Wisdom Nuggets

(1 minute Read)

As I was observing the colorful skyline of Dubai Marina from Palm Jumeirah, the glittering ceremony to launch the world’s largest and tallest Observation wheel was on yesterday. Ain Dubai was opened to the public as the latest tourist attraction. The height of the wheel is 250 meters. The time taken for one complete rotation is 38 minutes. 48 cabins have a total capacity of seating 1750 visitors on this spectacular circular ride. It is definitely a civil engineering marvel, as far as concept, design and construction aspects are concerned. It will require a finely tuned and fully equipped maintenance team to keep the wheel moving noiselessly.

This attraction could be taken as a point to ponder for Chapter 2 (Gyaan Nugget # 32). Universe is the Giant wheel of time having the ability to create and sustain trillions of living beings endlessly. Each lifetime is like a single rotation of the Observation wheel. The purpose of this ride is to derive new meanings from each experience and grow wiser.

Revere this self sustaining ability of the Universe which is doing its best inspite of the hurdles posed by one tricky human species. (FRIDAY GYAAN is available in Amazon in both ebook and paperback versions – Visit Website http://www.authorshankar.com)

(2 minute Read)

I got an excellent opportunity to assimilate the essence of Gyaan Nugget # 56 of Chapter 4. In this case, I was a wise cricket fan, when I witnessed the Qualifier 1 IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dubai last week. I conveniently settled down on a seat on the top most row of the top tier in the West, where a cool breeze was wafting across the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road against the backdrop of a beautiful yellowish red setting sun.

As soon as the first ball was bowled by Deepak Chahar, I determined that I should relish every moment of the cricketing action irrespective of whichever team wins, since I had invested my precious time, energy and money for this match. I was observing keenly on all aspects of the game – classic strokes by batsmen, strategic field placements, bowling skills, fielding brilliance, noise made by the Whistle Podu fans of CSK and so on. I kept on cheering for the cricketing skills which were displayed by the players as the thriller see-sawed between CSK and DC.

As a spectator, if I focus on only being a fan of a team, the entire match is full of anxiety and stress. It becomes a kind of gambling activity. I never get to enjoy the game. But, if I start loving the game without taking sides, the entire match becomes a series of wonderful moments. I can experience happiness and fun, while learning many fine nuances of the game.

Are you a fan of a team or Are you a fan of the game?

When you witness a sports match, if you want to experience happiness every moment, then you need to just become a fan of the game. Why don’t you try this approach while watching today’s IPL final, which is due to start in a few hours’ time? (FRIDAY GYAAN is available in Amazon in both ebook and paperback versions – Visit Website http://www.authorshankar.com)

(1 minute Read)

You might be familiar with this popular quote – “When you like a flower, you just pluck it. When you love a flower, you water it daily.” Let us extrapolate it for relationships.

Like is based upon selfishness. When I like an object or a person in a relationship, I focus more on getting the most from the relationship, thereby resulting in a depletion. I tend to dislike the relationship over time, if my selfish needs are not satisfied.

Love is synonymous with selflessness. When I love an object or a person in a relationship, I unconditionally contribute towards strengthening the relationship. In that process of strengthening, my respect for that relationship keeps increasing over time.

This essence is explained as a simple equation in Gyaan Nugget # 108 in Chapter 6. (FRIDAY GYAAN is available in Amazon in both ebook and paperback versions – Visit Website http://www.authorshankar.com)

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I reverentially admire my late Father-in-law’s simple approach towards living. I had the great fortune of observing him in countless challenging life situations from very close quarters. In fact, he was the inspiration behind the Gyaan Nugget # 78. In that Nugget, I had compared our physical body to a hardware unit and the psychological complex (Mind and Intellect) to a set of software. He had an uncanny ability to keep external things external and create a layer of ‘insulation’ between the software (Mind and Intellect) and the hardware (Physical body). As a result, he lived a healthy life full of enthusiasm and energy until the end.

One of my favorite meditation themes is to reflect on his great attitude of going above and beyond his role to serve others, whether it was his professional career or personal life. The purpose and benefit of upgrading one’s software can be browsed in Gyaan Nugget # 78 in Chapter 5. (FRIDAY GYAAN is available in Amazon in both ebook and paperback versions – Visit Website http://www.authorshankar.com)

(1 minute Read)

In the year 2000, an interesting variant in the Olympic sport of Diving was introduced. ‘Synchronized Diving’ involves a routine wherein 2 divers form a team and perform dives simultaneously. Each performance is evaluated by a panel of 5 to 7 judges. Quality of execution by each diver and the synchronicity are assessed to determine the scores. The 3 key parameters on which a dive is scored are: the approach, the flight and the entry into water. Degree of difficulty is an important parameter in the final evaluation.

Just like the divers, each one of us is given a wonderful chance to display our Synchronized living skills in this planet. Degree of difficulty varies from time to time. The quality of our life is determined by the level of synchronization between the 2 elements (What we SAY and What we DO). Our Conscience is equivalent to a panel of judges, which is available 24×7.

Choose between Synchronized Living or Stressful Living, consciously. Check out for more details on alignment in Gyaan Nugget # 94 in Chapter 6. (FRIDAY GYAAN is available in Amazon in both ebook and paperback versions – Visit Website http://www.authorshankar.com)