REINVENTING THYSELF

Back I sometimes look
Trying to open a closed book

Situations warrant a new me
Mirror shows an old me

Time or lethargy or call it what
You have got to find the lost art

Reinventing yourself is not easy, they say
There is light at the end of the tunnel, I pray

The light is not an incoming train
The truth is simple, clear, and plain

The grapes are still not sour
Looking inward is the need of the hour...

Jobs, Ritchie & Singh : A Tribute

The past fortnight witnessed the demise of 3 extraordinary gentlemen:

(1) Steve Jobs, who showed us that the marriage of 'artistic-design' and 'consumer-IT-product-design' is indeed possible,
(2) Dennis Ritchie, a Turing Award winner and more popularly recognized by the 'R' in the K&R book, and,
(3) Jagjit Singh, who with his golden voice redefined and revitalized Ghazal in the Indian music industry.

Not surprisingly, people have reacted to their death with sorrow and grief. Facebook is replete with R.I.P. messages. This outpouring of emotions reminded me of the famous doha by Kabir,

कबीरा जब पैदा हुए तो, जग हंसा हम रोये,
ऐसी करनी कर चलो, हम हँसे जग रोये

which roughly translates to

When we were born, the world smiled and you cried,
You should live your life in such a way that when you die, you smile and people cry.