Hues of Joy

A long long time

2010-06-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

Good morning! After a long, lethargic break, i am, in the words of Arnold Schwarzenneger, "Back!" Back to blogging, and back to seva.

SO i have been looking out for product marketing jobs lately, and my MBA almost done. And i Have been having a lot of fun after completing most of my course work. As in Shrek III, "I didn't realize what I was missing until i lost it." Coming back to seva feels like that...a breath of fresh air and life again.

A lot of buzz for the Guru Purnima happening in Hartford. I am handling the facebook marketing and am hoping to have something up and running by tomorrow. Lots of organizing work happening here.

Going through the MBA I had ups and downs, and realized how many things can go wrong and how fortunate i am to have the umbrella of Grace and love that Guruji has provided. More soon. JGD!

Time For Praise

2010-03-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

I just love understanding people's drives. So far i focused on the lows of being here, but some praise for the wonderful values i have observed among people here:

1. Focus - Individuals here can spend their lifetimes in pursuit of what they choose to excel in. This tendency is even more pronounced with the Japanese. It is not unheard of having say, coders, who wrote code for 15 years and would love to continue writing code for the rest of their career. Integrity is a very important trait, in that even in day to day communication people are sincere and speak their mind honestly. When one says that he/she likes something, it means he/she is really informed about it, and driven to excel in the field.

2. Action Oriented - People talk and think in terms of solving problems and actions to take rather than in getting stuck. Excuses have no place, either you do something or you don't do it. When stuck in a situation, people try to think of ways of solving it themselves rather than relying on outside help. To note, human labor is very expensive in the US. This may be a reason.

3. Planning - People do their best to be on time. Things should work as planned. People spend a lot of time planning to cover all eventualities and then go all out to fulfill the plan on schedule.

4. Competence - This ties in with 1. One needs to demonstrate competence, and concern. I haven't heard too many of my American friends apologize as profusely as we do in India simply because accidents are not meant to happen.

5. Friendliness - If you are doing something well, people will take potshots at you. Take it in your stride. Have a sense of humor. Skilfully and confidently being with people and allowing them to point your mistakes.

6. Confidence - already covered

More reflections and personal opinions

2010-03-07T06:02:00.000-08:00

The MBA has brought plenty of learnings this far - in terms of working with people here, in terms of understanding my personal strengths and opportunities and in having fun. Some observations that i admire about people here, and some things that i find strange.

My classmates are very results-driven and pragmatic. In typical meetings, every person comes informed and with an attitude of finishing the work right then. There's very little time wasted in explaining or reexamining concepts which have been covered in the assigned reading. My colleagues are interpretive and grasp the concepts needed to get the job done very quickly. Also, they communicate very efficiently, talking facts and solutions. People expect that you are credible and that you mean what you say or hint at. You would be held liable for what you speak. Their listening skills are strong, and people are quick at grasping the slant or implications of the sentences.

From what i have observed, this probably comes from a culture of reading and of implementing ideas. Even when having fun, my friends would have theme parties or play games, all requiring a fairly good grasp of rules. Reading definitely helps sharpen the intellect. Plus this is a culture of confidence where a high premium is put on one's accomplishments and skills, rather than on wealth and social status. I have rarely seen Americans hesitate or talk unclearly, even the not so educated ones. People articulate their ideas and opinions confidently, and often politely. A person is rarely blamed openly, but mostly within confined circles. If something is wrong, nobody would point it out to you, unless they are close friends, and then you would be expected to find a way out of the mess. If people sense that you are not going to improve, then you are excommunicated. One has to be very discrete in expressing personal judgements or opinions and careful about the audience. Courtesies are not as important, but people expect sincerity and a willingness to work and deliver results and to collaborate with them. If all these rules can be observed, you would notice that MBAs are very friendly people :)

The culture is an open culture. As a good friend had pointed out to me once, children here are raised to believe they are superstars and have little restrictions imposed upon them. On the flipside, every person is responsible for his/her own life from a very young age and people start working towards making a mark for themselves from a very young age. Competition is a part of the culture, and people's aim in life seems to expand their personal capabilities to the maximum. Relationships, marriages and other social institutions are considered secondary to this goal. Hence the problems. If you fail, or get weak or screw up, its game over - you lose your 'friends', who are not expected to help you get your act together in the first place. So people lose everything and sometimes they get it all back. Hence, the high stress in society and the fear. People resort to marijuana, to alcohol and to other recreational drugs to 'lose' reality sometimes. It has become such an ingrained part of culture, that the line between dependence and between doing these for fun is blurred. College is supposed to be a phase in a young man/woman's life to have as much 'fun - as many outings and trips and activities and friends and sex and booze as possible. Everything is governed by the WIIFM principle - whats in it for me. It is assumed that selfishness is a person's nature and a person works towards his or her enjoyment, trying to create a personal world perfect with their personal vision of how people, situations and objects should be. However, a lot of respect is accorded a person who gives back to society. The rule for success is get successful first, take care of people and society after that.

This is some of what i have surmised so far from my interactions. Of course, I attend college and hence deal with a more informed, more purposeful group than the general populace, as my friends tell me. Of course a lot of rings close to the stereotypical image we have of the American society but seeing it at the ground level reveals many subtle nuances and differences. Lets see what discoveries the future brings.

Project Natal and jumping the Fourth Wall

2010-01-08T07:07:00.001-08:00

Video Games loom over other forms of entertainment in a significant way, they are much less bound by the fourth wall – the distance between the actors and the audience. Though most video games have grandiose themes - where players typically command gargantuan armies and civilizations, create cities, wield cutting edge weaponry, perform cool stunts beyond the Matrix, or rock the bejesus out of thousands of screaming fans – their success largely depends on how much can they engage and immerse the player. Video game designers employ many techniques to this end – from improving the realism of animation effects, to using atmospheric sounds, to incorporating engaging, emotional storylines with top notch voice acting (like David Hayter’s gravelly Solid Snake in the Metal Gear series).

The Wii commercialized a revolutionary idea of engaging the audience, letting them control the

character on screen through physical gestures instead of mashing buttons on a controller. However, players still depended on a “Wii-mote” to communicate with the console, and hence the range of motions was limited to simplistic arm gestures. Microsoft’s Project Natal is a bold new step forward in immersing the player physically into the game world.

The technology behind the Natal relies on a simple monochrome camera to capture a player’s motions. Though not as advanced as the motion-capture cameras used by films, it claims to reflect most player actions within 10 milliseconds and to recognize any object introduced before the camera within 160 ms. A 3d projector captures the player’s body motion, without any needs for sensors or physical attachments, The motion is compared to a database of human physiology to determine the movement and translate that onto the screen action. IGN has posted an interesting video presentation from the Consumer Electronics Show which can be seen here.

The implications of the technology are immense. It could be an engaging, fun solution to couch potatos’ weight woes and bring fitness into the living room. It could be employed to operate computers and other devices via gestures. It is a step forward in technology’s transition towards gesture and voice driven operations, reminiscent of Pranav Mistry’s exciting TED talk. Gaming is in for exciting times ahead.

College Champions of 2009

2010-01-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

Early in summer, I heard from my MBA friends on how exciting the remaining year was going to be, once the gators start their defensive campaign of our football title. At that time, they were excited about a game i did not understand, and a team whom i was only begining to feel kinship towards. The football season started and i learnt and understood the strange game and our decorated team better, often at the expense of my MBA friends' viewing pleasure, who patiently explained the basics of the game in the middle of exciting moments. But i learnt, and i enjoyed every contest more and more. We were invincible in the Swamp, our state-of-the-art stadium - "Where only gators get out alive". We had been unbeaten here for a long long time, and though we had scares in one game during the season, that record was never really under threat. The Gators finished their season unbeaten. So did Alabama and Texas, and the other conferences came to a close. The showdowns were imminent.

A month before our SEC final, i read an article in Sports Illustrated that moved me. It had to do with a tough junior with a big heart who had grown up in the shadow of his father and loved him. That father was in prison, the kid would understandably have had emotional difficulties to cope with. Yet, he continued to rush headlong through fearsome, intense defences towards end zone salvation. He had the speed of a panther, the agility of a gazelle, the toughness of a rhino and the focus and will of a champion. And at the end, it was that will, above all else that led him to rewrite college football history at its greatest stage.

Mark Ingram Jr became the first player from the hallowed University of Alabama footballing tradition to win the Heisman, the pinnacle of achievement for an athlete in college football. He rose to the trophy on the wave he had unleashed against our Florida team, tearing through our defenses, unstoppable. It was both fearsome and beautiful to watch him in action (check youtube for clips). But that game only set the stage for a bigger clash. A clash in which he became only the second player in college history to win the Heisman and the championship in the same year.

Fittingly, the finals of the BCS championship, played out before 94000 fans in Pasadena, California, was a titanic struggle of muscle and will between the top two teams in the country, the Texas Longhorns and the Crimson Tide.

The Longhorns were handicapped early when their Heisman probable, Colt McCoy injured his shoulder and was sidelined. Yet they fought furiously, riding on a seemingly impregnable defense. McElroy, who was toying with Florida's defenses was sacked again and again and seemed clueless. However, the Alabama defense fought fire with fire, snatching initiatives away from the Texas offense. The first half advantage enjoyed by the Crimson Tide was reduced to a 3 point lead, thanks to two superb passes by Texas' freshman QB. Yet it was a sack on him, Garett Gilbert, that sealed Texas' fate late in the fourth quarter. The ball flew out of his hand, and the Alabama defense pounced on it for a turnover on the field goal line. Mark Ingram, out with a cramp and injured calves, returned to the fray. He went down the first time. On second down, he made an incredible scramble to the end zone and put Alabama up for good. 31-21. Game Over Texas. The Tide had swept the valiant Longhorns.

It was an unforgettable contest and has left me looking forward to next year's bowls.

Avatar

2009-12-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

I completed my Fall semester at UF at the begining of December and am at home in Abu Dhabi, enjoying an interesting break. We concluded a YES+ here today with 12 bright shining graduates. Also, my family watched Avatar at the Grand Cineplex IMAX in Ibm Battuta Mall today. The Pocahontas story rendered in a jaw-droppingly realistic environment evinced memories of Isaac Asimov, Braveheart and my ethics professor. The after-debate on the drive back to Abu Dhabi was more interesting. We talked ethics, different value systems and other stuff all the way on the two hour drive. The story was predicatable, but the action and the pace were interesting. Wish Cameron put some more thought and made the storyline as gripping as 'Sunshine' or 'I am Legend'.

Will be looking forward to more fun over the coming days in Abu Dhabi.

College Essay

2009-11-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

Q. ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HAVE HELPED DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON?

A. I am a dynamic figure, often scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations

on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up several inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook thirty-minute brownies in 20 minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I’m bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don’t perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer, I toured New Jersey with a travelling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic and all my bills are paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliffdiving competitions in Sri Lanka and spelling bees in the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

Some fun moments

2009-11-09T19:22:00.001-08:00

“Hey Habi! Whats going oooooonnnnnn”

6 months into the MBA and 5 months to go. I just realized today how incredibly diverse people I interact with on a daily basis. The above is my southern friend Chris’ friendly drawl. Most people I have met so far have trouble pronouncing ‘Abhishek’, so ‘Aabi’ it is. As much as I love diversity, I hate being led on tours. While being hustled with a bunch of tourists by loud, overenthusiastic guides may remain the world’s preferred way of traveling, I enjoy entering alone into new sorroundings, letting the solitude foster a silent, expectation-free, trusting bond between the two of us. The university has a plethora of such hidden delights, which I keep discovering accidentally. Some memorable experiences –

1. Swimming in the O’Connell pool for the first time, which is a full Olympic sized indoor pool freely available to university students.
2. Dinner at Gator Dining, with a 24-dish salad spread, Italian, Mexican and Mediterranean counters for food, unlimited beverages and desserts, worth every penny.
3. Lake Wauberg, with facilities for rock climbing, kayaking, beach volleyball and more.
4. Drifitng into the political science building, with its congressional décor, dark burnished wood flooring and low overhanging lamps.
5. Downtown Gainesville, with tons of partygoers thronging the pubs and discos.
6. Playing the basketball intramurals, winning 3 games and partying afterwards.
7. Meeting and learning from a plethora of new people, Cameroonian, French, Chinese and of course, Floridan.
8. Football games at the swamp! 90,000 loud , cheering fans egging on the number one rated gators onto SEC dominance.

What is right?

2009-11-01T01:18:00.000-07:00

What is right? As long as something does not hurt someone is it right? Which moral codes are valid, which are simply brainchilds of a fanatical mind? What i value most in a human being is his or her respect for himself and his/her honor for others....Beliefs and practices come in second. Some of the best people i have known, some of my closest friends drink like fish, party like crazy and a lot of wrong things. Yet they are people i can count on when times get rough. A lot of 'respectable' people are the kinds who spend their entire lives in the pursuit of fame, wealth and status. People who could appear sensitive but are so cold-blooded that it scares me. Who is right? How can one judge a person to be good or bad - is it because he/she does not smoke/drink/socialize? Is it because he/she is outgoing and daring? I have had plenty of friends of both kinds who are flawed but wonderfully caring people, and i have plenty of those who live like moths, chasing the flame that consumes them. I get confused at times.

A bit on cultural sensitivity

2009-10-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

“Who Am I?” – such a profound multi-dimensional question! The quality, and the timing, of the answer are directly proportional to worldly and spiritual success.

When answered sincerely at the end of a profound meditation, it creates moksha. When answered correctly, during preparation of college admission essays or job interviews , it helps make smart decisions and achieve career success. Interviewers are always trying to gauge the candidate’s persona and genuineness through their questions. When introspected before a social gathering, it could lead to interesting conversations and new friends.

Yet, it is a hard hard question to answer. How do we arrive at the answer? A rare few individuals manage to answer this question on the basis of pure insight. Most of us discover the answer by scanning people around us. Ok so that guy is tall, which means I am short. That guy is poor which means I am rich. That girl scored 75% while I scored 90%, which means I am smart. Obviously, we have certain dreams of how we want our lives to be, things that would make us happy. Now, wise men say that happiness is a choice – but the devious mind calls for confirmation and proof to trust oneself and others and be content. Either one can trust that he/she is capable of facing the challenges in life, or he/she can face the challenges, succeed and then trust that this is possible. The two often form a circle, with trust leading to accomplishment leading to more trust and bigger challenges.

I read a wonderful article recently from the Harvard Business Review on how to adapt to cultures and work with people. Titled “Cultural Intelligence” , Earley and Mosakowski, HBR October 2004, this paper indicates two kinds of intelligences – emotional intelligence, which allows us to define who we are and how we are different from others, and cultural intelligence, which is understanding the values and beliefs that drive different groups. Meditation helps develop both – a keen awareness of who I am and going beyond the emotions, and a sharp perception to discern what works and does not work with people. One need not be a football of anyone’s culture, but being sensitive is important. There are three ways of doing this – through the head, through the heart or through the body. Training through the head involves understanding the beliefs, customs, and taboos of new cultures. Learning form the body involves mimicking small gestures the way others do it – it could be a simple way of shaking hands or small mannerisms. A Michigan professor found that candidates who were perceived to be culturally more similar to recruiters often had better chances of landing the job. Learning from the heart involves being strong to face setbacks and failures and keep moving. People can do that if they believe in their own efficacy. If they persevered in the face of challenging situations in the past, their confidence grew. Confidence is always rooted in mastery of a particular task or set of circumstances. This is where seva is so important, it teaches one to persist, to redefine their limitations and to break them, and to keep moving ahead.

Competition and Contemplation in a 10k race

2009-10-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

I ran my first 10km race today. Organized by the Living Well foundation and the University of Florida, it was a contest between students and faculty. The track was pretty, with a lake and woods along the way.

What was most interesting was watching the thoughts and emotions arising in my mind:

1. Pre-Race:

I was a little awkward for this was my first competitive 10k run. I have always run alone, for my own sake, and was nervous about running with others. What if i burnt out, or couldn't finish? What if the others were really good? How could i hope to compete with americans who are so much fitter and train so much more for such events? Maybe i should have stayed at home and studied for the imminent exams.

I just kept saying 'No' to these thoughts. Afterall, how can i ever know what is good/bad for me without doing new things? How would i know how good/bad i am without doing things? I am scared by the thought of restricting myself to a limited set of beliefs and learning little about the world. And this kept me going on.

2. During the race -

I had nearly 25 people ahead of me in the first 5k lap. A part of me was saying run or you would be left behind, another part kept saying go slow, dont burn yourself out. I ignored these thoughts, as they are so tiring, and settled into a steady breathing rhythm and kept running at a pace slightly faster than comfortable. Instead of looking to the leader, i would look to the next person ahead of me and catch up to them one by one. By the second lap, i was in third place.

I was helped by the interval training i have done for the last month and a half. This involves alternating between jogging and sprinting. Plus i have been having a more protein rich diet.

3. End of the race-

Throughout the second lap, i kept my focus on the two guys ahead of me and kept gently accelerating to catch up. They had a 120 m lead which i eventually cut to 20m, and i finished third in the race, at 44:11 seconds, 20 seconds behind the second placed guy. Not a bad debut!

I felt a mixture of emotions - euphoria, that i had not only completed the run but had actually been successful against runners who had participated in many more events. My small mind, which was filled with doubts at the begining, was now dying to get back and announce to the whole world that i had won, i had won.

And then i thought, how futile, how juvenile is this mind, which measures my worth based on how the world is, rather than trusting my capability. Guruji had mentioned in 'Feelings and Fools - "How can a piece of wood (an award) be the most important thing in your life? Don't you know that you are good?" And i felt much calmer and clearer then.

In all competitions i have participated in, the winner is always a person who believes in himself, before comparing himself/herself with others. And that self belief is beautiful.

Jai Gurudeva!

Jesus is the only way

2009-09-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Saw a brilliant Jewish preacher lecture untiringly for 5 hours today at an open courtyard about why Jesus is the only way. Students heckled him incessantly but the man was unrelenting. He fervently believed that the Bible was the only way and all those who were not Christians were not good human beings. He was jeered, abused, ridiculed and challenged incessantly by students for the whole time but he kept talking, he never yielded. This was a man who was ready to face anything for his faith and could not accept that there was any other way other than that of Jesus.

I asked him "I am not a Christian does that mean i am not a good human being?" He said, "No". I asked "Are only Christians good human beings? He said "Yes". I asked him "Why is that?" He said "Do you believe 2+2 is 4?" I said "No." He was at a loss. Then he said "I cannot explain to you why 2+2 is 4. It would take too much time." I said, "Then you are being illogical". I said "I have seen another Muslim leader who was 5 times as convinced as you are that his was the onlyway. He addressed an impressionable crowd like you today and He was also right." At which he started objecting "There is a reason why muslims are not right, do you want to know?". I said "You know people like you are the reason why there are suicide bombers in the world today." And he repeated "There is a reason why muslims are not right, do you want to know?" I said "No" and i walked away with the man speechless.

Been ages

2009-09-11T04:03:00.000-07:00

Its been a quiet life for some time. Florida Gators are rated the top (american) football team in the country, and we have a 85,000 capacity stadium on campus. Fooball games here are a festival - preceded by tailgate parties, which mean music and beer being served outside the back of a truck and people pitching small tents and picnic at spots around campus. The college football season commenced a couple of weeks ago and the opening game was fun - with a packed stadium covered in orange and blue (our colors), chants, noise and cheerleaders.

I have a lighter term with fewer courses than the summer, so the pace is more sane. Have been playing more basketball and doing a lot of running. Also started swimming recently, which is now my favorite exersise. It is light on the joints and heavy on the muscles and lungs. Plus the recreational facilities in the university are phenomenal - we have two olympic sized swimming pols available free of charge to students.

The university is very very colorful at present, with 49,000 new students entering this fall. The boys hostels (fraternities) and the girl's hostels (sororities) got done with their rush weeks - which is the week where these halls finalize which students get into their halls. Gainesville has beautiful weather presently, with plenty of student-run activities to commence in the weeks to come.

The aftermath of a hard exam

2009-08-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

I survived the summer term, where in barely 12 weeks, the students took 10 courses, which meant dealing with 20 exams, 28 assignments and case studies, 2 presentations, 4 professional development seminars, in a culture I naively thought I understood based on all the TV and movies I had seen. Who said being a nerd was easy? Competitive studying is so similar to competitive sports. They require brutal focus, stamina, a disregard for self-preservation, willingly yielding the right to life and prioritization to the extreme. Not to forget, keeping up the self-motivation when everything else seems so rosy and pretty and tempting. I have always been impressed by good students who perform in their acads and extra-curriculars. Unsurprisingly, most of the toppers I have known since 7^th grade have been very well-balanced individuals.

Although I am no expert in the field, there are a few things about studying I can share.

What does it take to do well in studies? Greed would suffice. I am yet to come across high scorers who did well in exams without meaning to. Our society demands performance, results. A good, high-paying job largely goes to a well-performing individual. Companies talk about hiring well-rounded individuals, but that means they want good students with good social skills as well. So what can we do to get better?

As mature individuals, we need to realize that exams exist! They are a part of your life, not an anomaly recurring every 3 months. I wonder how some people manage to live through 20 years of studies claiming how bad this exam was and how well they would do in the next one. There is no next time. The subjects can change, the questions may change, but the basics for studying stay the same. That’s why good students stay good students almost throughout.

Taking exams and studying well have helped me personally as well. As an individual, I would often be scared when held accountable for a job. I would often be the last person to take on new challenges. Exams are brutal because they seem to inaccurately summarise your complex, multi-dimensional personality in cold, impersonal numbers. To do well, you would have to get involved with your time, energy and emotions. You would have to respect those grades. The shortest way out of a problem is through it. When you work completely towards doing well in exams, you would discover greater confidence and mental toughness, because of all the challenges you willingly undertook.

How to do better? Here’s the age old formula – have a time table and a schedule for how you shall cover your syllabus. This is really important because it channelizes all your energy towards the task at hand. Scheduling is an art, practiced and renewed. The next, more important step is, sticking to the schedule. This part usually hurts. Your mind will play tricks on you, not co-operate or focus, etc. But you are greater than your mind, and regularly doing kriya, meditation and short satsangs by yourself will help you recharge your prana and come back to your commitment.

You may have to swallow your instincts of self-preservation and study like it’s the last thing you have to do before you leave the planet. The mind may alternate between dementia, depression, whoops of elation, dullness, lack of energy, loss of muscle tissue, throbbing headaches, vacation fantasies but you will be perfectly fine with some kriya and exersise. i mean, studies never killed anyone, although my roommate at IIT came close when he contemplated poking his finger in the switchboard to end his 'final exam' misery. But you shall live, and with good marks!

Guru Poornima Chicago 2009

2009-07-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

Guruji ushered a breeze of love, knowledge and shakti in the Windy City. The Hilton Chicago, the venue of the event, throbbed with his presence and the purity of a huge advance course, the Guru Poornima celebrations, a YES course and the ongoing TRM. Guruji stayed at the south imperial suite, which we devotees would inevitably refer to as kutir, and Bhanu didi, arvind and ajay were with him. Devotees came from all over the US, Canada, Brazil and Argentina. Blissful bustle marked the celebrations, with every elevator crammed with devotees. The buttons pushed were not all found on the elevator panel, but all the smallness fell aside in the magnificent satsang and Guruji's discourse on the eve of the celebration.

He spoke on the Guru principle, whose excellent verbatim transcript can be found here. Nearly 3000 devotees meditated, sang and celebrated in the beautifully-decorated, grand ballroom.

Once the satsang had reached a crescendo, Guruji asked - "How many of you are confused? That is good - do you know confusion is a sign of intelligence. Only intelligent people can get confused.

A Guru's job is not to convince, it is to ? confuse :). Good good good". And then the joy of satsang continued.

Guruji travels to LA and Montreal in the coming weeks.

Jai Gurudeva!

Gattaca - a review

2009-07-02T23:56:00.000-07:00

I discovered this gem of a movie released back in 1997. Directed by Andrew Niccols, who directed one of my favorites - Lord of War, Gattaca is a movie that weaves elements of sci-fi, romance, suspence and drama around the theme of human spirit.

The movie's tagline "There is No Gene for The Human Spirit" reverberates in the rousing tale of its protagonist, Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), an in-valid living in a future of genetically tailored humans who dreams the impossible - of flying into space. Asthma, a weak heart and physical frailness do nothing to deter his courage and perseverance to succeed. As he overcomes his challenges through his will, he inspires his stronger, more-gifted friends by the resilience of his spirit.

The plot is full of interesting twists and turns, and is extremley aesthetic. The screenplay, the cinematography, and the background score exude excellence, but never overshadow the fantastic drama that unfolds between the well-developed characters. Ethan Hawke, Jude Law and Uma Thurman bring their roles to life. The movie is filled with inspiring moments. In one, when Vincent and his younger, genetically-superior brother Antoine are swimming out in the sea to see who can swim farthest before chickening and turning back, Antione says "We are too far out. You do realize every stroke forward means a stroke back." Vincent says "That's the difference Antoine, I never planned on swimming back."

The movie reminded me of Guruji. No obstacles lessen his love, sincerity and efforts to care for creation, which are provided with utmost simplicity, sincerity, innocence and humility. I am reminded of the Vikram Batra IOCL advertisement, which read "For every step we take, there is an inspired Indian leading the way."

Oh New York!

2009-06-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

The first term of the MBA ended on the 16th, and I subsequently stayed at my uncle's place in the term break. The family stay left me pleasantly filled with the love in the family, Chachi's wonderful cooking and the energy that Guruji left behind when he had stayed in this house. During this time, my cousin and i took a fantastic two day trip to New York city.

New York City attracts millions from around the world over every year,

who soak in the sheer diversity of human experience that the city throbs with. I remember Dominique Lapierre's ode to the city in the Fifth Horseman where he claims this metropolis as a microcosm of humanity itself, with all its vices and virtues, with residents from every ethnicity and nationality. Visiting the city reminded me of the ashram, which is also a microcosm of humanity, but awash with divinity.

There may never be enough time to experience all the city has to offer, and yet the smallest of times spent here would leave behind awesome memories. Visitors can plan to explore the city with themes, like food, or art, or landscapes and buildings. Or they may resort to the standard tourist attractions of Times Square, Statue of Liberty, and the other magnificent buildings which are probably the world's first skyscrapers. Structures like the Rockafeller center, the Empire State building, the Chrysler building symbolize man's quest to reach for the skies, tokens of the power and egos of corporate giants of early 20th century.

While these are fun to explore, i wanted to explore the pulsating arts and theater scene in the city, and its equally exciting gastronomic gamut. Of course, we saw some of the buildings and shopped too.

New York is home to the first large TV studios and to stalwart comedians. Celebrity show hosts

like Conan'O Brien started their careers in this city. To experience the comedy scene, we visited Stand Up New York, a bar that hosts acts from mini celebrities every night, and was

recommended by our Frommer's guide. We got to see performers from Comedy central and the acts were uproarious. A word of advice, these are suited for adults because of the strong content. At least two families left midway with parents covering their 11 year olds' ears. Anyways, it

makes no sense to be taking your kids to bars at that age. For an infusion of culture and art with the family, i would recommend catching a broadway show. Actually, you should see these even if there is no family around, because Broadway shows are arguably the most lavish theater productions in the world, where the finest theater actors perform some of the most famous acts in spectacular pomp and gaiety. The only place I know of with more opulence are really really rich people's indian wedding. We saw the "Phantom of the Opera". Based on Gaston Leroux's script and Andrew Lloyd Webber's score, this show is one of the longest running in broadway history. It has been around for 13 years, and we still watched it in a packed house. The show was a delight - lush, pompous, stirring and satisfying all at the same time. We also caught an Imax show at the enormous, city block spanning American Museum of Natural History, which once housed the largest collection of natural artifacts on the planet. That was pretty neat as well.

The other theme we explored around was food. New York is a vegan's paradise. I had researched on the internet for vegan restaurants in the city and there were thousands of results. We chose Cafe Viva natural on the 87th street and broadway, a pizzeria serving the famous New York style pizzas on crusts of whole wheat, rice, corn or other whole grain crusts, having toppings of myriad veggies and sauces and specialty 'veggie' meats like seitan and soy. You can buy by the slice here, and we loved the pizzas. We also dined at the more upmarket Cafe Blossom, which has been acclaimed by many NY publications. Started by an actor couple, the vegan joint serves remarkably similar vegan alternatives for popular italian dishes, along with exquisite in-house recipes. You can even check the menus online, and we had our orders ready even before we arrived. My fettucine alfredo was perfect, and the accompanying vegan chicken fillet tasted like the real thing. My cousin's mushroom and soy burger could holds its own against any meat sandwich. New york is famous for its pizzas and for bagels, doughnut like jewish bread. My uncle, who is a NY resident took us to Eisa's bagels in lower Manhattan, and i loved the 6 grain bagel with scallion cream cheese.

We also touched upon the George Washington bridge, the brooklyn bridge, the central park, NYU, and shopped at the Times Square. In fact, shopping at NY deserves a week by itself, with its plethora of super specialty stores. NY's fifth avenue has been one of the most prominent fashion districts of the world, with mega stores like Macy's, Saks fifth ave and Barney's. Not advisable on a student budget. I loved some of the niche stores off Times Square - the M&M's store, a 3 storey shop with entire walls covered with chocolate dispensers, the Toys'r'us store

where adults and kids behave alike in awe of its merchandise, and the NBA store, one of the very few, with jerseys and memorabilia of all NBA teams. Interestingly, they had hand impressions of NBA superstars, so a fan could size up against their favorite player. Beware though, comparing

your hands against Shaq's would probably entail a moment of awed silence.

Concluding, one should also experience the lifeblood of NY - its subway trains. More than the fact that they are cheap and fast, they allow you to see the diversity that makes up the city. I must mention that the visit would have been incomplete without the awesome tour my uncle gave us in his BMW, where we covered most of lower Manhattan. So lots of fond memories, lots of great food and now, its back to another term.

Getting out of examophobia

2009-06-13T06:10:00.000-07:00

What is so off-putting about applying one’s backside to the chair and burning the midnight oil?

When we dream, we dream of perfection. In our dreams, we are never doing things semi-perfectly. All results are perfect, all action is effortless.

Sadly, in real work, even when we know what needs to be done, the perfection seems so far away. Either we are plain bored and uninterested, or suddenly ‘discover’ other must-do things, or crave for fun, or witness spectacular dreams and memories coming to life. Then there is negativity – “C’mon you do not really remember everything you read. And you are killing yourself for such abysmal output! Take a break, come back and you would be fresh full of life and ready to rip.” Sadly, that ready to rip state happens once in a blue moon, and almost never after that break. And for some, like me, your philosophy muscles burst with eureka moments about why we are the way we are? And we need to pen it immediately. If only these flashes came around during semester breaks.

We often believe that this problem will go away once we are not students. I am sure you would have thought at times – “What do those working adults know of what we have to go through? Once I start my career, everyone will truly know how awesome I am.” Then we join our jobs and realize, surprise surprise, that have to go through the same emotional washing machine everyday!

It is so easy to start towards a goal, but so hard to actually accomplish it!

Wouldn’t it be amazing to not be bothered by the imperfection, about the way you are feeling, about how sexy the idea in your head really sounds and why it would change the world, or by how urgent this other task really is? Just imagine if you could sit to study, and only study! The kriya definitely helps, but wisdom is needed here.

I remember Rashmin had indicated something very interesting – he said that one must master “the art of not dealing with the mind.” Either fighting thoughts and sensations, or yielding to them creates trouble. What works then? Recognizing that these thoughts and actions come from the same divine source as you, and there is nothing right or wrong about them. They do not need your co-operation or support. Let them go their way, and you go your way. Have an ‘adult’ relationship with your feelings and thoughts.

This wisdom helped me all through my IIT days. When I started playing basketball, when I started playing the guitar, when I started doing seva and organizing courses, it would take me forever to start doing the job, be doubtful and bored through the job, and the results were understandably discouraging. I resisted the shortcomings initially. But as I started accepting them, and taking action, I would miraculously discover insights into succeeding. Either something would just ‘click’ or someone would come up with an awesome tip out of the blue. Consequently, I would be successful at the task, and more dispassionate at the same time.

This acceptance is a skill. It happens only when you are committed to winning and giving your 100%, and you get better at it the more you do it. And as you become more accepting of yourself, bigger challenges will come your way! And bigger rewards too. And at the same time, you don’t get swayed by extremes!

Stock pricing and the G

2009-06-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am studying about stock and security valuation in finance, i just saw an equation which says

P0 = D0 (1 + g)/(rs - g)

where P0 is how much someone would pay for a stock, rs is how much return you require from it, and g is the expected increase in the stock's dividends.

What makes this interesting is that financial experts say that no stock can have g > rs, or growth greater than requirements because then it would be infinitely precious...

If only the financial experts knew that there is such a g who always provides more than rs:) Therefore, it follows from the above equation, that holding devotee shares in AOL is infinitely precious:)

Who says studies can't be fun!

Knowledge and Exams

2009-06-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

It is 1.51 am here in Gainesville, and i have exams in a few days. I always considered myself an imaginative person, but my God, the onset of the exams has opened faucets of reminiscenses, such that i am flooded with mental and emotional activity.

Is'nt it wonderful to note how the mind works so hard to not do well in exams! If it were to spend 10% of the energy it spends avoiding studies on actually studying, grades would skyrocket and i would never have to worry about doing poorly again.

I sense this carrousel of emotions within me, whirling with so much velocity from relief, elation to hopelessness, dejection and back and forth and back and forth. It is really fun to watch!

I feel so grateful for the kriya and suryanamaskars right now - when in the face of total phyiscial , mental and emotional revulsion to the thought of studying, i can still smile, watch and keep studying! For those in the knowledge, studies and exams are such an awesome opportunity to become stronger in wisdom! Wow!

New blog on Guruji experiences!

2009-05-30T11:32:00.001-07:00

Dinesh bhaiya has sent links to this beautiful blog that emnates grace from every line written here...

Here's a link to his article...

http://whisperfromtheinfinity.blogspot.com/2009/05/finally-new-beginning.html

JGD!

May 13th! (belated)

2009-05-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

So many beautiful posts on His birthday - on Bau's blog, Bhawana's blog, Komal's blog...bless you all.

While it is/was His birthday, the gift was mine.....I just returned from conducting the first ever Kriya in Gainesville, and i am much much happier than the participants were, whose smile indicated that they were very very happy indeed.

Had the Kriya in a 'New-Age' church! Can't wait for the next kriya on the coming thursday.

Jai gurudev!

PS: Had to edit this one. Just had flashbacks of Guruji which I thought I should share. On almost all my meetings with him, whenever i have taken sweets or any food for him, He has always blessed it and asked me to distribute it to the devotees. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciated that He has a huge devotee base and that He needs to take care of everyone, but there was this small voice hissing that maybe what i carried was not good enough for Him. Then one day, when Guruji looked at me asked me to distribute the gulab jamuns i had brought, I suddenly felt I understood why...My God, only the Guru can do this. Whatever He holds dearest, He gives to his devotees as a blessing! There is absolutely nothing he holds for himself other than our love for him, a love over which we have 'No Choice' in any case. Blessed is this creation, that it can witness His love!

Some observations

2009-05-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Just a few personal observations about people here at Gainesville, Florida. These may be sweeping generalizations, but i would love to hear different opinions. I may be broaching sensitive territory here, but i have seen how so many Indian students manage to come to UF and live EXACTLY the same way as if they were attending college in Delhi, Bangalore or Mumbai, and never explore new waters. The following lines may be helpful if you plan to come to the US.

1. "Oh, I can see why you felt that way. I would have done the same if i were you." They love to convey sincerity and belongingness. People would honestly share what they think and how they are feeling when spoken to. A question like "How are you today?" could lead to long, honest discourses at times. They assume that you are friendly, till you take pangas, and would answer your questions as relevantly as possible.

They appreciate eye-to-eye contact; sincere, unbiased dialogue; and would convey emotion through the tone of their voice.

Again, "Convey" is the operational word. In case you plan to come to the US, don't mistake people's expressions of belongingness for meaning that they really belong to you. That requires a few advance courses :) It would be a huge mistake to start talking about what you think is wrong about people, place, the weather, or anything. Be very wary of cribbing and bitching in general. Don't abuse the hospitality and stay on guard, as people's true opinions would probably require a few drinks to emerge.

2. "I am loving this!" Americans strive to express that they are "In Control" and "there is nothing to worry about" in a friendly, energetic, polite way. They know how to turn on the charm. Confidence, and belongingness, is a heady cocktail.

3. Indian role moels are "responsible", "caring" and "respectful". We are hard-wired to respect a personality type resembling lord Rama. American role models would probably be "accomplished", "caring" and "indpendent". Peel away the good-natured exterior, and you see an intensely competitive human being. People are busy sizing each other up discreetly. Competitiveness and survival are virtues people admire strongly, IF these are combined with strong "self-control" and "fair play". This is an individual's society.

4. Americans love to play (compete). I have already written how hugely fanatical they are about sports and physical activity.

5. They are very planned and informed about their actions. They are terrified of screwing up or coming across as a fake. "Credibility" is a very big deal, and you need to do what you say, and say what you mean.

If what you mean may not be socially palatable, don't say it.

6. Alcohol is a means to finding escape from being planned and orderly and to be silly. People are very self-conscious and afraid to make mistakes, and they rely on the booze to loosen these chains.

What a huge market for teaching the Sudarshan Kriya! Awesome!

Would love to discuss more on the same.

Jai Gurudeva!

The begining of the UF MBA

2009-04-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

This one may be long :) Its been 3 weeks at Gainesville now and they have been great!

I acclimatised a little to Gainesville in the initial week, completing my university formalities, exploring the campus and using the public bus system. I also played a lot of basketball at the univerisity's humongous SouthWest Recreation Center, 0.7 miles away from where i stay. UF is one of America's top sports schools, having won the NCAA (american) football championship last year.

It is also rated as one of the top party schools in country in unofficial guides. Sport and partying kinda go hand in hand here, with tailgates aplenty during the fall football season. Have to see that. Coming back to the facilities, the SW center is enormous as so many students train here. They have close to 8 indoor bb courts, 2 outdoor ones, 4 soccer (ahem) grounds, 6 beach volleyball courts, 6 large squash courts, a large cardio room and a 14000 sq foot gym. These guys obviously love their sports as this is but one of the three huge complexes at the university devoted entirely to sports.

UF is big on probably every statistic. A 2000 acre campus, 900+ buildings, more than 150 departments and close to 60,000 students are just a few of them. 3 weeks into the program, I have thus far seen a huge hospital, an equally large cancer research institute, fine arts schools, music building, plenty of science labs, engineering buildings and sports medicine insitutes. There

is more for me to see yet.

However, you would probably never notice the size of the campus because of the greenery here

. I could swear that i had landed in Bangalore (the part near the ashram), with palm trees and lush

green trees when i got here the first time. And the weather is Indian too - which is great.

Our business school, comprising 5 buildings nicely dots the UF map. Thats where i was headed

on the 27th morning for my orientation. The student ser vices team had done an awesome job in sending us the entire prientation manuals and notices 2 months earlier. I later learnt that 25 of us shall graduate as MBAs next year. The average age of the program is 29 and the average number of years of experience around 6.

We are 4 international students - one apiece from China, Korea, Nigeria and Namaste. Plenty of US defence forces people. 6 women out of 25. The presenters on day 1 introduced us to some of the history and people at UF MBA. It was a great start and the whole setting was very friendly yet dignified. On day 2, we travelled to Lake Wauberg, a lake run by UF staff and we played plenty of team games combining joint problem solving and physical exersise. Kinda like a crystal maze. After lunch, we tried the ropes challenge, where we belayed and rope climbed a 50 foot+ tall structure - similar to the stuff we

see in military traning. Day 3 through Day 5 was a combination of further introductions, the student body presentations, leadership building courses, career planning and stuff. The meals on all the days were consistently yummy. We also had a mixer at the Swamp, the popular pub near

UF, and a bowling night out on Friday.

The academics started yesterday, and we have a packed semester here. Most of my calendar through May and June is already marked with tons of appointments. The faculty have commendable credentials and emphasize plenty on real world application of the concepts. They

are also very planned and prepared, and we have already been handed all the presentations and preparation materials we may require through the term. Seems like our small cohort is headd for an active, but fun summer ahead.

Hey How are you? and other observations

2009-04-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been tremendous fun! I travelled via cold cold London, on a grey grey morning to a sunny, clear Boston which, ironically was even colder than London.

Amherst was awesome and i stayed at Chachi's place. Got introduced to all sorts of meat, pork, chicken and other vegetarian delicacies made entirely from soy. Have to admit though that even the meat-free meats dont taste so great any more....Got my basic setup and acclimatization done and learnt some driving here. There are so many strange things to driving in America, of which the cake goes to the 'Stop' signs. They seem to be be everywhere and the driver necessarily needs to stop at all of them. And the speed l;imit is very strongly adhered to. My cousins are big gamers, and we spent many hours playing titles on their XBOX 360. The younger one is an awesome rock guitarist at the tender age of 14. He made his satsang debut in the satsng concert held to honor the 'teacher from India'. The satsng concert was a blast, with 2 elec guitars and 5 drums.

Sports and people's fascination here has been a revelation. Most conversations are peppered with the updated basketball/football/baseball scores. The gymnasiums here, and the national fascination with basketball are to be seen to be believed. At the UMASS campus at amherst, one 'gymanasium' had 5 gyms and 10 basketball courts under one roof. And college students spend a lot of time playing.

I landed in Gainesville the day before, a big welcome change from the cold New England weather. he trees and vegetation seems very close to India. The University of Florida is an enormous, school with noble laureaes and olympians having graced its halls in their student years. The student community here is close to 60,000. UF is big into sports with many students who compete in the olympics from their countries.

I am comfortably settled into a major Indian enclave here, and have started watching streaming TV shows to acclimatise in the new culture. I loved the series"How i met you mom", of which i have seen5 episodes now.

Have not taken too many photos, but shall clcik some soon and upload them too.