On a lazy Tuesday, in the humid afternoon of Jaipur, a sudden turn of events took place. The sky grew grey and churned out rains. The sizzling sound of raindrops accompanied by the pleasant aroma of wet earth, invited life. I stood unmoving on my balcony, overlooking the green garden accompanied by a tall tree line drenched in rains. With my headphones on and the main theme song of Interstellar movie composed by Hans Zimmer playing in the background, my heart gravitates towards Pune, my hometown, where my family, my loved ones are, at present. I take in fresh air, close my eyes. The subtle breeze of monsoon air splashes me with mist; in my thoughts, the face of my wife and my son come alive. Still my eyes closed, I can feel their presence, in my rented apartment at Jaipur. I relive the memories of holding my son in my arms, his high-pitched cat like laughter of monosyllables, his little finger wrapped around my thumb. I can see his searching eyes, constantly moving affectionately. The life I held in my arms, my son, my LOVE. This love for my child filled me, the air still wet, brushed my naked skin. I stood there reliving the moments I cherish the most. My heart sinks, I am still, eyes filled with tears, standing on my balcony overlooking the garden in my colony at Jaipur.

The title track of Interstellar movie still ringing in my ears, rhythmically, with each keynote of the piano it transports me back and forth through vivid memories, of the people I LOVE the most. This is the power of LOVE. It has the power to gravitate you through time and space. So I return to my study open my laptop and write this blog.

Love is magnificent, it moves us.

When love fills us, everything is a possibility.

Time runs slow and mind is at rest. Only the moment matters, all our five senses are awake, every detail is registered; the smell, sounds, touch, vision and taste. In that moment we are truly alive. Love, my dear friends is magical.

Me and my affair with my MOTORCYCLE.

Love is mystical, the pull it holds on our thoughts and emotions is enthralling. I love my motorcycle hence; I take it out on monthly rides. It is my buddy, my partner and I feel free when I am cruising through a smooth patch of tarmac, at 4500rpm. The repeated thumping of the engine at 100kmph I am unshackled and weightless. I take good care of my motorcycle and it takes good care of me on those lonely rides. It is love and affection; I share with my Royal Enfield fills me with joy is one of the reason I am alive. I am understanding and feel connected to the surrounding environment. My heart feels joyous and I choose to be good. Love filters out all the unwanted distractions and toxicity. I have no more thoughts of guilt, despise, anger, contempt, fear and self-doubt. I am in the moment, present and attentive, not thinking about the mistakes of the past nor making any plans of the future. There are no expectations and no dishonest thoughts. Love filters it all- it promotes for existential experience.

Similarities between GRAVITY & LOVE

1) LOVE always exists; within us and around us as the people we with whom we share our life. Similarly, GRAVITY exists throughout our life.

2) Both GRAVITY and LOVE are bidirectional i.e. both the objects experiencing LOVE or GRAVITY experience a pull towards each other.

3) Both are omnipresent and experienced only when we genuinely notice and pay attention to them.

4) LOVE makes our world go round and keeps it in motion and we make the world of people who love us go round. Similarly, GRAVITY, the Sun holds our planets in place and keeps our solar system in motion.

5) GRAVITY affects time and space, LOVE too affects our perception of time. It is a proven fact; the time we spend in the company of our loved ones, passes quickly and with ease:- Theory of relativity, I hope Einstein was experiencing love when he theorized, Theory of Relativity.

6) LOVE keeps us grounded in life as GRAVITY literally keeps us on ground.

7) And lastly as zero GRAVITY results in low blood pressure, so does LOVE. Getting hugged by the one you love reduces our blood pressure considerably by release of oxytocin in our body. I guess Sh. Rajkumar Hirani sir knew this, when directing “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S” in 2003, hence the lead actor gave “Jadu ki zappi” (hugs) to his fellow actors on screen to reduce stress.

8) Lastly, both GRAVITY and LOVE are singularities, both are unconditional.

We humans quantify each and everything. We have developed scales to measure and define every aspect of our life. This process of quantification; makes it is easy for our brain to grasp and weigh our choices to find the best suitable outcome. It is the way we have evolved and our species have survived. As the Sun does not quantify the Gravitational pull it projects on Earth, so as the Earth on Sun. Similarly, our pet does not stop LOVING us if we don’t give him his favourite diet. This is the quality they both, the Sun and the pet possess. It is their basic nature as to tap into the omnipresent force of GRAVITY or LOVE, respectively. Hence I ask; why do we, humans are selective about, when to or whom to LOVE? We hide behind a veil of ignorance and expectation, by being selective. In doing so, we forget LOVE is bidirectional, to get love we must love, the more we love the more we receive it. To be Loving is not to be vulnerable, rather it is just being in LOVE.  Be in love with your motorcycle, in love with your job, in love with the people in your life, be in love with the water you drink or the food you eat, just be Loved by being in love. Love is unconditional. We can experience it, when the veil of ignorance and expectation vanishes.  

“I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.”–Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

So, “Be in love with your life. Every minute of it.”—Jack Kerouac.

Until next week.

Thank you.