Different

On Saturday, Republic Day was celebrated at the Kala Academy, Goa with a Jugalbandi of Tabla, Djembe and Sarangi. The program was organised by the Samraat Club Panaji and Rotary Club of Panaji under the Horizon series of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

The artists included Tabla Maestro, Ustad Wasi Ahmed Khan, his talented sons, Faraz Khan (tabla) and Wajid Khan (djembe) along with Arish Faisal on the Sarangi. After an engaging jugalbandi, the Ustad performed a unique presentation on national integration.   

Ustad Wasi Ahmed Khan played the tabla in different ways to create different beats from different parts of India. He transformed the tabla into different percussion instruments from different parts of the country. The instrument was the same but the sounds made it seem different.

Our ethnic identity arises mostly from the nurturing we receive and the cultural ambience of the place we reside in. We notice that we are different from others. But when we open ourselves to align to intricacies of other identities, we discover that we have a capacity to be similar.

This capacity to be analogous is inherent to the reality that we are the same species. Never mind the diversity of different appearance, habits or beliefs, we are eventually just Homo Sapiens. Despite the difference, we can create similar sounds of humanism!

We must learn to connect as human beings like the amazing musicians connect with music from across the diverse spectrum. Difference styles and different approaches coming from diverse cultures will not (and should not) prevent us from noticing the common reality!

Heed the sounds that are different to hear

Not just tool, for the player music is dear!

~ Pravin K Sabnis

Zero Waste

Two young green entrepreneurs were speakers at a panel discussion organised at Don Bosco College, Panjim. Jonah Fernandes and Eldridge Lobo run Eco Posro – a store that sells daily necessities. However, the difference is that all the items are sourced, transported and packaged without plastic and other harmful packaging. 

When you shop here, either you carry your own jars or pick up their glass jars and bottles and refill them every time you shop there. Fruits and vegetables are displayed in baskets to pick from without being wrapped in wasteful packaging. Jonah and Eldridge eliminate the need for waste management by embracing the practices of Zero Waste!

Zero Waste refers to approaches which focus on waste prevention as a contrast to end-of-pipe waste management. It aims for a paradigm shift in the way materials flow through society, resulting in no waste. It moves ahead of the concepts of recycling and reuse. It focuses on restructuring production and distribution systems to reduce waste.

Eliminating waste decreases pollution, and also reduces cost due to a reduced need for raw materials. The aim is to ensure no trash is sent to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. Through their implementation of the zero-waste policy, Jonah and Eldridge are showing us the value of the famous motto - prevention is better than cure.

                             

Carry your container and eliminate a need

The zero waste choice is the best indeed!

~ Pravin K Sabnis

MONDAY MUSE is written for over 15 years (since the first Monday of 2004) by Goa based Experiential Life Coach, Pravin K. Sabnis. Send your feedback to 91-8698672080 or unlearning.unlimited@gmail.com

Ride the Horse

In a Zen story, a man is riding a horse galloping down the road. A person standing by the roadside shouted out to the rider, ‘where are you going?’ The man on the horse replied, ‘I don’t know… Ask the horse!”

The horse is a symbol for a vehicle that we are at the mercy of. This vehicle is crafted not by our intentions but by the conditioning of our mind. This may be due to peer pressure, impact of associations, influence of surroundings or plain mindless activity.

The horse is pulling us along, making us rush here and there. We are in a hurry and we don’t know why. We are moving but we don’t know where we are headed. We are at the mercy of the horse. It is the horse that is actually riding the rider!

We need to stop and ask ourselves: Why are we running around? What is our destination? Are we on the right road? Are we in control of our horse? Or are we hostage passengers? The answers will help us know on where we want to go and how we want to live our lives!

Ride the horse to purpose known

Lest it drag you to the unknown!

~ Pravin K Sabnis

Not the same

On Saturday, artist-poet Dr Guruprasad Kapadi showcase his paintings works in a two day solo exhibition. He dedicated his exhibition to his friend, philosopher, guide, Satish Sonak. He likened the departed personality to a generously giving and flowing river.

To explain his varied artistic interpretation of common situations, Dr Guruprasad quoted the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus: 'No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.'

This awareness that the waters of a river are always changing, even if the river looks the same, can be applied to life. Ditto for the person stepping in the river. People are never the same, changing in some way from our day-to-day experiences. It is the same with society. 

Heraclitus was known for his espousal of the doctrine of change being central to the universe. And this principle helps us overcome the burden of experience which limits (and colours) our understanding of the same situation in a different timeframe.

Every day, we evolve with new experiences. So do others. If everyone and everything is in a state of flux, we must first note and embrace that change. We must be open minded to see and respond to the situation or the person who seems to be the same… but is not the same!

The river that flows is not the same…

A person that grows is not the same!

~ Pravin K Sabnis