Spring Blossoms

It was around 6am in the morning. I was feeling the warmth of a few sun rays touching my face. I opened my eyes and looked at the crimson red sun emerging from the horizon. I could hear the birds chirping out melodious notes. I came out to my patio and felt little cold - a kind of cold that you would soak in and enjoy. I looked at a few trees and observed that the buds have started opening up – I took a deep breath and said to myself – Ah! spring is finally here!

Look around you and see the palpable signs of life blossoming again after the winter season. Sometimes thinking about this possibility of life springing back is very exciting and powerful – more than seeing the flowers actually in full bloom. Just imagine the abundant energy within the tree buds which are soon going to blossom into leaves/flowers.

Mother Nature bestows so much meaning to Spring. In many countries and religions it marks the beginning of the New Year. For certain creatures it means coming out of a long hibernation in search of food & water. For many of us it is the preparation for summer season. However, you need not wait for the destination (Summer) to arrive as you can enjoy the journey (Spring).

Around two weeks ago I was in NYC and had a chance to spend some time in Battery Park along river Hudson. Here are a few pics:

I know we all are very excited towards the impending summer – there are lot of activities to do, vacations, sporting actions and much more. But, the time to enjoy is now! The freshness in the air, the cool morning wind is simply breath taking. This is the time to enjoy long walk with your significant other, time to do some biking, take your kids out in the open and do some kite flying, observe Mother Nature a little more carefully and take a look at how Spring is blossoming!

Let the freshness in our surroundings cleanse us and usher in new thoughts for a better tomorrow!

Conversation with Australian PM

It was a pleasant surprise to watch a very interesting and enjoyable conversation – a conversation between Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former India cricketer turned TV commentator Ravi Shastri.
And what a place to have this talk- in the commentary box at Sydney cricket Ground (SCG) on the occasion of 100th test match at SCG and also a pink day. This is the day when everyone at SCG wears pink to pledge their support toward the McGrath foundation for breast cancer.

The conversation lasted about 10 minutes but the impact was big. First Ravi talked about the current state of the match and Julia mentioned that she is still learning about the game. It was interesting to know that Australian government is spending $186 million (Australian dollars I guess!) on the redevelopment of SCG in preparation for the 2015 cricket world cup in Australia. An immediate question posed by Ravi was when the ground will be completed to which Julia responded we will not let the grass grow; it will be done before the world cup deadline – a typical Aussie style punching response.

Next Julia acknowledged the contribution of the huge Indian diaspora in Australia (this must have felt good to the Indian community particularly in these days when hate crime is seeing a rise again). When Ravi talked about the great rivalry between India and Australia on the cricket field Julia quickly veered the conversation towards how much India & Australia have in common – democracy, language and past history. Julia then mentioned about her focus on the co-operation related to education between the two countries which can strengthen the people to people contact. Quite fittingly, the conversation ended around the great Indian curry. And no surprises that the Australian PM loves Indian food!

What came out from this conversation was the charming personality of the Australian PM. She seemed to be very open, friendly and interested in strengthening the co-operation between the two countries which augurs well for both nations. A lot of credit goes to Ravi Shastri for managing this conversation so well.

On a day when the Indian bowling was mauled at the SCG this was the only bright spot of the day!

About Julia Gillard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gillard

About Ravi Shastri
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Shastri