31 Quotes by Rumi that will Inspire You to be Better!

I never thought living in 21st century I would love something written in 13th century. Yes you read it right. This 808 year old poet has magical power in his words. His works are written mostly in Persian, but occasionally he also used Turkish, Arabic, and Greek. Today three countries claim him as their national poet : Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan. He is none other than "Rumi"

Its said that Rumi's meeting with the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi in 1244 completely changed his life. From an accomplished teacher and jurist, Rumi was transformed into an ascetic. Shams and Rumi were close friends for about four years. In December of 1248, Shams disappeared; it is believed that he was either driven away or killed. Rumi left in search of his friend, travelling to Damascus and elsewhere. Eventually, Rumi made peace with his loss, returning to his home believing Shams to be a part of him.

My Favorite Quotes By Rumi 

• The wound is the place where the Light enters you.

• Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you.

• These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.

• Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.

• The moon stays bright when it doesn't avoid the night.

• You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?

• Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.

• If you dig a pit for others to fall into, you will fall into it yourself.

• People want you to be happy. Don't keep serving them your pain!

• If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?

• You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.

• Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.

• When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

• Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.

• Love rests on no foundation. It is an endless ocean, with no beginning or end. 

• I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.

• Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

• Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.

• Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.

• Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back towards disease and death.

• Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I am changing myself. 

• Listen with ears of tolerance! See through the eyes of compassion! Speak with the language of love. 

• Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone's soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.  

• Very little grows on jagged rock. Be ground. Be crumbled, so wildflowers will come up where you are. 

• Let's get away from all the clever humans who put words in our mouth, let's only say what our hearts desire. 

• If you could untie your wings and free your soul of jealousy, you and everyone around you would fly up like doves. 

• Never lose hope, my heart, miracles dwell in the invisible. If the whole world turns against you keep your eyes on the Friend. 

• Hardship may dishearten at first, but every hardship passes away. All despair is followed by hope; all darkness is followed by sunshine. 

• The world's flattery and hypocrisy is a sweet morsel: eat less of it, for it is full of fire. Its fire is hidden while its taste is manifest, but its smoke becomes visible in the end. 

• When you go through a hard period, when everything seems to oppose you, when you feel you cannot even bear one more minute, NEVER GIVE UP! Because it is the time and place that the course will divert!

• Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others' faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear. 

Rumi (1207-1273)
(Source)

I am one of those who keep looking for quotes to motivate myself and others around me. But if some of you are thinking why I am so much into quotes I would say we all go through ups and downs and quotes somehow are able to relate to many of us. Sometimes the words perfectly explain our situation or what we are going through in life. 

Music Meets Happiness! (Coke Studio Season 3)

Internet has truly been a blessing in the sense that you can search and listen to your favorite song anywhere anytime. You have so many choices ranging from year, artist, language and so on. I love music because it is always there to support me no matter what. So one fine day when I was finding a song on YouTube I came across some videos of Coke Studio Pakistan and I was really impressed by some of the songs. I even downloaded a few and kept listening on repeat mode. In 2011, Coke Studio India was made but I din't pay any heed to it until I came across Clinton Cerejo's "Madari" which was a huge hit. It was one of the songs from the 1st episode of Season 2 (2012) and is sung by Vishal Dadlani, Sonu Kakkar.

This year came the third season of Coke Studio India with a bang. It started with A.R. Rahman's beautiful composition "Zariya" which is one of my favorite. It is sung by Ani Choying and Farah Siraj. The lines : 'Tu Zariya Hun Main Zariya aur Uski Kirpa Dariya Dariya..' captured my heart. Such deep meaning and so beautifully sung. Episode1 has total 6 songs, all composed by A.R. Rahman.

Episode2 also has 6 songs composed by Ram Sampath. My favorite from this episode is "Dum Dum Andar". Its is sung by Sona Mohapatra and Samantha Edwards. It is nice song with well written lyrics. One can relate it to God or soul. 'Dum Dum Andar Bole Yaar Hardum Andar Bole Yaar, Yaar Mein Main Boloon na Bollon Mere Andar Bole Yaar..'

What can I say about Episode3, according to me it is the best of all. Clinton Cerejo has composed 6 songs. If you listen to all the compositions peacefully with headphones in, it can transform your thinking process or the least it can do is make you think what you are exactly doing with your life.! Here is my interpretation of the songs :

• Song1 : Peer Jalani sung by Clinton Cerejo and Manga Khan (Barmer Boys)

Though I din't understand what Manga Khan sings but I loved Clinton Cerejo's part. In the 1st verse I felt that someone is asking you what exactly are you doing, you will have to leave here everything so stop stressing yourself and the 2nd verse is like a conversation between a man and God where the person requests God to make his life simpler, I had been away from you but I want to be with you ('Asaan kardey ye mera jeena, main judaa tumhi se ab tumhi se hai nibhana..')

• Song2 : Aisi Bani sung by Clinton Cerejo, Bianca Gomes, Vijay Prakash, Sonu Kakkar

Honestly, I cried the first time I heard this song. It shakes you from within. It tells you that speak nicely to anyone you meet because everyone is fighting a battle in their lives ('Aisi Bani Boliye Mann Ka Aapaa Khoye, Chotil Sab Hain Marham Marham Boliye..'). There is another line in between that says what has happened to this world, Even my god is crying after seeing all this ('Es Shareef Jagat Nu Ki Hoya, Aye Vekh Jajoor Mera Royaa..'). The intensity and depth with which the lines have been sung will surely remind you some real incident. Lovely Song.. 

• Song3 : Pinjra by Jonita Gandhi and Sanam Puri 

Another amazing song what I listen specially when I am sad. It kind of gives me peace and strength. I want to share the lyrics because it says it all..

Pinjra pinjra kholke waadi, kholke waadi khol de,

Pinjra pinjra..

Hoon kis jurm mein kaidi,

Hoon kiska apraadhi,

Dum ghutata hai de chutkaara,

Ki galtee se galtee, ki baaki manmarzi,

Ab faislaa kar bhi, chal aajaa,

Ek arzi bheji hai tujhko,jaldi se sunwaa,

Meri gunaahi tu mujhko, be jhijhak ginwaa,

Ek arzi bheji hai tujhko, jaldi se sunwaa,

Chudwaa rihaayi de mujhko..

• Song4 : Baina by Clinton Cerejo and Vijay Prakash

It is another captivating song. The lyrics are more about self discovery.

Ohe raat din nahin chaina,

pi bin palak na sariye,

ab lagan lagi ki kariye,

na jisakiye na mariye,

ye agan birohn di jallee,

koi hamri preet niwaarey

kar saaj sajaavat haari,

koi hamri preet sanwaarey,

bin darshan kaise tariye..

• Song5 : Marghat by Siddharth Basrur

I could relate this to today's world where girls are not safe, people kill  parents or siblings for money, blood and money everywhere. The lyrics are very true..  Specially the lines : 

Kyun rootha sa rehta hai,

Kis aag mein behtaa hai,

Ujli tasveer pe rang laal fenknaa,

Kyun marghat banngaya,

Teri pehchaan thi,

Tu thaa insaan hi,

Kyun marghat banngaya..

• Song6 : Kalapi by Kailash Kher

This is very peppy number. Kailash Kher has sung it so joyfully. You almost feel so connected. Here a girl is telling her dad why are you sending me to someone else home. I belong to you ('Torey Khoontey Ki Main Gaiyaa, Kaahein Bhejloo Dusree Duwaare..')

Episode4 is done by Salim Sulaiman. Out of the 6 songs, my Favorite is "Bismillah" sung by Salim Sulaiman, Kailash Kher and Munawar Massom. Another mesmerizing composition.

Episode5 songs are composed by Papon (Angaraag Mahanta). My favorite one out of the 6 is "Benaam Khwaayishein" sung by Papon and Anweshaa. It has a classical feel to it but very soothing.

Episode 6 has 5 songs by Amit Trivedi. My favorites are Naariyan by Amit Trivedi, Karthik & Shalmali Kholgade and Kyun Na by Amit Trivedi, Dhruv Sangari, Karthik & Chandana Bala. 

• Naariyan has a very urban feel. Its sort of a cute conversation between a boy and a girl where the girl says I am who I am, I am neither your goddess nor your maid (Aisi main waisi main jaisi bhi hoon, Na main Teri Devi, na main dasi). 

• Kyun Na on the other hand is a power packed song that explains better to change yourself first rather than complaining about the world. Why don't we change our perspectives on people? 

Episode 7 composed by Hitesh Sonik has 6 songs but Haal Ve Rabba by Hans Raj Hans & Shruti Pathak is my favorite. Soulful voice of Hans Raj Hans is epic and the song is surely a treat to his fans!

The season ends with Episode 8. It has 6 songs composed by various composers.

Every song has been made with Happiness, Love, Joy and ofcourse Hardwork. Each song has a different place for itself. Music is more about creating happiness and Coke Studio India has done it this time.! 

Even though it is a collective effort from the musicians to singers to composers but I still feel it is not possible to create such a magic with the powerful words so the lyricist has an important role too. I wish all the team of Coke Studio India and all the people associated all the very best.. Keep rocking 

Connect with the Coke Studio India and the singers on Twitter : 

@CokeStudioAtMTV, @ClintonCerejo, @arrahman, @salim_merchant, @Sulaiman_M, @paponmusic, @sonamohapatra, @okakifreak, @SonuKakkar, @Kailashkher, @binkybee, @jonitamusic, @sanampuri3, @farahsiraj, @rvijayprakash

34 Bubblegums and Candies..

I am back with another post & it’s about a novel that I read recently. Reading gives me strength, courage and nurtures my soul. But the sad part is I don’t implement the good things I read. Anyways the novel is “34 Bubblegums and Candies” by Preeti Shenoy, it’s a national bestseller. I don’t know Preeti personally but I like her as an artist & then as a novelist. I have read her another novel “Life Is What You Make It” a year ago and that time the novel helped me in some way because I was going through a low phase. 

34 Bubblegums and Candies is a collection of 34 real life incidents, some are humorous, some are moving, some thought provoking but each one brings out the essence & flavour of a journey called Life. 

The writer starts with a positive note saying ‘No matter how bad a day you had & no matter how hopeless the situation that you are in , things always change. Always. It’s just a matter of time’. Each morning when you open your eyes you are gifted 86,400 seconds to make a difference. And that itself is worth celebrating! 

You may not like all the 34 short stories / incidents but somewhere you’ll surely feel connected. So I am sharing some beautiful lines from the novel. 

• If there is an underlying bond of deep love, no matter how terrible the misunderstanding, the relationship survives. 
• It is best to be like the duck that goes with the flow. To float along the river effortlessly, enjoying the gentle flow of the water and to treat barbs and insults thrown at you like the water that falls on a duck’s back. 
• There are so many positive & uplifting things in life. There is so much beauty, so much joy. Life is so short and so fleeting. Its entirely up to us enjoy each moment.
• May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
• The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your failures and heartaches. 
• Oh God, grant me the courage to accept things I cannot change, to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. 

Chapter 16: 'Stay or Stray', describes an amazing story about a couple who are about get divorced but they don’t when they realize each other's value. 

Chapter 22: 'When Life tricks you', also shares a very motivating story that gives a lesson ~ When the hour is the darkest and trials are the greatest elevate yourself to another level. 

Though its said that it is difficult to understand Women but I liked the way the writer has written in Chapter 27: What women want. Chapter 34: Live Love Laugh, has a list that everybody can follow. 

The list is : 

1) Laugh heartily

2) Have Sex Often 

3) Spend time with children 

4) Stay away from the grouches and the drains 

5) If you love someone say it 

6) Be content with your body 

7) Enjoy the small things 

And I loved the end note ‘How this book came to be’. Its so true ~ Laugh & others laugh with you; Cry & you cry alone. So live without regrets, the gift of Life is worth cherishing.

Connect with the author : 

• Twitter : Preeti Shenoy

You don't get Life a second time so live every moment happily

Life is such a wonderful ride. Sometimes you are so sad that you wanna leave everything & go away but sometimes you are so happy that you wish you could freeze the time. Yesterday was one of that day when my tears could stop because I was hurt and it was not the first time. Then I texted a friend to ask what should I do because I was so messed up that I could not think of any way. I read somewhere : "A lot of people end up unhappy because they make permanent decisions on temporary emotions." 

So asking someone else was a better option. My friend replied : Take a deep breath & watch any movie you like. Though I din't want to because I was sad & unhappy still my friend insisted and I thought of giving it a try. I opened my laptop & all I could find was "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara", a hindi Bollywood movie released in 2011. The movie is about Life, it says : You don't Get Life a Second time so live every moment. And after watching it I felt better, I wasn't crying anymore and thanked my friend for this wonderful idea. 

In the movie I loved the poetry that the character speaks in the background. The poems are written by lyricist Javed Akhtar. So I am sharing those poems here : 

Poem 1:

पिघले नीलम सा बहता हुआ ये समा

नीली-नीली सी खामोशियाँ

ना कहीं है ज़मीन, ना कहीं आसमान

सरसरती हुई टहनियाँ, पत्तियाँ

कह रहीं है की बस एक तुम हो यहाँ

सिर्फ़ मैं हूँ मेरी साँसें हैं और मेरी धड़कनें

ऐसी गहराइयाँ, ऐसी तनहाईयाँ

और मैं, सिर्फ़ मैं

अपने होने पर मुझको यक़ीन आ गया |

Poem 2:

इक बात होंठों तक है जो आई नहीं

बस आँखों से है झाँकति

तुमसे कभी, मुझसे कभी

कुछ लफ्ज़ हैं वो मांगती

जिनको पह्न के होंठों तक आ जाए वो

आवाज़ की बाहों में बाहें डालके इठलाए वो

लेकिन जो यह इक बात है

एहसास ही एहसास है

खुश्बू सी है जैसे हवा में तैरती

खुश्बू जो बे आवाज़ है

जिसका पता तुमको भी है

जिसकी खबर मुझको भी है

दुनिया से भी च्छुपता नहीं

यह जाने कैसा राज़ है |

Poem 3:  *My Favorite* 

जब जब दर्द का बादल छाया

जब गम का साया लहराया

जब आँसू पलकों तक आया

जब यह तन्हा दिल घबराया

हम ने दिल को यह समझाया

दिल आख़िर तू क्यूँ रोता है?

दुनिया में यूँ ही होता है

यह जो गहरे सन्नाटे हैं

वक़्त ने सबको ही बाँटे हैं

तोड़ा गम है सबका क़िस्सा

थोड़ी धूप है सबका हिस्सा

आँख तेरी बेकार ही नाम है

हर पल एक नया मौसम है

क्यूँ तू ऐसे पल खोता है

दिल आख़िर तू क्यूँ रोता है|

Poem 4:

दिलों में तुम अपनी बेताबियाँ लेके चल रहे हो तो ज़िंदा हो तुम!
नज़र में ख्वाबों की बिजलियाँ लेके चल रहे हो तो ज़िंदा हो तुम!
हवा के झोंकों के जैसे आज़ाद रहना सीखो
तुम एक दरिया के जैसे, लहरों में बहना सीखो
हर एक लम्हे से तुम मिलो खोले अपनी बाहें
हर एक पल एक नया समा देखे ये निगाहे
जो अपनी आँखों में हैरानीयाँ लेके चल रहे हो तो ज़िंदा हो तुम!
दिलों में तुम अपनी बेताबियाँ लेके चल रहे हो तो ज़िंदा हो तुम |