Ordinary Lives through Ordinary Files

शाळेत कुठल्यातरी वर्गात फळ्यावर हा सुविचार लिहिलेला वाचला होता. "Sky is the limit" त्यावेळी आपल्या भाबड्या मनाला वाटलेल की काय विचार आणि कल्पना आहे, एकदम भन्नाट ना, ज्याने कोणी हे लिहिले असेल त्याची. तर आज असं वाटतंय की अपुऱ्या ज्ञानातून येवू शकतो का कधी अज्ञाताला ज्ञात समजून त्याच्यात उड्या घेण्यासाठीचा कॉन्फिडन्स, आत्मविश्वास. म्हणजे कसं तर, sky has limit ना… आता जे दिसतंय आपल्या डोळ्यांना, आपल्या समक्ष, जे वेधून घेतलंय पक्षांनी, कित्येक प्रकारच्या वायूंनी मर्यादा आहेच की त्या sky ची. त्याच्या परे आहे ना अथांग... ज्याचा उगम आणि अंत आपल्याला माहीत नाही असे. Theories आहेत खूप साऱ्या पण कसं आहे ना आपल्याला माहिती असलेलं हे विश्व हे फक्त ५% आहे आणि ज्याची काहीच कल्पना नसलेले असे around 70% is dark energy and 25% is dark matter.  विज्ञानातील खूप साऱ्या संकल्पना जेव्हा शिकवायची वेळ आली मुलांना तेव्हा ही असच काहीच वाटत राहिलेलं मनात. माती, पाणी, वृक्ष, हवा, सूर्यप्रकाश, ह्यांना नक्की कसं कोणत्या बेसिसवर Renewable, non-renewable किंवा exhaustible, non-exhaustible की conventional, n...

From being narrow to getting broader and from imposition of learning to exploring new avenues of learning. There is this dialogue in movie 'Lincoln' -- "Euclid's first common notion is this: Things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other. That's a rule of mathematical reasoning and it's true because it works - has done and always will do. In his book Euclid says this is self evident. You see there it is even in that 2000 year old book of mechanical law it is the self-evident truth that things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other. We begin with equality. That's the origin, isn't it? That's balance, that's fairness, that's justice." Lincoln, a lawyer by profession, is having this conversation with two fellows. He is talking about mathematical reasoning that the engineer sitting with him doesn't even remember. The beauty of it is that knowledge learned does not get compartmentalized. It is interna...

A big Hello to all the humans out there. From your talk and gossip I have understood that my presence is not  welcome here. I am imposed of many crimes and some of them are - drinking milk from your utensils and currently even when it's boiling hot, making residence near your cooler when it's real hot out there, making entry even from the high windows while you were asleep at night, spreading your garbage all over the floor from dustbins and making it dirty in search of food I wish to find as I have to fill my own stomach with my newborns, meowing for long when I feel as if I have lost one of my babies, which in the result disturbs you in your studies and some more can be included in the list. And here with my truthfulness and honesty I admit that I am responsible for all those crimes according to your civilised norms and etiquettes. Currently I have known that you humans call yourself Homo Sapiens Sapiens which at first was Homo Sapiens only which means wise man and so what do...

Was watching some random video on YouTube's recommended list and there was this talk of Oprah Winfrey. After building a school in South Africa and seeing the first batch of graduates getting out, she was delighted and called Maya Angelou to share it with her. She told her that she finally has her legacy in this world. But what made me think was Maya Angelo's reply to Oprah. Maya said,"You don't know what your legacy is. It's every life that you have touched"... That just triggered my think think think kind of mind. I thought of those legacies as one defining feature of a personality. And suddenly realized that with such addition of new things with new realisations, the defining list is never going to be exhaustive and so never are we going to be, even nearest to define a personality in its whole.  I also got to read yet another article that day in The Hindu. It was about Tiruvalluvar by Gopalkrishna Gandhi. He had written how Tiruvalluvar is label elusive, abo...

तर गम्मत अशी की सकाळी पूर्वेकडे सूर्याला बघत वृक्षासन करताना माझ्या डोक्यात भलताच प्रकाश पडला. मी आपली मस्त लयीत पाय वर घेत आता हात वर घेऊन फायनल पोज मध्ये येणार तो नोटीस केलं की मी चक्क बाजूच्या भिंतीचा आधार घेतला होता. स्वतः च आश्चर्याने मग विचार करू लागले की असं कसं बरं? रोजच तर करतो आपण हे. पण दिवसात म्हणे काही ५०००० विचार येतात आपल्या डोक्यात मग एकाणेच तग धरला तर आकडा कसा पार होणार? तर असं कसं चा सवाल पूर्ण होईतो माझ्या मनाने मला उपमा दिली की 'यू क्रीपर'. वृक्षासनाचा अाता कधीच विसर पडला होता आणि स्वारी शवासनच करूच्या मूड मध्ये आलेली. पण त्या ५०००० हजारांची आगगाडी ग्रीन सिग्नल शोधून बसली होती बहुतेक. एक फील घेते पुर्णपणाचा वृक्षासण करताना आणि तो आधाराला गेलेला हात पाहिल्यापासून स्वतःच स्वतःची थट्टा करत होते. डोक्यात आलं खरंच वेळेनुसार परिस्थितीनुसार किवा संगतीनुसर आपण असतोच कढी वृक्ष कधी झुडूप तर कधी वेल. खूप वेळा जेव्हा कोलमडून पडायची वेळ येते, थकवा येतो, अर्थ हरवून जातात… वेलीप्रमाने नाहिका आधार घेत आधार शोधत वाढण्याची धडपड करतो आपण. कधी कधी आपल्याच फुगलेल्या छोट्या विश्व...

लिहायला सुरुवात करताना खूप मोठा प्रश्न हा होता की इंग्लिश मध्ये लिहू की मराठी? मुख्यत्वे लिहिते ती भाषा जी भावनेने पकडलेली असते तीच राहते, पण आज पडला हा प्रश्न. आज पहिल्यांदाच आपल्या जवळच्या लोकांनी म्हणजे नात्यातल्या, घरच्या आणि सगळ्यात महत्त्वाचं शाळेतल्या हे वाचावं असं वाटतंय. आज "Menstrual Hygiene Day" म्हणजे "मासिक पाळीचा दिवस". इंस्टग्रामवर एका सीनिअर ची स्टोरी पाहिली. मनातलंच लिहिलं होतं तिने. एक प्रश्न होता की तुम्हाला तुमची पहिली पाळी झाली तो म्हणजे पिरेडस आले तो दिवस आठवतो का? आणि तो तुम्हाला सक्षम करणारा होता की लाज वाटवणारा?... आशा आहे की ह्याच बरोबर उत्तर तुम्ही गेस केललं नसावं. कारण मला लाजवणारा दिवस होता तो. खजील झाले होते मी. स्वतःपासून आणि त्या ओल्या, उबदार आणि विचित्र जनिवेपासून दूर कुठेतरी पळून जावं ही इच्छा होती तेव्हा मनात. सगळ्यात वाईट गोष्ट अशी की आज पिरेडस आले आणि उद्या सुट्टी संपणार होती. बापरे परत नवोदयला हॉस्टेलला जायचं. खूप भीती होती मनात. खरंतर आई बाबांना सोडून त्या हॉस्टेलला जायचं हिच मोठी भीतीदायक गोष्ट असायची माझ्यासाठी अगदी बारावीला ...

I thought about various beginnings to start my speech like a quote, a story about honesty and truthfulness or something catchy to off course gain your attention. But it is necessary when the topic itself is tremendously catchy. When I first looked at this topic “Eradicate corruption, build a new India” the instant question that came to mind was why corruption? Why not eradicate poverty or a bad education system but only corruption in the process of building a new India. So what is corruption? One definition I got is 'Abuse of public office or position of trust for private gain’. My fellow participants might focus their speech on this definition and talk about scams and scandals like 2G spectrum fraud, coal case, vyapam ghotala and many more.  The other definition which got flashed o is that corruption is dishonest, immoral and illegal behavior or activities. So I thought why not choose the road not taken and that's why my speech is about this aspect of corruption. If we look ar...

( One of those girls who stood up for the draconian hostel and college rules which kept them tied into hostel and institutional walls. Though considered mature citizens of the country capable enough to cast a vote, they were not considered capable to take their own responsibility and be out after a certain time, on certain dates as if a black spell would be cast on them. And meanwhile all others could be out making them the caged ones.) so 15th September 2018 will be celebrated as independence day. Yes you read it right, it is 15th September 2018. This is not a story of some country getting freedom from colonialism. This is a story of some courageous girls who fought for their rights and freedom which is naturally gifted to all and should not be asked from anyone. You remember about Gandhiji right? The one who set the examples of victory without blood shedding. The one who gave us all the lesson of nonviolence and truth. I will say these girls followed the steps of Mahatma and so the s...

तो अचानकच येतो सांगून येणं चाहूल लागू देणं त्याची सवय नव्हे आज ही तो असाच आला न सांगता मला शिडशिडी आणायला आणि बहरवून गेला मन आणि मौसम गडगडाट भावनांचा धुवून गेला प्रसन्नतेच्या चांदण्या शिंपून गेला हिरवळ स्वच्छंदतेची पालवी आशेची कोरडी मने लिंपून गेला तो असाच येतो मन कोरडं झालं की थेंबे थेंबे ओलावा भरतो हलकी झुळून बनून कुठे कुठे स्वैर करवतो आज चिंब भिजणं नाही झालं तुझ्या संगे तल्लीन होऊन विरघळून जाणं नाही झालं पण तुझा अट्टाहास मोठाच किती वेळ बरसत राहिलास माझ्या हातच्या पुस्तकाला हिनवत राहिलास जिंकलास तू आजही पण मला हरू न देता असंख्य आपल्या भेटिंना नव्याने गुंफता गुंफता प्राजक्ता प्रकाश ऑगस्ट २०१९

Some day that I don't remember the date of… It was around 11 in the morning, just an ordinary day of rush and chaos for many but my heart was getting ready, ready to be strong, ready to beat properly and look good. It was difficult for me and I knew it. After 4 years I was going to meet him… A little glance at the background story just for your better understanding. Ours was a coed which used to follow strict rules of unmingling of girls and boys. So we are the offspring of a society where speaking with different genders was alien to us. So the formation of a new bond germination of lovely feelings shayad shahzada Salim ke liye bhi hamse aasan tha. Ijhar to kr paya that Anarkali se. Humari situation me to kabhi ijhar nhi hua, jisko kbhi samajha bhi nhi gaya ki Kya sachme aisa kuchh tha?... You know We only used to look at each other at every possible occasion we got. And as I remember there were many. One special case that I remember is.... It was after the 3rd preboard of 12 class...

For I am waiting for the perfect time to capture the perfect colours and let them come and paint the emotions that I carry Perfectly as if no shade could have been any better And perhaps I assume to find it all in imperfect lines and colours to soothe myself in completely incomplete satisfaction... I am worried because I know the mediocre me that my hands aren't the one who knows the art to its beauty but for the solace it brings to me.  That I may want to sing  loud and louder not because the voice is so sweet but for my heart that wants to sing to touch every chord in my ears which may make my mind calm for a second that it may become silent  only to start the chit chat at the next second That I want to jump and dance  not to the tune of a romantic song  and not that I'm a dancer of any kind but to let off the burden  that I'm holding so tight  it's bringing upon larger weight that my shoulders are losing Grace to lift them up I want to dance  T...