Saturday, November 6, 2010

The Story of India

Recently I got the privilege to watch the documentary about “The story of India” broadcasted by BBC for the second time. It is a unique journey, a mammoth task collating the 10,000 years history of the great nation in two DVD’s. The feature is a heavy gush of ideas, colors, cinematography covering the nooks of the Indian geography and the people of this mesmerizing mystic country. It is broadcasted in a series of five episodes closely packed and blended with diligent editing, incredible stories and vivid description. It covers a broad range of topics pulsating from the drifting of Indian sub-continent from Africa, rise and fall of civilizations, emperors, religions and languages to modern India. Furthermore, my admiration plucked on the British legendary historian and writer Michael Wood for his remarkable and enduring presentation.

The Story of India, a topic which has immense depth of humanity and traces through the civilizations like IVC (Indus Valley Civilizations), Harappa, Hindukush and gigantic dynasties, emperors like Chandra Gupta Maurya, Kanishka, Asoka, Akbar…etc. and emperor turned humanitarian and teacher, Gautama Buddha. Silk route, connecting India with the central Asia which opened new doors for trade, transport and cultural transformations. The tour gave a picture about the reality of Great War of Mahabharata by digging the remains from the supposed battle field, the great engineering works during the ancient periods which is yet to be deciphered, magnificent monuments, festivals and great sanctuaries. Excellence and brilliance of Sanskrit, the ancient Indian religious language was clearly explained and its connection with other ancient languages like Greek and Latin. The long train journeys gave composition and mixed feelings about the normal class people of India.

I strongly suggest who are in search of deep connections about this historic land should have a glance on this video series. India, known for its religious significances, a land with great leaders and masters has astronomical surprises. As we dwell deep, more astonishing surprises are revealed and we are thrown into a well of mysteries. Every Indian should see the series and be aware about their great history and share the knowledge through medium of peace, righteousness and simplicity.

Michael Wood and his crew clearly deserves a high applaud for this embarking endeavor capturing and deciphering the sacred, ancient history of India. His voice is magical, simple and entertaining.

The documentary is available in
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/story-of-india/
Or, Download from isohunt or any torrents..
Or, Buy DVD from Amazon or any video shops…..

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Noite Indiana (Indian Night)


Yet another ceaseless effort, I have only considerations to thank my family, friends and God for achieving and entertaining a handful of people from my city, Espirito Santo do Pinhal, in the country side of Sao Paulo state. “Indian night (Noite Indiana), a culinary delight intertwining the north and south Indian flavors in a delicate and calculated magnitude supporting the interests of the Brazilian tongues. The whole event was creative and proportional interests of a couple whom established a phantom chemistry of love and destiny, bridging the Indo-Brazil relationship. The event took place at “Clube Recreativo” on 16th October in the city center. The Indian music and videos added flavor to the spicy night, which took a wild and geographical trip through the countries rich culture and diversity. This small city, geographically situated on a group of mountain chains has a rarity for having such a magical event, in fact a type of festival happening for the first time in whole of Brazil. The event employed a new revolutionary space to share and bridge a new relationship between the two economic giants.

It could have come as a surprise to skeptics, a polished and trained software engineer who spearheaded billion dollar transactions every single day for an MNC few months back, with pride and prejudice; in an ardent attempt, passion to portray his country and culture through true and pure devotion to his mastery of culinary skills, offcourse with the support of family. Food symbolizes the definition and culture of a country, especially a country having 10,000 years of solid history. Indian cuisines are known across the globe for its ravishing, spontaneous and resonating tongue twisting spices.

The menu included, Chapatti (the traditional and principle food made out of wheat flour), Tomato curry (mixture of sliced tomatoes and onions with relative composition of spices), Aloo curry (smashed potato and thinly sliced onions along with incredible combination of spices), Spicy Chicken tikka masala, Beef Toran ( a very typical meat dish from Kerala), Spiced rice, Sambar (vegetables with lentils, a typical south Indian dish, which in fact became a smash hit of the night), Payasam (vermicelli with milk and cashew nuts), Mango pickle and finally the Indian tea.

Day before the event we spoke on Radio about this event and inviting people to be part of this event. On the day of the event Mae and I started organizing and cooking in the morning, we were followed by bunch of relatives extending from uncles, aunts and cousins. We had arranged an altar for displaying the Indian spices, Gods, books and other artifacts from India. The club was remarkably decorated by displaying the walls with Mandalas (a product of many sleepless nights) and Indian clothes. We had also created an artificial pond with water, leaves, flowers and candles floating through the surface.

It was a mixed and boundless effort with no boundaries laid between Brazil and India. Rather it was a family reunion, were ideas shared, discussed and rejoiced, an explosion of laughter, cheering and learning. I shared with the group the delicacy, the divine combination and composition of various Indian spices, surprisingly new to the Brazilians.

The crowd started popping around 8:00 PM, the Indian music and videos entertained the groups. Friends and family gathered, formed groups and circled around the tables passing, inventing comments. Friends from other cities (Valinhos, Campinas, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo) arrived on time and occupied their reserved seats. Some of the dishes finished in the first hour and the demand for the dishes increased. Dani wore a beautiful and colorful saree and she was joined by couple of other guests who wore some Indian clothes as well. The fiesta continued until mid night and the crowd left happy and enlightened.

I received immense amount of responses and appreciations, and it represents the integrity of family effort. Dani was the brainchild of the whole event and I just followed her path. A special thanks to Rosi, (Owner of Grafica) for her unflinching support and providing us with the panelas (cooking utensils). Bruno did a good job in making the chapathi dough soft. Ricardo, Jose Carlos, Terezina, Alessandra, Marianna, Andre, Mi, Flavia, Victor and Mae (Marlene) has done an incredible job in helping me cooking the dishes. The newspaper published a half page article stating “the people of Pinhal became vegetarian for a night”. The guests have heavily recommended to continue doing our efforts and waiting for the next “Noite Indiana”. I have received responses from couple of other cities to organize such an event. Until the next “Noite Indiana” ………NAMASTHE …..OM SAI RAM
















Sunday, August 1, 2010

World cup 2010; Rise and fall: Reporting from Brazil

The FIFA World Cup 2010 needs no explanation to be volatile because I am in the land where the people speak the language of football. Football is a religion, a global entertainer, a festival and a versatile human manifestation of joy, passion, faith and unity. This is one amazing event which tries to nail down the racial discrimination and spread the message of humanity. This is my first time that I am part of a country when that country goes on to play. Evidently I don’t need to explain how much the people are fantasized by this global gathering.

In my city (E.S Pinhal) the streets was filled with variety of flamboyant placards, banners and flyers indicating support to the Brazilian football team. Not surprisingly everything freezes including banks, government offices, shops, educational institutions and supermarkets on the day when Brazil goes on to the field. Apparently the street goes completely empty (numb) like the war hit streets of Iraq. The crowd crouches in front of the big screens set on the parks, squares, pubs or attractive locations.

Brazil has won 5 world cup titles and has already targeted for the championship this year, repeating the histories of the past (1994, 2002…etc). Brazil has gifted many football legends like Pele, Socrates, Romario, Bebeto, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho…etc. The current favourites are Kaka, Robinho, Fabiano, Daniel Alves, Julio Caesar….Etc who are under the stringent mentoring of Dunga, the former Brazilian international and the Captain of the 1994 World cup title. Brazil was raging a gruesome battle in the group including Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea.

Brazil had a snail like start in the opening game against North Korea, who defended Brazilian strikers from netting the Jambolini inside their goal post. After many desperate attempts Maicon gave the breakthrough for the Brazilians in the second half, a strike which left the North Korean goal keeper helpless. Few minutes later Evano converted the mesmerizing pass from Robinho by a delicate touch which pierced the Korean goal post again. Voila, the crowd erupted again with whistling, howling and some sounds which I cannot define or express. Even though Brazil had a narrow victory, the Brazilians are never hesitant to celebrate this moment with absolute thump up.

After the Brazil games, irrespective of age, gender, a volcanic parade of devotees engulfs the street making howls, honks and drum beats. The blasphemous crowd are wearing blue, green, yellow coloured costumes and controls the street, another depiction of carnival festival. The ceremony includes performances by local bands and continues until midnight. It is an amazing event to be watched with naked eyes and leaves the guards/police helpless. I went to the square to watch this ceremony in real and left me completely lobotomized and smash buckled. I realized and recognized why this game has found a place in the hearts of each Brazilians. Football integrates people and in this gathering you meet old and new friends, relatives, ex’s (boyfriends, girlfriends..etc) and other fellow religious followers of the football. I was held in the traffic for a long while and the cars kept honking, while people slowly crossing the road like a snail, the police kept the arms crossed and gave a mystifying smile.

Even though Brazil had a consecutive success and has helplessly defeated their opponents, they had to end their campaign by an awful defeat against the European favourites, Netherlands. The fall of the giants was a catastrophe, a state of deep moaning and an ocean of tears. But before the wounds goes into oblivion Brazilians has already started promoting and commercialising the 2014 world cup. The 2014 WC will be a massive communion of ardent followers of football from all the continents.

The 2010 world cup has left me unforgettable experience and enlightening spirits of this beautiful game. Brazil and football is a mysterious chemistry, a cryptic equation, mutual coexisting bond which cannot be separated, it is part of life, part of the body. It is not just a game or entertainment; it is equilibrium of mind and body. Let’s cross our fingers and anxiously wait for the 2014 WC to arrive.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Document Attestation

Document Attestation is the process of getting the documents attested/validated by the issuing country; well it might be tedious because of its complications and lack of knowledge. I have gone through the herculean task of getting the documents attested from the Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi, India. The process of document attestation is same for all the countries, but policies of some countries varies. The first step in this mammoth engagement is check with the embassy regarding the attestation (visit the website or call directly)…do the proper homework. I will skim through some of the general/standards steps in which a document/certificate can be attested.

What is Hague Convention?
On October 5, 1961, many nations joined to create a simplified method of “legalizing” documents for universal recognition. This group of nations is known as the Hague Convention. They adopted a document referred to as an Apostille that is internationally recognized by all member nations.

What is document attestation/embassy Legalization?
It is when you get a document attested (signed/sealed with embassy stamp) from embassy/consulate. It basically means, the documents are valid and can be produced in the non-member of the Hague Convention. But, embassy will not accept any documents submitted by an individual/agent. It needs to be validated by ministry of external affairs before proceeding to the embassy.

Why do we need to get the documents attested?

Document attestation is basically validation and scanning of the document and will be eligible to be submitted to the respective country which we are applying for. The non-English speaking countries can accept the documents only if it is attested by the country of origin. These documents are needed while applying for a job, PR (permanent residency), marriage, study and many.

Which documents needs attestation?

 Birth/Death Certificate
 Degree certificates
 Adoption Certificate
 Affidavits
 Proof of ownership/power of attorney.
 Police Clearance certificate
 Proof of single/not married
 Work permit/ agreement of work/ PR application
 ….etc
http://www.apostillepros.com/

What is Apostille?

An Apostille is the legalization of a document for international use (only in the member countries of the Hague Convention). They adopted a document referred to as an Apostille that is internationally recognized by all member nations. In order for documents to be accepted and recognized abroad in another country, they will most likely need to be legalised for authenticity. When you present a legal document in a foreign country, it is often very difficult to determine whether the document is genuine and legal. In 1961, the process for legalising documents for use abroad was abolished and replaced by a simple certificate of authenticity, called an ‘Apostille’, under the Hague Convention. An ‘Apostille’ is a certificate that is attached to an official legal document to verify that the signatory on your document is genuine and person who signed your document is a recognised and authorised person of the organisation that issued the document. Each Apostille is dated, given a unique reference number and registered.

MEA (Ministry of External Affairs).
MEA attestation is required for all the documents before being submitted at Embassy. MEA will accept the documents only if it is notarized and is approved/attested by the state government which issued the certificate/document. MEA attestation can be done either in Mumbai or Delhi.
http://attestationmea.com/

HRD Attestation

The documents/certificates need to be attested by the state/local government which issued the certificate. Each state has respective officials for the same.
http://apostille4u.com/
http://www.hrdattestation.com/

How to get the documents attested?

Attestation involves step by step process of verification and validation of the documents.
 Identify and get the all the documents (Originals) and get enough photocopies of these documents. (Document attestation is done on photocopies )
 Notarize the document from a valid attorney (notary). It won’t necessarily cost much.
 HRD
 MEA
 Embassy attestation - Visit the embassy website for detailed information.
 Copies of Passport
 The desired documents
 Fees (Fees of the documents varies with countries)
 Processing time (minimum of 2 working days….)

The process in India will be delayed due to bureaucracy, unawareness about the methodology and unavailability of right resources. Before proceeding with this process skim through the procedures, read forums, FAQs and social networking communities like Facebook, orkut, twitter…etc. It is also an expensive engagement and needs to have good patience to face the realities. But, the right directions and right actions will not lead us to the
There are agencies in India which does these activities with a limited period of time. But, if we have an advanced plan (buffer of 40 – 60 days), we can accomplish this task.

For any information regarding document attestation, kindly contact me @
Vadakkedathraju.narayan.poojari@gmail.com | +55 19.93876227

http://www.urogulf.com/attestation_certificate%20attestation.html
http://www.attestation.in/Apostille.php
http://attestationmea.com/#
http://apostille4u.com/
http://apostille.us/Documents/embassy_legalization.shtml
http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-india/how-to-legalise
http://www.attestationhelp.com/

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Poços de Caldas

Poços de Caldas, a city founded in 1872 situated on the south of Minas Gerais (a state in Brazil famous for minerals), is one of the hot spot for eco tourism, entertainment, charming cottages/hotels, crystals (unearthed deep down the quarries), beautiful landscapes and climatic experience. It has a mountain climate and the climate goes down to Zero degrees during winter. It is one among the ten best cities to live in the country and also the favorite honeymoon location. The city is also famous for cheese, wine and doce de leite (sweets made of milk). It sits on top of a dead volcano, which gives the distinct features of having natural hot streams which is advised for numerous medical treatments. I went with Dani for 3 days to escape the bullet hit mind and worries, and the experience was magical, profound and exciting.

It was around 80kms drive from my city (E.S Pinhal), the drive took me through the wilderness and bucolic serenity of Minas and we had a halt on the way at Pocinhos do Rio Verde (little ponds of green river). We reached the city around noon and checked into the hotel Varandas do Sol which is right opposite to Represa Bortolan (Bortolan Dam), a hydroelectric power station with beautiful river. After experiencing the Minas food for lunch we explored the downtown which was euphorically crowded.

On the second day our first destination was Cristo Redentor (Christ Redeemer), we went on car (there is an option to climb the top on a cable car as well), the high altitude and the aerial view of the city from the top was absolutely breath taking. On the top is the Christ standing tall with a charming and emanating brilliance. Besides this tall structure is the paragliding launch, cable car launch, an aquarium, food court and faunas. On the way back down we stopped at Pedra Balão (Balloon stone), a mystifying natural art work of stones. I climbed on top of the highest rock which sits on couple of oval shaped rocks and it was unique experience though dangerous and tricky. While going down we stopped at Recanto Japonês (Japanese Garden), a beautifully engineered Japanese garden with rich varieties of Japanese plants, flowers, streams, Japanese scripts on rocks, lamps and a typical Japanese house on the centre.

After having lunch we relaxed on Praça dos Macacos (Monkeys Square), a square with bath facility, water tap (hot water with sulphur content) for drinking and a beautiful garden. A group of ardent dancers of mixed ages entertained us with different genres of Brazilian music like Samba, Axe (Ashe – Afro Brazilian), Pagode (derived from Samba).
I went for a bath in the thermal resort which was reasonably cheap for a period of 20 minutes on a bath tub with warm water which had a smell of egg (sulphur content) and the experience was phenomenal. This bath is advised for skin related diseases, kidneys, stress, circulation…etc. The bath was so relaxing that I fell asleep for few minutes.

Next location was Fonte dos Amores (Fountain of lovers), famous for the waterfall and the sculpture (a marble sculpture of two lovers) on the bottom of the stream. There was a long queue to get snapped with the sculpture, especially lovers/couples. Later that evening we went on for a shopping spree and watched a movie “Knight and day” (my first visit to cinema in Brazil). The shopping mall (MinasSul) was massive, a paradise for shopaholics and myriad of options.

On the last day we visited Véu das Novias, a beautiful waterfall and its respective streams. We returned to the shopping to accomplish the final segment of shopping and glance of the city.
The trip has given me a brand new experience of Brazil’s history, food, heritage and climate. The city is expanding every year in terms of the visitors and the consumers. The experience was refreshing, rejuvenating and relaxing. There are 40 major destinations to be visited. I would recommend people to consider my words and get an opportunity to explore in this city.




Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Being an Indian

Indians (origin of India) have conquered all the continents, but compared with other continents the Indian community has less occupied the Latin America (LA). LA countries, especially Brazil, Argentina, chile etc has rich natural resources and culture. Spanish is the most common medium of communication in majority of the LA except Brazil which has Portuguese as the national language. LA attracts a huge volume of tourist throughout the year because of the serenity of the nature, spectacular beaches, vibrating music and lots. Brazil is a huge LA country with waste natural resources and splendid culture.

Being the first Indian to live in Espirito Santo do Pinhal, a small hill city in the interiors of Sao Paulo state which has less than 45K population. When I say “I am an Indian”, some people think that I am from the interiors of Amazon, the Red Indians. However I have a fare complexion similar to the Brazilian from the north of the country. But, I am distinctive because of my “vibhuti” or “sandalwood” smeared on my forehead which symbolizes my roots or paths.

I am desperately searching for a job in my area of specialization and the hunt has taken mottled twists and turns, received some positive alarms from some giants. Meantime, I am busy engaged in my alternative profession; teaching English, Yoga and learning Portuguese. I have a bunch of smart students getting trained on Yoga and English. I have also exploited my photography skills to some extent. I am surrounded by people speaking an alien language, Brazilian Portuguese which is slightly different from the Portugal Portuguese. I have given speeches in some schools and in the “1st International Alternative Therapies Seminar” held at Paranapiacaba.

I am treated like a God, a master or a genius. Indian culture, especially the Indian marriage and caste system are very popular and widespread among the Brazilians and some greets me with “Namasthe”. For about a year, Brazilians were watching a soap opera about India culture, which remarkably covered the Indian marriage, caste, colors, family tradition, food and love. They are curious to know about “Dalits” and “Brahmans”. They think that I travel on top of the elephant and in all marriages the groom comes on horse. They are ardent about the artifacts from India like kurtas, Yoga accessories, designer clothes, incenses…..an unwinding list.

Being an Indian, I have been given rare privilege by the locals. Once, I was passing through the street and a policeman waved hands and called “Pooja” (He is an old family friend of Dani). I met the priest of the city, Father Augusto, who is a great admirer of Indian culture. He skimmed through some information’s about India (He said India has more than 37million Gods) and he is a professor on anthropology. Wherever I go people recognize me, give me a smile, a wave, a handshake, a hug and I return them with a smile of love. “Friends everywhere”, it is the most simple expression!!!!!

For Brazilians, Indian culture is the most sacred, respected, admired and spiritualized rich civilization. I am on deep trance and here with a huge mission of transforming the community and myself, essentially the gravity of my presence had a colossal impact on the masses. The love, respect, attention and care I am receiving from Dani’s family and the people around me are sublime and spiritualizing. Being an INDIAN………..

To be continued…….






Friday, June 18, 2010

Feliz Pascoa (Happy Easter)

Easter is universally celebrated by the followers of the messiah of world peace and amity, Jesus Christ, "The son of the God or Son of Mother Virgin Mary" on the occasion of his resurrection. He devoted his life uplifting the value of humanity, spreading the message of true spirituality and corrupt bureaucracy which was deemed with superstitions. He was the last resort for the sufferers and those who are rejected in the society. He cured mentally and physically challenged with his gift of healing. He treated all genres of people in the society equally. Hence, his resurrection is celebrated with enthusiasm, passion and devotion across the globe.
This Easter was special and different for me. I celebrated with Dani’s family at Espirito Santo Do Pinhal with the presence of Dani’s grandparents, parents and siblings. Ironically Dani’s absence (She was in Sao Paulo) didn´t hindered and I was wholly involved in the fiesta. The entire family was very happy with my presence and they served me with the delicious Brazilian dishes.
Mae (Dani’s mother) prepared mouth watering exquisite dishes and I could feel the taste of those on my tongue even after a day. After the lunch we basked under the sun in the twinkling harmonious lush green of grass, coffee, oranges, roses and eucalyptus in the backyard. Wi (William) plucked the oranges, Ju (Julio) did the ritual of peeling off the skins and we (grandmother, mae, victor and I) encouraged the ritual by eating, like cuddling of grass by cows. Later Mae drove Williams bicycle like a vibrant teenager around the casa (house) and it appeared to me that she lost 25 years. As always she is dynamic, calm, composed and smiling.



During the wee hours of evening, I went to play Futsal along with Ju, Vi, Wi, Bruno. Ale (Ju´s girlfriend) and her friend Jessica played the role of cheerleaders. The children’s and the fellow players were very excited to play with an Indian and they admire India as “land of Gods, elephants and paradise". I scored three stunning goals and exposed my dribbling skills which mesmerized the crowd. The kids taught me few Portuguese slangs and the experience left me with admiring memories. Later in the evening I went to the church with the family to attend a mass. The priest made a resonating speech and the choir enchanted the prayers with absolute hymn which echoed the massive hall. After the church, I went with Ju and Ale to eat hamburger from a famous street fast food shop. I concluded the day by picking up Dani from the bus station.
Like Jesus, I was able to deliver happiness to the “Felippe” family and the memories of this Easter (2010) will always be the most delicate and special.



Saturday, February 20, 2010

The beginning of a great sojourn and expedition!!!

It’s 2:40 p.m, waiting anxiously at the gates. I got married to tension, whopping frustration and maimed thoughts. Oh well, pretty much they have been my uninvited guests for last couple of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months. My hawk eyes skimmed through the arrival list and I traipsed between the exit and enquiry display. I finally got seated, but got up immediately due to gripping tension and excitement, Oh my!!!!. I haven’t consumed any solid food since morning (Or should I say, since ...today, yesterday or day before yesterday morning???). And I have answered the “natures call” many times which exceeded the daily quota. Again with deep breath I seated, kept the baggage in the adjacent chair, I gave a hasty glance at the ravishing red rose and pink zarbera, which elucidated and curtailed my tension. I refined, reinstated, reincarnated and reiterated my consciousness by taking some deep breathes. I saw desperate, excited faces of many who sat beside me; passengers rammed out of the exit and exchanged exhilarating gestures. Many foreigners passed by, I looked at them with a spirited heart. I made calls to my dearest, caring, daring, well wishers and schmoozed with them to reconcile my pounding heart beats. There was a lady seated adjacent to me, bleary eyed, squeezed, pale face, yawning which gave a clear picture that she hasn’t slept the previous night. Suddenly I saw her face turning color, pervasive jubilation. She exulted and hopped from the chair, with hasty footsteps juggernauted towards the exit. And she escaped out of my site, and later I saw her canoodling, holding hands with a cheerful tall gentleman. Seeing the couples charismatic smile and synergy soothed me and I moved my immobile hands and kept fingers crossed again.

After a very prolonged wait, I edged towards the corridor and stood my feet steady. Suddenly a white fairy tale spotted on my exhausted eyes, with an unflinching and overwhelming joy I made speedy footsteps near the corridor. Was it any dream?

Voila!!!...I captured the beautiful damsel on my eyes and looked deep into her eyes. With an emanating holiness, charismatic smile, awe inspiring and showering bliss she returned me with an enchanting smile. We exchanged some gestures with hands and I waited at the corridor meantime she went to pick up her baggage. We both were wearing as per our preplanned wishes, I was in her favorite red shirt and blue drained jeans, wherein she was in my favorite white tops and black pants.

My heart vehemently started to beat fast, completely sudated, eyes flickered, hands trembled and pervasive goose bumps. As she was marching towards me, I left motionless, became deaf, empty air. With a shaking hand I bestowed her with the flowers and without looking at the flowers she accepted with a shaky hand as her eyes taking snapshots of every inch of my face. We exchanged a hug, which is considered to be the worst hug in the human history and she later commented later “The man to man hug”. It was the first time in my entire life, giving hug to a lady. She didn’t stop staring at me. I carried her hefty baggage and came out of the Bangalore international Airport holding her hands.

I asked her to wait at the entry gate, and meantime I galloped to get the car which is parked in the parking lot. She didn’t give any attempt to stop glancing at me while I was driving the car. I showed her some famous outdoor activities like people crossing abruptly, cows on the road, hefty traffic, which India is very famous. And I talked many things some are gibberish, and I explained her about the trail of events happened since yesterday. But she didn’t pay any attention to what I was blabbering, instead she sued her eyes on me. She was skeptical and disillusioned whether I am the ONE whom she was in fathom love for the past 18 months. I found we both are uncomfortable and insecure for the current situation. We reached my place, opened the door and made a beeline to our divine deity; swami picture was placed in my small organized ritual room.

Well, it was the beginning of a great journey…..a journey of mutual learning, understanding, co-existence, reconciliation…self realization and onnn….

Sunday, January 31, 2010

F E A R

“Fear not what is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed.” – Bhagavad Gita
“Why fear, when I am there” – Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

What is fear? Why do we fear?
Fear or phobia is a disease, a byproduct of over indulgence and unawareness. Every single creature in the universe is bound by certain phobias. Fear is an attribute which drive humans to pause for a second and revisit or verify their thoughts/acts. Fear is also a resistance or an excuse which forms a wall and prevents humans from exploring the unexplored intricacies of human self. It is an apparatus which separates divine and demonic acts. We fear because, we are responsible and fear the consequences of your acts. We fear God, because God cannot accept our acts which might directly or indirectly hurt another person and eventually we are punished. It is that fear which refrain us from committing a certain mistakes. When you don’t find the answers for your questions, we fear.

Those which have life are tagged with fear. When we have fear, anger as a catalyst, we transform to a wild carnivores whose claws are sharp, perching on a heap of Caracas and ready to charge at you. Humans are an intelligent and prudent creation of God, let’s unfold the truth that we humans are blind and are not transparent. We often forget the “real” potential that is bedridden deep down inside us. We need to polish our skills, love ourselves (having said that, don’t be selfish or ego centric), refrain from attachments and be a “Buddha”. Do the things which give us pleasure and bliss. If only we have happiness inside, we can share and spread the happiness around us. Happiness with the support of tantra can wipe out fear, but not completely per se.

We should not have fear for parents, teachers, elders, machines, objects or nations, but it should be the respect which we have to develop. Out of fear, we forget our uniqueness, transformations and objectives. We restrict ourselves from expressing the uncertainties. We never try because we fear, we are bound by certain level of security and comfortable and we don’t want to lose it. We fear losing, because we don’t believe in ourselves. Our potentials are hidden under the dark clouds waiting to be ejected.

Halleluiah, as derived from the root cause analysis, the essential element which route fear is lack of confidence and courage. Acquiring confidence is like attaining salvation which can be embraced by sheer awareness or Tantra (expansion through awareness). If you have the knowledge and an orientation towards taking risk, we can gain more confidence and lessen our fear. But during the process of risk taking humans can fail, but those failures are stepping stones for better objectives to pursue.

Boy, I see in myself a lot of fear inside. It is that element which prevents me from achieving certain expectations. FEAR (Finding Excuse And Resistance) a sole handiwork of mind.

Friday, January 29, 2010

The S O U L

The SOUL is revealed when:
-You feel Centered.
-Your mind is clear.
-You have the sensation that time has stopped.
-You suddenly feel free from boundaries.
-You are keenly self-aware.
-You feel merged with another person, either in LOVE or silent communion.
-You feel untouched by aging and change.
-You feel blissful or ecstatic.
-You have an intuitive flash that turns out to be true.
-You sense the truth.
-You feel supremely loved or absolutely safe.

The SOUL is disguised when:
-You are too tired or stressed.
-You are pulled outside yourself.
-Your attention is dominated by externals.
-You act out of compulsion.
-You let others think for you.
-You are influenced by fear and anxiety.
-You struggle and suffer.

The SOUL has certain universal qualities:
-It is constant.
-It never loses sight of you.
-It is connected to every other soul.
-It shares God's omniscience.
-It is untouched by change.
-It lives beyond time and space.

"The SOUL", is some excerpts from the book "Life After Death" by Deepak Chopra

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Daily Prayer

Enchant this daily prayer everyday to enlighten your day, body and soul
________________________________________________
I ask that spirit walk with me this day and that I have the courage to carry this truth within me in all that I do.
To fully stand in my own truth and power is to honor the spirit within
Help me today to re-member both who I am and who I am not.
Who I am is magnificent, yet to carry a facade of who I am not only detracts from that magnificence.
To accept the truth of my own limitations, clears the path to carrying my true power.
I know that holding my power is only possible when I am not afraid of being vulnerable.
This day I will balance my ego by checking it often and see my true motivations.
I accept the power that is rightfully mine and will to use it to create Home on this side of the veil.
I ask that I may allow spirit to emanate from me to all who choose to look upon me, that I may be a perfect mirror so that they may see the God within themselves
Help me to touch their hearts with my love and allow them to re-member home and who they really are as I re-member who I am.
As spirit walks with me this day I remember to give thanks for the gift of spirit on my shoulder. May I always use it to the highest good of all concerned.
I vow to enjoy this day to its fullest and to laugh at every opportunity.
This day I will play the wonderful Game and I will carry the vibrations of Home in every move on the Gameboard.
This day I will Re-member.