Thanking the Angels on Gurupurnima!!

Today is Guru Purnima, the day to remember your guides and teachers. When I decided to express my gratitude to all those who have taught me, I realised how many people had actually been my guiding angels. I thought it would be noteworthy to accept and acknowledge their efforts. As Sridhar, the founder of Connect Ticket group, said once, writing down how many prayers you have asked for and counting how many blessing you`ve got, is a great consolidating exercise in order to bring an energy balance. I cannot justify but only attempt to thank all my Gurus.

My mother has been my first teacher, who has taught me the most important art, the art of loving in the most dedicated, selfless and unconditional way. I only realised the depth and magnitude of what she taught me after I became a parent myself. My father has shown me the path of humanity and harmony. My sister who is a very special angel, has taught all of us the art of happiness, and making the best out of any situation. My aayee, Mrs. Okde, has shown me how to believe in myself, how to respect and given all of us the gift of music, that continues to enlighten our souls forever.  My late granny Biji, who taught me so many skills from cooking to stitching to giving warmth through her stories and her love. No matter how hard I try I cannot heal the throats of my boys, the way she used to cure us by just running her hands on our necks with warm magical Ghee.

I cannot count but mention all the teachers from school, to college, to AADI, who have extended and invested in us their time, energy and knowledge, to educate us and empower us through all the stages in life.

I have to mention my companion, Piyush, who has painstakingly brought me to a world of inner peace and self belief. He has shown me how to forgive and extend in the most humble and selfless manner.  Ofcourse he continues to be my mentor in the most basic skills of life like driving and managing the finances.

It is true when they say that the child is the true teacher of man, so I would count my two angel boys as my gurus since they are the only ones who have allowed me to learn from my mistakes through them and on them. They have taught me the toughest yet the most fulfilling lessons of love and endurance.
 
I would also like to thank my mom in law and sister in law, who have taught me the nuances of a totally different culture, who have accepted me and empowered me all through.
It is important to thank all the friends who have been my guiding lights teaching me interpersonal skills, or creative arts or vaastu science.

Then comes the Connect Ticket, that has taught me the power of selfless prayers, love and healing energy. Thankyou Sri, Chithra , Jumana, Rashna, Suhana, Geetha,Payal, Ken, Haresh, Pramod and all the CTzens who have been my guru`s in this amazing enlightening journey.

As they say count your blessings, it is a day to count your angels, and this thanks giving brings a warm secure realisation of being held and blessed by guiding angels. This is what empowers one to move ahead and work towards an adequate energy exchange.

Humility in Ability!

As a part of my job as a Special Educator I was once given a task to install a voice feedback software in the computers to teach children with visual impairment. The software which was provided by the National Association for the Blind (NAB) came with a helpline number. The concerned person was Mr. Wasim, who sounded very experienced and guided me the steps of the installation over the telephone. Since the software did not match the system configuration I had to visit NAB to get the correct CD the next day. It was my first visit to the NAB Digital Technology Dept. I searched around the office for Mr. Wasim. The centre was like any regular computer institute, but instead of looking at the screens students were only listening. There was an understandable lack of eye contact and I wasn`t sure whom to ask without being offensive. At the entrance there were two young boys working on their computers giving super fast audio response to every finger move. The audio output was so rapid that I couldn`t make out anything from it. There was a  huge digital library section and some cubicles for the various officers in charge. I failed to see where the helpline people would be seated. I enquired from a student who pointed towards the counter at the entrance. I  enquired from one of the boys at the entrance counter. This young boy was swiftly doing some important work on his speaking express computer, without even trying to see. “Where can I find Mr. Wasim” I gathered the courage to interrupt. “Yes, please tell me, I am Wasim” he replied.  I was stunned  to find out that the person who very knowledgeably guided me about an advanced computer software over the phone was actually a young boy with near profound blindness. In the next half an hour that I interacted with him, understanding the nuances of the software,  I learnt the biggest lesson of humility in my  life. I felt like shutting my eyes since there was no eye contact and no need of vision and yet I could connect with him and share our common concern. He was indeed an expert of the digital technology being used to educate and employ the “people who do not use sight”. His fingers worked magically over the keyboard and he heard at the speed at which we would only reverse or forward. He must have fought such battles to have reached there and yet he spoke with an incredible warmth, peace and an infectious positivity. Suddenly all my pride came crumbling down and I was taken over by an amazing experience of nothingness. We are nothing, all the qualifications and achievements come from what we already had. There is no victory in it, nothing that we have conquered. This man and many other “differently abled”, truly “special” people have totally replaced their lacks with unimaginable strengths. Because our eyes are open, we have closed so many of our other sensibilities. We take our bodies for granted, splurge on the excesses. We spend all our life energies into petty calculations be it money or people.   As “fully abled” people for which we feel fortunate, we actually have nothing. We are often limited in our hearts, preconceived in our minds and ruled by our instincts. In this Special Education week, let us salute such warriors who have brought victory to all of us. Let us learn to respect and value each and every soul irrespective of its disability or ability.

born between 1930-79, must read!!

WE ARE AWESOME !!!! OUR LIFE IS A  LIVING PROOF !!!!  To Those of Us  Born during  1930 - 1979       TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's, 40's, 50's,  60's and 70's!!         We were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cots covered  with bright colored lead-base paints.   We had no child proof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes,  we had no caps or   helmets on our heads.  As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and some times no brakes.  Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.     We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.     We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.     We ate cup cakes and other sweets made with Butter & white sugar but were not  over weight.    WHY?     Because we were always outside playing....that's why!     We would leave home in the morning, go to school mostly on foot  and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on..  No one was able to reach us all day.There were no cell phones, not even land lines  and, we were OKAY.    We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps  and then ride them down the hill,  only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem        We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's,  no surround-sound or CD's,  no cell phones,  no personal computers,  no Internet and no chat rooms.      WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!        We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.  We would get punishments like caning, spankings with sticks,  or just a bare hands and no one would call child services to report abuse.     We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.   Imagine that!!  The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!    These generations have produced some of the best Managers risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.     The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. What can kids today do besides push buttons..     We had freedom, failures, successes and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.   If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!     You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.     While you are at it, forward it to your kids (if applicable) so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

 This is a master piece from R Sridhars collection!!!

WE ARE AWESOME !!!!
OUR LIFE IS A  LIVING PROOF !!!! 
To Those of Us  Born during 
1930 - 1979 
  
 
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 
60's and 70's!! 


  

  
 We were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cots covered 
with bright colored lead-base paints.  


We had no child proof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, 
we had no caps or  
helmets on our heads. 

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and some times no brakes. 


Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat. 

  
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. 

  
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. 

  
We ate cup cakes and other sweets made with Butter & white sugar but were not  over weight. 

  WHY? 
  
Because we were always outside playing....that's why! 

  
We would leave home in the morning, go to school mostly on foot  and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.. 
No one was able to reach us all day.There were no cell phones, not even land lines  and, we were OKAY. 


  We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps 
and then ride them down the hill, 
only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem 

  BY R Sridhar 
  We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, 
no surround-sound or CD's, 
no cell phones, 
no personal computers, 
no Internet and no chat rooms.  

  
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! 
  
  
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. 
We would get punishments like caning, spankings with sticks,  or just a bare hands and no one would call child services to report abuse. 
  
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.  
Imagine that!! 

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! 

 
These generations have produced some of the best Managers
risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. 

  
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. What can kids today do besides push buttons.. 

  
We had freedom, failures, successes and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.  
If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS! 
  
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.  

A Smile That Heals!!

A smile that heals,

          a hug that cures.

An impatience that appeals,

         an innocence that lures.

Like the cool summer breeze,

         or the warm winter sun.

Like  the birds chirping on the trees,        

         with little worries and splendid fun.

I see a flower unfold,

         bringing its meaning to the world.

I hear a story being told,

        that bonds us to the eternal world.

To all the beloved children I must say,

       who teach us lessons in their own special way.

To whom we dedicate our each day,

      forever childlike and blissful may you stay.

  Wish you a very  Happy children`s day!!!!

Light the Lamp INSIDE!!

What a better day than this to realize that

Money can buy us opulence but not happiness

It can get us conveniences but no satisfaction

It can bring us to friends but not friendship

It can arrange for servants but not trust

It can get us people but no relationships

It can ensure a secured future but no guarantee for a meaningful lifetime.

On this diwali let us light the lamp within

That removes the darkness from inside

That allows us to look beneath the surface

to see beyond the tangible, the measureable but the perishable

to recognise the real, the true, the  imperishable

the love, the warmth, the unconditional, the non judgemental,

that is who is our own, that is what is our own,

and will always be….

Light up the lamp that is YOU,

Light up your soul

Remove the negativity

Shed the insecurities

Fill up the cups that make the YOU

Open your eyes and see the clarity

That is so empowering and so securing

And is So everlasting……

This is for my companion in life and beyond,

Always remain lit up like the lamp

Spreading the beautiful light across

Giving warmth to everyone who is in the vicinity

Braving all the storms and rains each time

Burning strong and bright

Touching so many souls always

Inspiring all of us to stand on our own lights

Never mind if there is darkness right under the lamp itself

So what if the nearer ones have misty lenses in their eyes

Who cannot see and understand the simplicity and brilliance

With which your light burns and enlightens

Always remain lit up like the lamp

The lamp of Diwali !!!

The Journey Uphill.

The Journey is Up the hill, climbing without fail,

Carving our own path, leaving a special trail.

There are some plateaus, that make it smooth,

The rivers and the valleys bring the beauty too.

When I look below, I have reached far beyond,

Ahead and above, from where I started on.

Yet, when I look ahead, in the light of the day

My destination is still very far away,

I delve into the new sites,

 for reaching now to greater heights.

I choose my path, to tread further on,

It will take me closer, towards the final one.

But it’s the steeper climb, much rockier though

With new energy and a resolve I start so.

A painful heaviness holds back my flight,

It pulls me down, makes it difficult to fight.

Its my bag that feels heavy, as a rock I must say,

The treasure that I gathered all on the way,

I preserved every experience, gloomy or gay

 all the grudges were secured to revisit on another day,

 the love and the learning, that energize me more

but the pain and hurt, that make my back sore.

today the hill is very steep, really high

I open my bag, and let it go with a sigh.

I take in the love and the pain I throw,

The old amassed tears, I let them flow.

The grievances are now mysteries for the universe to resolve

The muddle is for the water of the rivers to dissolve.

I open my arms, free as a bird to fly

Soak in the sun, the energy to go high.

The sky seems clear, cloudless and bright

The vision is lucid and  the path  in sight

My journey can now start again

I can now elevate, completely unconstrained.

At the cost of the Common!

India seems to have followed the origin n history of the Common Wealth nations little too seriously. We all emerged independent from the clutches of the foreign rule. They are truly following the spirit, making the common man revisit the feeling of being ruled over. This time by our own chosen representatives from our own nation. Instead of standing as proud hosts welcoming the world to our home, we've been left helpless, cheated, completely ignored and troubled lot. As if the corruption scams and missed deadlines weren't enough, now the common man has been instructed to get himself verified, give away his right on his roads, transport and stay put quietly till they entertain or rather fool the international fraternity. So much so that our maids and helper staff has been instructed or rather scared, to leave. So much verification didn't happen even when our parliament was attacked. Our kids will not have school and our cars will have any space on the roads. Not a suprise that attractive tour packages are being offered and all of us are running away for a much more worthwhile vacation. They've brought utter shame internationally and it is equally sad that the very common man has only so much respect in his own nation. Like when they run a road trial they don't bother to inform and change timings resulting in long office and school traffic jams. There is complete apathy to the trouble being created and oblivion to the needs of the people. This has trickled down to us and we refuse to take responsibility, volunteer, enjoy and take pride in the nation's biggest event. They still expect the public and media to project a positive image and take ownership for the games. The common wealth lies in the resilience, and tolerance of our people who always move on hoping for a better future. But this strength must not be mistaken as our vulnerability. Respect must begin at home. When there is respect for sports and athletes apart from money spinner cricket, good games organisation will come naturally to us. When there's consideration for the ordeals of the people transport and hygiene will be basic part of our systems. Then we will not need such last minute fake plastic make overs. It is we the common people who need to stop letting them shame us and demand for our respect first at home then outside.