Beauty of Passion

Passion, it's our love for doing a thing

A thing that brings about a strong feeling
A feeling that we find hard to articulate
Articulate, we still do - with passion!

Passion, it starts with a genuine interest
An interest that clings on like a bodysuit

An interest that triggers a never ending pursuit

An interest that makes all else to follow suit

Passion, in its abstract form lives in our dream

A dream that does not let us sleep

A dream that inspires us to take a leap

A dream that makes us look within, real deep

Passion, in its pure form shapes our ambition

Ambition that often leads to contradiction

Ambition that sees no bounds or deviation

Ambition that propels our life into motion

Passion, in reality sustains our life goals

Goals that are personal yet not privy

Goals that are admirable sans envy

Goals that are mindful of mad chevy

Passion, in the end leads to our transformation

Transformation that inspires to join and compete

Transformation that empowers to accept a mean feet

Transformation that makes us whole and complete.

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© Balaji Palanidurai

This narrative poem is my personal best, so far. This could be the work of art that, my instinct tells, will influence what I do for the next 10 years!

If you notice there will be a gap of (exactly) 4 months between my previous piece of work and this one. Quite a lot happened during these 4 months. For a start I (re)discovered, validated and started living (up to) my passion. I may  have even helped a few more people find their passion. Or that's what they said - some did explicitly and others through their renewed outlook to life! 

This was also a crucial period when I worked with a team of passionate people who volunteered to do some research work and contribute to my pet project - to empower the youth of India. I am greatly indebted to this team and each of them were/are/will be a source of inspiration for me on my endeavor to execute my pet project.

The turning point (in my son's life too) happened during this time. Both of us had  the best time together; did some adventure and created memories that my son says he will remember for life. I certainly will! His transformation made me realize what passion is. I call it "Papaya Passion"; a short story on this coming soon. Watch this space....

The anchor image for this poem is a word cloud I created using www.wordclouds.com with keywords used in the poem. One can mix and match and choose a shape and I quite liked this shape. The placement of words is pure luck (or artificial intelligence) and is apt for this poem - "interesting ambition inspires passion"! 

So, what's your passion?

Closure

All's well, that ends well

is a well known adage.

But, what's well for one

may not quell another.

Feelings and emotions

When felt, will tell.

But, closure is important

even if the subject is potent

When done well, it almost, 

always leads to a

new beginning from 

where it ends!

A beginning of faith

and renewed friendship

A ray of hope to claim 

our minute to fame

A new and fun journey 

in pursuit of happiness.

Happiness, that begins

with short moments of joy

when we admire 

the beauty of small things

in life, our life!

All's well, that ends well.

@balaji palanidurai

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This piece of work was inspired by the virtual reunion of my school friends. It was an evening of joy and laughter when we as adults had to be told off by our children to watch our behaviour. An evening of rendezvous with friends spread across the globe. Friends who as a last minute request rendered their heart through song and music. A small group of us collaborated for a few weeks to put up this show. When the curtains closed there was this falling, of last day at school, once again!

Dedicating this to all my friends from school ..the Marubadiyum 92 batch. 

Keats Quotes: 202x

Have a nice day.

© All quotes, where the source is not explicitly stated, are original thoughts of Balaji Palanidurai (a.k.a Keats Passion'durai)

"What you believe about life may be true, and it may not be true. Either way, those beliefs are essential to your daily actions, habits, behaviours and attitude. Decide which beliefs are getting in your way!."

Fortune writing in Times of India for Leo on 27th Sep 2023 by Anupam V Kapil

 The nourishment of body is food, while the nourishment of the soul is feeding others." Hazrat Ali A.S

Shared by Rtn Padbanaman on WhatsApp group on 5th July.

"One person dreams;a true leader is a dealer in hope, and everybody works to fulfill that hope, that dream"

- Shekar Mehta past President- Rotary International at Lakshya 2023 event in Kolkata

"Technical skill is mastery of complexity, while creativity is mastery of simplicity."~ Christopher Zeeman. 

03 May 2023

"A deep thought today could be an noble idea tomorrow and an useful innovation the day after" - 01 Mar 2023

"In your Present, pick the pillars of strength from your past to build the foundation of your future" - Arun M92 2 Mar 2023

"The job of a founder is to build a startup people will learn to love but don't know they currently need" - Joel Hansen . 23 Feb 2023

"How long we live is not our choice,

How well we live is certainly our choice."

T.S. Prabhurajah

NAAM Uzhavar 

18Feb2023 - TeamJ event The Prisidency Club

Emoting for short term gain leads to long term pain.

- Keats Passion'durai

28 Jan 2023

(Outcome of PMV founder Shark Tank pitch analysis on LinkedIn) 

Creativity sparks when you freeup  mindspace for your thoughts to thrive and before thinking begins! - Keats Passion'durai

7 Dec 2022

To err in private is yearning; in public is learning! - Keats Passion'durai

While in pursuit of your passion and purpose, find a window of opportunity to pursue your profession! - Keats Passion'durai

"Reality is merely an illusion, but a very persistent one. - Albert Einstein.

"A messenger gone missing may make a million messages manifest itself"

- Mr Keats

Through action, a person becomes a hero.

Through death, a hero becomes a legend.

Through time, a legend becomes a Myth.

And by learning from the Myth, a person takes action...

- Adapted from Anonymous 

"Memories make our life more valuable as we can redeem it anytime we want." Mr Keats

"If your want addresses someone's basic need, let them have it. If your want is exploited for someone's greed, let it go"

Mr Keats

"All of humanity's problem stems from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." - Blaise Pascal

(Was in the book, the art of thinking clearly)

"There is no passion to be found playing small- in settling for a life that you are capable of living." - Nelson Mandela

"Lack of compassion can be as vulgar as an excess of tears"

"Harsh reality is always better than false hope"

"Hope is the tease designed to prevent us to accept the reality"

"It's better to know the worst than wonder"

From Downton Abbey web series 

"In your tussle between flexibility and freedom, be calm and let freedom takeover! 

"When in doubt, opt for flexibility over freedom. Not everyone is flexible enough to embrace freedom"

21st Apr 21

Trust created through experience, sustains. Trust created through advocacy, merely survives.

4th Dec 2020

Only when we experience the heat, we can appreciate the shade under a tree! 

4th Dec 2020

One need not necessarily have to show others as wrong to prove themselves right! 7th Sep 2020

Birthdays and anniversaries have one thing in common; memories. Recall, rejoice and rejuvenate!  19th Aug 2020

It's a different feeling to wake up to the call of nature instead to natures call🙂 - 18th July

"When, what's right for the first, does not resonate with the second, try introducing it in a third person point of view" - 11th July 2020

(Inspired by Alter Narrative)

"Highly talented people also make silly mistakes, but they realize it before others and auto-correct it." - 10th July 2020

Patience and perseverance have one common factor, time. Objective will determine the outcome. - 5th July 2020

Hearing and listening have a common denominator, our ears. State of mind is the differentiator. - 1st July 2020

Looking and seeing have a common denominator, our eyes. Perception is the differentiator. - 1st July 2020

"You either live to die or die to live. Time is the common denominator. Intent, the differentiator". - 30th Jun 2020

(Outcome of a conversation with my mother)

"A slap in public and insult in private are no different. Anger is the common denominator. Intent, the differentiator". - 30th Jun 2020

(Inspired by Thappad movie)

© All quotes, where the source is not explicitly stated, is original thoughts of Balaji Palanidurai (a.k.a Keats Passion'durai)

Fabric of life

Fabric of life

designed for a segment

will fall apart in strife

influenced by a pigment

Fabric of life

built with heart in valor

will stand strong in strife

unscathed by kin and color

Fabric of life

implemented thru peace & harmony

will spread hope in strife

undeterred by fear or money

Fabric of life

followed with a lack of trust

will create pain in strife

inflamed by blood and unrest

Fabric of life

weaved in shades of love

will cover humanity in strife

experience it, to know, how.

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©Balaji Palanidurai

This is my tribute to all that is going on in this world with a segment of our community being discriminated based on color of skin (#blacklifematters) all the way to economic status(#guestworkers). 

Elements in ashes

A spark is all you need

to burn deadwood to ashes

whispered the earth to fire

A spring is all you need

to wash away the ashes

whispered the earth to water

A breeze is all you need

to create life from ashes

whispered the earth to air

Alas, a void is all you need

to turn that life to ashes

whispered the earth to mankind!

@keatsbaladasan

Being in the know

You can also listen to this poem. Click here 

Sometimes,

we frame questions 

for answers we already know.

Sometimes,

we have all answers

for questions we don't know.

Sometimes,

we draw a blank

for questions & answers we know.

At all times,

we are always in the know.

But, we wait for a calling

for rest of the world to know.

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© Balaji Palanidurai

This poem is inspired by a facebook post by a good friend in which he had shared his concern with state of the world amidst COVID 19 Lockdown. The post ended with "More n more questions.....??!! Looks like its better these questions go unanswered forever..."

I started responding to his post and ended up writing this poem!

The beautiful lady in the picture is my wife who was enjoying the summer rains from our balcony, lost in her thoughts. It made a perfect illustration for this poem! 

Beauty of choice

Choice in our life, is a luxury

At times we make it in a hurry

Care we don't much, nor worry

Live life we do, with merry

Choice we have for our lifestyle

To wake up, with a bright smile

Treat roads like the winding Nile

Laceup and jog for a mile

Choice we have for food we eat

We debate the good in rice over wheat

Proteins we search in greens and meat

Farm we do till resources deplete

Choice we have on clothes we wear

Civilized to be, so not to bare

Fashion we call, no shelf to spare

Decay they don't, ozone we tear!

Choice when comes to essential

Our minds go into denial

Care then, we do; for survival

Life too, gets an emotional upheaval

Choice when comes to survival

What we do determines revival

If our choice be wise & responsible

Life too, becomes one big carnival

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© Balaji Palanidurai

The girl in this picture is my daughter. It was a candid click while shooting her DIY video that she worked on for Parent Circle magazine during this lockdown.

These are words from the bottom of my heart. Each para inspired by a news item or post I saw regarding the state of our world in the times of COVID 19.

This piece of work is dedicated to 

- that daily wage labor for whom my daughter and I bought essentials from the grocery store in my neighbourhood. COVID lockdown had forced her to beg for survival

- to my children who have been a sport throughout this tough period and making wise choices on food  clothes to wear etc

- the humans who flocked to buy meat and fish when the butcher opened after 3 weeks

- all lives we lost due to this pandemic 

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A weekend home dream

I feel content living in a city house
made of bricks and beams
I feel joyful thinking about a home
made of hopes and dreams

Some day I will take faith in that hope
and fuel a personal dream
To make it as my wish and scope
to settle in a home by a stream

Would it be on inherited slice of land
I lay the desired foundation?
Better would be on a acquired piece of land
So, I get a sense of satisfaction.

I will architect my beautiful dream
with sculpted pillars and tiles
I will paint walls with colors that scream
emotions, heard across miles

I will stack my books collection in a row
That will include works of legend
My antique pieces might raise an eyebrow

but my urge to collect would never end

I will plant an orchid and garden
for birds to nest and feed
I will secure the home with a warden

plus continuous image feed

When my dream becomes a reality
the wait will start, for weekends
To escape my dwelling in the city
for happiness, I wish never ends

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© Balaji Palanidurai

I participated in Auroville Marathon 2020 and ran 10k. As the event was on a Sunday I decided to go the previous day itself. I stayed at a beautiful house that the owner had built with a lot of passion. Thanks to my friend Giri who secured that house for that weekend.

The moment our car pulled in front of the gate I realized we were in for a treat. Although, we were there just for a night stay we really enjoyed the calm and serene surrounding.

The experience rekindled the fire in me to build a nice weekend home, which would eventually become the place I settle. My desire and wish just flowed out as words in this narrative poem.

Parent's heart and a teen's mind

To be there at every stage of her child's teen
was the beat in a mother's heart
To be left free to experience adolescence
was the thought in a teen's mind

To be part of all excitement and be humorous

was the beat in a father's heart
To not get embarrassed in front of friends

was the thought in a teen's mind

Her child to participate in sports without injury
was the beat in a mother's heart
To play in all games & win a championship

was the thought in a teen's mind

His child to learn philosophy and politics of life
was the beat in a father's heart
To receive minimal help to clear the next exam

was the thought in a teen's mind

Her child to be a much better version of her
was the beat in a mother's heart
To own a personality and be the difference
was the thought in a teen's mind

His child to be social and active in real world

was the beat in a father's heart

To be liked by a million followers in virtual world

was the thought in a teen's mind

Her child to look pretty at the school farewell

was the beat in a mother's heart
To be with friends and be seen in all group photos

was the thought in a teen's mind

To learn from their mistakes and collaborate better

was the beat in their distressed hearts
To let go and take the first step forward
was the unspoken thought in all of their minds

To be given another chance with their teenager

was the beat in both parent's hearts
To become free and live a no frills dream

was the only thought in a teen's mind.

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© Balaji Palanidurai

Dedicating this to my daughter who is going through her teens and to my son who will be stepping into his teen soon!

சிந்தனையில் நம்பிக்கை

வாயால் வாழ்த்தலாம் என்று நண்பனை தொலைபேசியில் அழைத்தேன்.

மணி ஒலித்தது, நண்பனின் குரல் ஒலிக்கவில்லை. கோவில் மணி அடித்தும் கடவுளின் குரல் கேட்காதது போல் ஒரு உணர்வு. 

வார்த்தைகளாக வாட்ஸாப்பில் தூது  அனுப்பினேன்! சில நொடிகளில் பதில் கிடைத்தது. கோவிலில் அர்சனைக்கு பின் அஈச்சகரிடம் ஆசி கிடைத்தது போல் ஒரு உணர்வு. 

பதில் அனுப்பியது என் நண்பனா? அல்லது மனிதனை போன்று இயங்கும் தொலைபேசியில் உள்ள இயந்திரமா? ஆசீர்வதித்தது கடவுளா? அல்லது கடவுளை வழிப்படும் அஈச்சகரா?

நட்பு வேறு, பக்தி வேறு. வேறுபடுவது சிந்தனை. பொதுவானது நம்பிக்கை. சிந்தனை சீர்திருத்தம் தரும். நம்பிக்கை நல்வாழ்வு தரும்.

நம்பிக்கையுடன் சிந்திப்போம். சிந்தனையில் நம்பிக்கை வைப்போம்.