Without any thought, I went down and asked her to steer the vehicle while I push it. I pushed the vehicle hard and she parked the car at a safe location clearing the road. When she told me she was just visiting someone and she was not a local person, I gave her local auto repairs info. She thanked me and made some calls, and after some days, her vehicle was towed away.

The incident was forgotten, until today.

Today morning, I was driving to work in rush-hour. Since last 2 days, my fuel light was blinking, I was thinking of filling the tank today after work. But while driving, the car started giving jerks and I knew right away that its running out of fuel. When it started jerking more rapidly, I quickly turned into a shopping complex, and just right in the middle of the internal road my car got stalled. The gas station was just 2 blocks away, and I could see it from my car. Since it was a rush-hour, I quickly got out of the car and frantically started pushing it to clear the road. I finally pushed it to the parking space, but could not park it straight as it was not possible for me to push and steer it because of slight slope. Terrified by this situation I did not know what to do! I came out of the car and looking here and there, trying to figure out how best could I handle this situation.

“Hey! What happened to your car?” I heard a voice from a kind young guy. I explained him the situation. He said, “Don’t worry! I work in that shop and I will call my guys. You steer the vehicle and we will push it. I can see you have 2 kids. How old are they?”

He called his friends from his cell-phone. 3 another young guys came and they all pushed the car to the gas station. Phew!

And as soon as I started taking out my wallet to pay them for the help, they all started shouting – no, no, no. They simply refused to take any favor from me.

“You can do one thing though. If you see anyone in this situation, please help them. God Bless You” – one of them told me.

I pushed someone’s car once, 4 guys pushed my car this time. And from the bottom of my heart I thank those guys and the Almighty for sending the multiplied help.

Here it is: (Tum bhi chalo, hum bhi chalen)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01BzKR4e_Eo&feature=player_detailpage

Here is the english version: (Autumn Leaves)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kP8jPa1wCg

Credits: Whoever posted it.

As a school-boy, the thing that generated interest in me in that serial was this title song (gazal) sung by Jagjit Singh.

Simply awesome gazal:

hai lau zindagi, zindagi noor hai

magar iss mein jalane ka dastur hai….

After so many years, I was looking for this gazal…and finally, I ended up here…

http://ishare.rediff.com/music/Classical/Hai-Lau-Zindagi/58965

Check it out.. The audio quality is not so great, not bad either! Just enough to make nostalgic about the old-school-doordarshan.

Credit: Thanks bud, who ever recorded, posted and shared this beautiful gazal.

Post Script: Here is the newer version from the album “Koi Baat Chale”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6SjxlSDPHI

I took the kiddos out with nature. We had a nice walk, played under the mild sun and in the shades, listened birds chirping, eagles circling spreading their wings out and checking out some spring flowers. We came back after a while and started playing in home. I noticed a souce pouch, the one you find at fast food restaurant, in the home temple(mandir), before Sri. Bhagavan‘s holy feet. It must have been there for a long time, I assumed.

I don’t like food and other stuff lying around mandir. And I know that my kiddos play with lots of odd stuff in the home. So my reasonable guess was, my daughter may be playing with that souce pouch, put it in the temple and may have forgotten there. So With a sense of disapproval, my asked her directly:

“Dear, who put that pouch in the mandir? Why are you putting the food there?”

My daughter didn’t wait for a moment to give the answer.

“Papa, I put there. I am serving it to Sri.Bhagavan!”

Shock….I was taken aback. Suddenly she turned my reaction into devotion…..

Yes, thats what I taught her to offer the food and everything to Sri. Bhagavan first.. And when she did that in her childish innocence while playing, I was reacting differently. I realized my mistake and said Sorry to her.

“Yes, beTa, you did a great thing.”
“I want to offer this brown sauce,too to Sri.Bhagavan.”
“Go ahead…Sri. Bhagavan will accept anything from you, my kid!” Looking at Sri. Bhagavan‘s picture, I said smilingly. Sri.Bhagavan was already smiling.

http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/2833

Signing off and letting the documentary speak…

“Are you going to office, papa?”

“yes, beta.”

“What do you do in office?”

“Well, I work on computer.”

“Do you watch ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ on computer?”

“Ha ha ha..”

Nowadays she watches nursery rhymes and other kids program on home computer.

After that unfortunate incident of vastraa-haraN, in which Shri Krishna saved her, Draupadi asked HIM:

“if you would have come before, this (vastraa-haraN) would not have happened”.

Shri Krishna replied: “I came on-time, whenever you called me. You didn’t call me before.”

My prayer to HIM: Let me remember YOU in my good-days, too.

dukh me sumiran sab kare, sukh me kare na koi

sukh me sumiran jo kare, dukh kaahe ko hoy! ~ Saint Kabirji

Utter Silence and Seva offered to HIS Holy Feet.

May HE bless ALL.

Om, Peace, Love.

One devotee arranged a grand puja on the date of miracle. The whole community supported the grand celebration. Invitations to attend and be a part of the puja were sent out. My parents were visiting us these days. Well before the miracle announcement, I was suggesting my wife that when my parents visit us, I want them to be the part of some puja in the temple. And the announcement of the grand puja was a nice arrangement the Divine made for my wish – that was I thought. So on the scheduled day, my parents were to sit in the puja.

The date arrived. The whole atmosphere of the temple and the hearts of the devotees got filled with devotion and the excitement. I brought my parents and my toddler daughter at the temple. My wife couldn’t join as she was nursing our second new born bundle of bliss and peace, and so she stayed at home.

Now let me tell you some specialties of my daughter before I proceed further. She is a bit reserved and doesn’t open up immediately with anyone. She would take her own time adjusting with anyone other than us. My daughter is very attached to my wife. Though she always love to have meals feed by me, except the bottle-milk. She DEFINATELY needs mommy when she wants to sleep. In all these years, she HARDLY has slept in my arms no matter how much I tried.

On the day of the grand puja, we arrived on time. My parent sat in the puja. The hall was almost full with the devotees. I took my daughter out the hall so that she can play with other kids. I was bit worried how would my daughter react during the 4-5 hours of puja. Anyways, I tried my best to keep her occupied and entertained.

Good 4 hours passed. The climax of puja was coming nearer. There was the time of final aarti. So I took my daughter inside the hall to attend it. Everyone stood up from their seats for the final aarti. So did I and my daughter. She was sticking with my legs. The aarti started. I lifted my daughter in the arms so that she could see the God idol. The rhythm was nice and the music soothing. I started patting slowly my daughter’s back with the rhythm. She was enjoying the aarti.

All of a sudden, everyone rushed towards and gathered around a devotee who seemed to be in bliss/transcendental state. It seems it was the miracle everyone was waiting for. The devotion was running at it’s best. Instead of rushing to see the miracle, I stood wherever I was – as there was an another miracle happening right in my arms – my daughter slept happily in my arms.

I looked at HIM with tearful eyes and I thanked HIM immensely.