Anna Lake - Meet at 9:10 AM

I had this last minute meeting request from Anna L today morning. Anna L is on senior management side and is often talked when there are discussions being held on key stake holders of the project. Almost a year on this project but I never came across her in person. Not until today – but today I did.

As soon as I entered the meeting room, I could see both familiar and not yet familiar faces – Matt, Sam, Natasha, Brian, lady with whom I have shared smiles and jokes, gentleman with white beard, another lady with curly hair, elderly gentleman and others. As meeting started I was introduced to Anna L, and here she was – a person whose name I had been hearing for past one year was in front of me. Thank you Matt for introducing me to her! We shook hands and smiled – You are Anna! Sunil this is you! No one could understand what was going on. This lady I have known for past two years now- we have exchanged smiles, culture talks, sweets, PJs. Never did I dream that she would be Anna – I have met her so many times before this meeting happened but never realized who she was. After today’s meeting too, we met again but honestly this time meeting her was more pleasure – pleasure beyond words!

Aaha ! Bulleh Shah –

“Bulleya Rabb Da Ki Paunna, Aedheron Puttanna Tae Oudarr Launna.”
“O Bulleh Shah, what’s the big deal to Attain God, simple as plucking from here and planting there.”

I quoted Bulleh Shah’s lines to Naveen other day. Naveen was asking do souls who don’t believe in God achieve salvation. As usual I began – “This depends on the giver of salvation, I am no one to comment. It’s the decision that lies in hands of the giver but if you ask me I don’t think that the non-believers are any different.” Our discussions went further thereon, “Whether we realize this is God or not, God is God and He is what He is. People might use one name or the other, accept or reject religion, may believe in God, or don’t believe in God, call Him consciousness, call Him unknown, call Him energy, call Him supreme, or do whatever – nothing is changing. He meets and governs me every moment irrespective of whether I acknowledge His presence. It’s the same journey we all make – you may see me different from yourself but who knows you would experience today what I’d do tomorrow. As I understand, paths are not parallel- they are very much serial. Things are so simple, complexities are just because we haven’t known the Entity we are worshipping or hearing about. Knowledge of God is the answer to all delusions and its not that tough at all. If attaining God was so tough why would saints like Bulleh Shah speak like this? Probably one hasnt come across this simple solution or is not ready to pick it up, probably because its human nature not to accept Simple things.”

Not sure if Naveen understood what I meant but now I have something to speak with him tomorrow taking Anna’s example. Being non-believer doesn’t mean one hasn’t dealt with Anna….oops I mean God. To me a non-believer interacts with God equal number of times as does a believer - it’s just that one might not have realised who and where God is. Once someone like Matt becomes the way, Anna would no longer remain just a name and then soul will definitely sing – “ Bulleya Rabb Da Ki Paunna, Aedheron Puttanna Tae Oudarr Launna”.

Oh God !

Caz, as she likes to be addressed as, is a friend from work. Often Caz and I together have walked on way back to home from work. Our talks revolved around TV shows, Indian and English cultures, colleagues etc and not forgetting the most important topic – God. Out of all these topics, God is the one where she has patiently listened without any comments. On one such walk, Caz mentioned – ‘Sunil, I don’t believe in God.’
Respecting her sentiments, I decided that I won’t discuss this anymore. Probably that was the reason why she kept quiet while I talked of quotations, parables etc from scriptures or other sources. That was April 2009.

Not many days passed before we both had to work late nights. The project had gone really bad, and the only way to deliver it on time was to put some extra efforts. We both sat late hours, spent weekends, holidays in office trying to make code work. Every time she made some change, and I tested – result was a failure again. ‘Oh God! Let me try something else’, ‘Oh God! Why doesn’t this work now?’, ‘Oh God! ..’, nothing seemed to work – Caz’s face would go pale as mine. Her sadness and helplessness was obvious from her remarks – and to be honest my state wasn’t different either. Just that I tried to show my balance with my silence. Both of us were exhausted and finally thought of taking a short break.

As I grabbed a piece of Pizza, I couldn’t resist adding – ‘Caz you know?’
Caz – ‘What?’
I – ‘The other day you mentioned you don’t believe in God, and now you were taking His refuge is every single line. Were you making fool out of me? You…..’

I still recall smile on her face which accompanied one on my face.

From the same experience, I admit that being a believer (at least I call myself one) I never thought of seeking blessings when I felt exhausted. But one who called herself as a non-believer made efforts to include and pick strength from God. Her talks may not have sounded like prayers, but at least she called our Savior. And Savior too fulfilled His promise – Include Him in all your ways and He will make all your paths straight! Soon her prayers were answered and we found a fix for our problem. Miracles like this happen now and then, can’t say that I sat down to write a Miracle, instead an experience where I learnt that even if child rejects the existence of father, father still clings to the child.

I meet people who call themselves atheists, I meet people who call themselves believers, I meet people who call themselves religious, I meet people who call themselves spiritual - trying to distinguish themselves from the others. And I wonder where lies the difference? Does vision from Moon distinguish India or England?