2419: A Different Serving

(Late post)

The other day, I don’t know why, but even a thoughtfully prepared, well-measured breakfast was left unfinished. Maybe I felt full a little early.

Naturally, I thought I would finish it at lunch. So I made a simple one dish meal with raw mango chutney, but again, a little was left. It was stuffed mix veg paratha, and one ball of dough still remained.

While planning dinner, I remembered there was some dosa batter from the previous night quietly waiting in the fridge, asking to be used soon.

Now what?

So I decided to play along.
1) I spiced up the remaining dough of mix veg paratha and made one paratha, 2) added vegetables to the dosa batter and turned it into a crispy uttapam, 3) enjoyed the portion from the leftover breakfast, 4) paired it with some salad and 5) buttermilk.

And there it was, a uniquely different spread.
Plateful… and heartful too.

In that moment, I was reminded of those lavish buffets, where we don’t really eat full portions, but just take small servings of many dishes.

And then, another memory gently walked in.

Back when my kids were in school, whenever we went out to dine, it was their moment. Each one would happily order their favorite dish, feeling all grown up and privileged. And I, I would simply enjoy from their plates.

Without ordering for myself, my plate would still be full, with variety, with tastes, with their choices. At least five or six different dishes, effortlessly.

A buffet again, served with love.

That’s exactly what I unknowingly recreated at home the other day.
Little portions.
Wide variety.
Complete satisfaction.

More than anything, it felt right not to let freshly cooked food go to waste. Because had I done that, I would have missed not just a meal, but a memory.

Such tiny, unexpected joys make everyday beautiful.
Have you experienced something like this recently? I would truly love to hear.

२४१८: खरा हिरा कोण?

जेव्हा एखादी व्यक्ती आपल्या प्रिय व्यक्तीसाठी हिरे खरेदी करते, तेव्हा खरा हिरा कोण असतो?

तो का, ज्याच्याकडे सहजपणे, प्रेमाने खरेदी करण्याची क्षमता आहे?
की तो, ज्यासाठी हे हिरे निवडले गेले आहेत, जो खरोखरच त्यासाठी पात्र आहे?
की ती संपूर्ण प्रक्रिया, जिथे भावना, योग्य वेळ, उपलब्धता आणि काहीही अपेक्षा न ठेवता देण्याची तयारी एकत्र येते?

की मग तो हिराच, जो शांतपणे दुकानातून निघून, त्या कष्टाळू आणि सुंदर हातांपर्यंत पोहोचतो?

विचार करता करता असं जाणवतं, यापैकी कुणीच एकटं पूर्ण नाही.

काहीतरी अधिक मोठं आहे, जे सगळं घडवतं, जुळवतं आणि प्रत्येक टप्प्यावर आशीर्वाद देतं.

तो अदृश्य "तो"च खरा हिरा आहे.
तो आधीही होता आणि पुढेही राहणार आहे.

एक विचार, जो मनात आला आणि म्हणून इथे मांडला? 

तुमचं मत नक्कीच जाणून घ्यायला आवडेल मला ह्या बद्दल.

2417: Who is the Real Diamond?

When someone buys diamonds for a loved one, who is the real diamond?

Is it the one who has the power, the ease, the abundance to buy with love?
Is it the one for whom the diamonds are chosen, the truly worthy, the cherished?
Is it the entire unseen process, where intent, timing, availability and a giving heart come together?

Or is it the diamond itself, quietly moving from a shelf to the hands that have earned it?

The more I reflect, the more I feel none of these stand alone.

There is something larger at play.
A force that enables, aligns and blesses every step of this journey.

That unseen HE is the real diamond.
It always was. It always will be.

Just a thought that stayed with me. Would love to know how you see it.

2416: ज्या वेळी शांततेला दिशा होती

“का?” हा प्रश्न मी फारसा कधी विचारलाच नाही.
मोठ्यांनी सांगितलेलं ऐकलं, आणि तसं जगण्याचा प्रयत्न केला.

“लवकर निजे, लवकर उठे…”
“पहाटेची वेळ साधनेसाठी उत्तम…”

हे सगळं मान्य होतं.
पण त्यामागचं खरं कारण अलीकडे उमगायला लागलं.

एक वेळ अशी होती, जेव्हा दिवसाची सुरुवात आणि शेवट याला एक ठराविक ताल होता.

पहाट म्हणजे खरोखरच शांतता निखळ, निर्विघ्न.

ना गोंगाट,
ना सततची धावपळ,
ना मन विचलित करणारा बाह्य आवाज.

अशा वेळी प्रार्थना, साधना,
वादक-गायकांचा रियाज, नर्तकांची तयारी, खेळाडूंचा सराव, योगाभ्यास ...
हे सगळं अधिक स्पष्ट, अधिक केंद्रित होत असे.

आणि कदाचित म्हणूनच,
त्या प्रयत्नांना सामूहिक बळ मिळत असे.

जणू अनेक जण वेगवेगळ्या मार्गांनी चाललेत,
पण उर्जा एकाच दिशेने वाहते आहे.

आज चित्र वेगळं आहे.
वेग वाढलाय, शांतता विरळ झाली आहे.

तरीही
आपण जे काही करतो, विचारतो, साधतो…
ते जर व्यापक भल्यासाठी असेल,
तर त्याचा परिणाम होणारच.

थोडा उशीर होईल कदाचित,
पण योग्य भावना आपला मार्ग शोधतातच.

2415: When Silence Carried Prayers

I never really asked why. I simply listened, followed what elders said, trusted their rhythms.

“Early to bed, early to rise…”
“The best time to pray is before sunrise…”

I accepted it all quietly and tried to live by it. Only recently did I begin to understand why.

It wasn’t just discipline. It was the world they were living in. There was a time when society moved in a shared rhythm. Mornings began gently, nights settled early, and between the two there was a certain order, almost a collective agreement. And in those early hours, there was stillness. Real stillness.

No traffic.
No constant noise.
No restless movement on roads, in the air, or in the mind.

In that silence, perhaps intentions didn’t have to struggle to be heard.

Prayers, practices (by instrumentalists, vocalists, dancers, sports enthusiasts, yoga practitioners and alike) and focus travelled cleanly. And more than that, they multiplied. Like a relay, or a quiet marathon of energies, where meditators, priests, artists in their riyaaz, and seekers all contributed to the same unseen current. Maybe that’s what made those hours powerful.

Today, the world is different. The silence is thinner, the pace louder.

But still, keep praying, keep practicing, keep thinking and acting in ways that serve something larger than ourselves.

Even if there is a delay, the right intentions still find their way.

2414: दोनदा वाचावंसं वाटेल असं लिहा

परवा एक फोन आला. लहानपणापासून ओळख असलेली व्यक्ती. घरच्यांसारखीच.

गप्पा सुरू झाल्या. बोलता बोलता त्यांनी अचानक विचारलं:
“अजूनही लेक्चररच आहेस का, की काही पुढे केलंस?”

मी थोडंसं हसून विषय बदलला.
पण तेच पुन्हा… आणि पुन्हा तोच प्रश्न.

मला उत्तर द्यायचंच नव्हतं असं नाही.
पण प्रत्येक प्रश्नाला उत्तर देणं आवश्यक असतंच असं नाही ना.

मी मनाने शिक्षक आहे.
आणि त्याबद्दल मला कधीच कमीपणा वाटला नाही.

छोट्या गावातून, मराठी माध्यमातून शिकत इथपर्यंत येणं—
हे “फक्त” म्हणून सोडून देण्यासारखं नाही.

आजकाल एक गोष्ट मात्र जाणवते
जर खरंच कुणाबद्दल जाणून घ्यायचं असेल, तर ते इतकं अवघड राहिलेलं नाही.

फोनवर बोलत असतानाही नाव टाईप करून सर्च करता येतं.
आणि खरंच उत्सुकता असेल, तर नंतर एक फोन करून
“तुझं काम पाहिलं, छान वाटलं” असंही सहज म्हणता येतं.

प्रश्न काय विचारला यापेक्षा, तो कसा विचारला हे जास्त लक्षात राहतं. पत्र, मेल असे लिहावे, फोन वर असं बोलावं कि ऐकतं राहावसं वाटेल, पुन्हा पुन्हा पत्र / मेल / फोन यावा असं वाटलं पाहिजे. तो लिहिणारा अगदी समोर बसून संवाद साधतो आहे असं भासलं पाहिजे, नाही का?

बाबा नेहमी एक साधी गोष्ट सांगायचे
"काही लोक फक्त वयानं मोठे होतात. आणि काही खरंच मोठे होतात."

फरक तिथेच पडतो.

2413: Between The Words

 Recently, I spoke to someone who has known me since childhood.

An accomplished and respected elder.

He knew that I had started my career many years ago as a lecturer.

Then he asked, not once but three times:
“So, are you still that lecturer, or have you achieved something more?”

I didn’t react. I simply changed the topic.

Not because I didn’t have an answer.
But because some questions are better observed than answered.

I am a teacher at heart.
Not a celebrity. Not chasing labels.

But coming from a small town, a Marathi-medium background, and building a life in academia, that is not “just” anything.

Today, I don’t seek validation.
But I do notice this.

If someone is truly curious about another’s journey, it takes very little to understand it today.
A simple search. A thoughtful follow-up. Or even a kind acknowledgment.

Sometimes, the way we ask a question reveals more about us than the answer ever will.

My father used to say:
There are two kinds of people. Those who grow older, and those who truly grow up.

The difference lies in respect, awareness, and empathy.