- A looooong weekend!Tomorrow is the last working day, before a 5-day weekend. And as usual, I am thinking of how to spend my time productively. Holidays are an odd thing – no matter how long they are, they pass before you know it. I did a bit of searching and stumbled upon the post below – that …
- AHA…Surprise Surprise! The 30*30 finished a day ago, and no one realized it. We just kept posting our scores as usual…It became a habit! It doesn’t matter who won, who came first, or who clocked the most minutes. I think we stopped counting around midway through the process. What mattered is that we all worked …
- Of words and tongues…He is nearly two and yet the only comprehensible words that come out of his mouth are Tethe and saaaa. And yes, a hit of the epiglottal “grrrr” as well, serving as a possible prelude to Go (of the ready steady series). Some speak faster, some take their time. I don’t quite concern myself yet, …
- Of meds and mitochondria…I read somewhere that we have the best healthcare accessible to us – best that we as a species have ever had. But we also are the most vulnerable – given the reduced immunity and dependence on the very medicines that have increased our life spans. The rich bio-diversity has also shrunk constantly, to a …
- Shop till you drop…and then someIt’s Black Friday. Or Yellow Friday, or White Wednesday, or whatever color is offered in this part of the world by a particular retailer. It’s getting so weird, it’s not even funny anymore. And its in-your-face lies that is peddled in the name of discounts. The prices are shown discounted, but from a price that …
- Entha Maraya!How does 16 become 400? I finally saw Kantara. And loved it. For once, priests are not shown to be vile. For once, traditions are not trampled upon, but celebrated. For once, the heroine doesn’t have to act as arm candy. She looks ordinary and therein lies the charm. For once, stories are woven around …
- Of two tires and a hundred gears…It’s the season of sport. And upsets. First comes the huge upset win of Saudi Arabia over Messi…sorry, Argentina. And today Japan won against Germany. Seems like a cup of unlikely wins, and exciting times, even though I personally don’t follow football that much. Closer home, a sport of another kind took prominence. Bicycling. And …
- Of two wheels and twenty gears…Ok, so I am in the market for a bicycle. Not counting the last couple of times I bought one, my last serious attempt at scouting for a good bike was at least three decades ago. And boy, have things changed! Gears were just making their way in at that time, now, you cannot find …
- A mere speck on a mere speck on a mere speck…We are a mere speck, on a planet that is a mere speck in the solar system that is a mere speck in a galaxy that is a mere speck in the vast Universe. Yet we spend all our lives in proving that we are so very important and significant. Take the city you live …
- The ancient art of eating…A lot of posts on exercise, but not much on eating. And while eating tastes may vary, there is one commonality that does not depend on the type or amount of food that you consume. The way that you eat. Which is typically – at the desk, or ‘on the go’, or immersed in the …
- Wakanda Forever!A good day, a great movie and a wonderful meal. Unwinding done:) Saw Wakanda Forever – the movie should serve as a template for how special effects are to be used in the Marvel Universe. Which is – woven into the story rather than the story being woven around the effects. I also wonder when …
- The demise of common sense…What if I give you colorful pieces of paper in exchange for real money, and say that you can use them to buy stuff, but only in my house? What if my neighbor then does the same? And someone comes along and starts to exchange the colored paper from my house and my neighbors, and …
- Be a tree…Next time you pass by a big tree, stop and observe it a bit. It probably has been standing there for many years, silent, leaves waving in the wind, steadfast, observing us all pass by, grow older, while the tree itself continues to take in poison and give us life. A tree is always in …
- The good news and the bad news…Apparently, I am leading the 30*30. That’s good news and bad news. Good because, well, I am 45 years old, the oldest in my firm by far, and still leading. The bad news – well, I am 45, the oldest in my firm by far, and still leading! Also, before I started the 30*30, what …
- How to free up even more time…Did you try the steps I spoke about yesterday? If not, then do make an attempt from tomorrow. If you did, then here is part 2. Time commitment : (-45) minutes everyday Yesterday, I had spoken about freeing up your time. This is the second part of that exercise. The first thing we need to do …
- I have no time!I am so busy, I don’t have time to exercise… If the above statement is you, it’s time to change it. There is some spring cleaning to do before it happens, but it will be worth it. And believe me, it works. I have been through it myself and I saw results. A word of …
- Of flat packing and new thinking…I visited Ikea after long, many many years in fact. The route, the format was the same, the prices surprisingly lower than the last time I was there. The food – as always – economical, but some more veg options thankfully. A good walk, with an occasional (more than actually) run behind Rohāmrta as he …
- Of punches and kicks…All these days, I spoke about āsanās and a bit of prānāyāmā. Good, but generally considered soft. Today I speak of martial arts. Good, but generally considered rough. Karate is an art… that combines the ying and the yang, the hard and the soft, the kata and the Kumite… Yog is a way of life, that …
- Beauty and simplicity…Beauty mostly lies in simplicity, doesn’t it? This is true for design, for speech and writing, in makeup and dressing up, and also in health and fitness. Count the small things in, and build on them. Rather than a top-down approach where you look for one-two hour exercise routines. One such simple exercise is the …
- Of cobras and poses…Today’s āsanā is a bit difficult for beginners, and often done wrong. Would suggest that you go through some basic āsanās before trying this one out. We are around halfway across the 30*30 challenge, and it’s time to step up the game. The warmup is done, now comes the serious bit. Hopefully:) At the end …
- State of motivation?The 30*30 challenge continues, but contrary to my expectations, I lag behind my teammates. Happy in a way, but the competitor in me is awake as yet, so let’s see if I can make it up. What is not so encouraging is my diet. It’s haywire. Completely non-compliant. This is a vicious circle – the …
- Stand up for yourself, and correctly…There are a hundred exercises to choose from when you go to a gym. Well, it isn’t even called a gym anymore. Its called a fitness studio. You can pick a couple of classes of cardio, add a core workout to the mix, a dash of yoga and pilates, a cycle hour and well, you …
- And then he turned 45…45 is an odd number. Yes, odd from the number system perspective. But also odd from the perspective of life. It’s not a crossroads number (that’s mostly 40, for some reason). It’s not a halfway marker (wishes horses but stats say otherwise). It’s kind of halfway through a decade that ends in 50 (which seems …
- The beauty of no-mind…How many of you find it difficult to just sit, for around 30 minutes? By sit I don’t mean on a computer, or watching Netflix. Sitting as in without doing a thing, by not being busy, and also away from your phone. Yes I know. Sitting is fine, but the moment I mentioned ‘away from …
- Nandini vs Kundavai – Round 1I saw Ponniyin Selvan 1 yesterday. I know some people (non-Tamil) were possibly disappointed, since they expected something on the lines of Bahubali, whereas PS1 is more character-driven. The Tamil spoken in the movie is more classical, and music to the ears. I would like to see the movie again, just to hear the dialogues! …
- Ekādashi blues…Today is Ekādashi. Vratā, but work continues, and today was a busier day than usual. But the 30*30 challenge continues, and so I took my last two calls on the trot, thus completing around an hour of brisk walking. Best of both worlds! On days like this, you can try the Balasana – becoming a …
- Of twists and stop-gaps…What started as a stop-gap arrangement, has now turned into a standard practice exercise routine. From the past two days, I have been taking non-essential calls over a brisk walk – it’s the best of both worlds. The body keeps working, and the mind too gets some relaxation. No stress as these are calls that …
- A near miss!Today started with me not being able to do the daily yog. Was held up the whole day in calls and meetings, so missed the evening exercising as well. In panic mode, decided to take my last two calls on a walk – and ended up walking for an hour. So, all’s well that ends …
- The world is a village…The world is a village, and explorers we all are… Visited Global Village after 15 years. Yes, fifteen. Actually, I never took a fancy to the place, but this year, decided to show Rohāmrta around. Turns out, I was looking for the wrong thing. Global Village has products from around the world…well, India, GCC, Thailand, …
- Sense of purpose…Day 3. Was able to complete the morning and the evening routines. Good work! Brings along a small sense of achievement, and a lot of good health as well! Sorted out the food bit as well, so now, all I have to do, is to keep up the good work, and also try to win …
- Watch out for Day 15!Day 2 started well, with yog, prānāyāma and meditation. I missed the evening workout though, since there was a puja to attend. No worries, will be back with a vengeance tomorrow. Well-begun is half done, say some. In some cases, some people begin well and then give up midway. Actually, I have been through many …
- Day 1 – better than anticipated!And what a Day 1 it was! I woke up a bit later than I wanted to (courtesy Rohāmrta), but I did my yog and meditation and then proudly opened Google Chat to send across my screenshots – only to be pleasantly surprised…two of my colleagues had beat me to it! By the end of …
- Day 1 starts tomorrow!Tomorrow is Day 1 of the 10 Leaves 30*30. I have been lax the past couple of months, but tomorrow will get back into full exercise mode. Which means, yog in the morning before sunrise, and karate in the evenings, with some bodyweight exercises thrown in. While the target is 30 minutes per day, my …
- Its ME time!It’s ME time. For everyone in office. Here is a circular that I sent out today. Health is wealth – everyone knows that, but how many of us heed this advice? Some of us are “too busy” to exercise. Others start with vigor, and somewhere down the line, work and family commitments take over and …
- Of Yama and sisters…पूषन्नेकर्षे यम सूर्य प्राजापत्य व्यूह रश्मीन्समूह ।तेजः यत्ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत्ते पश्यामि योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमस्मि ॥ १६ ॥ pūṣannekarṣe yama sūrya prājāpatya vyūha raśmīnsamūha |tejaḥ yatte rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tatte paśyāmi yo’sāvasau puruṣaḥ so’hamasmi || 16 || 16. O Sun, sole traveller of the Heavens, controller of all, Surya, son of Prajapati remove thy rays and gather up thy …
- Of eclipses and ancestors…यत्त्वा॑ सूर्य॒ स्व॑र्भानु॒स्तम॒सावि॑ध्यदासु॒रः । अक्षे॑त्रवि॒द्यथा॑ मु॒ग्धो भुव॑नान्यदीधयुः ॥यत्त्वा सूर्य स्वर्भानुस्तमसाविध्यदासुरः । अक्षेत्रविद्यथा मुग्धो भुवनान्यदीधयुः ॥ yat tvā sūrya svarbhānus tamasāvidhyad āsuraḥ | akṣetravid yathā mugdho bhuvanāny adīdhayuḥ || यं वै सूर्यं॒ स्व॑र्भानु॒स्तम॒सावि॑ध्यदासु॒रः । अत्र॑य॒स्तमन्व॑विन्दन्न॒ह्य१॒॑न्ये अश॑क्नुवन् ॥यं वै सूर्यं स्वर्भानुस्तमसाविध्यदासुरः । अत्रयस्तमन्वविन्दन्नह्यन्ये अशक्नुवन् ॥ yaṃ vai sūryaṃ svarbhānus tamasāvidhyad āsuraḥ | atrayas tam anv avindan nahy …
- Happy Deepavali!आप सब को दीपावली की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ! जय श्री लक्ष्मी माता! If you chose to celebrate in full abandon, happy Diwali to you! If you chose to have a muted celebration, happy Diwali to you too! And if you choose not to celebrate this year, well, happy Diwali to you too! A celebration comes from …
- Naraka Chaturdashi…and DeepotsavaDeepavali is known as the Festival of lights. Arguably the most well-known festival from India, Deepavali (or Diwali) is celebrated around the world, even in the United Arab Emirates, where dazzling fireworks and light shows mark the occasion. A lot of Indian festive buying culminates in Diwali. People buy everything from cars to jewellery to mobile …
- Of gold, silver and thought…So, bought your gold and silver today? If you did, well done! If you didn’t, it’s not too late. Add a bit of richness to your thoughts, your speech, and your actions. Tomorrow is Choti Diwali, and then Badi Diwali and Laxmi puja. Two more days to get this done. Are you up to it?:) …
- Dhanatrayodashi, or Dhanteras…Did you know that today is celebrated as the National Ayurveda Day? Mostly not. We have come to associate this day with buying gold or silver or something valuable, because well, Dhan means wealth na? धन्वन्तरि – Dhanavantari dhanu = “science of [extracting] arrows” (surgery) dhanu + anta = dhanvanta = “the end (complete knowledge) of …
- you are in me, and I am in you…“In breathing, as in everything in life, the numbers are staggering—indeed fantastical. Every time you breathe, you exhale some 25 sextillion (that’s 2.5 x 1022) molecules of oxygen—so many that with a day’s breathing you will in all likelihood inhale at least one molecule from the breaths of every person who has ever lived.” “And every …
- Moments made just for you…For all you instagrammers out there, a few thoughts to ponder on:) As I lie back and watch the blue sky Clouds, shapes, a bit of sun peeping from around the corner… A beautiful sight, a moment in time, frozen, my own, just for me. I capture it on my phone, and instantly work on …
- Of seasons and changes…This is something that I wrote around a year back. Revisited it today when I had a brief discussion with someone much older than me. He too had shared the same sentiment – when my generation was growing up. I am sure that the generation before him would have felt the same way, and the …
- On studying one’s culture…Ed Schein, now retired from the MIT School of Management, taught that a group’s culture can be studied in three ways: by looking at its “artifacts,” such as physical space and behaviors; by surveying the beliefs and values espoused by group members; or by digging deeper into the underlying assumptions behind those values. This works …
- Of old schools and new technology…My school WhatsApp group has effectively served as a birthday reminder. When I joined the group, I had thought that it would work as an alumni network, with an emotional component to it. None of the sort happened. Conversations are limited to wishing each other happy birthday, complete with the cheesy cake gifs. And so …
- And Deepawali week begins!Right. The biggest festival of them all is upon us. Deepavali (as I like to call it) signifies much more than what most of us believe it to be. And surely more than “Festival of Lights”. It is also the festival of sounds by the way, which have fallen silent due to silly rules that …
- Vibhuti Yog – Part 2Read the previous part here… The true Advaitin is the master of the world. He does not know a good deal of his chosen subject; he knows all there is to be known. He does not perform his particular task fairly well: he does it as well as it is possible to do it…. The highest achievements …
- Karwa Chauth…Tis the time of the year when we jump from one festivity to another, one celebration to another. And one controversy to another. Today its Karwa Chauth, with many celebrities questioning the “logic” of celebrating a so-called “regressive” mindset. Wonder where they found the logic of Halloween or baby showers (as opposed to Godh Bharai), …
- Vibhuti Yog…विभूति: (vibhutih)- mighty, powerful, great power आदित्यानामहं विष्णुर्ज्योतिषां रविरंशुमान् ।मरीचिर्मरुतामस्मि नक्षत्राणामहं शशी ॥ २१ ॥ ādityānām ahaṁ viṣṇurjyotiṣāṁ ravir aṁśumānmarīcir marutām asminakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī Of the Ādityas I am Viṣṇu, of lights I am the radiant sun, of the Maruts I am Marīci, and among the stars I am the moon. वेदानां सामवेदोऽस्मि देवानामस्मि वासव: …
- Jai Shri Mahakāl!अवन्तिकायां विहितावतारंमुक्तिप्रदानाय च सज्जनानाम् ।अकालमृत्योः परिरक्षणार्थंवन्दे महाकालमहं सुरेशम् avantikāyāṃ vihitāvatāraṃmuktipradānāya ca sajjanānām ;akālamṛtyoḥ parirakṣaṇārthaṃvande mahākālamahaṃ sureśam द्वादशलिङ्गस्तोत्रम् dvādaśaliṅgastotramShiva Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram The first two lines of this extract from the द्वादशलिङ्गस्तोत्रम् formed the crux of the tweet that Shri Narendra Modi sent out a few minutes earlier. The inauguration of the redevelopment of Shri Mahakāl Lok …
- Are you content yet?यश्चेमां वसुधां कृत्स्नां प्रशासेदखिलां नृपः ।तुल्याश्मकाञ्चनो यश्च स कृतार्थो न पार्थिवः ॥ yaścemāṃ vasudhāṃ kṛtsnāṃ praśāsedakhilāṃ nṛpaḥ ।tulyāśmakāñcano yaśca sa kṛtārtho na pārthivaḥ ॥ Mahabharata Shanti Parva 17.11 A king who rules over the whole earth is not satisfied. But a sage for whom a piece of stone and gold are equal, is always content. …
- Is my syrup better than your syrup?An odd thing I notice nowadays. One, parents (like me) trudge down to the Emergency ever so often, this time for a chest congestion. I mean most receptionists at Al Zahra (where Rohāmrta was born) know me on a first names basis now, it’s that often. Two – we always end up taking a second …
- Of sick toddlers and best laid plans…A busy Navrātri, the leaving of a guest and the preparations for Deepavali. And Rohāmrta chooses this time to fall sick:) A usual cough and cold, with a bit of fever, but since he has been having this off and on for close to a month, the parents are worried. There are only that many …
- And the prep begins…As Navratri ends, the preparation for Deepavali begins. From one journey, to another. Deepavali is the biggest celebration in India, and the beginning of a new year. A lot goes into preparing for it – from cleaning our houses to cleaning our minds. Gifts to purchase, sweets to order, small dreams to fulfill. As I …
- The inner meaning…Read the previous part here… They fought in the skies, toe to toe, until the Devi lifted him, whirled him around and threw him to the ground. As he tried to get up, she grabbed her spear and pierced his chest with it, thus bringing him to his end. Śumba died, and the devas rejoiced. Their …
- A victory…once again!Time is a Circle? Einstein’s field equations predict a universe which curves back upon itself, such that anyone traveling in a wide enough circle across the cosmos would return to the point at which they began their journey. Although the present may lead to the future, the future leads to the past. Western philosophy is linear …
- Victory is near…As Navrātri draws to a close, one tries to reflect on the past nine days. Vratā is tapas, a struggle to control and fight against your inner demons. A way to reset, a way to start afresh. The 10th day is a day of celebration. A celebration of your victory over yourself. For the battle …
- Jai Ma Durga!Read the previous part here… The Devi smiled again. “Yes, it is true. They are very strong. But what can I do since I took that ill-considered vow, even though it was long ago? Go back and tell them what I said, and let them do what they think is proper in this situation.” Hearing the …
- Why wait?Read the previous part here… Well, we have understood how to overcome tamas, and rajas. Next is sattva. But wait – sattva is a good guna, so why should we work on overcoming sattva? What form does Devi take in the next (and final) carita? Who does she fight with? Mala has been removed, Vikshepa has …
- Of complications and allegories…We humans are complicated. I mean, things can be simple but we tend to make them complicated. We leave things unsaid, tasks undone and people incomplete. Our desires are not rational, our greed excessive and our satisfaction is elusive. We make things and situations harder than they actually are, and then search for solutions. We …
- Oh Kolkata, where art thou…The spirit of the Pujo is something else in Kolkata. Kolkata. The name evokes memories of history, heritage, art, food…and Durga Puja. As the flight descends on this city, a breathtaking view emerges. Kolkata, dressed in all its finery, all set to welcome Maa Durga. The festive atmosphere is unparalleled, the enthusiasm undiminished. The taxi …
- What is good, and what is bad?The concept of bad and good exists only in Western philosophy. Sanātana Dharma only speaks of action, and consequences. Every karmā, or every action, has consequences, which can be good, or bad for you. Depending on what your expectations or circumstances are. You have a choice of right action. That is termed as Dharmā. You …
- The enemy within?You can fight an enemy who is outside, but how do you fight the enemy within? Spirituality is all about knowing yourself. If you are brutally honest in your assessment, you will find a lot that you do not like. You may also be disgusted in some matters – how can I think this way? …
- The great reset…Once you observe Ekādashi vratā regularly, Navrātri is a breeze. Conditioning one’s body to work on reduced inputs helps in times of need, but if you keep a track of it, you will observe that you actually eat much more than you have to. Our ancestors used to hunt and farm and collect food, and …
- Of math and life…In mathematics, summation is the addition of a sequence of any kind of numbers, called addends or summands; the result is their sum or total. So is life – a summation of many moments that we experience. The result of all these moments and experiences is what we call living, isn’t it? So, do you want the summation to consist mostly instances of scrolling through social media and …
- The significance of number nine…या देवी सर्वभूतेषु विष्णुमायेति शब्दिता । नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ yā devī sarvabhūteṣu viṣṇumāyeti śabditā ।namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namaḥ ॥ The number nine holds special significance in our lives. In fact, we begin our journey with the number nine – that is the number of months we spend in our mother’s wombs. Yog shastras …
- And it begins…Tomorrow is Mahalaya, the advent of the Devi… And the day after is Navratri… As always, I will be writing a series for the next nine-ten days, a bit of what has been written before, and a bit about my experiences this time. As before, I will be observing vrata for all nine days, eating …
- Of 14s and electronic q-tips…The iPhone 14 is here, and so are the done-to-death “sell my kidney” jokes. Do I upgrade? Well, err…ummm….anyone looking for a Gold iPhone 12 Pro Max Fantastic 256GB? The airpods refresh seem tempting too. But then, so does gold, at a yearly low, and equities, that are expected to dip as recession hits the …
- Dheena Karunakarane Nataraja…Dheena Karunakarane Nataraja…Neelakantane… A few days back I had written about Rohāmrta’s fascination for ‘The Wheels on the Bus’, an American folk song that turned into a rhyme along the way. Read more about it down below. As it turns out, the kid has since turned desi. More precisely, Southern desi. His favorite channel (in …
- Om Shanti Gajodhar bhaiyyaShri Raju Srivastava, best known for his Gajodhar bhaiyya performances, has passed. In an era where comedy is now synonymous with four-letter words and obscene comments, Raju bhaiyya was an exception. He kept it clean, and continued to do so even when many others got ahead by peppering their so-called stand up comedy with expletives …
- And who am I?Who am I? This simple question has elicited many responses over the course of the existence of humankind. And these responses have been a lot philosophical, some candid, some exploratory. But no one has come up with an answer that has satisfied anyone and everyone. And so we continue on our quest, a journey into …
- Forever and ever?The question of eternal life is as old as life itself. Humankind has made great strides in life expectancy, from an average of 30 years over most of our existence, to over 70 years today. In a short span of less than a century, this has gone up twice over. A lot of us do …
- Of math and human communication…Here’s a fun fact about resending lost data: you can never be 100% certain that both people, communicating on a network where information might get lost, share the same information—and this holds even if nothing ever actually gets lost! Here’s an example. Let’s say you want to send the very important message “Hey this is …
- Of culture and dinosaurs…I’m reading a book interestingly titled “How to take over the world”, by Ryan North. I know it sounds a bit off, but it really has workable strategies to take over the world:)) Provided everything suggested falls into place that is. Nevertheless, the reason I mentioned the book was because of a bizarre, yet practical …
- September 17th, 1950Ok, a lot of you knew this post was coming, isn’t it? Well, I don’t have to take you through the journey of the man – most of you already know it, or at least some parts of it. Today, I want to speak about learning. Constant learning. Modiji is an exceptional politician because of …
- Koans…Two monks were arguing about the temple flag waving in the wind.One said, “The flag moves.”The other said, “The wind moves.”They argued back and forth but could not agree.Hui-neng, the sixth patriarch, said: “Gentlemen! It is not the flag that moves. It is not the wind that moves. It is your mind that moves.”The two …
- An investigation, and a crime sceneOk so I have been taking this tablet from the past three months, to control an allergy that apparently popped out of nowhere. The nose is not quite happy with me since then, and the tablets do help keep him in check, until I stop taking them…even for a day. So as I trudged down …
- Preparing for NavratriNavratri is around the corner, and I am gearing up for it by starting the salad diet from this week. The vrata calls for a rest of the body and the mind, and such resets cannot happen instantly. I recommend preparing at least one week in advance, and also continuing eating light one week after. …
- The tale of Dantila and Gorambha!यो ह्य् अपकर्तुम् अशक्तः कुप्यति किम् असौ नरो ऽत्र निर्लज्जः ।उत्पतितो ऽपि हि चणकः शक्तः किं भ्राष्ट्रकं भङ्क्तुम् ॥ १४३ ॥ yo hy apakartum aśaktaḥ kupyati kim asau naro ‘tra nirlajjaḥ |utpatito ‘pi hi caṇakaḥ śaktaḥ kiṃ bhrāṣṭrakaṃ bhaṅktum || 143 || Why does a man who is incapable of taking revenge, shamelessly get angry with other …
- Some random musings…And we enter the season of festivals. The next one and a half months will be a roller coaster ride of fun, frolic, fasting and worship. Starting with Mahalaya on the 25th, Navratri on the 26th, and nine days of fasting and resetting the body and mind, and visiting Gayatri’s place to see the golus. …
- One of my favorite songs:)Not many songs touch a chord the way this one does. Melody, classical touches and beautiful picturisation, an ode to my favorite Krishna, what else could I ask for? Muripaala Mukunda – from Bahubali – The Conclusion. Here are the lyrics for those who don’t understand the beautiful language of Telugu! Muripaala Mukundaa…Oh lovely mukunda …
- Visarjan!श्री गणेश चतुर्थी – Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi (Vināyaka Chaturthī) or Vinayaka Chavithi (Vināyaka Chavithī) is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Ganesha. It falls in the months of August or September of the Gregorian calendar. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha clay idols privately in homes, or publicly on …
- Crows, owls, rabbits and elephants…“This is so funny! Of all the peacocks, swans, cuckoos, parrots, pigeons, ducks and cranes of this world – you chose an ugly owl?” He laughed louder. “This owl will be blind during the day, when you are all awake, and the only one awake at night, when you are all asleep! Yes, he could …
- Happy Onam!Asura is typically construed as evil, and is used interchangeably with Danavas, Daityas and Rākshasās, mainly because in English, they are all demons! But all asuras were not considered evil. Here are some of the niruktas (etymologies) of the root word asu. Asu can mean, prana – life breath, life- force; in this sense, asura means ‘one who brings, gives prana’ …
- Can you do it?The issue is not that you are not capable of doing it…the issue is that I know you are capable but you don’t. A phrase (or a close derivative) that I have found myself repeating often – to karate’s who I taught, to employees, even to family. The starting point for most people is “I …
- Teachers, not all Gurus:)We may remember Teachers Day as the day when we decorated the blackboard (or green board, as was in our case), and wished our teachers and thanked them for teaching us well. We may not have understood the importance of teachers day then, as we do now. Today, we live in different parts of the …
- Just begin!Had an interesting conversation with family friends today. This revolved around exploring what one is good at, and putting it out there for the world to see. The processing power of computers, internet and social media have made it very easy for one to create, edit and post content across multiple formats to reach thousands, …
- Of parents and walks…I take a walk with Rohāmrta a few times a week. Not very far, just inside our community, which is pretty well spread out, and so I end up walking for around an hour. I see quite a few infants and toddlers, relaxing in their strollers, or playing around on the grass, maid in tow, …
- Workplace wellness and happiness…A large part of performing well at work is being in the right frame of mind. We underestimate this part of our work personalities, and as a consequence, we sometimes fail to see the real problem behind underperformance and not being able to justify one’s potential. Workplace wellness is underrated. The past one year has …
- A short story…There is an interesting story as to how Panini, the originator of Sanskrit grammar, received knowledge from Shiva. He was supposed to be the dullest of the students in a group that was studying from a Guru in Taxila, Taksha Shila. The other boys were very intelligent. Panini was the most stupid, the least intelligent, …
- Let’s find the Ganesha in others…गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहेकविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम् ।ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पतआ नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम् ॥ Gannaanaam Tvaa Ganna-Patim HavaamaheKavim Kaviinaam-Upama-Shravastamam |Jyessttha-Raajam Brahmannaam BrahmannaspataAa Nah Shrnnvan-Uutibhih Siida Saadanam || Among the Ganas (Group of Prayers), to you who is the Ganapati (Deva of Prayers), we offer this havan (ritual fire), You are the wisdom of the wise and the most glorious of all, You are the foremost in prayer, presiding as the Deva of the Prayers (Brahmanaspati), Please come to us by listening to our humble …
- श्री गणेशाय नमः! – Shri Ganeshaya Namah!श्री गणेशाय नमः! Shri Ganesha is among the most popular deities in the Hindu Pantheon. He is worshipped in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bali, Bangladesh, Fiji, Mauritius, and many other countries around the world. His images are found in Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism, Japanese Kanji and Jainism as well. Known as the remover of …
- Of fishes and tricks…As the frog said, “the one with thousand tricks sat on the head of the fisherman, the one with hundred tricks is hanging by the fisherman’s arm and I with only one trick am happily swimming in the water.” Two fish named Sahasrabuddhi and Satabuddhi made a lake their home. They had a frog as a friend whose name …
- Of hitting balls and falling towers…The unthinkable happened today. Usually, on the day of an India-Pakistan encounter, nothing else matters. From news channels to social media, only one thing trends. Fans line up on both sides of the digital border and fire well-meaning salvos and memes, building up to the actual clash where ball-by-ball updates are thrown around to clog …
- The end of an era…There may not be many who have not seen, or at least heard of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, the shows created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Breaking Bad ran from 2008 to 2013, spread across 5 seasons and it’s spinoff Better Call Saul ran for longer – 6 seasons that came to an …
- The choices we make…What role does choice play in our lives? I read a book somewhere that spoke about parallel realities. Every time we are faced with a choice, we make one and our lives go forward from that point on. But there is a possibility that the other choice is also made, and reality splits there so …
- Acchoo…cough cough…Falling sick is not anyone’s favorite hobby, but when I fall sick, a silver lining is the time I get to watch movies. And watch I do. A movie marathon with an English alternative Western – Let Him Go, followed by Master (Tamil) and then Jai Bhim. The Tamil movies were a tad longer than …
- An extra hour?I had written this in 2020, as part of the Sādhanā series, and I don’t think I thought it would be as relevant even today. But as I spoke to my team today, I realized that it still is. The average commute to ad fro from office is at least an hour, after you factor …
- And this is how much you apparently cost…What costs US$ 168 to build? The human body, by some accounts. Actually, an episode in Nova, a science show on PBS, came up with this figure for the value of there fundamental components of the human body. Britain’s Royal Society of Chemistry, in 2013, performed a similar exercise and came up with a figure …
- Eat a frog?Eating frogs is tough. In case you are wondering if I changed to an alternate (and alarming) diet of croakers, especially after extolling the virtues of being vegetarian, the answer is no. Eat that Frog is the title of a book by Brian Tracy, where he speaks about how to start your day with your …