How Can We Matter

The Convergence in the Sky Within the narrow fuselage of a single aircraft converged the lives of people rooted in several nations and cultures : At the controls were an Indian captain and an Omani co-pilot, the latter born to an Omani father and a Syrian mother, raised in the UAE , educated in Australia and New Zealand , trained in UK and Morocco , and employed in Oman and Dubai . A multinational cabin crew attended to passengers that included Israelis , while off-duty reserve pilots from UK and Europe further enriched this remarkable intersection of nations, cultures, and identities.  (Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash Dubai-Tel Aviv Flight 1073 ). One flight, many nations, one sky In that pressurised metal tube, suspended thousands of feet above the earth, Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Hindus found themselves united by a common instinct: to pray, to hope, and to entrust their lives to a power greater than themselves. Nations intersected, cultures intertwined, and faiths coexi...

The 25th anniversary of 9/11 is more than a chronological milestone; it is a lens through which individual memories refract in unique ways. World Trade Center Attack The strikes struck at the heart of three major locations, leaving devastation in their wake and claiming the lives of nearly 3,000 people. It was not merely an attack on physical structures, but on the very sense of security and stability that millions had taken for granted. The images of collapsing towers, smoke rising against the skyline, and people fleeing in disbelief became etched into collective memory. Beyond the immediate loss of life, the tragedy reshaped global consciousness. Families were torn apart, communities mourned together, and nations grappled with the fragility of peace in an interconnected world. The event became a turning point—altering policies, redefining security, and reminding humanity of both its vulnerability and resilience. Twenty Five years later, the echoes of that day remain. For those who l...

The German phrase ‘ Auf Wiedersehen ’—literally meaning ‘ until we see each other again ’—was one of the first expressions I learned in a German class at IIT Madras back in 1970. Decades later, during the 1990s while working with MAPS Geosystems in Sharjah, that early exposure to the language proved immensely useful during my extended stays at our Munich office. Reflections on Goodbye Now, I find myself offering an ‘ Auf Wiedersehen ’ not just to close friends, but to the familiar nooks and beloved surroundings of our apartment complex. My wife and I are embarking on a prolonged stay at her mother’s home in Kozhikode to support her during her twilight years. Although she has a caregiver, my wife and her sisters take turns so she is never left on her own. Now in her nineties, she is wrapped in the gentle devotion of her daughters, who share the duty of staying by her side. I softly whisper ‘ until we meet again ’ to the fellow seniors I meet thrice weekly, to my ' tai chi ' cor...

A grandson once asked his 80‑year‑old grandfather:   “Grandpa… how did you manage to love Grandma, the same woman, for sixty long years?” Symbolic representation of 7 phases. The boy expected lessons in patience, compromise, or heartfelt honesty. But the old man simply smiled, looked tenderly at his wife, and with a mischievous wink, answered his grandson :   “What makes you think I loved the same woman for sixty long years?” These words left the grandson deeply confused. With a gentle smile, the grandfather went on to explain: In my twenties, my heart belonged to a vibrant girl, radiating joy and youthful charm. By my thirties, I was captivated by a devoted mother, staying up through the quiet hours to comfort our sleeping child. In my forties, I admired a resilient partner who carried our family’s challenges with quiet dignity. By my fifties, I fell for a compassionate woman who willingly set aside her own aspirations to secure our children’s tomorrow. In my s...

As I journey through the twilight years of my life, I find myself pausing often to reflect on the mosaic of experiences that have shaped my journey.  Life, after all, is not merely about destinations reached, but about the countless moments — fleeting or enduring — that leave their imprint on the soul.  Among these memories, a few stand apart with rare brilliance: encounters with individuals whose names are etched into the annals of history, whose presence carried the aura of leadership, achievement, or cultural significance. For someone like me, an ordinary citizen navigating the vast currents of time, it has been an extraordinary privilege to share, however briefly, the same picture frame with such celebrated personalities. These were not planned or orchestrated meetings, nor the result of influence or design. They were gifts of destiny — moments when time and circumstance aligned to bring me face to face with figures admired across nations . Each encounter, whether politica...

Our Essence At the simplest level, we humans are solid matter with mass and embedded energy . As children, we consume food, grow, and gain weight. In old age, our food intake lessens, our bodies weaken, and eventually, at death, the body disintegrates. What sustains us throughout is energy—the life force that drives our dynamism . When it is gone, we say the life force has departed . Image Credit: Gemini Our body is a finite system, powered not by a hidden reservoir but by the subtle body —an unseen yet experienced dimension made up of mind, intellect, memory, and consciousness . This subtle body has no mass; it channels vital energy throughout us, animating heartbeat, digestion, thought, and action . Yet this energy is limited. Like a fixed-capacity battery, it cannot be expanded or reduced. When it is fully depleted, the subtle body separates from the solid physical body . At that moment, since the life force has left, the solid body becomes still and finally disintegrates. This ref...