Sunday, February 7
Media misdeeds
The scene was the launch of Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna, a unique citizens' initiative to clean the Yamuna river, with the blessings and guidance of Guruji.
Some journos were more intent on playing the Thackeray-Rahul Gandhi card, and repeatedly asked Guruji whether or not He felt that the Thackerays should do the Art of Living course. Finally, on being repeatedly pressed, He casually replied in the affirmative. And the above (mis)quote was what the papers reported, while completely ignoring the actual issue of cleaning the Yamuna!
Such a stupid and cheap way to garner readership -- I have refrained from commenting on the Indian media so far, though I feel it is at its lowest point ever -- but this was just too silly. It would be sillier if the Thackerays were to read this and start bashing up AOL teachers in Bombay/Mumbai :)
And the newspapers would have a field day either way -- even if we printed an angry riposte they would still benefit from the ensuing war of words. Its the Indian media that needs Art of Living lessons. Strictly.
Sunday, January 31
Coming unbinged: The story of my experiments with truth, food n samadhi
It began with a glass of coke (or pepsi or whatever, it didn't matter to me then, though I can now tell them apart -- and have grown to like thums up the best!)That was three years ago, on my honeymoon; and it was practically the first bottle of cola that I had drunk in my life.
I have been a healthy eater throughout my life, not by choice, but by design -- I have a somewhat rare congenital condition that many refer to as "geographic tongue". This means that I do not have a fully formed top layer on my tongue; it is deeply furrowed as though I spent my infancy chewing razor blades. The taste buds thereby are fairly exposed (or so I imagine) rendering me almost excruciatingly hypersensitive to all tastes -- and particularly to spices. Even the slightest hint of extra pepper or ginger is enough to ensure that I leave my plate untouched at best, or at worst gasp for water with involuntary tears and hiccups galore.
The benefit this had was that it never allowed me to indulge in most of the sinful snacks which make life in India such a treat. Coupled with a steady exercise regimen, it ensured that I never put on excess weight throughout my life.
"Your first coke? Like ever?!!!" my hapless wife was incredulous. As if it wasn't freaky enough for her to have married someone who, when not crisscrossing the globe with a small suitcase, lived in an ashram, preferred chopsticks to spoons, loved his guitars more than his parents, and routinely spent two hours in silence each day!
(to be continued)
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Wednesday, January 20
Satsang
मैं अगर भजन गाता हूँ तो केवल इस प्राप्ति को सामान्य रूप से बांटने के लिए. यह मुझपर गुरूजी की विशेष कृपा रही है और हर क्षण मैं स्वयं को इसके लिए कृतज्ञ महसूस करता हूँ और गदगद हो जाता हूँ!
जय गुरुदेव
Tuesday, January 19
Monday, January 18
Notes from the hills 1
It is late evening by the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh; the river is in spate, swollen with the rains, muddy with the mountain soil that she has washed down in her rage. We are used to a romantic Ganga -- this sight is new, and a reminder of the ever-changing nature around us. An old lady devoutly wades into the spate and floats a tiny oil lamp into the foam. Amazingly, the lamp stays alight for a long time, bobbing up and down, though the river is in full flow all around it. Finally it is extinguished and then washed away into the realm of memory. Tomorrow there shall be another lamp lit, set afloat and washed away.
"Ganga kinare vairagya ho jata hai, Abhyas ki zaroorat nahin padti," said Guruji this morning. (In the Bhagvad Gita, when Arjuna asks Krishna how to quell the restless mind, Krishna says, "Either through dispassion or through spiritual practice." Guruji was referring to the unique energy that the Ganga carries -- just being on her banks one experiences dispassion; there remains no need for any practice!")
Every morning and evening, as we dip in the holy waters, bits of charred wood, flowers and other debris float by. Some of them bump into us and then drift away as we stand waist deep in the river; they are the flotsam of the funeral pyres further upstream. "This is each one's final abode," Guruji had reminded us in Hardwar the other day -- "Amma, Nandita, Manu... " all our dear ones had come to rest in these waters, as will we all -- some day in the distant or not so distant future...
It is hard to fathom what is going on here. The river is at once raging and churning in furious motion, and yet timeless, as she has been flowing for countless years with the same enthusiasm. Guruji is like that. As He watches the river, it is difficult to guess who is watching whom, the river rejoicing at His presence or He lost in her love. For Shiva, the smashan (cremation ground) is the place to live, to rest, celebrate, to work, to play. For us, the Ganga embodies that final resting place which is permanent yet ever new. HE is at home here, and she has a sense of purpose, a functional energy when He is near. I am aware that my sense of past and future has somehow dissolved, and yet time seems to be moving very fast. How does the Master live, I wonder. Does He have a sense of time as we do? It's obviously just a game for Him, but Who is playing?
As Guruji sits meditating nearby, I experience a beautiful fragrance; it seems to be a mix of all the things I love. The first things I smell are incense and a funeral pyre. Then I smell flowers, then food and a hint of perfume. I look around, there is nothing close by, nor even a breeze that could have wafted these smells to me. It is changing again and seems thick and yet very very subtle -- I am unable to distinguish whether it is a fragrance, a thought, a feeling, an anubhooti.
Tuesday, January 12
Another recent Q&A from Guruji
Tuesday, January 5
Love game!
There's something about tennis that sets it apart from any other sport -- at least for me. From early childhood I knew that this was going to be "my" sport, though it wasn't until age 12 that I finally started taking lessons.We still used wooden racquets back then, and were brought up to honour what has always been regarded as the true gentleman's game. If we so much as kicked a ball on court or banged our racquet on the ground, our coach would ban us from the court for a week. We were reprimanded even if we failed to applaud an excellent winning shot by our opponent! The way one carried oneself on the court, the way we held our racquet, were all indicative of whether or not we were truly groomed in the sport. And yet, tennis has remained a game where idiosyncracy is the norm rather than the exception; every top player has a distinctive style and can be instantly recognized just by the way they swing their racquet. Also, the game has continued to evolve, with rules being modified over the years to encourage fair and consistent play.
The leading players look lean, fit, alert and focussed -- unlike some other sports where they all look beefy, brawny and brainless :) And still the debate rages on -- who was the greatest player of all time? Rod Laver, with his string of Grand Slam titles, the icy Borg, the consistent Sampras, the calculating Lendl, that maverick genius McEnroe, or the unflappable, elegant Federer? There are so many other legendary names, both male and female, whom tennis fans hold so dear, and whose exploits are recounted to this day.
Most of all, it is the unique combination of athleticism, grace and artistry that makes tennis the sport which always brings a smile to my face and a spring to my step!
Love all.
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, January 4
HNY!
Wish you all a very happy 2010. Tina and I took the last week of the past year off and had a truly pleasant rest in Sharjah and Dubai with her aunt's family and my uncle's family respectively. Returned and flew straight to Blore where Bawa, Dinesh and the Yes+ gang had put up a splendid youth camp (Winter Break) which, in addition to meditation sessions and service activities, also offered a plethora of workshops and interactions with several luminaries from different disciplines.
Did a rocking concert for them with my band, then hung out with Guruji practically the entire day yesterday. Today it's back to Bbay and back to structured activity within deep rest!
Many exciting plans for this blog/site this year. As I mentioned, I shall be turning it into a full-fledged website which will also feature my music and photography. March onwards we plan to monetize it as well, and hopefully have a distinct look as well. You may say that my New Year resolution this year is to post at least twice a week --
please do mail me a reminder if I'm slacking!
Anyways, we are just emerging from Rudrapooja with Guruji at Ashram,
and I'm off to the airport in some time. See you soon on this space :)
Jai Gurudev
Aal iz well!
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Friday, December 18
Back home...
Thinking? Well, think out loud and share it with us then. Naah, I have been revelling in two critical aspects of human life which I have always tried to stay away from; Negotiation, and Human Relationships.
These two apparently contradictory but essentially complementary "disciplines" form the backbone of almost every serious interaction that we undertake; and I would be the first to admit that I have not only been traditionally weak in these two areas, but have downright avoided them whenever possible. Leave the fighting to others, leave the fretting to them too, just leave me alone in my room with some books and music, and a guitar of course, and I'm a happy man. For someone whose job often requires him to meet 5000 people a week, I am happiest when I have no human contact at all.
But the curiosity was always there -- I would pick up my camera and walk through crowded bazaars and rural settlements, and spend less time shooting and more time observing what makes people and relationships tick. How complex are our interactions as humans! For those of us used to a computer-driven WYSIWYG world, all these subliminal hints and innuendos are a pain. There is no one formula that can ensure success on this front, and anyone who claims to offer you the secret in a pill, bottle or self-help book is talking through his hat. When it comes to human relationships, there are no rules.
Somehow we keep trying to impose a sense of order into what we consider a chaotic universe, but perhaps we should be considering that it is our relationships that are random
and unpredictable in a universe that is a vast, organised system -- either way it's a paradox.
Guruji has often used the phrase "living the mystery of life" and that's the most fun way to go about it -- so much to learn and discover every day, so much to share and receive, so much food, so little time.... As for Negotiation, well I'm still working on it, reading up a bit --
it's a fascinating topic but guess it'll take a bit of time. Check
out a movie called The Negotiator feat. Kevin Spacey and Samuel
Jackson, it's awesome.













