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Friday, October 01, 2010

Home is where the heart is ...

Click here (Hutt Valley) to see a panoramic view of where my heart lies ! Sigh !


And here is where I used to work (Wellington)

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Pleasure and pain

Pleasure puts you to sleep and pain wakes you up,

if you don't want to suffer, don't go to sleep.

- Nisargadutta


I absolutely loooooooooooooooovvvvvvve this :))))))))

Monday, September 27, 2010

Listening

 
     "In the linear reality many aspire to be proactive in their participation.  They gallantly display their energy to anyone who may be near.  Seeking the connection to their existence they often speak of the connection of mind, body, and spirit.
 
     It is a habit of those embodied to speak more than they listen.  The resonating tenor of their voice makes them feel productive and vital in the physical environment.  It is happening everywhere one looks.... a lot of talkers but very few listeners.
 
     We are sure that the many who have much to say are lacking when it comes to hearing the whispers of their own souls.  An unfortunate moment since it is often the subtle expressions that provoke the most growth.
 
     We would advise all who aspire to connect with their souls to listen carefully to the breath of a newborn, the song of a grass hopper, and the cry of a kitten as it searches for its mother.
 
     The vibration of your own soul can be heard on a clear evening in the garden.  It is the desire to focus on these simple moments that begins the greatest growth.
 
     Be still.
 
     Listen to the pulse of your soul.
 
     The rhythm will sound out a clear message to your heart.  If only you would listen the wonders of the universe would be revealed.
 
     Try.
 
     See what occurs.
 
     Listen."
 
 - Inner Whispers by VERONICA.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

discovery

Each day I’m discovering that the one person I can always depend on is me.
And I am finding out that I am much stronger than I ever imagined to be!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Bonding

People bond according to their highest values.

- Antony Robbins

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Aashayein

Saw a beautiful movie called Aashayein. Made by Nagesh Kukunoor about a group of terminally ill people awaiting death. Not very deep, but quite sensitive. Had my ex-heart throb Girish Karnad now grown elderly :))) And a wonderful actress called Anaita Nair. And the added bonus of seeing John Abraham really actually ACTING :))))

Some lovely songs from the film with lyrics -


Ab mujhko jeena


Ab hai ujaala, ab hai savera
Ab inn hawaon, pe kar loon basera
Ab main zamaane ko humraaz kar loon
Ab aasmaano pe parwaaz kar loon
Iss pal mein, hai mujh ko jeena
Ab mujhko jeena
Nakaamiyon se darna kya
Jeene se pehle marna kya
Jhoom kar mera dil ab yeh mujh se kahe
Zindagi hai to zinda dili bhi rahe
Ab iraadon ko hai thaan lena
Ab to khwaabon pe hai jaan dena
Iss pal mein, hai mujh ko jeena
Ab mujhko jeena

Anjaana kal na maanoon main
Yeh pal hai apna jaanoon main
Yahan chaaron taraf pyaar ke silsile
Dekho veeraniyon mein bhi dil hain mile
Apni manzil ki mujh ko khabar hai
Ab to himmat meri humsafar hai
Iss pal mein, hai mujh ko jeena
Ab mujhko jeena



Shukriya zindagi

listen to Shukriya zindagi here...

chan ke aai to kya, chaandni to mili
chand din hi sahi yeh kali to khili
shukriya zindagi, shukriya zindagi
teri mehrbaaniyan, teri mehrbaaniyan

sirf ek rang se tasveer hoti kahin
gham nahi to khushi ki qeemat nahi
dhoop, chaaon hain dono to dilkash jahaan
kya shikaayat karain, fursat kahaan
shukriya zindagi, shukriya zindagi
teri mehrbaaniyan, teri mehrbaaniyan

apni taqdeer ki hai yeh daastaan
kabhi qaatilaana, kabhi mehrbaan
mehrbaani jo dil ko qaraar aagaya
apne qaatil pe bhi pyaar aagaya
shukriya zindagi, shukriya zindagi
teri mehrbaaniyan, teri mehrbaaniyan

aaj kismat yahan humko laaye toh hai
ek lamha sahi muskuraaye toh hai
shamma bhuji hai toh kya gila
bhujta wohi hai joh tha jalaa
shukriya zindagi, shukriya zindagi
teri mehrbaaniyan, teri mehrbaaniyan

The greatest place of wonder

     "Most people in their lives are ever seeking the external, the perfect relationship, experience, job, place, etc.  As a culture it is taught to seek fulfilment outside the self.
     Of course being physical places you in a culture where survival is determined by the amount of physical abundance one has acquired.  This is not something disagreed with.  It is important to feel safe and secure in your environment.  The concern lies with where one looks to find this abundance.
     Much has been said of late about the ability to create what one wants through their thoughts.  It is interesting that most move directly towards material things before seeking alignment with their soul.
     Having said that, we reiterate the concept of thought creating reality.  The way to abundance does not begin externally.  It begins in that place of wonder called your soul. 
     If one discovers the beauty and power there, the reality will align its self.
     Seek then a relationship with your soulful energy.  It will lead you to the next place of wonder.... "abundance". Someone once said, money does not grow on trees.  Abundance, however, grows within you and will manifest according to the energy of your soul and your internal relationship with it.
     There is no greater place of wonder."


- excerpt from Inner Whispers by Venonica

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Zen and the art of car driving (in India) - 1

-ONE-

Yes, yes, I went and bought a car. That too a brand new one. Silky silver. The reaction to this has been varied. Some people said, ‘Wow!" Most seemed happy, but my friend in New Zealand put it all into perspective. She said, “Jolly, I’m amazed you bought a car”. She should know. She's travelled widely in India and knows that traffic = chaos here. Another friend in NZ said, “Good for you with the car, you really are a strong person”. That was kinda perplexing. She has never been to India so I’m still trying to figure out the connection. Maybe she thinks that cars in India don't have power steering. Mum said, ‘What colour is it?” Gosh, Mum, now I have a vehicle capable of causing death and destruction and you are enquiring about the colour? Mum does make profound statements like that sometimes.
Lesson one - don’t take yourself or your acquisitions seriously and don’t lose perspective.

Well, step one over, the next challenge is to drive it. Hardly a challenge one would think for someone who has been zipping up and down highways in NZ at well past the speed limit, except for one small detail. This car has a clutch pedal. Never would I have thought that an insignificant looking piece of metal, less than 6 inches in length could make such a difference to my life. Or would turn driving from a pleasant meditative experience to a harrowing lesson in concentration and coordination. Yet, a challenge is a challenge and in order to tackle it I get myself an ally. Called Ismail. My self-appointed driving instructor.
Lesson two - when God gives you challenges, he also sends help. Sometimes it just materialises on your doorstep.

So driving lessons begin in ernest. At early hours of the morning. Too early for my protesting body clock to handle. So half-asleep and irritable, I try to solve the difficult enigma called the manual transmission and for the first time in my life I wish I was rich. Rich enough to buy an automatic transmission car. Yes, my angst is so great that when Ismail (he must have an especially large cruel bone) points out passing automatic cars, I almost drool with desire. Yes, yes, I keep reminding myself, (after the car has stopped again in the middle of the road), if 10th-fail taxi drivers can do this, so can I, after all it’s just a matter of making the left foot-brain connection. My poor left foot who for so long has relaxed comfortably against the car carpet rousing itself into action to render some foot-tapping accompaniment to zesty music is now being put through the drill of having to constantly ‘clutch dabaa ke 1st gear mein daalo’. Or to get even more scientific, my poor right brain who for so long was given to writing rhapsodies about the silken smoothness of petals silhouetted against summer skies has now got to frantically descramble stimuli coming thick and fast from all over the place and send messages to my left foot to not forget that there is a vital ‘under-6 inch’ piece of metal and to not (for the nth time) release it in first gear. Or even more important - to depress it while changing gears.
Lesson three. There exists a vestigial right-brain---left-foot connection which had been lying unconnected and dormant for long (or maybe holidaying in Greece) and which needs to be reconnected (holiday cut-short) pronto and on the double.

In my solitary moments I secretly think that Ismail is too much of a first gear enthusiast. In fact I think he’s obsessed with it. Else why would he spend so much time teaching me something that is used only while starting the car? Wait, he tells me ominously, wait until you start driving in traffic, then you’ll remember all your first gear lessons. I nod my head in great doubt. But in spite of his obsession with the first gear, this Ismail is quite a character, chatty and friendly and philosophical. It is easy to get talking to him and the topics of our conversations are wide-ranging. In fact we get into such deep discussions that I even begin to suspect that I am taking so long to master the first gear because my mind is focussing more on the topic on discussion rather than the topic under foot. One day I ask him if his wife wears a burkha. ‘Yes, it is said she must in the Koran.’ I digest that for a bit. Then, just out of curiosity, ‘is your wife good-looking?’ I’m thinking, why would anyone want to cover up a plain-looking woman? ‘It says so in the Koran’, is his stoic answer. ‘No, no,’ I protest, wondering what the connection is, ‘I’m not asking about the Koran, I’m asking if she looks good’. ‘I don’t know, but it says so in the Koran’. This parrot-like repetition irks me a bit so I say with some exaggerated patience, ‘Ismail, forget the Koran, what has the Koran to do with your wife’s looks, just tell me how she looks.’ ‘Parwah nahi’, he says. His tone has suddenly changed from open friendliness into stony coldness. I am stunned into silence, so stunned am I by the indifference in his voice that I take my eyes off the road and look at the closed indifference etched in his body language. Suddenly, the clutch pedal looks so much easier to handle, so much more amenable to reason than people’s attitudes.
Lesson four. Car mechanics, any mechanics, laws of physics, laws of pure science, all clean, all manageable, maybe tough to crack but easy to master. Laws made by man is another matter altogether.

------ to be continued --------

Monday, September 13, 2010

Poems from 'Udaan'

Lovely poems from a wonderful movie called 'Udaan'

Chhoti chhoti chitrayi yaadein

Chhoti-chhoti chhitrayi yaadein

Bichhi hui hain lamhon ki lawn par
Nange pair unpar chalte-chalte
Itni door chale aaye
Ki ab bhool gaye hain ki

Joote kahan utaare the.

Aedi komal thi, jab aaye the.

Thodi si naazuk hai abhi bhi.

Aur nazuk hi rahegi

In khatti-meethi yaadon ki shararat
Jab tak inhe gudgudati rahe.
Sach, bhool gaye hain
Ki joote kahan utaare the.

Par lagta hai,

Ab unki zaroorat nahin.



Jo lehron se aage nazar dekh paati toh ...

Jo lehron se aage nazar dekh paati toh tum jaan lete main kya sochta hoon,

Woh aawaz tumko bhi jo bhed jaati toh tum jaan lete main kya sochta hoon.

Zid ka tumhare jo parda sarakta khidkiyon se aage bhi tum dekh paate,

Aankhon se aadaton ki jo palken hatate toh tum jaan lete main kya sochta hoon.
Meri tarah khud par hota zara bharosa toh kuchh door tum bhi saath-saath aate,

Rang meri aankhon ka baant-te zara sa toh kuchh door tum bhi saath-saath aate,

Nasha aasmaan ka jo choomta tumhe bhi, hasraten tumhari naya janm paatin,

Khud doosre janam mein meri udaan chhoone kuchh door tum bhi saath-saath aate.


Aazaadiyan

Pairon ki bediyan khwabon ko baandhe nahi re, kabhi nahi re
Mitti ki parton ko nanne se ankur bhi cheeray, dheere dheere
Iraade hare hare, jinke seeno mein ghar kare
Woh dil ki sune kare na darre, na darre

Subah ki kirno ko rokein jo salaakhein hai kahan
Jo khayalon pe pehre daale woh aankhein hai kahan
Par khulne ki deri hai parinde udh ke choomenge
Aasman aasman aasman

Aazaadiyan, aazaadiyan
Maagey na kabhi, mile mile mile
Aazaadiyan, aazaadiyan 


Watch the 'aazadiyaan' song here

Friday, September 10, 2010

In essence


When I think of all the great poets, artists and other creative people down the ages and their creations, I realise that their creative expression is simply the purest expression of the Spirit. What is poetry but the pouring of Spirit into words and then taking form? Likewise, wouldn’t Spirit have ignited the imaginations of artists and moved their hands into creating works of awe-inspiring beauty. Similarly, we can look at ourselves and others and find pure expressions of Spirit. It could be the ability of someone to cook wonderful meals, or the simplicity of their nature, or their proclivity for going out of their way to help, or the mere sparkle in their eyes. It is all the Spirit showing through. From this point it would not be hard for us to see Spirit in everyone. If it is not immediately evident, it does not mean it is lacking, it only means that our vision could be clouded by prejudice and judgement. For aren't we all Spirit in essence ...

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Mind Monkeynomics

"Throw out all you talking, concepts and words! After all, what is the mind? It is just the noise that goes on inside. With waking begins the chattering, and the talk goes on endlessly thereafter. This is your mind and you run after it"


- Nisargadatta, The Nectar of the Lord's Feet

Monday, September 06, 2010

Quote for today

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." - Confucius

Friday, September 03, 2010

Companionship

Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort, of feeling safe with a person. Having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pour them all out just as they are, chaff and grain together, and a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.  

 (George Eliot)

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Know yourself

Leave aside all notion that you are a human being who has a body, mind, desires, fears and know yourself to be a being from another dimension, pouring yourself into little cups of life, now here, now there, but never confined to any, playfully tasting the flavours that each cup offers but never attached to any. Boundless, formless, that which gives life to life but is not life, that which gives intelligence but is not intelligence. That which cannot be quantified nor ascribed any quality. Here, but not confined to space. Present, but not confined by time. Know yourself as that which cannot even be named.

stillness ...

Only if you are utterly still can you hear the angels ...

Monday, August 30, 2010

a reminder

I’m feeling disappointed with myself. When I look at my desires, aspirations, even dreams, I find them so pedestrian, so lowly. Considering that the Universe is willing to grant me anything I ask for, here I am asking for petty things. When the world lies at my feet and wings have been provided, all I ask is the strength to take a tiny step. Surely, even the Universe would be disappointed. I need to get rid of the limitations my mind has set up, to break out of the confines I have boxed my self into and dream the dreams the Universe has already fulfilled for me. I need to remind myself once again that all things are possible for those who have the courage to dream and the faith to believe in their dreams.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Pure poetry...

Pure poetic lyrics, and such soothing, lilting melodious music, all in the velvety crooning voice of M.Rafi. And young, handsome Dharmendra simultaneously serenading two dreamy, lovely ladies ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmcwF4KE6q4

aap ke haseen rukh pe aaj nayaa noor hain
meraa dil machal gayaa to meraa kyaa kasoor hain
aap ke nigaah ne kahaa to kuchh jarur hain
meraa dil machal gayaa to meraa kyaa kasoor hain

khulee laton kee chhaanv mein khilaa khilaa ye rup hain
ghataa se jaise chhan rahee, subah subah kee dhoop hain
jidhar nazar moodee, udhar surur hee surur hain
meraa dil machal gayaa to meraa kyaa kasoor hain

zukee zukee nigaah mein bhee hain balaa kee shaukhiyaan
dabee dabee haseen mein bhee tadap rahee hain bijaliyaan
shabaab aap kaa, nashe mein khud hee choor choor hain
meraa dil machal gayaa to meraa kyaa kasoor hain

jahaan jahaan pade kadam wahaan fizaa badal gayee
ke jaise sar basar bahaar aap hee mein dhal gayee
kisee mein ye kashish kahaa jo aap mein huzoor hain
meraa dil machal gayaa to meraa kyaa kasoor hain

aap ke haseen rukh pe aaj nayaa noor hain
meraa dil machal gayaa to meraa kyaa kasoor hain
aap ke nigaah ne kahaa to kuchh jarur hain
meraa dil machal gayaa to meraa kyaa kasoor hain

Monday, August 16, 2010

Words and beyond...

Try to go beyond words, concepts, paradigms. Reality is beyond all these and the nature of it cannot be grasped or confined in words. Let go of the need to frame everything into words, to prison things in concepts, to verbalise, to conceptualise. True wisdom is beyond understanding, it is a knowing that comes from deep within, that comes from a place that words cannot reach. It comes from a place utterly still.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Live and let go

I have found that if you wait for something long enough, patiently enough, without resistance, without anxiety, without even seemingly waiting for it, it comes to you, out of the blue, on stealthy feet, when you least expect it, by which time your desire is already diminished and you are in a state of acceptance and learnt to do without, and lo and behold, it comes as a pleasant surprise.

So the trick is in letting go, in not holding on to the desire. The soul has the knack of attracting all that it needs for evolvement - people, situations, experiences. They come and go as the need arises. Why complicate things by desiring, by clinging, by regretting? Why desire something that will pass, why cling to something which is already slipping through your fingers, why regret experiences that have long since passed or pine for them to come back?

Pass gently through life, the soul is in command, it knows where it is going. The choice is ours, whether to live in resistance and want, desiring something that we think we lack. Or to live in abundance knowing that all that we need is already in our life.

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

The world according to me

You need to come to a full and complete realisation that your world is entirely of your own making. It is held in your mind and is shaped by your thoughts, perceptions, experiences, responses etc to what is a neutral and meaningless set of events. Once you realise this you go from a position of dependency and powerlessness to complete empowerment. You become the creator of your own world rather than being a puppet and victim.

While creating software we use tools to mockup screens of how the user interface should look. We make tweaks here and changes there and when we find one design that is acceptable we finalise that as ‘the look’. This happens in all spheres of product design. It also happens in the world that we carry around in our mind. Tweak a thought and your mood can shift from hopelessness to optimism. reframe a perception and your rosy world can suddenly collapse into misery. In Photoshop, we can take an image and tweak it such that in a few minutes it will look totally different from the original image. We can do that to our world as well. Try sitting back and shifting your perceptions around a bit. You might come up with an entirely different world-view. The world according to you, completely made-over, enhanced and latest version.

Can something so changeable, so malleable, so unreliable, be the real thing? Obviously not. Then where is the real world? Wherein lies reality? Shouldn’t we all be trying to find out? Shouldn’t that be our primary concern? Instead of living immersed in a dream world where the only liberation is death of the body-mind? Shouldn’t we all be trying to wake up?  Shouldn’t you?

After-note: Today, for me clarity has returned after writhing for some days in unconsciousness. After thrashing about in turbulent waters, gasping for air. Who is it that pulled me out, that saved me from drowning? It must have been my real self, the Atman, who responding to some impulse in me to break free, must have brought about some shift in consciousness. No matter how the world might shift and change, the Atman is always there, steady, changeless. My lapses into unconsciousness will only cease when I fully realise that I am It, that I and the Atman are one. Then the world might shimmer and dance like a plaything but I will be the player only engaged in play, and cast aside the world when the play is done.