Food For Thought!!!

"DESIRE KILLS JOY
All DESIRES AIM FOR JOY"!!!!
I read Guruji's knowledge sheet wherein he quotes this couplet.I find this so truly awesome and amazing.It is just that I probably never ever paused to give a thought all these years as to what causes the unhappiness or agitation.
Little things can irritate us and cause anger,just someone not agreeing to our view point can create so much of agitation and unhappiness.All because of our desires.All of us usually tend to believe and accept "Either My Way Or No Way".This is the major cause of all disagreements and discomfort that we create for ourselves and for people around us.
All the great ones have said that every human being desires happiness and what ever is done is in search of happiness alone.
We are of the strong opinion and belief that if things happen the way we want then we will be happy.In the process we tend to ignore the others point of view many times.It is probably because every individual can look at issues only from his point of view and to suit himself and his convenience.May be that all the time we focus only on our happiness.That seems selfish for sure ,but I do firmly believe that that is the way it is.As human beings we are made up to think only about our happiness and ourselves.
To give up desires is indeed a very very tough job for ordinary human mortals I am sure and as Guruji has so beautifully said "One who conquers all desires is Mahavira"!!
Isn't that so wonderful!!!
How do we get over our desires and still be happy??
The only route probably would be doing our sadhana,seva and satsangh regularly.I feel it is indeed very important to be in the company of like minded people so there can be progress and positive growth in ourselves.
Needless to mention here that whatever one gets is what one deserves.
Accept what is given in your platter with grace and happiness and be grateful for whatever you have.
Keep working towards becoming a MAHAVIRA,maybe we don't achieve it in this life but sure can be done with our continued efforts and of course the GRACE OF THE LORD &GURU!!!!
Thank God &Guru for each and every beautiful day that has come our way!!!!
Jai Guru Dev!!

Keep Your Cool!!!

Aristotle said:Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.

That is so very true I think, because there may have been so many occasions wherein we got angry for some silly mundane reason,which was actually a thoughtless reaction may be.I guess it is all about growing up and learning from our mistakes.Great ones have said that one must learn from mistakes and not repeat the same mistake.Every mistake should be a learning experience.

This post is about being irritated by the behaviour of some people.How do we tackle such people???
Why is it that we find certain people annoying and want to hide and be away from them??
The last couple of weeks I have been putting up with one such individual and am searching ways to keep my cool,come what may!!
Well,I know it is not so nice to think ill of anyone for that matter,but sometimes it is just not in our control I guess.
Isn't it indeed very funny that the person you just want to forget and not go anywhere close to is the one occupying your mind all the while?????
Funny and strange are the ways our mind behaves isn't it???
I guess it is just lack of living the knowledge:"Accept people as they are".....
It is also of course very important to understand and accept that people who are annoying,irritating and are a chore to deal with are that way and it has nothing to do with you or me.It is also not our job to try and fix them...
Unpleasant or unwanted experiences certainly will be etched permanently in the mind,and if we observe carefully we will agree that we are able to remember every little detail of such experiences,even after many years.The memory is so strong and we find ourselves holding on to such thoughts and mulling over them.
It is indeed important to just let go and not let people rule our minds isn't it???
It is not wise to take such people personally, because their behaviour is the same with everyone and it is their nature.A good approach would be to ignore such people.
Let me strive to win over my mind and not let individuals rule my mind.
My earnest and sincere prayers for them...,also pray that I have the wisdom and intelligence to tackle such ones.....
God Bless.........
Jai Guru Dev....

A Vacation To Cherish!!

After a long long time enjoyed a really wonderful vacation.Unlike the usual it was not tiring and hectic.Had a truly great time right from day 1.Our vacation started with receiving the blessings and spending a few minutes with Swami Parmarthanadaji, about whom I shall write on some other occasion.Our next stop was Ramanasramam Tiruvannamalai.We were indeed fortunate to have a sincere and wonderful young lad driving us around to all the places.

Ramanasramam and Tiruvannamalai were indeed among the best experiences I have so far had.No words to describe my feelings.Bliss it was!!! is all I can say......

We had the great good fortune of staying two days at Ramanasram,so for sure made the best use of my stay.I had for quite sometime wanted to do the Giri Valam(Parikrama around Arunachala)and sure enough my wish was fulfilled.Our driver was driving us around and I suddenly realised he was doing giri pradakshinam by car,(luckily he had done only 1/2 km),I immedialtely asked him to stop the car,got down and joined a family doing the giri valam.I had some very very earnest and simple souls as company all through the 14kms around Arunachala.It was an amazing experience I must say.As they have very rightly mentioned I hardly felt that I was walking.Someforce walked me through the entire path I am sure. There is certainly something inexplicably beautiful about the Arunachala hills.

We were there just after karthigai deepam festival,so that was an added plus because every evening we got to see the deepam being lit at the top,and that is sure something everyone should see atleast once.Every spot is so very beautiful at Ramansramam,not to forget the peacocks moving around so freely.There were a few amazing white peacocks too.There was everything that one would want and love to be amidst.Nature's scenic beauty,the totally peaceful meditation hall, the unbelievable caves and places where Sri RamanaMaharishi spent many many years of his life and ofcourse sumptuous and good breakfast,lunch,tea and dinner that was served.

Felt truly blessed and gives me goose pimples to think that I indeed had the great fortune of actually treading the path that Maharishi used to for a long time.

Arunachaleswarar temple is one of the very old and important temples and is the agni kshetram,(the pancha mahabootha kshetrams:prithvi,akasham,agni,jalam&vayu)The others are at Kanchipuram(prithvi), Kalahasthi,(Vayu)Chidambaram(Akasa) and Tiruvanikovil(Jalam). The swami here is Annamalaiyar and ambal is unnamalaiyaal.A very beautiful temple indeed.there is also the temple of Karthikeya here,which is special because this is where Lord Karthikeya is supposed to have come and give darsanam to Arunagirinathar who was here in the form of a parrot.

I also did a bit of hill climbing (actually quite a bit!!)to have darshan of skadasramam and also the Virupakshya caves where Sri Ramana Maharishi spent many years of his early life.After two blissful days at Tiruvannamalai and Ramanasramam we headed down south.A number of wonderful temple visits followed by a great baghavatha sapthaham at Mudikondan by Brahmasri Nochur Venkatramanji.
Had the good fortune of meeting some inspiring and knowledgeable people at the sapthaham.Inspite of the heavy and continuous rains all through our stay we were blessed enough to be able to participate in the sapthaham all days.Thanks and God bless to the driver who drove us there everyday.

An enjoyable and blissful fortnight for sure,which I shall cherish for a long time to come.

Stay tuned more on the way...................

Jai gurudev.

I Have Learnt

1)I have learnt no matter how much you love guavas,you just cannot add them to fruit salad.

2)I have learnt that people can keep a straight face and ask you"are you alright",when you just slipped on snow and fell thud on the road with loads of shopping in both your hands!!!

3)I have learnt that if you keep a smiling face people start wondering if you are normal.

4)I have learnt that it is difficult for people to accept the truth because "Truth is generally bitter".

5)I have learnt that "Ignorance Is Not Always Bliss!!!

6)I have learnt that most people don't actually mean what they say.

7)I have learnt that you are lucky to have true friends who are there for you when you really do need them.

8)I have learnt that national and international news can be more important to men many times than the happenings at home.

9)I have learnt that no matter how good a cook you are,all men believe that none can cook better than their mother.

10)I have learnt that most men prefer dumb wives.

11)I have learnt that it is very important to value and feel grateful for all that has come my way.

12)I have learnt that no matter how old I am,I can always depend on my mother when in need.

13)I have learnt that none can take the place of your mother.

14)I have learnt that only a mother's love is selfless,and without expecting any returns.

15)I have learnt that you recognise and start valuing your body only when they give you trouble.

16)I have learnt that arguments are so futile and such a criminal waste of precious days.

17)I have learnt that it is very important to enjoy every little thing,be it the chirping of birds,the morning freshness in the air,the beautiful sky .......

18)I have learnt that what you resist persists..so just let go.....

19)I have learnt that it takes less effort to smile and be cheerful.

20)I have learnt "Manav seva is Madhav seva"

21)I have learnt that it is best to ignore and feel compassionate for people who have hurt you.

21)I have learnt that when you include others in your prayers your prayers are answered.("Sarve Janasu Sukhino Bhavantu")

22)I have learnt that you should never ask saints personal questions.

23)I have learnt that "Silence Is Indeed Golden"

24)I have learnt that a sincere prayer is always answered.

25)I have learnt that Life is indeed uncertain and you cannot be sure of the next moment.

26)I have learnt that no matter what I am responsible for my Happiness.

27)I have learnt that I don't enjoy cooking any more.

28)I have learnt that no matter what I know for sure that "I AM"!

29)I have learnt that "Faith Can Move Mountains"!

30)I have learnt that age is not a limitation for learning.

31)I have learnt that there is something to be learnt from every being.

32)I have learnt that when pointing fingers at someone it is important to realise that the other four are pointing towards me.

33)I have learnt that being consciously aware of every thought going across the mind,callms the mind a great deal.

These 33 points are a small bit of what I have learnt in the last 33 years (29th Oct1976-29th Oct 2009).

Jai Gurudev.

100th Post !!!

Just got back from a wonderful trip to Haridwar&Rishikesh,and actually I am yet to get back to the routine here.It is rather funny that both of us still haven't been able to adjust to the time difference yet, though it is just about an hour and a half.Waking up at 3.30 am until today,and I must say that it is quite unusual because we do go home atleast three times a year and have not faced this situation until now.

A nice topic for my 100th post I think.Our visit to Haridwar will be in my memory for a long time I'm sure for quite a few reasons.

This is my first trip to Haridwar &Rishikesh and also this is the first Baghavatha Sapthaham that I am attending.Many people told us that we are indeed lucky to attend the first Sapthaham on the banks of the Ganges,which has been the home for many many great saints and great people.I think and truly believe it is all God's Grace and blessings of Guru and elders that one gets such opportunities in life.

Right from our flight everything was so good.First,we got upgraded to business class at Dubai and so could catch some sleep inflight.Stayed with a dear friend at Delhi for a few hours and did a lot of catching up on old times.
Had to join the group at Haridwar station and it was indeed so easy and smooth,which I thought was really cool.The compartment was full of people all going to attend the Baghavatha sapthaham,and it was really wonderful to see so many people.

From Haridwar station buses were arranged to take us to Paramarth Ashram which was the venue for the satsangh.We were indeed blessed I must say to get accomodation in the ashram itself because they had only 50 rooms in the ashram and rooms were arranged in other ashrams closeby for the others.Everything actually fell into place so beautifully for us I must say.Thanks to God and Guru for making it all so easy for us.(I say this beacuse there were many people who did have a lot of issues right from the start)These are times when we are reassured that the gurus blanket is on us always.Jai gurudev!!

Next day morning after breakfast we left for Rishikesh,they had arranged buses to take us there.Had heard a lot about the famous Lakshman Julha and was so happy that I will be actually seeing it now,a child like enthusiasm for sure I must admit.A tourist guide was arranged to tell us about all the places around.She(Her name was Krishna I learned later) led us through a short cut to the famous Lakshman Julha and the view from there was indeed so very beautiful.The Ganges flowing so swiftly was a treat indeed.I always love to watch the waters and love the sound that goes along so enjoyed every moment to the full.We walked on Lakshman Julha nad crossed over to the other side where we were shown some important places and the famous Rudraksha trees which I am told are found only in Haridwar,Rishikesh and Nepal.

We then went to Sivananda Ashram which was indeed amazing.It is one of the oldest ashrams there it seems and there is satsangh hall there where 24/7 namasankirtan is going on,from the year 1942.Isn't that unbelievable??We were indeed blessed yet again to meet a swamiji there who has been living there from 1950.He was kind enough to talk with us for quite sometime.

I really admired the monkeys there.It was a treat watching them.The way they enjoyed the food bit by bit was amazing.One of the monkeys caame up and showed us how they drink water from the tap,which was simply great.The skill with which the monkeys act is simply unbelievable I must say.Every creation of God is a true marvel,just that we need to take a little time to admire,observe and enjoy it all.I for one truly enjoyed everybit that I saw.

We also so Ram Julha which is a more recent one,but we crossed the Ganges on boat this time and that was fun too.The day's sight seeing was over and we were back to our respective places by evening.

Next morning was reserved for Haridwar sightseeing and this we did in samll groups and travelled by autos.We had Darshan of the main Ganga at Hari Ki Paidi or Pairi,there was no water there beacuse claening up the Ganges was going on for the Kumbh Mela coming up later this year.This is one busy place with a lot of shops selling lots of stuff.We next went to Manasa Devi mandir and then Chandi Devi mandir which are up hill.We took the cable car which reached us up in 5 minutes and needless to metion it was so pictureque and scenic around.Wish I had a handy cam could have captured it all !!!With a camera there are limitations I guess!!After agood darshan and some shopping we had to return back.

We had to reach ashram back because the first session of Sapthaham was scheduled for 3pm.Once the parayanam and pravachanam started we were simply taken to another world and then only on the last day did I realise that all things do come to a close and so will this one.
Lived a total life of bliss and joy for 7 days.Enjoyed taking a dip every morning at 4.30 am in the ganges. On 17th Diwali day we had a Pratyaksha Ganga snanam and as early as 4am.The water was indeed chill but just initially only until the first dip.

All in all had a lovely time,met up with some genuine people, and I think this coinciding with my 100th post is lovely too.Something that I would wish to remember for a long time and sure something to chersih.

Jai Gurudev.

I Have Realized

A very nice fwd which I received,made me put it up her right away.

I have Realized that Words had Hurt me more than the Wounds I had suffered in Life.
I have Realized that I am better when I am Silent.
I have Realized that Kids are never at fault, they just mirror our Faults.
I have Realized that Tears convey more than what words can ever say.
I have Realized that when you have nothing to lose you show your true character.
I have Realized that you can't have happiness unless you are already happy.
I have Realized that when I am estatic about something there are never enough people to share it with.
I have Realized that no matter how many times I pray, I only get what I rightfully deserve.

Jai Gurudev.

Diwali is Here!!!!

Diwali is just round the corner,and sure is funfilled time for everyone.I generally knew why Diwlai is celebrated but I got a whole lot of information on why Diwali is celebrated,why we have oil bath and why lamps are lit and son.Just putting down some of the information here.In Kasi Devi Annapoornai is decorated with the gold kavacham on Diwali day,have attached a picture of Annaporani Maa,in gold loooking so absolutely Divine and full of Grace and Karunai.

I came across an article on Yama Deepam which is lit the day before Diwali ie on trayodashi,which I thought was indeed interesting and of course very useful.Paying our respects to Yama Dharma Raja, to eradicate untimely death and bless us with a long and healthy life.is . We should light as many lamps as the number of persons living in the house and keep them outside the house or in a nearby temple. This is supposed to eradicate all our “papams” and “fear of death”. In North India, the lamps are kept burning right through the night in reverential adoration to Yama, the God of death. In North India, ghee is used, but we, here, use gingelly oil. The following shloka can be chanted:

Mruthyunaa paas(h)dandaabhyaam kaalaena s(h)yaamayaa saha

Thrayodas(h)yaam deepadaanaath sooryajah preeyathaam mama

meaning:May my deepa daanam please Yama Dharma Raja, who holds Paas(h)am and dandam in his hands, shines with Shyama daevi and Kaaladaevan and is the son of Suryan.

Diwali is very popularly referred to as the Festival Of Lights and is celebrated all over India,though there are many varied legendary stories attached to the celebration.

In North India Diwli is celebrated for five days and it is celbrated for Lord Rama's triumphant return to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana.

The other one is Narakhasura vadam which is the belief in south India.Deepavali is associated with many legends.The second legend goes thus. Narakasura, a monster, ruled the kingdom of Pradyoshapuram. He was a trouble-maker to the gods and the pious sages and would disturb their penance or create havoc during the rituals. To prove his power, Narakasura usurped some territory of Aditi, (the king of Suraloka and a relative of Satyabhama, Lord Krishna's wife). Vexed with this harassment, Indra and other gods approached Lord Krishna and pleaded with him to protect them from the demon Narakasura. Satyabhama appealed to Krishna to give her the golden chance to destroy Narakasura, as Narakasura was given a curse that he would be killed by a woman. Krishna granted her a boon to fight with Narakasura. With Krishna as the charioteer, Satyabhama entered the battle field and killed the demon, Narakasura. The killing of Narakasura was a victory of good over evil. It is interesting to note that Bhudevi, mother of the slain Narakasura, declared that his death should not be a day of mourning but an occasion to celebrate and rejoice. Since then, Deepavali is being observed by people every year with joyous celebrations and lot of fun and frolic, and fire works.

The third one says that on this auspicious day, Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and good fortune visits the houses of people. In the evening Lakshmi Puja is performed with great devotion.The making of various sweets is the order of the day. Homes are decorated, sweets are distributed and lamps are lit, giving a magical and radiant touch. There is an atmosphere of joy and festivity.

Normally according to dharma shastram, one is not supposed to take an oil bath before sunrise on any day. But on Deepavali, there is an exemption. People get up early in the morning and have an oil bath in hot water specially before sunrise. This is equated to having a bath in the Ganges.

Thailae lakshmeeh jalae gangaa

deepaavaLyaas(h) chathurdas(h)eem

On Diwali day,Mahalakshmi resides in gingelly oil and Ganga maata resides in water until sunrise. So we get the blessings of Mahalakshmi as well by doing this.The traditional exchange of Greetings in South India is “ Ganga snanam acha??"Deepavali is a time for fun and revelry as well as pooja and tradition. The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to God for attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valour and fame. Fireworks are brought out and the children enjoy the fun and frolic. Hundreds of fire crackers can be seen glowing and then bursting as though it was a battle of glows and sparks in the skies. Thus there is universal enjoyment.And all this illumination and fireworks, joy and festivity, is to signify the victory of divine forces over those of wickedness."Thus this great festival of light symbolises man’s urge to move towards light of truth from darkness of ignorance and happiness."

The importance of oil bath on Diwali day is very beautifully explained below.

On this day the famous churning of manthara mountain with vasugi snake by the devas and asuras, came to a stand still, then our famous mahavishnu took a koorma avadaram [tortoise]and went down to help move the mountain, he found Mahalakshmi on a lotus there.When Mahalakshmi went in search of Lord Narayana the til plants wanted to hide away from her, but in her search she stamped them, oil came out and whatever is being touched by the lord of wealth is supposed to bring in wealth. [in the present day during these months if we notice our body heat is extreme due to the weather, pre- winter we tend to cover ourselves with warm clothing, all these rise the body heat and we suffer from innumerable problems like cold, aches and blurring eyes an oil bath cools the system].While Mahalakshmi marries Lord Narayana on this day she blesses the til to be good for human in every way. So to get her blessing we have an oil bath.

The most intersting part of Diwali celebrations are the new clothes,fire crackers and the sweetmeats and all the goodies.The most important is the Diwali Legiyam,which is the first thing given to all to eat on Diwali morning after the oil bath.There is food,food and lots more food all day.People greet each other,take the blessings of elders and also exchange sweets. Houses are beautifully and artistically decorated to welcome Lakshmi Devi.Colourful rangolis decorate the entrance of many houses.Lakshmi poojai is done in may houses and these days it is very popular to do Lakshmi Kubera pooja in the evening on Diwali day.It is believed that lighting sixteen lamps with ghee and doing the Lakshmi Kubera pooja will bring prosperity and peace.

Wishing everyone a very 'Happy Diwali'.

Jai Gurudev.

Happy Janmashtami!!

Today is Janmashtami or Gokulashtami or Sri jayanthi as generally and popularly known to one and all.I read this very informative write up on Kalinga Narthana Krishnan and thought it apt to post it here right away.Also enjoy the photo of Kalinga Narthana Krishnan from Oothukkadu.

OOTHUKKADU is a small village in Papanasam taluk of Thanjavur district, about 7 km from Thirukarugavoor, where the famous shrine of Goddess Garbha Rakshambigai is located. The main deity of Oothukkadu village is, of course, Lord Veda Narayanar flanked by goddesses Sridevi and Bhudevi on either side. The temple gained popularity after the discovery of the panchaloka idol of Kalinga Narthana Perumal from the temple tank. It is believed that sage Naradha witnessed the Kalinga Narthanam that Lord Krishna performed in front of the divine cows Nandini and Patti, children of Kamadhenu. Sage Naradha prayed to Krishna to remain in the village in the dance posture and bless the devotees. Hence it is believed that Lord Krishna remained in the dancing posture in Oothukkadu.The idol of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is about 2.5 ft high. Lord Krishna, portrayed as a five-year old boy, is seen dancing with His left foot on the serpent's head and his right leg in the air.The sight of the Lord holding the tail of the serpent with His left hand and showing Abhaya Mudra with His right hand is indeed a feast for the eyes. It is so intricately sculpted that one can insert a thin piece of paper between the Lord's left leg and the head of the serpent. The beauty is that the weight of the Lord's body rests on the left hand that holds the serpent's tail, says the temple Bhattacharya. One can also see the scars on the right leg of Lord Krishna formed due to the violent beating from Kalinga's tail.Mahakavi Venkatasa Subbhayyar, popularly known as Venkata Kavi, who lived in the 17th century CE spent his entire life in front of the thulasi mada composing a number of melodious songs in praise of this deity. Due to the extreme devotion of Sri Venkata Kavi to the Lord, he is believed to be a reincarnation of Sage Naradha who witnessed the Lord's dance in the village.Some of the famous songs of Venakata Kavi are: "Thaye Yasodha," Ali Payudhe Kanna," Paal Vadiyum Mugam", "Asaindadum mayil", "Enna Punniyam" and "Aadadhu Asangadhu Va Kanna". The starting verses of some of these songs can be found on the temple walls. It is believed that Lord Krishna appeared in person and danced to these melodies. Lord Krishna also performed the entire Kalinga Nardhanam for the pleasure of Sri Venkata Kavi.The shrine has gained fame as a "Parihara Sthalam" for "Raghu Dosham" and "Sarpa Dosham."The shrine is also visited by devotees who pray for quick settlement of marriage alliances and birth of offspring.best wishes.

source: wikipedia/sthalapuranam.

Happy Janmashtami!!!

Jai Gurudev.

A Birthday Surprise!!

Yesterday morning I wrote about being young at heart and vow,what should I say,yesterday evening there was an unexpected and pleasant surprise from DH.First surprise, he came home an hour early and second and the very exciting one was what he had in his hand for me.He had a boquet and a soft and cuddly soft toy,isn't that wonderful????

Feel truly happy and easily 25 years younger and truly enjoyed that gift,more so because DH is not generally in the habit of throwing surprises.Another more interesting observation here would be that this is probabaly the first soft toy ever for me.Vow ......every reason to feel young right????????????

Well,well,it did not end there,also got treated to malai sandwich and chole bhature from the new chaat joint in Mussafah,'Message'..........any guesses any one???

Had a great day yesterday, thanks to all my well wishers.Love you all and God Bless.

Jai Gurudev.

Young At Heart!!!!

Well, well, today is the day I made an entry into this world and it has been 55 years since.Vow, can't believe it actually.Infact I feel ancient and antique if I think about it.At the same time I must also admit that still have fresh memories of my school, college,etc and it feels as though it all just happened.
Amazing,actually when I think of all the wonderful experiences in life so far.
I remember my days at Chidambaram so vividly and a very dear and wonderful friend there Shelly.We used to be together all the time.At school in CDM I remember my english teacher Mr.Lakshmikanthan who used to call me a potato,road roller and can't remember whatelse.That was the time I also learnt to write and speak Tamil,until then I actually couldn't even speak tamil fluently. Had a whole lot of fun,for sure.I remember my mother's attempt at wanting to teach me carnatic music in which I had no interest then(though I do regret that now),I used to be regularly irregular to my class. I remember going and watching a movie in a theatre for the first time in CDM only,and actually after that it was a regular,did not miss out on any of the tamil movies released.
One incident which is ever fresh in my memory is the day when we were waiting for tickets to a movie and my athimber (athai's husband)came running to convey the message that my dear brother had passed the IAS exam.(They were such wonderful people my athai and athimber,difficult to come across such genuine people).It was indeed an experience when total strangers waiting in the queue joined us in our moment of happiness and expressed their good wishes and there were some who actually said they had seen such a scene only in a movie and could not believe that it was real.That was a very touching moment for sure when I think back today.People were sure much more simpler then I imagine.
Enjoyed my secondary school life thoroughly,my favourite period in school apart from english being Physical training and the breaks.I remember we just used to wait for break time and rush to the play area in school and the swing was our favourite.There were times when there were three of us swinging in one swinging at one go,great fun it used to be.....I loved playing kho kho, kabbadi, net ball, baseball,hanging upside down on the jungle gym, high jump long jump....I used to love it all at school, and back home it was langdi, hide and seek gilli danda and cricket sometimes.Super days,did everything other than studying I suppose....
Studying at St Mira's college Pune was another wonderful experience.Had a bunch of good friends and those were the days when I went to a hotel for the first time and had masala dosa.Used to love the chole bread that St Mira's college canteen served,haven't had anything like that after.Had the privilege of listening to Dada JP Vaswani's talk every day at prayer(I realise the importance only now though).....Also this was the time I first went to Ramakrishna math,Sarada math, Hari Krishna mandir quite regularly maybe.I remember many sunday mornings when we used to go to Harikrishna Mandir for dadaji's lecture(Dilip Kuma Roy)and also the satsangh that followed.I remember one evening when Indra ma asked me to sing a bajhan and my voice just wouldn't co operate and just choked.Entry to spirituality was here I guess.The one year PG at Ness Wadia,which was good too though I have no specific memories of those days.
After that it was entering into another totally different world of wedlock.Suddenly started managing a house,taking responsibility, vow cannot still imagine, but I guess that is how it is with everyone.Well life has gone a full circle I trust, and as it is with most people filled with plenty of immemorable joyous moments,joy rides, and not omit the roller coaster rides to probabaly create a balance and may be remind that life is filled with both ups and downs and its shares of joys and sorrows.
The last few years have been truly joyous and extremely enriching and lots of fun has been had and lots has been learnt.Have learnt that there is much more to life than holding on to unwanted garbage. Learnt the importance of living in the present.
Have learnt that happiness is a choice and a way of life and is certainly not associated with an incident or happening.Spending happy days and feel 20 at heart....
Sincere thanks and am totally grateful to one and all with whom I have been associated until this day.

A good journey until today and for sure better from now on, the best is yet to come................

Courtsey my DD blog managed to dig out some old pictures which she had posted,me carrying her on her 1st birthday......yenjaay..........


Jai Guru dev.

The Door Bell Rings!!!

Haven't written for more than a month now.Have been wanting to write on so many things though.
The other day I was reading an article written by a Sai devotee.It said when you finish Sai Sat Charita parayan, make naivedyam(generally Sheera) and distribute prasad,if there is an old person in the midst to receive prasad then be sure it is Sai Himself.I was just pondering over this,thinking to myself blessed indeed is the person where Sai presents himself to receive prasad.I have read Sai Satcharita a few times now and usually I make food for my servant and his group of friends.Here in this part of the world it is difficult to find people to distribute prasad and hence I thought it will be good to feed these people because for them home food is a luxury and surely they will enjoy.
So yesterday while saying my morning slokas and while reading Sai Sat charita,the thought going in my mind was "where it is possible for me to distribute prasad here since I know no one,leave alone seeing an old man there waiting for prasad?"Atleast back home in Pune there are temples one can visit and distribute prasad.
With this thought at the back of my mind I finished my slokas and was about my routine.Here in this place, the door bell too rings only on appointment, unlike back home in Pune you have the bell ringing at all odd hours,and it is never a surprise.
To come back to the present, yesterday suddenly the door bell rang to my utter surprise and amazement.For a moment I had to think, who it could be at this time of the day,because even my dear friend (the sole friend in this building)never comes without making a call first.With a lot of doubt and hesitation I first peeped through the keyhole to see who it is,I could spot a person standing way far and so decided to open the door and see who it is actually.I see a middle aged man with a beard and a white robe(the local dress) standing and he showed me some photos from that distance and asked for some charity.I told him to wait,closed the door got some coins and then gave him,and then he walked away.I was indeed surprised because I have never in this past year or so here, had any man come asking charity,we have had a lady who comes once in a way though and it has usually been on Fridays.
Much later in the day did I realise and connect this to my thoughts during my morning prayer.I realised it is SAI assuring me that place is no restraint and HE can be present any where and every where.Only we need to sincerely look for HIM and feel his presence and acknowledge HIS presence and be "AWARE".
I could also recollect in Sai Sat Charita HE has mentioned that HE is always watching us wherever we are, be it across seven seas HE will sure reach us.
So for sure I can say that if we are sincere in our prayers they are answered.
JAI GURU DEV!!!!!

Inda Naal Iniya Naal!!!!

This morning as I got up and sat in bed I felt something new about today and was wondering for a minute,what is special about today.After some pondering I realised today is 22nd July and it is my Birthday.Vow,I thought to myself,seems I am reaching a stage in life where I am forgetting my own bithday.
Anyways, went about the usual morning chores,enlightened my DH that it is my birthday today(he had forgotten too!!).Later in the morning I listened to some amazing Bajhans and was thinking about DH's birthday in April, when we had surprise visitors for lunch and we thoroughly were pleased with that.Initially, I thought will make some sweet today, but then postponed it to 25th thinking will combine it with DS's birtday too.Just as this thought was going on in my mind the telephone rang, and it was my one and only dear friend here in this part of the world.She called to say hello and wanted to know if she could come over for a chat.I was indeed thrilled at this.
We always look forward to sharing our happy days and moments with people usually.That is probably the reason I was so happy to hear from 'A'and even more excited when she came over.I remember last year I was in Boston for my birtday and we(DD&ME)went out to dinner at the Chinese place in Worcester.This year,I am here in Abudhabi.Is it going to be Canada next?????????????????I wonder!!!!!!!
So,coming back to the present, after all it was destined that a sweet be made today.Made batata vada and pineapple sheera,offered to God and then to dear 'A'.
It was wonderful that dear 'A' decided to come today and she too was extremely happy when I mentioned it was my birthday today.Had a good time with 'A',a wonderful human being for sure.
Another thing that made me happy was a mail from a dear,dear,friend Wishing Me A Happy Birthday.
I must mention that these little snippets in life can make us(and keep us) so truly happy and pleased and I for sure, am unable to think of these as coincidences.I do believe there is God's hand in every little thing that happens in our lives.HE made sure dear 'A'came over to meet me today.
Isn't that truly beautiful?????
Am enjoying my day today for sure!!!!!!!

Kismat Konnections!!!

Friday evening we decided to watch 'Kismat Konnections'.
A very clean and sweet movie I thought.Aziz Mirza has come out with a simple theme here,the movie based on superstition.We generally do hear of superstitions all the time in our day to day lives..Here we see that Vidya Balan(an activist with a boyfriend already) is lucky for Shahid Kapur.Whenever she is around him things workout positive for him.
I am not a great believer in superstition,but the simplicity of the movie was indeed impressive.The movie is shot in Canada Toronto and the story revolves around an architect(Shahid Kapur).He has many awards, medals, certificates, trophies to his credit as a student and has been a topper all the way.
He is out to face the big bad world as an architect and does not succeed in getting an opportunity to prove his talent.Every time he gets so close to getting a job but misses.He is left wondering why inspite of being the best student all the four years in his architecture college, he is unable to get an opening for five years.Influence and contacts are important in life to succeed is shown here.Academic brilliance alone is not enough it seems.Shahid's classmate is a successful architect today because his father is already a well known architect and civil contractor around.So all the new and big jobs go to him obviously.
A frustrated Shahid is pushed to believe that only a miracle can save him now.He goes to meet Haseena Bano(Juhi Chawla)who is a crystal ball soothsayer(one who sees people's future in a crystal ball), tells him that he will find his luck in a lady.He realises that Vidya Balan is his lady luck and so progresses the movie.When ever Vidya Balan is around things work out well for him.Finally success is coming his way because of lady luck and he makes sure she is around with him in all his meetings and presentations.
Vidya Balan (as we have seen her in Lage Raho Munnabhai)has a similar role here with a lot of senior citizens around her,whom she truly cares for.The community hall where they are housed has been taken over by a builder and they are in trouble now.Vidya Balan is fighting for the community hall to be retained for all the seniors for whom it is home.There is ofcourse the usual love triangle,Vidya Balan has a boy friend and is set to marry him.Shahid's entry in her life of course changes everything for her and as is expected All's Well That End's Well!!!!
The best part of the movie is I think the simplicity,the soothing and pleasant music(though of course I have to say none of the songs are catchy or great)and to top it all the pleasing faces that we see on screen.Shahid, Vidya, Hiten all look extremely charming I must say.One other point worth a note and mention is that there are no fighting scenes all through the movie.Needless to mention that Juhi,Ompuri and Bomman Irani do their role with ease and style,though they all have a brief role.
The movie left us smiling and absolutely with a feel good feeling for sure.
'Kismat Konnections' sure did take care our 'Kismat' this Friday was good.

Back After A Short Break!!!

Well,I had a rather short but surely a wonderful break and must say enjoyed every bit of it.It was indeed great to meet and catchup with family,uncles,aunts and cousins,some I have'nt actually met in years now.
Amma's birthday was celebrated in great style and with a lot of enthusiasm and fun.The ritual part of the function was very good too,there was ganapati homam,navagraha homam,aayush homam,mrutyunjaya japam etc.there was also the holy bath(all the kalasams filled with water and mantra japam to make the water holy and blessed) for amma which all of us participated in.
It was nice to see amma.Seems to have aged in the last 6 months but there was something new I observed about amma this item.I have many times heard people say that in old age people become like babies again.I could see that in amma this time around.There was a lot of child like innocence about her.That was indeed truly amazing.She enjoyed and was very happy all through,whether it was changing sarees or wearing the garland,and most of all seeing all her near and dear ones.
There was also the cake cutting(eggless cake!)which must be the first time for amma in all the 80 years and that was truly awesome.
When I sit back and think I am convinced that reaching 80 is a major milestone for anyone.In amma's case it is even more special because I cannot even imagine all that she has gone through since 1980.I think it needs great character and will power to emerge stronger after each test ant trial she has been through.These sure do firm our belief in God and that he is always with us.
After the birthday celebration it was time for us to leave Hyderabad for Pune.We decided to travel by train for a change and the train came upto an hour's distance (Daund)from Pune bang on time,we were indeed happy but not for long because we were informed the train is going to be held for the next three four hours for sure because of an accident ahead.So the train that should have reached Pune by 8.45 am was held on the outskirts of Hadapsar station.We decided to get down here and take an auto home and very bravely decided to get out of the train.Since the train did not stop at the station it was indeed difficult to jump down and I must thank god that I just missed a major injury there, by slipping the last step and landing down with a twisted ankle on the most uneven floor filled with stones.
We came out of the station and took an auto and again as luck would have it the rickshaw broke down, so took another one and finally reached home.It was great to be back home after six months and sure enough what was even more refreshing was our friendly neighour 'ajji' greeting and offering us a hot cup of tea and a bottle of water.

With Savita's help brought the house to shape and free from all the dust accumulated over six months.The next few days were indeed enjoyable ,what with the excellent cool breeze and the super sit out at KP house.There is nothing that can be compared to sitting out at the terrace with a hot cup of coffee and watching the morning walkers,the milk man, the paper man and so on so forth all busy with and focussed on their jobs..Miss all that out here, but I guess it is ok.
The four days went off so quick and it was time to get back.
The way back was good too, for we attended another 80th birtday function at Chedda nagar Chembur (one of DH's class mates parents).Our short holiday therefore started with birthday and ended too with octegenarian birthdays.It is wonderful I must say to see these senior citizens active and enjoying life to the full.
Pray God To keep them all Happy and Full of Energy All The Time.
Am yet to get back to the routine here,though working towards that.

Thanking My Mother On Her 80th Birthday!!!!

Dear Amma,




Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday , Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!


You gave the gift of life to me
And then in love, you set me free.
I thank you for your tender care,

For deep warm hugs and,........
just for being there.

You were there when I took my first steps
And went unsteadily across the floor.
Thro' my childhood you pushed and encouraged,
Till my steps took me out the door.


Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday , Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!

Mother, you had soooo many things to do,
From washing and ironing to tying a shoe.
You scrubbed, mended, cooked and sewed,
You kept us shod and you kept us clothed .

You were the doctor when we were ill,
Giving us a bandage, a hug or a pill?
You gave us love and patience, too
Mother you had soooo many things to do


It's no wonder that I soooo love you
THANK YOU AMMA FOR BEING THERE FOR ME ALWAYS


I find myself wondering...
Did I give you your due..
For all that you've done for me
Did I ever thank you?

For all of my childhood memories
For helping me deal with life's stresses
For helping me accept my defeats
And celebrate my successes?

Or
for teaching me the value of hard work,
Good judgement, courage, and being true
The laughter, smiles, and all that we've shared
Did I ever thank you?
If I have forgotten, I'm thanking you now.

You taught me right from wrong....I
hope you know how much you're loved and appreciated
I hope you, instinctively, knew all along .........


Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday , Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!!


AMMA, you're very precious
Solid platinum
So please enjoy your special day
To the maxi-Mum



Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU

Happy Birthday,Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday To You!!!!!

There are times when only a Mother's love
Can help us on life's way
And inspire in us,the confidence,
We need from day to day.

I know how often I took you for granted
When I was growing up back then,I always assumed you'd be there
When... ... I needed you
And you always were.

But I never really thought about what that meant
Till I got older and had children of my own,
I began to realise
How much time and energy you spent....
Devoted to me... so, for all the times I didn't say it before,
Thank you, AMMA....I love you so very much...


Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday,Happy Birthday,

Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!


God made a wonderful mother
A mother who doesn't grow old
He made her of iron,tough to face any situation,
And a heart of pure gold,
God made a wonderful mother,
And that wonderful mother is mine.


Thousands of stars in the night sky,
And shells on the shore together,
Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
Especially in sunny weather.
Millions of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Thousands of leaves in the fall,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one MOTHER that's all.


Happy Birthday to YOU

Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday , Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!!


How much I wish I could tell you,

AMMA...How much you mean to me....

But there are no words to say
How much I admire you...appreciate you...
thank you for everything you've done.love you
I wish you a happy, happy birthday Amma.


Amma, you're the best ,


Here's wishing a Happy Birthday
To my Number 1 relation.


Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday , Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!

Old Is Gold!!!!

This good old saying "Old Is Gold"came to my mind as I was going through the paper this morning.My thoughts were transported back to the late 60's&70's.The first thing I looked for in the news paper were the wonderful cartoon strips.Don't see them as they were then I guess.Listening to the radio was another major entertainment."Binaca Geet Maala" compered by Amin Sayani was my favourite and never missed that programme on Wednesday nights for anything.The Night 9'O clcok news was another important part of our daily routine.A day never ended without hearing the news "this is AIR and you are listening to the news by Mel Vil D'mello(if I remember the name right).I recollect my father pacing up and down in our verandah listening to the news.By the time the news ended I was fast asleep for sure.Sunday afternoons were reserved for 'Papa Malar& similar programmes on AIR.All that seems history now.Then came the black&white TV in the late 70's..We had an EC TV and many programmes there too were wonderful.'Chaaya Geet' was an all time favourite.Fridays evening we had "Tabassum compering'Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan". The first serial 'Hum Log' was another very good one. Sunday mornings was reserved for "Ramayan"which I believe in those days the whole nation watched with great interest.I must of course not forget the 'Tom& Jerry' cartoons.I think they are the best cartoons and enjoyable irrespective of the age.The restricted hours of TV made sure of the quality.Ever day there was a good programme on TV.
Photo albums too were a true treasure.It is always wonderful to flip through a photo album and relive old memories I must say.Every photo takes us back to the event attached.I for one never get bored seeing an album again and again.Today it is less of albums ,more of CD's and storing photos on your computer.Sharing photo albums with friends and family is indeed an experience to cherish.
Many of the movies made then were indeed so beautiful simple and filled with innocence.Some of my all time favourites are, 'Thiru Vilayadal','Ethir Neechal','Vietnam Veedu', 'Sarvar Sundaram','Thillana Mohanambal','Pattanathil Bootham', to name a few.They don't make such movies these days it seems.
I seem to be going into nostalgic memories very often these days and many times it makes me wonder what the reason could be.Maybe,I have too much time on my hands right now which takes me down memory lane often ,or may be it is the serials, movies, paper,the news items that I read.............. which makes me say "OLD IS GOLD".....................................

Oh God!!! Allow Me A Small Peek!!!!!!

Recently I was reading a blog where the writer is praying to GOD to just allow her a small peek into the future.It was a very nice piece of writing I thought and pretty realistic too.All of us would for certain be happy if we had an opportunity to peek into our future and know what is in store for us.It sure would save us of the anxiety and suspense that lay ahead otherwise.
This truly set me thinking.What if we actually could do that I wonder.Just imagine if in our dream every night we get to see what is in store for us the next day and all that is going to happen in our lives,there would be nothing to look forward to in life.Life will be so mechanical and uninteresting may be.I am sure even a routine happening like giving birth to a baby had its own share of suspense and thrills in the earlier days unlike the present days where parents know well in advance the sex of their baby.
Many times the anxiety of what is in store for us in the future sure wants us to be able to see our future now.I also got a fwd yesterday which tells of a man who gets a few dreams every night which he writes down and publishes because all his dreams are of the future of the universe and what is in store for all of us in general.Go here to know more about him and his dreams and what is in store for mankind in general.
In the anxiety of wanting our future to be the best, and the worry of our past not being what we ideally wanted it to be and how we could have done better if we had another chance,we forget to live the present moment.It would do a great deal of good if we learnt to live life for the present and now, because the present is the only one which we can be sure of.So enjoy each day and live every moment of your life being aware of the present moment.The past is over, the future is not known, only the present is yours. Every moment of your life is a Gift from God, and that is why it is called the 'Present'.............
So Live Life to the fullest today and enjoy every moment...............

Good Old St.Mira's Days!!!

Today's morning walk was so cool and weather was wonderful,I thoroughly enjoyed the walk and I do wonder for what reason though,brought back memories of my college days and I decided to put it down here as it all unfolds.So here we go....... down memory lane .......flash backs of life &times between 1970-1974.
Those days it was so easy to get admission to any college,pretty uncomplicated procedures for sure.You just went to the college,bought the application form, filled it and paid your fees,as simple as that.Something unimaginable today.
Anyways I joined St.Mira's College for girls,the commerce stream and had the most wonderful four years of teenage.Coming from a typical Tam brahm family my parents were pretty conservative and so naturally a list of dos and don'ts came along too.The one that troubled me most was the dress code..........I was allowed to wear only "pavadai davani",salwar suits a big no no, unheard of among the orthodox tamil iyers inspite of living in Pune.It was either you go to college the way parents want you to or just stay back,so lost the battle for sure,trying to convince my parents that 'pavadai davani' was embarrassing as college wear.Anyways, I did manage to put my foot down on that one and settled for sari instead though I was just 16 and a little too young for sarees may be.
Our principal dear dear Dada JP Vaswani as he is popularly known used to conduct our assembly regularly,and attendance at the assembly was compulsory (we needed 80%attendance to appear for exams),and it was a pleasure to listen to his lectures and the small bajhan sessions that followed were wonderful too.Of course I probably did not realise the value all the wonderful lectures he used to give,because may be I was pretty immature to understand his teachings.Today I surely take pride in the fact that I had the privilege of studying in an institute which imparted values to its students.I feel more privileged that I had the gift of attending an institute who's principal is an internationally recognised and revered person.He is responsible for starting the World Meatless Day .To learn more about Dada and his missions and teachings go here.Probably this is one of the major reasons for the kind of person I am today.Maybe with or without my knowledge a small bit of Dada's teachings have registered in my mind.
We used to watch everyday our principal going on his daily morning walks and we used to be amused that all his disciples had to run to cope with his speed.These memories I do cherish.His sister too used to take our assembly some days and she was a very pious and religious lady.This year will see Dadaji JP Vaswani's 90th birthday.Back home in Pune whenever we get a chance we do not miss the chance of listening to dear dadaji on Sony tvevery morning at 6.30 am.
Ours was a small class of about thirty girls and we had excellent teachers and we had managed to be together too all the four years.Ekadashi was a special day at college when our college fed the poor.Students too were given prasad on Ekadashi days and the chole bread we used to get those days were simply delicious.I am yet to eat anything even close that till date.Our canteen too used to serve the best chole bread.
I was meted out partial treatment at home(none of brothers I believe got pocket money or so I believe till today) and my father used to give me a pocket money of five rupees every month.This money was basically for transport.I used to save up this money by walking to college with my friends(we were three of us who went together regularly until final year) .This money was used to eat masala dosa once a month at Mangal Vihar on East Street Pune whenever we had an off or when we decided to bunk a class.
Our accountancy classes were filled with fun and laughter,thanks to our teacher Shri ESV.He was a famous chartered accountant in Pune and had his own flourishing practise Today I am told his son's run the office.I also remember D who was the most witty students of our class and always up to some thing. Today D is a lecturer in Mira's College teaching accountancy and it was indeed very nice to meet her a couple of years ago.One of my seniorsUB who is a good friend too, is the principal of the junior college at St.Mira's and I do feel so proud and happy for all these people.Right from my school days I have had this quality of feeling proud and happy for all the achievements of my friends.
The second &final year B.com I did combined studies with one of the very rich Sindhi business girls in our class BK.She was a very good friend too.I happened to meet her at Pune airport in 1986 (with her baby boy and she was living in Bangkok she told me).after 1974.The beginning of final year B.com itself saw many of my class mates getting engaged, married and somehow after that I did not keep in touch with many.D and I were together at Ness Wadia college doing M.com(which incidentally I never completed).The most boring classes were Economics and I remember our class was punished once for regularly bunking economics classes and we had to face our principal JPV.All of us were nervous to face him and we had never before seen the strict side of our principal.He had decided to take action and punish us ,even while punishing us he showed no signs of anger and was very calm and smilingly said unless we were all ready with all the notes in economics (which we missed he would not allow us to sit for exams).After hours of pleading and promising we would not repeat he let us go.This was one incident which I was a little ashamed of in college which was otherwise filled with fun.
We went for a picnic too to Lonavala with our Commercial Law teacher Mrs A who was a very affectionate and motherly teacher.We went to Lonavala by the local train and it was one enjoyable picnic playing antakshari, word building, dumb sharads and many other games too.Not to miss out the famous batata wada at Karjat and also the famous Lonavala chikkis.
Mrs A was responsible for my interest in law.I was very keen on pursuing LLB which remains a dream till date.Will write about this one some other time though.
Will conclude with a couple of quotes from dear dadaji :
"Life is too short to be spent in fault-finding, holding grudges, or keeping memory of wrongs done to us. Forgive even before forgiveness is asked. Forgive and forget".

"An infinite potential lies hidden within us. We are unaware of it, because we think of ourselves as limited, restricted creatures. We have identified ourselves with a biochemical mental organism. Our true self is the atman. Tat twamasi! That art thou! There can be no limit to what we can do – and achieve!

And one which I will always remember "Never, Never, Never, Give Up!!!!!!!!"

A thought right now coming to my mind is that I must 'THANK GOD FOR ALL THAT HE HAS GIVEN ME UNTIL NOW'!!!!!!!!!

whowho was a
Ahe hheJhe PV
Thehe

Back To School!!!

I am reminded of my summer vacations and the fun we had.We were busy all day playing monopoly,cricket, gillidanda or the most enjoyable card game of bluff.Evenings were reserved for out door games or at the nearby Shahu udyan .During weekends parents would take us to the famous Parvati Hills .Climbing parvati hills used to be great fun,we would have a competition as to who reaches the top first.Nothing to beat the watermelon slices we had after the climb.Those were sure fun days,and for certain carefree days.
The last week of the vacation was reserved for getting ready for school aand the new class.First collecting text books from senior friends,then getting them bound to last through the year and last but not the least was covering books and note books and labelling them.All these were activities which we really enjoyed.
I am specially reminded of my VIII std at St.Helena's School Pune.We had alot of extra curricular activities which I thoroughly enjoyed.Base ball, net ball,badminton and singing lessons.I remember I was a part of the inter school choir too.
I used to be quite fond of my drawing teacher of class VIII Miss Dawson.We used to look forward to the weekly drawing lessons because every week she taught us something new and wonderful.Some of the art I really enjoyed were pencil sketching, portraits and still life.I remember I did preserve my drawing book for a long time,maybe till early 80's if I remember right.
I can still remember Miss Dawson though it is now almost 40 years since then.She used to be short and stout wearing glasses and I remember sometimes she used to smoke too.Anyways she was a very sweet teacher.
After about 40 years my interest in pencil sketching has been revived, thanks to A my wonderful neighbour in this part of the world.(Mussafah).My neighbour A is a wonderful person I must mention here,for she is always ever ready to impart all that she has learnt.I have heard my mother say: blessed are those who do 'Vidya Daan' (teacher's job I mean).Those words come to my memory today and for sure very true I think.
Anyways,coming back to sketching,I am learning pencil sketching and charcoal drawing from A these days and must say I am enjoying every bit of it.It was exciting going pencil, eraser&drawing book shopping for myself after so many years.The last time I went stationary shopping was I think when my chidren were schooling.I think all of us have the child in us always whatever be our age.Sometimes,I seem to just get carried away while doing my drawing,that I lose track of time.Oh it is fun though....
I must say I am indeed thankful to A for encouraging me all the way and getting the best out of me.Needless to mention here the support from family.... I guess it is never too late to learn anything.
I 'm having fun for sure......................

Guruji's Birthday!!!!!

13thMay a very auspicious day, poojya Sri Sri Guruji's birthday,and such a great coincidence that Guruji was born on Shankara Jayanthi Day(the birthday of Adi Shankara),in a place named Papanasam(meaning removal of sins)and christened on the 11th day which also happened to be the birthday of Sri Ramanuja,the renowned preacher of Bhakti or devotion.Such a wonderful and interesting combination of knowledge and devotion,in the consciousness of the new born.Isn't that indeed beautiful?????

The Abudhabi chapter of the Art Of Living organised a wonderful satsangh and celebration of Guruji's birthday on 13th May 2008.Being a member of the global family(AOL)I was witness to the celebration and I must say it was simply a blast.

The satsang was lead by Siddarth Mohan who had come all the way from Chennai for the occasion.His rendition of "Kaun Kehta Hain.........,Satchidanada,Jhoola Jhoole Nandala,Radhe Radhe Bol...were all simply awesome.The hall was reverberating with claps and dance and I guess you need to be there to truly experience the euphoria.Was ecstatic,really great.

I am indeed thankful to my teacher here at Abudhabi for giving this opportunity.

Sharing a few notes about Guruji which I read.,

Sri Sri is as compassionate as Jesus, as playful as Lord Krishna and as erudite as Adi Shankara. He has this uncanny ability of helping people unburden their stress-filled minds. His invaluable sayings act as balms for wounded souls. Here's a sample: " Life is a ball in your hands to play with. Don't hold on to the ball."

Guruji is a unique combination of wit and wisdom, seriousness and playfulness, who would provoke you to "celebrate while you are alone, celebrate when you are with people, celebrate the silence and celebrate the noise. Celebrate life and celebrate death." It is not surprising then that, the Art of Living is all about accepting life in its totality and its motto is to "only connect.

According to Sri Sri even though the world is a mixture of happiness and sorrow, it shouldn't deter any one from seeking enjoyment in whatever one does. He elucidates, "It is written in the Upanishads, the Atman, soul, is Satchidanandamaya (complete bliss). Spirituality is not boring. It is the Rasa (flavor) of life."
This blissful state can only be attained when one follows the religion of humanity, or in Guruji's term—Manav Dharma, by spreading love in each human soul. Beloved Guruji has even unfolded the path to this state, simply follow it: "How far to Heaven? Just open your eyes and look. You are in Heaven."

Just so, did go on a ride to heaven with the superb satsangh,needless to metion the sumptous prasad served.I believe anything served as prasad tastes that much more delicious because it has the blessings of the Guru.

Hope I am granted the grace of attending more such satsanghs in future and also a day when I will be blessed to have his darshan and receive his blessings.

Jai Guru Dev!!!!