New beginnings!

Its one of those times, when I feel this compelling urge to write (you can see that it doesnt happen too often), and then I am foolish enough to let it go, and once that moment is gone, that it! its over. But today I decided that I will chain myself to my mac, till the time I get a post done.

Many things have changed since I have come back to Germany...after the crazy, hectic action packed 3 months in India. Where I had hardly a minute for myself. Let me do a quick recap!

Naadavaibhavam

So as soon as I landed India (Jan end), I was thrown in the middle of the most brilliant musical extravaganza. That one evening, I think even gods and angels (we know for real as well) wouldn't have missed. That one evening, I transformed from 'couldnt care less about carnatic music' (I have no right to call myself tambram) to an ardent fan. One of my favourites was 'aadvome' written by Subramanya Bharathiyar a famous Indian freedom fighter. This song most brilliantly captures the spirit of joy and freedom. Now hearing this from a chorus of 7000 professional classical singers was one of those moments in life when everything comes together in a scale that is beyond perfection. Unfortunately I couldnt find the song in YouTube, so here is another one called 'Ananda amrutha varshini' litrally meaning 'rain of joy, which is also wonderful!

Manvathe Project

Made up for all my inactivity in Germany :) read my earlier posts :D.

Driving lessons

Now thats a story for a new post- how corruption has infiltrated into every nook and cranny

of Indian bureaucracy.

My nephews Upanayanam ceremony

I have the cutest pair of twin nephews, aged nine, and this was a big day for them. It was almost like a mini wedding. Upanayanam means taking near (to oneself), this is supposed to be the highest knowledge and very young children are initiated into it. As a child is ready to enter the outside world, when armed with the knowledge of the self, he is unshaken by the vicissitudes of life.

Poonal ceremony of Shyam (left) and Skanda.

Back to Germany

Well, it is very pleasant to be back, the weather is brilliant, and we spent three amazing days with Guruji in Berlin and Dresden. My childhood friend Pavitra flew from London, it goes to show, that going that little extra mile and keeping in touch especially with those who matter means a lot. Now we are just looking forward to the biggest event in Europe ever. The World Culture Festival on 2nd and 3rd July in Berlin. If you are in Europe or even if you have the remotest possibility to make it, be here. There couldnt be anything more exciting happening than 100,000 people celebrating the world culture and meditating for world peace.

I will have much more to share in the coming weeks. But this I think is a good start.

Tschuss!

Rural highs and lows

Rural highs and lows

I had just flown back after three months in Germany, and landed directly in the midst of Manavathe.

An Art of Living project where YES!+ teachers had to go teach ‘Human values, Yoga and Kriya for 45,000 second year students of Government colleges all over Karnataka.

So there I was fresh from experiencing the height of human technology and luxury from German train (upto seconds precisions) to automated vending machines like every five yards.

I was thrown into interior districts of Dharwad, villages, where the only signs of technological advancement existed in the form of cell phones and unmistakable satellite television that was spotted on top of the smallest thatched hut.

My first rural destination was in a tiny village called Kalas, there are only two ways to get to the village. Both of which will take no less then three hours. I boarded the train from Hubli and reached Kalas.

Not really, the village was about 20 minutes in a shared auto from the station. Now this contraption in motion called ‘shared auto’ is a phenomenon in itself. For the inexperienced like me it was the vehicle from hell. For one, if you don’t get into it(and I didn’t the first time out of pride), you take a one hour picturesque but torturous trek in the scorching sun. If you get into it (which you have no choice) you are squeezed into a eight by five box stuffed with twenty other human beings, and ten more on top of the vehicle (there could be animals, I was too much in pain to notice) and for the next twenty minutes you go on a blind ride on Kaccha roads.

I preferred to suffocate by holding my breadth than inhaling fumes of sweat and dust all directly assaulting my senses. Once the vehicle came to a grinding halt, and I was almost spitted out, I rejoiced in ecstasy on breathing fresh air.

And then there was the food…thankfully there was curd rice that I could depend on. It was really the water that gave me the horrendous bout of dysentery. Now that in a place with severe sanitary challenges is terrific. I started getting recurring dreams of a normal loo. I mean like the loo in Indian railway stations!

Before going to the village, my only concern was how I will get access to Internet. But throughout my five days in the village, I never once though about it.

And oh, I forgot to mention that the entire course was taught in my almost non existent Kannada vocabulary. If there was one thing I learnt, it was this.

I could be in the best place in the world, and complain about life.

I could be in the worst place in the world and not complain.

All these worries and complaints dropped in a second when I saw those shining faces of students so grateful for this beautiful knowledge. I knew that I would rather travel in those ‘shared autos’ in Dharwad, to do this work, than travel the fastest German trains for sightseeing Europe. I have the best experiences, best job, and the best BOSS ever!!!

A fairy tale christmas

The Akadamie Bad Antogast

Bad Antogast!!!

I first heard this name a few months after I did the Art of living course in one of the knowledge sheets.

An Ashram in the midst of German black forest….I would expect an old haunted castle, but an Ashram??? I was intrigued by the very idea.

And then one day we drove from Frankfurt through the picturesque village of Oppnau…it was the beginnings of Christmas season. The snow capped mountains were surrounded by forests of pine trees. It couldn't be more Christmassy

The village was scattered with quaint houses with cute steaming chimneys. It was right out of a fairy tale, and I was almost expecting kids called Hansel and Gretel or little Red Riding hood to come bursting out of the houses that had wooden doors, antique Knockers and decorated windows.

Through the windows of little shops I could see old men smoking pipe, reading daily paper and sipping on hot chocolate.

Finally our car stopped in front of ‘Akademie Bad Antogast’. Being enraptured by the picturesque beauty of the whole scene around, I didn’t feel like entering the building, lest I would have to leave the scene behind. I walked up the stone cobbled steps and entered a warm room with hot tea, cookies and a fire place.

It felt more like an exotic spa rather than an ashram. And yet, after an enthusiastic greeting

“Jaigurudev!! sind sie kommen aus Bangalore….das is sehr schone!” I knew I was so at home.

The next day we went with out black plastic bags (okay the garbage bags) for a unique skiing experience down the snow covered steeps….the byproduct being frozen noses, butts and oodles of crazy fun.

A few days later I hear soft footsteps walking down the wooden staircase, and huge crowd standing to welcome him, he came wearing one of those ridicules Santa caps, which surprisingly suited him.....

The Satsang began…..the star on top of the Christmas tree was finally added.

It was one of those increasingly frequent times in my life, where I had to pinch myself to make sure ‘am I really here. The melody of ‘silent night trilled and I could see blissful faces from more than 30 different countries. The Dinner was delicious German cakes with salad, soup and Baked spiced potatoes.

Adventure, fun, music, grace, devotion, celebration……nothing can beat this, not even fairy tales.

Europe and more..

I wake up to a gloomy overcast sky, and realize, OMG, I have just changed time zones, I look at the time, expecting it to be ridiculously early. Unfortunately it shows an embarrassing mid noon time...which rules out the possibility of that extra snooze I had planned in my mind.
On Mein Gott!!!.....
I look out of the window, and I see lovely mustard and orange autumn trees forming a picture perfect scenery flanking the red roofed buildings. Sure I miss India, but this aint bad either.
Oh breakfast, the jams, cheese, the muesli, the yogurt.......it sure is a buffet.

Shopping has always been one of my sad weaknesses, and Europe is not helping, stuff here being expensive and well...new to my rather unindulged senses. Even from the supermarkets, my Hubby has to eventually has to drag me out kicking and screaming.
Food...I know I already mentioned it. If there is one thing I have a crazy irresistible weakness for, its cheese. So one week of pizza and pastas (always with extra cheese) and I knew......how much more I could have of it. Only prayers could save me from an inevitable burst in seams.

okay...so that was my first week in Germany, full of extreme tamas and rajas.
And how here I am in Hamburg, at the Art of Living centre, to my surprise I find that utter sattva (life) can exist here as well. Session with YES plus teacher Saleel bhaiya cooking with Sarah (another brilliant and sweet Iranian Yes plus teacher) and lots of brilliant Sadhana, and I cant even remember my first week in Germany. Somehow in love and sattva, the same things that you do feel so much more new and Intense.

So actually today is exactly one week in this new country. So bis spater und tchus!!!

Thiruvannamalai

I've actually been saving up writing about this place until I know enough to do justice to a place like this. 

I have almost been here for a month now, and even now I fail to come up with a single adjective to describe it. Nor do I want to go overboard by using mere words that anyway sound shallow. 

Pilgrims from all over the world flock to this place, one of the Panchamahabootha sthalas, Thiruvannamalai is the 'agni lingam', which represents the 'fire' element.

Ever since my parents settled here 3 months ago, I always wanted to come here on the full moon, and do the famous 'Girivalam,' a 14 km trek around the mountain, the main attraction of this place. 

As luck would have it, I came here to recover from my illness, and doing the trek was out of the question, so here I am, being ruthlessly, utterly pampered by my parents, eating awesome food and soaking in some awesome culture (Ha! that got you jealous)

The first thing I saw as I entered this idyllic temple town, was a majestic mountain that overshadowed everything else here. This was the sacred 'Aruna shivalinga mountain', meaning the whole mountain itself here was worshipped as the shivalinga. In the coming days as I recovered, I realized that the temple here is just the symbolic aspect to the city itself, and its actually the city of Thiruvannamalai which is the actual temple, the mountain, the linga. 

This city is scattered with ashrams, where masters like Ramana maharishi, Yogi Ram Surat Kumar and Sheshadari Swamigal meditated and attained enlightenment. 

The main temple, the 'Arulmigu Arunachaleshwar koil' , with the presiding deity of Shiva and Parvathi as Annamalaiyar and Unnamulaiamman is more than a 1000 years old. Throughout the temple one can feel the fire element emanating from its space having a strange cleansing effect, especially when you enter the inner shrine. 

The town itself of course is a brilliant tourist hub, especially in the Ramanashram side of the town, which is majorly popular among foreigners, the city feels like a cross between the colorful Goa and spiritual Varanasi. So you can meditate every evening and then head for delicious wood fire baked pizzas.

So this whole month has been an extended holiday. I don't know how long I am going to be here, but I could sure get used to waking up to the birds and peacocks (okay, by the time I wake up, they are gone, but I swear I hear them in my dreams) , a view with the majestic mountains and wood fire baked pizzas (not yet tried them, but they sound delicious). And I for once am in no great hurry to recover!!!!!

some more randomness

Since I have been consistently inconsistent at updating my blog, and equally inconsistent at coming up with new topics and subjects that could revive my otherwise dying blog, I've decided to ramble random stuff, which may or may not (more likely) make sense.

And hopefully that might just be enough to resuscitate my blog!!

Right now I am in this beautiful temple town of Thiruvannamalai, on a long holiday, recovering from an illness. There are a few things I have realised this past month of roller coaster life.

 That -

Sometimes somethings just don't work out, maybe its not meant to be, maybe you've just gotta wait.....only time can tell.

Sometimes you need a break....and there's nothing wrong with that.

When you need help, speak up, especially to people who are the closest to you.

sorry, didn't mean to descend into an advice giving mode. But life does come a full circle sometimes, and you need relearn many things that you forget on the way......there I go again.

But for me, the past 3 months has been journey in relearning a lot of thing I used to know, and going back to being a lot of things I used to be. In a way I am rediscovering my identity, In a way I know it was never lost and In a way I realise that this does not stop here. All my epiphanies some day will be rendered void and senseless, as I keep rediscovering myself, and unfolding layers.

I continue to build sand castles, which I know would come tumbling right down one day.

But each time, I build a stronger and better one.....and who knows, maybe one day it will be strong enough to withstand every Stormy weather. Till then I just keep building.

 

What a wonder!

Ashtavakra Gita is profound but little known knowledge given to King Janaka 7000 years ago by sage Ashtavakra. This discourse is being given by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shanker in Bangalore Art of living Centre

Its 7 30 pm, and for the past almost one month, Guruji's Ashtavakra discourse has been raining on my mind, this time, every evening. The yagnashala fills up, the satsang starts. He walks in unassumingly. Closes his eyes and slips into meditation. You don't know when the songs stop.

But suddenly there is silence. A poetry of Ashtavakra is read by a lady in an intense pure poetic Hindi, ending with 'Aashcharya hai, aashcharya hai' (what a wonder, what a wonder).

And then he starts. Sometimes its with a slokas, sometimes its with a random question through which he leads into the depth of profound knowledge, filled with funny anecdotes, Mullah Nasiruddin stories (audience's favorites) and witty punchline in a near flawless Hindi.

Amazingly that day's knowledge feels as though its exactly what you've experienced, and filters through you on an existential level.

The night closes sometimes the knowledge echoes in your mind, but more often, you're just blank. Probably as blank as king Janaka in bliss and wonderment through the very presence of Ashtavakra.

Well if you're not fortunate enough to be a part of this phenomenon, the discourse will be available in DVD's soon (highly edited form though), also very cool tweets are sent by Bau every day.