Mystic Masala

Changing my blog

2009-08-11T15:18:00.003+05:30

I am finding it increasingly hard to use my yahoo email id to open this particular blog. I keep getting into an old blogger site which I had opened with my gmail id!

So I decided to go with the flow- and simply use my gmail id- so the new blogsite is:

www.yourstrulymanju2.blogspot.com

It's simple- just add a '2' to the first part. I've named my new blog - Soul-train. So do continue on the journey, along with me!

Oh, and I am taking Guruji along as well...;-)

A day to remember

2009-07-06T16:16:00.007+05:30

They say the world is made of good and the bad. But there is also the indefinable.

They say that you reap what you sow. But there are those who can only receive what they never asked for, nor expected.

Imagine that you are a child born to an HIV- infected parent (or parents). Imagine that you have been unfortunate enough to become HIV positive.

Now imagine your life.

When my office (VMware) decided to do a collection drive (mainly clothes, medicines) for HIV+ children, I dutifully obliged by contributing my share of medicines and clothes. I thought that someone would deliver the huge boxes in the Home of DESIRE Society.

I never imagined that shortly thereafter, I would be accompanying my colleagues Urvashi, Geetha, Mruthyunjay and Aditya to visit the children in their Home.

After some meandering along the roads of JPNagar, we finally found the place. A nice house set amidst greenery. Subhash, the Vice President of the Home introduced us to a bunch of lively, enthusiastic and cheerful children. Who can ever imagine...

Urvashi, Subhash (the angel who takes care of the children), me, Aditya and Mruthyunjay with the children. Geetha was quietly weeping in the van by then.

Their eyes reflected such joy and such liveliness that it was ironical for us to even imagine what their tiny bodies are going through. And then Geetha, who has two tiny tots of her own, simply broke down, unable to bear the pain of seeing sick children who were abandoned or orphaned at such a young age.

My spiritual quest took a positive turn that day by merely peering into these children's eyes which showed such love and gratitude. Their bodies spoke a language of pain and anquish. But no disease could ever reach their spirit which shone through their eyes.

We were told that a couple of children were in the hospital in a serious condition. We decided to get more involved with this Home and render whatever help that we can give them. In fact, I plan to do a Nav Chetan Shibir for the children, as soon as possible.

If you would like to help these children here is the address:

DESIRE Society (caring for HIV+ children)
8th Phase, JPNagar
Bangalore 500076, India
Phone: 080 3241 4683
Email: desire_subhash@yahoo.com
www.desiresociety.com

DSN with Anandji, this Guru Poornima

2009-06-12T10:48:00.004+05:30

Jai Guru Dev,

Please watch this lovely video on DSN,
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=oUHveex5UV0

Guruji Says “Do not follow me. In fact, you cannot follow me because I am behind you and I am in you. I am behind you to push you forward. For too long you have been following as a sheep; now its time to be a lion”

And the ONLY way to do this is do the DSN (Divya Samajka Nirmaan) - a very intense and comprehensive course designed by Gurudev to make each one of us realize who we truly are.

Through a powerful combination of Padma Sadhana, special meditations, breathing
techniques, group processes, and deep spiritual knowledge, the DSN course empowers participants to break through personal inhibitions and barriers of all kinds.

In just 3 days your face will be brightening up, mind will be lightened of burden and hearts will be filled with love and gratitude.

Exuberance is in his name, a state of constant bliss! Anandji has undying energy; he is full of enthusiasm, killer techniques filled with animated actions.

Please visit http://www.anandji. net/ for more info.

This Guru Poornima, do the DSN and explore the Pinnacle of potential you are gifted with. Blossoming to your fullest potential is the best way of showing our gratitude to our master

Course Date: 9th to 12th July 2009
Course Starts On: 9th July at 4:58 PM
Venue: CPRI Staff Quarter Community Hall,
New BEL Road, Near Ramaiah Hospital
Bangalore - 54

Contact: kandula.manjula@gmail.com (98450 82045)

Catching up- The Big 'O' game

2009-06-11T11:35:00.008+05:30

It's been quite some time since I blogged- mainly because my fingers ache these days from typing out mails!! Then, I recently got hooked onto doing the crossword puzzle. I started making (word)sense in those tiny tantalizing white boxes.

Once in a way, I look up from my word-o-rama to observe the world around me! One one of these occasions, I noticed that the Great Indian election's over, with (king) Cong taking centerstage.

I also noticed that the world's gotten more polemic now.

President O's saying 'NO' to Outsourcing.

I wonder whether his 'No' to the big 'O' has come too late in the day.

Maybe, from his standpoint, it all makes sense. But after calling the world 'flat', it's hard to do 'round' again . Maybe the bigwigs in the White house need to think differently, rather than drop their favorite pastime of shedding some work overseas. If this is done in the name of economy, it doesn't make sense.

After all, doesn't Uncle Sam rely on the vast population of the East to sell its burgeoning product line? The pappus in our families don't mind choking on Coke. The college-going Tinas suddenly owe their glossy manes to imported shampoo.

Why do dosas if Pizza is literally dropped at your doorstep?

Na-ah- we're sold on Oprah and the American Pie. We can speak American with a southern twang and English with a Scottish lilt. But we look puzzled when the friendly neighborhood vegetable vendor asks us a question in aamchi Marathi.

Modern India is facing a socio-cultural identity crisis.

This happened because one fine day the west decided to outsource. And the O- biz grew, and grew and grew. We yanked our kids out of reading sci-fi and showed them the computer section- coz' that was the bandwagon raking in the moolah.

Sons of farmers dropped sickles and took to scripting instead.

From win-win of the pre-recession days, it suddenly became you lose-I win from the western standpoint.

Ab Kya hoga?

The writing on the wall is clear.

Now we need to drop the loss and win the toss instead. No, I'm not talking 20/20 matches here. This is a match of Life. We need to innovate, coz' the world knows that Indians are smart people hailing from a land which invented the 'zero'.

We need to create our I-Brand and we can do this in ever so many ways. By creating new products, we can bring more job opportunities. We can also give a boost to many of our already existing Indian products.

So why buy Loreal when you have an Indian brand available? These days, I use Ayurvedic soap, instead of the usual 'phoren' brand that I had gotten used to. It takes a bit of adjustment, but then, only by promoting Indian goods will we be able to create job opportunities for India.

No hard feelings Mr P, we're just looking out for ourselves, our jobs, and our products.

The other side of 'V'

2009-04-20T11:51:00.009+05:30

This week India goes to polls- the big 'V' in the life of the Indian junta is definitely on.

The other 'V' for me is the launch of VSphere the product which we have been working for all these months. Virtualization is the buzzword of the IT world today, saving cost and energy for companies that adopt the technology.

I watched this program on ndt'V' yesterday- on Godmen in Politics. To be or not to be. I generally like the way Barkha Dutt conducts these sessions, although this time I felt that she did not give the speakers (particularly the BJP spokesman) enough time to voice his opinion.

Well there were er, votes for both sides from the audience, in this show. One side felt that the spiritual Masters should confine themselves to spirituality or Yoga or Church matters. The other side felt that hey, they were citizens too, and had a right to express their opinion.

I certainly believe that when the western Goras are calling the shots in lands far away, our desi Gurus and Gods have every right to voice their opinions. It's a free democracy. It's sad that secularism seems to be coming out in second place though.

So I see GREEN (technology) on one side and I see RED on the other. That's coz' there's this well-deserving product launch dinner in our company on one side, and there are sleazy tickets for booze being distributed by unscrupulous political parties on the other side.

It's technology on one side and mostly tyrannical ruling parties on the other. Can't really compare the two.

But hey, I do want one more 'V' this season.

I want the 'V' of Victory- for one, a product launch which beats 'em all other Hyper-Vs.

And the 'V' of Victory to Honest, clean ruling for our country.

Yes, that's a 'V' that's just gotta be...

The Dream

2009-04-13T14:50:00.008+05:30

A busy road. Cars on the run, chasing one another like a bunch of crazed ants.

I am sitting in my car, with dad, mum and a bunch of drivers (the new one and the one who got a away).

The driver at the helm navigates an underpass and that was when we encounter some car trouble. Suddenly, both the drivers are OUTSIDE the car, quarreling with someone. The driver seat is now empty and the car is stranded with all of us inside it. I panic.

Dad takes a quick decision to leave the quarreling drivers behind and drive the car himself. I heave a sigh of relief. I am safe and the noise of the honking vehicles behind us has died down!

Somewhere on the way home, dad decides to take the car to the mechanic. So he drops us off at a bus station where we wait for a bus to take us home.

A ramshackle beaten-down bus is the first to arrive. Soon after, another bus arrives which is in much better shape and parks alongside the old one.

I decide to board the new bus. Inside the bus, I look around, but cannot find mum. She must have boarded the ol' tin-box, I reckon. I'd meet her at home anyway.

The bus starts moving and I see strange 'stops', but not the familiar bus-stop near my home! Along the way, all I see are new houses, beautiful flowering plants, and villages. We move on and on, and I realize that I must get off before I leave the city altogether.

I alight at the next stop which looks like another village. I ask a passer-by whether I will be able to find a rickshaw home, (I give them the address). The passer-by nods and suggests that I wait a while.

Soon I hail a black taxi. I ask the driver the fare for taking me homeward. He cites an exorbitant amount. I reluctantly agree to the price, and am fortunate to have enough money in my purse to pay him.

I get into the taxi but almost instinctively, I do not like the driver. Added to that, the car moves slowly, practically inching its way home-ward! Somewhere on the way, the driver even stops at a tea stall. By now my patience is running thin. I get off the car and decide to wait for a rickshaw.

While waiting on the kerb, I see a house which many tourists are visiting. I decide to check it out, since there are no rickshaws in sight.

Inside the house, I see machines making cement tablets. Not too keen to explore, I skirt around the low-lying machinery and get to the exit quickly.

Most of the rickshaws seem to be occupied I see an empty one which is approaching me. It is very large and artistically designed. Strangely, the driver is not seated at the steering wheel but is actually sitting atop a modest throne. Yet, he manages to stop the rickshaw near me! He is dressed in white and is chanting constantly. I am puzzled over how he is driving the rickshaw.

Still, I ask him if he can take me home. He smiles and says 'yes'.

More people board the auto and I wonder how he can let so many people in.

I ask him once more if he can take me home, this time I sound more sceptical.

He takes no notice of my scepticism and only smiles and says "Of course, I take everybody home."

"I take these home too" he adds, pointing to the tiny plants growing in his rickshaw!

I wake up with a start. It is three am.

I cannot go back to sleep. For all I can think of is the dazzling whiteness of the driver's dress...

A bundle of nerves and a bunch of trees

2009-03-19T15:00:00.004+05:30

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...

2009-03-14T21:04:00.005+05:30

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.

International Women's conference at ashram

2009-01-29T14:57:00.005+05:30

Ok, ok, I haven't been writing for quite some time. But folks, I have been busy. I mean REALLY busy. Office matters, work on the personal front and on TOP of all this, I was helping out a bit with the forthcoming International Women's conference. Yep, the biennial ALL GIRLS' MEET that's to take place at the serene, soothing, green ashram.

Come Feb 6, women from all walks of life will be arriving at the ashram to participate in the conference.

This year's Conference is entitled "The Light of Leadership: Integrating Global Perspectives".

The conference sessions will seek to:

- Highlight the importance of women leadership in ensuring sustainable
development
- Create a network of women committed to bringing a positive change in society
- Explore ways to unlock the innate leadership potential within every individual

Dates : 6th - 8th Feb, 2009
Venue :The Art of Living International Centre, Bangalore, India

Information is also available on our website

Here's a word on the registration goody bag. As conference registrants, women will get to interact with women from all over the world, from different walks of life. They will also avail an Art of Living course, which teaches simple stress-relieving and spiritually uplifting techniques. They will also get to interface with experts in Ayurveda, and will receive some wonderful rejuvenating holistic tips and treatments. More than anything, they will be in the company of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar.

One can very well appreciate a conference like this and its relevance in today's issues of women's rights. World over, women's basic problems are both similar and diverse- sometimes unique to geographies and to workplaces. How better to appreciate this than attend a conference which brings so many women under a common umbrella of love, compassion and the steely resolve to take action?

If there women readers out there who are interested in knowing more about the conference you can mail me at: Kandula.manjula@gmail.com

Back on track

2009-01-04T11:06:00.004+05:30

It's good to be back after a soothing break from the normal routine. It rejuvenates and revitalizes the spirit. Some quality time with family, friends, relatives and pets sure feels good. Not to forget the sweet boxes that were doing their rounds during the New Year.

Despite our busy schedule of visiting homes of relatives in Hyderabad, my husband and I did manage to take time off to read the Holy scriptures- and books that wrote about them. It was such a fantastic feeling I got when I started to read a commentary on Adi Sankara's Vivekachudamani. I browsed through the 'Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', and it was so beautiful to read about His life.

Came New Year's Eve, and I started yearning to see a glimpse of Gurudev. Nope. I only had His picture and had to take comfort in the gentle face that stared back at me.

On Jan 1st, 2009, in between phone calls of new years greetings, setting the breakfast table, doing my Kriya, I was desparate. So I prayed hard to Guruji so that I could at least see his face SOMEWHERE. I missed him a lot.

It was mid-morning, when I decided to flip the TV channels. One, two three...hmmm, nothing on screen, I reckoned. I almost shut off the idiot box when I saw Gurudev's beaming presence. He was addressing the youth of Andhra Pradesh- speaking about meditation, prayer, peace and the like. I smiled to myself- this was Gurudev at work!

I hardly switched the TV on all of the week, and I happened to switch it on, at a time, at the very channel, where He was speaking!! I listened intently to his every word. He started to speak about science- a topic that always interested me since I had done a PhD in Biochemistry. "Of what use is a study in science if it cannot be put to use?" he asked in rhetoric. "...Yes, Kriya has a lot of good effects as per the studies in Biochemistry". I giggled. Yep, it almost seemed as if Gurudev was speaking to ME, comforting me that he was always there. We only had to be receptive to cosmic signals.

I am so grateful. I could have studied any number of books, imbibed some knowledge, scratched my head over the syntax, pondered over the semantic meaning, wondered over God's presence. But just a mere glance of my Guru had answered the fundamental tenet of all our Belief.

Faith.

Faith can move mountains, and this time it brought my Guru to me when I wanted Him.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-24T19:47:00.005+05:30

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

2008-12-21T21:16:00.010+05:30

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

2008-12-15T13:45:00.005+05:30

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

2008-12-10T22:04:00.008+05:30

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

2008-12-03T21:16:00.003+05:30

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

2008-11-30T22:21:00.013+05:30

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

2008-11-28T14:52:00.003+05:30

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

2008-11-26T12:12:00.005+05:30

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

2008-11-20T12:12:00.029+05:30

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

2008-11-19T11:43:00.003+05:30

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!

2008-11-12T21:17:00.009+05:30

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

2008-11-09T21:44:00.005+05:30

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!

2008-11-06T12:14:00.008+05:30

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

2008-10-27T12:18:00.006+05:30

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!

2008-10-24T14:07:00.008+05:30

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

2008-10-19T11:50:00.011+05:30

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

2008-10-17T09:59:00.003+05:30

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?

2008-10-15T15:26:00.014+05:30

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!

2008-10-13T18:16:00.014+05:30

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!

2008-10-10T11:10:00.002+05:30

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

2008-10-08T09:43:00.007+05:30

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

2008-10-02T19:37:00.009+05:30

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....

2008-09-30T10:12:00.007+05:30

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!

2008-09-24T08:17:00.005+05:30

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

2008-09-22T11:19:00.009+05:30

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

2008-09-15T10:27:00.011+05:30

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

Life is difficult for these women

2008-09-12T14:16:00.010+05:30

Yesterday evening, my friend Dr. Vasantha (who is also an Art of Living'er herself) invited me to visit the Mahila Dakshata Short Stay Home, situated in the outskirts of Bangalore. Dr. Vasantha gives free medical consultancy for the women inmates of this Home.

I joined her yesterday to conduct a short Shivir (mostly a program of stress relaxation techniques and some spiritual counselling) for these women inmates of this Home.

Meditating to calm the mind- Dr V is also seen meditating in the top right hand corner

Our bumpy ride to the sleepy town of Tindlu was no match for the bumpy lives of these women. These women are mostly from Karnataka state but a few have also come from parts of India. Many of them are victims of rape, dowry harassment, domestic violence and some of them have children of their own from hurtful marriages.

Unlocking hidden pain through group discussions
Stand up and speak out- a group leader

The Mahila Dakshata Samiti is a Non Governmental Oorganization which runs this home along with conducting other activities such as running Primary Health Care Centers, aiding village development, and empowerment of women through education.

The main aim of this shelter is to lend some emotional and financial support to women who have run away from their homes to seek some peace and dignity in their lives. The Home gives them training, medical help, and much needed counselling. The Home also tries to place them in jobs such as garment factories and other manufacturing units. Since this is a short stay home, women often return to their families or are rehabilitated elsewhere.

I could only spend a few hours with these women, but I learnt more than I could ever teach. Some singing, some group discussion, some meditation and some dance was what I had on my agenda. On their part, I could see eagerness to learn new things that can ease some of the pain that was so evident even through their smiling eyes.

Dancing away their blues

I hope to conduct a full-fledged Nav Chetan Shibir as soon as I possibly can. Mahila Dakshata Samiti runs partly on the government funds and generous donations of compassionate citizens. They can be contacted at: 080- 23512543

True heros: L>R: Kusuma (warden of the Home), Lijjy and Melanie (counsellors)

Celebrating Krishnashtami at the ashram

2008-08-24T09:25:00.015+05:30

At the ashram: a cloud in the background of the Vishalakshi Mantap bears a strange resemblance to a conch

Last evening, I had gone to the ashram to see Gurudev and listen to him speak over the greatness of Krishna. Like always, I was not disappointed. Gurudev also brought a friend, Maharaj-ji, along with him. Maharaj-ji looked exactly like the Sadhus who come down for Kumbh-mela.

Maharaj-ji seated on the dais

Gurudev's message was simple yet so beautiful.

He quoted key shlokas in the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna assures Arjuna that this message of the Gita has been present in so many Yugas and is the same message that he is hearing. But Arjuna asks Krishna how He remembers all this? Krishna smiles and tells Arjuna that while he (Arjuna) does not remember, He does remember!

"Arjuna, you had many lifetimes, so did I! I remember them, you don't!'

Every atom in the body goes back to Nature, atoms once again become the body. Life is so cyclical! There is a constant change in our body. The leaves fall to the ground from the tree and become manure. The same manure feeds the tree...this is natural recycling.

Krishna assures Arjuna: Sambhavaami yuge yuge.

I come back every Yuga or age.

While everything in the Universe is changing, there is one thing that does not change- and that is atma, or the soul. It is the same in everyone, it is in you and it is in Me. We are one. Once you realize that Krishna exists in everyone and in You, then you have realized the Truth.

Many people did not know that Krishna was God, even in those days. People would try to impersonate Krishna saying: I am the real Vasudeva.

This is also exemplified by how the young lad Krishna held the Goverdhan mountain to save his people in Vrindavan. The Gopis would chant "Narayana' to protect Lord Krishna, little knowing that He was Narayana Himself.

Lord Krishna was a perfect student, a perfect friend. When his poor friend Sudama visited him, Krishna washed his feet. Sudama forgot what he wanted to ask Krishna! But Krishna gave his dear friend more than what he ever wanted!

There were also instances when Krishna would abandon his batallion and run away! In every aspect of Lord Krishna's Personality, He was complete. He had many humane qualities, but he was a Purnavatar- or a complete embodiment of God. He was Total, Complete.

Gurudev says that you will realise Krishna, when you realize the big ' I' instead of the small 'i'. It is then that you know the Truth.

Usually our intellect and mind dominate, but our spirit is hidden. Guruji likens this to a light which is covered by an opaque metal. Light is invisible, but when you cover the light with a translucent material, the light shines through.

Our intellect tends to overpower the spirit leading to inertia, lethargy, doubt, disgust, blame, uncertainty and other negative feelings. But when the spirit dominates, the light is seen. Light is nothing but love. Children glow, are radiant, because their spirit is dominant. There is also light in those who have complete Faith, because of their radiant spirit.

Lord Krishna ultimately reveals His True Self in the Gita as being the 'strength in the strong, the brilliance in the brilliant, the sweetness in the sweet' and so on. Gurudev says that that is what the spirit is all about. Krishna lived for 125 years and never showed any signs of aging. He was ever youthful, ever joyous.

The message of Bhagavad Gita is simple yet brilliant, practical yet pristine. But it takes a true Master to reveal its quintessence so beautifully.

I felt so blessed simply being the audience. And now all those who read this Message are blessed as well.

Jai Guru Dev.

The greathess of Krishna

2008-08-23T11:19:00.011+05:30

'Sarvadharman Parityajya Maam ekam Sharanam Vraja
Aham tva Sarva Papabhyo Mokshayishyami Masuchaha'*- Sri Krishna

Today is Sri Krishnajanmashtmi, marking the birth of Lord Sri Krishna. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the day than to visit ISKCON and participate in the early 'Abhishakam' to Krishna.

How can a mere mortal like me ever begin to describe the vastness, the greatness, the omniscience of Lord Krishna? I was brought up on stories of Krishna stealing butter from the humble homes of milkmaids.

My eyes always widened as I heard about young Krishna lift the vast Goverdhan mountain with his little finger.

On every Krishnashtami, I love drawing tiny feet of the Lord with rice flour, in the Prayer room.

Krishna's presence pervades a devotee's life like the simple sprinkling of rose water permeates a room with such divine fragrance. And it lasts a lifetime...

Happy Krishnashtami

*Having given up all Dharmas or rites unintentionally, surrender to the Lord alone. I will release you from all sins and give Moksha; don't despair or grieve".- Sri Krishna instructs Arjuna thus, in the Bhagavad Gita

Pics obtained from the web.

Gurudev on 'Sensitivity'

2008-08-22T12:15:00.005+05:30

"Those who are sensitive are often weak. Those who feel themselves strong are often insensitive. Some are sensitive to themselves but insensitive to others. Some are sensitive to others but not to themselves. Those who are only sensitive to themselves often blame others. Those who are sensitive to others end up feeling self-pity. Some conclude it is better not to be sensitive at all because sensitivity brings pain, so they shut themselves off from others. But if you are not sensitive, you will lose all the finer things in life - intuition, love, joy.

This path and this knowledge make you both sensitive and strong. Often people who are insensitive do not recognize their insensitivity. And those who are insensitive often do not recognize their strength. Their sensitivity is their strength.

Sensitivity is intuition; sensitivity is compassion; sensitivity is love. Sensitivity is strength. Strength is calmness, endurance, silence, non-reactiveness, confidence, faith - and a smile.

Be both sensitive and strong…"

Teach India Campaign

2008-08-20T11:40:00.005+05:30

Today I am the proud owner of my Teach India Badge.

A whole host of NGOs, corporate houses and schools have joined hands to extend an invite to public to teach underprivileged children in India. You can volunteer to teach from a range of subjects and you get to teach for around 2 hours per week. Manageable, if you shuffle between a regular job and home. Plus it gives you immense satisfaction to be part of this fantastic endeavor.

All you need to do is to enter the site (highlighted text in the previous para) and get your log in credentials. The you can register into Teach India campaign. You get to choose a location nearest to your home, which is an added advantage.

I plan to teach English, but I wait for the organizers to get back to me on this.

This is pretty exciting! Do join in and help each and every child in India live with pride and dignity. If we can work together and see the day when the son of a vegetable vendor on the street can appreciate the science of plant breeding, my what a change that would be!

"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts."
-- C. S. Lewis

GuruPurnima celebrations

2008-07-22T06:59:00.005+05:30

Sanjaynagar AOL simply ROCKED last Friday. The occasion: Guru Purnima. A day when we show our gratitude to our Guru.

There was some knowledge sharing, some singing and a lot of laughing! Here are a few pictures for you to soak in some of the vibrant moments of the occasion. On that day, all roads led to Sri Sastry Memorial Hall!

A song from the heart

2008-07-17T12:02:00.003+05:30

My home is getting a makeover, so I'm kinda working from home over the next few days. So I got to listening to my favorite songs from the stereo system, and that was a relief for my ears. (The earplugs from my IPod were beginning to seep through the ol' brain!)

The lyrics were loud and clear even though I had to bear the incessant sound of the drill coming from a nearby apartment.

I hummed along with the tune.

'I believe I can fly' (Cold Play) - wasn't really representing my current state! But sure, the philosophy does make sense, to me.

What can we achieve, unless we believe in ourselves? Isn't that really the secret of life? Often, there's this big ball of doubt that keeps lurking around in the dark vicissitudes of our mind. Comes up at the oddest of times.

Like when you have a major release.
Or when you have a major function to organize.
Or when you just aren't sure if an old friend who you broke up with will actually respond to your olive branch.

We hardly believe that we can soar. Or see the light beyond. Leave alone get even a lukewarm response from that old friend.

Coz 'we just don't spread our wings and see the world from an entirely different plane. The 'nothings' of our past haunt us so badly that we cannot see the 'everythings' of the future.

Perhaps we need to widen this tunnel vision that we are stuck with. A lil' guidance from up above won't do us any harm either! Who better than a Guru in our lives can hold our hand and lead us through that open door?

So let's say a lil' prayer to our teachers, our Gurus, that they may nudge us ever so gently to help us believe in ourselves....then the sky is the limit.

Jai Guru Dev!

Ekadasi

2008-07-13T13:15:00.003+05:30

I managed to reach Sunday class on the dot for my Long Kriya. As usual, the kriya was awesome, with Guruji doing most of the work of making my spirits soar in the sky.

Bliss.

The Ashtavakra Gita sessions just got over in my house yesterday. We celebrated with a high Brunch- home-made, simple. After Guruji's soothing teachings for soul, the good food soothed the stomach as well!

Today is Ekadasi, and whenever I get to know about it (when some good soul tells me about it), I fast (stay off grain, generally). I went to a nearby temple, to pay my respect to Lord Krishna on this auspicious day. The temple serves great Prasadam as well so I lined up for a serving. They gave some wonderful yellow rice (called Puliothare). Now why would they do that, I wondered. It was Ekadasi, at least they could have given some non-grain preparation! I took it home so that at least my husband can enjoy the wonderful fare.

The origin of Ekadasi is explained in the Padma Purana.

It's time for my mid-day meal- a fruit. And then I shall rest. :-)

Goodbye 'Uncle Sam'

2008-07-07T14:17:00.006+05:30

Sam Manekshaw with his pet dog Caesar

Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw is no more. With his passing, it has somehow drawn the curtains on an era where brave men who fought for their country lived idyllic yet arduous, simple yet surreal lives.

I was browsing for photographs of Sam Manekshaw, when I came across one with his pet.

Strange, I thought. Brigadier MK Rao, an uncle of mine, had served the army at about the same time that Sam Manekshaw was around. He too had a dog named Caesar.

These men not only fought for their country, but they had a soft side as well, and were constantly of service to the people around them. My uncle started a school in his hometown, Secunderabad.

My uncle died almost unattended to in a hospital in America, where he had gone to visit his son.

Sam Bahadur simply died from complications of old age and had simple funeral. No political bigwig bothered to attend the last rites of this great man.

Fates of men with strong zeal and ideals can sometimes be intertwined in the strangest of ways. But I am sure that the World yonder will bestow upon such men all the laurels that they truly deserve.

After all, they lived with 'Jai Hind' as their motto.

Go Green Workshop's grand success!

2008-06-29T14:24:00.003+05:30

We expected fifty children but we got a near HUNDRED! The Go Green Workshop held today at Sanjaynagar went off well and the weather did not play spoilsport either! Kids had a whale of a time painting, answering wild and whacky quiz questions! Added to that some of them roared like lions, walked like elephants and talked to nearby bushes! In the whole process, they learnt many a green fact, from solar energy, global warming, saying no to plastic and planting more trees. Enthused by the response we got we also gave an intro talk on the Art Excel program.

At the end of the day, they each took home a sapling of Lakshmi Taru along with a bag of goodies. The program was sponsored chiefly by the Art of Living volunteers of Sanjaynagar. A few green-minded citizens of Sanjaynagar pitched in for the event.

More pictures are uploaded in this link.

Enjoy the slideshow!

Meet Go Green (GG) Mascot

2008-06-26T12:55:00.005+05:30

Hi! Hope to see all you kids around Sanjaynagar, Bangalore to come and participate in the Go Green Workshop that's happening this Sunday, between 9.30 am to 12 noon. You'll see a park near Sandeepani school all colored up with posters, so that's were we'll meet.

There's loads of stuff to do to save our Earth, so let's make a green beginning NOW! Bring along your pencils and paintboxes and don't forget to wear a green attitude as well.

Signed:
GG Mascot

Vishalakshi Mantap by night

2008-06-25T13:52:00.002+05:30

Go Green Workshop

2008-06-24T13:11:00.003+05:30

Life is enthusiasm, Life is Joy, as Guruji says.

Life also comes gift-wrapped in green.

The emerald- green landscape at the ashram

Over the past few months, Bangalore has lost many a grand old tree, with rapid urbanization. How many of us have gasped and sighed as we crossed Sankey road, what with beautiful tree trunks being chopped to make way to road widening?

While there is not much point in saying NO to 'progress' aka corporatization, some of us in Sanjaynagar believe we can make a small difference by saying YES to growing more trees.

Exactly how small is this difference? It is as small as 6-13 year old kids- we believe in igniting young minds as Dr Abdul Kalam often reiterates.

This Sunday (June 29) morning, we are inviting the young 'uns in Sanjaynagar to make a beeline to a park near Sandeepani school and participate in a unique 'GO GREEN WORKSHOP'.Kids will let their colorful imaginations run wild. Painting, quiz for 'treetotallers' and passing the 'ideas' basket to make a green serene Bangalore.

While us Art of Living'ers are the main sponsors (our teacher Komalaji has blessed the idea!), we are getting the buy-in of nearby schools for raising awareness among children. If this pilot project is successful, we plan do this workshop in all parts of Bangalore. The idea is to get nearby corporates to sponsor banners, plantlets and other goodies for kids.

Hope we can get a good turnout this Sunday. Touch Wood!

A Teddy bear ripped apart

2008-06-12T13:18:00.003+05:30

Here's an excerpt taken from: www.childhelp.org

"A thoughtful grandmother gave a very nice, cuddly teddy bear to a member of the Childhelp staff, with instructions to pass it on to a child at a Childhelp facility. A six-year-old girl was selected to receive the gift. A staff member, who is male, asked the girl if she would like to have the teddy bear. Her eyes lit up and an excited smile appeared instantly on her little face. Then, as quickly as the excitement materialized, a cloud of fear passed over her face. Her eyes darted anxiously around the room, silently asking, "What do I have to do to get the bear?" Sensing what was on her mind, the staff member told her that if she liked the bear, she could have it. She didn't have to do anything at all, but just take it. Her eyes turned to another Childhelp staff member she had come to trust. Her eyes asked if it was okay to take the bear. The second staff member nodded, smiling approval. The child reached out and took the bear. "Will I ever have to give it back to you?" she asked. "Never," he answered. The little girl hugged her new friend and ran down the hall to show the other children. She explained to them that she'd never have to give the bear back, no matter what. It was hers "just because" it was hers.. ."

These days, I am shocked at the number of child murder and abuse cases that I am watching in the Indian news channels. The latest is the Arushi murder case- what a terrible tragedy! Another horrendous story is the one that was aired today- a Dalit woman and her daughter stripped naked and paraded on the street. The reason? The mother had spurned advances made by men from 'higher castes'.

When I was a child, I lived for a couple of years in Pune. We had a Telugu couple as neighbors. They had a daughter, but they always had wanted a son. This was reason enough for them to start abusing Prema (name changed). We'd find Prema in school with bruises all over her hands and legs. When asked how she got them, the eight year old would reply that she had fallen down in her house.

One day she came with a discolored triangular burn mark on her arm. As usual, when asked about it, she quietly replied that she had touched a hot iron by mistake. I told my mum about it and in the evening, mum and a few friends visited the couple's house. In the kitchen, mum found a steel ladle which had one end in the shape of a triangle. The lady was using it to turn Rotis (Indian bread) to cook them in the pan. Mum noticed that the shape of Prema's burn mark was the same.

Mum and her friends asked the lady why they were torturing their daughter. She simply shrugged and said that daughters were a curse and they should have had a son.

I really do not know what happened to my friend. But it makes me wonder quite often. If there was the concept of foster homes those days (or if they were popular enough) I am sure Prema would have done better in one (or, would she?). But I can never forget the sheer callousness of Prema's parents.

It is really important to counsel and treat the children, as Childhelp.org is obviously doing. However, we tend to leave the parents alone- but they need counseling too. What's going on in their minds, one wonders.

The saddest part of child abuse by parents is that children are so bonded to the parents that they feel guilty to utter a word about them. And that keeps it all under wraps.

I'm wondering what I can possibly do to make a difference to a child's life. If you are thinking on the same lines, then contact me either by commenting to this blog or by sending mail to : kandula.manjula@gmail.com

Who am I?

2008-06-03T10:57:00.005+05:30

The question has been on my mind ever since I got back from the Blessing course. I'm up in the morning with one and only one goal. I wash my face and sit upright, in meditation. And then the thought keeps surfacing. Who am I? Who am I?

I have been poring over religious texts in search of an answer. Any answer- a quick glimpse of my life. My life's purpose, if you please, God!!

I TALK to Gurudev, tell him everything, and close my eyes in prayer.

I watched sages captured on Youtube! Each time asking myself: Who am I? Who am I?

I look up at the sky and marvel at its vastness. Who am I? I ask, looking up at the Heavens. Any answers?

Browsing my mails today, I noted an interesting mail forwarded by a lovely niece of mine. It was the story about a teacher who passed on a certain message to a student and asked her to pass the same to two others.

The young student did the needful, and told those two to pass on the message to two others. And so the list grew. Until it was the turn of a certain grouchy business executive who got it.

He then decided to pass on the message to his son.

On receiving the message from his dad, the son broke down and confessed that he was so tired of life that he wanted to commit suicide the previous night, after his parents were asleep. But he couldn't get himself to do so. Maybe that was because God wanted him to receive this very special message from his dad.

And thereby a life was saved.

What was this message which changed the course of one lad's life?

It was a simple blue ribbon which read: Who I am makes a difference...

Connecting with the Guru

2008-05-27T14:00:00.007+05:30

All my readers must be wondering why I hadn't blogged in quite a while.

Well, I was at the ashram doing the Blessing Course under the wonderful tutelage of Swami Pragyapad.

Truly speaking, I still haven't found words to describe the experience. But nevertheless, not wanting to disappoint you all, I will try.

It was like no other course that I had ever been to.

Firstly what can I say of Swamiji? His beatific smile, his gentle countenance, flowing hair, pristine white robes, had such a soothing effect on us! To add to all this was his amazing sense of humor that had us in splits. I guess this offset the intensity of the course, and we needed that, else we would have become restless with all the electrifying energy!

In one very intense process, I woke up almost in a trance. Much to my amazement Gurudev had walked into the room at precisely the same time! It was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

On the last day, all of us course participants were sad to leave one another, for we had shared so many intimate moments together. Nevertheless, one has to part ways and get back to our own world.

Get back to the world I did, and here I am writing in. But I feel a difference- a touching one. Now I feel Gurudev's presence in me very strongly.

I am Blessed...

Buddha Purnima

2008-05-19T13:45:00.005+05:30

Today is the festival of Buddha Purnima.

Buddha Purnima is the most sacred festivals of Buddhist. Buddha Purnima. It is celebrated in remembrance Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha is the founder of Buddhism. This day is the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. This day commemorates three important events of Buddha's life which are:

- His birth in 623 BC.
- His enlightment i.e. attainment of supreme wisdom, in 588 BC.
- His attainment of Nirvana i.e. the complete extinction of his self at the age of 80.

Lord Buddha is considered the ninth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu (Preserver in the Hindu Holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer). Buddha means "enlightened one" - someone who is completely free from all faults and mental obstructions.

The teachings of the Buddha are solely to liberate human beings from the misery and sufferings of life. According to the Buddhism, sorrow and desire are the main cause of all the evil and suffering of this world. Lord Buddha advocated the Eightfold Path consisting of precepts like right conduct, right motive, right speech, right effort, right resolve, right livelihood, right attention and right meditation to gain mastery over suffering. It is only after following this path one can reach the ultimate aim of Nirvana. Nirvana is the transcendental state of complete liberation. Gautama Buddha lived and taught in northern Inda in the 6th Century B.C.

Buddha travelled far and wide teaching hundreds of followers. Even after death his disciples continued to spread his teachings.

Rich and poor alike were attracted by the simplicity of Buddha’s teaching and his emphasis on complete equality of all. Sarnath and Bodhgaya are two of the most important pilgrimage centres for the Buddhists.

Though Buddhism originated in India and the religion has gained tremendous popularity throughout the Far East in Asia, there are very few practicing Buddhists in the country.

A beeline for books!

2008-05-16T10:25:00.006+05:30

Celebrating Guru Puja

Yesterday evening was Sanjaynagar's day for 'Happy Birthday'ing' Guruji, albeit a trifle belated. But our little township is never one for swift action- it's a sleepy place, mildly tolerating all the noise and bustle of new shops opening at the drop of a hat pin. But when we wake up, we shake off the dust from our shoes and make waves! So yesterday, we hit the news headlines with style. We invited the kids from nearby slums over for a Satsang and proceeded to distribute books, pencil kits and some food.

We expected around 750 kids, judging by the number of passes that we had distributed in the slums. But around 1500 kids turned up at the venue- demanding their fair share of books! It was a noisy yet fun-filled evening, and by the time the last kid was handed his loot, our hands and feet were worn out. But our spirits were soaring!

I clicked a few photos with my cellphone camera but the lighting was not good enough to get the best quality. Nevertheless, I seem to have managed to capture a sampling of the upbeat crowd!

A fallen schoolbag

2008-05-14T11:59:00.007+05:30

Pic from the web

What words can describe the tragedy that has befallen thousands of people in Sichuan, the quake-torn part of China?

Apparently, as this blog is being posted, sixty thousand are still trapped in the debris, many of whom are schoolchildren. What terror would they have faced when the stillness of their daily life was shattered by a rumbling, darkening, blistering Earth? Many who are still alive and caught in between the earth's folds can only hope for quick rescue operations.

Nature by Herself is serene, beautiful. Perhaps that was what a few tourists and Panda watchers had hoped to find, when they landed in Sichuan. Not for a moment would they have ever imagined what Fate had in store for them.

Let us pray for Peace for the departed souls and Hope for those who are still struggling within a dark mass of mud, debris, rubble, rotting flesh. What agonizing moments, anticipating a dark, dank death! Silent prayers, muffled cries, soulful calls for help.

Living and Dying- are like two sides of a coin. While one side is a mystery, we are in the cozy comfort of the other side. But let's not slip into a familiar lethargy and leave this world with no meritorious tasks to our credit. For when the coin finally flips, it doesn't wait mid-way...

Gurudev Sri Sri's birthday

2008-05-13T09:15:00.005+05:30

Guruji peforming Rudrabhisekam Puja in the Bangalore ashram

Today is Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar's birthday.

How can I describe Gurudev? And my association with him? Words seem to fail me, or perhaps my thoughts are far beyond words.

All I can say is that I have found a true Guru in Sri Sri. One who never judges, whose compassion knows no bounds, and one who constantly teaches his disciples to 'walk like a king and be a perfect servant'.

Gurudev lives for Service, as is seen by his tireless journeys to places and people who want and seek his help. He greets world leaders and the world's poorest alike with a benevolent smile.

Pic taken from the web

Every principle that Gurudev stands for is hand-picked from the Holy scriptures. Accepting people and situations as they are- but not passive acceptance. Standing up to your beliefs without being a football in other people's hands. Living in the present moment. Developing a sense of belonginess, moving together in service as a 'One World Family'.

Under Gurudev's tutelage, every principle becomes a reality and you feel a transformation. I have seen it in people. I am seeing it in myself.

And atheist is said to have once asked a Swami Kriyananda who is a close disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda: Can you describe this 'God' whom you allude to all the time? What is God?"

To which Swamy Kriyananda is said to have replied - You can consider God to be your highest potential'.

This is what you can expect when you are in Guruji's presence. Your core skills are so amplified, your confidence boosted and everything seems suddenly so achievable.

I can take all the time I want in in trying to reach the pinnacle of God consciousness. But for now, I am ever grateful to my Guru for making me see myself in the truest sense.

Happy Birthday Guruji.

On motherhood

2008-05-12T15:10:00.020+05:30

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and I didn't even know about it until my daughter rang me up to wish me. It actually felt good, being remembered like that!

Not that it really makes us moms love our kids any more when they remember us with a swift call. I mean, can we possibly love them more? Our love is so boundless, so boundary-less!

My first 'mum' was actually my grandmother, coz' I grew up in her care for the first five years of my life. Grandmum was deeply spiritual- so she'd wake up in the wee hours of the morning and pray. I'd wake up too, since I would be quick to recognize that her warm body was missing by my side. Grandmum followed strict Hindu Brahmanical practices too. So after she'd bathe, she would like to sit alone in the 'God-room' to chant. But how would a kid like me know that? Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, thumb in my mouth, I'd cling to her frail body. She'd smile even through her meditative stance, and point her finger to a glass of milk she'd keep by her side.

I do not know how those years had passed, but I still remember them with such joy. Her love knew no bounds. Her compassion limitless. Everyday visitors would stream into my grandfather's house seeking grandmum carrying flowers and fruit for her wonderful prayer sessions (called Satsangs). Every day was a celebration since it was one auspicious day or another.

My mornings would pass by swiftly in a school which I did not really like. But the evenings were lively with all these spiritual sessions. Nights were enchanting since our home was by the beach and I would watch the waves lash at the rocks while a faraway lighthouse would flash light across the shore, and onto any odd ship which entered the Vizag port.

Pic of Vizag taken from the web

Come Saturday mornings, and the whole household would be searching for me in every nook and corner of the backyard. Finally, a pair of strong adult hands would fish me out of my hiding, much to my utter dismay. The same hands would seat me on a stool placed in the backyard. My arms crossed stiffly across my chest, a wave of quiet rebellion would be rising in me, as grandmother and her trusting maid prepared me for my ritual oil bath. The maid would stand by reverently ready to take on brisk commands. Soon, the maid would rub the thick oil down my back with her rough hands. Now my hitherto quiet rebellion would swiftly change to a vociferous bawl. But the two women never really cared for this demonstration and were steadfast in their goal.

The oil rub was followed by a good smear of a thick paste of lentil powder. I must have looked like a half-done cake to any odd passer-by. The only part I sort of looked forward to was for the paste to dry a bit on my body. The I would set to rolling out long 'snakes' by rubbing my palms on the semi-dried paste.

This was quickly followed by a head-wash with soapnut juice. God forbid if I kept an eye open, for the soapnut lather stings the eyes. Finally, mug-fuls of piping hot water later, grandmum would dry me briskly with a rough towel and have me lie down on a wooden cot with a nice mat of coir fibre. She would spread my thick hair around me place a make-shift coal stove under the cot. She would then sprinkle some crystals on the burning coal. The crystals would vaporize into smoke, emanating a wonderful aroma. This helped my hair dry quickly and also shoo'ed off any cold that I might have been harboring. By the end of this bathing ritual, I would be fast asleep, too tired to protest and yet, grudgingly admitting to myself that I felt a whole lot better.

My second 'mum' was my aunt- who was my father's younger sister. She used to stay in the adjoining portion of my grandfather's house so it used to be fun to slip out of grandmum's watchful gaze and wander off to see what my young aunt was doing. Aunt was a teacher so she was a bit stern in demeanor. But she was no less loving than grandmum.

I remember lying in her lap at nights and listening to her sing off-key, her one favorite lullaby. No matter how many times she sang it, it would still be off-key. But that did not bother me a bit. I used to feel a different 'mumminess' in her, and perhaps that was because age-wise, she was closer to my mother's age then my grandmum was.

With my grandmum, it was a serene stillness. With aunt, it was a secure physical warmth.

My real mum is so wonderful too- and I remember that in her younger days, she was definitely more stern than my two other 'mums'. But now, looking back, I realize that she had to be this way, and this made me more disciplined and organized.

For the first few months of living with my real mother, after grandfather dropped me off at my new home, I'd insist on calling her by her maiden name. It took me time to accept that she was my biological mother. But soon she became 'hey mommy' then as I grew older, this changed to 'oh mum'. Now she' s 'dear mother'.

Now both grandmother and aunt are no more. But I was so fortunate to spend the first few years of my life with them.

Happy Mother's Day.

Kidzone

2008-05-06T11:54:00.015+05:30

Scores of kids in all sizes made a beeline to our office as part of the 'take-your-kids-to-office' day. I'd have gladly brought my own kid to office- only that my young one has started to work in an office herself! But hearing the kids chatter incessantly, with balloons and goody bags in tow, made my heart warm up.

These days, most kids brave smoky traffic with their knapsacks laden with books, to get educated.

'Educated'. Well, that is, if we call learning rote poetry and cramming math formulae 'learning'. When they can't seem to remember what they don't WANT to remember, all hell breaks loose at home. Mother frets, teacher frowns, and the kid only grows more confused. The smile that is Nature's wonder, just begins to fade. Now what's a kid without that wonderful smile?

Occasionally movie makers remember childhood and make a meaningful film. Like 'Taare Zameen Par' which won many deserving accolades.

Pic taken from the web

Or we have nice functions for kids where that bright smile appears big time. Like the one in our office today.

But are we really creating an environment for children to blossom in? Summer ushers in a few camps and workshops where kids can dabble in fine arts and sports. There are a handful of training course which actually teach children how to beat stress. One such is the Art of Living Foundation offers Art Excel- All Round Training for Excellence which helps shape happy children by relieving them of stress and inculcating positive emotions in them. The course is a huge success all over the world. This month, we will have 1008 children visiting the ashram to participate in Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar's birthday celebrations. What a glorious vision that would be!

We need more programs for the kids who are tomorrow's world. Tomorrow's future. Children are so natural, which is why their minds are so pure and untainted. They excel in whatever their tiny hearts set out to do. If they paint, they do so in rapt concentration. If they sing, they don't care if they lose a note, they just sing from their souls. If they play, they do so wholeheartedly. If one is to go by a recent program gaining popularity on Indian TV, where adults and kids answer queries posed by the Quizmaster, kids are winning hands-down (or rather hands-up!).

Photo taken from the web

Let us strive to keep a stress-free, and happy world for the tiny tots.

Ah, now just keep that pretty smile my dear!

Love moves the world- and it needs you

2008-04-26T13:06:00.006+05:30

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar talks to a devotee at the Bangalore ashram

The month of May heralds Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar's birthday. Several seva projects will be conducted all over the world to mark Gurudev's birthday.

In our area, we distribute food and books for poor children.

We also celebrate Gurudev's birthday by offering the Mega Art of Living Basic course, all over the world.

Seva (Service) for this course begins in April, when we start inviting people to join the Mega Art of Living Basic course. The basic course teaches the invigorating and life-transforming breathing technique called the Sudarshan Kriya. A lot of research has been done on the Sudarshan Kriya and its benefit for health and well-being of an individual.

A Art of Living workshop on environment, being conducted in a park

Gurudev Sri Sri has designed many other courses in the Art of Living, some focusing more on meditation and silence, others honing leadership qualities in an individual or removing energy blocks through spiritual means.

Practicing Bhastrika Pranayaam by the beach

The Art of Living Foundation charges fees for each course. The money obtained from the registration fees is used for several social projects being carried out around the world. The entire organization is run by volunteers who love the ideals that Gurudev stands for and who unstintingly support his Peace mission. The Art of Living Foundation is like an ocean- what it has given to the world ranges from spiritual awareness to social responsibility, from love and compassion, from fun and festivity.

It is indeed a remarkable achievement of one Man who has moved the world with his love and devotion.

In my own limited experience, I have enjoyed singing devotional songs at soul-stirring Satsangs. I practice yoga and deep meditation in accordance with the principles of holistic living. I walk the streets of the city along with friends, meeting people from all walks of life, and convincing them of the benefits of holistic living. I have met street-dwellers to cinestars alike in pursuit of the projects. I have participated in intense and meaningful workshops at the ashram- for NGOs, for women of the world, for spiritual leaders.

There is no word called 'boredom' in the Art of Living, thanks to Gurudev's untiring work.

I am indeed blessed. Come and join our family and partake of this ocean of love.

Here is a beautiful video of Gurudev's and his work all over the world.

Help my hurt

2008-04-24T07:50:00.005+05:30

Pic from: http://www.hero.uio.no/bilder/ (Univ of Oslo)

Health is the most important aspect of one's happiness- if we trade this off with practically anything else, it's hard to reconcile with the change.

Here's a fabulous blog on dealing with pain.

Help my Hurt - blog

More and more people in the world are recognizing the importance of holistic healing, which includes practicing the age old techniques of yoga, Pranayaams (breathing exercises) and meditation.

The key principle taught in the Art of Living is that breath is the key that unlocks the various layers of our existence: body, mind, intellect, ego and self. Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder of Art of Living Foundation explains this further and says:

'OUR breath plays a very important role. The breath is the connecting link between the inner world of the mind and the outer world of body and environment. There are seven levels of existence, body, mind, intellect, memory, ego and being. Meditation works by bringing an effort from the level of being to the mind. With the breath we bring this effect to the physical level as well.'

A wicker basket and one green wish

2008-04-21T15:41:00.007+05:30

April 20 was Earth Day. It was also the day when thousands of Bangaloreans braved the scorching sun and marched from one park to another, to make an eco-friendly point.

It was one helluva voice that said "Say no to plastic bags". Over food, fun and fizz, folks picked up every odd plastic piece in Lal Bagh and dumped it into wicker baskets.

Participants came from various professions- the police force, Home Guards, home makers and industrialists got together for a common cause. Teams comprising of ten participants were led by members of the Art of Living Foundation.

Each team was led to a zone in the park, where they were to scrap the plastic off the ground. The young and the old alike, joined hands to make a point, bravely holding placards which also served to blot out the harsh sunrays.

Teach, your children well...

It was a day for creativity to come to the fore as well. Eminent painters displayed their green themes. Cotton bags were on sale to promote a plastic-free zone.

Say it with colors!

It was loads of fun. Couldn't have asked for a better way to kick off the week!

Under the greenwood tree to rest a bit!

More on Green code in my blog: www.kmanju.wordpress.com

Improving indoor air quality

2008-04-15T11:33:00.007+05:30

It is said that indoor pollution can be worse than outdoor pollution. The air inside is often stuffed with mites and bugs growing on carpets, sofa covers, pillows and what not. It helps a great deal to open the windows and allow for cross ventilation.

I saw this blog entry which throws light on indoor plants which help keep pollution at bay.

Indoor plants look good, and create a lot of positive energy in a home.

Image sourced from the web

I'm doing some serious green shopping this afternoon. So if you're looking for me, I'd probably be taking my siesta amongst some foliage...

Sri Rama Navami

2008-04-14T07:30:00.010+05:30

When we were kids, our father would take us to every concert in town, held during the days of Rama Navami. He would return home early those evenings and pack us off in his old Morris Minor, to the concert venue. The venue would usually be in a Rama temple, either in Malleswharam or Sesadripuram or Fort High school, Bangalore.

Mother gave me a beautiful painting of Lord Rama and asked me to chant: Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram.

Her mother, (my wonderful grandmother) used make lots of cooling 'Panaka' juice and serve it to visitors in hot and sultry Vizag, where we once lived.

Of course, I promptly forgot this chant as I grew older and more worldly in stature. Thanks to all the Art of Living practices, I have been swung back into my childhood days.

Today is Sri Rama Navami and it sure brought back these memories. Unfortunately, these busy times do not have me visit too many concerts like I did when I was a kid. But I have been fortunate enough to be sitting in two divine Satsangs with Swami Suryapada (Chayanna swamiji) , and that has made me so joyous.

Chayanna swamiji seated in the center with all of us Art of Living'ers

Sri Rama Navami marks the birth of Lord Rama. Lord Rama is the seventh Avatar of Lord Vishnu.

During this day, we clean our house, put the Rangoli (a motif drawn on the floor with rice powder) and place a photo of Sri Rama on top of a wooden plate. We decorate the photo with various flowers. And of course, we pray to Lord Rama either by chanting shlokas (Sri Rama Nama) or by singing bhajans, or simply by meditating.

We also make some Prasadam (offering) like a sweet, some cooling juice and some fresh salad.

Lord Rama is revered by Hindus all over as the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband and above all, the ideal king. On the day of Rama Navami the birth of Rama is remembered for his prosperous and righteous reign.

On Love and Fear

2008-04-11T11:04:00.003+05:30

A friend of mine forwarded this beautiful excerpt from Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar's book 'Celebrating Silence'. I wanted to share this with readers of this blog because the words are so simple, yet powerful and meaningful. It certainly helps to understand the true nature of fear as explained by an Enlightened Master.

'Because fear is love standing upside own, everything that can be interpreted with love can also be interpreted with fear. A child clinging to its mother can be understood in both ways - the child clings out of love or out of fear. This primal instinct of fear can be totally transformed thru' awareness of Divine Love.

Fear is an impression of the past reflecting the future of the present :-) When people deny fear, they become egocentric, when they recognize and accept fear, they go beyond it - they become free from it.

Total lack of fear is possible only in utter chaos or utmost orderliness. Neither a saint nor a fool has fear, but everywhere in between there is fear. Fear is essential to preserve orderliness in the world. It is a primal instinct.

Fear of death preserves life.
Fear of wrong maintains right
Fear of sickness encourages hygiene
Fear of misery makes you righteous

A child has a pinch of fear so it is careful and alert while walking. A pinch of fear is necessary to keep things moving smoothly. Do not try to eliminate fear. Just meditate and know that you are nobody or that you belong to someone special..

Sports, politics and human rights

2008-04-09T11:41:00.006+05:30

I watched a debate hosted on TV by Barkha Dutt, a popular Indian News journalist and Managing Editor, NDTV. Barkha is known for her brave and spunky reporting, and I had admired at her guts as she covered the dangerous Kargil situation a few years ago.

The topic of the debate was as hot as the torch that it represents. Should Indians boycott carrying the torch for the upcoming Olympics in China? Reason: China's ongoing aggressive stance over Tibet as the country fights for independence.

Barkha's guests ranged from regal representatives, sportspersons, Buddhists, and police force. Even Imran Khan, the Pakistani cricketer was invited to voice his opinion.

Well, the outcome was a lukewarm (veiled?) empathy to a burning Tibet. Some commented that Apartheid was a stronger issue that could ever justify boycotting the Olympics. Others shrugged saying that politics and sports must never be mixed. Some said the world should have taken a stand of disapproval to China's even before China was given the nod for hosting the Olympics this year. Still others said that if they had been asked to run bearing the Olympic torch, they would have done so wearing a black band to mark their protest.

Fine. These are all opinions, but isn't the major driving force for any serious stand usually dictated by global economy? A country's political clout? Its social status? A crafty combination of the three?

Nobody's talking of Human Rights here.

Such simmering issues do not get resolved easily, or quickly.

But a peaceful, yet dynamic, calm yet strong voice of protest world over would become more and more difficult to ignore.

Be it the voice of one's own conscience, or the passionate voice of a journalist to brings an issue to the fore, or the voice of the man crying out on street.

It's really the collective voice that should work. Eventually.

Pictures taken from the Web

A sincere note to the non-Believer

2008-04-06T11:26:00.014+05:30

Life comes a full circle.

We begin our life with loads of non-logic, fun and simply living in the moment. And for the moment.

That's what childhood is about.

You find every puddle an opportunity to put a tiny paper boat afloat and watch it drift away. You watch with wonder a rainbow mysteriously come alive in the horizon.

Pic taken from the web

When you fold your hands in prayer, you do it with a full and glowing heart. No questions, no doubts. Just your hundred percent and more, as your tiny hands strive to hold the pose.

You never ask why. You only ask how. You never ask how come. You never insist on seeing a live God before believing in Him. Or Her.

Time moves on. Like a metal sheet getting beaten and molded, life's little experiences start shaping your thoughts.

That's when the 'why' pops out of nothingness. Why this, why that?

Consumed by Knowledge of your Profession, you puff up your chest, like a male bird fluffs its color-soaked plumes. Belief hardens into skepticism, like aging milk ferments into curd.

The hardened mass that is your heart begins to enjoy the doubt. Logic reigns supreme. From this seat of logic, the wonder that you enjoyed as a child is replaced by questions. You question so often, you question so hard. The heart starts pumping 'in doubt'. Then the cells grow weary. Ease turns to dis-ease.

When you fall sick, you doubt even more. 'If there was a God, would He have let this happen to me?' you ask. You begin to neglect everything around you, consumed with self-pity. Your garden, your family, your friends wilt in your hardened gaze.

Then, as the clock ticks on, some mysterious Force enters your life and makes you to retrace your steps. You start doubting your doubts.

You look at the garden you had once played in, and observe with wonder at the new life sprouting. And perhaps, when no one is looking, you tentatively step into a puddle and enjoy the wet, muddy feeling. You enjoy the walk that the doctor has now ordered, since you get a glimpse of the kids playing by the swing. You pat the furry head of your neighbor's dog and wonder why in Heaven's name you feel so good when you do that.

You might be reminded of odd new pains on your body while your heart may pump a little faster, or slower, every now and then. But there is that something that keeps reminding you that these aches and pains are like small bumps on the Eternal road. Like a treasure filled chest, 'it' lets out your memories of puddles and ponds, life and living.

The 'it'. Tempered with time. Graceful with age. White like the wings of a fairy...

Life does come a full circle, if you only allow it to.
Happy Ugadi.

It's rainin'...plastic?

2008-03-31T10:57:00.011+05:30

Went to Lal Bagh this Sunday to do a dry run of Green Code.

Turned out not to be so 'dry' after all! One burst of thunder and soon the green canopy dripped sultry raindrops.

What with the Rain God in His element, the Sun took a short nap and here's how it all looked after that. Wonder if van Gogh can come down with his easel and brush. He can leave his paints behind. The colors are here aplenty.

Even while I was admiring God's own Creation, I chanced upon seeing these two pups have a go at some plastic scrap.

Just so the planet that we inhabit doesn't 'go to dogs' (an apology to my canine friends), we plan to hold Green Code in Bangalore on April 20.

Green Code is a program to bring civic awareness to Bangaloreans. Being held in Lal Bagh, the program will include a walkathon to Lal Bagh, a plastic pickin' session at the park and a car rally.

Come join Green Code on April 20. It will be work, play and a lot of fun. After all, we'll do anything to save Mother Earth, right?

Connectivitree!

2008-03-20T20:33:00.017+05:30

Decades ago, in the Himalayan region of North India, the Chipko Movement steadily gained momentum, Under this movement, women would hug trees in order to prevent them from being cut by the contractors working for the State government. Down South, in the land of Karnataka, the 'Appiko' movement started as a honest attempt to save trees from man's axe.

Browsing the net for anything green, I recently came across this blog.

Tree hugging seems to have got international recognition. But this blog is even more than just a 'sylvan hug'- it has many many relevant topics on environment- like raising awareness to people standing in long toilet lines in places where the water is scarce. Conferences on Green energy, pollution control.

From the future of farming to 'Pressed leaf Plates' . This honest-to-goodness blog does a lot to raise global awareness to Green issues. Way to go, bloggers, way to go.

But what's with this tree hugging thing anyway?

I actually tried it once in a forest, on a tall tree with a lush crop of leaves decorating its branches.

That's me, my friend Gurpreet and tree

At first it felt rough, cold, clammy. The 'barklets' pricked my skin. A few ants emerged from the slits in the bark to see what the fuss was all about. Some of them climbed onto my arms, probably mistaking them for an extension of the homely bark. I shrugged them off, never caring for where the ants landed. I clung onto the tree despite the discomfort. Moments passed by. No response from tree.

Soon the wind was blowing harder and the branches began to sway gently. One, then two, three, four leaves descended on me. Soon they were covering my head, arms, my body. I closed my eyes and my head rested a bit more firmly on the bark.

We had connected.

'Twas the whistling wind. And a few green leaves.

Rain drops and the River of Knowlege

2008-03-16T09:12:00.012+05:30

All of last week the good earth absorbed a shower of raindrops, while my mind strangely hungered for spiritual Knowledge.

Call it a cosmic connection between Nature and the inner Mind, every single day, I got some knowledge, even while the raindrops beat incessantly against the window panes. From where I sat with my books, I could see the banana plants sway pleasantly in the roaring winds.

First, we had Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar's discourse on the Gita which I really related to, because it was so wonderfully down-to earth. I learned about importance Sankhya Yoga or the knowledge of the soul which Krishna explained to Arjuna, right at the beginning of the Bhagavad Gita.

Then I attended the first day of a 3-talk series by Swami Sukhabodhananda on the Bhagavad Gita. He is a great orator. And very inspiring.

Pic taken from the web.

My key take-home on Day One of the talk was there were several kinds of listening. One type of listening was like the water on a frying pan. The minute a drop lands on a hot frying pan, it evaporates. So people who have a lot of 'noise' in their minds, will not be able to absorb knowledge properly. Another kind of listening was like a dewdrop on a lotus. A calm resting point for the dewdrop, whose beauty is enhanced by the lotus flower. Such listeners grow and enrich their very being when a Guru imparts knowledge.

The third type of listening is akin to water drop landing in an oyster. With time the drop becomes a pearl. A late onset, albeit a wonderful ending. Such a pupil takes time to turn a Guru's knowledge into a gem by his or her own behavior.

Swamiji hoped that we were all like those lotus flowers. We did a lot of chanting. Even as the lightening blazed from the skies, our minds were silenced by dewdrops of this Supreme knowledge.

I grew hungry for more knowledge of the Gita and re-opened my textbook which was gifted by my counselor from ISKCON. I decided to read a chapter a day along with the interpretation. I plan to put up a small text every time I blog, in the sidebar, so keep watching that zone.

I also found a site online and bookmarked it.

Here's an excerpt from the site:

The Bhagavad- Gita is considered by eastern and western scholars alike to be among the greatest spiritual books the world has ever known. In a very clear and wonderful way the Supreme Lord Krishna describes the science of self-realization and the exact process by which a human being can establish their eternal relationship with God. In terms of pure, spiritual knowledge the Bhagavad- Gita is incomparable. Its intrinsic beauty is that its knowledge applies to all human beings and does not postulate any sectarian idealogy or secular view. It is appproachable from the sanctified realms of all religions and is glorified as the epitome of all spiritual teachings. This is because proficiency in the Bhagavad- Gita reveals the eternal principles which are fundamental and essential for spiritual life from all perspectives and allows one to perfectly understand the esoteric truths hidden within all religious scriptures. Many great thinkers from our times such as Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweizer as well as Madhvacarya, Sankara and Ramanuja from bygone ages have all contemplated and deliberarted upon its timeless message. The primary purpose of the Bhagavad- Gita is to illuminate for all of humanity the realization of the true nature of divinity; for the highest spiritual conception and the greatest material perfection is to attain love of God!"

The week has passed ever so quietly, like a sleep-walking child. But some pictures caught in the moment, will never fade away. The Supreme Lord will always seated on a Golden Chariot looking gently at the slowly awakening Arjuna. And in the backdrop, there will always be the rain-soaked banana leaves swaying gently to the rhythmic wind-song. In resonance to the Holy Rhythm.

Green Code postponed

2008-03-14T15:05:00.006+05:30

Green Code, which was to take place on March 16, (Sunday), in Bangalore, has been postponed. It will now happen on April 20 which is celebrated as 'Earth Day'.

Watch this space for updates. Till then, eat green, watch green and dream green.

Plastic sense

2008-03-11T12:09:00.005+05:30

Here are a few facts about Plastic:

If we recycled every plastic bottle we used, we would keep 2 billion tons of plastic out of landfills.
It takes 25 two-liter plastic soft drink bottles to make a sweater.
It takes two plastic soft drink bottles to make enough polyester fiber for a baseball cap.
It takes 35 two liter plastic soft drink bottles to make 1 sleeping bag.
Americans go through 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
In India, cows tend to pick out plastic from open trash cans and chew on bits. This can go through the intestine and enter into the food chain.
Plastic is NON BIODEGRADABLE!

Sourced from Flickr- Catherine's collection

Code Green, a program in Bangalore, plans to clean out Lal Bagh's plastic litter and set a civic discipline among city dwellers, towards the use and misuse of plastic. Come join us on a March from Vidhana Soudha to Lal Bagh, on March 16, 8.30 am.

LIFE.x - my other blog

2008-03-10T15:39:00.010+05:30

I started another blog called LIFE.x

The link's also present as a permanent fixture on the right-hand side of this blog posts section- it appears under 'Links'

I did this for several reasons. Firstly, I felt that Mystic Masala blog pertains to topics which can be broadly classified under spirituality and environment. It gives me a constant 'high' whenever I post a blog in this space. It's a fantastic feeling, for sure.

LIFE.x is all about..LIFE! It ranges from movies to book reviews, cooking to storyboarding. I am particularly proud of 'Storyboard', coz' I like to dabble in creative writing. I occasionally write short stories, and thought that I'd like some feedback from my friends over these write-ups.

Wordpress has some very good features in its blog zone. Many templates to choose from, and some are even in 3 column format. I can also add some more 'zing' to the existing templates.

So go ahead and click on LIFE.x

Send me some feedback!

Operation Lal Bagh

2008-03-09T20:08:00.006+05:30

Code Green is just a week away. Thousands of Bangaloreans will march from Vidhana Soudha to Lal Bagh on March 16 and start 'de-plasticizing' Lal Bagh. But the program has a much larger perspective, which is to spread civic sense among the public by setting an example.

As part of the preparation plans for Code Green, a group of volunteers from Art of Living decided to give up their weekend siesta and march along to Lal Bagh, where they had a dress rehearsal of sorts, to lead the public on D-day. The park is going to be divided into zones and volunteers will welcome the runners/walkers and lead them to their respective zones for the cleaning up process.

So that's how all of us sat under a greenwood tree to listen to our seniors walk us through the plans- then we took an actual walk to soak around the campus in some greenery around us.

Here are some pictures of Operation Lal Bagh. Our Sanjaynagar (sub)team, later had scrumptious Masala dosas at a small eatery in Malleshwaram. I bunched a few pics together for your graceful watching.

Empowering women through training

2008-03-07T08:31:00.006+05:30

Empower women to bring that smile. (Pic credit: Wikipedia)

March 8th is International Women's Day. This year, with a new scheme, the women in the state of Karnataka will get something even more significant than flowers and chocolates.

E-Mahile is being launched to connect villages to the virtual vistas. Under this scheme, cyberkiosks will be set up in villages and will be solely run by rural women, by way of providing them a self-employment opportunity.

The Women Development Corporation (responsible for the scheme) has already launched a pilot project in 10 districts with almost 300 women already undergoing training.

Cyber Kiosks will serve to disseminate information on demand. Information will span weather data, agriculture produce marketing process, railway and bus ticketing, healthcare network and ambulance service information. Through this service, each woman employee is expected to earn around Rs 7000 per month.

Jai Bhavani Ma! (Pic from the web)

'Stree Sakti' or Woman Power is celebrated in India and Goddesses are placed on the top-most pedestal to be revered and honored. From being the kind and compassionate Mother to the powerful and graceful embodiment of Feminity, Durga , the spirit of Womanhood has been lauded in the Holy Hindu scriptures.

Pic taken from WordPress (Reference: Heather Mallick, columnist, Girls, Interrupted)

Yet, statistics reveals that the average girl child in India remains uneducated and impoverished. Over 150 million children working as bonded laborers. One out of every six girl child does not live to see her 15th birthday. Female infanticide is a terrible practice gaining prominence in rural areas.

Let's move over to war-torn Iraq.

Iraqi Women and children are constantly suffering from trauma and stress due to continuous shelling and bombing. In order to combat this, they are being administered steroids which have many side-effects. Apart from that change in their medical regime, their daily lives continue to be miserable and they often suffer from deep depression.

The Art of Living organization, under the leadership of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar, has sent over a team of dedicated teachers to Iraq. Now our sisters from Iraq are being given ayurvedic medicine, and are being taught Pranayaam and meditation. In four days' time, it is said that they begin to return to normalcy with a smile lighting up their faces.

A similar program has also been initiated in Kosovo and Gujarat to see similar results.

After all, the old adage " "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." holds good for the fairer sex too.

Women’s Conference, 2005 "When you train a woman, you help the entire family, the village, and the nation."- Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar

Shiva, Neutral Space and Timelessness

2008-03-05T08:56:00.015+05:30

Pic downloaded from the web
Today is Shivaratri. Hindus observe fasting and pray to Lord Shiva. Some devotees also stay awake all night and pray to Lord Shiva.

Our Art of Living ashram conducts 'Rudrabhisheka' and joyful Satsang amidst deep resonating echos of 'Om Namah Shivaya' chants.

I was browsing the web today when I came across a beautiful explanation of the concept of 'Neutral Space' from the 'Shiva Sutras'. This Youtube presentation is actually a discourse by Swami Paramahansa Nithyananda, a young and very knowledgeable Guru from India.

The Neutral Space is said to be a zone where you do not connect to anything (a 'no imagination' state). It is the 'unclutched state'. It is said to occur between every incoming breath and the outgoing breath.

We tend to fast-forward this Neutral Space even though we are constantly experiencing this between our incoming and outgoing breath. Every moment, we are in this 'unclutched' state. But because we are uncomfortable with this space, we tend to fast-forward it. Therefore we think that the actual time spent on incoming breath and outgoing breath is more than this 'neutral' gap. But this is apparently not so.

This neutral state is the most important state that leads you to enlightenment, or the 'Ultimate State'. Shiva preaches no morals, but presents the concept of the Ultimate State (Nirvikalpa), which leads to a moral life.

The Swamiji goes on to explain the definition of 'Time' and how it is different from the Western concept of Time. In this manner, it is said that Shiva brings you to the most fundamental knowledge, the Ultimate Truth. Which is your very nature.

Watch this video. It is from the LifeBliss Foundation.

Come, March into "Green Code"

2008-03-04T08:55:00.002+05:30

How does it look from up there, pal? (Free stock photo from the web)

Yep. Even the squirrels seem to have gotten wind of it.

On March 16, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and Home Guards are organizing "Green Code".

Beautiful Lal Bagh (Credit: www.flickr.com)

On March 16, all those cheering for a greener and cleaner city will go marching along from Cubbon Park to Lal Bagh. The invitation is being broadcast from every nook and (web) corner, radio stations and chin wagging sessions.

The Art of Living volunteers have taken on the responsibility of leading the ten thousand odd participants who will turn up for the drive.

The green landscape of Lal Bagh has always been famous for its exotic trees with all their grand botanical names proudly displayed.

Pic credit: www.flickr.com
The popular flower shows at Lal Bagh attract thousands of nature lovers and the flowers are such a pretty sight to behold.

Green Code aims at educating people over keeping the the Garden city clean. The whole program is to bring civic sense to every Bangalorean so that the city becomes a better place to live in.

On March 16, some of us will clean up the terrain by way of setting an example.

Then there's hope that with such eco-friendly drives, people will become conscious of a cleaner and beautiful Bangalore and make it a way of life.

Do join us on March 16, 2008. Volunteers will be gathered at Lal Bagh morn' to evening to guide you in the activities.

For more details, pl contact Shashikanth (ICE TV) at: 98453 44244

Conference on HIV/AIDS

2008-03-03T08:43:00.000+05:30

It is shocking to note that Asia contributes to over 20% of annual HIV infections. One simply cannot do enough to spread awareness to this problem which has assumed pandemic proportions.

A conference on HIV/AIDS is being held on June 1-2, 2008 at the International Art of Living ashram, Bangalore. The conference is being jointly organized by the Art of Living, UNAIDS and Asian Interfaith Network on HIV/AIDS (AINA).

While health professionals and research scientists are doing every bit to understand this syndrome and also contain it, HIV/AIDS continues to be deeply woven into the societal fabric.

It is not merely a matter of controlling the disease through medication or prevention, but actually educating the healthy 'others' towards behavior and lifestyle. Religious doctrines throughout the ages have emphasized on having love, compassion and understanding towards those afflicted by ill-health. What is clearly needed is a shift in people's mindset.

Conferences such as this are so very timely and apt. For more details about the conference, please contact:

The Central Projects Department,
The Art of Living International Centre, Bangalore
Phone No: 080 32940807
Email id: centralprojects@gmail.com

Fast track into Fusion Music

2008-03-01T07:52:00.000+05:30

Even though Bangalore is teeming with the new generation of bubble gum kids who swear by their Capuccino and cigarettes, the growing metropolis hasn't yet banished music and fine arts altogether.

One still catches glimpses of the old world charm peeping out of the mosaic of flashy cars, high rise homes and pulsating hard rock, in hip-hop Bangalore. Concerts occasionally score over I-catching 'Pods, and one still sees women in shimmering silks walk into majestic Halls to lend an ear to live and soothing music.

On Friday, my friend and I had passes to a concert in the famed Chowdiah Memorial Hall. We were treated to scintillating 'fusion' music by the Khan brothers, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan. They are the illustrious sons of the noted Sarod Maestro, Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan. Years ago. Years ago, I had the unique honor of playing the background Taanpura for him, at a concert held in the Indian Institute of Science.

Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan with their father, Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan (File Photo from the web)

The young brothers turned out some soul-stirring music and did not fail to enthrall the audience. Their rendition of 'Reincarnation' set to Raag Behag (which included a Raagamalika) brought out the kaleidoscopic colors of emotions that can only relate to this mystical transition called reincarnation. Raag Bhagyasri was simply superb. Every piece managed to blend the different instruments with such finesse and the ending always came in a thundering crescendo, thrilling the audience. Man, woman and child thumped their feet to pulsating rhythmic beats while sounds of silence dutifully descended on every subtle note.

While the traditional Sarod was accompanied by the modern keyboard, lending fusion of the east and west, the young artists never lost the classical touch and there were glimpses of the conservative modules of alaap, jod and jhala. A remarkable blend, one can say. No noise, no off beat tones, just a naughty demo of pop culture tailored into Hindustani tradition.

The program was organized by HSBC Bank. Wish there were more such like-minded organizations which still root for rich Indian music and melody....

(Pic on top right hand corner is a Bangalorean mall taken from Google)

Save our tiger

2008-02-28T08:11:00.000+05:30

It is indeed shocking to note that the Indian tiger population has dwindled by 60%. The total number, according to a news report, is now a meagre 1411!

I found this beautiful picture that someone had forwarded in my mailbox. Are words really needed to describe the love between man and animal?

Pic taken from the web

Where are those trees?

2008-02-27T11:16:00.000+05:30

Bangalore was once noted to be a green paradise, with gentle tree-lined roads and flowers popping out of every picket fenced garden. The green cover must surely have done something to contribute to the salubrious climate as well. It brought a song on one's lips and a happy heart to match.

I remember there was even this popular pastry called 'Dilkush' or 'Happy Heart'. It was sold in plenty by the several Iyengar's bakeries dotting the Bangalorean landscape. You could buy a wedge of 'Dilkush' for a modest price. What you got was a pastry that resembled a pie. It had an assortment of dry fruits and coconut for a filling. It was quite sweet and pumped up the energy for many a schoolkid who hovered around bakeries during the break. Of course, schoolkids now tend to frequent noisy Cafes where they tuck into a sandwich or a Black Forest pastry, with a Cappucino to go. Trees being cut to accommodate ugly Electric poles

Life has become fast track. And even jetset, if one were to allude to the swank new Bangalore Airport that's coming along in Yelahanka. So what was once a narrow tree-lined road leading from Hebbal all the way upto Highgrounds Police station (called Palace Road) has now opened up with a vengeance, leaving gaping holes where trees once stood proud.

Tree stumps on Palace Road

It's breaking my heart every time I commute across Palace road, which is practically every day. Grand old trees, some of which are surely hundreds of years old have been uprooted to make way for a wide lane. All that is left are some branches and massive tree stumps. These trees are like old sentries that guarded the city from sunshine, from rain, from fog. While all this is going on, are these tree cutters actually planting saplings elsewhere? What with the high-rise buildings being erected everywhere, where is the place to plant trees?

Last month, the Art of Living had organized an All India NGO summit and the theme of this summit was Environment. The participants raised a whole lot of concerns, ranging from the dwindling number of Indian cows, to tree felling, from soil erosion to increasing pollution. Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar distributed the Lakshmi Taru tree saplings so that participants can cultivate it in their hometowns. One participant showed me a book that he had released which contained the rich flora of South Kanara. The pictures were simply magnificent. The conference turned out to be a very timely one.

Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar participating in the Q&A session at the NGO summit

Looking at some of the roads in Bangalore, the alarm bells are going off to every eco-friendly individual. The way we look at it, while we're all for progress, we'd still like to maintain the green terrain. After all, these grand masters have given their life to provide shade all their lives.

Some of us like-minded folks are planning to put up green signs which we want to prop wherever trees are being felled. Through these signs, we want to advise the public to plant more trees . If we gather enough momentum, we'd like to go on a peace march on the streets of Bangalore, advising people to go green.

If you're interested, do write to me at: kandula.manjula@gmail.com

Let's form a group and paste those signs all over town. I for one, am all for the cause of Spiritualitree.

The Unseen Hand

2008-02-24T20:49:00.000+05:30

There are some moments in your life when you are filled with gratitude for those small yet wonderful moments that come by. And then there are those moments when you only begin realize that you need to be grateful in a very big way.

Satsangh with Chayanna and RaviPrakash at Vidyaranyapura

This Sunday morning certainly brought smiles of gratitude from the six hundred odd participants gathered at Regency school, Vidyaranyapura. The occasion was a mega Sudarshan Kriya followed by a Satsangh with Swamy Suryapada (Chayanna) at the helm. It was simply mindblowing.

Apparently the late Maharshi Mahesh Yogi advocated group meditation and chants of 'Om Namah Shivaya' as a means of bringing peace to the world.

But one has to experience this to believe the effect.

And believe we did, this Sunday. The morning air around us was electrifying. Every cell in your body begins to vibrate with energy and there is a unique sense of healing. Odd pains mysteriously disappear. Any negative feeling that you might harbor, suddenly vanishes and all that is left is a sense of love and belonging.

I had more down-to-earth plans for the afternoon. I had to accompany a friend to a nearby market. She wanted to take her car and driver. As we cruised along in the car, I noticed that the driver seemed a bit amateur and he did not seem to have much control over the car.

At a corner, he took a rash turn and hit another vehicle. My neighbor was clearly shaken. The driver of other car came towards us, obviously angered by the bump on his car. My friend apologized to the other car driver in a quivering voice. After he left, she was still trembling. I managed to keep calm and soothed her. I know now for a fact that my own calm demeanor could have only been the result of the morning Sadhana (spiritual practice).

We left the car and driver in safe custody and started walking to our destination.

"Thank God the accident happened in a small lane", my neighbor commented, in a small voice. I agreed wholeheartedly.

"I shudder to think what would have happened if that driver took the car to the main road", she continued.

I nodded again.

We have ever so many reasons to be grateful for. The soulful singing and intense chanting amidst the green trees and golden sun rays makes waves of gratitude pass through the core of your being. You know what you have to be grateful for.

And yet sometimes, in a fleeting moment you are part of an event so stressful that you are almost dissociated from reality. It is then that you begin to feel the Unseen Hand...and you suddenly know what else you have to be grateful for.

A miraculous escape

2008-02-21T10:52:00.000+05:30

This morning began just like any other for my husband. Morning walk, grab that bowl of cereal. Run to bathe. Run the shower. Run to office.

But life did a somersault even before the last 'run'.

He got into the bathroom to have his shower when the pipe connecting the water source and the geyser, burst. Frankly speaking, he was saved by his Guardian Angel. Else he'd have been scalded by the hot water; I shudder to even think of what else could have happened.

The problem was probably with the thermostat- if not controlled properly, the water gets overheated. We had an electrician replace the old thermostat a few days ago and I believe that he hadn't set the regulator properly.

This had me thinking.

A 'Made in China' Solar heater

With summer in sight, it is a good time to think of installing a solar heater. Just imagine, if every home in Bangalore had a solar heater, how much energy would we be saving?

But in the meantime, here are a few tips for safe bathing, if you still have an electric geyser:

Switch on the geyser for 10 minutes and get used to bathing in tepid water. It is said that bathing in cold water increases your energy level, or Prana.
Always switch off the geyser before you enter the bathroom.
It is better to open the tap so as to run a modest stream of water. Sometimes, water tends to vaporise and can scald you badly if it gushes out full stream.
Run the cold water tap first and then follow it with hot water.

Good luck!

The Secret

2008-02-19T11:52:00.001+05:30

If you want to know how to be happy, contented, joyful, blissful, then just watch 'The Secret'. It takes you on an amazing journey and you simply watch, spellbound.

Scientists, doctors, psychologists and priests play their bit to tell you how to get the best out of life- if you know the secret, then health, wealth and happiness are all yours to keep. They say, that all great men and women who succeeded throughout the ages, knew about the Secret.

A must watch film.

The Cosmic mother

2008-02-18T07:49:00.000+05:30

All of last week I was a troubled mom. When a fledgling grows wings and is all set to fly, it is hard for a mother. I was in the same situation and sympathized with the mother birds.

I watched my daughter prepare for her trip to Europe, for pursuing higher studies. She was so excited. All she seemed to do was pack, weigh her bag and repack. She fretted over the number of warm clothes I had stealthily squeezed into her bag. I smiled as she gave me a reproachful look.

On Saturday, and we had thrown a small party at home for her friends and their families. Only then did I get that all-familiar lump in my throat. I had been cleverly avoiding this feeling by getting busy with this and that.

As parents, we always want the best for our kids. We want to see a smile on their faces. We want to protect them from the bad elements in the world. We want them constantly around us to do that.

But after a point, they seem to want to learn from life by themselves, with only a little help. We often wonder whether we are being good parents by letting go, or whether we are being negligent? But then, I guess we need to trust in the Cosmic Mother and do whatever is best for the child.

So deeply entrenched in these feelings I wished I could do 'Chakra meditation'. In all my advanced courses in the Art of Living, we had guided Chakra meditation which was powerful and soothing at the same time.

I would have clearly loved to go to the ashram and do another advanced course. But I had a lot of office work to deal with.

I wondered, how could I get to do this wonderful meditation?

This morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn to start my Yoga practice. I switched on WorldSpace.

I heard Guruji's gentle voice:
Let us sit comfortably to do Chakra meditation...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T13:46:00.000+05:30

It's Valentine's Day and although it's not a typical Indian festival, the cards on display have done their bit to usher in the mood in a pretty big way.

To celebrate V day, my husband bought tickets for 'The American Gangster'. Typical male choice? I think so too. I guess I'll have to hide behind my extra large popcorn packet all through.

To celebrate V day, the office decided to have a book exhibition. Nice, huh? If you love books, that is.

Yep, love is in the air. And folks seem to be enjoying it for different reasons.

There is of course the typical boy-meets-girl and the love that ensues. Celebrated with much pomp and splendor every V day. Chocolates and roses or simply riding a rickshaw. It's love that makes the wheels go round and round.

Love in a rickshaw- Hyderabad Blues

I took the WFH (work from home) option for the week and am loving every minute of it.

Love to work from home!

Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar puts love in perspective by saying:

"To love someone whom you like is insignificant
To love someone because they love you is of no consequence
To love someone whom you do not like means you have learned a lesson in life
To love someone who blames you for no reason shows that you have learned the art of living..."

Happy Valentine's day!

The Guru strikes a love-able pose

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi passes away

2008-02-07T09:46:00.000+05:30

"Expansion of happiness is the purpose of creation and we are all here to enjoy and radiate happiness everywhere."

-Maharishi

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the renowned Guru of TM (transcendental meditation), passed away on Tuesday, in his Netherlands home.

I never met the Maharishi, but for some odd reason, the news of his death brought a lump in my throat. I almost felt that a graceful Age had passed on. The age of Transcendental Meditation. The age of inner silence.

I browsed the newspapers, hungry for more news about the Maharishi. But the media seemed only allude to his association with the Beatles. One UK newspaper even went to the extent of writing that the Maharishi got 'lucky' because of the interest the Beatles took in his teachings.

It seems so easy for people to speculate, and they spend so much time just doing this! So that is how, any contribution of a great person, however simple, humble, great or significant, is put to the back-burner, while this odd sensationalism takes over.

Maharishi brought alive the technique of transcendental meditation, through which millions of people got some peace in their turbulent lives. A few moments of meditation brought a stillness into their mind, allowing them to function in this gross world with more focus and clarity.

Along the ages, every great guru had something so precious and unique to offer to those who are ready to accept it.

Many people are attracted to the Guru and Guru-concept because they want to rise above this mortal world and make some sense to their own existence. Yet, many Gurus are labeled with scandals and motives. Truth be told, the fact of the matter is that the mortal man tends to cling to nonsense, and forget the Truth.

A Sadguru (true Guru) is never really bothered by such talk. Through spiritual practice and devotion, the Sadguru becomes very centered. It is said that a Sadguru is connected directly to God and the Self.

In Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar's own words: 'Maharishi laid the foundation for a new world based on the knowledge of Vedas and spirituality. There was none like him and none shall ever be again. He remains unparalleled.'

Work of such great gurus must never be reduced to mere sensational newspaper headlines. Nor can they ever be understood or fathomed through one's mind and intellect. It takes something much, much deeper to understand them...

Bhindi fry-ight!

2008-01-30T16:13:00.000+05:30

'Bheja Fry' got better reviews at the cinema than the Bhindi fry served up recently at a Bangalorean hotel.

If software experts 'KISS' their designs to keep them short and simple, then why can't chefs 'MISS' their fries? Ever tried to tell a newbie chef to 'Make It Simple, Stupid'!

These days, desi chefs tend to overcook, under-fry, reboil, re-hash, remake, remix vegetables like never before. And why not? If movies like 'Bheja Fry' take inspiration from cooking, then why can't cooks get inspired by all the endless movie remakes and music remixes? (One hears that they tried to remake 'The Exorcist' in Latin, but the ghost apparently ran away).

Wassat?

The bhindi fry on my plate reminded me of all the principles of Darwin. I never could remember them at school, but I guess tough times like this call for tough thinking.

I tried to retrieve the Bhindi pieces from the gravy but soon realized that the Darwinian principles were attacking the situation with fierce determination.

Bhindi was swiftly losing out to Natural selection. After such an undigni-fried situation, Bhindi might just give up all hope of improving its own genes and decide to go extinct.

I noticed a Struggle for existence thingummy going on here. Bhindi was constantly swimming against the tide of choking, simmering, reeking gravy.

Survival of the fittest was a sure eventuality. Only the fattest bhindi pieces would emerge victorious while the others would get charred beyond recognition.

At least the globally acclaimed 'Gumbo' sets your expectations properly right at the beginning. You expect (look forward, actually) to see a watery, gooey mass on your plate.

But a good, wholesome bhindi fry sets one's imagination on the roll.

Green, moist, no -nonsense bhindis fried crisply to a nice brown color in fragrance-free oil. Add the salt and pepper generously and the bhindi fry has a fine place on a dining table. A hint of tamarind juice stirred into the fry will have the BBC at your doorstep, demanding the recipe for its global viewers. Mix in some Cumin powder and the bhindi fry deserves a place in Madame Tussaud's.

So you see, it's all a matter of taste. And a bit o' evolution.

Into a 'spirit'ual cave

2008-01-19T11:31:00.000+05:30

On Friday last, the VMware Bangalore Tech pubs team decided to go 'cave-hunting'. We didn't have to go too far, coz' there was Gufa, which turned out to be an interesting restaurant-turned-cave (or is it the other way round?) on Jayanagar 4th block.

Inside Gufa

Gufa also served up some eerie statues and the call of wild animals along with the regular North Indian cuisine.

Our VMWare Bangalore TechPubs team awaiting some wild food:

L>Me, Arun, John. R>Niranjan, Fatema and Venkat

An eerie statue

Two of us were veggies and since our menu list didn't read too long, so we ordered in a jiffy. The others took time to make a choice from the vast four-legged species that the cave offered. I thought I caught a few folks look longingly at the bats which were hanging around, but they were not on the menu. But I guess apart from that, they could have had anything else a-la-carte.

The waiters seem to pop straight out of an old Kathleen Turner movie- if I recall, it was 'Romancing the Stone'. Or an 'Out of Africa' which starred my favorite heroes Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. Wish I knew about the Gufa dress code earlier on. Surely I would have worn a smart Safari suit and blended better into the wild background.

The dimly lit background troubled me a bit but there no cause for worry, really. No wild things fell from Punkahs above, as author Gerald Durrell described in his books.

Let there be light!

Well, our lunch turned out to be a delightful affair. We went as far as a sweet lime soda to make it a 'spirit'ual experience as well.

Spiritual, or Spirits?

When we left the cave and walked out on the familiar street, we almost heaved a collective sigh of relief. Birdsong was nice, and so was the cave, but there's something comforting about returning into the roaring human jungle.

Photo credit: Niranjan Jahagirdar

A journey beyond

2008-01-13T10:39:00.001+05:30

The Art of Living Teachers' Training Program (TTC Phase I) turned out to be a fortnight long mind-blowing experience. Aspiring teachers for the Art of Living programs had come from all over India and the world. We shared the classroom with Pakistanis, Russians, Americans, Ethiopians and fellow Indians from other states. There were young and enthusiastic 20 somethings and mellow yet lively 70- year olds who attended the course.

In class with our teacher Prasannaji (seated on a chair)

The experience of living in a dorm with 200 other women trainees, waiting outside bathrooms at 3.30 am in the morning to have a bath, enhanced our endurance capacity. The arduous yet exhilerating yoga 'bootcamp' which lasted for 3 hours in the morning and 2 more hours in the evening pulled us out of the urban comfort zone into which we had all been trapped. The fantastic training on interpersonal dynamics gave us rare insights into the finer aspects of communication. The mystic spiritual process had us often walk around in a trance-like state.

There was community service too and I was part of a team that had to clear out the putrefying garbage dump, sorting out plastics and glass. Even a makeshift mask with my dupatta couldn't blot out the stench which emanated from the rubbish heap. But as time went on, we were competing with one another to find the most number of plastic bottles. And giggling all through.

Clean the garbage outside while you sort out what's inside you.

The Satsangs (singing devotional songs and chanting) which took place in the evenings were phenomenal, transferring us to a different plane altogether.

Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar designed this course keeping the human psyche in mind, and he did it with such grace and perfection, as he does in all his projects and ventures. I met him along with others and talked to him for a brief bit.

"You are a publications manager? Then you must get into publications here." he said in his gentle voice. I was so happy.

I was glad I had introduced myself and this brief conversation had taken place between me and my Guru. But then I got to wondering, what didn't he know about me? He must have had such fun when he put on a surprised expression on hearing about my profession. And I fell for it!

I went home after bidding my goodbyes to all my classmates. I hoped that this enthusiasm and zeal which had welled up in me will last forever. But as I remembered those compassionate eyes and the benevolent smile of my spiritual Master, all my doubts suddenly vanished.

Their spirit knows no bounds

2007-12-26T09:20:00.000+05:30

We had prepared quite a bit for the 'Nav Chetan Shibir' which ended yesterday- if you recall, I had written about it a couple of blog entries ago. NCS is a program offered by the Art of Living organization, designed by Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar. The course is specifically targeted for people in the lower economic strata.

On Saturday last, Saurabh hired a drummer to walk along with us through the streets while we formally announced the Shibir.

To the sound of the drumbeats

The residents came out of their tiny tenements to see what all the fuss was about. We coaxed them to join us in the Shibir, at the venue (a temple hall). We told them that it would benefit adults and kids alike.

I guess they chose to only hear the word 'kids', judging by the fact that most of the attendees turned out to be in the three foot nothing range!

On the first day, the attendance turned out to be as lean as Shah Rukh's six pack abs. Nevertheless, those that turned up listened intently as we spoke to them about their health, the importance of drinking boiled water and ways to keep their surroundings clean.

They even followed our instructions during the Pranayaam sessions to a tee. Never in our other sessions did we see any adults perform with such precision and alertness.

Raise your hands and breathe in!

On Day two, they came in droves. A wonderful sight for any teacher to behold.

A teacher's Christmas gift!

We taught them meditation, or something which was akin to sitting quietly for a few moments. But what followed on Day three was an amazing transformation. The erstwhile noisy and restless bunch of kids sat still when we told them to meditate.

In a meditative mood

But of course, as we brought out the sweet packets, there was a mad rush to collect their goodies!

It was a truly wonderful experience for us. Saurabh's arrangements were superb, and Chaya really sparkled as she spoke in chaste Kannada.

If service should come with a smile- it comes real easy when you're amidst the three foot nothings...

Front L>R: Saurabh and Chaya, my fellow AOL volunteers

PS: I may not be writing in for a couple of weeks- am off for my Teacher's training course at the Art of Living Ashram. But I'll have lots to write when I return. :-)

Happy holidays!

2007-12-21T11:17:00.001+05:30

The office looks festive with this dazzling Christmas tree. Folks are packing up to go home and soak in some Yuletide spirit.

Thought it's a good time to wish y'all Happy Holidays!

Here comes the Sun!

2007-12-19T11:06:00.000+05:30

Here's a pic of the orchard in front of my office (VMWare) which is situated in a particularly green part of Bangalore. The orchard hosts Sapota and coconut trees. Sapota is a brown colored fruit of a medium size. The outer skin has a rough texture and each fruit comes with a shiny black, oval seed. The pulp, when ripe is really tasty. It has a unique flavor with a granular texture that tickles the tongue at the first bite.

When I 'framed' the orchard during my afternoon walk, the Sun seemed to have worked some magic of its own kind. Just look at the rainbow carressing the trees...

To do, or die

2007-12-18T11:21:00.000+05:30

The debate of life after death is a very lively one, often kicking up a lot of heat and dust. Some say we just simply return to dust, while others insist that we simply move on, taking the comfort of another body. Like dropping the clothes you are wearing and wearing new ones.

So they say.

Not an easy notion to decipher, analyze and resolve. The debate will likely last a lifetime. Till death do it part, from us.

But I ask, while there's the present moment to live with, why really bother about what may happen later? Like, uh, isn't there enough to do in our current life?

Last Saturday, some of us AOL buddies went off to a nearby slum to invite folks to attend a program called 'Nav Chetan Shibir'. We've been conducting this program for slum-dwellers around our neighborhood.

Slums have literally mushroomed all over Bangalore ever since construction has kicked off in a big way. These people put together any odd pieces of plastic to create a makeshift tent. They cook, clean and sleep in these tiny tents.

The Nav Chetan Shibir program was designed by Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar. It teaches people about hygiene, sanitation, good food habits and some breathing exercises. It also mixes in some fun, as we make participants sing and dance. Three consecutive days, each session lasting around 1 and a half hours. None of these folks can spare any more time- they work so hard throughout the day.

The particular slum that we visited had tiny houses fitted with asbestos rooftops. Each house had a tiny room and an adjoining toilet. The front door couldn't possibly be higher than 5 feet.

Not all the scenes were as pleasant as the smiles of these two girls.

There was Thomas the drunkard who chattered incessantly, often mumbling to himself. Even as we tried to move away from his reeking breath, he would lean forward and generously invite us to his home.

We thought there was some animal enthusiast amongst these folks who had tied a red ribbon around the neck of the neighborhood dog. On closer look, however, we were shocked to find that the 'ribbon' was actually a nasty red weal caused by some infection. We winced at the sight and wondered how the children roamed about freely with sick stray dogs frolicking about.

The 3-day program starts this Friday. Hopefully, by the end of the program, many among the slum-dwellers will start boiling their drinking water, washing their vegetables, cleaning their surroundings.

Well, this is life. Never mind what comes beyond it.

Gooseberries are great but is there a God?

2007-12-06T07:38:00.000+05:30

November seems to be the time for gooseberries. Mounds and mounds of them, in markets. Sorted out in different sizes.

The lemons are seen in plenty too. I noticed this when I visited the market a couple of weeks ago. A group of ladies clad in traditional saris were bargaining for what seemed to be a mountain of lemons. When the veggie vendor finally gave in to a mutually agreeable selling price, the ladies picked the best out of the ' lemon mountain' and made their way to a nearby temple.

I followed them into the temple.

One of them had brought a couple of knives and soon they sat down and set to cutting out the lemons into halves and scooping out the pulp. All the while they were smiling and chatting with one another. They seemed to have planned the project very well, for another lady brought out a bottle of oil, a matchbox and a big box of cotton wicks.

Soon they filled the lemon 'containers' with some oil and positioned the wicks so that one end of the wick faced the rim while the other was dipped in oil. They lit each wick and then placed each 'lamp' on the ledge that separated the inner Sanctum Sanctorum from the room where devotees were allowed to stand.

It was a beautiful site. The lamps reflected soft light on the deity, and I could almost swear that the Goddess wore an extra special halo, thanks to the loving work of these women. I heard later that the same process is followed with gooseberries as well.

Nature seems to take extra special care of us human beings. In winter, a windfall of fruits that are harvested are full of Vitamin C. Tomatos, lemons, gooseberries make their way to every nook and corner of the markets.

Nature has a very close connection with religion. During festivals, which seem to be clustered from August to December, the doorsteps are lined with mango leaves. Any Puja in the South India usually includes coconuts which are considered to be auspicious. A traditional meal is eaten off a freshly plucked banana leaf.

The Basil (Tulasi) plant is considered to be sacred and the leaves also have many medicinal properties.

A traditional Indian woman offers betel leaves with some fruit, when a lady guest visits her home. Hindus turn Eastwards in the early morning hours to pay their respect to the Sun.

I have often listened to and read about many academic arguments which center around questioning the presence of a God.

Do you know Him? Have you seen Him? Isn't the concept of God man-made, meant for insecure people?

The fact is that most people haven't seen God and those that muster enough courage to claim that they have felt an 'aura' only receive sardonic smiles from sceptics.

Must be your mental frame of mind. You know, psychologists believe that light can play tricks and make you see things.

So most believers and God realizers have learnt to shut up, fearing that they will be deemed weak or insane if they opened up to the general public. Now no one ever questions the presence of the wind (although no one has ever really 'seen' the wind).

For some reason, God is probably the most debatable subject in the world.

Perhaps that is so because He chooses to let us mortals argue and have some fun. Perhaps He even knows that He will have the last laugh. Perhaps He is actually humoring us from up above the mountains. From within our souls. And from the lemons that gently drop to the ground.

For my part, I simpy enjoy observing all the stuff that goes on centered around God and God presence.

I love listening to carol singers who drop by my house during Christmas time. I love watching children all dressed up in new clothes during Ramzan.

I have never tired of watching my neighbor create beautiful traditional motifs with rice flour in front of her doorstep each and every day. I had watched her daughter, (who is all grown up now), mess around with rice flour in her younger days only to receive a gentle slap on her hand by a vigilant mother.

So I wonder, why do sceptics spend all this time on proving the absence or simply disproving the presence of God, when they can enjoy so much along the way of knowing?

Why can't they shop for those lemons and enjoy lighting those wicks? If anything, they'd enliven any cold foggy morning...

I am not the do-er

2007-11-28T07:55:00.000+05:30

For a tiny place called 'home'

For some time now, I have been helping a neighbor search for another apartment as the one he currently lives in had become dark and dismal after a builder decided to erect a multi-storeyed building adjoining his house, blocking air and sunlight which otherwise streamed through the windows.

Real estate prices are skyrocketing in Bangalore. It is, after all, India's IT city, reputed to have a salubrious climate despite global warming. Not really quake prone, although one personally quakes every now and then with alarming traffic snarls.

So there we were, shopping for an affordable aparment which is not necessarily a long haul from the office, the mall, the movie theater or the fruit market. Large enough to hold a small family, small enough to maintain. Good approach roads. The works. This went on for days.

Then yesterday, he suddenly stopped in his tracks on the pavement, looked at me and said "I need to rethink this idea of buying another flat. What if I die before I pay up the loan?"

I must admit, death is something that we all think of, every now and then. But we never even doubt that we would be picking up the morning milk packet lying at the doorstep the next day. We take it for granted that when it happens, it won't be so soon.

I did not say much yesterday during our conversation. But I did go home and take out a large blue diary. I began reading my notes on the Ashtavakra Gita.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar has called the Ashtavakra Gita "the most unique conversation that has taken place on this planet". The Ashtavakra Gita documents the unveiling of the highest knowledge from a saint to a wise king many thousands of years ago.

Through a series of taped lectures Sri Sri Guruji shows how, step-by-step, King Janaka is taken to deeper levels of understanding and how we can apply this knowledge to our own lives.

The lectures were originally held in 1991, in Bangalore Ashram. Guruji had a group of devoted followers who attended his talks.

I had taken notes from these tape which were recently aired at a nearby school. Every day for 30 days, I would walk in the frosty morning hours, armed with a pen and an exercise book, eagerly waiting to see Guruji's glowing face as he so beautifully articulated the message.

I read a page from the book. We feel we have it all. We feel that everything is in our control. Which is why we fear. Because we are afraid of losing control. But clearly spiritual scriptures indicate that we are not the 'do-ers'. And yet it takes great effort to 'let go'.

Even surrender has a way and a method. Every page of my notes on the Ashtavakra Gita had a lesson and surprisingly enough, I experience each lesson day by day. I am truly amazed.

I had a lesson to learn from my friend's alarming words yesterday. I closed my book and smiled at him and told him not to worry. About life, about death, and least of all, about an elusive apartment in a place called Bangalore...

The stamp album

2007-11-23T13:22:00.001+05:30

We've been planning for this for every day since the past couple of weeks. We just had to go and pick up a stamp album together. It was to be a gift for her dad, and my daughter wanted to fill the album with all my husband's stamps before presenting it to him. Two weeks after his birthday.

But hey, our family lives in the Timeless zone. Which is why the owner of the nearby Dry cleaner's gets a shock when we turn up a week late to pick up the clothes. By then, he could easily have changed the name of his shop. Or remarried. But we always got our clothes back.

It's the same with intended places of travel. We intend, for a long time. We shuffle our feet as we watch our favorite TV program. Then my husband tentatively opens his mumble behind long beard: "Um, we should go to XYZ place. Well, his mathematically inclined mind tends to spurt short alphabets (and even signs) every now and then, by way of communication.

Like 'Hey, U'.

Hmm...

Oh, yes, that stamp album. We had globe-trotted in Bangalore (possible, coz' the world is flat any way- according to Friedmanian logic). Nope, no sign of stamp albums. It clearly showed that folks weren't into writing letters and licking stamps any more. Nor did they seem to find time to buy albums. Who leafs through albums anyway, now that we have Picasas and Youtubes?

But we were looking forward to picking out from the zillions of stamps stashed away in envelops and lovingly pasting them in a nice album. And presenting it to daddy dearest.

So like every other day for the past couple of weeks, we carefully planned our shopping. Today, my daughter even invited Vaibhavi (aka Vaibs), her best friend, to help choose the album.

"Do we have lunch first and then shop around?" This came from my daughter.

"I think donuts would be great for a pre-shopping brunch." This came from Vaibs.

"What do I wear? It's 12. noon so maybe a tee shirt would do well." Came from daughter.

"I'd add a sweater for good measure", I added, going all motherly and all.

"Hey did you know 'Hannibal' is running in packed houses?" asked Vaibs, almost in rhetoric. I began to wonder how good young Dr Vaibs was getting at doing post-mortems.

On our way out, Vaibs picked up her guitar as well. Who knows, she said. It might come in handy at the donut shop to add to the funky decor. Or to pick up a few pennies from a nearby hat. Or to bop the head of any geek who couldn't understand our love for earthly stamp albums.

Maybe we'll find one, maybe we won't. There is still tomorrow. And the day after. And the day...

Jelly donuts to just let go!

2007-11-21T13:55:00.000+05:30

Yep, that's what I realized today, as I bit into a jelly donut. Blueberry? Strawberry? Not quite sure, but boy, did it taste good!

These days I'm sitting at home, and it was enforced, not by choice. I had to let go of my last job, and now I am waiting for another offer which seems be in the offing.

But my break is actually turning out to be just right.

It's hard to let go of both fond memories as well as rough ones- in sum, it's hard to let go of an office which you kind of made your home.

I started my job in this company all of one and a half years ago. I liked the desk they gave me, I liked the cupboard space and I liked the rack that stood loftily above the computer.

At first I brought in official books and stored them neatly in my cupboard. Then after a while, when I felt more at home, I brought in some papers and 'stuff' to read. I reckoned that I could bring my cup of tea to my seat and take a break while reading these papers. Then I felt more at home, even as my neighbors asked me about my family. So I brought in some photographs, a few pictures of my favorite God and Guru.

It's when you start lining your pictures on the shelf that you somehow sense that you are really taking the place for granted. A nice feeling actually- a kind of second home.

Then one day my manager called me into a cabin and broke the news. That soon I could be without a job. I took the news with some disappointment, some sadness. A flurry of memories began to rush through my mind and some even got stuck like a needle of a gramophone in a groove of an old record.

I knew that I really had to let go. Now that is hard because you often wonder: why me? What did I do? Am I really fit for such kind of jobs? Any job? Self-doubt, low morale were creeping in on me.

Okay, so I decided that instead of moping around, I would call it quits in this office even before the D-Day. Coz 'then I could start doing all the stuff I always wanted to do. I mean, if I'm going to worry and fret over when my last paycheck was going to come by, I would see no real meaning to life. Instead, I would only be losing out on precious time.

So I sent off my resignation letter and brought out a white sheet of paper. I wrote down all the things that I really wanted to do.

The very first on my list was to do another advanced meditation course- I had to do this to work my way to become a teacher for the Art of Living Foundation. I enrolled for the earliest date and had a wonderful time at the ashram. My chattering mind seemed to grow more quiet.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar at the ashram

Once I finished that, I started learning some Indian classical music. Just a few of my favorite songs.

And then I started reading all the books whose titles intrigued me. One among them was 'The other side of Belief' written by Mukunda Rao. It was a detailed description of UG Krishnamurti's philosophy.

I read with interest, sometimes nodding in assent, sometimes aghast by UG's opinions, and sometimes simply stunned by his experiences. He scoffed God and Gurus alike. Here I was trying to climb the ladder of spirituality to look at the world beyond. He said it was a futile effort. He said meditation was evil. But to me, meditation was an ethereal experience touching the core of my very existence. Well, UG was entitled to his own opinions, I opined, before moving on to Deepak Chopra's own rendition of how to know God.

Now I have beside me a couple of Agatha Christies, and a book on Yogavasishta. What next? Spirituality or suspense? I will have to make a choice, and I look forward to that!

I guess letting go isn't that hard after all. It's all in the mind. And I don't mind having a few good books and a couple of jelly donuts as well...