Sabla..Celebrating Womanhood

When Maithili Sharan Gupta, a famous Hindi poet wrote years ago, "Abla Jeevan Hai Teri Yehi Kahani, Aanchal mein hai doodh aur aankhon mein paani (what is the life of a helpless woman, tears in her eyes and suckling child in her lap)", he had portrayed a rather helpless image of women. That was many many years ago. While the woman has emerged stronger and achieved everything a man could, the atrocities on women have not ended but they have changed shapes. Society is going through turbulent times where the new woman is breaking barriers and evolving as a stronger pillar in the society questioning patriarchal mindset which perhaps is making the chauvinist Indian male insecure. "Offence is the best form of defence".....this is perhaps the reason why the insecure men commit crimes on women. This Women's Day lets pledge to celebrate every woman who has found her voice and believed that a in healthy social system she has to be respected and regarded as a an equal important part...nothing less, nothing more. Lets also pledge to give hope and support to every woman who has been victimized because she has not compromised her values. A woman is not 'abla' but 'sabla'-someone who has the courage and conviction to bring about a positive change in the society.

Emo....tional

My younger daughter visited Ashadaan and was so moved by the plight of women staying there. Some were abandoned by their own children and families, some were deformed and diseased. While she spoke about them my eyes welled up. My elder daughter said, "I know it is very sad but I don't cry the way you do... I am not emo.... I do not know why" I said," Because you are from the 'E M O' generation and me from the E M O T I O NA L one... your TIONAL is missing".

That was in lighter vein of course but come to think of it I actually see a change in the youngsters and I wonder 'Are they mentally stronger?' or is it that the over exposure to too much emotion has desensitized them lowering their EQ? Our sensitivity is whatt shapes the societies and that defines the cultural changes in any environment. Well I do not know. It was a quickie thought I wanted to share and ask your opinion about.

Remembering my Spiritual Grandmoms

I been wanting to share this bit of my story for a long long time. Its about my grandmothers...my biological one and one in relation...my mom's mami ji. Second one addressed as Bibi. As I write I can visualize her in her spic and span dhotis (cotton sarees) walking with pride and in total control and command. She indeed was the true commander of her big joint family. She handled finance like a pro and she had not had a chance to study ..may be not even till primary. But she ensured that all her children studied and got into respectable professions....mostly as educators. Bibi made up for the absence of my beloved nani..fondly called Bhua Nani, who suffered from cancer and died at a very young age of 48. Bhua nani was bhua to Bibi's children but we all started calling her that. Its interesting how relationships are developed in joint families. Bhua nani was hugely talented, creative, meticulous and the best cook in the world. I have never till date met a woman who can make the real 'sardai' (thandai) as she used to make for us. She could sew and embroider to perfection. Most of all she inculcated love of God in our hearts but she left us too soon to become a 'tara' a star in the sky..as we kids were told. Bibi became nani to me and my brothers and gave us endless memories to share. She gave us love and something more. Something that I realized when she came and patted me on my back...after she had died. That moment is unforgettable experience.

I clearly remember when a phone ring stopped me in the doorway. I was leaving for an important event that day. I felt Bibi was there with me in the door way. It felt strange too. Meanwhile my mom answered the call inside the house and I felt some strange connection. I was compelled to walk back inside. Mom said that Bibi is no more... I COULD believe it..could...because I had felt her spiritual presence near me near the door. I could not go to Punjab for her last glimpse but I heard that so many people came for her last rites. She was respected. She was pious.

Pious. In fact my earliest memory of her is she chanting Hare Krsna mahamantra. She was unknowingly a Krsna Bhakt. She even nick-named one of my brothers Shyama... Lord Krsna's name as spoken in Punjabi. Lighting the ghee lamps at dawn and dusk was (and still is) a ritual at all our homes, as was going to temples or dargahs on designated days of the week. That is the beauty of simple small town life. My ancestors had built two temples and a sarai in our home town (these are known landmarks in my home town)...one temple is of Shiva and other of Radha Krsna and we were taken there quite often. When I connected with ISKCON..I remembered my earliest connection with KRSNA.. which had been reinforced by my Bibi. Today I sift, sort, analyze those childhood memories and I realize my love for Krsna is deep rooted..just like my roots...in my home town. Every time I chant Krsna's name I remember Bibi with love. My brother and I were surprised that we can actually recite a Nag leela that we used to sing with her in our childhood.

I do not know where is she and whether she is around me in a new life but I know she will very happy to know where I am heading for.. and as she used to appreciate me looking at my notebooks... "Moti piroye aa..means your handwriting is so good it seems like pearls strung together... I used to laugh. "But you can't read it..how can you say that?" She was quick witted and would say," Disda tah hai..." Meaning I may not be able to read but I can see it.

Sure you could... Bibi..you could see much more than others could.  There are so many things only you could see... and even read and even change.

Thank you Krsna for giving me so much love through her ...Hare Krsna Bibi...I know you still will be chanting HIS name and leading a beautiful life somewhere.

#‎PK‬ hai kya hai? #OMG !!

#‎PK‬ hai kya hai? I want to ask Aamir? ‪#‎OhMyGod‬ ka yeh kya banaya? If it was not for Aamir's brand power, PK is a very OK 'types' film. ‪#‎OMG‬ the original ‪#‎PareshRawal‬ blockbuster has inspired this #PK but it lacks the punch of that or the Jadoo of Krishh. Aamir did not have to dilate his eyes so much to prove his alien-ness. One could feel the pain in his eyes. Aww I felt so sorry for him. And for Sushant Singh Rajput, who had to lock lips with horrible cosmetic mistake on ‪#‎AnushkaSharma‬'s face. Must have been such a torture. Frankly the movie took off just in the nick of time when you start feeling edgy..arey kya bana rahein hai? Bas picture ki kahani albatta chori ki hui... #OMG, usi ke jaisi hai. Munnabhai steals the show with one of the best song and dance numbers. All the trips from Yerwada slimmed him enough to look smarter than the main cast. He is adorable bhaya. 

#OMG ki batti bana di par thoda masala aur laga diya. Overall, Hinduism is bombarded for all wrong practices. Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains..though are shown but are not defined clearly. So one felt a bit of prejudice there. I wish my teen daughter had written this review because children have raised serious objections to certain observations in the film. Strongest is that... the dancing cars thing was exaggerated and in a bad taste. I could not agree any less. I spoke to some people and none have seen dancing cars with naked alien looking, same to same like Aamir, people.  Since there are not any good movies in theaters there is not much choice during this time. I must say that although ‪#‎AamirKhan‬ has dialed a wrong number to God of films this time....yet he is the tapasvi ji maharaaj of Indian Cinema. Sab sahi hai.. Box Office will be full house any way, after all Hero is a Khan. Khan is the emperor and "emperor's new clothes"...oops he too did not have them on this time but who will say that? There are many dancing car wallahs to keep patronizing movies coming from this 'Khan' too.. and even for a PK there will be no dearth of notes.... may be 300 Crores.

Your God, my God and Bhagwad Gita!!

I am born in a Punjabi Brahmin family and raised among lots of religious rituals and lived a certain way of life as per our family traditions. Being in Punjab, culturally we have also imbibed going to Dargahs and Gurudwaras as an accepted norm of worship. It was never seen as a separate thing.  When we moved to Jalandhar, there was a Church close by and we did go there every now and then and my parents never stopped us. I remember even bringing rosaries and small cross pendants home. I even wore them sometime. No one objected.

Today at the ISCKON temple during discourse on Gita, they spoke about Jesus, the son of God. I was amused because some Christians and Muslims I know would never go inside a temple and never ever eat the prasad offered in temples. I wonder if the Muslim clergy and Christian preachers ever quoted goodness from Hinduism...say Bhagwad Gita for instance.

My daughter told me about Advent and said that she wanted to go to church this month. Of course she can and she did. I still go to church and dargahs and kneel down and bow my head. Its not difficult at all. My God is everywhere because my prayers are answered any where. It is this belief and strong faith that is embedded in my being a Hindu. My religion and perhaps the sanskars given to me by my mother has always kept me rooted to my Hindu roots and yet given me the freedom to explore life's goodness in other religions as well. It does not scare me to enter the Church, Mosque, Gurudwara or a Buddhist Gompa or sharing prasad or any sacred thread. Nothing can shake me from my roots, that is the strength of my sanskars.  That is how it should be. Isn't it?

If 'God is one' then he should be the same and He should be everywhere. So where is the conflict?  The conflict is in our underdeveloped minds. The conflicts stems from poor knowledge and even poorer assimilation of that knowledge.  An open mind reaches out, seeks and imbibes and the freedom to explore gets one many answers. During one of the courses at ISCKON I met two Parsi ladies who too were attending the course. I was surprised when I heard that, and very subtly I found that they have attended another one before that 6 day course. They both felt that the knowledge in Bhagwad Gita is so profound that it is applicable to any one's life beyond the confines of religion and nationality. I was mesmerized just the way when I read 'The Journey Home', the autobiographical book by Radhanath Swami who was born a Jew, raised with Christian boys, travelled through Islamic nations and who eventually found his eternal love in the gullies of Vrindavan.

The beauty of any religion is not how it keeps you bound but how it liberates you to accept just about anyone with love, compassion and respect.

I have just taken a small step in understanding myself through this divine knowledge of Bhagwad Gita. Take a small step, reach out for this book and discover the richness of its content and its relevance in the present times. Its not for nothing that Modi ji has been gifting this book to every head of state he has been meeting.  All the self help books in the world and motivational volumes would weigh lighter than the wealth of knowledge that is hidden in Bhagwad Gita.

A tea shop owner couple who have visited 16 countries, one dream destination left

A tea shop owner couple who have visited 16 countries, one dream destination left

To A Potty Reader

Are you a potty reader? Chances are you are. Then you must read this quickie.

Western Commode is perhaps the worst invention of mankind. Imagine what is so naturally done in a squat is being done in a 'sitting on chair' like position. Most people today suffer digestive tract problems and this very well could be a reason. The waste is not completely expelled from the colon and belly is partially filled at any time. They keep trying various digestive churnas (powders) and pills but keep missing the valid reason for it.

Many people take reading material to their 'comfort zone' and spend hours reading sitting on the commode. Many read their newspapers in the loo. Many have created a small corner for books in the loo. I too once was one of them.  I heard of a gentleman who took tea cups (one after the other) in the loo because he could not relieve himself for hour and half. So he kept sitting there with a book and tea.

Guys, human mind is not equipped to handle two things in one moment, so either one clears or one reads.  In any case if one is really feeling the urgency and the pressure, the job is done in a few minutes. There is hardly any time to sit with the book. Won't it be nice to allot a few minutes to cleanse your internal organs with concentration? Then you can sit in a better place and environment to enjoy what you read. Makes more sense?

Its amazing how life has changed. There was a time when even if a book fell on the ground we would pick it up and touch it to the forehead. For we were taught its importance and it was 'Vidya'..it was a gift from God. Sadly it can not be said about the newspapers today anyway and may be most often people read trash in the privacy of their loos. Now people take their laptops and tablets to continue working in their shittiest time. Oh man! Has it increased productivity? On the contrary it is a cause of 'pain in the but' literally.

None of us is so busy or such a workaholic that we can not spare few moments for that 'Potty Business' because nothing relieves better than that. You will agree to that. Leave your books, newspapers, laptops, tablets and smart phones OUTSIDE your loo....and chant "oh shit, oh shit' only in the privacy of your loo and not through out the day !!! :)