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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

This is life. December 2016

Years ago, in 1978, I was living in the Himalayas, in Manali, India. My boyfriend, an American who was also studying Buddhism with Tibetan lamas in India, needed to go to the next small town, Kulu, to get his visa extended.

So we took the bus down the winding mountain road from Manali to Kulu and asked to see the police officer at the Foreigners' Registration Office. We were told to come back in several hours. After having a bite to eat, we decided to go see a Bollywood film at the small country cinema there.

The film was called Yehi Hai Zindagi” (This is Life). It was a marvelous, very entertaining film, a charmingly told morality tale. The "movie features LORD KRISHNA in it, visiting its lead hero Sanjeev Kumar at regular intervals, granting him all he wishes for in his life, of the material world. Though at first Sanjeev doesn’t believe that he is the GOD himself meeting him in person, so he very casually treats him as a ‘theater artist’ dressed in the attire of LORD KRISHNA. And even later, when he unwillingly has to accept the truth, he starts asking ‘Big things’ from THE LORD just to test his powers and KRISHNA goes on fulfilling his every single wish at an appropriate time.

However, the moment Sanjeev starts becoming rich from a poor labourer, his mind begins functioning differently, his EGO comes into action and from here onward the film gets into the mould of
 A LIFE TEACHING LESSON with many interesting twists and turns in its well written script. A pure gem for its every sequence of the enlightening interaction between KRISHNA (adorably played by Vikram Gokhale) and Sanjeev Kumar at the various phases of his life, the film has some exceptionally written dialogues which are so simple yet highly effective, that seriously force you to think making that instant connect. Particularly watch out for the conversations with the word “My Sin” 
which is simply outstanding, insightful work from both the writer and the director, still remembered as the key point of the film by many who watched it in the theaters".

That scene is my favorite. It is delightfully witty with its double meanings. The lead character, Sanjeev, is ill. He cannot eat all the many delicious foods with sugar and salt he loves because he now has diabetes and other ailments. Krishna points out that the names of all the antibiotics he's taking, Terramycin, Achromycin, Ladamycin, Garamycin, all end with the words, "my sin". The lesson is that because of the 'sin' of his egotism, harming others, there is karmic payback in the form of not being able to enjoy his life.

It's such a delight to be able to find that scene on YouTube now, after all these years. 

One of my favorite multi-cultural plays on words in film. Sanjeev says, when he turns and sees the radiantly blue Krishna, adorned with flower garlands and gold headdress, "Oh you." Krishna offers him all kinds of delicious foods. Sanjeev whines that he can only eat and drink bland things. Krishna says. "Have a seat." Sanjeev cannot sit because he has hemorrhoids. Then Krishna looks at the names of the medicines. When Sanjeev reads the names, Krishna points out the "my sin" endings of each of the medicines. Sanjeev starts to wake up to the reality of his misdeeds. 
I love the times Krishna appears and talks with Sanjeev. Such a warmly human, personal relationship between the Divine and Man, endearing.

Stunningly beautiful Nature pics by Stefano Ronchi.

How astounding macro photography can be! Love these extraordinary images.

Whoa. this is a butterfly's tongue.


Photograph by Jochen Schroeder

Chiang Mai, Thailand


Subject Matter:
Butterfly proboscis
This is a close-up of a butterfly's wing!



Photograph by Francis Sneyers

Brecht, Belgium


Subject Matter:
Scales of a butterfly wing underside (Vanessa atalanta)

A joyful video I like a lot
. With good recovery lyrics.

Nice info, concise and interesting. Every country in the world.



How terrible New York City would be without Central Park! The true story of how that almost happened. 
A map of the City of New York, from 1811.                                                                                                                      PHOTOGRAPH BY THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY / GETTY
  An original copy of John Randel, Jr.’s Manhattan grid map at the County Clerk's Office, in New York. The intersection in focus, Sixth Avenue at West Eighty-sixth Street, is now a part of Central Park.PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL APPLETON / THE NEW YORK TIMES / REDUX
Turkish Artist Paints Unbelievably Tiny Paintings Onto Small Objects

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