A bundle of nerves and a bunch of trees

I'm totally with folks who often refer to themselves as being 'a bundle of nerves'.

Currently, I am just that. One painful heat boil rubbing against cloth is all that it takes for my nerves to bundle up and shriek!

No matter, I can soon put it all past me. Even as I 'Jai Gurudev'd' my way to the medicine cabinet in search of some ointment, the boil broke and that soothed the skin quite a bit. I thanked all the Gods lined up in my Puja room for the relief rendered.

Gratitude is a balm that works quite well among human beings with wounds, abrasions, cuts, burns, boils and a fermenting attitude as well. I tend to show gratitude by putting my hands up in the air and looking skyward in search of a God who's probably wearing Prada. Or some equivalent brand available out there.

This gratitude continued as I drove to the office the day after that boil'ing Apocalypse. I glanced at the trees laden with purple blossoms and marveled at the beauty around, which kind of offset the thick smoke-filled air.

The branches were sinewy and brimming with flowers in varying hues- purple, mauve, yellow. The colors may have been different, but all the branches had but one characteristic.

Like outstretched hands, the branches pointed Upwards, swaying gently to the occasional breeze. Despite facing the menacing axe poised to cut and kill, these gentle branches only looked Upward in constant Gratitude.

And here I was fretting over a boil.

Connecting...

Just when I was skillfully pushing aside the few odd pangs of guilt for not making any blog entries, I got a mail from a new-found online friend who said that I had actually inspired her to start her own blog. Well, that's the thing that keeps you going. A word here and there.

So here I am again...:-)

The International Women's conference went off real well, although I dare say that I was truly behind the scenes with no chance of attending a session. I mean, I was looking after Hema Malini ji, whom I admired for years. Trust Gurudev to put you where you always dreamed to be. In front of one of the most beautiful women the world has seen.

Hema ji is forthright, straightforward and no-nonsense type. I quickly learned that she can intimidate people with her direct approach. But go past the tough exterior and you find that she is a very sensitive person. I guess one has to be sensitive to be able to portray Divine persona such as 'Radha' or 'Lakshmi'.

In spite of her busy schedule we did chat up a bit. We giggled over the cute goody bag that the organizers had placed on her bed. Hemaji will look past any other cuisine to get to the plain South Indian fare of idlis and dosas. She loves to use her own herbal tea dips. All in all, she does take care of her diet and health.

While looking after Hemaji and her dance troupe, (who had joined her to perform a beautiful dance ballet at the ashram), I also was able to meet Usha Uthup, a singer par excellence, whom I idolized for her wonderful renditions- eastern or western.

Here are a few pics that you might enjoy:

Hemaji at dinner. Guruji came in later and spoke to her (and us!)

That's me with Ushaji

Hemaji (as Radha) with 'Krishna' and the dance troupe.