Moved into a new house at JP nagar second phase,
And it still hasn't sunk in that i'm here for good. A part of me still feels like i'm on an
extended holiday, and will go back to Hyderabad.
This new house, the new job...all feels pretty unreal to me.
Its been 5 days since i’ve Joined Deccan Herald, and am still reeling in a bit of culture shock.
Coming from TOI, which is more of a corporate setup rather than a newsroom, this place had overwhelmed me!
I mean the place even smells like old newspapers (not that I am complaining)
The first thing I noticed here are the people. I mean we could easily have a fancy dress competition for the most authentic journalist look. We have 3 Barkha Dutt lookalikes, one Sagarika Ghosh, two Sreenivasan Jains. It looks like they go through great lengths to painfully ‘create’ the journo look. I mean, how tacky! the signature jhola, jute earring (a la barkha dutt)if you look carefully enough, you’ll find that even the expressions on their faces match.
I mean its quiet amusing, the guys, uh....I think there is an unwritten rule that all men journalist have to be below 5’7 to qualify for the job, unfortunate for me (I happen to be 5'7) . There are always exceptions though.
Press conferences: The press kit and press lunch....the first PC I attended in Blore, I got a coffee maker for just having to write 150 words, and not to mention the brilliant lunch at Leela palace.
And I kinda enjoy the way PR guys suck up to journalists, and then we can act all hoity toity for having the talent of putting sensible sentences together (believe me, 90% of the population can't)
What I love about Bangalore is that it's so happening! I do more assignments and stories in a day than I used to do in a week!
In the beginning I sorely missed my private cubicle at TOI, then I realised that there is so much to do, that I don't need a private cubicle to stop getting caught taking a nap.
And oh, I love the 3 o'clock tea and snacks cart that comes in proper airlines style. Ok maybe Metrolife isn't the best metro supplement Bangalore, I mean not yet...but now that I am here, am sure things will change.
Reporting from Bangalore bureau, Madhuri Kalyan, Metrolife, Deccan Herald.
Note: am 15 days late posting this.
(27th sept 2008)
Its like a bizarre melting pot of events, situations, people, emotions and of course plenty of chaos adding to the hoopla.
Its the last day already, time has slipped by at an alarming speed, leaving us blissed and blessed!
Here are snatches of Bau's brilliant Q n A, for unfortunate souls who missed the action.
Q Why do Parsis worship fire and other elements?
A 'Bhoomi' or earth has the quality of acceptance, it doesn't differentiate who should walk on it.
'Agni' or fire burns all negativity, and also purifies as when gold is melted, all the purity is retained.
Vayu or air is present everywhere, so is our mind, like when you walk into a movie theatre a little late, you feel a bit uncomfortable, that's because all the other minds present there are attuned to the film, and your mind is not aligned to that. So mind has its presence everywhere
Akash or space is completely involved yet, totally detached.
Neer or water is very adaptable, it takes the shape of the container it is poured in, also it goes to depth. We feel alive only when we dive deep. So dive deep in love, knowledge and meditation. As only a dead body stays afloat.
Akash or space is completely involved yet, totally detached.
Bhoomi ka 'BHA', Agni ka 'G', Vayu ka 'W' Akash ka 'A' and Neer ka 'N'
makes BHAGAWAN.
Q What is wisdom?
A Knowledge with experience is wisdom.
During satsang, Bau enchanted all of us by explaining the symbolism behind each deity.
About Devi
The most important portfolios are given to women- Finance, Education and Defence, leaving men literally with nothing.
Saraswati- She carries a book in one hand and veena in other, symbolising that left brained and right brain activity should go together, and her vahan is swan. So when you have music and logic balanced, then you can fly high like a swan.
Lakshmi- sits on a lotus, symbolising that money is very unstable, like a lotus on water, and can submerge anytime, so you've got to be very careful in terms of finances, but if you do Narayan's work (god's work) lakshmi will follow.
Durga: Her Vahan is a lion, the most powerful, and the laziest animal. So your defence should be powerful, but should be used as the last retort, a war should should be absolutely the last option, hence, you should be lazy while using defence.
Bau also stressed on the importance of being proactive, and how good people should stand up and start shouting so that the negativity is put to an end (will elaborate that in upcoming posts).
The last day was filled with music and celebration, and some special time with Bau at Saket Bhaiya's house. But wait. Utsav hasn't ended, its in fact just begun...especially with navratri starting, i'm off for the advanced course, celebrating silence with gurudev.
Sigh...blissed and blessed
The two ingredients that help us evolve is Authenticity and Intensity.
Be very authentic in what ever you do, in your sincerity, for a cause,
to serve a higher purpose. And be intense, in you action, expression, emotions, feeling. That's what takes you back home, and brings you in touch with yourself, and you feel connected. Either laugh or cry, no in betweens. Also be intense, not extreme. Be normal, balanced on the outside, and intense within.
This is the article i wrote recently as a freelance for TOI...
Madhuri Kalyan
Times News Network
Intro: Hyderabad Times explores the new ‘coolness factor’ which the youth brigade flaunts, while getting high on spirituality
“Are you attending that hot party tonight?
“no honey I have early morning yoga lessons”.
It began as a fad, the Shiva printed t-shirts, the rudraksh accessories…for a while we thought it was the hippie era being revisited.
And then Yoga came along with a promise of a healthy lifestyle, with a generous dose of meditation….before we knew it, we were amidst a huge explosion of spirituality, where enrolling into a posh yoga studio and learning vedic chanting beat visiting the newest nightclubs in town. It was the phenomenon of ancient new age silently creeping into the lifestyles of the young and the restless.
Fad or fact?
For students and young professionals who have ‘Been there done that’, any new trend that hits is just a huge ‘yawn’, whether it’s retro, rock’n roll, boho or hippie. But spirituality is now rising into new heights, which takes it beyond being a fad and into a realm where youth discover a whole to dimension of life and living.
Says Devang Vora, a businessman and a teacher of yoga courses for youth, “for lot of youth it starts as fad but when they really go through it sincerely, they realize its significance and practical applications, like how to handle the mind and emotion, this aspect is missing formal education”.
Another aspect which attracts the youth to spirituality is taking a plunge into the unknown dimension of spirituality.
Says Venkatesh V, a game tester, “In an age where alcohol and drugs are synonymous to youth, spirituality comes as a breadth of fresh air. I experience a better high during meditation, that too without hangovers, so it was easy for me to give up drinking and smoking”.
For a healthy work-life balance
“It’s the easiest way to live a healthy lifestyle, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s cool! A decade ago, practicing yoga would have been considered archaic and uncool, not anymore”, says Shalini Singh, a HR professional with an MNC. Her daily routine goes like this- wakes up early at 5:30 am, by 6 am, she heads to her nearest center to do ‘group sadhana, where she does yoga and meditation with the group of youngster, all between the age group 18-30. Later the group discusses ancient knowledge discourses, and the various seva activities planned for the week. She also squeezes in a satsang or two in a week.
Shalini is a part of the growing youth brigade who turned to spirituality as a respite from her hectic pressure filled life.
Breaking religious barriers
Upping the coolness quotient of spirituality is that it deviates from all religious norms.
Spiritual practices cuts across all religious, social and even global barriers.
Says Khurshed Batliwala, the director of Art of living youth workshops, YES!+, “ do we become Americans if we wear jeans and Italians if we eat pizzas?, then why should spirituality be treated with an exception”.
Into the spiritual planes
So what plethora of experience does spirituality offer? Here’s what we found
Sadhana- (Yoga & Meditation) : all spiritual centers offer basic and advanced courses in basic yoga and meditation, each having a different flavors to it. Art of Living offers one of the most unique and specialized programs for young people
Satsang: Is an age old combination of singing and chanting, off late, we’ve witnessed a cool new avatar of traditional satsangs, called ‘Rock satsangs. These are simple bhanjans treated with rock and electronic acoustics.
Seva: “spirituality encourages a broad vision, which in turn inculcates values in young people, as well as empowers them to take responsibility for societal reforms of their choice”, says Khurshed Batliwala quoting an example of the same he says, “in Hyderabad we are conducting an event called ‘Utsav’, from 24th to 27th September 5-9 pm where in a span of four evenings the youth experience Sadhana, seva and satsang. As a part of ‘Utsav’, we are conducting a ‘Global cooling campaign- cool from inside, cool from outside’ by planting 10,000 trees, as a part of the UN ‘stand up and take action project’ in association with the GHMC”. Sounds like its USP -Uth turning towards Spiritual Power.
My desk and my system sat there exactly the way i'd left them, my water bottle at the workstation with 'MADHURI' inscribed in it was filled with fresh water. The floor was abuzz with activity, calling me to join in the frenzy to meet the deadline of firing the pages.
A pile of press event invitation lay there, and i instinctively grab them to scan which of them would be exciting to cover. Then i realise, I don't work here any anymore.
It's then that the trauma of quitting your job hits you. The same chair and workstation where i sat for the past one year, where i cried with frustration, jumped with joy, stole afternoon naps, quietly devoured a whole bar of chocolate without sharing, watched youtube in spite of the pending deadline, decorated with stuff toys and feng shui artifacts and even meditated.......
All dissolves. Quitting this job has been enormously painful, especially the ending part where it dragged on for days.
And now its finally over, and it's sapped me dry of all the energy, on top of it, dealing with a lot of uncertainties that were hounding me. I'm sick of answering every other person 'whats next!' as if it makes any difference to them.
I shoot a mail to my team members, saying goodbye and how nice it was to work and blah, feeling numb inside. My emotions are dangerously bordering towards what i've not had for a long time.....depression! And am surprised at myself.
Like wow, its been more than two years since i've been properly depressed. Saying this,
i just laugh at myself. At how stupid the whole thing sounds. And suddenly i also feel enormously blessed, for understanding the tricks for not feeling low.
Its like a life jacket, when you see every thing in this world as transient and somehow finding a sense of certainty in uncertainty.
That's what i realised. The body needs to work, and mind needs to chill out, and most of the time i was doing the opposite, getting my mind worked out and freezing my actions, i guess we're programmed to do this, especially when we feel down.
Another trick i've discovered to get out of feeling down, is to not take it seriously, because every time it feels as if its gonna stay forever. But it doesn't.
Knowledge and meditation and kriya act as an anaesthetic to pain...even though you feel the pain, you can accept it and go through with it, feeling light inside. Without carrying a heavy load in your heart, coz that's what blocks love. And love is like oxygen.....
And i feel light as cotton candy inside. Though i might still burst into tears.
So that's me quitting as a copy editor of Times of India. And this will probably be the last time i type a story in this system. Stories have an ending and beginning, but they never stop. Even if they are not published, even if there is no byline. And i guess those are some of the best stories in the world. Stories that cant be told, but experienced.
Here's a list of my all time favourite books and movies...go grab hold of them if you havent been able to asap!
Eragon and its sequel Eldest are one of the best fantasy series I’ve come across. I loved the part where ancient sounds are used to evoke magic, very similar to Sanskrit. Also the fact that Eragon turns into a vegetarian.
Old path white clouds- About Buddha’s journey, before and after enlightenment and his disciple called Svasthi, a buffalo caretaker and Jataka Tales- Loved all the stories involving bodhisattva in different lifetimes as animals.
Kite runner- Love and compassion overflows in this book, with a beautiful description of Taliban rule as a background setting of this novel. One of the few books that made me weep.
Little women- One book I loved as a kid, and have read a hundred times. I love the family bonding and finally the four girls finding love (its three, coz one of the dies) in its sequel. I could relate a lot to Jo’s character, as a budding writer.
Bhagwatam: Especially the Krishna stories in it. Haven’t completed though. I plan to read and translate the Sanskrit version.
Movies
Movies should be made with a sense of purpose to deliver a strong message across. That’s what makes film such a strong medium. And these are a few movies that have left an impact on me.
The sound of music- Again an all time favourite. Am a big fan of its songs especially. It’s one of those perfect movies that would be watched by generations.
What the bleep do u know- A revolutionary concept that explores the depth of quantum physics. The ‘unreality’ of life is portrayed though physics.
Life is beautiful- My favourite movie of the whole list. Set in the backdrop of holocaust, a child is saved of the trauma of the events happening around, believing a story weaved by his father to explain the circumstance of concentration camp where they are imprisoned. Just like how Guruji saves us of all traumas with his incredible knowledge.
In pursuit of happiness- You have the ability to chase your dreams, no matter what circumstances you’re in. That’s the message that the movie sends.
Blood Diamond: I could relate a lot to Maddy’s character.
Gurudev's B'day:
Previous night we got all the guru puja stuff ready, and woke up at 2:30 am with somebody's SMS, before i could utter a curse and go back to sleep, i suddenly realised what it said “happy guruji’s b’day…”
Happy was an understatement.
Woke up at 4:30 am and went to Viji di’s house to help with setting up the place, not much to do anyway though.
5:40 am: Long Kriya….felt like the shortest long kriya ever.
7:00 am: guru puja
Had a wonderful Satsang after that.
There are many types of singers here.
People who love their voice, and others love their voice, and people who love their voice but others hate it especially when the drone goes on beyond one excruciating song. They sing and they sing and they sing…and they sing badly!
But they seem oblivious to the mental agony and torture that they cause to the fellow ‘satsangees’. My mom has a really nice word for them, they’re called ‘mikaasurs’- you can spot the anywhere, ready to leap on to the mike, to sing in their most off key tone, rendering the audience tone deaf.
But AOL people are too nice and let every tone-deaf mikaasur have their turn, and another and another. What I do, is simply stop playing my guitar.
Evening was brilliant, Geetanjali Didi was here, but her voice gave away quite soon, and then we were again at the mercy of ‘mikaasurs’ but divine grace intervened and we were saved as dinner was announced soon. Came home tired and happy.
Happy b’day guruji.
Crazy hyderabad heat is certainly NOT a favourite!
oh yeah i changed the heading of my blog, i stole it from a beautiful song in the movie 'the sound of music' (dont tell me u havent seen it!), i've always loved it.
My ashram visit:
As chaotic as can get: booked a last minute flight from hyderabad to reach ashram, to catch a glimpse of gurudev, and predictably, i got the last ticket in the flight :) and made it just in time for long kriya!
Had a yummy Sunday lunch (its worth travelling all the way for) with ashram curd rice and payasam, them the YES!+ group went to Bau's room and woke him up....he woke up grouchily, and said accusingly "how can u be awake in this weather"? confusing us Hyderabadis even more as the weather in ashram was paradise compared to Hyd.
then he asked us to go work for Utsav Jaipur and Chennai.....and i'm so gonna be there!
Hurrah, gonna book my tickets now, and will head there as soon as we wrap up with the yes!+ course that starts on Monday.
That reminds me, i have ta have ta finish filling up the TTC forms. Its like the weirdest TTC form ever! Imagine answering a question like
"if you could spend 24 hours with guruji, what would u do?"
Ans: be enlightened!
Its really hilarious, but also serious in a way.
‘Are you special or ordinary?
What makes you special on the path? (Everyone is silent) Your perception, observation, and expression have advanced. What makes you ordinary on the path is that you are special! (Laughter) . . . . Because everybody thinks they are very special in some way or another! Your perception has improved. You see the cause behind every cause, the Divine, and you see the great plan behind every small plan. You don't see the intentions behind other’s mistakes and you are not a doubting Thomas.
