvise so much, experiment so much yet present it so beautifully.

After seeing what i saw, I am pretty sure such guys don't sit and practice or prepare for a performance. They have the talent, skill and know what they are doing, they own the stage when they are out performing.

That made me start relating and few realizations. Do we want to be those kinda singers who just rehearse and sings on stage, or those singers who have it in them with years of doing the same stuff and mastered it, now they own the stage and kick it up a notch with each outing.

Though they are artists and their playground is bigger to be creative and experimental, in our own professions where we all have put in decades, we should believe and become experts.

Let it be the coding job we do, sales pitches, presentations, meetings, cooking, teaching or whatever is needed to be done in our job, we step on the stage each day, where people are watching us.

And when we are on that stage, it's up to us how we unleash ourselves and express ourselves. While it's almost the same stuff that we have been doing all our life, why can't we get more creative, improvise and surprise everyone with a better outcome.

It's upto us what we do when We set our foot on the stage each day, life opens up for us!

Appu

If the way a human being departs this world defines the personality and shows the way he has led his life, then Appu's sudden and painless demise speaks volumes of this wonderful human being.

Yet it sounds so cruel to be gone so soon, not at 46!

Extremely sad and painful that an ever smiling, inspiring, healthy, energetic guy can die so soon, it's heart quenching.

More than being Dr. Rajkumar's son, an Actor, a Star, Appu was loved and liked by all for his mannerisms, his simplicity, 0 Attitude, No Ego, his innocence, obedience and respect he gave to everyone.

A true power star who was fit and in great shape entertained us all with his looks, acting, dancing, singing and style.

Appu, you will be missed, remembered for ever. A loss that will shake faiths and beliefs.

Probably a lesson for all those Stars who spend long hours in the Gym, ignoring their health.

Ugadi - Beginnings

Life throws many positive things at us to help us rejuvenate and restart fighting life struggles.

Ugadi is one such event/occasion that lifts our spirits and instills new hope and energy to pull up the socks and keep going.

The lonely war each of us battle it out each day and the constant stress makes one lose composure, patience, temper, courtesy towards loved ones, it makes you forget you have to be humble with your co-workers/clients.

When you are tired and giving up moving up the tunnel, though you see a light, and there comes a Car to give you a lift and take you closer to the light. This short ride motivates you to try and run along the path towards light.

That's Ugadi for me!

Jai Shri Ram

On this auspicious day of the birth of Lord Ram, let us adapt his principles and imbibe Sri Ram's qualities of Generosity, being Just, being Principled, kind and caring.

Let us be a true Hindu like him, by practicing Nitya Karma, Duties irrespective of the situation/difficulties he was put in.

For those who are selling the idea of Ram Rajya, let them implement the true traits of Ram Rajya which is a symbol of good governance, progress, prosperity, peace, justice for all and no room for pain, poverty and discrimination.

Let us not reduce the "Jai Sri Ram" slogan as a tool for aggression and to intimidate.

Vidyarthi Bhavana

A marketing trick that created waves, as people jumped in joy to see another branch of Vidyarthi Bhavana in Malleshwaram!

As it turned out to be a Play, many were certainly disappointed.

Yep, so the Play finally was launched today, and a good opportunity for me to experience being an audience of a Live Play, for the first time ever!

And the experience was spectacular.

The choice of medium, platform chosen to share their legacy and their story is interesting. Much intelligent and crowd pulling way to tell a story, rather than a boring Documentary filmed.

The legacy, emotion, loyalty and the tradition of the old school Hotel is well conveyed in an extremely intelligent way, and is sure to tickle the audience's funny bones all the time.

Flawless performances by all the artists makes it even more entertaining.

All in all, a comical route taken to tell the story of the legendary Vidyarthi Bhavan's history connected to the local population, their loyal customers and the Heritage linked to Basavanagudi and Gandhi Bazaar.

A true nostalgic experience for the South Bangaloreans!

Kudos to the creators, director and the artists!

Age and Grace

Age and Grace are something that ideally should grow together.

It is obvious and sad truth that health, mental and emotional strength deteriorates as one ages and elders seem to give in to the thought that their end is nearing soon.

Those who stand above the apparent pains and display sense of maturity, demonstrate their life experience leading by example to positive thinking, humbleness, no cunningness or hatred, are inspiring and strength to a family.

Unfortunately, there are very few seniors who command respect by the way they conduct and lead an inspiring life.

Just fresh from a visit to my Aunt in Mysore, whom I adore the most for her humbleness, her maturity and is full of life, energy and spirited.

A good half day spent with her was inspiring, refreshing and motivating. Instead of cribbing about her ailments, health issues or asking the obvious questions, she suggested "I now think we have wasted our life to have just lived our little lives worried about our own problems. You don't do the same mistake, try to be useful and take care of people in need, in whatever way you can. Inculcate service-mindedness in your Life".

Judging by the unknows

Found this post on Insta, where a White woman has moved in to our country, from Germany.

In her post, she has allayed fears of living in India, especially being a White/foreigner.

Something to be proud of, for sure...a White single woman feeling safe and easy to live in India.

Having said the politically correct stand, now the food for thought: Is India really safe and easy for a white single woman to settle in India?

Or is it like saying:

 "Look at his wife...she is so charming, smart, good looking and sorted..mine is so boring"

Or...

"I don't know why all of them praise my mother's/ wife's recipe and cooking...I find their food so boring. Look at the cooking at this other house, it tastes so good and is presented so well"

Or...

"I don't know why Modi is praised and lauded by all other leaders and NRIs. I find him very inefficient, troubling common man and bad policies".

We always tend to find 100 flaws on our own, probably we know in and out, and bored of the monotony.

Unknowns always tend to excite us all!

Afterall, we all show our good faces and best foot forward to outsiders!

A heart touching Story

Some stories not only touches your heart, but literally whacks you on the face.

Such stories makes me wonder if it's really worth all the petty fights, petty differences...makes me wonder if we are wasting time trying to be upset, finding faults, whining and letting ego take over, instead of loving each other all the time.

This is one such story I read somewhere and I wanted to share it my way:

There was this one extremely beautiful woman, and a super successful and handsome man, and they made a perfect couple and envy worthy.

They both loved each other, and soon got married. They only started loving each other more after marriage. The husband wouldn't stop appreciating the beauty of his wife and was always busy praising her lovely skin and her beautiful face.

Within couple of years, the woman started developing skin issues that soon turned to a skin disease.

The husband one day while rushing for a meeting was speeding in his car, met with an accident and lost his eye sight.

The wife's skin disease worsened and completely lost her beauty, and the blind husband continued to Love her as he couldn't see his wife's deteriorating beauty, while the wife took care of her blind husband with a smile.

Eventually, after few more years, the wife succumbed to the disease and died.

At the burial ground, a common friend asked how he would lead a life alone as his wife took care of him, held him and was his eyes and held his hands and guided him all day.

That's when the husband says that he is not blind, he chose to turn blind and act blind, so that his lovely wife does not feel guilty of her deteriorating beauty at an early age!

The Train Journey

Train journeys are perspective defining moments for me. You get to observe people, their behaviour..that itself is entertaining, which is much required especially when you are travelling alone.

As I am on a 5 hour long journey, I see a middle aged couple who were gumpy as they started their journey, soon found them sharing one wired ear phone one each in their ears, plugged into a common Mobile phone. Both kept laughing, scrolling through Insta fun reels.

While many preferred to doze off and slept through out the journey, many spent their entire journey glued on to their Phones. Some not caring for people around, watching Reels and Videos with full volume on loud speakers.

I saw a small girl (not more than 5 years) having a long, serious chat with her grand father. He was explaining seriously on how things work, and about life in general, in a very simple language that child could understand, and that girl was listening to him seriously, asking loads of questions.

I saw a mother and a teenage girl, looked elegant and were sophisticated. They had their masks through out the journey, and hardly touched anything around them, sanitized their hands 100 times, nor did they eat or drink anything.

I could see in their eyes that they feel filth all around them, and Covid or any other decease is hovering around them.

Families with small infants with them, who are crying non stop, and all elders taking turns to pacify them and putting them to sleep.

And Me - looking for topics to write 😆