Happy Holidays

I'm going out of town for the holidays. I will be back to ring in 2009. So I'll rest my fingers for a bit and set aside the keyboard.

But before that, here's wishing you a wonderful holiday. May the Xmas spirit light up the skies and bring peace to you and to the world.


I'll leave you to ponder over Guruji's words on the spirit of Christmas, taken from Guruvaani:

"You are the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is pointing upwards and its branches grow on all sides. It is orderly. At the time of year when no tree bears anything, it has many gifts to offer. And it is green throughout the year. A Christmas tree bears the gifts and the lights not for itself. All the gifts you are carrying in your life are for others. Anyone who comes to you, you offer them your gifts.
...Your life is a gift. And you have come to unwrap the gift. In the process of unwrapping, you also save the wrappers. Your whole environment, situations, circumstances and body are the wrapping papers. When we unwrap, we destroy the wrapping paper. We are in such a hurry at times that we even destroy the gifts. With patience and endurance, open your gifts and save the wrapping papers."

Happy Holidays.

Folk music for the soul

It is said that music is food for the soul and elevates the consciousness.

This evening, seated on a coir mat in Bimba Art Hut, I was soaring quite high as Dr John Napier played breathtakingly beautiful notes on his Cello.

Dr. John Napier is an ethnomusicologist and a performing classical musician. He is currently in Bangalore on sabbatical from University of New South Wales, Australia, where he is Head of School of Muisc and Music education. He has spent over fifteen years studying and performing North Indian Music. He also has traditionally learnt to play the cello, and is a unique combination of being an academician and performer to hilt.


Deepak, founder, Bimba Art Hut, introduces Dr John Napier

Recently, Dr Napier studied the Jogis of Rajasthan and the ritualistic music of the Kodavas of Karnataka.

The Jogi's song


Between his beautiful cello renditions, John Napier transported the audiences to the sand dunes of Rajasthan, where the Jogis sang about Lord Shiva in tune with the dulcet sounds of the Sarangi instrument. The Jogis were householders who were often said to be cattle healers. They had a unique style of their own and through their singing, a unique fable would unfold. Into this folksy traditional setting, they would introduce a little bit of modern muse, picking up anything from current events, gossip and interactive interludes.




Cut to the vibrant sylvan hills of Coorg where the Kodavas beat to the 'dudi' (drum), singing in praise of their ancestors. John Napier explained that the Kodava singers would often sing in pairs, and had to be quite accurate with their historical facts, else they would be corrected by the opposite pair. Apparently the Kodava music score often shadowed the singing, and one had to listen with a keen ear to catch the lyrics in the background.

Dr John Napier's program was arranged under the auspices of the Bimba Art Foundation, which is a registered charitable trust. The beautiful art events and creative exhibitions of this Foundation are open to all. The founder Deepak and his wife Deepika (herself a classical Bhartanatyam dancer) are dedicated to bringing individual artists, and artisans from various urban and rural backdrops, to public notice. While the founders are using their own means to keep Bimba Art Hut alive and active, voluntary donations (eligible for 80G exemption) are also accepted.


Under a muted backdrop of textured fabric and golden light of brass lamp, Dr John has the audience spellbound


Bimba studio premises is situated at 42 Ratna Vilas Road, behind Netkalappa House, Basavangudi. The Bimba Art Hut is situated in 4th Block, Jayanagar. The Foundation holds events every Sunday at 5.00 PM. Please do visit this wonderful place and soak in some lovely ethnic decor. It's certainly a reflection of the simple, yet sophisitcated nature of the founders. Write in to bimba@vsnl.com or contact Deepak at 41489354

Here are a few more pictures taken at the event:

John Napier is being interviewed by Dr Shanti Raman, herself an avid connoisseur of arts


The beautiful exhibition of dolls at the Bimba Art Hut


A tree, a bamboo mat and a painted bell lend a rustic touch to the Hut

The significance of a Sadguru

I got back from the conference at Pune yesterday afternoon. Not wasting time, I dropped my bags at home and made a beeline to the ashram. Guruji was going to leave for Germany, and I wanted to see him before he left.

I got to the ashram a bit late but still was in time to hear Guruji speak before he handed over the mike to Rajita and Ajay Bagga. Rajita and Ajay were at the Taj hotel when the terrorists struck Mumbai. I could well imagine the trauma that the victims and their families had undergone that fateful 26/11, but as Rajita narrated her experience first hand, I could not believe my ears.

Stuck in a tiny room with several others, this brave couple came out of the jaws of Death, and were so grateful to Gurudev for that. Speaking about the hotel employee who was shot in the stomach, Rajita described how they helped a doctor push back the victim's intestines before suturing the abdomen. The terrified elders huddled up in the room were taught Pranayama to calm their frayed nerves even as many of them were losing bladder control.

A while later, Guruji called them and reassured them that they would be safe. Rajita spoke about a strange Force engulfing them after that.

When Rajita still trembled, Ajay consoled her saying that if Guruji was here in this world with them, He was sure to receive them if they had to 'cross over'.

An hour after Guruji's phone call, the NSG personnel entered their room and began to escort them out. On their escape route, they had to witness several people around them fall to the bullets. And yet, they managed to escape the hotel and the terrorists.

I returned home from the ashram witn a strange comforting feeling, partly because, like always, Gurudev had accepted my garland of roses with a gentle smile. Partly because Pitaji (Gurudev's father) had cradled my head in his loving hands for the first time, and blessed me. But mostly because, like Rajita said, a Guru such as ours will surely be there to receive us when we reach the Unknown Post...

On Faith and Securities

I've been busy the past week preparing for a conference that I'd soon be attending at Pune. So while I kept writing in my mind, I just couldn't quite put it down on paper.
Nevertheless, I wanted to share with you these beautiful words that Sri Sri has spoken. This passage was sent over by a friend of mine. I loved the meaning...

"False securities do not allow your faith to grow. When you drop your securities, your faith will grow. When you buffer your life with securities, you keep faith away. It is faith that brings perfection in you. Faith is the greatest security.

If you have material securities and do not have faith, you will still reel in fear. You must let go of all possessions in the mind. False security is keeping things where they do not belong. Having a job, a house, friends these are all illusions of security. Keep the house where it belongs, not in the mind. Keep the money in the bank or in the pocket, not in the mind. Keep friends and family where they belong, not in the mind. The Divine is the only security. Faith is realizing that you always get what you need. Faith is giving the Divine a chance to act. Your body belongs to the world. Your spirit belongs to the Divine."

Time and again we are jolted awake by an Unknown Force. We think we have everything going for us when something out of the blue strikes us, stripping away our false sense of security. And then Faith keeps us going, like the dying embers of a fire need but one strip of wood, to strike a warm glow once again...

Gurudev Sri Sri reaches out to Mumbai victims

Sri Sri will conduct a special prayer, pranayama and meditation session for all Mumbaikars at Priyadarshini Park & Sports Complex, Nepean Sea Road on Dec. 6 at 6:30 pm.

For more details on other counselling sessions planned in Mumbai, please click on this link.

Mumbai's tragedy- A silent prayer and a wish

Even as the debates rage on the TV and people all over the country and even world, express their anguish over the Mumbai terror tragedy, I am full of remorse for those bravehearts and innocent people who lost their lives within a span of 60 hours.

Just think about it. Mumbaikars who were standing on the streets, waiting for a train or simply walking with their friends, were gunned down. Tourists, business travellers who were having a decent meal at the Taj, were part of a macabre bloodbath.

Yes, there is government upheaval, now. Yes, there are words like resilience being booted out of the Mumbaikars' dictionary, now. Yes, the news channels are doing a remarkable job bringing out the bizarre truth, of an unguarded sea terrain, of unheeded warning messages. All the pieces are adding up to make a horrific picture, now.

I want to light my candle for my fellow Indians who lost their lives.

But I will not merely stop here. I will also set out to do what Gurudev has always wished for us to do. Reach out. Reach out and touch someone's heart, mind, and spirit.

The fact that a twenty one year old boy can be brainwashed to become a terrorist using an AK 47 gun with expert precision certainly sent a shiver down my spine.

I was glued to the TV for the past few days, watching the Mumbai terror unfold. I was quite depressed, lost. But today I shut off my TV and attended the Teach India orientation program.

I wish more people join such programs so that we can teach the underprivileged children of India. Such children are constantly falling prey to substance abuse, crime and begging. If we can equip them with skills to make a decent and dignified living, perhaps we can stop more children from being sucked into the bizarre, dehumanized terror world.

Brick by brick, we can build our rich Indian fabric and protect our borders. Jai Hind. Jai Gurudev.

Our prayers for the people of Mumbai

The human mind never fails to surprise or shock- it can be used for the glorious benefit of humankind or it can cause death and destruction everywhere.

Even God would raise an eyebrow at the extent to which His own creation, Man, could go either way, like the swing of the pendulum.

Animals kill for food, when they are hungry. But it's really man who can kill for perverse pleasure. Man can kill for revenge. Man can kill at the command of yet another Master mind.

Words are insufficient to describe the terror caused on our fellow Mumbaites and others caught in the terror. Our heartfelt prayers go to this city which is reeling under gunfire. A salute to the brave good men who are fighting terror.

I saw this helpline on the net: http://mumbaihelp.blogspot.com/

Some of us volunteers from Art of Living are chanting Om Naman Shivaya...

The Three Yogis

Last week, I was all set to start off 'Yoga Dhyaan Shibirs' for my neighbors. Yoga Dhyaan Shibirs, conceptualized organized by the Art of Living Foundation, are free health and happiness workshops which are conducted by senior volunteers and teacher trainees of the Foundation.


Not too long ago I was given an orientation course and was duly presented with a manual which had the list of yoga asanas that I could teach.

Armed with the manual and some 10 by 10 square foot of apartment real estate, I mustered up enough courage to invite people to the workshop.

I was ready to take the world. After much campaigning, the world presented itself in the form of three sprightly boys who were around 5 foot height, give or take a few inches.



Right. I decided to bow to the Will of the Universe and welcomed my students into my apartment.

On the first day, they sauntered in, bringing with them more skepticism and some enthusiasm. Perhaps they worried that the time for yoga would 'eat' into their play time.

"Aunty, we have lots of homework so we need to finish fast', their self-appointed spokesperson suggested. The others nodded vigorously. I told them not to worry and that I would be packing them off in just half an hour. On hearing that, they relaxed.

With each asana being demonstrated, they questioned each move and gave suggestions as to how the asana can be modified in accordance with what they saw, mostly on TV. They obviously excelled in theory, but none of them ventured to make a move!

"Aunty, in our school they taught us to lift the right leg and wrap the left hand around the head and then turn fully around", one of them suggested, going into merry convolutions even as he was saying it.

I patiently reassured him that there were different schools of Yoga which taught asanas with slight variations. The boy relaxed a bit and tentatively tried to follow what I was demonstrating.

The Bhastrika Pranayaam proved to be a nose, er, sorry, mind-blowing experience for them. One of them started sneezing non-stop. Perhaps he had an instant allergic response to the pranayaam, I wondered.

Some moments of dancing and prancing followed after which they lay down blissfully and prepared for Yoga Nidra (Yogic sleep). At this point, I thought I heard a gentle snore emanate from one sleeping figure. I had to instruct them more than once to wake up. The boys had had a long day of studies and play. So they must have fallen into (cosmic) sleep!

All in all, it was great fun. I can't quite decide who had more fun, me or them. I like to believe that I was a winner here. Just watching their enthusiasm, fun, smiles, giggles and a whole lot of attempts at stretching tickled the funny bone endlessly.

There's something about being with children, which makes the spirit soar. Maybe that is because they look upon life with so much joy. As Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar once put it: "...in the eyes of children, there is nothing dead in the world; animals, trees, the sun and the moon all are alive, and have emotions and feelings. But in the eyes of a stressed and ignorant person, even human beings are like robots or objects! "

By the end of the 5-day sessions, the yogis had pestered their parents to buy yoga mats for them. Now I hear that the mats are safely rolled into a corner in their rooms. Hopefully, they will air them every now and then with a bend here and a stretch there...

Health and Happiness workshop in Bangalore

A couple of years ago, Palace Grounds, situated in North Bangalore, rocked to Pranayaam Dhyaan Shibir (Health and Happiness Workshop) conducted by Sri Sri Ravishankar Guruji. Over five thousand people attended the course, and greatly benefited from all the sessions, personally conducted by Guruji.

The Health and Happiness Workshop fundamentally teaches people how to manage stress in their personal and professional lives.

This year, the workshop is taking place once again on Dec 12-14, 2008, in Palace Grounds, Bangalore.

At a broader level, Guruji will cover wide array topics like managing stress, challenges faced by youth, handling emotions, responding to life style changes, cultivating healthy eating habits and much more.

More specifically speaking, the workshop will teach:

Yoga: A very unique system of Yoga known as Sukshma Yoga will be taught. Sukshma means delicate or subtle; this system of yoga is very simple, yet powerful in the ability to relax, refresh, and rejuvenate. Sukshma Yoga attends to both internal and external organs of our body from head to toes in subtle ways to bring harmony to the whole system.

Prayanaam: Breathing techniques that are easy to learn and useful in everyday life. These techniques can be utilized to heal, energize, and/or stabilize the mind, body, and emotions within minutes.


Dhyaan, or meditation: Guided meditations led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar himself to bring instant calm and deep relaxation. Live guided meditations led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar offer an extraordinary experience of inner peace.

The Health and Happiness attends to all levels of our physical existence - Body, Breath, and Mind. It is suitable for all age groups and skill levels.

The benefits are manifold:

Profound healing and relaxation
Eliminate stress
Sleep better and smile more
Lose weight and increase energy
Increase focus and concentration
Reduce anxiety and depression
Maintain harmony in relationships
improve your immune system and overall well-being

My personal experience: In the last H&H workshop, I was really fortunate to be on stage with a few other volunteers, to demo some postures while Guruji explained them to the audience. It was such a fantastic experience! When he guided us through meditation, I was soaring in the sky. Clearly, I did not know where I was and all I could feel is Divinity surrounding me. After this Blissful experience, Gurudev ran past us, right off the stage. He was so nimble and graceful that it felt like a white bird was gliding past us! He ran through the crowd and greeted everyone, while his close devotees struggled to keep pace running behind him!

Please do not miss this Divine experience! It is a blessing to be with Masters, who are said to be the quintessence of Godliness. It is not merely for learning techniques that you must participate in this workshop; it is to experience the Guru's Grace which is said to bring Healing in people's minds, hearts and spirits.

Buy a pass right away for the workshop and spend joyous hours in Gurudev's presence. Passes are available with “The Art of Living” Teachers, Organizers and Volunteers. Denominations available are 100/- 300/- 500/- 2500/- 5000/-.

Phone 9845082045 for more details.

Also available online www.artoflivingbangalore.org. This site also presents all the social service that our organization does world over.

Acknowledgement: Thanking Yadhav-ji, TTC coordinator and senior Teacher (Art of Living Foundation) for sending me the write-up on Pranayam Dhyan Shibir. Pictures taken from the web.

Paramahansa Yogananda on sleep

Having read the classic 'Autobiography of a Yogi' and several other books thereafter, my bond with Paramahansa Yogananda is a mysterious one. Constantly intrigued to understand this great Guru and his teachings even more, I surf the net for anything I can get on Yogananda. I am never disappointed in my quest.

Here is a short, classic video of Paramahansa Yogananda, where he describes the correct method of sleeping. It is a pleasure to watch. Enthralling to catch a glimpse of this great Guru in action. It certainly transported me to a different plane.

I have embedded this video for you all to watch. I really am grateful for the person who has uploaded this video.

When kids learn ad-ition!

A friend of mine took his daughter to a temple where the Goddess was decorated with Gold and silks. "Isn't She beautiful?" Pa asked his daughter.

She looked at the Goddess and nodded briefly.

Wanting his daughter to articulate her feelings, he persisted. "Isn't Her sari lovely?"

She nodded once more.

By now Pa wanted to prove to the world that his daughter was going to go all poetic to describe the Goddess.

So he coaxed her a bit further: "Ok, now say a few words to the Goddess".

She thought a bit, bringing her forefinger close to her lips in a pensive moment.

Then she closed her eyes shut and with an intense frown, she crooned: "I miss you sooooo much... it hurts!!"


The Airtel ad: Saif practices his words to Kareena on King Khan!

Wonder what the Goddess must have felt...not sure whether Airtel has a connection Up There!

Obama- a man of spirit

It's finally over and yet it's just begun.

The grand Obama victory rocked the world. It was a day of History for the Black population and I am sure that Martin Luther King (God bless his soul) is rejoicing over the his dream come true.

Thanks to a stupendous growth in technology, ours is a constantly shrinking global world. We in Bangalore have been closely following the presidential debate whenever we could escape the burgeoning traffic snarls, the innumberable releases, and the humdrum housekeeping that seems to just go on. We have most certainly been mesmerized by Obama's oratory skills, and hung on to every word that he uttered, marveling at the poetic nature of his speeches.

His family looked picture-perfect. A quiet dignity showed on their faces. Surely they must have always been conscious of being watched and their every move being weighed? It didn't seem to matter, though.

Sometime mid-week the mails began to pour in my mailbox from friends overseas- the excitement was palpable. Some of them were even voluteering for their local Obama supporters and were keen to share their experience with the rest of us out here. The local news channels opened out a popularity voting line as well and I almost felt part of the US election. That's when I recalled an old childhood song: It's a small world after all.

Hooo, and it's gettin' smaller.

Today we can go as far as the moon if we want to. We can move faith and belief, if we want to. We can 'turn the knob' to tune into the emotions of a land thousands of miles away, if we want to. We can hope that one land's change can make this whole world a better place to live in. We can hope that war and terror can see an end.

Perhaps it is to set a few things right in the world, that God plays His trump card every now and then.

Now we can believe that, can't we?

'Yes we can.'

Ah, now that's going the Obama way!

Veg-o-ramic view!

Art o' Living'ers profess vegetarianism. I know of many ardent meat lovers who have to work real hard at saying 'no' to a portion of chicken tandoori masala. I guess I'm lucky in this regard coz' I am a veggie by birth and didn't need to 'convert'. :-)

A vegetarian diet is said to be good for the human digestion. It is said that it takes upto 72 hours for the average human being to digest a portion of meat (I said 'average'- can't speak for Superman though!). Now we all know that no one really waits for 72 hours before getting all set for the next meal. So that's how the human digestive system is made to work overtime.

Even our teeth are said to be more green-friendly. Check out our strong molars, for starters.

That said, I'm not criticizing meat lovers; only pointing them to t' other side of the dining table.

Now look at yet another table which has a comparative view of herbivores (eat only herbs) and carnivores (eat only meat). This was taken from an article online on vegetarianism. I reckoned it could be of academic interest to readers.

Carnivore	Herbivore	Human
has claws	no claws	no claws
no pores on skin; perspires through tongue to cool body	perspires through millions of pores on skin	perspires through millions of pores on skin
sharp, pointed front teeth to tear flesh	no sharp, pointed front teeth	no sharp, pointed front teeth
no flat back molar teeth to grind food	has flat, back molar teeth to grind food	has flat, back molar teeth to grind food
small salivary glands in the mouth (not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits)	well-developed salivary glands, needed to pre-digest grains and fruits	well-developed salivary glands, needed to pre-digest grains and fruits
acid saliva; no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains	alkaline saliva; much ptyalin to pre-digest grains	alkaline saliva; much ptyalin to pre-digest grains
strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest tough animal muscle, bone, etc.	stomach acid 20 times weaker than that of meat-eaters	stomach acid 20 times weaker than that of meat-eaters
intestinal tract only 3 times body length, so rapidly decaying meat can pass out of body quickly	intestinal tract several times body length (plant foods decay slowly so can take their time to pass through the body)	intestinal tract several times body length

Well, that's the science of vegetarianism.

Speaking of the art of v., I came across this great looking veggie blog. Look at all the colors!



Here's a stunning veg 'art-la-carte' which I clicked at a recent wedding reception. Each veg- exhibit was lovingly carved with great care and creativity. Made of green pumkins and carrots and cucumber and turnips...


Lord Vishnu made of green pumpkin


A green Swan songLord Shiva carved out of eggplant

Ah, 'nuff said, I'm all hungry for some green salad!

On fun, feasts, and fireworks

Finally, Divali's arrived this morning after much wonderin', waitin' and wishin'.

After a frenzied shopping spree for gold, sweets and fireworks, folks in town would be quickly working on the goodies.

The early morning hours ushered in some 'bang-bang' on the streets, and that's precisely when the neighboring dogs woke up from their slumber and ran for cover.

The evening's going to be, er, interesting. If it rains, the fireworks will fade away sooner than later. Then I can call it a silent night and grab some shut-eye.


I mean, if people have become even a bit more conscious of global warming and pollution, they'd take a green hint and simply light a few lamps to celebrate Divali.

But will they? Only time will tell.

I'm all for planting trees which is exactly what the project Mission Green Earth is trying to promote. But hey, we need to give trees some clean air to breathe. Else, we will only have pits where trees once stood proud.


Pic from the web

Speaking of pits, here's a real 'eco-tastrophe' from Pittsburgh. Straight out of the green zone. More due to steel plants actually, but fireworks also add to the smoke, apparently.

Had me thinking hard about fun, fireworks and a fiery future...

Different beats, this Divali!

Pic taken from the web

In just a few days' time in India, rockets will soar, bursting into tantalizing colors against the velvety backdrop of the night sky .

Heralding another dynamic Divali.

Earthen lamps decorating the porch of every household will lend the night a soft, ethereal look.

Clad in shimmering silks and shining in gold, it's a day when the average, well-to-do Indian woman strives to catch the attention of the Celestial Gods.

Divali's a day when blessings come in boxes lined with sweets and nuts and dry fruit.

A time when hitherto unseen neighbors emerge out of the woodwork to chat you up.

Dogs don't do Divali. It's actually a time of fear and frenzy for every cautious canine. For God's creatures are bright and beautiful, but with sensitive ears.

Like every year, I do hope that we have a light and bright Divali. And that the only sounds that I get to hear are the peals of temple bells and the sound of children's laughter.

Have a safe and wonderful Divali.

Sobha Developers takes a green foot forward

With all the 'tree hugging' I have been upto in my recent blogs, the Universe brought me into the (green) limelight last week.

Mission Green Earth- Stand Up and Take Action- is a global, joint endeavor of United Nations Environment Programme, and the Art of Living Foundation. The campaign comes under the broader 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of these goals is to END POVERTY by Yr 2015. Another goal is to save the planet by having global citizens plant one hundred million trees all around the world by Yr 2009. Other Millennium goals include bringing primary education, health and hygiene to the world's population.

I was asked to represent the Art of Living in a tree planting session undertaken by Sobha Developers, a leading, quality-conscious real estate developer group. I was so honored to represent Gurudev's Global, vast Vision, and braving the hot sun, I happily made my way to Devenahalli. The site was not too far off from the airport. That afternoon, under much fanfare, members of Sobha group planted 150 trees around their Villa project. The group also stood up and solemnly took the Millennium Pledge.

It was great fun. I really appreciate the energy of the entire group, under their charismatic leader, Mr Ravi Menon, the Vice Chairman of Sobha developers.

Here are a few pictures of the event:



The engineers and others gathered at the site before tree plantingMr Ravi Menon, Vice Chairman of Sobha Developers

The first Green Giant goes into the soil! More to come!

I for one plan to go the whole hog into the Tree planting drive, and us volunteers in Sanjaynagar, with our teacher Komalaji's untiring zeal, plan to meet up many schools, colleges and corporates to 'green up' the Earth, for our children and generations to come...

The Omnivore's dilemma

Being a strict vegetarian, I find myself at a bit o' a disadvantage when I go out to eat with other omnivorous colleagues. They get to eat food that I order but alas, it can never be the other way round. But I've no regrets, coz' although Al Gore never mentioned this, in his movie 'An Inconvenient Truth', being vegetarian actually helps control global warming.


Now Treehugger has an entry over a book called 'The Omnivore's dilemma', written by Michael Pollan, a New York Times journalist and fellow omnivore turned vegetarian.

To quote heavily from Treehugger:

'The Omnivore's dilemma is this: When you can eat just about anything nature has to offer, deciding what you should eat will inevitably stir anxiety. The Koala doesn't worry about food- he just chews eucalyptus leaves. Rats and humans have bigger issues. Pollan says that the way we eat represents our most profound engagement with the natural world. He is no vegan, but is a cook and appalled by modern industrial food production, and how it separates us from the sources of our food. Pollan looks at the three principal food chains : Industrial, Organic and Hunter/Gatherer and has a meal from each...'


Mike makes merry in his green garden- pic from Treehugger

In his book, Pollan confronts the question: What should we have for dinner?' with an enticing, thought-provoking and rib-tickling (pardon me for the pun) argument which covers the vast vistas of social, ethical, environmental fabric all rolled up to make it er, more palatable.

Well, after all these words of praise, I'll let you in on a secret. I haven't yet read the book! It's just the lingo-ism (a word I have concocted in order to have the same ring as ' jingoism') coursing through in my journalistic veins that made me describe the book even before I read it.

But hey, I'm all for the veggie cause. I let the cows graze gently in the green pastures, while I chew my carrots at t' table...

Trees make news, or do they?

From Treehugger

These days, trees seem to make news. And ironically speaking, they make the newspapers too.

Trees soothe, trees bind soil, trees clean the air. Bear fruit, bear shade, bear no grudge.

Bear with the lot of us.

But today I discovered one more thing about our sylvan friends.

I was sitting in my car, taking in the meandering traffic line, desperately trying to make song and dance of the old Art of Living punchline: Accept the situation, dum di dum...

Time passed and the traffic crawled along, while the tooting horns got louder as collective patience was dying down. It normally flowed faster than this on this road, and yet today, something was clearly blocking the line.

I looked around, and saw a motley line of cars, scooters, and a large bus which stood alongside, quite as helpless as the rest of the smaller vehicles. I still couldn't see the reason for the traffic block.

I inched a few meters ahead and that was when I saw this old, battered truck that stood bang in the middle of the lane. Ah, so that was the culprit, I thought to myself. One stupid truck that got stuck, slowing half the world's wheeled population, I thought, with a frown.

The choicest curse words were doing the cha-cha-cha in the ol' mind, threatening to create sound-bytes, when I happened to inadvertently get a closer look at the truck.

That was when I saw a tiny tree branch, stuck on one side of the truck. The truck stood still, but the branch was swaying merrily in the wind.

A corny looking truck, the butt of everyone's ridicule, taking in all the collective curses of drivers, strangely took on a bovine stance on a busy road. With a piece of green stuck clumsily on one side.

I could almost picture tomorrow's headlines: 'A bunch of leaves lend luster to a lopsided lorry.'

I couldn't stop giggling.

DSN course rocks!

Just when the folks in and around the sleepy town of Sanjaynagar thought that they could steal a nap after a hectic Dasara schedule, they were in for a ROCKING surprise!



Anandji does some straight talkin'

It’s the second time I sat in Anandji’s DSN course and once again, I wondered, what makes this fantastic, world-renowned teacher TICK?

DSN stands for ‘Divya Samaaj ka Nirmaan’ or building a Divine Society in Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar’s vision.

Intense group discussions to plan out community projects

Yet, DSN is also an acronym for ‘Don’t say No’. You forget the No’s you have given and taken in life. You can’t say No because you actually want to say YES. You suddenly realize that you have such untapped potential; you shake off dogmas and labels.



If you can play Ol' Mother Hubbard...

I can play Freddy the Fisherman!

The DSN processes, beautifully crafted by the Master, touch the very core of your being, enlightening, enthralling, shocking, and shaking you out of your comfort zone.

Do Something Now!

How does Anandji put forth powerful concepts so lucidly? I always took pride in being a ‘communications’ person, thanks to a journalistic career. But Anandji’s teaching goes far beyond the realms of communication.

With Anandji’s persuasive techniques, you quickly want to ‘Do Something Now’. It's time to sit up and think Service, with a capital ‘S’. It’s time to see BIG, VAST Horizons, far beyond any man-made boundaries.

Participants from India and Australia join hands

The DSN course enjoys worldwide success. One can of course use the logical mind and explain off this success in several ways. It definitely helps when a teacher like Anandji comes with such inimitable style, élan and grace.

In actuality, one cannot classify the DSN at all. The DSN comes with a subtle, subliminal difference, which sets it apart from other ‘personality development’, or quasi spiritual courses.

It comes with a certain gentle Grace which can be felt and not seen, like the odor of a sweet-scented flower that wafts through the window.

It awakens the consciousness and yet gently rocks the mind to a peaceful slumber....it's one of those precious pauses that you get in life that makes you sit up and wonder...

...and celebrate Life!

My TeachIndia dream is coming true at last!

Pic taken from TeachIndia website
I applied to TeachIndia a few months ago. TeachIndia was launched by Times of India newspaper, and facilitates citizens to teach different subjects to underprivileged kids. I wanted to teach English to these children so I had signed up.

Being part of the larger Art of Living NGO, seva or service is constantly projected to be an integral part of one's life, and helps the spirit within us to flourish. So I took this opportunity to do something in a more streamlined and structured manner.

I had to fill up an online form first- and here I filled in details of number of hours I can spend, the area where I was comfortable teaching and even the proposed duration of my involvement in the project. I thought it was pretty well-defined and organized.

We have an induction program at Deena Seva Sangha, an NGO, on Sunday. I am to be part of Youth for Seva NGO.

Well, the Guru knows what we're good at, and where we can nurture the spirit. This is probably why I got this message on the day of Vijaydasami- a victory.

I am realizing my dream- at last.

Jai Guru Dev.

“Look upon every man, woman, and everyone as God. You cannot help anyone, you can only serve: serve the children of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself, if you have the privilege. ”

Swami Vivekananda

As the curtain draws on Dasara 2008

The festive season of Dasara is about to set for the year 2008. It has brought a mixed bag of feelings for me this year, although the Universal Mother did manage to finally put things in proper perspective, for me.

I lost a paternal cousin to a car accident. A Low point. There's no replacing a wonderful sis' like her, in my life.

Death is such a mystery.

Sometimes life is snatched away due to a cruel twist of Fate. News has it that thousands of people are being killed on the grounds of being of a different Faith. Like Faith isn't Universal? Or like Love isn't Universally preached? Did anyone see the Face of God to validate that He is a Krishna, or a Jesus or Anyone Else? If God is an Abstract Quality, like many wise men have us know, then what's all the fuss about?

Sometimes people snatch their own lives as panic strikes. This is again news of an NRI who shot himself and the rest of his family, a couple of days ago. I wonder what really makes us people tick, deep inside? Most parents bring kids up with core values like being loving, compassionate, truthful. Along with these qualities, some also zealously drive the spirit of competition in an increasingly competitive world. But somewhere, deep down inside, the spiritual element is dormant. Perhaps that's what many parents tend to overlook. Success is lauded, but failure is frowned upon. However, in the wheel of Life, don't success and failure both have a place? We appreciate, and even cheer acrobatics in town circuses, but we never realize that Life has a goodish bit of acrobatics as well.

Life's a balancing act and we often fail to realize this. Perhaps that's what makes the sanest, brightest, smartest of people end their lives in a frenzy when the going gets hard. What's even worse is the fact that along with their own life, they take the lives of their children, who could have made it ultimately, given time and patience. A real Low point.

So I had mixed feelings this season. But that's not to say that I did not enjoy the rainbow of colors this season. The green mango leaves that lined the doorway, and the heavy bunches of flowers that came in kaleidoscopic hues. The rustle of silk saris and the clinking of gold bangles. Cardboard boxes lined with sweets that do the tango on the taste buds.

A sensual mela offered to celebrate the glory of Life, and of living.

Happy Dasara.

Laddus for the season

The ashram is currently playing host to thousands of guests who have come visiting from all over the world to celebrate Navaratri.

So some of us TTC Phase I volunteers went to the ashram today to help out in the kitchen. We thought we'd have the usual vegetable cutting routine. But we were in for a surprise when we were given 'Laddu seva'!


I never thought rolling round sweet laddus in the ashram would be so much fun! Large plates brimming with tiny white spinach seeds mixed into jaggery (unrefined sugar) syrup were placed in front of us. We sat around these plates, quite confident that rolling the mix into tiny balls would be a cakewalk (pardon me for the pun!).

But we were wrong. The mix was sticky, gooey and hot. It stuck to the palms of one hand and every time we tried to use the fingers of the other hand to strip the mix off the palm, the fingers would be covered with the stuff! If we let the hot mix cool a bit, the adhesive quality would reduce considerably, and then it would have been mighty hard to roll the mix into balls!

We tried rubbing ghee (clarified butter) on our palms and then handled the mix, but the palms got the mix stuck on alright! Finally someone brought corn flour and then we lightly dusted our hands with the flour before handling the mix. Now we could roll it into round 'laddus'.


There was yet another trick to making good round laddus. We had to take some mix into our right palm and use the forefinger and middlefinger of our left hand to shape the mix into a round ball. We needed to use strength in order to make the laddu really hard and sticky. Else it would come undone and break off into a powder.

Yes, I learnt a lot today!

From this moment....

Yesterday I sat in my Guru's presence- oblivious of the 5000 odd folks gathered around to celebrate Navaratri which was right around the corner.

I held a garland in one hand and some sweets in the other to give Gurudev. The occasion? Well, it was my birthday and I wasn't going to let an occasion like this pass by without getting pampered by my Guru.

I had reached the ashram quite early that evening- and found a good place in the large Yagnashala (a large, open place to conduct religious functions). I closed my eyes, taking in the wonderful aura of the place. I listened intently to a devotee sing in praise of Lord Narayana. Occasionally, I'd open my eyes to see if Gurudev had arrived.

He finally did arrive, and we all stood up reverently while He smiled that glorious, beatific smile. During Navaratri, a special dais is erected so that Gurudev can sit in solemn silence. So where he sat, he was quite unapproachable. Yet, we could feel his energy even from a distance.

I was holding my breath by then, wondering, will he call out for us folks who were celebrating birthdays? Or will he walk away as he sometimes did, when he was too busy? How would I be able to offer him the garland and sweets which I had brought?

He had two guests with him on the dais, both holy men. Gurudev asked each of them to speak. And they obliged, speaking about God, Guru and Faith.

Time passed on, and yet Gurudev was content closing his eyes and listening to the words of the holy men.

Finally he asked someone what the time was. Was he going to leave, I wondered? Should I just pass on the sweet parcel to one of the volunteers around him?

I was thinking about this when suddenly I could almost swear that Gurudev looked directly at me from where he sat. I smiled and waved the sweet parcel. 'Prasadam for you', I mouthed the words. I had to catch His attention somehow.

And then he smiled back at me and nodded!! Gurudev then gestured someone to hand over some garlands he touched with his right hand. Someone then took my own garland and gave me one which was blessed by Gurudev! There were a few other folks too, who got their birthday garlands as well. But I was ecstatic for my own!!

But my sweet parcel was still with me. I had got the offering from the Holy shrine of Tirupati. How could I give it to Gurudev, I wondered.

Gurudev then was addressing a volunteer. " Hah, some people also have some offerings. See, there is a hat over there for me. Please collect them.'

And so that was how Gurudev got my sweet parcel and blessed me this Birthday.

Nothing gets past the Guru's sight. I could now understand what Divine Connection could be like. If He could seek me out among 5000 people, now that's a Cosmic Force to reckon with...from this moment, Doubt had vanished.

I'm on cloud number nine!

What a sweet coincidence! I got my daughter visitin' us from Ho-Ho-Holland. I had a good friend look in on me from San San 'Frisco.

And then I discovered Jango...the cool social streaming radio. If you love pop, rock, jazz music, check it out. You can share music, rate music, and of course, he he, listen to music too!

I got these fantastic earphones too- so is it a wonder that I am on cloud number nine?




Like Bryan Adams says:
'We could watch the world go by up on cloud number nine...'

And by the way, a lil' bird told me that Bryan Adams met Gurudev...;-)

Let the Drums of Dasara calm those violent minds

Mysore Dasara Elephant

The enthralling spirit of Dasara festival is slowly setting in Bangalore. It starts on September 30th and ends on October 9, 2008.

The Dasara festival is celebrated for nine nights and symbolizes victory of positivity over negativity. Nine nights of festivities end in Victory to Goddess Durga over a demon. This is a metophorical interpretation of Good vanquishing Evil.

To be sure, no festival out here in India is complete without a riot of sweet-scented flowers- jasmine, roses, hibiscus, you name it. The festival of Dasara is no exception, and the doorway of each house is decorated with flowers of every color. The streets are lined with flower vendors, making a quick buck from their wares.

Pic from Kamat's Potpourrie

It is also a time for calming one's mind, and reflecting on one's goals.

At the Art of Living ashram, there are several Homas one can attend like the Chandi Homa which is happening on October 7. It is certainly an occasion where the Divine Vibrations strike a very strong chord in each and every one of us.

As always, I look forward to this Dasara and all the festivities that it brings.

Nevertheless, there is one shadow that has cast over this season. The violence and terrorism that is happening all around us in India is quite disturbing, isn't it? Faith is being challenged and the innocent man is being targeted in the name of 'belief' and 'social cause'. Whose belief? Whose cause?

Such dastardly acts are certainly not in harmony with the principles of Universal Love and Brotherhood.

Goddess Durga or Shakti

Let us all pray to the Universal Shakti to stop the violence has gripped this nation with demonical ferocity. It needs Divine intervention. And collective Faith...

Photos taken from the web.

DSN Course in Sanjaynagar

Having worked at companies like Digital, HP and Sun, I got to enroll into several self- development courses.

Companies usually have their training targets so we usually get coaxed into joining one training program or another. So I had attended stuff like 'Leadership course for software professionals', 'Coaching for performance' and stress management workshop. I enjoyed attending most of them, especially the stress management workshop. This workshop had some yoga, meditation and chat sessions. It was pleasant. The other courses also helped us understand our team members better and interact with them.

But I have yet to come across a course like DSN, which is offered by the Art of Living Foundation.


Folks just wanna have fun, in DSN!

DSN, or Divya Samaj Ka Nirman essentially means to 'build a Divine society'. It is a powerful self-development course designed by Gurudev. By going through this course, a person is brought to a state of inner calm and outer dynamism. It is only in this state that one can build a divine society through community service. The guiding principle is that one helps oneself first, and then others.

Unlike other courses which teach you how to 'manage people' or 'manage anger', or 'manage change', DSN introduces you to YOURSELF. And when that happens, it is simply a MIND BLOWING EXPERIENCE.

Have you ever had the gumption to 'talk to a tree' in front of curious onlookers? You never really know what you can do, if you do not breeze into a DSN course. I 'found' myself last year when I enrolled. I have changed, am changing and wading through a sea of change- with a smile.

The DSN course is happening in Sanjaynagar on October 9- October 12, 2008. The course is being conducted Anandji, a world renowned DSN teacher. Earlier on a senior software engineer working in New York, Anandji willingly transformed himself from an IT professional to an IT guru. This time his 'IT' stood for INNER TRANSORMATION.

Check out this video on DSN. It has details of the course venue and other relevant stuff.

If you have completed your Art of Living basic course and want to move a notch above into the socio-spiritual realm, just enroll into DSN. Anandji is always traveling overseas and it is indeed fortunate for us to have him in India during this Dasara.

The ever dynamic Anandji

If you want your journey of life to get that much more interesting and intriguing, just enroll into this course.

Contact me on: kandula.manjula@gmail.com