CPR

No, I am not referring to the Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation procedure in this post, as I am not a qualified doctor :-) I am talking about a new acronym which I coined up - 'Corporate Product Responsibility'. Yes, this post is about the environment again - same old blah, blah, blah..!!! Yes, I hope you agree we human beings are the most brilliant species on Earth. But we are brilliant in being the most selfish species on earth and we are worse than any virus because we think only about our own well being and not the planet Earth's even for a split second!

So, this is a different concept; which I guess no corporate would agree with. Most businesses believe in giving back to the society by way of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). But CPR is about the business taking ownership of the product created by it from the beginning of the lifecycle of the product to its end. This concept tells us that as human being for a change, let us think about the environment first and see how businesses can use some of their profits in giving back (or not giving back!) to the environment.

But in our struggle against environmental pollution, natural catastrophes, I think it is about time, corporates keep the big picture in mind and take responsibility of not only 'producing' the products but also 'recycling', 'reusing', and 'reducing' the waste that is generated after the products have been used and disposed. This will ensure that they become more aware and more responsible of all the raw materials, chemicals, etc which goes into their product while they produce it. They should have a complete blue print of how they source each and every piece, to how it is converted, to how it is returned back without leaving any negative footprint on the environment.

In many developed countries, they do have facilities to collect old and used electronic items separately, hazardous waste separately and so on. But still our landfills are piling up day by day with trillions of tonnes of waste which is polluting our air, water and soil. All this is coming back to bite us in the form of poison laden meat and veggies. The other easier option would be for all the people in the world to become 'vegan' and eat only 'organic' but that would be asking for too much at the moment. So for the time being, in our race against the clock with pollution, the governments of all countries should make it mandatory for every company, to take responsibility for the disposal of the products produced by them. They should be able to collect back whatever product they have produced and ensure that each and every part of the product is either recycled, reused or disposed away safely - but ensure that it is not ending up in a landfill!

Not only this, it should be made compulsory for every householder to take personal responsibility for all the waste generated from their household. They should not just bag the garbage in different colored 'plastic' bags and think that's the end of their responsibility. If it is biodegradable waste then they have to ensure that they are using it in some for - either converting it to natural fertilizer or using it as biogas. Also, there should be some form of check on the amount of resources which is spent by the average householder. There should be no form of wastage in spending of resources.

It is high time that companies look beyond their profit margins and take up this CPR course, as we desperately need to save our ailing Mother Earth - NOW!

Ph.D in bugging you...

It is really amazing to see today's mosquitoes so clever...! Really!!!

It seems all of them go to some 'on-the-fly' university to learn all their buzzing and stinging techniques...first it was Malaria and now it is Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, etc...We try to control the spread of one disease and Lo there is a new virus / bact to deal with!

See..some of the things which mosquitoes are capable of doing nowadays when compared to mosquitoes of yore are...

- Location of bite is inversely proportional to your physical reach. That is, they will bite you in a place on your body which is tough to reach by your hands...like for instance the back of your elbow, or the back of your thighs - while you are seated. And you will definitely not be spared if you are wearing a transparent kind of outfit, as it is easier for them to get you from the outfit. 

- If you luckily have a mosquito swatter electric bat in your hand, then the clever ones keep flying very close to your body as they are somehow aware that you will not zat yourself with the bat; or they fly very low to the ground as it is difficult to zat them on the floor! Clever, isn't it? 

- Also the Gen X mosquitoes don't seem to be affected by any of the Good Knights, Mortein and All Outs...! Period! I guess they have their own research labs where vaccines against these are provided on a national scale similar to the Polio vaccine drive in the human world!

Also why I tell University is, all human behavior is somehow kept track of, researched and an antidote is made ready against each of our defenses.

100 more years left to escape Earth....

...says the English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. How unfortunate! How unfortunate for all the Earthlings....I came across this news when I was contemplating about the same....How will we survive in this world if we continue with our greedy way...?

Are human beings naturally always trying to bring their destruction upon themselves? Is this something which is in-built in our genes? Are we so bad that one BIG OL' EARTH is not sufficient for us and we have to find other planets to pillage?

When will human being come out of their illusory shells and see the disaster that he is creating. True, we have gained victory over many life threatening epidemics but can any planet bear the brunt of our growing population? True, we have advanced in science and technology, but can we reverse the effects that this so-called science and tech is having on our environment?

Is it right for man to just think about himself, his family, his family tree alone - keep storing away all the wealth and riches for his kith and kin? How much will Mother Earth have left to continue this 'me, mine, myself' behavior? How much has Mother Earth already lost due to this behavior. How long will we mindlessly go on punching holes into Mother Earth with our modern excavators trying to dig out all her riches? Is it ever going to be enough. Why is the human mind so competitive? When are we going to change this culture to one of sharing and caring instead of grabbing and storing?

Let us for a second think about the future of our children and see what are we going to leave behind at this rate? We may just have to leave behind boats - seeing the rate of global warming that is. Maybe science and technology will advance so rapidly that it would become possible for people to colonize the Moon or other planets. But let us just step back and think for a second; are we sacrificing Mother Earth and all that is good at the threshold of advancements in AI and Space Travel? The nature of man which is competitive is like a demon with a stomach that is bottomless. No matter how much you feed this demon, it will not be satisfied.

Today, there we have advanced, highly luxurious, high-speed cars, but the traffic doesn't move an inch on the road! Today, we have too many options for entertainment, but too little joy derived out of it. Today, we have a lot of privacy but too little to share. Today, we have too much sex and very little real love. Today we are spending all our wealth on hi-tech gadgets, hi-tech hospitals and hi-tech security systems. Who are we protecting ourselves from? Who are we running away from? Why are we drowning ourselves in alcohol and drugs? Is this the only way we know to spend our hard-earned money? Ego begets ego...and anything achieved with ego will end up a circle of it own destruction.

Too many questions, but very few answers. Man has to stop this race to kill himself and step back. Take a deep breath and question the rationale behind the decisions made. Are we going to create a world of zombies by transplanting the head of one person onto the body of another? Time is ticking and it is not sufficient if a handful of people become aware and start living a 'normal' life. It is time now for governments to wake up, for countries to wake up and strive to make efforts in the right direction. Just one Bhutan will not do in the world! All countries have to arise and awake and contribute. The change has to begin at all levels - economic, environmental, spiritual. Either this or all nations have to wait for the ticking bomb to explode to awaken their true brotherhood and respect for Mother Earth. Please, it is an honest please - let us not wait for that day but take steps today itself in the right direction to make a better tomorrow. Please!!!

Jagat Janani Jagadambike He Maa - Song Lyrics

One more of my favorite Sahaja Yoga bhajan... :-))

Jai Jai Maa......Jai Jai Maa......Jai Jai Maa.......Jai Jai Maa....
Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...

Jagat Janani Jagadambike He Maa...Hey Maa....(2)

Mein aat prahar mahima gaauu
Tere sumiran se sukh paau
He param sukhdaayi, phaldaayi He Maa, Hey Maa

Jagat Janani Jagadambike He Maa...Hey Maa....(2)

Tu dhivyjyot, tu sukhkharakh
Tu bhaktjano ki uddharakh
Bhavsagar mein sab ki dhaarak
Tu swayam shakti, shaktidhaarak

Mein divas rein tujko dhyaayu
Tere sumiran se sukh paau
He param sukhdaayi, phaldaayi He Maa, Hey Maa

Jagat Janani Jagadambike He Maa...Hey Maa....(2)

Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...(2)

Tu bhavpreeta, anandmayi
Tu ranachandi, tu kaalajayi
Har yug mein... tere roop kayi
Har puja mein tu lage nayi

Mann apna tuj tak lee jaau
Tere sumiran se sukh paau
He param sukhdaayi, phaldaayi He Maa, Hey Maa

Jagat Janani Jagadambike He Maa...Hey Maa...(2)

Tu Shiv dooti, tu Mahabala
Durjan pe teraa vaar chala
Sajjan ka tune kiya bhala
Har pal tera aashish bhala

Tujmein ramkar mein tar jaau
Tere sumiran se sukh paau
He param sukhdaayi, phaldaayi He Maa, Hey Maa

Jagat Janani Jagadambike He Maa...Hey Maa...

Mein aat prahar mahima gaauu
Tere sumiran se sukh paau
He param sukhdaayi, phaldaayi He Maa, Hey Maa

Jagat Janani Jagadambike He Maa...Hey Maa....(2)
Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...(2)
Jai Jai Maa...Jai Maa...Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa (2)
Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...Jai Jai Maa...

Goodness multiplied by WhatsApp!

Recently, myself got into the WhatsApp bandwagon and I must say it has been a good ride so far!

There are different types of messages that float on WhatsApp but the ones preferred by me are the motivational stories. Also there are a few disturbing videos that are posted :-( which really terrify me, making me wonder how come people were patiently taking the video instead of helping the person / animal being tortured :-O (even though in some cases it is a CCTV footage).

Anyways, besides that, there are so many motivational little stories on WhatsApp which really make us introspect and also help cheer up our day...

There messages start with the usual Good Morning messages, which comes with a quote or proverb to help us keep chugging through the day with positive hope!

The first category of messages are the highly inspiring messages like the recent one on the Carbon negative country Bhutan and how they were able to achieve it! Also a lot of inspirational TED talks and other videos which we wouldn't have the time to go searching for on the net.

Also there are the motivational stories which try to find a positive moral on the old epics and mythology like stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and so on. People are getting to know of the treasure trove of knowledge hidden in our epics thanks to WhatsApp!

Then there are the pictures which tell us how to make our day better by eating right or by drinking that glass of warm lemon juice or by staying off that glass of wine! Also lot of reminders about how to exercise by sitting at your desk and how to avoid feeling sleepy in the afternoon :-)

Few other messages fall into the family and societal category where they tell us how and why we should respect our elders and how we should treat our children. Also the messages about how we should be environmental conscious and reduce wastage from our daily lives.

Also some messages are of the hit-hard-under-the-belt type of messages / videos which show how we are consuming food laced with chemicals or how our small careless actions like keeping a cell phone near our ears while we go to sleep can endanger us.

Then there are the calming and soothing messages which tell us the reason why meditation is good for us and why we should meditate to calm ourselves and for world peace!

Hopefully, these small WhatsApp capsules are bringing in small changes somewhere in the mindsets of people and hopefully make them better by helping them change their lifestyles in a positive way and value what is most important in their lives and have a sense of gratitude towards all that is LIFE!

Amen!

Lessons learnt from Chennai flood 2015

Chennai and surrounding parts plus Pondy and Cuddalore were lashed with floods over the past few weeks...as a Yogini it gave me lot of time to introspect as well as meditate...here are some sketches about the events which transpired at our home...

There was a collective of around 12-15 Yogis staying at our place during this difficult time. We all realized one thing which is the power of the divine plus the power of collective.Whenever we sat for meditation and requested our Mother, it would stop raining. But our prayers had to be really sincere and on behalf of all the innocent and suffering people of TN and Pondy.

One day we recited 12 names of Shri Surya devata mantras and the heavy rains stopped and the sun started shining even though it was for just 15 mins.

Also last whole week we were just meditating and meditating...as we didn't have much else to do also due to no power, net, phones it really was an intensive seminar which really improved our state. We also did morning and evening Aarti (evening compulsory) collectively. We were also doing 4 petal meditation to please our elder brother Shri Ganesha. In addition we were reciting Shri Devi Kavach and other needed mantras to clear.

At the same time we were all the time feeling eternally blessed and grateful to our Mother for giving us fresh and hot food, a great collective and a cozy place to stay even in such extreme conditions. Thank you a million times Mother! But at the same time we were aware of the gravity of the situation and were sincerely meditating and trying to be connected at all times. We didn't have any fear in our hearts but just a humble plea to our Mother to forgive all of us and all people of TN and Pondicherry for any transgressions committed against the great Goddess and against Mother Nature.

Also we felt a bit guilty that we are just sitting comfortably at home while thousands of people are going out and helping others. But then as Shiva bhaiyya said, we were a privileged bunch who had been given the highest responsibility of meditating and requesting the Divine to stop the onslaught of the rain; bread and biscuit packets can be given by anyone! This was really a great eye-opener for us!

Also Simiji and myself realised that as Gruhalaxmis we should do some things on a consistent basis like doing a small Ganesha Puja in the morning, Aarti in the evening, meditating whenever we get a chance and keep our state constantly up. This is very essential to improve the vibrations of the home as well as the whole collective. We also decided that we should regularly meet in each others homes collectively and do regular pujas. Also Yoginis should become more active and participate in lot of public programs even if Yogis are busy with office work. 

This flood was definitely a wake-up call to me and hopefully to all Yogis across TN and Pondy...these are just few points which I felt...please add the lessons learnt by you also over the past few weeks and we can also learn from it...

Types of drivers...

I have the luxury of choosing not to drive (plus the fact that I am dead scared of driving thanks to drivers like the one I will describe below) and I travel frequently by taxis and auto rickshaws in the city of Chennai. Sitting behind the driver, gives me the opportunity to notice the various driving characteristics of the drivers...this article may turn out to be a complete time pass or give a deep insight into human psychology...whatever!!! :-)

Driver Type #1: Mr. No-Accident Anbumani

This type of driver is more common among auto rickshaws where the driver is hell bent on bumping into another vandi (vehicle in Tamil). But the only reason he does not is because he is completely protected by the supreme power above. So no matter how hard he tries, however rash he drives his vehicle, he and his auto miraculously escape each and every time thanks to his previous births good tidings. But Mr. Anbumani will also ensure that you are definitely praying to the Lord each and every minute you spend in the back seat; so they are actually doing a huge favor to God since human beings today do not spare time to remember God. Also the folks who drive beside him should have started from home by showing their gratitude to all their fore-fathers, ancestors and all the 35 crore Gods if they have to get past without a scratch. Thanks to all this pious work, he has a confirmed seat in the front row of Heaven. And may I warn you, your heart will be in your throat for most part of this adventurous ride!

Driver Type #2: Mr. Accident-prone Senthil

This type of driver is one who is probably a bit new to driving and his lack of experience shows. He has no intention of bumping into anybody else, he just wants to keep to himself but somehow that seems to be impossible. No matter how hard he tries, he will end up braking suddenly to prevent his vandi from bumping into another one. He seems to be a bit jittery while driving and that greatly impacts his on-road alertness. So if you are sitting in this auto, then be wary of sudden brakes and jerky driving and also the occasional bump intos!


Driver Type # 3: Mr. Pothole Pandian

This auto driver will ensure that he never misses a single hump or pothole on the great Indian road. He has to pay his salutation to each and every one of them with the wheels of his vandi. Even if he misses one, he will take a reverse or U-turn, go back and then bump! Sounds like an exaggeration..? Believe me, you can never trust what this person will do next! Actually he is doing a great social service by opening the customers eyes to the sorry state of Indian roads and through his actions, he sincerely believes that he can bring some radical change. He dreams that one day all of India's roads will be pothole-free and until that day he will not rest. He believes in the adage - A journey of a thousand sleek roads begins with bumping over a single pothole! Also this auto can double up as a free maternity ward where delivery can be done for pregnant ladies minus the hassle of doctor and hospital fees. So if you are ready for the risk involved, then go for the ride!

Pregnant ladies disclaimer - Please take a helper along just in case!!!

Driver Type #4: Mr. Running-commentary Saravanan

This driver will give commentary on anything and everything happening on the road as we go along. Also he may update you on the latest news items like strike, political scam, and more. This is more common among the auto rickshaw drivers whose eyes are not peeled on to the road but on the incidents happenings on the left or right side of the vandi. Also if accidentally another vehicle or pedestrian cross their path, then the commentary will shift to them on how carelessly these days drivers drive or how lost pedestrians are in their thoughts while they are walking on the road. You will have no dearth of entertainment with Mr. Saravanan.

Driver Type #5: Mr. RJ Rahman

This driver would like to entertain you to the hilt . He will keep switching between Suryan FM, Radio Mirchi, Chennai FM, Aahaa FM and all other radio stations with peak volume playing 'Kutthu' (A Tamil dance song type) songs. While getting off you will either have a headache or a good workout for our head and neck regions. This type of cab driver is generally not chummy to the mood of the customer - he is the RJ of the club sorry cab and he sets the mood - so baby, get on with the groove or get lost!

Driver Type #6: Mr. Mukku Murugan

This type of driver is most common amongst autos who will agree to a particular fare and once they realize that the destination is slightly further than what they imagined, they travel the rest of the way cursing and braking the auto. All this extra build-up is it just make you feel guilty so that you will shell out some extra dough for the seemingly extra-long-distance-which-you-didn't-make-clear-while-discussing-the-rates-at-the-beginning-of-the-trip - Duh! He will stop and curse under his breath so much that by the end of the extra 20 - 30 m you just throw the extra money on him and leave!

Driver Type #7: Mr. Decent-gentleman Kumar

This driver is the best and you will get such a driver only if you have completed your prayers for the morning and also your prayers have reached the Lord. This driver will not even open his mouth and will have the most smooth driving skills you have ever seen. He will just pick you up from Point A and drop you at Point B SAFELY. This driver is a darling especially after having a heated argument with your boss or spouse and you just want to get away and you are looking for some calm and quiet while reaching your destination. You can also peacefully meditate and channel into your inner oasis of calm while traveling in this cab (usually this type of driver is a rare species with Autos).

I think I have covered the major 7 categories of drivers, there might still be a few categories I must have missed, but I have had the ultimate honor of traveling with mostly the above ones. Please add if you have had the esteem of traveling with any other kind of driver too. Just for fun! ;-)

Note: I have had more auto travel experience in Chennai and hence have used most common Tamil names for the auto drivers. Please forgive if I have unintentionally hurt the sentiments of other drivers with different name categories!

Vaitarna - in the middle of serene tranquility...

A week long visit to Vaitarna near Mumbai was really relaxing and rejuvenating for me. This is a quaint Sahaja Yoga music academy established in the middle of nowhere far away from the hustle-bustle of Mumbai city, located about 200 kms from the Mumbai airport.

When I stayed there I made a couple of paintings which turned out to be really good, if I may the liberty to say so myself! Also, I practiced a dance routine for the song - Anyatha Sharanam Nasthi which is one of my favorite bhajans for the Chennai seminar which was scheduled at the end of May month. It turns out that my performance was well-received and the only reason I could think of was the dedicated time I could devote to the practice at Vaitarna, which would have been literally impossible back in Chennai.

This music academy was established by Baba Mama around 10 years ago. Baba Mama who is the younger brother of Shri Mataji was a really established Yogi who has made tremendous contributions to Sahaja Yoga growth and establishment.

Currently the academy is not in a very good shape owing to poor maintenance and this really pained me a lot. Hopefully this will be corrected in the near future by the ever-flowing grace of our Mother. I also got to meet really deep and dedicated Yogis who were ardently practicing music at the crack of dawn everyday without a day's lapse. This was also a great inspiration for me. All in all, the Vaitarna is a temple of the fine arts like music, painting and dance which is very essential to establish a Yogi deeply in Sahaja Yoga. The tranquility in Vaitarna makes it that much more easier to find your inner hidden Yogi. :-) Thank you very much Shri Mataji for giving us such a wonderful place to express our creativity.

Where is Science and Technology heading to...?

I was very shocked and aghast to see some news in the last couple of weeks in the paper...I think it is even difficult to imagine how the state of affairs would be in the next couple of decades with people going all amok with technology.

News Item #1: 3-D printing technology is a reality and there is a guy already printing 3-D gun parts and using them!

News Item #2: Technology to control the mind of mice by a human has been successfully tested!

News Item #3: A burger with beef grown under artificial lab conditions was distributed among the public. Only problem with it was it lacked the taste of fat!

Now imagine the resultant version of the above news that would read in the near or far future...

News Item #1: Terrorism at its peak among teenagers - Teenagers printing guns causing havoc in universities

News Item #2: Whose in your mind? - Military use of mind control technology becoming a reality, do we have a Manchurian candidate who will be elected as our next President?

News Item #3: Lab grown beef and chicken patties are all the rage - A BIG question mark on the future of the large cattle and chicken population in various farms

I know that all of the above future news items tend to lean more on the negative side; but in predicting the human race it is always better to err on the side of caution and stick to the behavior that is most expected of them! And this is exactly what will happen if we continue to develop science or any field in a lateral manner without any boundaries. The limits have to be defined inherently and this knowledge will come only if as a human being we are connected to our roots. What better way to connect to our roots that realizing the pure energy within us which has been sleeping for eons. If you want to awaken this energy and connect to your roots, try Sahaja Yoga. This technique, I sincerely believe can only save mankind of destruction from its own hands.

An Ad for a VERY, VERY Special Technique... :-)

The following is an ad for a special technique...I am no Marketing person but I just can't resist publicizing about this since I have tried it and it is real goooooddddddd...believe me and all claims it makes are 100% true...so here goes the script for the print ad...

Are you still stuck at the bottom of the Maslow's hierarchy...?

Are you looking for solutions to your emotional, mental and physical problems...?

Are medications taking a toll on you...? Is all your savings going to the doctors?

Are you unable to sleep at night...? Is peace of mind a distant dream for you...?

Is running the daily grind getting to you...?

Are you still part of rat race and going nowhere in particular...?

Are you tired of your dominating boss, nagging spouse, fussy children, overbearing parents...?

Are you tired of trying to hook yourself into a relationship...? Are you tired of the superficial people you meet out there...?

Are you waiting for that magic moment of your life...?

Are you tired of reading the same old newspaper with the same old news about violent, corruption, scams, riots and hatred?

Do you get worried reading news about a student opening fire in school and expect something like that to happen on your way to work...?

Are you tired of the criminal politicians, corrupt bueraucrats, bribe-hungry law personnel and the friendly neighborhood Milkman who mixes water in the milk...?

Do you want to find solutions to all your nation's problems, but dont know where to start...?

Do you want to take our great nation with an outstanding history back to its heyday?

Do you want to influence all the negative people you encounter in a positive way?

Are you worried about where the planet is headed with all the global warming and other ecological problems?

Do you lose sleep over problems affecting our world like terrorism, financial crisis, arms trade, poverty, racism, military spending, child labor, oil problem and so on...

Do you feel like tearing your hair out when you read the murkier things which gets churned out of wiki leaks?

Do you watch sci-fi movies and get worried about the state of affairs to come to our dear Mother Earth in the near future?

Do you want real solutions to all the above problems...???

There is just one simple solution to all these problems and YES, make sure you hear me right...it is 100% FREE!!!

FREE, FREE, FREE!!!

Yes, that's true...and the solution lies within each one of us waiting to be tapped and awakened through Sahaja Yoga meditation.

Yes, Sahaja Yoga meditation is the one and only solution in today's materialistic, money-hungry world. Sahaja Yoga provides a different perspective about all our current day problems and gives us unique and simple solutions which really work!

So what are you waiting for...there are many problems to be solved in the world today. So waste no more time and get on with Sahaja Yoga and let's make our world a better place, by solving one problem at a time.

Thank God for Sahaja Yoga!!!

Inspired by København

Writing after a long gap...but I was inspired to write again thanks to my short visit to Copenhagen, Denmark - supposedly #9 in the list of Top 10 cities to live in the world as of now.

This was my first visit to a European country and I must say it was remarkably different from my previous US experience. For one, I found that the people here lead a very, very, very disciplined life. Also majority of the people here are very, very tall...! The other main aspect was that people here are very friendly and social as well which was very refreshing to see. I also happened to visit a rural area of Denmark, where they have a concept of community living where even today several families live together in one big place and support themselves by contributing all of their income earned to the community. These families also religiously practice organic farming and their belief in being 'environmentally-wise' is the common thread that binds them together. Very inspiring indeed.

Majority of the people here are very active and I could see a lot of people biking on the streets even though the outside temperature was hovering around 3 and 5 degree Celsius. I got to know that most people prefer to bike because:
1. The cost of buying a car is expensive and
2. People are environment conscious.

Also I didn't notice as many elevators in different apartment complexes and people mostly use the stairs. So I think these reasons could partly explain why it was difficult for me to find even one obese person out of at least 20-30 people! Also most of the people here hit the gym on a regular basis.

Also, as already mentioned almost all people here are really eco-friendly and that reflects in all of their everyday routine. I was really amazed to see how a whole nation can be so sensible and disciplined about their lifestyle habits including diet and exercise. And don't get me wrong, just because they are concerned about our environment doesn't mean they are technologically behind. No Sir! They have adopted modern technology in most of the areas but still stick to some of the older technologies in some areas like the heating systems in their apartments which seemed to be a bit archaic. It seemed like they still want to stick with some of it just for the sake of good ol' memories or maybe just because it is a more greener option!

One of the reasons that I felt personally why the people of Denmark are so conscious of all their habits is probably because each and everyone one of them realize that they have one nation which is a gift for them and they can't at any cost afford to 'pollute' it with human 'footprints'. I just wish people of all countries were as smart as the people of Denmark and learn to treasure their nations and not waste away the precious resources of their country and be more environment friendly. My sincere Hats-Off to the the Danish!

Now, time for me to go get my gym membership...no more delay on this one :-)

Suraj Chand Sitare lyrics...

Lyrics of another one of my favorite Sahaj bhajan...


Suraj Chand Sitare sab teri hi srushti hai Ma - 2

Teri rachna har maanav ko Sahaji bana do Adi Maa - 1

Suraj Chand Sitare sab teri hi srushti hai Ma - 1

Teri hi srushti hai Ma - 2


Kaliyuga ki maya moha se raksha hamari karna Ma - 2

Binati tumse hai Ma hamari charno mein apni rakhna - 1

Charno mein apni rakhna - 2


Agar bhatak jaaye jo kabhi bhi raaha dikha na humko Ma - 2

Humme bhar do prem ki shakthi gehra hamaarey dil mein Ma - 1

Gehra hamarey dil mein Ma - 2


Aashirvaad karo hum sabko Sahaja Yog badaye Ma - 2

Saari duniya sahaji bankar aaye tumhari sharan mein Ma - 1

Aaye tumhari sharan mein Ma - 1


Suraj Chand Sitare sab teri hi srushti hai Ma - 1

Teri rachna har maanav ko Sahaji bana do Adi Maa - 1

Suraj Chand Sitare sab teri hi srushti hai Ma - 1

Teri hi srushti hai Ma - 3

31 years of amnesia...

Yes, this post is about my own amnesia which I have suffered for the past 31 years. This amnesia relates to a very crucial part of my life...about my existence itself!

I can finally say that I found myself, the reason why I am here, why I was created...finally I have overcome my amnesia to see the light of truth. This is not a theory but a real experience which I had a couple of weeks back. The truth was all of a sudden standing in front of me, crystal clear without any doubts, any questions, any second-guesses.

The truth that I discovered was that, I am God's child. Yes, not an earth shattering discovery, but a very basic truth that all of us already know...but it is something which I experienced one fine day. How many of us realize this truth, believe this truth, understand this truth? I did and after this experience, life for me has changed in more ways than one. Now I realize that it is not me doing things but that I am being gently guided by a beautiful divine power. So all my actions are now 'surrendered' and not 'planned'. Now my desires are not many, but just one - 'To be in constant connection with the divine, every living moment of my life'. Now, the purpose of my life, is not achieve one, two and three from my list and become this and that, but to just remain as God's own child forever. Now I know for sure that my prayers are not just empty one-sided conversations but they are being listened to by someone sitting up there.

I can see that life has come a full circle for me at this point in time. In brief, for the first few years of my life, I was very much connected to the divine albeit without my knowledge and was hence a happy child. It was like this for the first 12 years of my life, I think most children are connected between this age range. Then the downfall started, the pangs of teenage years started and along with it came all the ambitions, frustrations, challenges, shortcomings which really took me down. But all this happened mainly because that the memory that I was God's child was completely erased from my being. Hence I went down in a spiral for the next 10 years and once again it was a spiral (a 3 1/2 coil spiral to be precise) which stopped this downward descent. I discovered Sahaja Yoga at 22 which helped me reverse my downward descent. But for me to completely remember who I was, took me another 10 years. But in all these years I was an unwavering seeker, I never gave up because I knew that something was wrong with the way things are, something was missing, something had to be improved upon. I was aware of the shortcoming of human endeavors and how they manage to get messed up at some point or the other all from personal experiences. I was aware that if we try to control our fate, then it would backfire at us at some point in time. So, I received answers to all my questions that day and there was no doubts, no questions, nothing more to be asked in my mind. I successfully overcame my amnesia and sincerely request the divine to let me enjoy this state for the rest of my life on earth!

Nirmal Rachna...

A Hindi poem about my beloved Guru Shri Mataji...

Maa, jab aap apni singhaasan pey viraajey

Ye dharthi ke sakal ansh tab mahek mahek utjaaye

Ganesha ka aagaman sab mein tab hojaaye

Maa, jab aap piroye pyaar key naazuk dhaagey

Ye brahmaand mein uthe shuddh iccha ke angaarey

Brahmaji tab honge jaagey

Maa, jab aap chakhlo apne bhaktho ke haathon se ek nivaala

Is dharthi par chaa jaaye harey rang ki maala

Lakshmi tab hamare jeevan mein padhaarey 

Maa, jab aapke dil mein pyaar aaye kisi jeev pe

Ye vishw ke ghanghor andherey rahenge doori pe

Durga ki shakthi ka ek jhonkha bas jaaye dil mein

Maa, jab app gaaye madhur sa ek swar

Is bhoomi ka har jeev bas jaaye viraat par

Krishna ki leela ho jaaye bhaktho mein tatpar

Maa, jab aap jhaankhen humaare aankhon ki geharaayiyon mein

Sakal jeev ke paap mitjaaye is kiran mein

Phir se Yesu ka punaruthaan ho is bhoomandal mein

Maa, jahaan aap chaley sang sang bahathi hai chaitanya ki lehre

Ye pruthvi ke jeevo ka hojaaye uthaan is shakthi ke sahaarey

Shivji ke tatw se ho poora Yog hamaare

Dhanya ho Maa, dhanya ho Maa, dhanya ho Maa

Jai Shri Mataji!

How my conversation with God changed...

...over the span of a 30 minutes early morning meditation (around 4:00 am to be precise)...it crossed 3 stages...just like that :-)

Stage 1: God, people in Chennai and rest of Tamil Nadu desperately need rain. It is already June and still no sign of any rainfall. The heat is killing. Please God, please help us!

This was the request stage.

Stage 2: God, you already know about what I am requesting. I am not telling you something that you do not know about. You also know how people are suffering due to this heat. I know we mortals are responsible for things like Global warming and we are guilty of being self-centered and all that. But please forgive us for all our mistakes and give us the much needed showers at the earliest (again a request-cum-command of sorts!) and help your suffering children.

This was the realization stage.

Stage 3: God, you know what we need best. You know the precise timing of when you will be sending us the rain. You are the ultimate authority. We are all your children, so I surrender this issue to you and request you to give everybody the patience and strength to bear this terrible heat.

This was the surrender stage...

After that, absolute peace and meditation in silence!

The most miraculous coincidence was that I came across the below story the next day after my above experience...


Mam Baihaqi has stated on the authority of Hadhrat Ali (ra) who stated: "Once, I was present with the Prophet (peace be upon him). At that time, I had fallen so much sick that I prayed to Allah Almighty to grant me death if I am destined to die so that I may get relief from the sickness, otherwise, I may be restored to normal health from the sickness if I have to live for sometime. I, also, prayed for being granted patience if this sickness is a test for me from Allah Almighty." Hearing that, the Prophet beat Ali with his foot and observed: "Oh Ali! repeat what you were saying." Ali (ra) repeated his prayer. Then the Prophet prayed to Allah Almighty: "O Allah! Heal him from the sickness." Ali (ra) stated that he became healthy the same day and the pain never appeared again.


Source: From the book "The Miracles of the Prophet Muhammad" by Shaikh Ahmed Saeed Dehalvi.


This story goes to show that we really do not have to ask God of anything...he knows what we need and will definitely take care of it, given that we are in connection with him..! At the same time it doesn't mean that we shouldn't pray, we should and that is the only way our channel to God will be maintained. But nowadays it seems people are more busy 'predicting' if the monsoon will arrive or not arrive or how much will arrive. So people, I think it is time to put aside the predicting and do some praying instead and witness God's power.

Majestic Silence...

We had been to Munnar (Kerala) a couple of weeks ago and boy, I must say this - Kerala - God's own country! The breathtaking sceneries out there just filled our heart with silent joy. There are no words to express the scintillating beauty of the place, so majestic, so serene, so mystical, so superlatives-transcending. Now I know the real reason behind why people used to escape to hilly / mountainous places for achieving their spirtual enlightenment. It seems like God really took his time in sketching this marvellous place on his drawing board and I bet he must have been in a really glorious mood.

Look hard and maybe you can see a dignified elephant...

There is just no end to the wondrous marvel of God's creation that enraptures you here. Here you can see the beauty of a misty mountain, just tilt your head a bit and you can catch a glimpse of a serenading waterfall, just around the corner you see a forest full of cardomom plantations and you just turn around a little bit more to see endless vast stretches of tea plantations...Wow! Come see the blue in the grass...a very apt statement that applies to Munnar. It is just endless, glorious views of God's creation which can satiate your inner spiritual being and make you feel connected with the greater power. Here you feel the presence of our creator; anyone can become a saint in this place.

Bountiful Tea plantations

When we entered Kerala border we were immediately welcomed with an elephant trio happily trotting away in the wild followed by a couple of really naughty monkeys who had a gala time jumping on our van. We also stayed at a resort which was just amazing in terms of hospitality and delicious food. I believe the owners of the resort were so besotted by Munnar when they first visited here that they decided to make it their home. I can believe that story without any iota of doubt. We also saw a field right in the middle of the valley with boys playing cricket...that's right...amidst all the hills. They were one lucky bunch of boys!

A beautiful waterfall amidst the lush green hills


When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.  ~ Mahatma Gandhi

View from our resort room

We had been there for just two 'very short' days and we had to get back. My heart was very heavy the day we were starting back from Munnar and I hoped and prayed that we would come back soon albeit with the intention of staying longer.

Matupetty Dam - A breathtaking view

All photos courtesy my dear husband.

My first best friend...

I recently watched the animated movie 'Bolt' and was inspired to write this...about my first best friend.

I first met her when I was in my 4th grade and she was just over a month old. I christened her 'Ruby' (I think my Mom suggested to me that time, since the previous 2 dogs they owned were called Rover and Rosy). She had big round brown eyes, a shiny nose, perky ears, light brown colored hair covered her petite body and she had a very inviting, curled up tail. Yes, she was my first best friend for ever...my pet pom Ruby.

She was all I used to think about at that time. I used to feed her, bathe her, play with her, take her for walks and do a whole lot of fun stuff with her. She was to be my best friend for years to come until I completed my engineering...yes, she was a part of my life for 14 long years. I am using this space to reminisce about a few good moments we had together...

I celebrated her 'birthday' for the first 2 years after she came into my life with all festivities, cake, chocolates, dog biscuits, some 'privileged' guests and all the shebang. The cake and chocolates were anyways mostly meant for me since she didn't seem to be too interested in it...!!! Although the dog biscuits were her main cup of tea.

I used to take her for long walks in the evening and she used to sometimes prance off and go and eat some freshly laid cowdung off the road. Yes, ewwww!!!! That was her idea of dessert I suppose...

Many of the evenings during my summer holidays were spent removing ticks from her body and burning them since my Mom used to tell me that if there were not burnt they would come back 'alive' again. I am not sure if that's really true...

She used to have this uncanny ability to greet me whenever I got back home from school by wagging her tail and yelping at the top of her voice. Seeing her enthusiasm would make me forget all the day's fatigue and make me active once again.

When I used to feel sad and cry for some reason or the other she would be there at my side silently without making any sound. She would also sometimes lick the tears off my face. It may seem gross to a third person but at that moment I knew that I had my best friend right beside me.

This will be a very loooonnnnggg post if I list out all the mischief's we would be upto all the time especially during the summer holidays...she was always my official 'partner in crime' :-)

During winter, I would dress her up in a sweater and take her for walks...which would make her THE center of attention on the road...coming to think of it, she was just like my child. I used to stay up most of the night when she used to fall sick just to make sure that she was doing fine. I used to also save up some of my pocket money to buy her favorite dog biscuits.

Once, I came very close to losing her when a few street dogs mercilessly bit her in the middle of the night. I had my first semester engineering exams coming up in a couple of weeks and this happened. I stayed up a few nights nursing her and had to apply medicines on her thrice a day. Phew...by God's grace, she came back to me. :-) but after that incident her health was not as stable as before...

She came along with me all along and she passed away the day I left for the US, the first time. My parents didn't inform me about it until after a couple of days. But it was one lonely moment for me. Anyways, if you have kids, please let them have a pet since they will learn to be more responsible, more caring, will share more and overall will become sensitive and kind humans. What with the current generation of kids not getting to mingle and play with other kids, having a pet can make all the difference in their lives...

My sister Dolly...

This post is about a person whom I loved as a child and who was very special; my elder sister Usha whom we lovingly called 'Dolly' which actually later became 'Daally' in daily usage. Just like her name, she was like the first gentle rays of the morning sun. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1988 in a mishap when I was in my 3rd grade. To this day, I still regret that I didn't get to spend as much time with her as I should have. These are the memories of a 7 year old...

I was very young to remember everything about her but there a few things about her which are still fresh in my mind to this day. She was very good at writing absolutely beautiful and unique doodles of exquisite women faces. I used to admire them so much and also had saved some of them for quite a number of years. I tried mimicking her sketches myself but couldn't get it as good as her. The features of the women in her sketches would be Oh-so-delicate, just like my sister. She was one of the softest and gentlest person you could find. Also given the fact that she was almost 21 years older to me (yes, I know, I know!) she was more like a second Mother to me. I know of her more as a mother than a sister since I was so young. Maybe if she was around now I could have had a heart-to-heart sister chat with her and could have understood better of who she was as a person and what her deepest desires were.

She used to be just a little over 5 feet but she had loooong, thick, jet black hair which went all the way and below her waist. She was a very simple lady with very simple desires. While leaving for office she used to dress in a very simple manner but still she managed to look very pretty and elegant. I remember she used to always wear a violet colored, single stranded crystal beads necklace which I used to love. I used to think that the necklace represented my sister in many ways, as it was simple and short but at the same time unique, elegant and gently radiant just like my sister's personality.

She used to help me with my homework everyday evening and teach me Maths. Her handwriting was round and beautiful just like pearls. I remember spending hours together just admiring her handwriting. The same cannot be said about my handwriting though... :-) I also remember that I had a batty problem at school in LKG. I somehow couldn't bring myself to write the small letter 'f', weird isn't it! My teacher was very impatient with me since I used to always make a mistake. But Dolly corrected my mistake in a jiffy by patiently teaching me the right technique. I used to feel that with her as my teacher I could master anything very easily.

Back then itself she had done a course in COBOL programming and she used to tell me that she was good at it. She used to really enjoy her computer classes. I used to peek into her notes, just to admire her handwriting though. My Mother also used to tell me that she was very good at her studies but she was painfully shy. She had very few friends and one Kalpana was her best friend since childhood with whom she shared all her secrets. She also loved to eat raw rice while it was being cleaned. My mother used to berate her saying that it would rain during her wedding if she ate too much of raw rice and true to her words it did rain cats and dogs on her wedding night.

This brings me to her wedding day. I was literally everywhere. I was so excited with the happenings. The main episode that I remember was her reception during which my sis was looking soooooo gorgeous, just like the women in her doodles. She was so beautiful that evening that I just couldn't keep my eyes off her. That is the day I realized that my sister was a beautiful person not only on the inside but on the outside as well! I also cried so much that night after she left. I was mainly worried about who would help me with my homework going forward!!! I also remember that I cried even more on the day she left us which was just 3 months after her wedding but that is something I do not want to remember.

When I come to think of it today, I am literally opposite to her in nature as well as physical appearance. She was short while I am quite tall, she had a perfectly round face while I have an oval face, she had thick long hair while I have messy curly hair, she had big beautiful eyes while I have medium eyes, she was gentle as a lamb while I was quite tomboyish, and we had so many years separating us hmmm....but nevertheless the face remains that we were sisters :-)

Daally, these are some tattered memories I have of you. I just wish I got to know more of you but nevertheless I am happy that I did know a warm and sweet person like you atleast to some extent.

Divine plans and actions - Part 2

This post is continuation of my previous post of the same title...

As a child and even to this day, I respect deities from all religions. As I was schooled in a Christian institution, I was used to praying to Lord Jesus Christ in the church of our school compound. Also, for a few years I used to celebrate Christmas at home with a self-made Christmas tree, Crib, Star and the works. I used to always listen to the evening prayers which echoed from the mosque near my house. They used to supply me with my daily dose of the divine. As a kid when I used to visit the temple, I used to always ask for something but later I used to go to the temple and just sit in meditation. I came to realize that God is everywhere and he knows what I want. I don't have to explicitly tell him anything, so my temple time was just my quiet time with God.

I also used to 'dislike' human beings as a kid since I always felt that we are capable of only giving love on a conditional basis. I used to love animals for the selfless love that they showered on us without expecting anything in return. In that sense, I always felt that animals were spiritually superior to us. But as my world expanded, I did meet a few people who changed this perspective of mine for good. I have also come to realize that if you are a spiritually mature person you can give much more love to the world and change it in your own small but significant way.

In my 7th grade, I had a dream of Shirdi Sai Baba who came and protected me from some horrible goon. He then told me that I will one day find my true calling which I eventually did.

There was magic in the divine power which I used to always feel. On Ganesh Chathurthi, my joy used to know no bounds. I used to make all efforts to decorate my house to welcome home our little Ganesha moorthi (statue). Now after my spiritual realization, I realize the important role that Shri Ganesha plays in our spiritual upliftment. Also I used to adore him since he was an elephant-headed God. I used to just love animals. I used to always have one recurrent dream since my LKG days and that was to construct a massive hospital for animals where they could get free treatment. This was the dream I had day in and day out and animals both tame and wild used to visit my hospital for their treatment. I religiously watched Maneka Gandhi's 'Heads and Tales' show and was a vegetarian for almost 9 years! I sure hope to get my animal charity stuff rolling sometime in the near future but that I will keep reserved for another post.

I was very artistically expressive, whenever time permitted that is. I used to sketch drawings of the different deities, compose poems about Nature and the purpose of our life on Earth. I used to be quite a shy child but I was a God-fearing individual. I used to always be implicitly aware of the dharmas that keep us grounded as human beings and used to never cross my limits. But I think once I got into college and got into the rigmarole of studying, studying and more studying somewhere this divine connection got weakened a bit and I lost track of my spiritual quest. But as they say, in our darkest hour do we find the greatest light, I think I again got back on track of my spiritual quest through Sahaja Yoga and the rest as they say is history!!!

Divine plans and actions - Part 1...

My life 'changed' from all perspectives the day I started to meditate. It is now 9 years since I started my spiritual journey...but it is only now that I am beginning to understand so many things at a somewhat deeper spiritual level. I guess each one of us learns and graduates at their own pace.

When I reflect back, February 2003 was the day I got my spiritual realization. The day I got my realization is still etched very clearly in my mind and I still cherish Feb 9th as a very important date. But, as I am growing in my spiritual ascent, I realize now that this day was just one of the many events which occurred in my life which served as 'spiritual markers' to the beginning of my spiritual life. I always knew that I was a special child and now I have to come to fully realize the reason behind it. My Mother Shri Mataji was there even back then to guide me gently through my life.

I would like to use this post to reminisce some of those events which held significance from a spiritual perspective. As a kid, I used to always go to the terrace of my house and look at the moon and stars and ask them, what is my purpose. This is something which I did on a regular basis, since back then something inside me told me that life is not very shallow and holds much more deeper meaning than what I was seeing with my open eyes. I used to believe that somebody up there was listening to my questions and that I would one day get the answers to my question.

As I have mentioned in one of my previous posts Punyakoti, I was in 3rd standard but the poem touched me so deeply that it is difficult to describe in words. It is the first time I realized that I was such a sensitive person. When I watch movies even to this day I always like to watch ones which have some moral or higher meaning attached to them. As a child, Moral Science class used to be my favorite!

This post seems to be growing in length, hence let me split it into 2 parts to make reading comfy...