Guru Poornima

It is the first time I am celebrating the Guru Poornima day,  trying to celebrate Bapu. I am feeling slightly odd, for I truly believe that he needs to be celebrated each day and each moment of consciousness.

However just as we celebrate our birthday, so one day just for him.

Happy Guru Poornima to all ! May the Guru in our lives pardon our fickleness and immaturity and bless us with his/her eternal presence. May our Guru's presence be felt every moment, his blessings acknowledged and at least I should try and atleast not make him regret through my actions. the art of living my life truly belongs to my Guru. Its not my merits but his grace.

Happy Guru Poornima again !

May all love our Guru and not just adorn his picture in our temples. Sadguru bless all!

Wishing the universe HAPPY 2016 !

It is strange one word encompasses it all "Happy". Happy Diwali, Happy Holi, Happy New Year, "Merry" Christmas, which again means happy.

Happiness seems to be expensive, very expensive and the fun part is its cost keeps changing the currency, sometimes we can buy it through money, sometimes through sacrifice, other times through hardwork, at times through forgiveness.

Whatever it takes for all of us to be happy, may we be able to recognize the situation and understand what currency we need to pay, in order to achieve the bliss we seek.

Happy New Year ! May all blessings reach us and we feel them in 2016.

Living in a bubble

Observing people, understanding patterns in their lives, watching how they treat themselves and others, gives fair insights into the working of the other person's mind (i assume) and some times the experience is not a happy one.

Some of the achievers i observe, have achieved commendable growth in their profession, have scaled heights they themselves would not have fanthomed but are so confused and messed up in personal lives. The brightness and manipulation that makes them a success in career seems to have played adversely for them in their personal lives. I had read somewhere that if one knows how to sell well one also gets sold easily. One who manipulates well also has tendency to get manipulated. They lose the sense of what lies in the domain of integrity and where they crossed the line because manipulating their way they get so mixed up in realities that they lose touch with the real truth. Somewhere these people get convinced that they would be able to negotiate with LIFE but life the task master it is, gives no free lunches.

It is sad to see many such bright achievers being manipulated by their own thoughts, the artificial realities they wrap themselves up in and the fabric of their  day to day life is "sad" best described. Their enemy lies within themselves because they guard themselves well from the outside enemies, as most of them, as a given, do not trust easily.

Sometimes i feel achieving more than one imagines makes them lose sense of reality, they get easily gulled by people who massage their egos, and have little tolerance to ambiguity. Most cases i observe, such people prefer being surrounded by people lesser than themselves or those who show them that they are "like minded". Manipulation works best between two like minded individuals, one is often on the guard with someone with different or opposite view point.

Just observations.......

J Krishnamurti - Out of this awareness there comes a clarity that is not induced

Out of this awareness there comes a clarity that is not induced Posted: If you sit on the bank of a river after a storm, you see the stream going by, carrying a great deal of debris. Similarly, you have to watch the movement of yourself- following every thought, every feeling, every intention, every motive-just watch it. That watching is also listening; it is being aware with your eyes, with your ears, with your insight, of all the values that human beings have created, and by which you are conditioned, and it is only this state of total awareness that will end all seeking. Please do listen to this. Most of us think that awareness is a mysterious something to be practiced, and that we should get together day after day to talk about awareness. Now, you don't come to awareness that way at all. But if you are aware of outward things, the curve of a road, the shape of a tree, the color of another's dress, the outline of the mountains against a blue sky, the delicacy of a flower, the pain on the face of a passerby, the ignorance, the envy, the jealousy of others, the beauty of the earth, then, seeing all these outward things without condemnation, without choice, you can ride on the tide of inner awareness. Then you will become aware of your own reactions, of your own pettiness, of your own jealousies. From the outward awareness you come to the inward, but if you are not aware of the outer you cannot possibly come to the inner. When there is inward awareness of every activity of your mind and your body, when you are aware of your thoughts, of your feelings, both secret and open, conscious and unconscious, then out of this awareness there comes a clarity that is not induced, not put together by the mind. And without that clarity you may do what you will, you may search the heavens and the earth and the deeps, but you will never find out what is true. - Krishnamurti, Collected Works, Vol. XV,242,Choiceless Awareness

Happy New Year 2015 !

Well, there goes another year, since quite a few years now I am speculating getting a 5 year calendar printed. Each year is just flying past looking back, the last year….

It was a year laced with academic endeavor and success, new connections and letting go of Nani on her journey forward. It was a year of endings and new beginnings. A year full of struggle and sweat followed with accolades and recognition.

Though I could feel him all around me all the time the only regret is I could not meet my mentor in person last year. His blessings were bearing fruit all the time J

Starting this year with a realization that everything is connected, what we do at work is connected to how we behave at home, is connected to how we play, is connected to the friends we have. The only thing common and that matters in all of this is the sincerity and honesty and one cannot be selectively sincere or honest. If one does then one must realize one is manipulating one’s self. To me being honest to one’s self is shortest cut to fit mental health, using manipulation cautiously as a tool limiting it only to save face in situations and not impinge one’s own interest or will makes sense. One has to realize that EVERYTHING is connected, and truth, no matter what one does, floats to the top “yeh duniya hai yeh saab janti hai.”

Happy New Year ! Lets try to stay as honest and truthful to ourselves because all of us deserve nothing less.

Of thoughts and food

Sometimes I think, and say to myself if only we think half as much, about what thoughts we are thinking than the food we eat. We go at length to scan and evaluate every meal before we eat but we let thoughts play and enter our mind randomly.  We are selective about veg, non-veg, and go to weird lengths in diet restrictions and idiosyncracies about that which feeds the body but are oblivious of watching out for thoughts or ideas that enter our mind and becomes part of the spirit and forms character. Being conscious about the coming and going thoughts and what we select, focus or ignore, to be aware about it as an observer, just as diligently we are conscious about carb or fatty food would bear much intense and effective results, isn’t it? I think so….. Will try being even more vigilant…….

Felicitated by Gama Beta Phi National Honor Society

A long time, since I received my last award for academic excellence, so feel humbled. Some great souls have such profound insights, they touch you even without being around. The founder of this society started with combining two goals felicitating 10 – 20% top students with academic excellence in a university and connecting them to serving the community. A brilliant idea to leverage performers for community. The society invites one to join them on the basis of one’s academic performance, data they collect from the University.

To read about Gama Beta Phi - http://www.gammabetaphi.org/

Thank you for all the blessings from above. I just continue to do my small bit of hard work. Also thanks to all the well-wishers, friends, this shows your wishes are reaching me.

RIP Nani

Well, I did not write much this year. But being able to spend time and having a beautiful closure with someone who was an integral part of my childhood, is something that I had not imagined in my wildest dreams. I was in India for the summer and got to spend and create lifetime memories by being present next to my grandmother in her last few months. She died on August 14^th after being bed ridden due to paralysis for last decade of her life. She was 88-89 years old.

This incident could not go unwritten, it touched me, and will leave lifelong vacuum of someone who had held my hand, taught me to walk and many a times I had basked in the glory of a celebrity like grandmother who was an icon of philanthropy. I remember, I was the first third generation kid in the family, and my grandmother doted on me. I used to accompany her to “satsangs” and absorb the environment as they sang hymns and prayers in glory of God. Many a times I accompanied her to day trips to nearby religious locations or for a dip in the sacred rivers. I think these childhood memories and company of my grandmother, had a major impact in introducing me to the world of faith and spirituality. Not even once, I remember her speaking ill of someone. She was a dedicated wife, an exceptional cook, living up to a patriarch, perfectionist husband but that did not deter her from following her passion for being around for others, collecting donations to build the temple or being around her daughters when they needed her.

My grandmother had exceptional social skills, I remember laughing and joking with her, when I pointed out that she had become a socialite joining the ladies “kitty” held in hotels. To which she remarked that she struck a deal with them that she would join the kitty and they would come for the “Amrit vani path”, the prayer meeting. The whole family was known as “Ashaji’s daughter/son or granddaughter”. One could visit the locality and reach her house without a formal address because everyone in the community knew who she was. People wanted her blessings when their daughters or daughter in laws were pregnant, she was considered a pious soul.

She loved to dress well and I remember the exact sequence of how she did and what she did while getting ready to go out. Her ability to absorb opposite point of views, hold her calm and not react was phenomenal. I do not remember a single instance of her being angry. She commanded respect from friends and foes alike, and had a very mild way of instating her presence. She was simple and elegant in thoughts and action. She was an example of impeccable integrity, whenever she was around people knew there would be no goofing of funds or the like. Collecting donations to build a temple from tent house to a huge full-fledged campus comparable to Birla mandir, is no mean task.

The hallmarks that describe her best are love and compassion. I would be happy if I imbibe a fraction of what she offered as a person, even following a fraction would make one a good human being.

Love you Nani, you are etched in my memory and being forever.

2013 coming to a close - What a year ?????

As 2013 comes to an end, want to sign off saying it tested me, tried me to the hilt and also enabled me embark a new journey. It was a blessed year where I could feel the blessings of my Guru/Mentor and all my well wishers reach me from where ever they might be. I felt enriched and truly blessed.

Thank you all, for being part of my life, for impacting it in the ways you do and all i am or will be, would be because of you, am really nothing by myself. You all and your trust in my abilities keeps me going.

I would remember this year, am sure, as a key turning point, may be in times to come.

2013, enabled me scale new depths in understanding relationships, watch their dynamics more closely besides presenting great avenues to learn. Seems it kind of gave me a dose of five years rolled into one. Realised quite a few things about myself, watched myself grow.

Bid adieu to some “friends”, made few new associations. Launched experiments, set in a space i never experienced before, lets see where it takes me. 

I cannot Thank God enough.

2014, is close at heels, another year, new resolutions, new perspectives and ……….

Happy Guru Poornima

On the occasion of Guru Poornima today, my heartiest congratulations to all Bapu’s shrotas and my known katha fraternity.

I was in the middle of reading the last year Tampa katha on Manas Hanuman Chalisa from the katha booklets. Few shairs I wanted to share. All of us know them so well as Bapu makes frequent references to these. http://moraribapu.org/

Yeh Ek zakhmi Parinda hai Var mat karna

Panah maang raha hai Shikar mat karna.

Irada samne wala badal bhi sakta hai

Muqabla hi sahi pehle var mat karna.

By Rahat Indori

Mere Rahabara Mujhko gumrah kar de,

Suna hai ki manzil kareeba a rahi hai. 

By Barabankvi Saheb

This last one is so true when I think about Bapu

Usne dekhte hi mujhe duao se bhar diya,

Abhi maine usko sajda bhi kiya nahin hai.

Jo pine se pehle kadam ladakhadaye, 

Ye mai kaun si kaunsa maikada hai.

By Raj Kaushik

Jai Siya Ram !

Don’t call them confused, they are fence sitters

I have been fortunate to be traveling and visiting friends and families settled by and large in Europe and US since childhood. Just thought of jotting down some observations and patterns I observed in the last 3 decades.This is about those who immigrate from India as students or through work in early twenties, unmarried.

 We can categorize all such Indian immigrants to two types :

a.)    Those who love to be in the other continent, endorse the way of life, go there as students, meet someone from other or their own cultures, live with them for few years and eventually marry and settle down. In the same category there are those who wish to stay single, make money, make it very clear that they are happier there and Indian roots were good riddance. They too date and lead happy, carefree life severing all ties with India except with very close friends and relatives. Both types actually accept the fact that they like it there and are straight shooters. By and large they come from broad minded family backgrounds back in India.  Are very transparent, embrace change by nature.

b.)    Then there is the second category who lead segmented lives there - one for their parents and Indian culture and the other life is the American/ British or wherever they are that culture’s given. The latter is the life they love to death. But given the image they created with families back home they do not have the guts to break that image. Or maybe they are too hardwired to break it. Consequently these are the torn types who keep lingering decisions. There is a huge gap between the expectations they set with their families and the personal life they enjoy living abroad. You find them perpetually oscillating between normalcy and unpredictable behavior. They become quite concealing by nature.

It’s the second category which is not confused but fence sitters they want to sit in two boats where they are confident of manipulating both the worlds and keep them going.  Most of this type belong to conservative family backgrounds from India. They hold high reverence towards their parents and the ideals they endorse, unconsciously they dream of living that reality some day, they are also aware that those ideals are way too out of perspective to the life they are leading. There is no meeting point.

Most of such kind end up leading an unfulfilled life, lonely, wrought with depression related illnesses or heavy drinking in later years of their lives. In an extreme case I lost a cousin subscribing to this format. Very brilliant, gold medalist, engineer. Wish he had the guts to live one life, maintaining two faces makes one fall someday, that is the truth. Also its not worth it, embrace the life you love and pay the price that it takes – moderate the image at home, rest assured every one back home will still respect you. Its one life you have, live it to the lees.

Definition of a Guru - Bapu

Only I, me, myself in relationship

Its kind of weird for some people call anything a friendship even if there is only one person i.e themselves in it. They live in a make believe world, try and control the flow of the relationship either give it enough oxygen not to let it die or chop the roots so that it’s a bonsai according to their will.

At times when they are in need they connect 100 times, other times if they go “busy” then they go absconding. Its only one person in this friendship I, me, myself. No acknowledgement of the other.

What they really do not understand is people are nice to them not because what they are but because their friends are thorough gentlemen/ women.

Strange how beautifully we gull ourselves and complain about not having lasting relationships.Beware of such abusive treatment and the sooner you cut this off the better.

Knocking the door to a deaf and mute system – Young India fights for women rights

Sadly, the brave heart that she was lost her life to brute force. The gang rape victim died.  This could be a beginning to a revolution by the young demanding action from Government and society. This could be a turning point and not another march past India gate that gets lost in oblivion.

People of India I feel have moved much ahead than the politician fraternity. People of India have become more mature and awakened and with the communication channels at their disposal the gaps are getting bridged faster. The Government here still in the hands of the patriarchs, who just know how to carry an office given tab as a status symbol than a means of connecting, cannot fathom what will hit them. The so called “young leaders” are sitting in mama’s laps fearing their own life than having the courage to stand with the youth of this country on such a demanding issue. Its sad to see how these young politicians have become run of the mill than the catalyst of change we wished to see them as.

All this rage and protests have made a beginning, people are no longer going to take this rut from the Government whether for corruption or black money or safety of women. They have reached a tipping point and this solidarity by one and all whether youth or yoga leaders or Anna or Kejriwal is ONE in their voice that we will not take nonsense any more.

This sensitivity and maturity displayed by the people in the form of mature protests is quite reassuring that the soul is still not dead that we all have a bleak ray of light end of the tunnel and some day may be not in our life time but sometime in future we will reach the day light.

These protests are not to be viewed as any other protests these are shaping the future of this country, they really are……….

Cautious while purchasing Eureka Forbes Trendy Steel Vacuum Cleaner

Check the retracting coil - Trendy Steel Vacuum Cleaner

I purchased the Trendy steel vacuum cleaner a month and half back. The Flipkart experience was great but two things you should check about the machine. The retracting power chord in my case was faulty and would recoil rigorously from day one.The service executive informed that the retracting spring/ rubber needs to be changed. So look for that part when u run it first. Second the communication in the collateral does not say that its preferred we clear the dust bag every time. I had to call customer care because the machine started throwing out fine dust from the rear end. The service exec informed that though the bag was not full but i need to clear it every time preferably to avoid getting the dust appear from rear end. 

The Customer care executive asked me to take the machine to the closest service station. All this within first 1.5 months and 3 -4 uses. I thought Eureka Forbes and those ratings could be trusted. This is supposed to be their best selling vacuum cleaner. Any ways just look for these two when any one of you purchase or choose to go for this one.

Avoid using India plaza ( Indiaplaza) the online purchase engine

Just for my friends who use online engines to purchase . Though being aggressively advertised recently on all major India portals BEWARE and avoid using India plaza.

Recently reluctantly I used India plaza to purchase a microwave for a colleague at work. I was promised delivery in seven working days. I paid by credit card. Not receiving the merchandise till 10 days I reached them. The customer care bought couple of days first saying there was a courier issue then later in the week reported stock issues.

I tried reaching the CEO, who writes a personalized mail, upon registering with them to make payment. The response from his office was delayed. Finally the person he aligned to my case came back saying that the particular model I had ordered was out of stock and I was given options higher in price than the one I shortlisted.

Finally after 20 days I was at square one. I disputed their payment with my credit card provider.

Moral of the story AVOID India Plaza. They over commit under deliver or do not deliver at all.

Insecure people……..potholes to be avoided

WOW ! second half of the year already !

Just felt like writing about this interaction I had when I was put across one of the Indian colleagues in IBM US. She had all the qualifications anybody could muster under one’s belt – a computer engineer, MBA & PMP but the lady was holding on to her pants like nobody’s business. The call was to discuss something relating to me but she started on her life history and how she won all the accolades. She did not need to sell herself further I was sold enough therefore talking to her. One thing I realized for sure that she had a huge ego and was certainly not a people’s person. She was leading a dream life, may be better and she was wanting to hold onto it with her teeth. Gosh!!! you do not need so many degrees to be successful, to the level she was, one would be enough. May be it was a strategy to overwhelm those who get overwhelmed by degrees. Even the system at times overlooks their soft skills. This one would be a horrible people manager for sure. She had room for no one else but herself on her radar. She keeps doing what she is good at i.e studying and accumulating degrees and keeps neglecting what she is not so good at - working as a team, interacting with people. It works for her, works may be in most work cultures.

Sometimes one comes across people who try to hide their insecurities behind those degrees. The cliche to give them benefit of doubt of being bright/ intelligent and absolving them of their insensitivity and lack of soft skills is very common in the Corporate world. Such people ruin so many other lives reporting to them. Other times one comes across insecure people -  men who are always surrounded by female friends and vice- versa. They feel vulnerable in the company of male friends or the competitive spirit gets into action but some cases this is very noticeable. They always feel more comfortable among female friends. Some others always have this feeling that the other person is dominating them or trying to lead a discussion or trying to change them.

Strange - degrees, money, success nothing gives them the security they should enjoy, given an opportunity they still yearn to feel tall. They are ready to do it by making others feel small or just keep on ranting about themselves.

May be feeling secure has a different basis, may be it not related to the money you make or degrees you muster, may be it is more about how you feel about yourself, may be it is related to your own self evaluation of your integrity, may be.

Life’s best things are for free……..

Friendship, love, air, water, blessings………….

I realize the more transparent it is the more genuine. Opaqueness entails a conflict of interest at some level and therefore lack of integrity. All people you really connect with are more like you and just flow in, are easy to access, are always there when you reach out, are transparent.

What belongs to you would comes easy to you and what does not, is not worthy to sweat for.

Value those who value you, rest are not important :) !!!!!!!!!!!!

Reality Check

What we think about ourselves is not certainly what the world thinks about us. I think following what J Krishnamurti suggests watching our own actions one can understand the workings of our own mind and how beautifully we do what is convenient for us “ glorifying our achievements” and “ wrapping our selfishness” in sentimental garbs.

Listening to others (people with established credibility) and their opinion about one, not getting baffled by the reaction but trying to understand the root cause might be another way of understanding the self. Why others say what they say?

Psychological evolution is much, much slow one realizes. The temptation, to be amidst people who talk in your favor, say things to massage your ego, herd mentality of being acceptable colors our perception to quite an extent. The feeling of being in control, a false perception of being in control by just being able to manage a puny household or corporation, trying to override opinions and always trying to lead conversations is actually sad.

The more we try to seek control of situations the harder we convince the world of our insecurities. So called friends usually do not bother to point out, once a while one meets a true friend who speaks up, what he/she feels without bothering of their self image in our perception, to wake us up from this make believe world we live in. We must Thank God for such a friend/s and cherish the friendship more than ones life.

WELCOMING 2012 !

WOW another New Year ! seems by the time we settle into 2012 it will be time to bid it adieu.

A good suggestion would be to make 5 year calendars going forward, time is really fleeting …..its a hassle to change calendars every year now :)

As I look back 2011 charmed in its own way got to learn so much, earn and grow. Each year has its own flavor. For me 2011 was leveler in more than one way. It gave me opportunities to travel and do stuff I really wanted to do. So my heartfelt thanks to the Supreme power for enabling me do what I wished.

2012, have made my New year resolutions and usually I do not break them :)

Its more courageous to lead life without a plan as is, on a day to day basis being fully aware of time passing. Sometimes hard work and planning does not get one anywhere. Where to go from there?  Well experienced inform  hang on, have patience… and do not lose the dream in your eyes, persevere. Keep it going, hold it fresh in your eyes and some day your dream shall see the light of day.

Happy New Year to one and all !!!!! May the New Year fulfill all our dreams :)) Hope is it a friend or foe :) i wonder..........