The mind's horizon

Recently my son took a beautiful photo of the ocean at the break of dawn. It was a thin line of bright light was coming out piercing through the darkness above and below - the horizon, a crack between the sky and the ocean. It inspired in me a sense of being joyful and courageous. As if in a whisper, it said - the mind is that window of bright light in the vast dark expanse of the universe and its secrets. Life starts like a sparkling and dancing river. We embrace it with our aspirations and with many hopes. We want to remain happy and connected with others and imagine it flowing forever. Little do we realize that life is but a moment of light piercing the dark, and we are all dancers in the interplay of matter and energy, ready to transform when the moment passes. Passing through many phases and encountering many challenges, when finally we enter the golden period of old age our views become more balanced and matured. Though like an old car, our physical faculties start shaking, when we learn to manage one part, other parts start creaking and groaning. At that point many of us feel powerless and lost. The only remedy is to maintain a positive outlook, and stay focused on the power of the mind that can penetrating the universe with the bright light of the dawn and show us what we truly are. When we slow down at the tail end of this journey, we all need rest and loving care from dear ones. In that, some are fortunate, some and some are not. But whatever the situation we may face, we cannot afford to lose control of the only tool of courage and positivity - the mind. When life seems to be a struggle, we should try to draw strength from that cosmic spart that lives within us, stay calm and do our duty as appropriate to what life asks of us.Decaying physical health can be managed by maintaining a simple and disciplined life which includes yoga, meditation, proper food, and appropriate rest. We are all parts of a whole. Individuals lit by the universal source of energy - the source of our life force and consciousness. The manifestations of energy may by heat or light, star systems or life forms. But each state is transient and when the moment passes, all must become the same. Life gives an opportunity to realize our cosmic connection through transformations - both challenging and joyful. But our mind can frame our state of being into one that is ever loving, carefree, peaceful and courageous. I end with a few inspiring lines from Tagore, "I know your presence, when I bow to you in my days of prosperity, in my darkest nights, when the whole world turns against me. Let me not ever doubt you".

What is giving, what is taking

The act of giving is a noble act when it is given with love, kindness and compassion. At the same time, it is also a very responsible task - things must be given to a worthy person who can be empowered by that gift and can lift their spirits, rather than drive a materialistic impulse. If money is given to an alcoholic or a pearl necklace to a monkey, the result will be disastrous. By giving, the giver accumulates good karma and also attracts grace and blessings from the receiver as well as the original source of our connected lives. On the other hand, by receiving the right gift the receiver can empower himself and gets an opportunity to express his gratitude to the donor. Gifts can be in many forms - food, money, clothing, teaching a skill or imparting knowledge. Sometimes adversities or challenges in life are also gifts that act as medicine that heals and transforms us. They inspire the sufferer to find out new avenues to encounter those challenges with courage, efficiency and dignity. A story that I know to be true from my own life goes something like this - I know a person who just had one arm and came to a rich person's house to get some monetary help. The lady of the house asked him to arrange some bricks in her garden. When he expressed his inability to do this with one arm, the lady folded her one arm behind her and demonstrated how she could do it. He got the point, did the job nicely, and was surprised to get a very handsome remuneration from the lady in return. As he was drenched in sweat, he asked the lady to give him a handkerchief, which she gave and asked him to keep it. Many years passed by. One day a swanky car stopped near her house, a well dressed gentleman came down and bowed down to her. When she could not recognize him he showed her that handkerchief and with great reverence said, " I have come to pay my respect to you. You taught me how to be self sufficient and how to live with dignity. Now I own a factory, where I give opportunities to others to come up with their own efforts." She was overwhelmed with joy. Every soul has immense potentiality and can be kindled when it gets inspiration and opportunities from other inspiring souls. It is said - what we give comes back to us ten fold. So while giving or asking for some thing one must be very careful. I will end with a story which is full with subtle humor and also warns us to be careful before asking for something. Two departed souls were presented before God. God asked them what they would like to have in their next lives. One said he wanted to get everything, and the other said he wanted to give away everything. God fulfilled their desires. The first one was born as a beggar - with his arms outstretched and always begging.The second one was born as a king. With his arms giving everything away to people with purpose. It is up to us to understand what is give and take and which path we prefer.

Where does learning begin - with the teacher or the teaching?

All over the world, teacher's day is celebrated on the 5th of September. Lovely cards are send to teachers by their students as a symbolic gesture of gratitude to their mentors. This special expression of love to our teachers, parents or our partners on special days is very significant. Unlike the old days, teachers teach to many students, most recently remotely so it isn't always possible to develop and maintain close relationships. In ancient India, the guru-shishya style of teaching was little different. Young students would come and stay with their teachers or the gurukul (the establishment). This was an entire phase of life guided by the teacher up until the students were ready to move on to the next phase as householders. In that process, students were influenced by the special style and personality of their respective teachers, not just their knowledge. This system, known as Gurukul (in Sanskrit Guru means teacher and Kula means family) is still prevalent in the fields of performing arts like music, dancing, fine arts, martial arts, or transferring spiritual knowledge through the lineage of gurus. Even today, before starting any performance the tradition of paying homage to the teacher is a common practice called guru vandana. It is believed that only through grace does one achieve greatness - and grace comes from the Guru and from God. In Sanskrit Guru means the remover of ignorance and it also means weight or gravitas - something that centers a person. Every year the full moon day in the month of July is known as "Guru Purnima " - when students visit their teachers, give them gifts, and touch their feet as a sign of respect to the guru and ask for their blessings. This beautiful gesture sadly hasn't always survived the modern world and it's somewhat more transactional model for learning. I had my education in Santiniketan, a center of learning that was established by the Nobel Prize winner Rabindra Nath Tagore based on principles of traditional learning. In every field of learning he tried to capture the essence of the traditional Gurukul system. Most classes were conducted in the open air under the canopy of the blue sky and under the shade of trees. In the nature study class children were encouraged to know the different characteristics of plants, birds, butterflies within their environment. Education is not only for money making or for self gratifications but the development of values and a higher consciousness to serve as a guide through life. It is valued because it also helps others to come up. Under the guidance of capable teachers, students would go to nearby villages, interact with villagers, understand their problems and help them in many ways. People from all over the world came to this university as teachers and as students. Tagore realized that education can create empowerment only when we develop the ability of the mind to go beyond rote learning to the realm of experience. That is why the motto of that university was "Here is the world in one nest." The nest signifies respect for and a relationship with the sources of knowledge - be they teachers, trees or butterflies. Peaceful co-existence and a harmonious relationship with each other is a result of such learning - an utmost necessity in today's world. Teachers who broaden our horizons are the great source of inspiration for us all. So even this token gesture of honoring them on teachers day seems to have great value in today's world.

Small moments, big insights

Often small things get ignored in life and we miss to see the inherent beauty of it. As Tagore once wrote,"I traveled miles, spent riches. I have gone to see the mountains and oceans. But I have not seen just two steps from my home, there upon a grain of corn, the glistening drop of dew". Passing through life, we all come across many such moments that usually go unnoticed. But they have the capacity to fill the mind with joy. Once when I went went to Jodhpur with my husband to have a glimpse of magnificent view of Thar desert. I never experienced such breathtaking beauty of a desert before. Where ever I looked, I saw only waves of sand dunes, which were glittering in the sun light. There was not a blade of grass in our vicinity. We came to know that, poor villagers stayed in far away scattered villages, devoid of all modern facilities and without eveb basic education.Young boys earned sustenance by driving camel carts for tourists. It was here that I met a simple village boy whose generosity and jolly nature has stayed vivid in my memory. After reaching there we also selected a camel cart for a ride. The driver was a young boy with chiseled features and a smiling face. While driving his car he was humming a folk tune. He seemed to be a very good natured person. While passing through the sand dunes I wanted to gather some informations about their lifestyle and so asked him some questions - "how far do you stay, how many family members, what is the source of income etc." But he was especially surprised when I asked him about his morning breakfast before leaving the house for the whole day. He answered, "Why? Roti and fried chillies of course". This innocent boy blissfully living in utter poverty had no idea of any other choice of breakfast. So again when I asked him about his dinner menu after whole day's work, his answer was the same, "roti and fried chillies". I realized that in that desert, where no vegetation can grow and far from the towns, there was literally nothing to eat other than bread and spices. The poor villagers had no options and this boy accepted this destiny with a smiling face. As I was thinking of this great disparity between the most fertile regions in the country just a few hundred kilometers from the arid lives of these camel drivers, all in the same country, his cheerful voice broke in - "Madam , will you please to my home and have a meal with us? We will be very happy". I was deeply touched by his loving invitation, and had no heart to say no. So I said ,"surely son, I will come next time around. He was happy to hear my answer and continued to drive his camel cart joyfully, while humming his favorite folk tune all the way back through our journey.

Life connects lives

Few days back, I was pleasantly surprised to get some soul touching photographs from my son Prodeep, who stays in America. Pictures showed, it was evening time, and near the road side bushes, he was sitting quietly holding the head of an injured deer on his lap. Both of them looked very peaceful,depicting the eternal bond of love between man, nature and animals. Later I came to know that an insensitive driver hit the deer badly and ran away leaving the severely injured deer near the road side. Prodeep was passing through the same road, and seeing that helpless animal, stopped his car, came down and called the rescue team to come immediately, though they took full three hours to appear there. They never saw this sort of scene before, where a wild animal can rest so peacefully on the lap of an unknown person. But this is nothing new. Animals can respond to loving energy very intensely. I also experienced this through my three legged dog Gujia. He was a stray dog and was hit by an insensitive driver. But he was rescued by an organization called 'Red Paws', where his leg was amputated and he was hospitalized for six months, before he came to us. He expresses his gratitude through his eyes, and modulation of voice or body language, which all animal lovers can understand very well. The great Indian Saint Ramana Maharshi could understand the language of birds. Once a bird's nest was removed from the garden by some of his disciples. Next day when the Saint was sitting in that garden, birds started chirping near him and he understood their complaint and asked his disciples to bring back their nest and put it where it was before. Like animals, plants too have their feelings of joy and sorrow. The great scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose invented a measuring tool "Crescograph" to track growth and feelings of plants by magnifying subtle electromagnetic measurements 10,000 times. Today's environmental problems are caused mostly by our ignorance about the lives of animals and planta. A life which we can not create, we have no right to destroy either. Being respectful and kind to all life, we can make this earth more livable and lovable place for all. Mahatma Gandhi said,'to my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being "

An ode to an old friend - Scrabble

Scrabble is a beautiful game, specially for elderly people like me. With limited physical energy, I love to play scrabble every evening with my dear friend Puloma. All games make us more fit, energetic and cheerful and Scrabble helps to increase one's vocabulary and sharpens the brain. But like chess, it has some special benefits - in that, it forces us to make the most out of limited options. For the elderly, this is a useful skill to manage everyday life. In early 1970 I was introduced to scrabble by an elderly English lady, named Crystal Rodgers. She went by Mishy (probably a mispronounciation of Missy in India), and was a pioneer in setting up Animals Friends - a sanctuary for the care of hurt, injured, and in general uncared for animals - from dogs, horses, and cows to birds and monkeys. Anything that struggled to survive the crowded streets of the big cities of India. Her organization did great work in Delhi and Jaipur and today lives on in Bangalore as CUPA - Compasion Unlimited, Plus Action. When I met her first she was 80 plus, extremely energetic, active and optimistic. Never thought of retiring and whenever she wanted some quiet restful time, she came to our Delhi University house for a few days. We used to play scrabble every evening. Our young children had great fun to see us absorbed in scrabble. She was also a gifted medium and was able to connect wtih dear departed souls who would interact with us through planchette. After my husband's retirement, we came out from secure university campus life to join the main stream of city life. When my husband passed away and children went abroad to study and settle down, I started feeling little lonely. Every difficulty brings some new opportunity in life. Now I am as old as Mishy and every evening, my friend Puloma comes and we discuss current issues, politics and otherwise with a hot cup of herbal tea in our hand, and then get immersed in playing Scrabble. Before we start the game, my efficient helpers keep the scrabble board and the heavy print version of the Oxford dictionary ready at hand to resolve linguistic challenges. According to the weather, they decide to serve us hot or cold beverage to stimulate our brain power. We like to make the game more collaborative, not competitive. So we focus more on making new and big words. Like a good old friend, Scrabble has returned to my life and brings great cheer. For the last year and a half the world has been passing through a very difficult time. We cannot change the situation easily, but Scrabble has helped greatly in making the most of our limited opportunities for socializing, and in remaining stress free. I have many hobbies, but the evenings are reserved to welcome my dear old friend Scrabble.

What is Yoga?

Early in my youth, I realized that yoga is neither a ritual nor a religion. It is an art which transforms life in a very subtle and positive way. I did not know much about yoga. But one encounter with it, in my early young age changed my approach and I wanted to embrace yoga as a part of my life. One that has persuaded me to continue to practice it at the age of 82. In middle school, I came upon a chance to see the famous yoga guru Mr. Bishtu Ghose, who mentored Mr. Manotosh Roy, the first Indian or Asian to be awarded the Mr. Universe title (in 1952). The lecture demonstration was on the power of yoga. Even today I remember two of the events performed by a young girl, named Reba Rakshit, that left a deep imprint on my young mind forever.This young girl, wearing a headband, entered the stage and lay down on a platform with a wooden plank on her chest. Soon after, an elephant walked in and stood still on her chest for quite some time and then walked off the plank. She clamly stood up and greeted us all with a smiling face. The power of breath, not muscle was what sustained the weight of an elephant standing on a girl's chest. The second event showed the intense power of concentration. Looking at the reflection of a row of balloons hanging behind her in a mirror, she systematically shot them down, one by one. I was stunned by her amazing concentration and aim. Then her mentor Mr. Bishtu Ghose said this power can be gained by practicing yoga and breath control systematically. I was so impressed, that leaving everything behind, I wanted to join his team immediately. Though that didn't quite happen, my deep interest in Yoga was kindled at that moment and has never since dimmed through my life. Yoga means union - between the individual soul and the supreme soul. Individual souls can truly progress when they realizes the divine connection, and Yoga helps to have that realization through constant practice of all the eight limbs (astanga) of Yoga, not just postures. This eight fold path is comprised of 1.Yama(restraints), 2.Niyama(observances), 3.Asana(posture) 4.Pranayam(breath control), 5. Pratyahara(withdrawal of the senses) 6.Dharana(concentration),7.Dhyana(meditation) and 8. Samadhi(stateless contemplation). On the auspicious International Yoga Day of June 21, we bow down to all yoga gurus of the world, specially sage Patanjali, who is attributed as the author of "Yoga Sutras" somewhere between 500BCE and 400 CE. Yoga which started in India over 5000 years ago today has reached every corner of the world, and like a flower, provides the world with nectar to quench the thirst of many souls. The western world which is mainly oriented towards external actions has embraced yoga and has produced many great yogis who are living proof of the path of joy, and the power of internal actions to create health, happiness and purpose. Let us remain lovingly united with the whole world and with all life through the divine connection we all share - experienced through the eight fold path that is Yoga.