Its me and my world

 Heard this beautiful story from a participant of the Happiness that I am taking with Chandrani so wanted to share. Uncle (thats how I am going to refer him as he is nearly my dad's age) is a retired Kolkata police officer. Once during his career he had caught a notorious burgler who was creating much havoc and put him behind bars. Soon after his wife along with 4 children appeared in the police station asking him what will happen to them, who will take care of them now as the husband is in jail. Overtook by compassion, Uncle organised for a space in a veggie market and bought her 1000 Rupees worth of veggies to sell , to start with. The family survived. Many years later Uncle was trying to catch hold of a notorious gang of criminals who were murdering people and also doing a lot of other anti-social activities. He was frustrated because he was not able to carck the case. He was moving around in his personal car in that particular area when that same lady appeared before him and...

It was mid October 2014 and I was travelling to Aarhus, a small sleepy city in Denmark from Kolkata for work. The international flight ended at Copenhagen where there was a lay over of 4 hours before I could catch a domestic flight to Aarhus.  After getting down from the aeroplane I felt hungry. I had my hand-bag, my camera bag and a trolley bag containing my office laptop as my hand luggage. The checked in baggage , thankfully was getting directly moved onto the next flight. Being a vegetarian means, first you need to scoop around the area to find the most suitable vegetarian options (Sometimes it means emphatically explaining to the shopkeeper “Egg is not vegetarian, Fish is not vegetarian!”) Finally I could zero in on the shop, queued up, bought food and the coffee and settled down for some relaxation. So I was sitting in the airport , enjoying a late afternoon lunch with coffee and having a video chat over my tab with my folks back at India ! . The airport seemed nic...

My longing for you is as old as the moon As free as the air As beautiful as the spring And as painful as the thirst of a dying man All that river wants to do is to gush and meet its source, the ocean All that I want to do , is to rush and be one with you The entire world tires me It is only your love that can soothe my tormented soul Oh why did you ever let me go ? Do you not long for me the same way as I long for you Do you not want to hold me the same way I want to hold you Do you not ever think of me the way I do  There could be a thousand reasons for YOU to be here I have ONLY ONE,  to be ONE WITH YOU 

What use! What use is the air, if it does not blow and bring comfort What use is the flower, if it does not spread fragrance and beauty What use is the sun, if it does not shine and bring life What use is the water, if it does not quench the thirst of many What use in the tree, if it does not give shade to the weary traveller What use is the leaf, if it does not behold promise of the coming spring What use is the cuckoo, if she does not bring music to others ears O Lord, what use are all my gifts , if they do not ease someone’s pain Do not wipe someone’s tears Do not bring smile to a barren face Or do not kindle beauty, love or radiance in someone’s soul ! O Lord what use are they !!!

The inner space and the outer space Various shades of clouds float in the sky  Adding colour and variety Some are black, some grey and some are white Each has its own tale to tell ! Much like the thoughts that float through our inner space Some are evil, some are confused and some are pure Each has its own tale to tell ! Some clouds may overcast , but only for a few hours BECAUSE when the SUN comes out shining, they melt in the dazzle of its light  Some thoughts may let us down, but only for a few hours BECAUSE when the SELF comes out shining, they melt in the dazzle of its light

I think mankind has always been enthralled with the idea of making the right impact through the right communication. If we search on google or youtube with the word “communication” we will get hundreds if not thousands of links and videos. As someone who has spent considerable number of years in corporate world in various leadership and managerial roles, I know exactly what does Communication mean to corporates. Right from day 1, I mean seriously , right from day 1 in the corporate world, I have been told in direct and indirect ways to be mindful in my communication - to be aware of how I talk , or write emails or present something before an audience. Communication trainings were of course numerous at various stages of my career in various forms.  Lets take another aspect or dimension of the society that we are living in right now. The society or the era of the information explosion !!! There is so much information that everyone is giving out, that it is literary an e...

As I was sitting against the setting sun The dimming warmth and the fading light My eyes closed Me reposing in my deepest self The world started vanishing The sounds died down until it was no more than the whisper of the creation All of a sudden, I could feel a presence A reassuring feeling Of that unmistakably unconditional love of yours As it covered me like I was covered in my mother’s womb As if you had come over to tell me again “I am with you always”

Let the pain rise up Let it pierce my senses  Let me drown in it Let it sear through my heart  My mind be coloured with it My intellect be softened with it My memory be cleansed with it And my ego be soaked in it Let my whole being be purified through this Like a candle burns in its altar before the Lord Let me burn with the pain  Even pain has a meaning, a purpose Its purpose is to be an offering to the Lord Let my pain fulfil its purpose !

You came to my heart and home Like a little bundle of cuddle You taught me how to share and sacrifice You gave me joy through your baby squeals and wrinkles You gave me happiness galore through your innocence I have seen you taking your first steps I have walked with you holding your tiny fingers I showed you off to my friends in pride & glee I loved the innocent fights we had, over bats, balls and dolls I have seen you growing up learning the letters of life From a baby, you grew up to a young girl with a mind of her own Then all of a sudden, a storm came un-announced in our lives Destiny had to snatch away the loving  presence of our mother We shared the pain and cried side by side The grief that was so heavy, we hardly could bear If not for the strongest shoulders of our father Who carried us through the storm By hiding his own pain in his bosom Just to see us smile Time moved on, soothing the wound The young girl blossomed into a fi...

Ma I want to see you with your bejeweled crown Sitting on your throne royal With all the precious stones adorning you And your face glowing with exquisite divine beauty Before I breathe my last …. Ma I want to see you reigning supreme Over the worlds that can be seen as well as unseen I want to see you glowing with pride Over the triumphs of your children Before I breathe my last …. Ma I want to see the best of modern and ancient in your lap Playing with each other with delight I want to see the sun, the moon and the stars vying with each other to get your attention There is abundance, prosperity, warmth and kinship amongst all your children Before I breathe my last … This is what I dream about you My beloved mother That there is no other better than you in this entire world You are the best, the greatest and the grandest You are the one whom everyone turns to for comfort, wisdom & vision This is what I dream about you, my beloved mot...

Yellow, green, blue, red, violet, orange… The vivid colors of the nature Making it vibrant and expressive And beautiful too Much like the colors of life Each color holds feelings, nuances and moods of our changing mind … When the painter mixes all the colors on the palette, it is depressing black Yet “white” the purest, the holiest and the most sacred color, is the mother of all colors It gives birth to the hue of colors - Yellow, green, blue, red, violet, orange… When we remain untouched by the colors of our mind, we remain the pristine white !

Looking at the last four years the amount of road we have traveled the hearts we have touched the minds we have ignited the dreams we have sown the hopes we have kindled one can not but wonder in awe that the first steps were so tiny yet the steps were firm & bold and the conviction so true that even in the midst of darkest hours we have still dared to dream still dared to keep walking Because love moves the world It is indeed love that moves the world !

What is the art of living ? What is that art which upholds life ? The art of living is not only doing courses or just doing anything. The art of living is simply this : It is finding that skill and ability to walk on the middle path. The middle path where you are neither an ascetic , nor a person drowned with materialism. Like a swan which swims in water without getting wet or like a lotus which shines in its beauty in mud, a human birth holds the infinite possibilities. The art of living is to unfold yourself, petal by petal !  When we can feel for someone's pain as our own yet we can remain unfazed and strong, we have learnt the art to some extent. When others feel comfort and inspiration in our presence, then again it is a sure clincher that we have progressed learning the art . When we can move ahead with all the dualities of life with poise and elan then we have embraced an import tenet of art of living - O pposite values are complimentary . When we see a mistake ...

Crime has always been part of every society but of late we have been seeing such an increase in crimes, that we can't help wondering what has gone wrong !? And when crime starts affecting people like us , normal, tax-paying , god fearing , law abiding ,comfort loving individuals then it really does shake us ! This is what is happening to India as nation now . If we take a step back and think what is the root cause of crime ? Stress and frustration caused due to various factors seem to be the number one cause. When stress is combined with alcohol and drugs , then there is nothing more lethal than that. The modern city today is a fragmented entity ! Take any city, there is so much of glaring inequality ! On one hand we have the rising sky - scrappers and probably just next to them the most unhygienic living conditions in the urban slums. What do we do in such a situation ? Do you think , the kids and youths growing up in those areas are not ambitious ? They are not greedy for th...

Today is Mahasaptami but my mind is a little confused and my heart is a little sad ! Being born a bengali, one can not but miss the unmistakeable puja spirit. It starts right from the onset of autumn and the different kinds of kinds of smells, sights and feelings that it brings along ! The "shiuli and kash phool", the newer blue sky, the bright soft golden sunshine , the smell of something enchanting in the air and the feel of the winter following. It is definitely different ! The word Pujo or worship brings to the mind at once the feeling of silence and sacredness and at the same time a feeling of newness and freshness. But over the last few years, I am struggling to find that fulfillment in the Durga Pujas at Kolkata. The hype and the hoopla is there , the incessant advertisements are there, the excitement of vacation is there . But where is the Puja ? Where is that silence and sacredness? Yes there are serpentine queues in front of the pandals , but where is the com...

The trip to Madhya Pradesh by road This particular trip has been very very memorable for a number of reasons ... starting from the fact that I came back home the night before 12:30 from Bangalore (same day actually!) and was ready to hit the road on our Vento with assuring hubby dear on its wheels along with ma and bapi ,the next day morning 7:30 am ... Little did I know what a rich variety of experiences will befall me the next 8/9 days ! We had to reach Bandhavgarh tiger reserve as our first destination which was a 2 days journey by road with an intermediate night stop at the divine city of Varanasi. We reached around 9 PM to Varanasi after a very nice drive of around 600 kms with acceptable road conditions at most places and some nice scenery near the Hazaribagh and Dehri-on-Sone region. Through out the trip, Ma & Bapi kind of competed with each other in clicking photographs on their cameras and cell phones! It was amusing to watch them fidget with the devices and observe ...

I have grown some interest in photography. I have bought a Nikon Coolpix P90 megazoom camera. Here some photographs that I have clicked with it !

Pain and Love I had once asked Guruji "Why is there so much pain in love " ? HE had replied "Only Knowledge can alleviate pain !" A very small question and an equally small answer for the uninitiated , but those who are on the Path, would understand the infinity that it conveys ! True, that spirituality brings to you the heights of bliss, joy and love , you can experience the atoms of love you are made up with, and yet at the same time, the path is fraught with challenges of emotional disturbances, heart aches , frustrations, disappointments and so on... It is that much polarized and perhaps it is designed that way so that we can go through this cathartic experience to enable the Knowledge to blossom on a ripe soil.. Yet when the small mind takes over the big mind, then nothing seems to work.. all that takes precedence in the consciousness is the utter frustration , hopelessness and loneliness.. Any kind of duality is painful, there is nothing more pai...

A different Ganga ! The river Ganga - the most sacred river of India - is pretty familiar with me :). I spent good 3 years in the city of Varanasi while studying graduation at BHU. (Benaras Hindu University). A river has a life of its own, driven by the people living around it and also independently. If you are sensitive, you can tune in to that life , can communicate with it , find solace in its company :) I was never a very religious person, so when I first landed up in Benaras, I had a hard time accepting so much of religious activities going around. But even amidst so much of external pomp & show, there were a few things that did touch my heart like the aaratis on the bank of the river or the smell of chandan and flowers in the ghats. The Gadoliya (means the twilight between day & night) ghat is one of the most famous ghats of the city. More than this ghat, I used to be fond of the Assi ghat which was closer to my university.I have spent countless evenings in that...

Gurupurnima celebration in Rang Kol on 5th July 5, 2009 – Team work rocks !!! Rang Kol Slum in south Kolkata is one of the slums we are working in , spreading the knowledge of Guruji and helping them in various ways to become self sufficient. One of the self sufficiency schemes that we are running for the women is making of bags of bio-degradable material which can become the replacement for the harmful plastic bags. We decided to celebrate Gurupurnima on the Sunday just before Gurupurnima , 5th of July. The program consisted of a free medical camp with free medicines followed by a satsang & a dhyan session. The core team which is working at Rang Kol slum are Malini, Padma, Debarati , Soma and Myself, each one of us contributing in our unique ways. For the free medical camp, we had the one & only pair of Parthasarathy da & Anup bhaiyya. Parthasarathy da is a wonderful medical doctor and Anup bhaiyya is the perfect person handling the free medicines and handing them over...