My experiences with life...

Living with the Master – Part 2

2011-05-01T18:52:00.004+05:30

I still remember my first experience with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The intensity of experience continued and life changed course. It was like the train that took a small shift on the tracks and life changed forever. There was no way I was getting back on the old one… I was not the one who liked rushing into things – however, things did start changing quite fast.

I remember one of the initial benefits I got was getting through my CAT exams into IIM-A. I experimented with the time gap that should be between the Kriya/ meditation and starting to write the exams. It is like giving your mind deep rest and it would take a little while to accelerate and zoom… The improved intuition and faster processing of information were benefits that just came along. I was very impressed that how a breathing technique can make so much of a difference.

Over a period of time, I got to meet Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Guruji) multiple times. We conducted many courses on campus with Bawa in the two years that I spent at IIM-A. It was towards the end of my stay, I had an experience of the most powerful life changing moments – a direct glimpse into the spiritual knowledge that is infinite.

The time was the placement week in 1998. Having specialized in Finance and Operations Management, I had naturally applied to many financial institutions. I had a good resume (grades and other achievements) – but I did not even get shortlisted for many of the jobs based out of Mumbai (the financial capital of India). The others where I got an interview were a disaster – not because I was not prepared. During these interviews, I experienced the delinking of the words coming out of my mouth and what I was thinking/ wanting to talk. I was sitting there, listening to myself speak some irrelevant things.

I was quite surprised at how this could happen. I am fully there, wanting to say something and something else coming out of my mouth and I am not able to stop that.

Then on the 3rd day, came this company – recruiting for the first time in India and only from IIM-A. Job location: USA – A side note, some openings in Bangalore. Something got into my mind – made 2 copies of the resume and posted it for both these openings. Finished one round of the US interview and before the second one, the Bangalore guys called me in and in 2 minutes flat, I had a job offer on hand. I was not keen on the role that was offered in Bangalore. The recruiters were more than happy to put me into consulting and the whole process lasted less than 10 minutes. All my other friends got into the same role in US and I was destined to move to Bangalore!

I moved to Bangalore in the summer of 1998 – did my Art of Living Teachers Training program and joined this new job. It did not take much time after that for me to realize what I was blessed with! Being in Bangalore comes with so many benefits – I am sure all of us know. This was the time when some days there would be less than 50 devotees for satsangs in ashram with Guruji and big satsangs would have 200. The walks, the drives, the flights – it was an amazing time.

I realized there was not much in my control – so there is no question of me not letting Him go. I was sure that He will not let me go anywhere… and it is better this way :-)

The truth about the negative blogs – by Swami Sadhyojathah Part 2

2010-09-01T16:42:00.002+05:30

From: Swami Sadyojathah

Although we have known of these 5-6 people who are behind these blogs for a long time, we had chosen to ignore them because any sensible person reading these blogs will immediately realize that they are just lies by those who are desperately trying to malign an organization and its founder.

However, we also don’t want simple innocent seekers on the spiritual path to waste their time by reading this non-stop rubbish. That is why I thought that it is high time that this bunch of negative bloggers be exposed.

When we responded to the first and partial compilation of charges against the Art of Living the bloggers reacted swiftly to say that they didn’t even know the people we were talking about!

But, shortly thereafter, they contradicted their statement by saying the following: “This person has been singled out and the same will happen to the rest of the bloggers!!” They have also appealed to everyone to write good about “this person’’! First they said that they don’t know ‘this person’, then they said ‘this person has been singled out’ and now they say that ‘this person is good’. This is more than enough for any sane person to understand the mindset of these negative bloggers. Who is ‘disgruntled’?

It seems to be these bloggers who dwell on lies.

When my response came, they asked me to declare how much money I have received till now from Guruji/The Art of Living. We are not those kind of people who sell their souls for mere currency notes. (Read Matthew 26:14-16 which says ‘’Then the one called Judas Iscariot went and asked ‘what are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty silver coins…).

Now they talk about “freedom of speech’’ closeted and writing utter rubbish and lies against anyone. Can that be considered freedom of speech? Brave people who speak the truth reveal their identity. Only cowards hide themselves and blabber about ‘freedom of speech’! Freedom of speech does not mean that you hurt people’s sentiments with lies.

Guruji is a revered spiritual Master worldwide and he is considered as an icon of millions of Hindus. Although nothing affects HIM, no one has any right to hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees and Hindus with their non-parliamentarian language.

How come that even though they claim to get all the inside stories of the Art of Living they didn’t get the news that 4 TTC courses happened in India, Canada and Panama after the BBC recording of the interview till date? Did they not get news from the so called ‘insider’ that each Indian TTC comprised 1000 plus participants? In fact when I wrote that there are more than 10000 teachers worldwide I counted only Part 1, Yes, Yes plus and Art Excel teachers. I have not even counted Sri Sri Yoga teachers and BWS teachers. Since their sole intention is to write lies, we can’t expect them to look at facts.

It was hilarious to read their advice that they wished to teach a DSN course for Guruji! They wish to teach DSN course??!!! There must be love and compassion to teach DSN. Those with hatred and jealousy cannot teach DSN. Only brave people can teach DSN. Cowards who remain anonymous cannot teach DSN. Are they so unintelligent that it took them “so many years’’ to find flaws in Guruji and the Art of Living? They find fault with one and all and claim that it is ONLY they who have the correct information.

It has become very clear that these negative bloggers have no better job to do other than trying to malign the Art of Living and the tremendous work being done by the organization with the inspiration from Guruji. At present in Manipur 150 Maoists are undergoing training based on peace and further 150 are on the way to get trained.

Such good work is not acceptable to terrorist organizations and they use these negative bloggers to gather some information and spread misinformation.

Living with the Master - Part 1

2010-08-28T23:19:00.003+05:30

It was the year 1995, my classmate at IIT-Bombay – Ramnik Bansal – woke me up from my siesta on a Friday afternoon. He had been asking me to attend a course to learn some breathing techniques for a year. Priding on my scientific/ analytical background, I did not find it an interesting proposition. But, that afternoon in March was something different – I still do not know why I agreed to go with him to the Art of Living course.

The intense experience of the Sudarshan Kriya and the calmness after that was something beyond my comprehension. It was an instant liking – as if I was waiting for it in my life.

Couple of months later, Bawa (the instructor) told us that the founder of the Art of Living courses – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – was visiting Bombay and that we could meet him at the evening satsang. There was a heavy downpour that day – I remember carrying my shoes in the hands, wading through knee deep water in Juhu, walking towards this temple. I reached there to find around 150-200 people in a hall, mostly dressed in white. I had only seen a small postcard size photo of Sri Sri once till then. I was looking around for him. A few minutes later, when he walked into the hall, I knew it was him.

It was an amazing state of mind. After some singing, we were allowed to meet him one-by-one and greet him. After greeting him, he gave me a hug – and it was like getting exposed an enormous energy field. The energy blast was as intense as the Sudarshan Kriya – I had to sit down immediately and it was instant meditation for 10-15 minutes.

That was the defining moment for me – all I knew was that I am not letting him go :-)

(Contd… In the next part, he will not let me go:-))

The truth about the negative blogs – by Swami Sadhyojathah

2010-08-26T11:40:00.002+05:30

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RESPONSE to the charges against The AOL activities
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:18:18 +0530
From: Swami Sadyojathah
First of all let me introduce myself. My name is Swami Sadyojathah and I have been with Guruji and the Art of Living for more than 18 years. Even though I was born into a royal family in Kerala, I became a strong communist during my school/college days. In our communist study classes we were taught that spirituality is a hoax and we should go to a spiritual master ONLY to expose them! It was such a coincidence then that I first heard about Guruji from a friend whom I adored because he was also inclined towards communist ideology. When i actually went to meet Guruji it was only to check him out more for being a fraud than anything else! Because of my communist background and my education in Mechanical Engineering, I was not inclined to believe anything so easily. Everything had to appeal my intellect and I would react strongly if i saw even an iota of injustice or irregularity. The very fact that I have been with Guruji and the Art of Living for more than 18 years is testimony to the fact that our organization is transparent and clean for i have not lost that sense of justice and standing up for the truth.

Today, the Art of Living has 10,000 teachers worldwide. The motivation and intention of the 5-6 people who are behind these unsavoury blogs is questionable to say the least. If they wished to save the world, why don’t they work against drug trafficking or poverty or do any other service project instead of trying to stab the hope and solace that millions of people have found in their lives through Guruji? None of these bloggers can touch their hearts and say that what they have written is true.

If you are really sincere, then you should have no fear of revealing your identity. Why don’t you come out in open and confront Guruji? Guruji gives Darshan to everyone and meets anyone who comes to him. Just ”blowing the whistle” without revealing your identity is an act of cowardice. And this is nothing short of terrorism by pen. When these negative blogs against Guruji and Art of Living were brought to Guruji’s notice, he just smiled and said, “it is good to have bad press. This will filter the weak and we can identify our strong pillars.” Millions of strong pillars of AOL worldwide just laugh at these negative blogs and ignore them. But, we feel that it is our responsibility to present the facts and expose this bunch of negative bloggers.

Who are these negative bloggers?

The first one is a lady called Eng an from South America. She is bipolar and comes from a troubled background. To get sympathy from people she used to tell everyone that her father used to throw shoes at her and her mother used to throw hot tea cups at her. Later on we found that this was just a figment of her imagination and that her parents are from very respectable families. Because of her unstable nature but coming across as perfectly rational she used to take advantage of people. When her whole family rejected her, she was given shelter. She was prone to sudden bouts of violence and make a spectacle of herself screaming and running around even in places such as the airport! This became less frequent when she was regular in her spiritual practices. When she stopped doing the practices the erratic behaviour would erupt once again. Out of compassion, her Part 1 teacher Janael Mcqueen pleaded to Guruji to allow her to do TTC because she felt that if this lady was empowered and made a teacher she would be fine. No doubt that she was a good teacher, but, very soon people discovered her strange behaviour. She demanded that the people of Brazil respect her. Guruji said, “I won’t tell anyone to respect you, you have to earn your own respect.” Her own students pleaded to Guruji not to send her to Brazil anymore which was a big blow for her. Her 3 ex-boy friends like Mr Ignacious , Mr Jonnathan Tang etc. can speak volumes about the trouble that they have undergone in their lives because of her. Janael Mcqueen and reputed journalist Beatriz can testify about her state of mind. As also the Art of Living Brazil Board, about her misconduct.

Ignacio Escribano (ignesc@yahoo.com.ar)

Beatriz Goyoaga (bgoyoago@fibertel.com.ar) +54114530407

Souza, Alexandre” , (AOL Brazil) – +551191422502

Janael Mcqueen –

When senior devotees complained about Eng an’s tantrums and abnormal behaviour to Guruji and asked him why they should associate with pathological liars like her, he used to tell them “we stick to our first course point of Art of Living which is: accept people as they are! Nobody wants her, her parents don’t want her, so if we also send her away, where will she go?” Around Guruji there is always lightness and humour. Never is there malicious bad-mouthing. This lady used to get irritated by joy and humour. Only someone who is mentally sick can construe all that as being malicious. Once when someone started praising her about her command of languages (she was conversant in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and English), Guruji had hinted, “a ladder which takes you up can bring one down also.” This is what she twisted and mentioned in the blog. She demanded 3000 usd per month failing which she would write a negative blog and she fulfilled her threat. Even after she started these negative blogs against Guruji and the organization, she still goes to Art of Living people and takes their help!

Another person who has joined this negative blog group is a young girl from Australia. Many people want proximity to Guruji and upon not getting what they want lash out at Guruji or the organization.. He tells them to take a project and sincerely work towards it instead of hanging around him. This girl from Australia even rose to work in the secretariat. AOL is such an open organization that anyone who is in the organization for one year and have done the necessary courses can become even a teacher.

Another blogger, a person from Denmark who left AOL because his parents’ suffered from Parkinson disease and was hoping that Guruji would cure them. When they did not cure fully after coming to the AoL Silver Jubilee celebrations he left.

Another gentleman from Denmark was troubled because he could not come to terms with the adulations that Guruji was getting. He started saying that Art of Living should not worship Hindu Gods/Goddesses. He himself was quite depressed and though he became a teacher and was well aware of customs in the Ashram which adhere to ancient Indian spiritual traditions such as Vedic chanting, the singing of bhajans and the Indian custom of bowing down and touching the feet of the Master he used to vehemently object to them. He repeatedly asked Guruji to stop all these practices. Guruji however made it clear that these customs were part of Indian culture. Guruji himslef does not desire for devotees to touch his feet, but that is what devotees wish to do. Althought Guruji explained all this to him very politely He did not take kindly to it.

Two Indian sisters are also part of this negative blog group. They did not have any genuine interest towards knowledge or service. They used to over exhibit their devotion to the Master, constantly vying for his attention. Their own brother, sister in law and other family members are all still actively involved in AOL. One of these sisters wanted to become an Advanced course teacher but was not made one. That factor combined with the not getting the kind of attention they wanted made both sisters leave AOL and take to writing these negative blogs.

Another group which has joined in the fray is an extremist Jihadi group. When it was brought to Guruji’s notice, he said, “welcome them, let them come and see everything, we have nothing to hide, perhaps they will get transformed.” It has happened many a time that agnostics/atheists who come to disprove Guruji have landed up becoming devotees.

Guruji deals with mentally challenged people as compassionately as possible.

There are only two occasions when Guruji avoids answering questions. First is when someone insists Guruji to support abortion and second is when people are diagnosed with serious illnesses but want to go against medical advice. There are a few such people who refuse to take medical help and we call them Blue Stars. Not meant derogatorily. Only Guruji can handle them with patience. We have seen Guruji doing all out to help people irrespective of their attitude or behaviour.

We don’t need to refute that the allegations made by these people are not true. But, since someone has taken the pains to compile the so called allegations, I am decided to take the trouble of making the facts to a sincere seeker who may wander on this site, loud and clear.

1. Anyone who has been associated with the Art of Living knows that nobody is ever compelled by anyone to do seva nor is put on ‘a guilt trip’by Guruji as has been suggested.

2. Only those who are totally ignorant about Ayurveda can say that Sri Sri Ayurveda formulas are copied from Maharishi Ayurveda . None of our people have visited Maharishi Ayurveda in the first place. Most of our products are based on the ancient Ayurvedic texts of Charaka (Ashtanga Hridaya etc) and we don’t need to copy the formula from anyone else. Anyone who has visited our Ayurveda factory can vouch for the high standards of cleanliness and hygiene that are maintained in the manufacturing process. The allegation that our products are substandard is utter nonsense.

Mr Narasimhan is not at all involved in the purchase of any materials in the ayurveda factory. Let anyone be able to produce one bill to prove that there is someone taking commission in the purchase of raw materials.

First they accuse AoL of financial irregularities. When all accounts are in ‘’webstar’’, now they are talking about kickback from suppliers!. Those making these allegations have absolutely no proof of financial irregularities and therefore it is therefore even more surprising that they do it with such ease.

3. The preposterous suggestion that we smuggle medicines to countries and sell them is again wholly untrue. Proper clearances and licenses from each country are procured and all those who have bought our products know that they are sold at market prices.

4. Anyone who has even a little knowledge about AoL know that the AoL European headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. We don’t need to transfer money to any country to evade tax because our organization is exempted from tax in all these countries.

5. It is a joke that the contents of AoL are copied from other institutions.

6. And the same goes for Sahaj Samadhi meditation.

7. Oury Engolz was our guest and we invited him a few times. We invite them, but we don’t need to steal their ideas from them

8. I personally have been involved in the trauma relief and rehabilitation projects in the tsunami hit areas of Tamilnadu and Sri Lanka. Anyone who has been involved in any of the service projects of AoL will know that these allegations are false. The very fact that these negative bloggers have made factual errors about our projects in itself shows that they are all false. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya Mandir (SSRVM) schools are not charitable schools and no where we have claimed that. It is Sri Sri Vidya Mandirs and Bal Mandirs across the country which are free schools.

The charity we do is supported by the fees we charge for the courses. Is it fair to say that just because someone is Guruji’s nephew, he should not get proper education?

9. Those who have visited our rural school where more than 2000 first generation children from neighbouring villages are studying, would have seen for themselves how the money is spent. Children get uniforms, mid-day meals, transportation etc. free of cost.

10. Vyakti Vikas Kendra India (VVKI) accounts are audited and anyone can verify them. We save only 25% from the course fees that is collected.

11. In fact our experience is that not all full-time teachers perform very well.

12. Guruji directly corrects people when they are wrong . He never humiliates anyone. The skill and knack with which he makes people realize their mistake without making them feel guilty is really amazing. All senior teachers would stand testimony to this.

13. There are 10,000 teachers worldwide in AOL. Except a handful of teachers who have left AOL, all the teachers will vouch for the organization and how it has benefitted them.

14. You can malign any organization on two accounts. One is sex, the other is money. AOL has stood the test of these accusattions. It is easy to label anyone as immoral and create doubts. If there is anyone who is the victim of a sex scandal, let them give evidence or face trial in the court for defamation.

15. Same as above.

16. AGNI is a yellow journalism magazine which writes ONLY false stories about anyone and everyone. It is run by a person who is an underworld don. He has four cases of contempt of court and a dozen criminal charges pending against him. If anyone is quoting this magazine to accuse AoL or its teachers, then it is a very clear indication that they are also of the same calibre. The man in question, Sridhar (AGNI) demanded 42 crores rupees and 2 crores every year from AOL failing which he threatened to malign the organization. When the organization refused to entertain him he accused AoL of grabbing land from a Dalit which the world now knows to be an absolute hoax. The land was bought from a Brahmin at market price. Sridhar then came up with another land issue but failed in that also. However that has not deterred him for he is still desperately trying to malign the organization.

The firing of the bullet in the ashram was extremely dubious and no satisfactory explanation was offered by the cops. In every field there are a few disgruntled individuals whose motivations may not be above board. Guruji doesn’t not worry if anyone tries to malign him or his organization. Accolades and brickbats are the same for him, they do not affect him.

17. We started this 21 days TTC format to lessen the burden on people coming from far off places like Bihar, UP and North East.

18. Anyone who has travelled with Guruji even once in their life know how much he takes care of them. He makes sure that they have have had food (many a time he himself serves food to everyone) and a place to stay. We receive emails or people ask Guruji directly whether they can travel with him abroad. It does not mean that AOL has to pay for their flights. We only pay the fares of full-time teachers who travel to conduct the courses.

It seems that the lady who has written this has a deep psychological imbalance.

19. Guruji goes through nearly 600 emails/letters everyday. Any email /letter which is marked ‘confidential’, he looks into it himself. But, those mails which are not in English/Kannada/Hindi, he asks translators to read, confidentially. This lady could read 2-3 languages like Portuguese. Since they were not many who can read Portuguese , she was asked to read those mails. The way she has twisted this shows the disturbed way in which her mind works.

20. We don’t compel anyone to give donations. Those who donate do so out of gratitude, or their commitment to be part of service projects or whatever reason but totally of their own volition.

21. This Swamis and Rishis sit and discuss the amount of money collected for Poojas is baseless and ludicrous. I myself have conducted many Navaratri poojas and we leave it totally to the local organizers to conduct the entire event.

22. Guruji discourages anyone to become full time teachers. This lady did not wanted to take up a job. She only wanted to become full time teacher. She claimed that she was sick and was given three months free treatment in the German ashram even though doctors found that she was perfectly okay to work. As per Guruji’s instruction, we were giving her per month. Without doing anything she was being paid every month. Her best friend tried to put sense into her head. But she was constantly bickering and negative. Even after she left AOL and started writing these negative blogs, it is an AOL devotee who is still helping her to date!

23. Guruji has never predicted anything about Bush nor on Obama. Have these predictions appeared in the media? Where has this lady got these ideas if she is not in AOL anylonger? Once again fabrications of her own mind.

24. This soap story itself is enough to expose how much one can stoop in making allegations. It is rubbish to say that Guruji demanded to stay in a 5 star hotel! While he was in Brazil for the third time, he mentioned to the organizers that the hotel where he had stayed twice before had bigger meeting room to accommodate more people. 200-300 devotees could sit in that bigger meeting room whilst in the current meeting room not even 50 people were able to sit. The rest of the people were hovering in the lobby and Guruji was concerned as he did not want to inconvenience other guests staying in the hotel. Once again the lady has potrayed an a malicious version of what actually took place.

Guruji was visiting Brazil for just a day and this lady had ordered worth of cosmetics(soaps, shampoos etc). The moment Guruji saw that, he asked her ‘’why did you buy so much and that too when I don’t need to use them at all?’’. Guruji carries his own toiletries wherever he goes. Immediately she replied that she got it sponsored by devotees. There were half a dozen shampoo bottles and soaps. Guruji asked her ‘’why do you have to spend so much money whether it is devotee’s money or that of the organization’s?’’. Everyone present there knew that this lady got all those soaps and shampoos and other cosmetics in Guruji’s name so that she can have all that!

Any sensible person will just laugh at the allegation that Guruji yelled for a soap!!! This lady has a habit of imagining that people are yelling at her. People who have interacted with her know that she yells herself! This lady had shouted at a whole group even at Buenos Aires airport as they waited to receive Guruji. All teachers and devotees who were present were witness as to how Guruji handled the situation with utmost patience.

Even when someone was talking to her in a normal tone, she would say, ‘”don’t yell at me.” And every now and then she would say, “I am quitting.”

Guruji has stayed in tents, he has stayed in villages. He always adjusts to his surroundings with utmost ease and is always considerate about not inconveniencing his hosts wherever he might be. Anyone in a right frame of mind cannot accuseGuruji of yelling for soap!

I still remember an occasion when Guruji himself started cleaning the place where he had to stay! This was in Japan and his room had lot of dust, windows unclean etc. He took a cloth and started cleaning without any complaining.

25. AoL are not a herd of sheep! We are a heterogeneous group, of various backgrounds and from every walk of life right from prisoners to people who hold high posts in different fields. Only Guruji can bring such diverse group together. Guruji never shies away from taking responsibility for the misdeeds of people –not just the organization, but just about everybody. In our Teachers Refresher Meet( TRM) every teacher gets a chance to express their view point or difference of opinion if any, but, at the end everyone goes back charged with enthusiasm, to teach more courses and take up big service projects. This has been happening every single time.

26. The hearts that are grateful and mature people always give credit to those whom they love. It is only the disgruntled that find fault in the noblest of people. Whether someone performs or not Guruji gives such care to every person.

27. This teacher from Denmark wanted to stop teaching because of his wife and his career. He had no complaint against Guruji or AOL. Since he is a cook, he wanted to take up the job of a chef and Guruji had told him ‘’if you want to leave, you are welcome’’.

28. Once again this person is contradicting herself. On the one hand she says that Guruji said that she was free to leave. And on the other hand she says that Guruji cursed her. Anyone who knows Guruji knows that this is absolute nonsense and if anything shows the hatred in her. If anyone meets her for even a single day , they will know the truth. Those who were with Guruji are utterly shocked by the way she has deliberately misinterpreted everything.

It should be noted that none of these negative blogs/articles are written by close associates of Guruji or by any ashramite. There are hundreds of people who are engineers/doctors/lawyers/MBA s who are at the helm of affairs in AoL and they are not fools who can be deceived. These negative bloggers only prove the old saying that, ‘’no saint or prophet escaped criticism/condemnation’’. On the one hand they talk about the so called inner circle of Guruji and on the other hand claim to have had access to the inner circle! These are the people who blame Guruji for their own failures and shortcomings. And they do so shamelessly and without hesitation. Only a saint can tolerate such a barrage of ill will. It is tough to be a Guru! But Guruji does it with a smile!!!!

A New Year And More Of Prosperity And Peace: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

2010-01-01T08:36:00.001+05:30

New Year Message from Sri Sri (Speaking Tree: TOI 1-Jan-2010)

Each New Year, we wish others happiness and prosperity. What really is the sign of prosperity? There are several – a smile, contentment, freedom, the willingness to share, fearlessness and the trust and confidence that you will get what you need in life.

Welcome the New Year with a genuine smile. As you flip the calendar, keep flipping your mind as well. Don’t fill your future dates with past events. Learn and unlearn from the past, and move on.

You want to be free of greed, hatred, jealousy and all such imperfections. Understand that negative emotions are due to the past. Do not let the past affect your life in the present. If you cannot forgive the past, then your future will be miserable. This New Year make up with someone with whom you are not on good terms. Start life afresh.

In the New Year, wish peace and prosperity for all. Do selfless service. Live your life well. Realise that your priority is to check violence in the world, free of domestic and societal violence. Make a resolution to do more good, help people in need and bring solace to those suffering.

Whenever you are useful to people, merit will never be lost. Any good gesture or action of yours will always come back to you. Today you have the whole world for a family. That’s what you need to feel, that everybody is part of your own family. Take responsibility. Then there is no suffering.

The spiritual dimension of life brings a great sense of belongingness, responsibility, compassion and caring for the whole world, for all life. In its truest form spirituality helps us overcome narrow boundaries of caste, creed, religion and nationality and gives you a broader awareness of life everywhere.

Open your eyes and see how much you have been given. Focus on what you have rather than what you don’t have. The more grateful you are, the more will be given to you. Conversely, the more you complain, the more will be taken away from you. This is what Jesus Christ meant when he said, “Those who have will be given more; those who don’t give, and even what they have will be taken away from them.”

With gratitude, reach out and help those who are less endowed. You will get much contentment when you serve selflessly. Then you realise that your problems aren’t so big after all. The biggest reason for mental depression is the constant refrain of the mind that says, “What about me?” This is a sign of lack of prosperity. Become free like a bird. Open your wings and learn to fly. This is something you have to experience within yourself. If you think you are in bondage, you will remain bound here. Be free. When will you experience freedom? After you die? Become free right now. Sit down and become contented. Spend some time in meditation and satsang. This not only calms your mind, your inner self becomes strong enough to deal with challenges.

When the mind relaxes, the intellect becomes sharp. When the mind is loaded with ambitions and feverish desires, then the intellect loses its keenness. When intellect and observation are not sharp, life does not express itself fully. Ideas don’t flow properly and abilities diminish day by day. With this understanding, you step out of your narrow confines and that will solve many of the problems in your life. When you are centred, there is happiness always. With this calmness, talents arise naturally. Intuition comes, beauty comes, peace comes; Love springs up. Prosperity comes.

Like teachers like bankers!!!

2009-12-24T10:13:00.000+05:30

When it comes to criticizing Wall Street investment bankers, there may be few adjectives that have been spared in the last twelve months. However, it seems that the bankers are not the only ones to be blamed. Their alma mater has also got it all wrong when it came to judging risks. 'How to invest profitably' is not a lesson that only the bankers need to learn. The school that produces most of the Wall Street honchos has been one of the biggest victim of poor risk management.

We are referring to one of the most renowned business schools in the world - Harvard Business School. To fund its expansion plans, the school invested in interest swaps. In December 2004, the institution bought swaps on construction bonds worth US$ 2.3 bn. The Fed rates were then 2.25%. With the Fed slashing interest rates to near zero, Harvard University has had to bear losses of a staggering US$ 1 bn.

The crisis has taught some very important lessons. To the bankers and to their teachers!

Source: Equitymaster's 5 min wrapup - 23rd Dec2009

Bringing about a change – the lean way!

2009-11-23T23:07:00.005+05:30

One of the most fundamental components in every business or household is inventory. Whether it is stocking up groceries or products in your store/ warehouse – inventory is inevitable. The reasons for holding inventory are many – ranging from economic/ cost considerations to improving customer service.

Cost considerations prohibit buying unit by unit as and when you need it. So, you buy things in some minimum quantity and then buy again when things are about to get over. You may also hold inventory to give the users what they need as and when they require it. Like, you may want to decide which perfume to use just before going to the party, so you keep few different brands with you every time.

As life or businesses move over a period of time, you start using inventory to cover up problems. This continues as long as you can afford it – till the bill starts hurting you. There could be many reasons that start building up inventory:

1. Sheer laziness of buying things often: Many times buying in frequent and small quantities is more economic, but we may choose to buy things is bulk and then see it getting wasted/ obsolete.

2. Spoilt for choice: Need to have everything at your disposal – whether you need it or not. Even though, the nearest shop may be only 5 minutes away, there are things that you want to see gathering dust in your cupboard.

3. Inefficiency in processes: There could be people doing things inefficiently, incorrectly or in an unplanned manner. And to cover up, you keep working overtime or keep things overstocked so that nobody discovers the inefficiencies.

There could be many more such reasons – the key point to remember is “Inventory hides problems”. This is true in personal lives as well as businesses. These problems never get uncovered in normal day to day routine and over a period of time, these problems keep getting compounded.

It is not often that you would proactively do something about this. Hence, as a safety valve, nature has created events that cause you to relook at life (and businesses). Adversities in life take you by storm and make you aware of the flab that has got built around us in the name of ‘comfort’. It makes you ponder over some questions:

* Do I really need all the choices?
* Can I not wait for some time if things are immediately available?
* Can I not plan or be a little more organized?
* Can I avoid hoarding excess or wasting? (Guruji recently mentioned about how the refrigerator has created more problems for us. Now, there is a tendency to overstock, cook more than required and then waste it).
* How much comfort do I really need?

Tough times give you an opportunity to change – and change for the better. It helps you come out of your comfort level (inventory), uncover fundamental issues and provides a chance to make life better.

So, do not wait for the next storm to hit you – Get lean and cut the flab out before that! With a spiritual master like Sri Sri in our lives, we can be assured that such changes will be very gentle and life transforming at the same time.

I am not hungry and you are not in love

2009-10-02T15:32:00.004+05:30

Recently, Swami Pragyananda Maharaj was sharing an interesting anecdote at a satsang in the Vishalakshi Mantap - thought of sharing it.

It was when Sri Krishna went to Duryodhana as a peace ambassador of Pandavas. His peace proposal was out-rightly rejected. When he decided to leave, Duryodhana out of courtesy asked Sri Krishna to stay with them and have lunch before leaving. To this he replied – ‘Mujhe bhuk nahi hain aur tumhe prem nahi hain!’ (I am not hungry and you are not offering me out of love), so why should I?

Saying this he left for Vidura’s home, where Vidura’s wife received him. She was too overwhelmed to see him. She rushed to the kitchen to fetch some bananas. She started peeling the bananas and offering it to him while praising him all the time. What she did not realize was that she was offering the peels and throwing the fruit away.

When Vidura came to know that Sri Krishna has gone to his home, he rushed home and he was very puzzled to see what was happening – Vidura’s wife was sitting there totally awestruck and Sri Krishna was eating the peels being offered to him.

Vidura gently reprimanded her and brought fresh bananas and offered the fruit. He then asked Sri Krishna – ‘Ab swaad aa raha hain?’ (Does it taste good now?). Sri Krishna replied – ‘Swaad to aa raha tha, ab nahi aa raha’ (It was tasting good earlier, now it is all gone). Vidura understood his folly and quickly asked for pardon.

What is offered with sincere devotion is readily accepted by the divine rather than the best or the most impressive offering.

Guruji added in a light manner that this happens with Him too :-) He then narrated such an incident that happened in Delhi where a devotee kept on offering him orange peels and throwing away the fruit.

I feel like sharing a couple of personal experiences with Guruji.

A few years back when I was travelling with Guruji, there was some baggage mix up and an extra bag was picked up by our volunteers. When we realized it, we opened the bag, found the person’s contact number and quickly called up to inform him of the mix up. To our amazement that person was very thrilled!

He said that his wife had made some snacks for Krishna Janmashtami and offered it in the puja – she had actually wanted to give it to Guruji. Later she packed in her husband’s bag and had asked him to give it in a Krishna temple. The couple was so overjoyed that the bag had actually reached Him! He asked us to take the snacks out and then return the bag.

Another personal experience that I thought I should write about:
My wife (Smita) occasionally makes some dishes for Guruji and takes it to Him. I used to think that unless it something special or unique, what is there to offer. So, once when Smita made me take some sweets for him (while she was not in town), Guruji took it and said that He is not eating sweets nowadays.

A couple of weeks later, Smita baked a cake for Him and took it – and He readily took it and told her that if she has made it, He would have it.

It was another lesson to stop applying the head in matters of the heart. The phrase still lingers on in my mind – ‘Mujhe bhuk nahi hain aur tumhe prem nahi hain!’. Devotion score over anything else.

Gartner Hype Cycle – what an innovator needs to know...

2009-08-22T19:28:00.004+05:30

If you ever wondered what all the analysts and researchers do – here is one example. Attached is an image of the Hype Cycle published by Gartner – this talks about how a new technology or idea actually becomes a mass use product.

Each idea goes through an initial trigger and then you have people talking about it as the next big thing. Everyone’s talking about it then and people start expecting a lot from it. This is the phase of ‘Inflated Expectations’. Once it reaches a peak, there is a steep fall and there is disillusionment all around.

The innovation has to survive this phase and then slowly there is refinement and best practice development in the products/ services. This is when a large number of users actually start coming in.

As an innovator, you have to ensure that your idea survives through these expectation peaks and troughs. You also have to ensure that you maintain your lead during the slope of enlightenment and plateau of productivity.

We have had numerous instances where the innovator is not the one who finally makes the most of the money/ gets the market share of the product. It is apparent that innovating is one thing and making it a successful business venture is different.

So, if you are looking for the next big idea, look at the hype cycle for Emerging Technologies published in August 2009. This will also tell you what to expect in the coming years.

Enjoy it or even make money out of it! If you are looking at investments in these technologies, look at this matrix here.

Source: Image published in Times of India Bangalore edition. For more reports, you need to subscribe to Gartner’s reports (http://www.gartner.com)

The 'burden' of triumph

2009-08-15T15:53:00.003+05:30

I was recently reading an article after the death of Michael Jackson.

The title phrase is quite a statement in itself. If you have closely watched any performer and especially their sequel performance, you would not miss the very apparent pressure of success. This may be visible for the entertainment industry, but the rest of the population is not spared from it either.

There are many shows, performances that you like. If these teams/ groups are asked to produce a sequel, it is most challenging. In the first show, there might have been something innovative, different and an element of surprise – but for the team to maintain the innovation and element of surprise is very difficult – if not rare.

The biggest casualty in this process is the innocent touch that is lost. And ironically, this might have been the biggest factor that might have made you like it in the first place. Whether it is a movie sequel – Matrix, Harry Potter – or artists like Michael Jackson, the pressure to consistently outperform your own benchmarks is visible.

If you have watched one of the ongoing reality show – India’s got Talent, you would have noticed how many of the semi finalists were not able to beat their own benchmark that was set in the audition rounds. We will have to now see if the finalists can now outperform two of their recent performances.

One of the groups that are getting into the final as a favorite is the Prince group. Guess one of the reasons is the effortlessness in their second performance. Worth a watch – am linking both the videos here.
Audition and Semis

The pressure that academically brilliant students/ winning sports persons/ top notch employees or corporate go through is equally high – only not visible to everyone and could manifest as internal stress. And in all this competitiveness, no one really tells you how to handle this ‘burden’.

Guess we can consider ourselves lucky to have the inspiration of Sri Sri to not only be successful but also enjoy the success!!!

A competition to charitable organizations

2009-07-09T23:20:00.006+05:30

One of the proposals that went unnoticed in this year’s budget was “Donations to electoral trusts to be allowed as a 100 percent deduction in the computation of the income of the donor.”

Today we need lot more emphasis on social development. While many NGOs have to fight hard to retain their 80G (50% tax deduction) status, this proposal gives a much more coveted status to electoral trusts – that of 100% tax deduction for the donor. There are a handful of charitable trusts that enjoy this status.

The proposal says that political parties can set up electoral trusts that can receive funds/ donations. The donors can claim full exemption for the amount donated and the electoral trusts can spend the money as per the guiding rules – all accounted for!

The Finance Minister suggested a valid reason to do so in his budget speech – saying that it would bring greater transparency in electoral funding. It seems logical, but also raises a question – why would a political party propose this? It is a known fact that there is a lot of cash that moves around during elections. So, why would one want to start accounting for their own money movement?

It may seem like the ruling party is running short on donations/ funding while its political opponents are making effective use of the money power. But in such a case, the other parties would already have created uproar about this. In the absence of any worthwhile comments/ discussion on this proposal, it indicates that it has to be beneficial to all parties.

The intent as mentioned in the proposal would mean that all donors would insist on accounting the money and claim the tax deduction. This may seem to suggest that donors would stop donating ‘black’ money (cash) and actually give out only accounted money to the parties. And once the money comes to the electoral trust accounts, all expenses will have to be declared. Maybe a small percentage of donors may do that – but in my opinion, the real motivation is different.

A probable scenario that may happen is that the current funding structure will not change much – on the contrary, this tool may get used to get more donors to shell out money. And, this new segment of donors will actually be the tax payers!

So, you would now end up funding the election campaign of your political parties. Get ready to shell out stuff – the silver lining is that you can reduce your income by the entire amount (the income that never came to you) and pay lower taxes.

It is official now – your politician and charity will compete for your money and based on the tax saving focus that all of us have – we know who will win… And, even if the party decides to put that money in social development projects, it will add to the party’s achievements.

On the positive side, it also has benefits for the common man. This reduces the political party's dependency on special interest money or lobbying and they can ideally focus on the right issues. Also, in many countries, where this is in practice, the poll turnout has actually gone up significantly!

Depending on how the public reacts to it and how our politicians make use of this opportunity, it may be a good turning point in Indian electoral reforms.

As of now, all I can say is that ‘What an idea, Sirji’

Spiritual Science - talk by Dr. Hans-Peter Durr - Part2

2009-05-05T11:04:00.005+05:30

New view

The new view that he talked about is that the in-between nothingness is what manifests in the matter. And the world is actually a potentiality.

This in-between is A-Material source. When we say A-Material, it does not negate, but the quality of matter does not exist in it. He took another example of what color is a circle? If you draw it with a blue pen, you may say it is blue. But, that is the color of the pen that has been used to draw the circle – it is not the color of the circle. Similarly, the thickness of a circle is the thickness of the tip of the pen. Extending this – God is red for some and blue for some others…

He said that the software is an amazing thing, with just ‘0’s and ‘1’s, it gives you a perception of so many different things. What the world is a lot to do with our perception.

Some time back, atoms were considered the indivisible part of matter. Then, the electrons and nucleus was found. Later, it was discovered that electrons cannot circle around the nucleus as thought of earlier – they have a wavy movement and a probability of existence at different positions . This maximum probability exists at the certain bands that we study in our text books. It is small and non-zero even at ‘infinite’ distances. Matter is nothing but energy waves – the in-between nothingness!

Similarly, in our DNA, the entire history of billions of years is contained. So, the entire history is contained in this matter which is a manifestation of the in-between nothingness.

This is the new view Advaita – a holistic view. The in-between source (Creator) is the same as the manifestation/ matter (Creation).

Chaos theory and need for co-operation

We have heard about the fact that a flutter of the butterfly wings can cause a typhoon. It can happen as the entire water vapor has reached a state where it only needs one small trigger to start condensing. So, a flutter of the butterfly can provide that trigger and it start off a big rain and a typhoon out of it.

If you think of a pendulum hanging down with a stick, it will oscillate and then come to rest. You can calculate the time taken to swing and other things. You cannot do anything else with it.

If you keep the pendulum exactly downside up, so that is perfectly balanced, it is the highest point of instability. At this point, every small thing has the potential to impact – right from how far are you standing (a small gravitational pull) to some light energy hitting it.

If it falls, it will die. But, you would want life, dynamism – so, how do we stabilize the unstable. He took the example of our legs. If we have 3 legs, you are stable, but 2 legs are always on the ground. With 1 leg, you are unstable and if you move, you will fall down. With 2 legs, one leg becomes unstable, the other balances it and then the other and you can walk. That creates dynamism and life exists.

Similarly, in your life, do not be afraid of the highest point of insecurity.

Think of the world as a big set of pendulums with downsides up. This is how you stabilize the unstable. For that, interaction and co-operation is needed and in a social context, it is co-operation between people. That is where the need for responsible science comes in.

Concluding remarks

He concluded by saying that this talk is only to remind ourselves of the things we already know.

“Falling tress makes more noise than a growing forest” because a falling tree is history and it makes noise.

It was one of the most knowledge-filled talks that I have heard from a scientist and the more I think about the things he talked about, the more applications I find for this knowledge. His biggest charm is that he has discovered something on his own and when he shares it, it shows. He jokingly commented that when you meditate, you take the inner route, but he prefers the external route :-)

However, we know that the inner route under Sri Sri’s guidance is the fastest route…

Spiritual Science - talk by Dr. Hans-Peter Durr - Part1

2009-05-04T00:32:00.005+05:30

We had a unique honor to have Prof. Hans-Peter Durr addressing us at the Vishalakshi Mantap in Bangalore ashram on 1^st May. His most important discovery has been “Everything is nothing” – something known to the ancient seers in India 10,000 years back and is the essence of the Advaita principle.

His presentation was titled, “We experience more than we can grasp”. And appropriately, in that one hour all of us experienced something more than we can grasp. Yet, I am attempting to put down my understanding of his message. (Some things may not be verbatim).

Apart from scientific research, he also advocates responsible scientific and energy policies. According to him, one of the biggest challenges we face is that we are still living with a 19^th century mindset, 20^th century technology and trying to shape the 21^st century.

What is Reality? Nothingness and Perception

He said that we do not understand how technology works, for us it is just a technique. He gave an example of the mobile phone. If you wondered how it works, you would say that there are waves travelling from my phone all around to all parts of the universe, but some how reach my friends phone. When we say a wave travels, there are no particles that are travelling/ wiggling. You may say it is ‘ether’. But, there is nothing called ether. It is the nothingness present in-between that wiggles and that manifests in matter. It is this nothingness that has the potential to manifest into what we can see, touch or hear – it is the cause.

He chooses to use the word Wirklichkeit, and not reality to describe the world. This word is a philosophical definition of Reality – it couples the ‘reality’ as we understand and the potentiality. In classical reality, there is duality, the Subject and Objects are separate. In the absolute reality (Wirklichkeit), there is a communion, an experience. The fundamental disaster of classical science is that it cuts the connection between Subject and Object.

World is what we perceive. If you look at some optical illusions, there are multiple ways in which you can perceive the same photo.

If as a child, I am told that there is an old woman in the photo, I will grow up with that notion and tell my children also the same thing. That is how customs develop and grow. This would go on until someone discovers that it is can also be seen as a young girl.

So, to get a complete picture/ understanding, we need to keep and understand the connection between the Subject and Object. We can see/ hear only a small spectrum of frequencies, so what we perceive is biased with what we already know. Like, all of us have a blind spot in our eyes, but our brain fills it in – we never realize that the blind spot exists.

Limitations of science

He explained the limitations of classical science using Eddington’s parable: A scientist spent years researching fishes in sea water. He used to catch them and observe their characteristics. He came up with 2 hypotheses – all fishes have gills and no fish is greater than 2 inches. He once met a philosopher who questioned him – he told him that if you would go deeper into the sea, he may have found some fishes without gills. But, he was catching fishes with a net that was 2 inches wide – so he would have never been able to catch a fish that is less than 2 inches!!!

The scientist was furious and said that he had spent years doing this research and in that case, anything less than 2 inches is not a fish. If you ask an economist, he would say that he has never seen a fish less than inches in the market – so there must be no fish less than 2 inches!!!

He joked that never believe the scientist or the economist :-) they are limited by what they can observe and measure.

Characteristic of non-living things is that “The more likely happens more likely”. The order has a tendency to disorder and not the other way round. If a room is in an orderly state, it has a tendency to become disorganized and then it cannot become orderly again on its own.

Characteristic of living things is that “Unlikely does not happen unlikely”. Like from a chemical soup that existed 3.5 billion years ago on the planet, an evolved (orderly and complex) system like a human being has come into being. This is something classical science cannot explain and it finds the limitation.

And, if we keep the Subject and Object separated, it compounds the limitation.

Continued in Part2...

Kids ask - have you voted?

2009-04-29T15:32:00.005+05:30

On the V-day in Bangalore, Smita gave this home-made placard to our daughter (Yasha) and her friend along with some chocolates.

They had to go around in the building, knock at each door and ask them if they have voted. If they have, then they gave them some chocolates. If not, then they told them no chocolates for them because they did not vote for the kids.

It was great fun for the kids - although they did not quite understand what it really meant. For couple of families who did not vote, the embarrassment was quite visible on their faces to be rejected by small kids.

Hopefully, these kids will keep up the enthusiasm as they grow up and bring about a good change in the world we live in... All they need is our support and encouragement.

Lords Spiritual in the UK House of Lords

2009-04-28T22:01:00.007+05:30

It is a well known fact that we borrowed a lot from the British constitution and parliamentary system. However, there are some features of the British system that we chose not to implement.

One of such features that I want to point out is the reservation in the House of Lords for Religious/ Spiritual leaders. Although, UK is considered to be a secular state, it maintains positions in its upper house for 26 senior clergymen of the established Church of England known as the Spiritual Peers (or Lords Spiritual)!

These are not elected by the people, but sort of nominated. There was a time in the history, when the Lords Spiritual outnumbered the Lords Temporal (the non-religious leaders). Over a period of time, with reforms to separate the church and state (the basis of secularism), the secular credentials were established. However, even to-date the 26 seats are retained.

The Lords Spiritual make up less than 4% of the seats and they do not normally vote in the matters of law/ state. But, I think this is just an acknowledgment of the power/ influence they wield in the society and a respect to that.

Something to attempt in India? Maybe a good idea...

PS: The Parliamentary reforms are still on in UK - since 1832 till date. Signs of an evolving system...

Also read the post on Raj Gurus - Need of the hour

Building the Nehru-Gandhi brand name - some facts...

2009-04-22T15:22:00.002+05:30

Take a look at this blog - how public money is used to promote a family

http://nehrugandhifamily.blogspot.com

Enjoy reading...

What has kept our Government busy in the past few years?

2009-04-20T22:36:00.004+05:30

Got this email forward... We are responsible for allowing this mess to continue - lets do our bit...

Vote for a change

========================================

Dear Ones,

Go through each and every link below, our country's Future is in our hand! Become Aware of the current situation of our Government and you have the power to bring about change!!

As a true citizen of this country, you should share this information with ALL NOW, only few days remaining for voting!

Vote 4 Change!

[Corroborated by credible sources – Indian Express, Economic Times, IBN 7, Wikipedia, Official Government websites, etc. For email clients that do not support embedded links, please check the bottom of the email – we have all the links for you.]

1) Is common Indian on the street really safe?

a) Check this shocking video clip from IBN 7: Become a terrorist and get paid by the Indian Government.

b) Taliban is not just at our doorsteps, it has infiltrated into Kashmir [news article]. Is the present Govt really concerned about the security of the nation?

c) Every major city in India has been attacked consistently over the last two years. In the last five years, 3850 Indians have died in Terror attacks [news article] in over 3000 incidents [stats from Wikipedia]. In 2008 alone, 12 major terror attacks have rocked the country.

2) What is the present government doing with all our money?

a) As revealed in 2008, Rs 70 lakh crores of money from India is lying in swiss bank accounts [news article]. Even though the German government is ready to reveal the details of account holders, the government is least bothered to ask for it.

b) On the day of Mumbai train blasts, the present government gave Rs 150 crore for earthquake-relief in Pakistan. In 2008, the government has given Rs 3000 crores to Afghanistan for Infrastructure development. Developing our own country’s infrastructure did not cross our governments mind!

c) Rs 87153.12 crores missing [Official website of Comptroller and Auditor General of India] from Universal service funds, infrastructure development fund and money allocated for centrally sponsored scheme.

d) In the Rs 10000 crores, medium-range surface-to-air missile (MR SAM) deal with Israel, the government has suspiciously agreed to pay 6% [news article] as “business charges” which comes to whooping Rs 600 crores. According to defence experts, this is simply inflated and illegitimate.

3) Is this Government really secular?

a) When Madrasas are being shut down in Pakistan, the Indian Government is giving them CBSE status [news article]!! Is it not discouraging Muslim children in getting secular education?

b) Andhra Pradesh government under the direction from central government has closed down 28000 temples out of 36000 temples in last 5 years.

c) Our Government has given 25 lakh scholarships ONLY to minority students [news article]. What sin have the majority done not to deserve these? Why cannot poor students of all communities be given scholarships instead of only Muslim children?

4) Is this Government really pro-poor?

a) The number of people living below the poverty line has increased by a horrifying 20 per cent. India had some 270 million people below the poverty line in 2004-2005, when the present Government took office. That number has gone up to 325 million, which is 20 per cent increase.

Do you want the same government to continue?

The time for politically correct statements is past.

We have just a handful of days before we cast our precious vote. Let’s vote for change!!

[Your immediate participation needed! Just hit the forward button my friend. And no kidding, this time you would’ve done service to your nation]

========================================

Some election debates finally...

2009-04-18T17:38:00.008+05:30

All that you hear in the media these days are the mud-slinging comments of different political leaders against each other. It gives an impression that there is nothing else these leaders talk about. One would have definitely wished for a debate on issues of national importance and would have wanted to listen to what the candidates have to say.

Mr. Advani has been calling for such an interaction for a long time, but the Congress has skillfully deflected it.

One debate finally happened - not between the PM hopefuls, but among the Bangalore South candidates. There was a face to face debate organized by Infosys where Ananth Kumar (BJP), Capt Gopinath (Independent), Krishna Byre Gowda (Congress), and Prof K E Radhakrishna (JDS) participated.

This is definitely a good sign - reflecting the changing times on India's democratic scene. One of the good things about this debate was that the candidates had to introduce their counterparts and even praise them - very interesting indeed!

Click here to read the article in Bangalore Mirror

There was also one more debate that happened some time back on IBN Live TV Channel (it was not publicised so much) between Arun Jaitley (BJP) and Kapil Sibal (Congress). The two participants were grilled on four major issues: governance, security, economy and stability.

Click here to read the transcript on IBN Live - Arun Jaitley and Kapil Sibal

We sincerely hope that in the coming times, we would see more such interactions among candidates - a welcome break from the comments that normally flash on your TV Screens/ Websites.

Raj Gurus – need of the hour

2009-04-15T23:58:00.003+05:30

Governing leaders of the society have to shoulder huge responsibilities for the well being of the people. One has to deal with issues in a fair manner, make just laws, develop the society equitably without hurting people’s sentiments, etc… In all this one has to face with many dilemmas day in day out – some ethical and some small.

We have grown up with stories of Vikram and Vetal, wherein a new dilemma or question is posed to King Vikram and he ends up giving a just and fair answer. However, not all rulers possess the wisdom as that of King Vikramaditya. In such difficult times, one needs some one to go to for advice or solace. Who else could be better qualified for this other than your own teacher/ mentor/ Guru?

This fact was well understood by our forefathers and there existed a post of Raj Guru – a sage who is a teacher/ mentor to the king. The Raj Guru was also supposed to be the ethical gatekeeper to prevent corruption in/ criminalization of the government. This concept is very deep rooted in our Indian psyche and, even today, is widely used in organizations.

In many countries including the US, the involvement starts from the swearing-in ceremony itself (conducted by a religious head – like in ancient and medieval India). Just a day before the Mr. Obama’s oath taking ceremony, there was also a discussion on the church he would be choosing for his Sunday prayers? There are many other countries that have religious heads working closely with the top leader. In fact, Pope Benedict XVI has made it the goal of his papacy to counteract secularism (defined as separation of church and state).

However, today, we look down upon a leader, if he seeks blessings from religious/ spiritual leaders. This is partly attributable to cases like ‘Rasputin’ that misused such a trustworthy post and rest to the post-independence policies that copied the British instead of going back to our roots.

Hopefully, this will change now – as is evident by this letter from Shri LK Advani to all religious and spiritual leaders and Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji’s response to this letter extending full support.

Let’s do our bit for the change… Change for the better. Vote!

Why bother talking about the political landscape?

2009-04-14T00:39:00.003+05:30

We have a very large and varied electorate. People are busy with their studies, making their careers fly, love life click or ends meet. In all this, the last thing on our mind is the development of our society/ country. We tend to forget that our home is not secure just by locking the door.

I remember asking Guruji that I wanted to overcome my possessiveness (and selfishness). He said – become more possessive – possess the whole country, the whole world, the whole universe! It may sound very interesting – but has a much deeper meaning.

We can talk about why we should take responsibility and make a difference in the world and also how it helps in our spiritual growth. However, if you look at life with another perspective, we can also achieve this by being very selfish. If we want to enjoy our life fully, we need to create an environment conducive for this – at home, at work and on the streets. We need to create a fearless society around us so that we can enjoy our life.

So, for our own self, we need to do much more. One of the key things is making sure we elect a good government. Small steps/ decisions taken by the political leadership can have huge implications over a period of time – they have the potential to make or break nations.

Most of us do not pay attention in the history classes and forget how things have evolved in our society – where do we come from and what is the genesis of our current problems. We form opinions based on headlines and the flashing scrolls on TV news channels and believe them to be totally true.

Today, many political pundits do not hesitate to say that the 1947 partition was one of the biggest blunders in India’s modern history. To satisfy some personal ambitions, the nation was divided. In fact, the Congress leadership carved out the current borders of India on a communal basis!

The whole reservation concept/ special benefits/ allowing differential laws based on religion and caste was the idea of the same leadership. The country created was actually called ‘Hindustan’ – the land of Hindus – but over a period of time, it has become ‘anti-Hindu-stan’.

Ironically, the main leader of Congress – Mahatma Gandhiji – got the country together by doing satsangs (his last words were ‘Hey Ram’). If he were to go around doing satsangs today, his own party would probably brand him communal and create problems for him.

Having given them a chance of 52 years as the main governing party, a lot more was expected from them. It is time to give them some rest to revamp and revitalize. It is time to bring in some fresh blood, some fresh enthusiasm and dynamism to propel India to the next level.

I am not a big supporter/ fan of any specific political party, but given where we stand today, I think we need fresh thinking, fresh ideas and something very different.

We want change, we want good governance – we want our glorious Bharat back!

Let us vote, with awareness!!!

Comparison of manifestos – BJP and Congress

2009-04-11T23:45:00.009+05:30

Continuing on the lines of due diligence, I picked up the manifestos of the two biggies of Indian politics – BJP and Congress. I am making the link available for all of you to download the pdf files:

BJP Manifesto – Click here

Congress Manifesto – Click here

This is required as the media reports only a handful of points that are likely to catch viewers’ attention. I would not debate the compulsions of the media to do so. I thought it is appropriate for me as a voter to go through the detailed manifesto and see what exactly are these 2 parties saying?

In its 21 page manifesto, the Congress team has spent up to 5 pages criticizing BJP and the third front – even blaming the third front as responsible for the electoral growth of BJP! A detailed look at the rest of the pages seems like the party wants to just continue what they have been doing in their last 52 years of rule (out of the 60 years of independence).

This is hardly inspiring and I do not think a drastic change can happen in our country with this kind of an approach.

We normally hear about the Hindutva ideology of BJP in the media in such a light that even as a devout Hindu, one would get put off by it. I wanted to find out what exactly this ideology is and what does it really mean?

The first 5 pages of the BJP manifesto precisely address that. I have to admit that it is quite inspiring – it is all about regaining the glorious India that we have only read about. I would strongly suggest that you read it yourself. The remaining 43 pages talk about every aspect of governance with a concrete approach plan – from environment to health, sports to science, farmers to urban populace, internal security to foreign relations, developing weaker sections and preserving cultural heritage.

I am not standing guarantee to whether they will be able to accomplish all this, but to me, the manifesto looks like a wish-list of every Indian. It seems like that this party has finally got a hang of the pulse of the nation.

Vote for good governance, Vote for change.

Please read the previous post on why, who and how to vote

My Precious Vote goes to...

2009-04-10T22:53:00.006+05:30

The Indian General Elections (2009) are round the corner and it is a time when each one of us has an equal right – irrespective of what you do, what your status is, where you live… It is exactly ONE VOTE!

It is your voice to decide who makes the decisions for us. We need to ask ourselves some questions about this opportunity:

1. First and foremost: Am I using this right and considering it as a duty to vote? If I do not vote, I am not participating in our country’s and hence our own development. In 60 years of independence and democracy, our country has not moved as much as one would have expected.

There have been only 2 governments – PVN Rao’s liberalization and Atalji’s IndiaIndia count and lead the way in setting a new order for the world shining – that have actually done something significantly good for us. Imagine what sustained good governance can actually do for all of us. We cannot sit back and let things just go on. Today, the world is looking for a new order and we have to make

This has to be based on Indian values because we have seen that communism, socialism, capitalism have failed us. This is a beginning of a new era – each one of us and our country has to lead the way. And this starts with a strong government.

2. Second: Whom are we voting for? Given our model of democracy that allows a huge number of parties to play in the national government formation, we have to give one party a chance to run the nation without worrying about some small party arm-twisting it. A general rule to follow can be – vote for a party in national elections and vote for a person in local elections.

Each party has its good spots, bad spots, achievements, problems, etc… We need to decide the issues that are of importance to us and do a fair evaluation of the past as well as expected future performance.

It is important to dig out facts for ourselves and not go by hearsay. Today yellow journalism blows small incidents out of proportion and subsequent actions/ good work does not get reported. Internet has made all information available at your fingertips – spend time and do your research.

We should not be afraid to change – in fact, giving different people a chance ensures that all parties are on their toes and the people and country win. “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is very apt and we should keep that in mind.

3. Third: Pick pertinent issues and go deeper into it. (I have taken one issue for illustration)

It is amazing to see how the only rhetoric other parties use against BJP is it being communal. And it is even more surprising to see how we get taken in by such things. If we have done our homework, we would realize the fallacy there.

Secularism is defined as separation of religion and government (church and state). This also includes replacing laws based on religious scriptures with civil laws and eliminating discrimination on the basis of religion. This would then imply talking of implementing Uniform Civil code is secular! This would mean removing religion/ caste based quotas would be secular!!

Modern commentators have actually criticized secularism as being anti-religious and atheistic. In fact, Pope Benedict XVI has declared ongoing secularization to be a fundamental problem of modern society, and has made it the goal of his papacy to counteract secularism and moral relativism.

So, now who is secular and who is communal? Look at the changing demographics of India; look at how minority-appeasement is being referred to as secular and not communal (e.g. The only country giving subsidy for Haj pilgrims, the only country talking of giving CBSE status to madarasas!, allowing forced conversions – and the list goes on…)

It is time we all wake up, do our homework and vote! People get only what they deserve. So, we have to change first and we have to really want a change in the governance – only then we will get it!

Read Sri Sri's views on elections - click here

More posts from Bawa - Reservations, Inconvenient Questions - I, Inconvenient Questions - II and Another Outrage

The Curious Case of ‘A’

2009-03-18T23:31:00.003+05:30

My uncle would often comment that in India, we realize the importance of our own heritage after it gets an additional ‘A’ at the end. I used to be curious as to what is this ‘A’ that makes us realize the importance of our own talents/ knowledge.

It took me sometime to realize what he meant - the western world takes the Indian knowledge and talents, benefits from it and markets it so well that we start realizing the importance and import it back with an English spelling. So, Yog becomes Yoga, Ayurved becomes Ayurveda, Ganesh becomes Ganesha and so on :)

While in India, we are still struggling with getting Yoga teachings out of the service tax list and pushing for its secular credentials, the rest of the world is minting money. The last estimate put the Yoga industry in US at more than 25 billion dollars.

The ancient yogis lived very simple and focused lives with bare necessities. However, today comfort and branding is essential. The market is flooded with yoga mats, outfits and even seats to sit in vajrasana! As expected, this is already catching up in India...

I remember Sri Sri (Guruji) saying many times,
“There are seven things about India that we should be proud of:

1. Our tourism potential (natural and architectural wonders)
2. Our culinary traditions (unmatched cuisine in variety and richness)
3. Our jewelry and our clothes (designs)
4. Our spiritual knowledge (scriptures, literature, yoga, meditation)
5. Our medicine system of Ayurveda (capable of treating the root cause)
6. Our classical dances (variety and subtlety)
7. Information Technology!

We must develop all these even more. We are great at self criticism – we must stop this and be brave and bold!

We must develop self confidence in ourselves and in our traditions. We should even teach them to others. Teach them our language through our culture, through our spiritual knowledge. Each one of you must be an ambassador of our country's culture."

Hopefully, we will be able to resolve this curious case of ‘A’.

The big US Bailout package - 10,000 USD per person - FAQs

2009-02-05T08:06:00.004+05:30

There have been a lot of questions in many people's mind about the rationale behind bailout packages. One of the intriguing question was - If the total bailout package given by US to banks and other companies works out to USD 10,000 per tax paying person in US - does it not make sense to give the money to the individuals to clear off their loans - rather than giving it to the bank?

I found this link on CNN.com that provides an answer to many of such kind of questions. It definitely provided a good insight into the economics behind it - hopefully you will also find it worth reading...

Click here for the link - there are 12 questions (one on each page)

Funny Forward - Satyam Rhyme :-)

2009-01-15T09:20:00.002+05:30

What they would now teach in B-Schools...

Satyam Nursery Rhyme:
=============================

Raju Rama sat on the wall
Raju Rama had a great fall
Employees cried
Shareholders tried
But couldn’t put Satyam together again

=============================
Raju Rama
Yes baba

Swindling Satyam
No baba

Telling Lies
No baba

Open the balance sheet
HA HA HA
=============================

Disclaimer: Not an original composition - picked up from an email forward...

Sri Sri's message on New Year (2009)

2009-01-01T16:22:00.003+05:30

Spirituality: A blend of celebration and silence

Every excuse to celebrate is good. There are two aspects of celebration. One is celebration as thanksgiving, as an expression of gratitude for the Divine. The second celebration is to move forward by dropping the past, knowing that life is eternal.

In 2008, our country saw many upheavals. However, like the Christmas tree, life is evergreen. No storm or snow can weather away its leaves. Similarly, our spirit is eternal and though time and again some adversities may try to cloud the spirit, the spirit moves forward through personal or social grief and emerges powerful.

The nature of spirit is celebration. Celebration is the best medicine to help you move out of the gloom after a crisis. In celebration, you are not just having a party. If sacredness is attached to it, that celebration becomes complete. The body, mind and the spirit rejoice.

Let time celebrate your presence. Keep smiling. When you let time celebrate you, you are a witness amid celebration. The year gone by has taught us many lessons; what we should be doing and what we should not. Every pain that we went through in 2008 brought us some depth, and all the joy and pleasure gave us a new vision of life and hope for the future.

Welcome the year 2009 with a genuine smile from within. That smile comes when you know for sure that you are loved. If you don’t know you are loved by the Divine, you will not be able to celebrate life. You will live in insecurity. With insecurity comes greed. With greed comes selfishness. And with that comes anger. With anger comes lust. And with that comes sadness and misery one behind the other, like a chain.

In the past year, check how many days you were entangled in maya? Turn back and remember the whole year. When you do this, do not reject anything. Let your attention be on the self. This is a delicate balance. That balance is yoga. That balance is spirituality. Some people think being silent is spirituality. Some think only celebration is spirituality. Spirituality is a harmonious blend of outer silence and inner celebration; and also inner silence and outer celebration! Celebration that comes out of silence is real celebration.

Year 2008 saw many rainy days. This new year, let there be sunshine - both in our lives and in society. Let us all have a determination to create a violence-free, stress-free society. May your life be filled with peace, joy and happiness! Happy New Year!
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For regular updates on the Art of Living please visit The Official Art of Living News site

Good and Best – very close or enemies?

2008-12-27T22:16:00.002+05:30

We have heard two popular phrases - ‘Perfect is the enemy of the Good’ and also ‘Good is the enemy of Best’. As with everything in life, there seems to be a contradiction here… And typically these provoke thoughts  There is a lot written about these phrases in books, commentaries, blogs, etc… - I thought I could share some of my first hand experience.

Having spent more than 10 years in the Supply Chain optimization domain, I want to optimize everything – from time to resources to my actions. In the last few months, I remember so many days that I ‘thought’ of posting something on the blog, but making sure that it is the best topic and the best ideas actually paralyzed my efforts! It was an experience to realize that if excessive focus on the best and optimality goes to the extent of stopping you from doing any work – then it may be better to just start doing things.

I also remembered a small story (Centipede's Dilemma) in which a centipede was about to eat a spider and the spider asks it how will it co-ordinate the movement of its legs. The centipede started thinking about its action that was natural and innate to it – but this thought actually crippled it and the spider got away. Although, thinking may be required; but we need to understand the difference between thoughts that result in action and thoughts that paralyze actions.

At the same time, if we become complacent about things and be satisfied with ‘good’, the best will keep eluding us. Striving for perfection is as essential as continuing with actions.

A fine balance I guess – that needs to be perfected!

Why we need more than Singapore visits?

2008-09-11T16:24:00.002+05:30

Recently, the Bangalore traffic cops were to be sent to Singapore to learn from “one the best-managed traffic systems of the world”. They will definitely learn a lot, but we need much more than that. If you have driven on Indian roads, you will know what it is.

Roads are a great leveler – everyone driving on the road is equal – irrespective of their background, status, etc… In fact, if you are affluent, and your car shows it, this is one place where it is definitely a disadvantage. You will be always on the receiving end, irrespective of who is at fault!

Check this video on Driving in India

We need to recognize that a person’s attitude reflects in any work he/ she does – at office, home, even while driving. When we are looking for shortcuts everywhere, we will also look at ways to beat the other person on the road and reach faster. At traffic signals, it is the best. We will zig-zag across lanes to find that spot which is one meter closer to the signal than what the car behind us will get. It is like playing tetris, where you want to generate a grid without any holes in between – if there is any left, the two-wheelers and autos percolate through the grid like sand and pebbles to fill it.

When a big percentage of people driving on the road have got their license through an agent without passing the road test, we cannot expect them to even know all the rules. I am not sure how many people would have even seen the driving rule book – let alone read it. There is no point talking about lane discipline, when there may be people who genuinely do not understand what a lane means. Especially on a road without any marking, people are expected to draw imaginary lines and stick to it.

A lot has been written on the internet and the written papers on Indian driving. Everyone blames it on each other. There is sarcasm, bashing, desperation, philosophy – all emotions that you can think of – associated with such write-ups.

Is there a way out? In my view it is a two fold approach.

One is infrastructure related – I was very impressed with the comments made at two-day Bangalore Transportation Summit organized by Trans Innova and BMLTA. To quote, “What is different is lack of public accountability and absence of a concrete policy.” The suggestion to fix basic things like good street illumination, good roads without potholes and well-laid pavements is definitely a good one. Such practical and easy to implement solutions is what we need today.

The second is people. Even with the existing road condition, we can drive more sensibly and chaos would not be as much as it is today. This may sound simple, but it is the most difficult to implement – because it means that “I have to change”. Even if you had well laid out lanes, unless you and I start driving in lanes, it is of no use. The only solution then would be to put concrete dividers on the lanes! Even then we will have people jumping over it :-)

So, unless you and I change, we are still a long way to solving traffic problems on Indian roads.

Mathematics or History

2008-09-04T14:55:00.003+05:30

We often make fun of politicians and say that they grab all the limelight without doing much or sometimes even doing things that are counter productive to society. On the other hand we have this layer of intellectuals who analyze, dissect and come with the best approach to improve things and make life more efficient and effective. Yet, many a times they do not find takers other than people in the same boat. I wondered - what is it that makes someone or some idea click? As a consultant, it becomes even more important on how do you communicate your idea effectively and more importantly get a buy-in from the audience.

In professional life, we are always taught to focus on an analytical and structured approach. If the structured approach itself was sufficient, then the same approach/ presentation would have worked for everyone. However, this is not something that has been our experience - even a great idea needs to be conveyed differently to various people. One of the main reasons for this is that every person's thinking approach is different. Some part of the thinking is innate, however a significant portion is acquired based on their experiences in life - not just professional life. I think this is one of the biggest mistake professionals do - look at others as another professional/ designation - not as a human being with a varied background, desires, experiences, etc...

This is where, I think, sometimes history helps more than mathematics/ science! Knowing about the cultural background and sensitivity of people you are interacting with is very essential. Not only would you not want to make a cultural blunder, this knowledge can actually help you score some brownie points. It may a little more effort, but it actually makes you connect to people directly. They are likely to be more open to discussions and less rigid.

As consultants working across the globe, we need to be even more careful. Each culture has its own characteristics and what it glorifies - like in some cultures, the designation could be more important than the work content or mannerisms more important than your idea. If you have to successfully implement an idea, you need to be able to relate to the concerned people and communicate at their level. In my opinion, that is the key if you want people to listen and implement your idea.

Sri Sri says that emotions are a hundred/ thousand times more powerful than thoughts - they can come like a storm and overrule any rational thinking. This can be easily seen when we see the politicians connecting to the vast majority of people around. Since, there is no 'professional' tag they carry with - they are able to exploit everything around the people's background and really relate to them. I think this is what makes them mass leaders and people are willing to go out of their way to implement their leader's ideas. Nobody really even thinks about change management effort ;-)

I think a person's knowledge about world history and current affairs should be one of the key skills tested for any job. It is only now that I understand why we are taught these as compulsory subjects in our schools!

So, do you want to be an intellectual or a politician? Or a revolutionary leader who is an intellectual politician? Or a top consultant who is a political intellectual?

Shanghai - a traveler’s experience - some insights (Part2)

2008-08-15T23:05:00.004+05:30

I wondered what is that makes this city so vibrant. The population of the inner city is massive > 1 crore - yet there is some orderliness that is visible. The traffic density is high, lane cutting, honking, overtaking but still driving in lanes. The infrastructure is massive - these people have a vision. I think they are planning for the next 2 decades at least. They have set up a Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) train from the city to the airport that takes 7 minutes to cover 30 kms - reaching a peak speed of 431 kmph! And this is termed as a demo project. This is likely to be rolled out to other cities soon.

While Beijing is done with the Olympics 2008 preparations, Shanghai is busy with the Expo 2010 preparations - amazing! This place is a real example of what a good government can do. In Beijing, to combat air pollution for the Olympics, the odd-even rule for traffic has been enforced - implying depending on your number plate, you can drive your car only on alternate days. This was experimented a few months back so that they know what it takes to implement it. The new airport terminal built there is bigger than any entire airport in Asia - even bigger the entire London Heathrow airport. The new terminal at Shanghai airport is also huge. That is the amazing part - to be able to visualize the next 2 decades, plan and execute to it. At the same time, they have also figured out aesthetic, yet cheaper, options for their infrastructure.

The trust in the system is high - it was evident when I witnessed one road accident at 7 am involving a taxi and bicycle. A small crowd gathered, but there was no shouting or fighting. The cyclist remained sitting on the road till the police and ambulance arrived. The taxi driver accompanied the cyclist to the hospital and came back after some time to pick up his taxi.

Such a system can also result in some interesting mandates - the government has mandated the stock market fund managers not to give any bearish outlook till Olympics are over, people have been asked to improve driving habits to create a good impression, citizens have been instructed not to ask foreign visitors about their age, wage and sex life and religious/ political beliefs. There are posters/ signboards also put up with these instructions. Anyone present during the rehearsal of the Olympics opening ceremony and found leaking out the secret on the details will be jailed for 7 years! Believe me; the authorities are capable of finding it out and implementing it.

Known for its communist policies and one-party rule, the system has produced quite some results. As an example, certain CPG industries that have high profit margins (like chips, soft drinks) need to have around 50% government holding. This would ensure that these profits go to the government and are more evenly distributed in terms of the infrastructure and other facilities. For this to work, however, you need good faith in the system and its delivery capabilities.

Not to say that there are no problems beneath this good looking layer, but the way things work - is something worth a look. Other economies also work in their own way - we can surely borrow some good learning from each other... Hopefully, we (as individuals, society, and administration) can learn from other parts of the world and also share some of our learning with others!

Shanghai - a traveler's experience - (Part1)

2008-08-03T23:11:00.006+05:30

In the last decade of my travel, China was one country that did not figure on my passport pages. So, when it was certain that I have to travel to China, it sure came along with some anxious moments. In the basic list of 'Roti, Kapada aur Makaan' - food would be the primary concern for any traveler with strict vegetarian preferences. Anyways, I started my journey with the confidence that if the divine has approved the travel, it will ensure that it will be a great experience :-))

Shanghai - the word evokes a mixed response before you reach there. You wonder what the city would be like - one hears so many things about China and the restrictions, yet you also know that Shanghai is a place that has opened up its gates to the rest of the world with ease. The first ride in the city from the Airport to the hotel was a real long one - reminded me of Devanhalli Airport to JP Nagar (Bangalore). You are taken by surprise at the kind of infrastructure that exists - the roads, flyovers, metro rail and the magnificent skyline.

The real adventure starts after this - when you see Chinese characters all over the place with bits of English words sprinkled like seasoning. I wondered what it would be like in smaller towns/ cities outside Shanghai. You do have a couple of international TV channels along with one local English channel (surprise) to keep your connection with rest of the world alive. Getting your way around is like playing dumb-charades or pictionary. We landed up in a local shop to buy some basic groceries - only to realize that the shop owner did not understand what 'sugar' is! After attempting some sign languages, an idea struck me. There were some items that had the ingredients written both in Chinese and English and also had sugar in there - so after matching the sequence, I showed the owner one Chinese word from the ingredients list - and that did the trick and we got what we wanted :-) I ended up using this many times - I guess you need to be innovative not only at work but even in a shop!

You have many options for getting around in Shanghai - if you can continue to be innovative. To save our energy for work, we limited ourselves to the taxis. An interesting concept used is the id number for each taxi driver. This is a six-digit number implying that lower the number, more experienced that driver is - so, if you the number starts with 0 or 00, you can be sure that you will reach your destination is the least time and fare. Although we had over hotel/ office address written on a card, we had lot of variations in the route, time and fare. What we figured out was that either we have the map of the address or the nearby intersections clearly mentioned - having just the street address is not enough. After we did this - everyday - it was exactly the same route.

The high rise buildings dotting the skyline are amazing - each with its own style and size. Anything less than 15-20 floors is not even a visible part of the skyline. I will post some of the pictures. In the meantime, Google devta can help you. Check this list - the tallest so far - Shanghai World Financial Center has 101 stories and is has a long story behind the design. There seems to be some common pyramid like top in most of these structures. You wonder how did they ever build such things in these crowded business districts...

Just when you started noticing the development all around and mistook it for an European or American city - you realize that the people are very different - closer to home :-) Getting a taxi on the road is a small adventure - you have to walk on the road and jump into an empty taxi. Do not worry about what others will think - while in Rome, be like Romans! One evening around 8 pm, it rained heavily - and it is the same with taxi drivers in Shanghai or auto drivers back home. We had taxis refusing to go and some asking for 5 times the normal fare. Finally after 30-40 minutes of futility, we got one guy to agree at double the normal fare.

They say - to get a real local experience, go shopping. You will meet a wide cross section and get to know the pulse of the city. The local markets are famous for the 'fake branded stuff' - so I went out to enhance my wardrobe with some hi profile brands. Bargaining is the law of the land. Do not be afraid to bargain - quote your price, you may just get it! The golden rules that I followed
Think of how much you would have paid in an Indian local market for slightly good quality stuff - convert into local currency and quote slightly lower.
Do not be overwhelmed by the first price that gets quoted - that may be 2-20 times higher than the actual.
Even if asked, do not make the first move.
Know the rule - "An Indian cannot stay without asking for a bargain, and a Chinese cannot stay without giving one"!

Coming to food - there are approx 20 Chinese Veg restaurants in Shanghai itself - apart from the occasional dishes that you can get at other places (Italian, Indian, Thai, etc...). If you are wondering about the Chinese Veg restaurants, these serve 'fake meat' (with a tofu and related products base) - these are sure to be veg (even the oil that is used). There was one chain that even offered food without onion/ garlic if you want. These are more expensive than a normal local restaurant - however, still cheaper than any of the international cuisine (including Indian). Since, some of this veg stuff can tend to have strong meat/ seafood taste - you may not like all the preparations. There was one innovative idea that we encountered - that of a 3PL in food-delivery. There is an agency named 'Sherpa' that has tie ups with a large number of restaurants. You can call them up (talk in English) and order food from any restaurant listed in their directory. The charges for delivery are reasonable and is dependent of the distance between the restaurant and your location.

Continued... (in Part2 - some insights)

Technological Generation Gap

2008-06-30T22:26:00.007+05:30

This started with an incident - an acquaintance of mine was panicking as her kid was traveling with her mother (kid's granny) and they were not carrying a cellphone with them. The granny was not able to understand the reason for panic as the cellphone was not an integral part of her life - whereas the next generation could not think of a day - leave aside travel - without a cellphone. This made me think about the technological gap between generations.

The need to communicate and be connected seems to be as old as life itself. However, the modes have changed over time. The new generation gives way to the newer generation! This is even more true about technology. As technology takes a center stage in our lives, communication has taken a different dimension. For me, mobiles, emails, IMs may be the way to communicate - but for the newer generation, all this is old! Blogs, SMS, MMS, online forums, communities, SecondLife/ Lively is the way to go...

I can always stand away and say that all these new technologies are not for me - my life is going on without it and I am fine. But this thought could potentially develop into an aversion towards change and new things. I believe that all of us - old or young have many things to share with each other. It is only a matter of communicating in a manner (medium and content) that the other person understands.

So, if I want to share and express my ideas and views with the new and newer generation, I have to use the appropriate medium... Else, I would be sitting and complaining to myself that "nobody listens to me" :-)

This was my little story on overcoming the technological generation gap. I will update this space frequently - so keep coming back for more...

Till then - enjoy life!

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar - an inspiration...

2008-06-08T20:08:00.005+05:30

From the head to the heart

I could have never imagined that life can change so much. And, the best part of this journey has been that there were no turning points - it was a gentle curve under the loving guidance of Guruji. Having done my education from the premier institutes in India, I was a bit intellectual. I was not ready to accept the existence of the Divine. Yet, the irony was that I used to do all the chanting in the pujas at my home. I was looking for something more - link that could put all my understanding together. And, then I met the Divine itself.

I remember fighting against torrential rains and wading through knee-deep water on my way to the temple where Guruji was to come. That was my first meeting with Him and there was something that just pulled me towards Him. I can still feel the vibrations in my body when I first hugged Him that evening. After that there has been no looking back.

I continued on my intellectual quest of understanding the scriptures and meanings behind it for quite some time. By Guruji's grace I used to get good insights into my questions during my sadhana. Then one day, a realization dawned upon me - "You may know everything in this world - So what? You may know the entire secret of this creation - So what? Till there is no love, no devotion in your heart, till you do not share this joy and happiness with others - it is of no use!" That was the actual beginning of my journey - from the head to the heart.

Always be with me

On a flight to Ahmedabad, I was seated next to Guruji. I asked him if there was something that I need to do. He said, "Just be with me, always." It was like receiving a blessing in the form of a command. He is always there for all of us. By keeping our focus, it reduces the overtime He has to do.

A couple of months later, when He was leaving Bangalore, I asked Him when we would meet next. He paused for a moment and said, "Come with me to Paris and German ashram. You anyway have work in at your German office". I replied that I would surely come, but I did not know of any work at my office. He started talking about something else and in the afternoon, He again asked me, "So, Vinod, what do you say - the Paris and Germany plan is good, isn't it?" I was more puzzled than ever. My confusion increased when He again reminded me about it in the evening.

I found out if there was some work at Germany - there was none. But, I was I was mentally prepared for anything now. Two days before Guruji was to leave, I got a call from my manager that I had to go to Germany immediately - And I could be there with Guruji! When I told Guruji about this, He pretended as if He did not know anything - He's got the style!

And, I must admit, He has done this many times after that!!! - rather, I became aware of it only after this incident.

You are the best

What would you say when Guruji asks you, "Can you pack these bags? Do you know how to do it?" I said, "Yes, I can do it. I know it a little bit" - wanting to be a bit modest. And then, there was a stern voice, "What do you mean little bit. Say you know it the best. No one can do it better than you. Stop this, something, little bit..." It was a lesson well learnt. That single incident has put in so much of confidence and fearlessness in me. It is amazing how Guruji transforms you with each sentence He says.

Doing things 100%

I had this wish that He should scold me in a satsang - a crazy wish maybe. But, He is there to fulfill even that. One evening, He asked me to type out the knowledge sheet. I just typed out the content and did not bother to get the continuous flow into it. I thought it would be edited later. And, to my surprise, He asked me to read it in the satsang. I did - and got nicely reprimanded for doing such a shoddy job, for not being 100%.

It really takes a Master like Sri Sri to make sure that each and every one devotee is able to totally integrate the knowledge in his/ her life.