1. The Happy Prince: I discussed the gist with my student who had received a birthday gift from Byju’s. A compass box. Oscar Wilde was the author academy awards were named after in my imagination when I merely came across his quotes and bio in my college days. I told her what the story meant for me:

2. It had reference to many gems: garnet, ruby, sapphire etc. The birds represent freedom of wings with vulnerability. The statue represents past glory. I narrated another event: the officer who worked in the post office had a house in my neighborhood. I visited him once while I was living in the Mahaveer Colony. He said something to disparage Gandhi by telling me that great people like Gandhi get stamps issued in their names. People either put their sputum or a stamping hammer on tickets. In other words: they’re not respected. The man died in a few days with a brain tumor. He was commenting on my headache. I would never understand what really transpired that night in November.

3. The girl right outside the Sulabh Complex which has a photo of Suresh Raina did the same thing I had done with my glasses the moment another bespectacled girl was jogging. I had heard John Lennon’s “imagine.” Aleph. Meme. Shin.

4. Memes develop into sins. The pleasure has a price. As long as you are meritorious: your sins remain invisible: as soon as you are out of power you need to undergo knee operation or you leave your body and move into another. I wonder where people go after leaving their bodies. The wonder happens about particular people: like Gandhi or Atal Bihari Vajpayee. I understand that theoretically it’s all well contained.

5. I was thinking about Kapil who is called Siddheshwara and founder of Samkhya system of Philosophy of ancient India. The previous few blog posts do bear his name. The news flashed in the noon: Kapil Dev Nikhanj, former captain of Indian cricket team and a military colonel has been admitted to the hospital after he complained about pain in chest. He was an all-rounder and played a memorable inning of 175 against Zimbabwe in the 1983 world cup. This is the kind of thing I have been observing in the whole last year of 2020. A kind of tryst with Death in some way or the other.

6. I might get my lowers stitched by tomorrow morning. The hammers haven’t let me relax here in noon. I need to borrow money to get shaved as trimmer isn’t working.

7. I wondered if all the talk about pure body of gnosis and bliss was just that: talk. Then there remains nothing worth pursuing: if there’s no eternal liberation and beauty: it’s as good as being dead. If you merely get one life: it’s better to die as soon as possible and if you are supposed to die repeatedly: it’s better to learn to defeat death.

8. I had a nice sandwich. The saatvat Tantra owes all to Narada: it’s Vaishnava version of Shaiva agamas. Abhinavagupta of Kashmir included bliss in the peace. S for Sapera. The nath sampradaya had Nisargadatt of Mumbai who told that bliss was more of nature of peace. We tend to strive for what’s considered standard: like a bowling action, a way of living or a way of talking etcetera. All religions and striving are make-believe.