Life is a Dream

 

Granny's Advice

Akshay's Nanima left a few months before he did in the year 2011. She would always make something special for him to eat when he visited her. Remembering Nanima fondly on her 11th anniversary. When ever we would feel vulnerable she would give sound advice, "Nuuvu chesina manchi neeku raksha", which means, " your good deeds and actions will always protect you like a shield. This would help us face tough situations and navigate through troubled waters. Timeless advice, as we all have discovered through the many challenges we faced after her passing. 

 

Archie Pays a Tribute to Akshay

Ten years on, Archie misses Akshay just as a human would. These poignant pictures are proof that animals continue to feel the absence of their owners long after they are gone. Research on evolutionary biology says that dogs also work out such feelings of deep emotional loss in their own way and may feel listless or not feel like eating. These pictures speak volumes on canine affection that lasts. 

 

The Fullness of the Emptiness

Happy Birthday dear Akshay, you would have been 21 years old today here on Earth. You get a nebulous feeling on these special days of your loved ones, when they are no longer with you. These lines penned by Jeff Foster beautifully capture that feeling. 

                                   

If you are exhausted, rest 

If you don't feel like starting a new project,  don't

If you don't feel the urge to make something new 

Just rest in the beauty of the old, the familiar and the known

If you don't feel like talking, stay silent

If you are fed up with the news, turn it off

If you want to postpone something until tomorrow, do it

If you want to do nothing today, let yourself do nothing

Feel the fullness of the emptiness,

The vastness of the silence,

The sheer life in your unproductive moments,

Time does not always need to be filled,

You are enough simply in your being.

The Shine of Truth

 An inspirational line relevant for our times taken from the writings of Nanaji, Akshay's maternal grandfather. He used to write regularly on spiritual matters for Tapovan Prasad, a magazine from Chinmaya Mission. Akshay was born a month after he passed away this day in 2001. Remembering Nanaji fondly on his 21st anniversary.