Renewal

CNBC - Beautiful People

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:37:17 PST

If I were watching him for the first time, what would I say?

Cocky - definitely yes :). Insightful. Straight - especially how he answered the 'controversial' question. Definitely un-ignorable!

Also, this is the first time I am hearing him speak about Paramahansa Yogananda.

The Bridge Across Forever

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:44:57 PST

I finished this book during a train ride.

Unfortunately, the euphoria after reading this book dissolved almost completely on hearing about Richard Bach's divorce with Leslie. On one level, it seems like personal context of two individuals, but the book shares something so intimate that you become part of their lives in their journey that it is impossible to ignore.

All the more so, considering the fact that the content of the book is literally and simply the story of their lives together. Does this make the content of the book invalid? I do not know whether soul mates exist or not or if there exists "that one person" just right for you. But the journey Richard and Leslie make is beautiful. They truly savor their moments together and it is a joy to behold. That can be a take away from their life together.

I should also admit to a lot of disappointment finding out about the personality of Richard. My introduction to him had been Jonathan Livingston Seagull not knowing anything about the author. This had given way to a towering respect to the unknown face and hands that had penned these words. To confront the fact that he had a flirtatious attitude changing women at whim to find his "soul mate" was to wake up to a stark reality that dismissed my dream world about this person who could craft Jon out of thin air. In any case, it is a honest account and there is a lot to learn from his experience.

All the more, there is so much drama in the book that it could have made a top class fiction thriller. Quite an adventure it definitely is! I am glad I was able to read the book without earlier knowledge of their eventual parting.

Having said that, it is near impossible to retrospectively not look at the content of this book in light of their separation. What he has written is true, and what they went through is beautiful. Soul mates? That one person? I will leave that to the whims of the Universe. My experience, and even my knowledge falls far short of these vistas.

May be it is one of the beauties of life that there is no such thing as permanent joy or permanent sorrow.

Diwali

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:08:16 PDT

Best Diwali wishes. I am not a big fan of cracker-free Diwali even though we don't burst crackers much at our home. The cultural fervor of cracker sounds has been too deeply embedded in me. And one day of crackers is not going to do much to the environment anyway - there are other things to worry about.

We can however do with a TV-free Diwali :)

May the lights and sounds be a reminder for an attitude of celebration for the next 365 days.

7th hill trek - 17th Aug 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:39:20 PDT

This was my 3rd trek to this place, including the failed attempt.

I don't think there is such a thing as preparing to go this place. I really enjoyed this trip since I was walking with the Samskriti children who were singing all through the way in joy and devotion. What beautiful people these children are going to turn out into. Shudder!

The rains were kind enough to wait until we finished our ascent to the top, then our descent to 6th hill and then lunch! I wish somebody takes up maintenance of the temple. It looks kind of dilapidated.

My legs are gone now and I have a bad cold. But it is always worth it. Both literally and metaphorically - it is the mountain above all mountains!

food rules

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:14:07 PDT

Some of these are contradictory, I know. What to do? Life is like that.

1) Never take just one sweet
2) Never take just one scoop of ice cream
3) Never skip dessert - life is too short for that
4) If possible, serve food to others before eating yourself
5) The planet, and a hundred hands went through a lot of pain to put this food on your plate. Do not waste it!
6) A million people are hungry while you get to eat your food. Do not waste it!
7) Whether you're eating something from plants or animals, realise that something else is giving its life up to sustain you. Do not let it go waste on you.
8) Say a prayer before food - but not as a habit.

planet earth

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 21:52:39 PDT

She is overwhelming. Don't ask why all this now - it is a separate story.

I am in tears - not because of all the mindless stuff happening to her, let them go on separately.

The other day at breakfast, a lady was eating soaked groundnuts (just groundnuts soaked overnight in water). Her eyes were closed and tears were flowing down her eyes. The person serving the food was baffled for a moment before she quietly moved on. What can you do when you see something like that - use it as a reminder!

It is a privilege to be here (planet earth). There is a reason we call her "mother".

It's raining!

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:58:32 PDT

It's raining heavily right now. At mid noon, it feels like 6PM. It's not a temporary phenomenon here, it has been this way for the past 2-3 weeks. The south west monsoon has kicked off and being at the southern tip of India, the hills are reaping!

There is an esoteric significance to these rains. If you are out on the road and it starts pouring, its bad day for you! But in your verandah, sipping hot tea and having a snack, pouring rains and croaking frogs make an ideal day! Similarly, identifying with the world, changes to the world affect you deeply - for good or bad. But settled deeper inside, changes to the world are like watching the seasons change color through the year. There is no vested interest!

Note 1: I was speaking to my mother in Chennai and she mentioned that the sun was blazing there! Makes the rains here all the more sweeter to behold.

Note 2: Some one in Kerala used all his life savings to construct a multi-acre forest. Eventually word caught on and someone interviewed him and asked - "What benefit do you get out of all these?". The man showed a demo - he withdrew 100,000 litres of water from the ground and it was replenished in less than a minute. (hush - don't pass word to industries!) Trees are underrated vastly. We wouldn't be clearing them off at this rate otherwise. But it is a happy sight here with hundreds of acres of reserve forest receiving rain.

The Maestro

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:12:25 PDT

The maestro recently completed his 68th birthday. Of all channels, CNN-IBN (holy cow!) carried this tribute video recently (thanks Anu for sharing).
Very engaging and beautiful video. I especially loved Kamal's explanations on how certain songs shaped up.

I started out as a "fan" of IR. But now it is a little different. It is akin to seeing an enlightened being and bowing down to him for what transpires through him. With IR, it is the musical aspect. I don't know "how" it happened to him, but it feels like a miracle that it is possible. And to IR's credit (immense immense credit - it is not at all easy to do this), he recognizes it for what it is and seems to be able to just "allow" it to happen. He doesn't put an "I" to his music.

Note: In this same vein, it is also important (well, not important, but interesting) to state that as a person he would probably tend to drive everyone crazy and is a very difficult man to have a rational conversation with! :). But what he has is too vast and overwhelming that what would be a showstopper with another human recedes to a triviality with him.

The wind beneath your wings

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:38:08 PDT

"Who are you?" - I asked.

"The wind beneath your wings!" - He said.

That was convincing. Then I remembered:

"I wasn't born with wings!"

"Yes, I gave you the wings too."

"So you gave me wings and flight too? What do I do then?"

"Flap them a little."

"And?"

"If you keep flapping, I can perch you on the precipice of the point of no return."

I fell silent. Then I asked:

"Why are you doing this?"

He fell silent.

So much crime...

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Thu, 19 May 2011 09:28:27 PDT

A few days ago, just after the election results were out, an old man I knew was relieved hearing the results*. He went on to say - "So much crime, the earth cannot bear". I am sure a lot of what was going on would have caused sufficient heartbreak to all concerned people.

On the other hand I was reminded of the words of the mystic Agasthiya who said (not verbatim) - "Whenever the world recedes to a state where selfishness rises to dominate common good, my work will rise again". That brings relief and the courage to make such a prophecy is baffling! Between what He said and what is going on now in the world, we seem to be heading towards a convergence.

And I am also convinced that harping on the evils of individuals, societies or Governments just saps energy without consequence. The only (only, only and only) factor that can bring decisive and long lasting change to humanity is a rise in consciousness. We are all just wasting time or buying time if we're doing something else. And this change, while can be facilitated through movements, can only effect individually. Which means there is a huge responsibility on each of us. Bringing this change to the top rung (leaders of Governments, societies and corporations) will establish a very solid outer-platform that is conducive to the rest of the population.

In this context, mass movements that call for democracy against dictatorship, anti-corruption rules that refuse lack of transparency and accountability are all vital pointers to either conscious or semi-conscious sensitivity of people in that direction. We need to make this happen - even if we get the details wrong, our intents are on the right track!

Without this work towards that direction, we are just trivializing the work of the giants on whose shoulders we stand - giants who gave us the necessary tools to facilitate this rise in consciousness.

* - These results just follow a see-saw pattern. But it at least provides some semblance of check point. As most, if not all, constituencies are - we are faced with choosing the lesser evil.

Flowers on the path

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:29:39 PST

The journey is beautiful – definitely. But the perception of the journey is as important as the journey itself. But the one who paved the path remembered to put pitfalls along with the picturesque scenery. He also remembered to give people who reach out their hands when the way seems lost. The journey also needs different skills at different times. At times, we forget we are making this journey and view this as a trap. A gentle knock on the head to bring us back on track is also forthcoming.

A token of gratitude for those people – who gave without expectations; many who gave without even knowing thus. These people keep my journey alive by imparting different skills or inspiration to go on. They are very much a part of my life!

Intelligence
Osho! I owe my presence on the path to him. The man who is so badly misunderstood by the masses – one who discarded everything that was dear to him with a single pointed agenda to Know. He eventually attained with his sheer intelligence without a Guru* - no ordinary feat! I am on the path because of him – unequivocally!

Humor and Playfulness
Krishna! The man who is present in every home in India, who is embedded into the cultural fabric of this nation, but not necessarily understood for what He is! It took over thirty years for me to look behind this ubiquitously found image to glimpse (only glimpse - this is a carefully chosen word) what He comes to represent! One who lived the life of a hundred strong men put together and yet danced through life! Just the thought of Him unburdens my life!

Involvement
iLaiyarAjA! A man who is more popular for his untimely comments than for his involvement. The man who breathes music – one statement to which you can append literally append "literally" without sounding outrageous. What people need to realize is the amount of work (read: "level of involvement") that went behind the scenes leading to the attainment of this near-impossible skill of collapsing situations, thoughts and emotions instantly into aural tones! It will be fitting if he attains through this path!

Humility and devotion
Paramahansa Yogananda! Multiple reads into “Autobiography of a Yogi” will give you no clue of his towering stature. Indeed, this humility is the hallmark of devotees. Only multiple third person accounts later do you realize how tall He stands and yet manages to say “It wasn’t me!”

mAnickavAsakar! Properly imbibing the “sivapurAnam” will make you a devotee with no prior initiation! The words themselves exploded out of him in intense devotion – there is no other conceivable possibility. He surrenders even his devotion to the One. And it is the privilege of this culture to say he is one among many such people!

Intensity
Bruce Lee! He probably left early because he packed three years into each year he lived. He showed how much it is possible to push the body and the mind with proper focus – had he come from Indian culture, he would have called it his Sadhana! Those eyes, that face, that look...

There is one other person who in my mind, who cuts through all these dimensions with ease!

There are also of course many more people than I can list here. Indeed, for a willing heart, everyone encountered on a path can be a teacher in some way.

* Without a Guru is not being stated here as a pedigree. It is actually a great blessing have one. But reaching there without a road map is a superhuman effort!

Of beautiful dusks and sudden showers

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 07:29:08 PST

What Osho has spoken about "darshan" below:
"As far back as one can remember, people have gathered around masters, just to sit silently. In the East we call it darshan. The West has never understood the meaning of it. It looks stupid, that, "I am going to see the master." Why not have a picture in your house? And okay, go once and see and be finished - but going to the master every day? Are you mad or something?

The West has never understood that seeing - that is the actual meaning of the word 'darshan' - means being in the energy field of a man who has come to know himself, to drink out of his well, to look into his eyes, to feel his hands, to listen to his silences, to his words."

In a recent darshan, I heard this same message, of course not verbatim. Though I was sitting silently, inwards, I was shaking my head and saying to myself, "I'll be damned!"

I also had the opportunity to attend my first wedding at the Linga Bhairavi Temple. No, not *my* wedding - though I wish it had happened there! It was beautiful, just watching the marriage in that space in Her presence and the entire audience, about fifty strong, participating! Just after this wedding was done, another couple walked in - must have been wedding day that day!

Is he here?

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:29:10 PST

Anirudh was speaking to his mother.

"You know they say God is everywhere?"

"Yes"

"That's just a figure of speech right?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I mean, if people really thought he was right here, they wouldn't be doing all they're doing?"

"Well, God is everywhere doesn't mean you feel him all the time!"

"Yes, I was coming to that. Yesterday..., well forget it."

"Come on Ani!" - she pinched him lightly on the cheek.

"Yesterday evening - I was at the terrace watching the sunset. You know, casually looking at it, people would say red. But there were like, I don't know, a hundred shades of red and gray scattered on a glorious canvas. I mean, I could have sworn he was there!"

She smiled understandingly.

Anirudh continued. "Now, it will be crazy to say that he was in the clouds. But it would be crazier to say he was not there in the clouds."

"Yes - another person could have looked up and not even considered that sight again. Or you for that matter could look at it another day and not feel a thing!"

"Yes - what does all that mean?"

"There is a beautiful Indian saying - 'A devotee creates God through his devotion'"

"That is beautiful! So what are you trying to tell me?"

"Why do you think you felt like God was with you that particular moment? You don't feel him in a traffic jam!"

"I don't know... I guess - I guess I just lost myself!"

"That is what you must do! Lose yourself to find him! You will see him whenever and wherever you lose yourself. Even in a traffic jam!"

Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:40:40 PST

I am no leadership expert. [you can bounce now!]

Writing this post wasn't on the cards, but I happened to read an excellent true story. This combined with some random earlier thoughts and experiences - here goes.

Leadership is not a position. It is important to make that distinction. Person XYZ might be the CEO of ABC corporation but that doesn't necessarily make him or her a leader. Haven't we seen enough examples like that already? Person XYZ might be the prime minister or president of ABC country but that doesn't necessarily make him or her a leader. Haven't we seen enough examples like that already? A position without the necessary maturity leads to catastrophe, havoc and depending on the power handed over, even dictatorship or tyranny. Haven't we seen enough examples of that already?

Leadership is a quality. People can exhibit that quality irrespective of what position they are in. This is how organizations get surprised when someone springs up to take over some responsibility that suddenly springs up. These people naturally grow into their corresponding positions depending on their maturity level.
[This example shows a leader-by-position and a leader-by-situation in the same context].

I think the following are the qualities required of a leader - and none of these are optional. The extent might vary depending on situational demands:

1) Clarity or capability - to carry out the tasks assigned to him/her and his/her group. Sometimes, this requires foresight to anticipate the unknown and the courage to make decisions when there are no options.

2) Compassion - towards his/her team and understanding towards their situation. When a great leader says "Because I said so", it usually means he/she has a good reason to say so and not because of a need to exert authority.

3) Involvement - doesn't necessarily mean doing the same activities a subordinate is doing. It means a willingness to walk the talk or to put the money where the mouth is. It also means being what he or she expects of people under him/her.

4) Inclusiveness - very vastly underrated and very scarce in today's world. As a leader grows, his or her footprint usually grows at exponential levels. It is vital that the circle that the leader exerts control on be understood as a contextual boundary. It also means that it is not ok to trample on people or resources outside the circle for the purpose of flourishing the circle. The only way for sustenance of a leader is to engage in synergistic partnership. That can be done only with an understanding of the peer group [that includes the planet as well, by the way]. None of much of the nonsense that is going on in today's world would happen if leaders exhibited this quality.

Note: The success of what the Pixar bosses did is not a reflection of their leadership quality. The move might have well backfired and they did it in spite of that. That simple act of theirs reflects all four qualities above. And oh yes, a leader is allowed to make mistakes!

Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:32:04 PST

Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love fame) presents a humor filled talk about creativity. The talk is awesome and rings with truth and insight. The interesting aspect is that the greatest creators have always recognized this for a fact. IR has said this umpteen times and I've seen magazines dismissing him as talking nonsense. Only problem is that the music out there says otherwise. The greatest creation comes from elsewhere and the role of humans is to channel that. The struggle is that to channel this effectively, the little person who wants to be the CEO of the Universe needs to take a back seat which is incredibly difficult to do, let alone consistently.

Indian Police

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 07:16:24 PST

Lets see - if we took a list of all the trustworthy organizations/departments in India, Indian Police would be among the bottom if not the bottommost (there is strict, cut throat competition with politics/politicians). This department unlike judiciary reports to politicians (home ministry) and hence has become a vested interest. Additionally, there is substantial power vested to police and hence misuse and abuse are commonplace. In fact at one time, umpteen jokes associating police station as the place for rape were common [magazines and movies]. Honestly, what is your personal experience of a sincere and trustworthy police[wo]man who did not look like Vijaykanth?

I think very low about Indian Police. In fact, given exception for extreme circumstances, I would go out of my way to avoid contact with them - including traffic police. I remember this incident several years ago. I was probably in my eighth grade. My mother had sent me on an errand to buy something from the market. I had to cross my neighborhood police station for this. Unusually this time, a policeman called me inside. As I went up to him, he handed me a rupee and asked me to buy a cigarette for him. That time, fear was my primary emotion and I meekly obliged. But this incident fills me with disgust when I think about it even now. I had never bought a cigarette even for my closest friends or relatives till then. Here I was doing that duty for my protector! Another incident from much more recent times was when I was at the beach. It was a little late in the night, but not too late [10pm or so]. I wanted to venture towards the waves but the place was solitary now. I was accosted by two policemen (in uniform). One of them reeked with alcohol smell. This policeman asked me to go back towards the beach entrance. I should have known better than to retaliate - I just replied back with an irritated "Why?". I didn't like the alcohol and police dress going together. Of course, it wasn't taken well and the subsequent interaction between us wasn't good either. I just walked away from that scene partly in anger and partly in regret at having engaged with them. But these personal experiences, umpteen magazine articles, other first hand experiences of witnessing police (including traffic police) taking bribes and several dramatized movies about their state all get together and don't exactly present a rosy picture in my mind.

But then, I hadn't encountered someone like Kiran Bedi in my life. Reading through her biography ("I Dare"), the final emotion is unabashed admiration and pangs of yearning for someone like her. But the irony of all things was that politicians and other police officers got to her as well. And why wouldn't they? But her stellar accomplishment at the end of her exalted career is coming out straight and clear through this convoluted maze of lethargy and politics. Even then, she had to quit early (a year and a half or so) to avoid being kicked one last time by politics. If anything goes against her - and I state this by facts presented in that book, which one might assume should be taken with a pinch of salt - might be that she was a fan of attention and adulation. At best, it is that others couldn't stand her hogging the limelight but that was just an outcome of her work (very very plausible given what she did, especially in Tihar). In the middle, it might be both. At worst, she might have made some judgmental errors in handling certain situations. But her sincerity and dedication are rock solid and unwavering like a towering monolith. Actually, if someone had applied this kind of work in the corporate world with intelligence, they would have become multi-millionaires. Her life reminds me that people can be sincere even in a corrupt world living in their midst.

I will however, never forgive what the administration did to Tihar after she left the place. The commonly used quote in the book is that "she changed it from a jail to an ashram". Again, more than one inmate is quoted stating "this looks like a hostel"! The administration's way of taking revenge on her (for all the attention she was gathering) was to revert it back to its original state which Kiran Bedi herself calls a "hellhole". The posting was a "dump post" reserved for officers to be punished. But her stature has always been to throw herself 101% into everything and in the process transform the situation through her actions and her subordinates' cooperation. It's hardly a surprise that success and limelight followed her everywhere. Again, that is also why she got selected for UN training and spent several months in international assignments. (Does it surprise you that her training was never utilized once she returned?)

Her life gives me hope. It is living proof that a rotting system is no excuse to rot with it but a small part of transformation can percolate to other parts. I cannot write off as the system being 100% corrupt, but surely the straight ones are far and few and hidden from public visibility - possibly being put down like how she was put down. I salute you madam - not just for what you did to the police service but also for showing what involvement means.

But unless some kind of conscious leadership flowers here, Indian Police will always be - Avoid if you can. Doubt if you cannot. Trust only when extremely sure.

From the perspective of the public, I see the following fundamental problems with the police:

1) Abuse of power (umpteen cases of accused being physically harassed, false cases etc)
2) Shirking work (refusal to log complaints and/or FIRs)
3) Bribery (swaying of responsibility or lack thereof for money)

For 1: Why can't we remove this right from the police? Why not make it impossible by law for police to physically abuse people for interrogation? Just verbal interrogation. Police indulging in this act can be candidates of a complaint themselves?

For 2: I think technology is the most powerful tool for this. See what online booking for railways did to the system? Why not embark on a major project to centralize the complaint/FIR database. Allow people to file a complaint online and do not allow anything to sit on a physical file. This will build transparency and accountability. Then allow for an automatic escalation process through the system itself and allow the original complainant to reopen the complaint if it is closed without resolution.

For 3: No idea!

I think a side process will be for judiciary to work 365 days a year and a way to clear all backlogs. But that is a separate story!

Indian Population

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 08:22:42 PST

Very often, a problem or a situation builds up in the background until it bursts forth into view catching everyone by surprise. Be it an expense that is leaking without notice or an internal wound that is just manifesting as symptoms with seemingly absent cause. Indian Population fell into that category may be forty years ago.

The real danger is not even the current state. It is that there is no foresight present to tackle this at the grass roots and the way things are, the "status quo" is bound to prevail for the next several years. Our resources are scarce - land, water, air. Any kind of charity or resources that are expended among our masses get dissipated so fast that it is akin to that help not being available at start. It sounds absolutely insensible to propagate a problem with the left hand while requesting help with the right hand.

This is the first problem: As we exist, we are suffocating on resources. The rich, upper middle and to an extent the middle class don't feel the pinch because the balancing factor is economy. It is a sensible model and automatically adjusts itself to seasonal and productivity fluctuations. But the sub-middle and the poorer sections are left to fend for themselves. Will the problem propagate further or recede if the status quo continues? Status quo here is referring to a 1.5% growth in population on a baseline value of 1.2 billion people.

This is the second problem: The problem is festering in the background behind the scenes. There is nothing that prevents a beggar from bearing a child to assist with his or her begging duties [this is a real scenario]. The fact that this child will need three meals a day for the next sixty years with no fundamental infrastructure provisions like education, health care or even mother's care during his or her early periods is totally unaccounted for in society's process. Ditto for a someone having three or four children deciding to go for a fifth one. Pick your own reason - all females - need a male, or the time of birth of the first eight was not right.

This is the third problem: If we start this discussion now, we have a thousand things to sort out. First being that India is a democracy. We can be sure to hear debates whirling in all directions, but we can rest assured that it will be used for politics. We are rarely able to come together for a consensus on things that matter to all of us - even for agreeing that the things matter to all of us. My question is whether asking a driver to stop at a red light against democracy? Isn't that for his/her own safety? Leaders need to agree that this is a priority.

This is the fourth problem: Quoting other countries - especially our closest peer - China. It is time to make our own decisions in this aspect without fear or comparison. China is four times the size of India in land. And tomorrow, China is perfectly capable of forcibly relocating their people to sparser lands if they decide to re-balance. Factually, their growth rate hit 0.5% long back.

It is ugly to judge the phenomenon once a birth process has started and after a baby has been born. Children are taint less of current situation and the lack of foresight of a billion individuals. The decision must be made holistically before the birthing process. But haven't we harped on this over and over? I for one think that it is ok to state this every single time the problem pricks. But the real question is who in the leadership will stand up and do something about it? At this point, even aggressive solutions are too much to ask. The problem is just begging to be looked at!

Introspection

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 09:21:16 PST

A lot has been going on this last one or two months. This is in terms of surrounding events. But in terms of inner growth, while things are not bad, they could be a lot better. Actually, only one message keeps coming back as a reminder in different ways. And somehow, that one act to implement is only in spurts just to help with some self assuaging.

This one message is 'involvement'. Each one of us is riddled with a thousand limitations that prevent us from doing what we love or in many cases, even what is necessary. This one aspect of involvement - and not in a surface like mindset but with all we have can be a pivot to reorganize our life. It is like a portal into the vertical from the horizontal. The life aspect switches from mundane one thing after another mindset into a more vibrant sphere of experience. But it needs that cohesive push of energy applied consistently to all activities.

This is new year and pongal just passed. I am hoping this year, this will be my recurring theme. This is not a resolution - I would like this to be my way of life.

Satsang with Sadhguru @ Chennai - 2nd Jan 2011, Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:10:24 PST

Some one should probably research this connection between Sadhguru's Satsangs and rain that day. Chennai was dry the preceding weeks and that day had a downpour. Ditto with places like Coimbatore, Pollachi, Vellore, Madurai etc. Infact, some dignitaries at Vellore were asking him to visit the place often for this!

The Chennai Satsang was jam packed. The ground was full like 30 minutes before the function start and I am guessing 200,000 people. I am excited about the classes that are going to happen all over Tamil Nadu next.

:)

Sacred Flowers from this culture

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:51:53 PST

I am not saying who spoke these words, but you should be able to guess!
It is a gift beyond any length of imagination to state I was born in this culture.

Patanjali:
Yoga is pure science, and Patanjali is the greatest name as far as the world of yoga is concerned. This man is rare. There is no other name comparable to Patanjali. For the first time in the history of humanity, religion was brought to the state of a science. He made religion a science of bare laws. No belief is needed.

Patanjali is like an Einstein in the world of buddhas. He is a phenomenon. He has the same attitude, the same approach as a rigorous scientific mind. He is not a poet like Krishna. He is not a moralist like Mahavira. Patanjali is basically a scientist thinking in terms of laws. He has come to deduce the absolute laws of the human being, the ultimate working structure of the human mind and of reality.

If you follow Patanjali, you will come to know that he is as exact as any mathematical formula. Simply do what he says and the result will happen. The result is bound to happen; it is just like two plus two equals four. It is just like when you heat water up to one hundred degrees and it evaporates. No belief is needed. You simply do it and know. That is why I say that there is no comparison. On this earth, there has never existed another man like Patanjali.

Krishna:
Krishna is utterly incomparable. He is so unique, and his first uniqueness lies in the fact that although he happened in the distant past, he belongs to the future. He is really of the future. Man has yet to grow to the heights where he can be a contemporary of Krishna's...

The most important reason is that Krishna is the only great man in our whole history who reach the absolute height and depth of consciousness, and yet he is not at all serious, sad, in tears. By and large, the chief characteristic of a religious person has been that he is somber, serious and sad-looking, like someone defeated in the battle of life, like a runaway from life. In the long line of all the sages, it is Krishna alone who comes dancing, singing and laughing.

Religions of the past were all life-negative and masochistic, teaching that sorrow and suffering are great virtues. A laughing religion, a religion that accepts life in its totality, is yet to be born. And it is good that the old religions are dead, and that along with them the old God, the God of our old concepts, is also dead. Up to now, every religion has divided life into two parts, and while the accept one part they deny the other. Krishna along accepts the whole of life. The acceptance of life in its totality has come to its peak in Krishna.

Kiran Bedi @ Ted

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 07:43:54 PST

I want to clap my hands and whistle! What a lady! I only wish this were one of the longer TED talks (~18mins). My intro to Kiran Bedi was just a coincidence. This was nearly ten years ago where I was crazily scraping and gathering every nuance of IR's life. So I came to know that a mini docu-video titled "The Real Salute" came out on which she agreed to be the main lead. Of course music was composed by IR. I remember bawling like a baby after I watched that video. So today, after this TED talk, I searched for that video and watched it again. Again, I couldn't help watching it blurry eyed. For me, India, the Indian flag are all not about patriotism. They are cultural and spiritual. The flag is a representation of it all despite being a recent addition. One sore point with the video was the mini interviews surrounding it, especially including some people who I think are the antithesis of what the video was trying to represent. The docu-video is below the TED talk.

I now know which book to read next!

Wikileaks

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:45:21 PST

All this outrage, including those against Wikileaks and the corresponding parties from the revelations are understandable. These secrets, which those involved have worked so hard to keep under the covers, have been exposed overnight. The volume - the sheer physical volume of these revelations and the import of what the contain are all staggering. Naturally, people tend to polarize to two different groups. I think it is very very hard to maintain a middle ground.

As for Julian Assange, he makes some very valid points in his latest article - "Don't shoot the messenger...". It's only up to his conscience to decide whether he has a vested interest in all of what is going on or if he is really sincere about maintaining transparency.

For me, Wikileaks is of personal significance. It is all fine to get riled up about what we're seeing. But imagine for a moment - if all we thought and did was open for public scrutiny, how would we fare? It is not a social necessity, for we are all entitled to our own privacy provided we do not harm anyone else. But this is the irony we're facing. These acts that were perpetrated were done so under the assumption that they were "private" and they were changed overnight by these revelations. These revelations are not jokes. I think they are best used by each one of us for our own introspection.

As for these revelations:

- I agree there is a fine line in deciding whether what Wikileaks did is legal or not. It is akin to trespassing into someone's home and peeping in. But in the end you find that the guy inside the house was building a nuclear bomb to blow up the planet? How to tell right from wrong here? Additionally, the analogy is not 100% true. Someone from inside the house leaked information outside about what he considered to be a danger for everyone. What was eventually uncovered is there for everyone to see. Under the circumstances, the decision is a no-brainer!

- There is no doubt that there will be more fervent gating processes to avoid such leaks. We're already seeing changes in US military to react to these revelations. But is it right on their part to still play police on what should happen to Wikileaks? Shouldn't the roles be reversed?

- All those who have been exposed should be held accountable. We've seen Governments doing one thing and lying to their own public about what happened. People have been kept in the dark about what really went on. But who to take up this job? I have no doubt that majority of the Governments will be in the same boat if exposed. And I personally wish they are.

- I think the best thing for people to do is to call for transparency to be built into day to day Government and corporate frameworks. Classification is currently synonymous to "we don't want you to see what we're doing". Probably a review of all classified items should happen to see if it is really necessary.

- Finally, we need peer organizations doing what Wikileaks is doing. Fearless journalism is becoming a rarity. Instead of them sucking up to Governments and major corporations, if more are more news networks take up the job of exposing the truth, the scale of such events will make it much harder for Government's to intimidate. Doesn't the fact that there are over 1600 mirrors for Wikileaks in case the main site is forced shut show an indication of what people really want to see? The best place for that to start is for people who are naturally setup with that infrastructure - the media! Instead of sensationalism, why not push for the truth and in turn transparency?

In the end, Wikileaks is about you and me. Introspect! Align yourself to the truth you wish to see on the outside! Whether Julian Assange himself falls into that category is for him to decide.

Midnights with the Mystic

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 01:11:48 PST

This book and other books of this kind (Diamond days with Osho, The New Path etc) are kind of like a niche segment. They detail life as it is living with a mystic. Here, just 4-5 nights form this book. Well, I read this mostly during my midnights!

Needless to say, living with a mystic will be a roller coaster ride - and this journey was exciting as well. There is one painful moment - the encounter with the native Indian. I do not know why this keeps coming back!

I wish I could get hold of the audio book. The companion DVD is great as well!

Two powerful TED talks

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 06:36:09 PST

For once, the pain of standing over the gory bloodshed from the past is visible on the face of someone from that part of the world. History cannot be undone, but can we do some repairs now? They were stripped of their possessions, then their dignity and finally left to fend for themselves?

This talk by Bill Gates shows his penchant for science. The equations are not very complex. He unequivocally tells we must "innovate to zero" on our carbon emissions. By the way, his take on climate skeptics is exactly the same "silver bullet argument" someone produced earlier.

Satsang with Sadhguru @ Vellore - 18th Nov 2010, Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Deepak) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:21:19 PST

By chance or whatever reason, in totally unplanned fashion, I had to be at Vellore on 18th Nov. So this meant another opportunity to be with Sadhguru that evening. As trend would have it, it was raining heavily at Vellore as well. This time though, they had closed the seating area, well 60% of it anyway, with tarpaulins. There was also a gallery seating area as it was a play ground. Chairs were arranged there as well.

I learnt an important life lesson that day. As life-lessons go, reminder is a wrong word. If you learn and forget, it is as good as learning anew isn't it? This was not a verbal lesson. It came from looking at someone living in a way that teaches ten or hundred times more than talking about it.

Trends in this nation are disappointing. From multi crore scams, vested interests, corporate greed, apathetic citizens - there is every reason to lose hope and sink into despair. Only one - ONLY ONE aspect keeps the human ("my") spirit alive. I saw a demonstration of it that day.

You can be living in hell. But YOU can be the change agent. And you cannot implement this by determination. This is an inside->out job.