"Thass ki Jai!"...

Today was an interesting day (as are most days I must admit, but today was something different, quite like the dawn of a new morning, except it somehow managing to take you by surprise...)

It should have been just another day in the life of Shashi Raveendra.
Waiting for the bus in the morning, meeting one's peers, going about one's business, returning home, getting high on music and other celestials, and finally retiring in the hope that the morrow would welcome me with a hug at least as warm as today's.

I think what changed the trajectory of the day today, was my conversation with Jatin, a rather whimsical, childish, and irritatingly enthusiastic kid. 'Kid' of course refers only to what appears to be his mental age.

He jumped next to me as I was having lunch in the cafeteria, and arbitrarily started talking of his engineering days. While I would've liked to have continued my reminiscence of the moon from last night, something in his near imbecilic cheer compelled me to lend him an ear.

He was describing something he referred to as 'thass'. The discourse went shorter than what I had expected. I shall quote whatever I recall, verbatim to the extent possible:

"At the very outset, one should realize and acknowledge the fact that 'thass' is inherently 'not-definable'. The old cliche that "It cannot be explained, it can only be experienced", stands very true for thass as well.
Thus, I shall not even attempt to give you an algorithm for the successful execution of thass. Instead, I shall give you factors that generally symptomize its glorious presence.
Thass just happens, sometimes in the company of close friends, and sometimes in moments of solitude, on a bus, under a tree, or even during an exam. It results in a holistic rejuvenation of the mind, leading to a state of enhanced mental openness and fertility. It is almost as if the parched cerebral soil gets its much needed water et al.
Further, thass is often only discovered to have occurred, ex post. Thus, trying to simulate conditions for thass to become more conducive almost always lead to failure. It can be likened to a muse, that plays hard-to-get when pursued, but graces your path when you let things be, and just be what your fabric has made you to be.
One could even say that thass is imperative for one to better identify the self, and begin the long journey to the lofty ideals of freedom, and enlightenment et al..."

At this point, anticipating the impending transition to pure incomprehensibles, I cut him short, and excused myself.
Now while one part of me was laughing away at his fantasies, there was one part, small, and located somewhere near the basement in my consciousness, that kept pulling me back to what I had just heard. Unable to focus on anything, I went outside, perched myself under a tree, and looked up at the leaves against the white sky backdrop. This is what I often do when things seem to get stuck in my head, and even when I can't quite place just what it is that irks me within.

Then, it happened.

As I stared at the wonderful scene above, it struck me that I had already been a follower of his 'religion' since time immemorial. In my head I completed what his discourse seemed to lack...

"Thass is when you let all things be as they are, including your nagging little self, and float on an endless ocean of randomness; when you forget all else, all that matters, and all that doesn't, and most of all your own self that watches your every step, and indulge in an experience truly unburdened, truly ethereal, fleeting, yet poised with limitless potential. The 'expression' of this experience is immaterial, be it a dialogue, a bite of McD, a soliloquy, a dip in a tub full of mud, a hike with friends, interacting with a 79 year old artiste after a classical concert, anything.
All that thass asks of you, is to leave behind the trivial strings that keep us bound to something equally trivial; just let go, and live, the moment, for what it is, and for all that it could be."

As the above revelation struck me, I remembered the following lines that a good friend of mine had penned to me long back...:

"feel ke pujari"

yehi hai humari bhakti
yehi hai humara pyar
chehre pe hoti hai muskurahat
aankhon mein dildaari
baithe baithe has pade hum
aur khade khade aayein aankhone mein aansoon
doston, yehi hai zindagi humari
yehi hai humari yaari
hum hain feel ke pujari
hum hain feel ke pujari

I soon realized the essential oneness that united the concepts of thass, and 'feel ki puja'.
And with that, every moment I saw passing me, changed in its appearance, texture, and very depth.
Indeed, so did all that I touched, and all that touched me.

Hmmm... Quite a day.

--kandisa