I strive for an hour of silence every day. It has become an essential need like air and water for me for a mindful and conscious existence amidst a world full of noise. The constant noise from the surroundings and electronic gadgets perturbs my concentration and my time for reflection. As a result, I often spend days without writing a single sentence and this inability to write hinders my inner peace. When it happens I simply pack my bag and get lost somewhere in search of silence.
Category: Norway

Sometimes the concatenation of time, place, the surroundings, the people around and experiences results in unsolved contradictions when compared with our expectations. Our minds start to delve in a veritable labyrinth of despair. I am cognizant of the fact that these contradictions are passing ripples which fade away with time. Perhaps perseverance could be our greatest asset and patience could be the lovely antidote to our restless minds. When I come across such situations, the quest for tranquility becomes the need of the hour. The best resort to retreat is nature undoubtedly.

While I was going through different works of so many Nobel peace prize winners inside the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, I was astonished. In 1958, H.F.Harlow, an American psychologist showed in his experiment that a monkey preferred the warm touch of a covered wire-frame more than nutrition. A comforting surrogate cloth mother and a nurturing surrogate wire mother were created by placing a light bulb behind the cloth mother and attaching a bottle with milk to the wire mother.

It was a quiet holiday morning in a small town surrounded by lush green mountains on one side and a beautiful lake on the other. I was taking a stroll through the bending roads. The calmness of the road was occasionally broken by the sound of chirping birds. It was not chilling cold, but I had to put on a light jacket. The cloud covered sky was waiting for the raindrops. The brightly colored triangular shaped houses were enhancing the charm.

Recently I went to the Fjords of Norway. Crystal clear water surrounded by high mountains, different shades of green trees and white birds, all were in perfect harmony.