Of miracles and Sciences

Thus spake..

2012-01-08T13:17:00.000+05:30

'Nobody knows all that is worth knowing.. Nobody has the time, ever, to know all that one needs to know.. But one can always try to bridge the gap between one's ignorance and knowledge.. One should try to do that all one's life'
- A wise soul

2012-01-08T13:14:00.001+05:30

A very merry busy year:)

Now and ahead..

Reasons to Believe

2012-01-02T22:49:00.000+05:30

How can you not love this new 2012 Coca-Cola advert

Sums up the spirit we need to be in perfectly..

Umeed vali dhoop, Sunshine vali asha..
Rone ki vajah hai kam, Hasne ke bahane hai zyada..
Zidd hai muskuraaenge, Khush rehne ka hai wada..
Umeed vali dhoop.. Sunshine vali asha..
Tum ye jis se agar puchoge, Vo khush rehna he chahe..
Jab sache mann se mango, To khul jaati hai raahein..
To khul ke khushi lutao, Ye kya hai aadha-aadhaa..
Umeed vali dhoop.. Sunshine vali asha..
Umeed vali dhoop.. Sunshine vali asha.....

2012

2012-01-01T17:44:00.000+05:30

12 years since Y2K.. A lot has changed.. More so in the past one-two years..
Luckily I have been able to cope up with most of the changes..
2012 also promises to be a year filled with changes.. good ones I believe..
So other than the fact that 2012 would be a year where I will celebrate walking 27 summers on this planet (trust me I do not feel even close to have walked so much); this year promises many new chapters - some known, some unknown and unforseen..
I wish to start this year again on a positive note by giving gratitude to my family, friends, teachers, colleagues, random strangers that have crossed paths (and will do so in the future), opportunities, successes, lessons, situations; everything that I am a part of in this universe..
While 2011 had a lot to do with spiritual pursuits.. 2012 would continue taking it further while merging worldly activities along with the same..
So here's to everyone in prayer and service.. lets all make it a good year
:)

2011-12-01T13:12:00.002+05:30

'Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.'
-Victor Borge

And...

2011-11-15T12:37:00.000+05:30

I need me some home, some ocean, no work and lots of TLC..

Adele..

2011-11-15T12:20:00.000+05:30

Just discovered Adele and I am kicked about her..
Powerful, soulful and a beautiful voice..
Looking forward to what this talented musician is going to offer in the coming years!!

Here's Adele singing SOMEONE LIKE YOU

And here she is with ROLLING IN THE DEEP.

Have been listening and re-listening to her all the time..
Super stoked!!

Into the vastness..

2011-11-11T13:21:00.000+05:30

The kind woman.. some wise words..a spiritual trance.. in metaphysical realms..

Some people!!

2011-10-24T14:57:00.000+05:30

Some people are not a part of my life any more..And that doesn't even bother me at all..

What has happened to me.. ??? !!!

With a Little Help from My Friends

2011-10-17T18:21:00.000+05:30

Mylo Xyloto

2011-10-10T17:54:00.000+05:30

So Coldplay's New Album is called Mylo Xyloto

And the opening track Paradise.. Listen and enjoy this (probable) anthem in the making :)

New sounds, good vocals, fresh yet classic Coldplay

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Chris Martin discussed the meaning of the album title, Mylo Xyloto.

Quoting The Sun:
It is pronounced My-low Zy-letoe... and even the lads admit the title doesn't mean anything. Chris says: "At the moment it seems a bit ridiculous and I accept that. "Something about it feels quite fresh. The title doesn't have any other meaning. I think we're a band with a lot of history now so it's nice to come up with something that doesn't have any history at all. We've had that title for about two years on a board and any other potential titles had to be written next to it. Other ones made more sense but we just liked this one, that's all we can defend it with."

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Laugh Out Loud

2011-10-10T16:09:00.000+05:30

I had to put this one up... Came across this from some movie review in which Celina Jaitley had acted in..

The review read as follows:-

'Celina once again gets stiff competition from the trees in the background'

Haha.. I dunno the name of the reviewer but this was definitely a literary marvel!!

I roll off laughing every time I think of that statement

PS: No offense to Ms Jaitley, but that line was indeed funny

Flirting in good faith..

2011-10-10T15:27:00.000+05:30

The past couple of years have been devoted to may-be not 'Self Realization', but more of experimenting with ideas, ideals and philosophies.
Not that I have found any answers, but I definitely have come to value things that work for me and respect things that don't work for me.
So I have decided to jot down a few things I thought would be easy to pin down for the benefit of myself (and others that may be remotely be interested in knowing me).. by the way, I had done a similar listing way back in 2008. If interested you can read it here.
Here goes:-
1) My head keeps me busy at all times.. Its an amusement park out there
2) I have discovered the kind of books that I love to read and now I do not need to read just because it is habitual.
3) My mind is continuously thinking.. Sometimes I can control it, many times I cannot!! But I'm learning to befriend it.. Hopefully a few years from now, we'd be good friends
4) I believe that the body, mind and soul are separate and still the same.. 'Separate' because at the end of this life I will give back this mind and body to the elements that created it for me.. 'Same' because in this life I need to experience and manifest the workings of the soul only through this mind and body.
5) I sleep at the end of the day wondering if I have done enough for this body, mind and soul => Hence I try to ensure that there is enough of music, outdoors, books, meditation and work in my day
6) Sheldon Cooper seems to have become my favourite 'Superhero'
7) I laugh when seemingly 'tragic events/situations' arise.. I do not mean harm or bad intent, its just the way I react.. but it does help me tide over elements easily
8) I am grateful to the entire universe for having some of the best people in my life (be it family, friends or even acquaintances) who continue to inspire me and help me find the vision
9) I do question the reason for 'Matrimony'. I am not against the concept, but I haven't yet understood the need for the same and no explanations seem to convince me of it!!
10) People are getting married/engaged/popping-out-the-next-generation all around me!!
11) Vegan lifestyle is not (yet??) for me.. I still wouldn't yet give up on eggs and milk
12) I love raw and boiled vegetables. They seem to do wonders to my spirit and energy
13) I love sipping hot green tea from the Snapple bottle
14) My new-found respect for martial arts surprises me. I am hoping I don't have to eat my words on this one atleast. My body feels great
15) Somewhere deep down I believe I am a work of contradictions
16) I LOVE myself and can't get over that fact
17) I enjoy random, meaningless movies and conversations
18) I have come to realize that I now have many 'Decade-Long' frendships and I am happy about the same
19) My oldest/closest friend is now engaged and getting married sometime next year.. I'm kicked about the fact that the boy is now gonna be a man!!
20) Tom/God/green-pencil-giver/hand-twin/magnetic-engagement-bearer/fellow-kolhapuri-chappal lover.. .. I do believe that the we split from the same soul in some other lifetime!! Im glad I found you :) Thank you for your random acts of kindness and madness
21) I got so much more to learn and achieve
22) I like living in different cities
23) People continue to intrigue me.. They are my laboratories

Well.. Thats most of what I can think of for now.. Will come up with more as and when they pop up in the cerebrum

On a lighter vein..

2011-10-04T18:41:00.000+05:30

I think marriage itself is a 'Social Experiment' with nobody really knowing WHY!!!
Presently the debate seems to be between the traditional versus modern ways of finding a partner..
Nobody knows the outcome yet everyone is rushing towards it!!

3 months to New Year

2011-10-02T13:15:00.000+05:30

I can definitely say that there has been many new beginnings which I am hoping to continue..
Spiritually, materialistically and physically it has been a fulfilling one..
New arts, sciences, spaces and horizons have been reached out to..
A lot more books and inspirations and influences..

Humming.. All the Way to Reno..

2011-09-26T17:24:00.000+05:30

So one of the bands that has had an influential role in my life has decided to call it quits after 35 years of being together. Lead singer Michael Stipes quoted "All things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way."

One of the pioneers of Alternative Rock, REM's signature sounds will continue to enthrall listeners for years to come..

So thank you for the music REM

2011-08-16T15:07:00.001+05:30

Just so glad to be loved
Thank you

Moves Live Jagger

2011-08-13T14:28:00.000+05:30

"Moves Like Jagger"
(Maroon 6feat. Christina Aguilera)

Here We Go Again - Ray Charles & Norah Jones

2011-07-30T11:51:00.001+05:30

Mad World - Michael Andrews

2011-07-01T19:41:00.000+05:30

Haven't listened to this song in the longest time and had forgotten it completely.. I dunno how and why I remembered it and did not even know how/where to search it from..

Funny thing is that I don't even identify with the song anymore.. Largely..

But here it is.. for old times' sake!!!

I'm Reading..

2011-06-24T11:48:00.000+05:30

Just laid my hands on one of the coolest books I have come across in the longest time.. I HAVE A DREAM by Rashmi Bansal

If you thought that a socialist cause can't be married to enterprising capitalism, here's what you definitely need to read..!!!

Stories of 20 'Social Entrepreneurs' who decided that things can be done another way..

They don't believe in charity.. They just believe in the cause..and decide to improve the lives of many people and also make profits out of it for everyone..

If you are the kinds that wants to do something for the society out there, this is a book you must read!!

Also if you thought that you're too small to make a difference to the large picture, then again this is the book to read!!

Rashmi Bansal is a new author I have run into and I am definitely kicked to read her other works such as Stay Hungry Stay Foolish and Connect the Dots.

Simply a must-read author and a must-read book!!

Little Room - Norah Jones

2011-06-19T10:46:00.000+05:30

You and me and,
Me and you,
In my little room,
There's room enough for us to do,
The things we like to do.

Oops, I hit my elbow on the doorknob,
Its right there,
It's by the bed next to my head,
But I don't even care.

There's stars up on the wall,
And they all glow in the dark,
And we can hear the children playing,
Outside in the park.

There's bars on the window,
And if there were a fire,
We'd burn up for sure,
But that's just fine by me 'cause,
We would be together ever more.

In this little room,
In the big city we're so far,
From the people that we knew in,
My big ol' blue car.

But if we stick together,
Then I know we'll be ok,
'cause when it gets too cold outside,
This room is where we'll stay.

Trees

2011-06-17T11:02:00.000+05:30

My favouritist things in this whole wide world.. I heart :)

Chillanka ketti oti oti vaayo...

2011-06-13T18:01:00.000+05:30

One of my all time favorite bhajans..
Ecstasy!!
Bliss!!

In Gratitude

2011-06-13T12:15:00.000+05:30

A Gratitude machine...

:)

In esoteric realms...

2011-06-06T11:39:00.002+05:30

Across The Universe - The Beatles

2011-06-06T11:39:00.000+05:30

Words are flying out like
endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy
are drifting thorough my open mind
Possessing and caressing me

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Images of broken light which
dance before me like a million eyes
That call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a
restless wind inside a letter box
they tumble blindly as
they make their way across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter shades of life
are ringing through my open ears
exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva

:)

2011-06-03T11:23:00.000+05:30

A gurgling Happy Heart :)

2011-05-30T18:27:00.002+05:30

We all become prisoners of our own intellect
- Baba Shivanand

Peace Out

2011-05-19T13:50:00.000+05:30

Time to un-clutter.. To take a deep breath before the next step..
The zoning-out has already began..
I see the new sunrise on the other side of the mountain..
Waving out to me..
The viscera have started to jump in joyful frequent succession..
Off I go to my parallel universe..
To peace out.. And smile in..
So long...

Off With This Hair

2011-05-18T15:12:00.002+05:30

Summer Happy with that mop of hair off my head..

No wonder I was feeling all heavy and tired carrying that load on my head!!

So when I visited my friendly neighborhood barber I screamed at him 'Off With This Hair'.. Somewhat like this.

Haha.. The Red-Queen is such a cartoon!!! I love eccentrics!!

And no.. I'm not takloo.. just close-cropped.. !!

Im listening..

2011-05-17T15:05:00.001+05:30

Been listening to this track from Delhi Belly..

Its called Bhag Bhag D K Bose

It is way out of my element and space contextually.. but this is a real cool song!!!

An ode to my favorite wheels!!

2011-05-14T19:18:00.000+05:30


WHEEEEEEEE.....

Happy Together - The Turtles

2011-05-14T14:33:00.002+05:30

(Click here to listen to the song)
Imagine me and you, I do
I think about you day and night, it's only right
To think about the girl you love and hold her tight
So happy together

If I should call you up, invest a dime
And you say you belong to me and ease my mind
Imagine how the world could be, so very fine
So happy together

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby the skies will be blue
For all my life

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby the skies will be blue
For all my life

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

So happy together
How is the weather
So happy together
We're happy together
So happy together
Happy together
So happy together
So happy together (ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba)

In Me place..

2011-05-14T12:55:00.000+05:30

- Me spends a lot of time in me head
- Me witnesses.. and try not to judge or speak
- Me smiles
- Me needs to give a lot more love
- Me is happy that some dear ones have found happiness and balance
- Me is praying for some dear ones to find clarity and direction
- Me loves me a lot

Me loves the journey.. And the destination :)

Once Upon a time..

2011-05-03T15:13:00.000+05:30

I just so love that line..
It brings with it adventures and the unknown..

Indifference

2011-04-21T23:00:00.000+05:30

Indifference can be quite an unexpected if not unwanted visitor..
Sometimes I just let it be.. and sometimes I fight it.. Nevertheless.. I feel like a whole pile of other priorities overshadowed it..
Phew.. !!

... and me

2011-04-17T09:19:00.000+05:30

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

Black and White

2011-04-15T14:55:00.000+05:30

So.. Life seems to have handed me some lemons.. Don't get me wrong.. I really love em and and saying it in a good way !!.. also with summer just around the corner, lots of lemonade is bound to be the order of the day ;)

My life feels like a 60's movie these days.. Interesting in a 'Black and White' way.. I have always loved black and white movies :)

Some new entries into the thing we call Life.. Maybe some new emotions, I have not felt in a while.. Does it all carry a meaning ? I dunno, and frankly I don't care.. I just want to be a witness of it all.. Not fighting or supporting it.. Just experiencing everything..

Jason Mraz pretty much epitomized it when he sang 'Lucky I'm in love with my best friend'.. Don't jump into conclusions.. I'm just hoping I get a chance to sing that for someone.. Woah, I never continue to surprise me.. I should stop making statements that I will have to end up eating or swallow my pride.. But in a way, I have decided that 'ego' needs to let go!! I'm trying, not successfully though!!

Being 'Black and White' can mean there are a lots of shades and tints used to express the different layers and under-currents..But being 'Black and White' can also mean that a lot of color and palette related information is lost, or rather transfigured!!

I don't like to sound so technical for a something as wonderful as life, its like quantifying 'moments' in units of times such as 'seconds'.. However as Management Guru Peter Drucker says 'What can be measured can be managed', I was just trying to express!!

I always find a way of using fancy words to describe random-ality (dunno if thats a words, but I shall still use it)..

Enough of digressing.. back to being 'Black and White'.. full stop

On a parting note, I have realized that 'Being deep has nothing to do with being intense!!'

Sun, Sand, Sea and Soul

2011-04-06T14:36:00.001+05:30

"I love you when you dance when you freestyle in trance.. so pure such an expression " Sang Alanis as I decided to run away on a weekend getaway!!

Un-surprisingly I chose Gokarna to hide away from the world.. (This post is not a travelogue about Gokarna.. Google it cos enough has been written about it here, there and everywhere)..

So what was the plan anyways.. None actually..

I had been to Gokarna a long long time ago.. Actually 5 years back to be exact!! Well nothings changed.. Its still as pure and pristine as it was when I last visited the place..

Anyways, I decided.. like all new age independent thinkers (not sure if I am qualified to call myself a 'thinker' but nevertheless.. My blog.. and who cares!!) that I needed to break-away.. But I wasn't even looking to run away actually.. Didn't know till the last moment that I would actually go.. But, it was well worth the effort..

This time I wanted to explore this idyllic little temple town a little bit more intimately!!

Other than the fact that I am visiting this place after 5 later, I also seemed to have matured with some spiritual and mental needs.. Really!!!

So this time I wasn't really a pleasure hunter.. I just wanted to connect to the rich legacy this place offers.. And wow.. does it!!

For those of who don't know much about Gokarna (and incase you don't want to Google it either), this is a small temple town.. which attracts millions of pilgrims.. year after year.. after all if you have in your childhood followed the tales from the Shiv-Mahapuran, this place has been vividly described.. Along with neighboring pilgrim centres!! Gokarna is also a hippie paradise.. with 5 of the most beautiful beaches you could have laid your eyes upon.. atleast among the ones I know of in India..

However, contrary to my belief, this place is not just visited by European hippies and Indian pilgrims.. You also see a lot of pseudo Indian pleasure hunters and firangi soul seekers.. All in all a good mix..

I was happy to listen to the Sanskrit that was spoken in the village streets.. This place is supposed to be one of the seats of Sanskrit learning in India.. Not that I know to speak Sanskrit, but it was a good revelation that people still speak what is considered and obsolete tongue.. You can also hear sporadic Kannada and Marathi being spoken.. Didn't have enough time this time, But I really wanted to meet and know more about the local customs and styles.. The place did remind me of Kerala.. Simple, green and beautiful.. Even the locals are comfortable with foreigners prying around in barely any clothes on their already naked bodies.. But what the hell..I'm no trying to be judgmental.. Just observing!!

I was staying in one of the shacks available at Kudle beach.. Pristine and cheap.. 100 bucks per head per night.. And you can keep gazing at the gorgeous ocean all the time.. Beautiful.. And keep eating your favorite fish food.. All yum!!

So I was either playing around in the waves.. Or meditating.. Or lying on the beach.. or Temple hopping.. or reading a book.. or listening to music.. or speaking to random strangers about life!!

Infact the guy staying the the shack next to mine was an Italian named Phillipe who had been living in India for over a year now.. And he was telling me about his spiritual journey and how he came to India to learn Yoga..
It was interesting when he noted during our conversation that I don't seem like an average Indian.. He said that I think and behave like any European soul searching for light.. Unlike Indians who either don't care too much or have achieved it already.. It was fun to hear somebody else's viewpoint about spiritual India and Indians..

I also met among other people a British woman named Rachel.. She was also on her journey through finding "Love and Light".. One of the observations she made was about how the firangs in Gokarna are largely 2 kinds.. The ones to come plainly to smoke pot and others like her that want to find answers that her world doesn't provide.. I do hope she finds what she is seeking!!

Well.. Like I said this trip was not just about spiritual seeking.. It was also about fun.. So yea.. I did do some things that I needed to tick off in my bucket list.. Some of you may already know it.. For the others.. Keep guessing.. You may end up with the right guesses..

So I leave this post on a happy note screaming "Sun, Sand, Sea and Soul!!"

A reggae Sunday morning kinda..

2011-04-03T11:26:00.000+05:30

So summer seems to have finally started creeping down cool and shadowed Bangalore walls!! And its always good in the beginning.. So before I start ranting about how hot and sweltering the weather becomes over the next coupla months, I want to enjoy this reggae kinda weather.. Whats missing is the music and the beach :)

Nevertheless, India has scripted the most perfect win and stamped their dominance over the only game we know to play (sorry if I sound sarcastic, I really am not!!).. I really am happy and proud; the game was played intelligently, consistently, like we owned it!! A moment my country will keep bragging about till as long as our memory lasts.. But a win is a win.. Sweet and special.. a big Salute to MS Dhoni for and awe-inspiring leadership!! Well done

Kudos India..

And me gets back to my reggae kinda space!!

Lazy Confessions - The Moldy Peaches

2011-04-01T11:00:00.000+05:30

Lazy confessions
Crazy intentions
Scratching unwilling
Sports cars are thrilling
I like potatoes
I don't like tomatoes
I'm goin' fishin
Cos' I'm on a mission

I wanna live for today
I wanna roll in the hay
But I'm floating away
I got nothing to say

It makes me slappy
To walk like your pappy
I need to improvise
Just lookin' at the pies
Boohoo I'm dying
Ravenous sighing
I think you're pretty
My shrink says I'm witty

I wanna live for today
I wanna roll in the hay
But I'm floating away
I got nothing to say

But I'm floating away
I got nothing to say

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This song is dedicated to one of my favorite persons in the the whole wide world :)

BANDSLAM (movie)

2011-03-30T13:47:00.001+05:30

Have you ever chanced upon a movie that took you by surprise.. A happy one!!
And probably got you smiling without realizing!!

BANDSLAM is one such movie I have been lucky to have watched.. While randomly flipping channels on my regular weekly off munching on some breakfast..

I really dunno what was it that caught me into this movie.. Definitely not the name.. And let me remind you that I can never watch movies on the small screen cos they never grip me enough, no matter how famous or great the movie is to the world.. So if this movie did make me sit through the 2 hours, then either something must be right with it or something must definitely be wrong with me!!

Anyways, this is a movie for all happy-good movie lovers..

To make it simple if you're a fan of movies like JUNO, SCHOOL OF ROCK, ROCK ON, etc.. This good youth/music oriented feel-good film (no, I won't call it a 'teen flick' nor 'musical' cos of the prerogatives attached to the terms) that must be watched

David Bowie, and down the line! 'Dear David,...'

NICE

Anyways, India-Pakistan semi-finals are just less than an hour away..

Bleeding Blue!!

I am completely Desi.. But I think only in English!!

2011-03-26T12:44:00.001+05:30

A conversation with my 'oldest part-friend/part-alter-ego' got me to think a little bit (well.. no surprises here!!)

Anyways the conversation revolved around about the place we are in life.. Yes yes.. Being in the mid-twenties and behaving sometimes like 17 year olds and sometimes like 40 year olds can make a conversation quite entertaining... :)

So.. Being closer to 30 has brought with it many new topics to discuss.. Such as - marriage, settling down and blah blah blah.. I'm sure all the generations before and all the generations after will have similar topics to discuss.. albeit less boring I'm sure.. What's funny is that I never pictured myself having to bother my grey matter with all this believing I am far beyond all this!!

Now; this oldest part-friend/part-alter-ego's community has taken it as their sole purpose in life (as of now) to find him an alliance!! Sweet.. But not really!!

So the community goodwill has brought him to meet many a wonderful interesting funny prospective alliances..

Won't get into the nitty gritties of the women that have been chosen for him to meet/marry/share the rest of his life..

The bottom line being that none of them have really made the cut so far..

Upon analyzing the entire situation, we found the following about the 'oldest part-friend/part-alter-ego'.. And realized that it can apply to myself and many others belonging to the same school of thought!! So I shall enlist them as "We" instead of "He" as it stands for the larger demographics

1) We believe in love.. and that it can be arranged !!
2) We don't care about what the society thinks.. But we care for how we are perceived in the society!!
3) We are in it for the long haul.. And quite old school at that too!!
4) We want to make sure things work out at individual, family and community levels
5) We love the cultures, traditions and backgrounds we come from and yet look down upon the people of our own communities for being close-minded in the way they behave and think!!
6) We believe in having a global identity and yet look down upon the way the west functions and people brought up there for being overtly liberated and their loose morals!!
7) We know that we're big hypocrites and are rather proud of it :)
8) We're prude and quite happy about it
9) We entertain the vices under the pretext of social norms.. But really can't be bothered!!
10) We use the national language for business purposes alone
11) We use our mother tongues for cultural purposes alone
12) And we use English to think!!

Well.. All of the above pretty much identifies this social demographics we belong to..

I know that not everyone subscribes to it, but some of us do!!

And why did I make a post of this all.. Simply because I wanted to say "I am completely Desi.. But I think only in English!!"

The Intention Experiment - Book Review

2011-03-24T12:16:00.000+05:30

The Intention Experiment is a book that has blown my mind away..

And its perfect, as my blog title is "Miracles and Sciences" and this book is just that.

It takes you into the realm of advanced particle science, quantum physics, self-help, spirituality, psychology, mind-over-matter and all the more..

I definitely see this as the science of tomorrow.. Needs to be understood even better if we wish to make a difference to the world we usher!!

A MUST READ for everyone.. and definitely makes time for all the sci-fi, detective, thriller maniacs!!

Below I have copy-pasted from Amazon.com the various reviews and other matter related to this work

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Review

"If you want to explore the latest science behind The Secret, look no further. Science and wisdom collide and make friends in this real-world adventure that is ultimately a guidebook for living."-- Drew Heriot, director of The Secret

"Lynne McTaggart has zeroed in on a wonderful collection of experiments and events that shatters our normal materialistic assumptions of time, space, and everything in between (if there is an in-between). It's as mind-bending as it's meant to be."-- William Arntz, producer, writer, and director of What the BLEEP Do We Know!? and author of What the BLEEP Do We Know!? - Discovering the Endless Possibilities For Altering Your Everyday Reality

"Very few books are able to transform information into inspiration--concepts into action--word into deed. The Intention Experiment does exactly that. In a style that is highly entertaining and accessible, McTaggart reminds us of an eternal truth too often overlooked: Each of us possesses the power of the Universe WITHIN. Now that is a transformational read!"-- Ward M. Powers, Filmmaker and Director, ONE: The Movie

"The Intention Experiment is an extraordinary advance in our understanding of consciousness as a field of all possibilities where intention orchestrates its own fulfillment. If you want to empower yourself and use the laws of intention to manifest your material reality, read this book." -- Deepak Chopra, author of Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment

Description

The book you hold in your hands is revolutionary, a groundbreaking exploration of the science of intention.Drawing on the findings of leading scientists from around the world, The Intention Experiment demonstrates that thought is a thing that affects other things. It is also the first book to invite you, the reader, to take an active part in its original research.Using cutting-edge research conducted at Princeton,MIT, Stanford, and many other prestigious universities and laboratories, The Intention Experiment reveals that the universe is connected by a vast quantum energy field.Thought generates its own palpable energy, which you can use to improve your life and, when harnessed together with an interconnected group, to change the world.
In The Intention Experiment, internationally bestselling author Lynne McTaggart takes you on a gripping, mind-blowing journey to the furthest reaches of consciousness.As she narrates the exciting developments in the science of intention, she also profiles the colorful scientists and renowned pioneers who study the effects of focused group intention on scientifically quantifiable targets -- animal, plant, and human.
McTaggart offers a practical program to get in touch with your own thoughts, to increase the activity and strength of your intentions, and to begin achieving real change in your life. You are then invited to participate in an unprecedented experiment: Using The Intention Experiment website to coordinate your involvement and track results, you and other participants around the world will focus your power of intention on specific targets, giving you the opportunity to become a part of scientific history. A new Afterword by the author recounts the successes of the several Intention Experiments so far.
The Intention Experiment forces you to rethink what it is to be human. It proves that we're connected to everyone and everything -- and that discovery demands that we pay better attention to our thoughts, intentions, and actions. Here's how you can.

About the Author

Lynne McTaggart is an internationally recognized spokesperson on the science of spirituality and the award-winning author of five books, including The Field, which has been published in fourteen languages. She is also co-executive director of Conatus, which publishes some of the world's most respected health and spiritual newsletters, including What Doctors Don't Tell You and Living the Field. She lives in London.

Suite Bergamesque - Debussy

2011-03-19T12:54:00.000+05:30

Why??
Simply because I love it!!

I think this Suite (which approximately means an 'Album' back in the middle ages :) ) is one of the most interesting set of music ever written (my opinion!!).

Especially the Prelude and Claire De Lune!!

And you don't need to really know Western Classical Music for it.. Simply close your eyes and listen.. Magic!!

Great music to have in the background while your doing your work, even works for meditation or while driving around in the car!!

Listen to it here - Claire De Lune - Debussy

To know more about Debussy click here
To know more about Suite Bergamesque click here

Wise ones

2011-03-18T19:16:00.000+05:30

The new-age sages have said so.. and I repeat..

"Don't marry the person you can live with.. marry the person you can't live without."

I found the quote quite thoughtful and decided to put it up here..
Not cos I found someone i can live with or can't live without!!

So don't bother commenting!!

So..

2011-03-10T16:02:00.000+05:30

We all have different ways in which we perceive ourselves, or wish to be perceived by others. Although I regularly say "I don't care what the society says" or "I don't judge or liked to be judged", I myself fall into these mechanisms..

"Judging" and "Perceiving" being natural to every human being... and is not really a bad thing.. Rather judging, being judged and perception are corrective tools of the human eco system. Helps make changes within ourselves and to our changeable surroundings based on the feedback..

But yes, if the tool doesn't work properly, it can harm the society and the people that make up the system.

So, although we wouldn't want to be judged for the not-so-great things we do, we do want appreciation for the things we do the right way.

Anyways, since I went off the tangent, the point really is mooted around- Although life may seem meaningless, and death is inevitable.. Why do I want to document and preserve many parts of my life through this blog or otherwise???

No, That is not to say that I think life is meaningless.. On the contrary, I think life is wonderful and that death is just The Begining..

I am questioning my need or urge to blog.. Is it because I want to be judged or perceived a certain way.. Or is it because I want to preserve a part of me for HISTORY!!

On a finishing note, I am un-sure if this blog would immortalize me, however as Benjamin Franklin (one of the Founding Fathers of United States) had this to say in the 1700's..

"If you are not to be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing"

Wow, after reading and re-reading and re-editing this post so far, I realize that it is an oddball of a post with a million contradictions and no real concrete or random point to make, yet I decided to PUBLISH it..

I'm not exactly looking for answers, but definitely the oddball in you may resonate with some of the thoughts.. however random and un-tangential it may be..

Thank god for MS WORD..

2011-03-10T14:56:00.000+05:30

Some things I can never spell or do right... no matter how many times I would have practiced it..
So thank god for "Cut+Copy+Paste", "Spell checks", "Un-do's"..
Dunno how inadequate I would have been should there have not been these super tools..
Phew!!

I

2011-03-10T12:07:00.000+05:30

What does "I" mean or signify?

Photo-memorizing!!!

2011-03-04T13:28:00.000+05:30

Coz I felt like it

Thank you Bonny and Cher :)

2011-03-03T16:11:00.001+05:30

[HIM:] I got flowers in the spring I got you to wear my ring
[HER:] And when I'm sad, you're a clown
And if I get scared, you're always around
[HER:] So let them say your hair's too long
'Cause I don't care, with you I can't go wrong
[HIM:] Then put your little hand in mine
There ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb

Dhobi Ghat - A review

2011-01-27T15:21:00.000+05:30

Watching Dhobi Ghat is like watching a painting unfold.. And Mumbai plays the perfect muse.. Great acting.. Super music ... Kiran Rao has undoubtedly arrived..

Yes, people watched the movie only because Its got Aamir khan.. But the movie holds its own.. It grows on you while you watch it.. Anyone with an iota of artistic sensibility will appreciate it..

More aesthetic than moral..

More poetic than lyrical..!!

More intellectual than intelligent..!!

Its real, raw, unapologetic, filthy, vulgar and yet not in your face..

Brilliant movie.. good that such films are now being made in Formula ridden Bollywood.. Although I love Bollywood for its madness..This one had a charm of its own!!
I'd rather call Dhobi Ghat a world-cinema than an art film as it has... an appeal that ranges across different sections of the society.. Its very visceral..(arty than art)
Add to all this is the fact that the movie boats of Grammy Award Winning Musicians Gustavo Santaolalla and Ryuichi Sakamoto!!

However, if you're looking for a regular entertaining Bollywood movie, then this one is definitely not for you.. May as well miss it than diss it

Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan.. Thank you

And January come to an end..

2011-01-27T14:47:00.001+05:30

So 2011 came by and is already 1/12th done!!!
Time flies they say.. and I have to have to agree..
Been a good year so far.. Some interesting projects coming up..
For most part I'm still warming up to the year but things have started to take stage already..
Friends have been showering kindness.. It always feels good to be appreciated..
Work is getting fun yet serious.. Big Stuff coming up and I can't wait for it all to start..
Trees love to get hugged :)
I hope that my graph is always steady and looking upward..
Discipline can sometimes behave like a visitor, but I'm hoping we become better friends..:)
Random as always..Organized as well :)

:)

2011-01-11T19:37:00.002+05:30

1/1/11

2011-01-01T22:44:00.002+05:30

Didn't feel like missing the opportunity to post on 1/1/11. (And the post would be up at around 11:11pm)

So 2011 was ushered quite like I wanted it to be.

Peaceful-Unreachable-Calm-Guided-Creative-Warmth-Happiness.. All came to play a part in bringing in 2011 to me..

"Its so good that we're created this way.. We're so fond of people and happy to meet everyone in general.. Yet super detached from all".. This was the conversation that the folks and I had.. And a warm smile plastered on our faces..

Really glad we're not into the texting and calling the world to wish "Happy New Year" bandwagon..
Really happy that we cant be bothered..
Really kicked that we love being home..
Really!!!

Really thrilled that 2011 is here!!

Dear 2011

2010-12-31T15:34:00.000+05:30

Very excited about the divine, exciting, musical, powerful, prosperous, contemplative, happy, healthy and cheerful journey we are about to share..

Looking forward to the stories you will tell..
I know you will be very fulfilling, enriching and blessed..

With love and in gratitude
Ashwin

Dear 2010..

2010-12-31T15:11:00.000+05:30

You have been a blessing and a wonderful companion.. Couldn't have asked for anything better.. You will always remain a cherished part of me..
Much love and gratitude
Ashwin

Un-Spaced Out

2010-12-21T11:41:00.000+05:30

Thank you Karen Carpenter.. :)

A rush..

2010-12-04T17:45:00.002+05:30

2010 is rushing towards its final few days.. I'm excited.. Dunno if it is because the year is coming to an end or because a new year is around the corner..

Either ways.. It has been awesome.. It will be awesome..

For a year that bought many a gifts.. And to a year that will bring even more..

I like this threshold period..

Feels like the deep-breath that is taken before the big dive..

Oh.. There is so much more to do and to finish before I can take that deep breath though..

Nevertheless.. Blessed.. Loved.. Always..

Coldplay - Christmas Lights

2010-12-02T16:38:00.000+05:30

http://www.youtube.com/user/ColdplayTV#p/a/f/0/z1rYmzQ8C9Q

Christmas night, another fight
Tears we cried a flood
Got all kinds of poison in
Poison in my blood

I took my feet
To Oxford Street
Trying to right a wrong
Just walk away
Those windows say
But I can't believe she's gone

When you're still waiting for the snow to fall
Doesn't really feel like Christmas at all

Up above candles on air flicker
Oh they flicker and they float
But I'm up here holding on
To all those chandeliers of hope

Like some drunken Elvis singing
I go singing out of tune
Saying how I always loved you darling
And I always will

Oh when you're still waiting for the snow to fall
Doesn't really feel like Christmas at all

Still waiting for the snow to fall
It doesn't really feel like Christmas at all

Those Christmas lights
Light up the street
Down where the sea and city meet
May all your troubles soon be gone
http://www.elyricsworld.com/christmas_lights_lyrics_coldplay.html
Oh Christmas lights keep shining on

Those Christmas lights
Light up the street
Maybe they'll bring her back to me
Then all my troubles will be gone
Oh Christmas lights keep shining on

Oh Christmas lights
Light up the street
Light up the fireworks in me
May all your troubles soon be gone
Oh Christmas lights keep shining on

MIND

2010-11-29T12:23:00.000+05:30

I still continue to wonder about this wonderful thing called the HUMAN MIND. It has never failed to surprise me.

Don't know what does is qualify as- an organ, an event, an occurrence, a part/activity of the brain, a perception, a spiritual portal, a process that includes all these and a lot more?

Anyways, I'm sure there are definitions and there are definitions.. And I'm not going to get into any of it.

Its just an awesome 'whatever' !!

And I just felt like putting it here.. in reverence..

A mind of its own..

I Thank you..

2010-11-28T17:07:00.000+05:30

... For the words that inspire
... For the pat saying "Job Well Done"
... For the treasure trove of music you bring and continue to bring to my life
... For understanding that I needed to be pushed and prodded and roughed up for my own good
... For humbling me with your kind eyes and forgiving smile
... For the lessons you continue to teach ever more
... For challenging me knowing that I can do better
... For making even unimportant seem important
... For reminding me of gratitude
... For all the things you let me have
... For the significant silences which always bring me calm
... For you dynamic personality
... For the opportunities you continue to bring me
... For reminding me that being grounded is as important as soaring
... For letting me hug you
... For hugging me
... For letting me walk over you
... For letting me experience the gift
... For nourishing me
... For the wink when no one is watching
... For the word awesome
... For being there; always blessing
... For the moments that make it worth living
... For being the child you are
... For reaching out to me
... For letting me be
... For the most amazing life you gave given me
... For knowing better
... For your presence

I thank you.. For everything

Another Orbit...

2010-11-24T19:20:00.000+05:30

Have started feeling the shift in trajectory.. Not so much about enjoying than that of experiencing..

Suddenly; my favorite jokes don't seem funny anymore.. Interesting people have stopped interesting me .. A dense feeling.. And it definitely is not the weather..

Hoping that all this is a temporary shift of course.. Or at least for the better..

For all I know, tomorrow morning will definitely be a different day!!

Dream a Little Dream of Me

2010-11-15T17:26:00.000+05:30

Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singin’ in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me

Say nighty-night and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you’ll miss me
While I’m alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me

Stars fading but I linger on dear
Still craving your kiss
I’m longin’ to linger till dawn dear
Just saying this

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me

Yes, dream a little dream of me

Attitude is Everything by Vicki Hitzges (An Excerpt)

2010-11-12T12:34:00.000+05:30

Again.. One of the email forwards I got from my uncle.. And this one is pretty cool worth reading.. So I put it up.. As always many of you may have already read this before, but nevertheless read it again.. Feel good.. Feel happy.. Feel worth it..

So here goes..

"Years ago, I was the public relations director for motivational guru, Zig Ziglar. At the time, he was arguably the best-known, most loved speaker in the world. When audience members heard Zig, they witnessed a man chockfull of energy, vitality and joy. Having worked closely with him and knowing him well, I can tell you that the Zig you saw on stage was the real Zig Ziglar. In fact, I can't remember ever seeing him when he was not happy and upbeat.

The Zig I knew was one carbonated guy.

Every time Zig answered his home phone, he picked up the receiver and said with gusto, "This is Jean Ziglar's happy husband!" And he meant it!

Awhile back one of Zig's closest friends and I were discussing Zig's aura of happiness. "Completely genuine," his friend said. "I have never seen him down." Then he added thoughtfully, but with love, "Hardly what you'd call normal."

"What's Zig's secret?" I asked.

"I think," he said, "it comes down to feeling grateful. Never met a guy more grateful than Zig. Period."

You'd think anyone that grateful must have had an easy life. But that's not so.

Zig started out poor. Dirt poor. His father died when he was six, leaving his mother to raise eleven children alone. The family was virtually penniless. Yet despite their poverty, Mrs. Ziglar instilled a strong work ethic in her children and raised them to believe that both she and God loved them. She also instructed her children to practice saying "please" and "thank you." Those lessons stuck. Her formula of work, love and faith made their difficult lives easier. Gratitude made their lives enjoyable.

Zig once told me, "When we neglect to require our children to say 'thank you' when someone gives them a gift or does something for them, we raise ungrateful children who are highly unlikely to be content. Without gratitude, happiness is rare. With gratitude, the odds for happiness go up dramatically."

Years ago, Zig created the popular phrase, "Have an attitude of gratitude." According to Zig, "The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for."

I know firsthand that giving thanks brings joy. Awhile back, I heard Oprah Winfrey urge viewers to keep a Gratitude Journal. It seemed pretty schmaltzy to me, so I didn't do it. But Oprah was a jackhammer. Day after day, week after week, she kept pounding on that idea. I'd catch her show here and there. Same thing: Keep a Gratitude Journal. A few months later, I was speaking to a government group and staying in a cruddy hotel. I was seated at the hotel's indoor restaurant by a swimming pool reeking with enough chlorine to purify the Love Canal. As I waited impatiently for my meal to arrive, I suddenly remembered Oprah's directive. What the heck? I had a pen and some scrap paper.

I listed my mother who spent time each day praying for me. I wrote down my father who deeply loves me. My kind, funny brother and his family. My job and the opportunity to travel and encourage people. Friends. Laughter. For the fact that I had a place to sleep that was safe. For a private bathroom. (You start listing - you begin to get thankful!) I quickly listed about 30 things and noticed that not only did I have a lot to be thankful for, but suddenly I was in a terrific mood!

Publisher Malcolm Margolin was grateful for something that's right outside our doors, but most of us have never taken the time to experience it. He wrote, "The next time it begins to rain... lie down on your belly, nestle your chin into the grass, and get a frog's-eye view of how raindrops fall... The sight of hundreds of blades of grass bowing down and popping back up like piano keys strikes me as one of the merriest sights in the world."

That might strike you as advice from a person with not nearly enough to do, but personally, I like it. If Margolin can feel joy in soggy clothes looking at wet grass, you and I can find all kinds of things for which we can give thanks!

Try it! Count your blessings. Jot them down. At least stop and think of as many things as you can that you're thankful for right now. It worked for Oprah, Zig, Margolin and me. Give it a shot. If you want to feel happy, try on an attitude of gratitude for a change in your mood, your outlook and you."

A Little Awesomeness

2010-11-03T16:33:00.000+05:30

Another year has started showing signs of aging not before settling for some glorious, unabashed celebration.

Its Diwali time..

And in all this festive garb.. As always I decided to think about me..

Definitely feeling a little good about the self.. can't help but hide the quiet and fantastic gurgle the self showers upon the self.. I know this post could have come by the year end.. But nevertheless, anytime is as appropriate to show a little love, gratitude and forgiveness

The curve has been that of growth, so that's not a bit alarming..

And I can feel the electricity in the air.. of the wonderful things still in store.. Of leaps and bounds yet to cover..

Through all this I do feel the power beyond us all.. guiding.. shining.. smiling..

A little awesomeness.. and truckloads of chocolates :)

A Little Ocean of Wisdom..

2010-10-01T19:50:00.001+05:30

Little Aadit (my cousin's son) has been quite a revelation in the age of Computer-feeding, pseudo-sense speaking and Synthetic junk eating youngsters.

I haven't written about anyone person(s) in this blog particularly in a long time cos I never really felt the need to do so nor has anybody evinced my interest to be written about heartily.. however this post is dedicated to the little human who in our 15 mins conversation gave me a lot to think and smile about.

Right from our first acknowledgments, we got along like a house on fire. Considering I am his uncle whom he has never met in his entire life, we didn't waste time to catch up on the lost time of his eventful 8 years on this planet.

The kidult (Kid+adult) had the innocence, enthusiasm, exuberance and warmth of a child; wit of a seasoned comedian; intelligence of well-read learned person; charm of a well-practiced smooth talker; imagination of an artist; emotional and intellectual depth; and wisdom far beyond his age.. something most of my generation and even generations earlier could only wish for..

Not that he cared too much of my observations of him, he just welcomed me into his stories, adventures, jokes; basically life as he knew it.. adding new dimensions, colors and sound perceptions to make sure that each word was loaded and well weighed..

Kiddo, you are like a breath of fresh air... Wish more kids and adults were like you..

Great conversations and a lot of imagination.

God Bless..

Thank you

:)

2010-09-25T20:14:00.000+05:30

And I smell excitement right around the corner..
All set..
And fidgety..

A wickless flame..

2010-09-21T18:30:00.000+05:30

The loud silence speaks a million tongue in languages I understand..
Blissing out.. Sometimes hollow.. Sometimes lost..

Smiler..

2010-09-20T19:06:00.000+05:30

Smiler..

Always loved humans with a voice.. or ones that grow up to find their voice..

Music itself is a voice I have found only recently.. or rather in the recent past.. and the 2 most important people that introduced me to this voice ain't a part of my life anymore.. maybe their purpose in my life was done.. But I still wish u guys were around.. I'd like to thank you for this wonderful gift you have introduced me to.. love and gratitude..

Who says there can't be random conversation.. Why should every conversation have to mean something.. I'm glad that there are some such souls who share a similar idea of living.. fun.. uninterrupted.. uncorrupted.. quite like a breath of fresh air.. love and hugs..

Miracles happen.. and they continue to happen.. gladly I still feel em..

Friends with relationships more complex than trigonometric or algebraic equations keep popping in and out of my life.. Sometimes I'm glad they found each other.. Sometimes I'm glad I found myself..

Its been a fun journey teaching this little kid who has learnt (or rather learning to) to communicate with me..Teaching music was an accidental vocation that has been great fun and a learning experience. Enriching is more like it.. Agreed there are days when there can be the not-so-joyful moments..and sometimes I just want to tear my hair off.. but largely, most things have been pardonable..

Trees continue to be a part of an everyday parade.. spirituality, companionship, joy, comfort oozes from them..

Need to get more disciplined in life..

Thanks for the heavy petting..

More Smiler.. and a lot more Breather..

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

2010-08-18T19:12:00.002+05:30


I see trees of green, red roses too
 I see them bloom for me and you
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 I see skies of blue and clouds of white
 The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
 Are also on the faces of people going by
 I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
 They're really saying "I love you"

 I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
 They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
 Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 Oh yeah

Thank you for the Music...

2010-07-23T17:00:00.002+05:30

The Cat and her sharpened claws.. danced a little with those flutterbys..
And while coffee married tea on the table of the singer, on a hot afternoon..
Thoughts became words, and words became letters.. they expanded to a library.....
So as good bad idea and bad good ideas, fight to be impregnated with life..
We thank you for the music.. for all those fantastic lyrics.. and all the great songs..

Hug a Tree

2010-07-22T21:22:00.000+05:30

Time Required: 10 to 30 minutes

Why don't you take a moment out of your day to hug a tree?
Its very simple.
Although some trees, like people, are more huggable than others, they all need a hug now and again.

Here's How:

Find yourself a quiet park, forest, or woodland area, or even a street with trees.
Walk among the trees until you feel comfortable in their presence.
Feel the different bark textures with the palms of your hands.
Smell the scent of the various woods.
Absorb their life's energies as you look upwards to the sprawling branches overhead.
Find the perfect tree that fits your mood. You will know which one is right for you.
Smile as you do all this. The trees can sense your happiness.
Send them your unconditional love and gratitude as you hug them.
Vertical Tree Hug: Encircle it with your arms while gently pressing your cheek to the trunk being careful not to scratch your face. Squeeze tightly. Sigh deeply. Be one with your tree.
Full Body Tree Hug: Sit upon the ground wrapping your legs around the base of the tree and at the same time embracing it with your arms.
Up in the Air Tree Hug: Climb a tree. Sit upon a strong limb and straddle it with your legs. Bend forward and place your belly against it while wrapping your arms about it.

Tips:

Feel free to hug more than one tree if the mood strikes. Besides, other trees might get jealous.
You may like to take home a fallen leaf or nut as a keepsake from your new friend.
Be sure to return to visit your tree. And don't be afraid to talk to it as trees are good listeners.

There you go Tree Hugger :)

Stress (A forward from a friend.. but worth a read nonetheless)

2010-07-21T08:15:00.000+05:30

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked;
'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued,
'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
We won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water,
You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.'
'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.'
So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

** Always keep your words soft and sweet,
Just in case you have to eat them.

* Always wear stuff that will make you look good
If you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
"Recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

** Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* When everything's coming your way,
You're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery
on a detour.

THE POWER TO CHOOSE

2010-07-19T13:46:00.002+05:30

A man once walks to Buddha who was walking along with his disciples and starts abusing him with bad words. When Buddha does not react he even gets more wild and uses filthy words against him. The disciples are furious and ask Buddha to just say a word and they would trash him fully. Buddha asks to remain quiet. The man now is in such a rage that he is trembling and frothing while yelling abuses at Buddha. Buddha stands still. Finally the man totally drained of his energy drags himself away weakly from there. The disciples are shocked and angry and ask Buddha why did he have to bear all that and why didn't he give them permission to stop that man, to which Buddha replies, "He has done what he had to do and I have done what I have to do. He has thrown abuses. I have not accepted it." Then Buddha asks the disciples what will they do if Buddha had to come for a meal to their home. They replied that they would prepare the best meal for him. Buddha asks them what would they do if he never turned up for the meal and they reply that they would have no other option but to eat the meal themselves. Buddha then said, "When I did not accept what that man had to offer, he had to eat all those abuses himself and was affected by it and left."

.................So exercise always the power to choose.

The Journey Continues.. While being enriching and blessed..

2010-07-16T18:09:00.000+05:30

This was a reply I wrote to one of my posts, but decided to publish it as a post anyways

Such is the beauty of the way the universe works.. What u seek appears in front of you.. Magically, when the time is right..

So in my human quest for understanding and reaching out to the SOUL I have listened to and met many a souls... And Vedanta study has been very helpful as such... Like India has been saying since time immemorial "THE THOUGHT CREATED THE UNIVERSE"

I'm not against the Western Concept of Science.. However the West answers more HOW's than WHY's..

There was a time I was looking for answers in Western Sciences. That was when my life became almost non-inspiring and mechanical.. So I decided come back to my roots and learn..

Autobiography of A Yogi has been a hugely influential book.. So also other books by Paramahansa Yogananda.

The Lineage of Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Shri Youkteshwar, Paramahansa Yogananda; now Swami Kriyanandaji have been inspiring to generations of seekers.

Also teachings of several other realized souls such as Baba Nityananda, Sri Ramakrishna, Anandmoyi Ma, Shirdi Sai Baba and several others all teach us the same universal Truth...

The beauty of Spirituality is that the Guru finds you and not the other way around.

The human body, being just a clothing to encase the INFINITE SOUL starts to want and need a spiritual guide after brief (and sometimes prolonged) involvement/attachment in the physical world. Once the Soul begins its search, depending on the Sanchit Karmas (collected Karmic Factors) the UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS seeks it out by sending a Guru depending on this Soul/Body's temparament.. They all lead you to the same path of Self realization

All this said and done, Spirituality must also be practiced regularly with devotion. As you rise slowly in your spiritual path your subtleties evolve and you begin to experience connection with INFINITE UNCONDITOINAL BLISS.

In the end of the day "AHAM BRAHMASMI".. But you still gotto experience it :)

from "The Essense of Bhagwad Gita"

2010-07-10T17:27:00.002+05:30

"Oh Arjuna, as long as you think you can plan this and manage that, I will watch. But the day you offer your life completely to Me, I will take complete charge of it."

Bhagwad Gita

2 years since..

2010-07-02T14:29:00.000+05:30

Not enough can be said about time that flies back..I started this blog a little over 2 years when I broke my foot in a weird accident and had all the time in the world to think and re-think upon..
Well.. I still believe in Miracles and the Sciences.. i still believe that they are there to support each other not to put the other one down..
I still believe that LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL no matter what..
I still believe in gratitude.. cos that's what life is all about.. Even the most supremely Self Made Person owes gratitude to the environment he comes from, the people and words and thoughts that makes him..
I still believe in Un-Conditional Love..
I still believe in forgiveness and being able to forget and bridge gaps cos there's no point living otherwise..
I still believe that we can smile no matter what..
I still believe that miracles are very much a part of our lives.. just got to recognize and acknowledge them..

Here's what was written 2 years back.. Smiles

7/6/2008

Since its been a long long time since i posted last (almost 3 years!!); i'd go Easy on this first one..

I'l begin by welcoming every one here..

To make things clear; the name of my blog "Of miracles and Sciences" is not bout taking sides or debating coz thats not what I intend to do.

I'm here to voice my thoughts (when and if i feel like it);Comments are welcome however please stay clear of using language; we'd like a clear and mature platform here without the use of extreme crudity.

That said; welcome aboard

Spirituality, Meditation and Self Realization

2010-06-18T12:02:00.000+05:30

"Spirituality and worldly affairs run parallel to each other. There is a widespread misconception among the people regarding spirituality. Spiritualquest, they believe, calls for renunciation of worldly affairs. And those worldly pursuits warrant an end to spiritual pursuits. Many people regard meditation as the ritual to be performed at the end of their lives. If someone is asked to attend a Satsang, he shrugs off the invitation saying “this is the time to enjoy life. Mediation can wait till its time comes.” This is wrong. If an individual is totally engrossed in materialistic world, then, in his twilight years. if he wishes to chant Ram’s name and turn to meditation, he will not be successful. For the simple reason that his materialistic preoccupations will subdue his desire to meditate. Upon meditation, he will discover that his materialistic cravings will overwhelm his Dhyan Sadhna. More importantly his zest or enthusiasm for meditation will be found lacking.
In ancient times the regimen for self-elevation was superb.

A child was sent to Brhamcharya Ashram in his formative years. Here he was imparted contemporary as well as spiritual knowledge by his Guru. In the later course of his life, when he assumed his worldly and domestic responsibilities, his spiritual values were strongly in place. Taking a cue from this, you must ensure that spiritual conditioning of your child should begin well in earnest, as soon as he arrives in this world. You need enlightenment or power to enjoy the benefits of this worldly life. This Shakti comes to you solely through Dhyan and spirituality. Many people come to me and say: “Babaji we amassed wealth, we have everything going for us in terms of prosperity and family life, yet we do not have peace and tranquility.” Someone went to the extent to say that his body was rendered incapable of enjoying the luxuries of life. According to him, while he subsisted on frugal cereal diet his servants feasted on the choicest of foods cooked in his house. This pained him immensely. Had he struck a proper balance between his worldly and spiritual life right from the outset, things would not have come to such a pass.

Many people have this notion that anybody who is spiritual will have no interest in his worldly life. He will no longer be a practical person. This is far from being true. Actually, a spiritually inclined person has many advantages. He experiences an enhanced state of conscious- ness, besides witnessing a substantial increase in his willpower. Hence it is quite natural for a spiritually aware person to be more successful in life as opposed to the person who does not possess a spiritual outlook.

Now let us come to the vexed issue of renunciation and spirituality. Many people hold the view that renunciation is the gateway to spirituality. This logic is absolutely erroneous. Out of the twenty-four hours that you have got, you can spend two hours easily to nourish your soul and the remaining twenty-two can be comfortably utilized for the day to day life. Worldly existence with its all-incumbent factors is equally essential in terms of priority, as is the spiritual quest. Spiritual perspective shapes your personality. It teaches you how to be a responsible father, how to be a caring husband, how to be a dutiful wife, how to be a compassionate and obedient son or daughter. In essence, it inculcates a strong sense of dedication towards your apparent responsibilities.

On the other hand, your will never realize God by relinquishing the world. Whereas you can easily realize Him while staying rooted to your worldly existence. This begets an important question. Where do you search for God? Outside? The truth of the matter is Paramatma or God is present very much inside your own self.

Gautam Buddha. visited his home after attaining enlightenment. His wife asked him was it not possible for him to attain what he attained without being ati ascetic? Yes. it was very much possible. Buddha replied. “But’. he continued,” at that stage I .‘ obsessed by my quest hir enlightenment and there r nobody to guide me. hence I renounced everything to pursue my objective’S. he said, This goes out to prove that enlightenment can be attained by staying well within the parameters of domestic life Various Maharishis and enlightened souls have attained Siddhadom following their daily life routines, The attained Moksha and Self- Realization that way. This is the simplest way to Realization. This truth, is the essence of realization. When you are able to fully comprehend these simple facts. the gateway to your Moksha becomes clearly visible to you.

There is a lot to meditation than meets the eye. It is a multi-dimensional process that revolves around the quest for salvation. Meditation is your own medium for soul-searching and self- refinement. Thus, -you become more amenable to receive the Higher energies. It is here that role of divine stimulants like Kundalini Shakti assume significant importance. Kundalini Shakti is the backbone of your spiritual evolution. It helps you to transcend the barrier of individual consciousness to merge with universal consciousness.

An ordinary person utilizes only four percent of his total mind power. Rest ninety six percent lies unused. Now with this state of mind, a person aspires to achieve different goals. The goals can be anything ranging from excelling in studies to scaling new heights in other fields. Little does he realize that the driving force behind this aspiration was provided by the four percent of cerebral power that he used. The remaining ninety-six percent of his cerebral power was still languishing in darkness. Despite this our man in question decides to pick up the challenge to excel on behalf of his dormant brainpower.

Now that ninety six percent of dormant mind power is restless to prove its utility but there is no way it can be channeled for its maximum use. Similarly an alcoholic pledges to turn himself into a teetotaler. Here also only a meager four- percent of his mind power has chosen to abstain from drinking. But the rest ninety six percent of his inner power is inclined favorably towards drinking; with the result that major part of his inner self is still infested with vices. At the stroke of seven in the evening these vices will emerge from the darker side of his brain and pervade the remaining four- percent of the same. As this happens, the resolve to abstain along with the positive mind energy is laid to waste.

Opposed to this, any person whose Kundalini is aroused, will not face any kind of above-mentioned predicament. because his consciousness is refined and developed by Kundalini Shakti. It can be best understood by utilizing the afore-mentioned paradox. The Kundalini Sadhna, which begins with the four- percent mind, scythes through the darker side of your mind illuminating and expanding the consciousness in its wake, till the time hundred percent of your cerebral power is harnessed from its dormant position to the benefit of your own Self. The development of Kundalini Shakti in your body corresponds with an enhanced stale of other powers and of course a steady rise in your will power.

With resurgence of Kundalini Shakti, all the hidden and latent powers inside you are revitalized and awakened. This includes your spiritual powers and will power. You posses everything inside you. Shivatva the pan of Paramatma is present inside you. You only have to arouse it. Once aroused it banishes the darkness from your self and illuminates your entire persona, This illumination ushers inhappiness and prosperity in your life.

The upward progression of Kundalini Sadhna cleanses the Chakras and rids the Self of all the incumbent negativity. In the process the accumulated Karmas from previous life are also exterminated. This extermination of past Karmas eradicates sorrow, hardships and precludes all possibilities of their reoccurrence.

Baba (Gurudev Nityananda) had a disciple who himself was an accomplished Siddha. Prior to meeting Baba, this noble soul wandered throughout the country in his ascetic days. In that period he never asked for anything not even food. If someone gave him food he ate it, or else he stayed hungry. At times he used to be without food for days altogether. In between, gripped by severe hunger, he used to eat anything, irrespective of the fact whether that was edible or not. Consequently, he developed stomach ailment due to his rigorous lifestyle.

He reveals that after his Shaktipat when he experienced Kundalini arousal, he was struck down by terrible bouts of diarrhea. Concerned by his condition, his disciples wanted to take him to hospital. He politely turned their request down. His condition, according to him, never warranted medical attention. Rather, it was related to his altered state of consciousness in the wake of Kundalini arousal,Whatever was coming out of his body, he said, was in reality hardships, ailments and other similar entities which were being evicted well before they could affect him in any way. This was the wonder of Kundalini Shakti.

Kunda-lini Shakti completely negates all the ills and ailments thereby lending a healthy glow to the body. Students experience a stark change and rapid increase in their intelligence and retentive powers and concentration. On his own, a person acquires divine knowledge of Shastras. As he mcditates, he is able to see his past, present and future. Not only that, he also visualizes the future events of his life. There is nothing magical ?bout all these qualities.

Powers responsible for such divine forces are present well inside the darker recesses of the mind. Meditation aided by Kundalini Shakti illuminates those darker areas of your Self and in this way all your hidden powers are brought to the fore. No wonder sages and Maharishis have laid supreme importance on Kundalini Shakti. In Holy Scriptures it has been specifically mentioned that you attain Moksha only when your Kundalini Shakti rises from Mooladhara Chakra at the base and reaches Sahastrasar Chakra at the top. Thus, it connects with Shiva that is present in Sahastrasar Chakra paving the way for your Moksha or final ascension. Therefore Sadhak should always strive for Shaktipat, Gurukripa which would eventually take them to theKundalini arousal.

Kundalini arousal in turn will lead to a fulfilling worldly and spiritual life. Kundalini is the best nourishment or reward for yoursoul. For your physical body there is no dearth of stimulants and rewards. And everything related to your physical body is transitional or terminal, which will not remain with you forever. But your spiritual nourishment is going to hold you in good stead forever. It will never desert your soul. It is said, if you die after your Kundalini has risen to Visuddhi Chakra at the throat, in your next birth, you will be born in a noble and virtuous family. You will perpetually remain in the ambit of Devbhavdivine grace.

Hence, you will find the same everywhere right from your family, environment and rest of the things. These factors will facilitate your mcditational pursuits, as you would not be bogged down by stniggle for sustenance for your family.

Above everything else, you will find your Kundalini Shuktl stationed at the same point where you left it in your previous birth,i.e. Visuddhi Chakra. In our Siddha family, there are numerous children who display these traits. From the looks in their eyes, it becomes clear that they are Sadhaks. I have seen six-year-old kids in a state of Shambhavi. which is not possible for fully grown-ups.

These kids are in a world of their own. About Shambhavi, it is said, if a person is in a state of Shambhavi. his mind is filled with elixir. Excellent lineage or pedigree is indicative of the spiritual merits of the previous birth. More so because a person carries the impressions of his virtuous deeds into his next birth. Hence he continues from that position in his present birth. At a relativel’ younger age he will find his Guru.

So much so. that some newborn babies are given Diksha. Yes, people frequently come to me and seek Diksha for their infants. I am sure. in the turbulent times or Kalvug. these children will come to the rescue of humanity.

Now let us come to the prime important subject of Guru. Essentially Guru is your vehicle for divinity and salvation. He chain the course of your spiritual voyage. Guru, is a reciprocal entity. Which means he is subject to your Sadhna. It is the merit of your Sadhna. which alone decides the type of Guru you will get. Above all. Guru is a multidimensional phenomenon. Even the parents are Gurus. During infancy mother is a Guru. The child learns the fundamentals of life from her. She teaches him to eat, drink and walk.

That’s why the first word that a child utters is “Maa”. Then comes Brahman or the teacher who imparts the Mantra. He is also a Guru. Thus begins man’s journey of existence. During his life, he finds many Gurus. Each Guru performs his designated task and leaves, without asking for anything in return. Entry of a Guru in your life is commensurate with your spiritual quest.

Finally it culminates on one Guru who is called Param Guru. Param Guru Is entrusted with the divine task of piloting your spiritual transcendence to its final destination. Param Guru is endowed with divine attributes. Company of a highly spiritual Guru, and Sadhna with utmost devotion are the two basic pre-requisites for spiritual evolution. One must always fervently pray to God to give him the Guru, who himself has achieved Self-Realization: who himself has achieved Moksha. Guru, embodied with these credentials is the sole medium for Moksha. Secondly. you are nobody to search for a Guru as one Siddha had once remarked. He has said
its not for you to search for a Guru, rather it is for the Guru to seek you out’. This is a universal fact. As you advance deeply into your Sadhna, it’s the Guru who seeks you out. You never realize that it’s not your prerogative to look for a Guru. This honor belongs to him, the Guru. Without any fore knowledge a Guru materializes in your life. Guru’s advent in your life in this manner has a strong and irrefutable logic.

If by any chance, even if Param Siddha Guru happens to appear in your life at a time when your Sadhna has not reached the desirable state, then in all probability you would not be able to recognize him, as your perspectives will remain clouded by ignorance. You may wonder whether he is really a true Guru or not. That can happen to anybody. Guru and his Gyan (wisdom) do not conform to any conventional norms. One has to strive diligently to seek Guru and his wisdom. Secondly, Guru’s knowledge is not hereditary so that it is automatically transferred from father to his son. Maharishi Vyas is an appropriate example in this context. His son Shukant Dcv Shakumri. was a highly erudite person. Being son of Siddha Mahrishi Shakumri had mastered many Param Siddhis. Shakumri provided Moksha to Raja Parikshit by imparting the knowledge of Shrimat Bhagwat to him. Despite his exalted credentials Shakumri was not able to attain Moksha for himself, as he was not a self realized soul. Hence he was not able to attain eternal peace.

This incident underscores the peculiarity of the whole issue. That Siddhaguru was not able to impart the divine knowledge to his own son. The knowledge that could perhaps have qualified his son to attain Moksha. Now this factor illustrates the point that Guru Shishya relationship is entirely different from father-son relationship. For divine knowledge Guru is a must. Mahrishi Vyas was unable to enlighten Shakumri because that knowledge required the tutelage of another Guru.

So finally when Shakumri asked him why he was not able to attain eternal peace? The legendary sage replied: ‘You did not get eternal peace because you did not have a Guru who could have guided you to self realization, without which eternal peace is not possible.” A perplexed Shakuniri wanted to know ‘who was the most appropriate Guru for him other than his father Mahrishi Yyas the Param Siddha?’ It was this very mindset that my father is an accomplished Siddha’, which turned out to be the biggest impediment in Shakumri’s path to eternal peace. Such feelings instilled a superiority complex in him. Your father’s status is inconsequential as far as your own self is concerned. On the contrary what are you, matters the most. You can never relate your existence to your father. Nevertheless, Shakumri was ordered by his father to go to Raja Janak, who, his Siddha! I-low easily people forget that first person to preach the tenets of Mahabharat to the world was none other than Krishna, a ruler by birth.

In compliance with his father’s wishes Shakumri went to Raja Janak. He found Raja Janak surrounded by a bevy of female attendants, who were fanning him. This sight made him wonder how come a person who is the centre of so much female attention be a Siddha? This brought him to another widespread fallacy that is rampant even to this day. That male and female can coexist and yet at the same time pursue their respective Dhyan Sadhna. On the flip side, people have no qualm in worshipping Shiva-Parvati and Laxmi Narayan. In the same fashion, Shakumri found it hard to accept Raja father believed, was the appropriate Guru for him.

Under his tutelage Shakumri could progress to eternal peace. Shakumri had his own reservations about Raja Janak’s abilities with regards to divine knowledge. Raja Janak, in reality, was a Siddha personality. Even today people subscribe to the belief that holy persons and Siddhas are only those who lead a very frugal and detached existence meaning they are always ill clad and ill fed. Under such ill placed notions it becomes hard to believe that any king could also be a Siddha. To buttress their contention, people reel off verses from Geeta to prove that only a pauper can be a true Janak QS a true Slddha whom he found in the company of women. He believed that Brahmacharya (celibacy) was the tirst pre-requisite of Siddha hood. Even today the same perception prevails in the minds of many people. Female for them is the end of Bramhacharya.

Even I was faced with this question many a times. I took them to task and told them clearly if your Bramhacharya is so fickle that it can not withstand female company then you are not a true Brarnhacharya in the first place. Such people are worse off than a common man obsessed with agnostic pursuits. Bramhacharya does not mean only celibacy. Bramhacharya means Bramha like conduct. When the elemcnt of Paramatma is present inside, a person resides in a state of eternal bliss. In that state, there is automatically no desire let’t for the fairer sex. Simply because that person is operating in a bliss which is thousand times more gratifying than the desire to cohabit, so naturally such people are hardly bothered by the company of female or male. He is only concerned with Parbramha who resides in both man and woman. Parabramha is neither male nor female.

This is the true state of ;Akhand Bramhacharya, where one sees only the Parabramha in every individual, irrespective of his or her gender. Parbramha is Anant meaning eternal and Ajanma -birthless.

Shakumri was oblivious of this knowledge. For him Raja Janak was another self-indulgent man with a strong inclination for worldly pleasures. How could he (Raja Janak) be my Guru, wondered Shakumri. Thus he returned back. i-Ic went to Maharishi Vyas under the impression that his father had perhaps erred in sending him to Raja Janak. “ Father are you sure whether it was Raja Janak whom you deemed fit to be my Guru?” he asked.” How could you send a great Bramhachari and a Yogi like me to him for Diksha”? he continued. His father emphasized his views again and asked Shakumri to approach Raja Janak for Diksha. And so he went again to Raja Janak.

There he found Raja Janak in the course of his royal bath. assisted by royal maids. Shakumri was taken aback by what he perceived to be a show of misconduct not befitting a Siddha. Again he returned and narrated his experience to his father. All through while Maharishi Vyas remained steadfast on his view that Raja Janak was the right Guru for Shakumri. In this manner Shakumri made nine trips to Raja Janak, only to return empty handed each time. On his ninth visit as he came out of the royal palace of Raja Janak. a divine power. under the guise of a Brahman, told him "O Shakumri you went to Raja Janak nine times.

Each time you saw a reflection of your own hidden lust in him. what you saw was in truth a reflection of your own suppressed desires and yearnings. Each time you criticized Raja Janak. you lost equal number of Siddhis jnsent inside you. With the result now you are absolutely devoid of an divine powers that you once possessed Shakumri realized his mistake and he wanted to atone for it.

Thus a chastened Shakumri approached Raja Janak who had the foreknowledge of Shakumri’s arrival. Raja Janak ordered his guards to stop Shakumri at the gate and then keep him waiting for three days. In his earlier days Shakumri might have taken it as a grave offence to his exalted status of a Siddha not to mention being the son of the greatest sage! But now he was a changed man. After three days. Raja Janak asked his guards to send Shakumri to his royal harem, where queens were instructed to look after him in the best possible manner. Shakumri was a man of utmost restraint now; he studiously avoided any act, which may have been construed as misconduct.

Later he was taken to Raja Janak. 0 king please take me as your disciple’. pleaded Shakumri. Raja Janak. being a Param Siddha was wanted to rid Shakumri of all his vices. So he asked What are you going to give me in return for my tutelage?” Shakumri was prepared to give anything as Gurudakshina. Anything that you wish my lord,” said Shakumri. Raja Janak then asked him to give him the most useless thing as Gurudakshina. Shakumri was elated as he thought it to be the easiest thing to do. He went out and took a fallen twig, but then he realized it had some use too. Then he picked up an iron object only to relent after he realized its use. Each time he picked up some object he discovered its value or use. He was frantically searching for some appropriate Gurudakshina.

His efforts continued till the time he collapsed from fatigue under a tree. A foul smell woke him up from his slumber. Shakumri discovered someone has defecated near him while he was asleep. The excrement with its concomitant stench appeared to be the most useless thing to Shakumri. An unusual thing happened as he tried to pick up the filth. The excreta jumped out of his hand as he tried to gather it. It kept on occurring till he heard a voice.

Stop you filthy creature! Don’t you dare pollute me by touching me,” a voice rang out from the mound of trash that he held so dearly. Shakumri was flabbergasted to hear that. To his mind excrement of man was the dirtiest of all the objects and here it was, forbidding him not to pollute it. The voice continued, “ I came to earth in the form of very pure milk. Even the cowherd was ecstatic to see me. Later he took me to a sweet shop where I was turned into a sweet. My aroma drove everyone crazy. From the shop I was Luken to a temple and offered as Prasad to God. It was the beginning of my ordeal. You people ate me up and after sometime transformed me into my present repulsive form. Therefore you are the most worthless of the entire lot.”

These words had a miraculous effect on Shakumri. He knelt before Raja Janak and wailed “ 0 king Janak now I have realized that even the body of an animal serves a purpose. Compared to everything my body has no utility. Therefore, it is the most worthless of entire objects..” Thus, Shakumri realized the essence of ego. It was his ego, which was his biggest obstacle. And Raja Janak had rid him of his ego. Now he was on the threshold of self-realization. Ego, is the biggest impediment in the way of self-realization. “I” and “Mine” syndrome never allows you to progress spiritually. You can attain self-realization within seconds if you want. It is very simple. The moment you remove the “I” from your system He will be there. He’ is your self-realization. It is you who have blocked His access. The very minute you step aside He will come over. You will fade out, the moment you make way for Him. That’s how you attain salvation.”

My Guru Baba Shivanandji

Quote - The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

2010-06-02T13:45:00.000+05:30

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it

Older Chests - Damien Rice (An old favourite of mine)

2010-05-13T17:49:00.000+05:30

Older chests reveal themselves
Like a crack in a wall
Starting small, and grow in time
And we all seem to need the help
Of someone else
To mend that shelf
of too many books
Read me your favourite line

Papa went to other lands
And he found someone who understands
The ticking, and the western man's need to cry
He came back the other day, yeah you know
Some things in life may change
And some things
They stay the same

Like time, there's always time
On my mind
So pass me by, I'll be fine
Just give me time

Older gents sit on the fence
With their cap in hand
Looking grand
They watch their city change
Children scream, or so it seems,
Louder than before
Out of doors, into stores with bigger names
Mama tried to wash their faces
But these kids they lost their graces
And daddy lost at the races too many times

She broke down the other day, yeah you know
Some things in life may change
And some things they stay the same

Like time, time, there's always time
On my mind
So pass me by, I'll be fine
Just give me time,
Time, there's always time
On my mind
Pass me by, I'll be fine
Just give me time

Tranquility

2010-05-04T20:13:00.003+05:30

gazing up into the stars in the middle of the night .. NOT a POEM !!

2010-05-04T15:29:00.000+05:30

This has been something that's been running around my head for a while now.. Not got a closure on the topic yet but has got my keen interest.. Not sure if I'm even looking for an answer cos I'm sure there are several theories all suitably stated..

Here goes:

I think many/most of us believe in re-birth.. Or atleast that the soul continues to live even after the physical body dies..
Or atleast that there is something called the SOUL.. (even an atheist may/would agree to the fact that there is some force in us which makes us Human.. cos we are different from the rest of the animals.. Call it evolution if you will.. but there still is something)

So, going by that thought.. Maybe when man first formed/evolved, there was one or 2 souls.. Today there are almost 7 billion souls in the world.. Which means we are all a fraction of that same soul that has been living since Man first formed.. Which means we all have different SOUL-pools to which we belong cos we have so many SOUL-Mates... who all fractionated out of the same SOUL to form the pool of souls which all continue to live along in different bodies and meet again in the form of family/lovers/friends or in short SOUL MATES..

Dunno.. Was just food for thought...

Another thought... Scientifically the universe was born out of the BIG BANG (So the theory goes)..

If the BIG BANG caused the different stars to be formed which in turn led to the formation of the planets revolving around them.. And this whole process took millions of years.. This means from that perspective, we are all star-dust.. We are all born out of that one event.. and human life is not more than an ignorable spec in the time-line of the universe..

phew.. and wow..

I know the scientific ones will have a lot to say for/against this... and so will the believers.. and so will the people on the other side of the fence..

Kicked to listen to what you all got to offer.. :)

Ahem...

2010-05-04T15:08:00.000+05:30

Luckily my head can keep a lot of things inside it without much spilling out or outburst..
I'm just amused at the way the thing keeps continuously tirelessly working there even when I have ordered it to sleep cos my body is physically exhausted..
Agreed; there are moments of think-less-ness and the like.. But for most part our man is working with clockwork precision on a varied subjects.. learning - assimilating - analyzing - compartmentalizing - memorizing - applying - silencing - ruminating - time travelling - apparating - fussing - concerning - un-emoting - and redoing all this and more time and again..
I know this happens to everyone (or maybe many of you).. But this being "My Blog" I shall put the spotlight on me head cos that's the factory I'm talking about.. (You can write about Ur head in your own blog)

anyways the point here being that there's no point at all!!

Just felt like loving myself yet again... ashte.. :)

And to the friends who have been missing me in action (I don't think there are many who miss me too much.. but one of them did give me a stinker).. I'll be back... soon... Just need to let this sweet head of mine get off the contemplative phase.. unforcefully ofcourse :)

woof woof woof

2010-05-02T19:58:00.000+05:30

Shiny happy people - The REM groove - Mistaken clicks - Laughing ponies - Dining warlords - cartoonic bubblehead - jumping rubberbands - gutted rackets - foolmongers - goldspot - ivory and ebony - Dramatic eyes - conspiring houseflies - blueberry cheesecake - kaapi kadai

woof woof woof

The Impressions of a Childhood...

2010-04-28T22:57:00.004+05:30

Glazed eyes for sugary things;

And sunlight shadows his brow.

Hay and heathen made carpeted floors;

For days he all he did was run and play.

Fields they filled with happiness;

Frogs and beetles brought stories with them.

The river, the pond, the well and rain;

They sang and rose to every dive.

Leading, guiding, and caring for him;

Earth loved him more than anything else.

Tired legs and wondrous feet;

Needed just the night for comforting.

While elders speak of a world and its coming;

The little one plays with fireflies.

Now the mother’s saree pallow caressed the cheek,

Of a boy that slept while dreaming of tomorrow.

In time and space I have all but grown;

And not deep within lie still those glazed eyes.

A surreal..

2010-04-16T13:43:00.002+05:30

The switching mode has begun again..And yet again I am powerless to this phenomenon that takes over me.. It rushes into me and I'm left speechless while transformation occurs..
An innate occurance.. of sound and precious silence.. To a void that's filled with happiness; for the crave for space remains..
A million molecules that light up the core when the eyes shut..
When my mind transcends the body and I can only watch in third person.. And no matter what friends or loved ones think or want, I continue to be the axis of my universe.. Oblivious, independent and loved.
And however much I try to maintain my composure through this spiritual journey.. externally it does show up as uncertainty and ambiguous behavior which may scare a few, irate a few.. and the ones that know me long enough just let me be.. in my cocoon.. till i wake up.. new and afresh.. clean slated..

Hey, Soul Sister - TRAIN

2010-03-30T12:48:00.002+05:30

Hey, hey, hey

Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brains
I knew I wouldn't forget you, and so I went and let you blow my mind
Your sweet moonbeam, the smell of you in every single dream I dream
I knew when we collided, you're the one I have decided who's one of my kind

Hey soul sister, ain't the Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do...tonight
Hey, hey,hey

Just in time, I'm so glad you have a one-track mind like me
You gave my life direction, a game show love connection we can't deny
I'm so obsessed, my heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest
I believe in you, like a virgin, you're Madonna, and I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind

Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do...tonight

The way you can't cut a rug, watching you's the only drug I need
You're so gangsta, I'm so thug, you're the only one I'm dreaming of
You see, I can be myself now finally, in fact there's nothing I can't be
I want the world to see you be with me

Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do tonight,
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do...tonight
Hey, hey,hey

Tonight
Hey, hey,hey

Tonight

A Letter To Every Indian

2010-03-17T15:47:00.002+05:30

Yet another powerful speech by Prof A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

Why is the media here so negative?

Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?
We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.
I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.
In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.
Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.
Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.
Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours..
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.
YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?
Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'.. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are.. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai .. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand ..
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?
In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan ..
Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.
This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.
When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.
Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too…. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..
'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'
Lets do what India needs from us.

An Oasis

2010-03-16T18:23:00.005+05:30

Its funny how things seemingly unimportant or mundane can change the way you feel..

Today I had my first day off in the longest time (few months to be exact).. I did have a day off last week and the week before that, but I had to do work related stuff on both those occasions and I ended up having on calls or just ended up landing at the office.

Anyways, today was spent in utter resolve of total indulgence.. but guilt of not doing anything was consistently building, but i let indolence creep up on me..
Bemused by my withdrawal symptoms of work-less-ness.. I decided to fill the void by heading out for lunch... which also doubled up as breakfast... (I told you i was practically stitched to the bed this morning)..
Went for lunch by myself.. but that didn't bother me cos I am my best friend.. Mostly;)
However neither the lunch, nor the walk or calls to friends or Ooty chocolates or even remembering the Dancing Diva did anything lift my weirdly damp mood..

So I continued walking back home..thinking maybe sleep would be able to help..

On my way back, I happened to pass a Mall.. Which had huge fountains at the entrance.. In a daze.. I walked towards the fountains..
They were not exactly fountains, but large cylinders into which gallons of water fell continuously.. I stood there just gazing.. enchanted.. letting the whole experience to envelope me and lift me..
It was just the water.. the gurgling sounds.. airbubbles rising from the trapped depths of aqua.. Some escaping droplets hitting gently on my face..the clear shapeless form..

I was just beaming with happiness.. my visual, aesthetic, audio senses experienced serene bliss..

homewords I walked.. speechless.. after the little Meditation.. an oasis...peace

Just decided to Create the world...

2010-03-09T10:39:00.004+05:30

The world was born on one lazy Sunday afternoon..!!!
I haveth no qualms nor heavy aspirations you see..
No complaints about the dying mongrels..
Neither a cringe cos I say or see the pathetic..
Like the brush that swept the canvas..
In mysterious yet adept strokes of color and opposite..
The write and right.. The myth and mirth..
The shadow and light.. The sound and pause..
It all happened one Lazy Sunday afternoon my friend..
We are all but the creator's sense of Humor and amusement.. :)

In a huge bold smile

2010-02-28T09:53:00.002+05:30

Mischief of wandering, slides of plural winks

A blue Stocking Girl she asked me, "How do we do?
Did the Sun shine on you the way he shone on me..
And did the wind kiss you in bouts of happy surges"

To the Blue stocking girl said I, "Same same my dear is how my day goes
The sun kisses and the wind shines with happy bouts and flies"

The blue stocking girl.. a little vain.. and mighty happy..

Smiled in bold..

Summertime Summertime - By the Jamies

2010-02-18T15:06:00.002+05:30

Its summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime summertime...

Well shut them books and throw em away
Say goodbye to dull school days
So come on and change your ways
Its summertime...

Well no more studying history
And no more reading geography
And no more dull geometry
Because its summertime

Its time to head straight for them hills

Its time to live and have some thrills
Come along and have a ball
A regular free-for-all

Well are you comin or are you ain`t
You slow-pokes are my one complaint
Hurry up before I faint
Its summertime

Well Im so happy that I could flip
Oh how Id love to take a trip
Im sorry teacher but zip your lip
Because its summertime

It`s time to head straight for them hills
It`s time to live and have some thrills
Come along and have a ball
A regular free for all

Well we`ll go swimmin every day
No time to work just time to play
If your folks complain just say,
Its summertime

And every night we`ll have a dance
Cause whats a vacation without romance
Oh man this jive has me in a trance
Because its summertime

It`s time to head straight for them hills
It`s time to live and have some thrills
Come along and have a ball A regular free for all
Its summertime

Its summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime

Its summertime

Mis-spelt...

2010-02-09T22:53:00.004+05:30

The lotus bloomed to an ordinary day...
Clinging to its muddy roots..
Mis-spelt.. Mis-taken.. and faceless..
A shadow of hope and tint of smile..
Yet a glint of sadness.. and supposed madness..
Does the blue sky feel the void..
Cos today; there; it was empty..
A sacred smile spread on the serene face..
The lady and child squatted by the fire..
Embracing Fearlesness; The free spirit walks away to different tomorrow..

In a land... Not far away

2010-02-02T00:44:00.001+05:30

In the sunset.. that follows the day... an eager little boy walks home..
For he had a pact with a friend.. an ode to give..
All nights mirror each other.. but darkness mirrors none..
He thought of the old lore.. The one his mother, had sung him to sleep..
Counted the pebbles.. felt their warmth against his palm..
for they had lain within the sweaty warm envelope formed by his palm..
The twilight began to slip in..
His legs.. crushed the the twigs beneath them..
tossed some dirt and mud into the pond.. that led the frogs lazying on its rim croak in frenzy..
The mission had been accomplished.. but no waste of adrenaline..
Walk seemed more peaceful, less agitated..measured yet bursted..
The crooked smile crept on his face..
and decided to stay there for a while..

Crazy little Thing Called Love

2010-01-20T09:51:00.002+05:30

This thing called love I just can't handle it
This thing called love I must get round to it
I aint ready
Crazy little thing called love
This (this thing) called love
(called love)
It cries (like a baby)
In a cradle all night
It swings (woo woo)
It jives (woo woo)
It shakes all over like a jelly fish,
I kinda like it
Crazy little thing called love

There goes my baby
She knows how to rock n roll
She drives me crazy
She gives me hot and cold fever
Then she leaves me in a cool cool sweat

I gotta be cool relax, get hip
Get on my tracks
Take a back seat, hitch-hike
And take a long ride on my motor bike
Until Im ready
Crazy little thing called love

I gotta be cool relax, get hip
Get on my tracks
Take a back seat, hitch-hike
And take a long ride on my motor bike
Until Im ready (ready freddie)
Crazy little thing called love

This thing called love I just can't handle it
This thing called love I must get round to it
I aint ready
Crazy little thing called love

and wandering yet..

2010-01-18T20:16:00.004+05:30

Travel is the best teacher.. she told me..
So travel we did;
Silent yet persistent
Thoughtful, forceful and in stoic appearance
With every drop that ran through your veins
you quoted me.. or simply quote
My deliberated breath you followed
The pulse in me you pulsed
On my left you rest and on my right you speak
We journeyed a lot faithfully
Always by me when I need to be written
The pot you drink from needs a filling now
Thirsty for yet another journey, like me you need a heartful
Gladly we leap to yet another tomorrow
For there shall me more voyages between journeys you know

Titles and venerations

2010-01-14T22:32:00.003+05:30

the odd jobs..lessons learnt..
salutations thrown..celebrated souls..
secrets and headlines..layouts and settings..
medals and pedals.. sunshine and miracles..
golden letters and tricycles..
pictures and letters..
music and lyrics..
chilly winds for the hot slurrpy soup..

Sealed.. for tomorrow

2010-01-02T17:36:00.004+05:30

click on image to make it large..

Thank you... Because I feel it.. Because who knows someday someone from a future date will come across this blog.. because someday someone may be curious!!! (luckily curiosity only killed the cat ;))... because someday someone might care.. maybe this post may see the light of the day a many years from now.. when electronics and humans evolve even more to become one.. or seperate... documented..

Or just ignore..