For me it was about getting on
Those unwieldy strips of wood and metal
Learning to move forward and
Stop on my feet and not my rear!
--------

It was a sight to behold and an experience to cherish in this lifetime. The airfield in Jakkur, Bangalore transformed from a dust field to an ocean of collective conciousness as millions came together and meditated. All the invited speakers, spiritual, religious and political were of one mind- seeing and experiencing was believing! Even for us participants, it took us a while to digest the fact that the stage held over 8000 people with half of them being musicians! None had seen or experienced such a joyful meeting of people from all walks of life, from all faiths, traditions and languages of the world, revelling in each other's presence and accepting everyone as one!

India's president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was thrilled to see the congregated sea of humanity and outlined his vision for a spiritually rooted society that achieves excellence through value education and hard work.

Every one of us was impacted at a subtle level and all lingering doubts about the future of this planet were laid to rest when we met people so poor that they had to borrow from their friends to get to India from as far as Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Mongolia and made this their priority! Some had left their jobs as they were not given leave to be there! There is much that is good with our world and much that we can do to make it the norm rather than the exception. Valuing something spiritual over the material was more than proved by this confluence of men and women. This world is indeed one big family. Vasudaiva Kutumbakam is a reality, a truth, not a dream of yore.
--------

Last week, my friend had organised a fundraising dinner with Indian music and she insisted I sing as one of the local artists. Adorations- experiencing the divine within was the topic. What better way than with music?! So I picked 3 songs and started practising. The spirit soared along with the voice and the cobwebs were cleared from the vocal chords. My 10-year old had his "debut" accompanying me on the Tabla and it was wonderful!

Tears of gratitude welled up in me when a glimpse of divinity came back to the surface, effortlessly, on the wings of wind.

I shall take leave of all you dear readers for a month as I explore the spiritual part of me when I get to India in a couple of days... Until March....Experience the divine you!
--------

When I suggested to some friends about going carol singing in our neighborhood, they were estatic. None of them remembered carolers for decades now. The only concern was if a neighbor might take offense and call the cops. I said, being Indian and Hindu, I shall shoulder that responsibility. The entire plan was hatched when my dear old neighbor was upset that all stores and businesses had adopted a "Happy Holidays" policy versus a "Merry Christmas" policy. While it was the politically correct thing to do in a multicultural society, it also meant denial of the sentiments of the majority who adopt a christian sentiment here in the US.

The eve arrived and one by one the caroling families arrived with their tots. None of these kids had experienced anything like this. They wanted us to sing Jingle bells over and over again! Then they liked the Its the season to be jolly for the "falalalala" part! The older neighbors were treated to good old carols like O Come all ye faithful and Silent Night. Some were moved to tears and couldnt stop hugging. We discovered that many connections could be made within an hour.

Sri Sri speaks about making the ancient mages' vision of "Vasudaiva Kutumbakam"- One World Family a reality. And all it took in this instance was getting 10 people together and singing in our neighborhood for an hour.

In Tamil Nadu, during the month of Margazhi or Margashirsha (Dhanur maas), as children we used to see Bhajan singers walk down our streets early in the morning and we would get up early to welcome them with some prasad. As girls in the 'hood we would have Kolam "competitions" waking up earlier than the other to "usurp" more street-front space to draw a bigger design! When we took a train trip along the country side of Andhra or Tamil Nadu, as the day broke, we would see women sweeping the front yards and drawing a small but beautiful pattern. These days, very few people wake up early enough let alone draw a kolam!

All it takes to shake that lethargy is for 3 families to get together and make a difference. Let us celebrate the spirit in us that is not determined by our bank balances but the upliftment of our minds- be it through a beautifully drawn design in a foggy morn or through a sweet song in a foggy eve.
--------

It took me another 3 years before I took the course. When I look back in time, I can identify and sometimes, very little, with the person I was all those years ago. A part of me has remained the same while elsewhere I have changed beyong recognition. Every Thanksgiving time (when I took the course for the first time), I do my "annual stocktaking" to see if I have learnt the "art of Living".

This year, I had a revelation. I realised that somewhere during this year, I had become grateful for the people whom, earlier, I loved to hate. I found that I was so grateful and could express my gratitude to the people I love and cherish and respect. But to feel grateful for a Ravana or Kamsa in your life was asking too much of me.

As simply as a "mist" drying up in the morning sun (which we have little of these winter days!), somewhere during this period of time, that bit of resistance dropped. The more I saw this, the more I realised that it were these very people who actually throw us into totally unacceptable and unique situations and get us to be creative and act! While our friends keep us protected in their security of unconditional acceptance, we dont have to "change" or review ourselves!

Jai Gurudev!!
--------

Mr. Friedman is obviously Dubya's chamcha, but not a word of censor to the American public that has made this book a bestseller (unless it is a myth perpetrated by the publisher, hand in glove with governmental policy) to reduce their petroleum consumption. Oh no! China should be doing it. Also the greatest warmongering country that also makes the most money in Arm sales demands that India strive for peace with Pakistan. Mr. Friedman evidently does not know or refuses to give reality to facts staring him at his face.

If American policy moved towards disarmament and called for global disarmament, then we are getting somewhere. Then we are actually doing something solid with fighting terror. This past month, I had an opportunity to watch a few bollywood films, most of them terrorist based films with terrorists getting their hands on some nukes and the hero saving the day and the planet. Evidently the threat is there. But every country and polity watches on to see how they can make the most money out of it.

When we read this book more deeply, we can see the worry of America- America thought it would get richer by selling more of its sodas (that has absolutely NO value whatsoever except for marketing) and equally fizool stuff ( digital cameras & HP printers that according to Friedman are empowering village women in India) to the rest of the world. So to get the world to buy it, they created a need and even jobs that would pay enough so that these new consumers can afford to buy their stuff.

Unforunately China caught on to the game of manufacturing real early and destroyed the manufacturing industry in America. And the much maligned but disciplined education system of India has slowly but steadily produced enough engineers and accountants to handle the technical and financial issues of America.

While Friedman is laughing happily to the bank with another bestseller, he is also concerned about the possibilty of actual creative impulses coming out of the subcontinent. Then what happens to the premium that America has charged the world all these years for "designing"? Already the open source software has challenged the entire litiginous system of America by laughing at stringent copyright and patent issues. And as more and more kids learn to write code, it is plain fun for them to put it up on the web for all to use and feel acknowledged for their intelligence!

Knowledge is indeed a double edged sword and America is waking up to that fact.

--------

So there. The idea is very simple actually. It is about forethought and a wee bit of planning that can make a mega difference to our planet. When we have lunches and dinners together, a lot of items such as disposable plates, forks, spoons, paper napkins etc. are used and thrown away. The bigger the party, greater the trash. The simplest idea is for every invitee to any party (except for traditional Indian ones where you are assured of being served on a leaf or on reusable metal or china plate) to have a plate, spoon, cup and cloth napkin in a bag (like a party kit) handy, so that we can reuse this resource over and over again, leaving behind no trash. In Scandinavian countries, they have community lunches served on weekends and every person brings their own plate and tableware and take back their soiled plates home and clean them. And the countries continue to keep green.

We have a " plate network"- be it hosting a party for teachers on Teachers appreciation day" at school or a Diwali party with friends, a few friends loan 20-25 plates for the occasion and take them back. It is upto the host and his/her capacity to return them washed or unwashed. America is facing one of the greatest challenges of diminishing landfill space. It is predicted that in 20 years, there will be no more land available for landfills. My recent trips to India have also been worrisome when I find more and more people opting for disposable plates and tableware when they can easily "hire" plates or serve on leaf (dhonna or banana).

The amount of solid waste generated by our kind (the intelligent human variety) is shocking to say the least. This same idea can be expanded into other realms of kids' lunches, "take-outs", left-overs from restaurants (Tupperware came out with these containers that store flat in your handbag and u twist them open into boxes!), buying excessively packaged goods- all make up for generating less trash.

Christmas is around the corner and tonnes of wrapping paper will fill the landfills. A brown-paper grocery bag-cut out and colored by the kids (or the kid-in-us) can make great wrapping paper. Those reusable gift bags that we received through the year can be reused and passed on. A message on the bag saying "Pass it on" can be added to make it a sign of pride. Palmyra-leaf bags made by women in Southern Tamil Nadu (Ramanathapuram/Madurai) can be used as gift bags. These women have traditionally made "fans" and sell them for a penny. Getting them to make bags and paying them more will ensure a better economy for them. Last year, I had bought beautiful boxes woven by them as Christmas gifts.

Check to see how much of the "gift" you buy has plastic in it. Opt for biodegradable materials for self and others.

--------

Personally, I dont have a problem with people (seekers) getting the knowledge from any source, as long as they get it! What I do have a problem is the hypocrisy of conversion. Why should you "pledge allegiance" to only "one" church (mind- under the guise of "One" God) making extinct many indegenous cultures and traditions and with that, thought, ideology, philosophies etc.? Just because the "minority" (read one who has less access to money and media) religion or culture cannot defend itself against the economic and half-baked philosophical attack of proscelytisers as many a times, they are so amazed at the very idea of a group to go "share" their religion and "persuade" the "other" to "convert" to their religion, that they get "converted" before they even know what hit them.

The "secularists" of the world and specially India (a breed onto themselves) will teach me the tenets of "freedom of Religion" in a free democracy being a fundamental right and all that c*. But they are the first ones who ought to take a serious stand on this matter, by reflecting sincerely and acknowledging the sociological harm that conversion is doing to the very thinking of human beings. One size fits all may just work with lycra, but not so with humans and thinking.

I urge my readers to seriously think about Conversion as a Human rights violation and get those "anti-conversion" laws supported to send a clear message to all the "proscelytisers" of the world, that every human is just fine with his or her religion. If they want to help (a natural human tendency), let them help by empowering people from within.
--------

taking some time to explore the divine within...
--------

I salute you, Woman-Mother-Shakti-Love.
--------

For over a year now I have been doing a "research" of my own to find out more about this "dependance" on a Geo-Positioning System in the car. I wondered how these work if there was an untoward diversion in the road owing to an accident or roadwork. What part of the brain ensures the ability of a body to navigate itself from point A to B and its ability to retrace its path? What prevents another brain from deriving its "place in the sun" without the fear of getting lost?

I read sometime back that there is some kind of receptor in the brain that aligns itself to the magnetic north and that is the reason why such "compassed brains" find their way around. Again when this experiment is done with people blindfolded and turned around in the dark, they stumble and end up with a lower success rate.

Extending this idea of a GPS, today in our vehicles, tomorrow- grafted into our brains?, would imply that the brain did not have that ability before. But that is not true either- Humans have found their way around this planet without all these aids for millenia. So what is the truth about direction?

While I am not against calculators, computers or GPS, I find that more and more we are getting bound to these gadgets, our brain is not exercised enough to enrich itself in learning- making mistakes and, thus, learn from them. We are moving into a realm of perfection that has no room for imperfection.

Wonder if this is what Shri Aurobindo meant by the "supramental" human?!
--------

The Ramayana has always symbolized Love in all its shades to me. It was intriguing to read a narrative where there is absolutely no overt expression of "love" but is simply experienced as a life fully expressed and lived at every turn of the page. The fantasia of an epic that has created more connections in my brain than anything else made me look within to see the enthusiasm and joy welling up.

To top this I was in an amazing experience of a "training"(?) and just let the love flow through and out of me. I can just summarise that experience with language that cannot truly convey everything but here I go: Once there was a heart (am giving you a graphic representation as words are sort of hard to come by to explain!) and around the age of 5, I put it in a box. As the years rolled by, I made this box bigger by letting in all the situations and people in along with the lessons and knowledge they brought in. This included books, music and all my various interests and hobbies. Then, a decade ago I did the Art of Living course and during one of the processes, this box vanished on me. It was beautiful, I looked beautiful too after that course and soon, the box came right back with the course inside. Meeting with the Guru, being in the presence of truth (satsangh), meditating, giving of myself to a friend or my child or even doing dishes (rarely though!), the box would vanish and the heart would flow. This Friday, that box vanished after an intense expereince of letting go that went on for more than 5 hours.

Ra (light) m (within me) had vanquished Ravana (the ego- the box). It is now Deepavali. Love.
--------

How can anyone justify a CEO of a company here, in the haloed US of A to earn a salary of a few millions of $? How can anyone justify the cost of a $100,000 shower head that will give u a "hydrotherapeutic massage"? How can anyone justify the existence of gas guzzlers like the HUMMER on the roads when internationally, there are countries whose very economic existence is determined by the price of gasoline and its availability? How can anyone justify the cost of a "Ralph Lauren" shirt that costs $120 when not on sale when the actual material/labor/transportaion cost of it would not top $5?

If all the above can be justified, so can corruption as it is but a phenomenon that balances these.
--------

Owing to the western allegiance and allignement to the Egyptian (not to own the "black" roots but to own the grand Pyramids!) and Mesopotamian roots, the Indus civilization was a fictitious creation of its authors who wrote in great detail about a"white" Aryan invasion over the Caucusses and the southern migration of the original inhabitants of the land the dark-skinned Dravidian. The colonists with their missionary conspirators couldnt shake the resolve of the pagans of India. How to "civilize" already civilized people? How can u denigrate their Gods who had provided a land of plenty with untold riches in its temples? What would be the selling point for getting the "buy-in" from the "natives" for a superior "white" culture? How to break a society that functioned so seemlessly irrespective of the job the people did with such contentment and professionalism? How to create a "need" for "british" ideologies which were considered far more superior in every sense of the term including their language? But wait a minute these natives spoke a language older than any European language and they had an unbroken tradition of speaking it. Further they had grammer textbooks and lexicology codified millenia ago. How to beat that with a language that had evolved not even 800 years back? With medieval English just now giving rise to modern english? How to project their superiority in all terms of social/cultural levels to ensure total imperialism- abject slavery of the mind?

Thus the stage was set for the grandest brainwashing of the "natives" through a systematic Education system followed by contents in the textbooks that were fed by "great" scholars who had the right to write and all others banned from translation of ANY Sanskrit text! All the symbols in the Vedas were denigrated to the lowest possible meaning and written off as fantastic revelations of a fertile imagination! Of course, to make it sound all the more authentic, this contempt was "fairly" counterbalanced by all the richness of sanskrit poetry and prose! Kalidasa with his eroticism was made a hero- a second shakespeare. In Victorian age, sexual repression was at its zenith and my, the sanskrit scholars were drooling over beautiful breasts and hips even in SACRED texts like a hymn to the Mother Godess! What richness! Can it be paralleled? Oh not to forget the Phallic God -Shiva -the Lingam- ooh how much more decadent can any civilization get? Doesnt it behoove the benign imperialist to ensure redumption for these lost souls? And what better way than to sympathize and empathise saying u poor dears of the South, u were invaded by these arrogant bastards from the West, so we dont really blame you for what u have become. Come unto us- the true children of God, Christ will show u the way- convert for a better life. drop all ur history and culture and come unto us. We will teach u to not wash ur butts with water, instead will give u paper, we will teach u not to bath daily, instead wear good christian clothing of trousers and shirts which will make u stink a mile in ur sweat (from this sweltering damned country of yours which is exactly the way hell is described in our texts) for which u can use the finest of "eau de toilettes" (yes, we hate those frenchies but love their waters). Leave your weaving trestles behind- we will find u better employment after a good christian, english education. and all ye brahmins, what use sitting impoverished in your village hamlets, spouting divine knowledge to country bumpkins when u could come work for us as lawyers and administrators and live a life of kings and see your children dressed in silks? Your mathematical brain thus far used to remember sanskrit conjugations can be put to use to uplift your countrymen from their abject poverty.

Being both a dark-skinned Dravidian and an Aryan brahmin, this theory never sat well with me. It made no sense. The "great bath" of Mohenjedaro resembled the temple tank in any traditional temple still standing or crumbling in the south. And the history books insisted that it was akin to the roman/turkish baths of the west- What? Of course, Indians did their share of public bathing that we still see in our sacred rivers, ponds and lakes even tanks, but to call the "Mantaps" around the tank to be "changing rooms was stretching it just that bit! I have always wondered what if the truks and the romans had copied the Indic baths to suit their decadent purposes?

Anyways, we have all learned these amazing works of fiction as fact and it now behooves us, even with a tiny bit of pride in our blood to call oursleves Indians- Bhaarathvaasis to reclaim our history for oursleves. The oral tradition of Vedic chanting kept the oldest record of human history preserved for tens of thousands of years has now been acknowledged as a world heritage. And it is also time for all Indians to rid their brains of the poisonous misrepresentation of the varannshrama dharma that has divided us as a constructively working society into small, meaningless entities who achieve nothing but deriding each other and destroying ourselves in the process. Let us begin by signing this petition to make a decisive change in the Californian History textbooks- the congress led by a "true white aryan" insisted in having these revisions removed by calling them Hindu fundamentalist thought. Maybe they may believe their White brethren from America if it is in print here first (I know that makes me puke- but what to do that is how much the poison has entered our brains). If u do not live in the US, please let your friends and family in the US know about this petition and support it. Oh, and for those who still have their questions, please google for Aryan Invasion theory and u should get over 92000 references online.
PetitionOnline Website

--------