Sadhana Experiences

After some deep thinking, and procrastination, and wondering about privacy, i've now decided to blog my sadhana experiences. When i was struggling with questions on what really goes on when we pursue spiritual practices relentlessly, there were some blogs that lent answers and helped clarify a lot of dilemmas that i had.
So i've decided to help others in this pursuit and blog about what really goes on when one signs up for and pursues a spiritual process relentlessly. It's a much needed personal challenge for me too.

So here goes, i am going to start a 30 day challenge that starts with March 3rd and ends on April 1st, to do Shyambhavi Mahamudra everyday. I've allowed myself the flexibility to do the sadhana either times of the day. I did do the manahshivaratri sadhana, albeit for just 7 days but even that broke something in me. It's the commitment and will power that is tested and reaffirms itself and you end up feeling accomplished. So let's do this! 30 day challenge! Here i come!

Epic Interview Fail moments !

You know when you cant kill that mind voice during those get-me-outta-here interview situations, and you just don't know how long you'll have to endure it until there is a graceful end ! I knew i'd look back on these moments and hopefully feel like i've come a long way since then!

So here's some :

* To solve some of those dumbtard margin-profit problems, the interviewers give you a ton of information that you somehow pretend to make sense of, while thinking, "Dude! If i was able to get that much math, I'd be an investment banker like the wolf of wall street, looking down at someone like you condescendingly at a swanky movie-like business conference !"
* Its even more annoying when you somehow piece together a vague-somewhat-there solution to a problem they give and they say "Are you sure that's the best way to do it ?" You feel like getting back with "Hey, you googled both the question and the answer for the interview, so you obviously know the best way there is to it !"
* Oh, and when they say, "Would you like to mentor others and see yourself heading a division in a couple of years?" Like they expect someone to say, "No, i'd like to stay in my current position for the rest of my life !"
*When they do ask, "What's the best thing about working as a team ?,  I am very tempted to say "Dealing with other morons!" but i pull myself together and say "Diverse points of view !"

Keeping it civil is the name of the game you see!

Are women killing feminism ?

 Today being the 131st birthday of Alice Paul, noted American Feminist who campaigned against gender discrimination to vote (enlightened once again by the google doodle, how else would we ever know? seriously!), and today also being the day i saw several "Baby shower" posts on my Facebook newsfeed, i am in deep thought if the term means more than just social conversation over a glass of wine !
By no means do i want reserved spots in the education system or on the job scene for women, nor am i about to suggest that women should lead lives independent of men, be financially self reliant, show society that they can both have and raise kids by themselves. All i ask is, are we putting ourselves out there enough to make our contribution to express our innate talent ? Not every expression needs to be raking up the currency notes, but there could be artists, poets, designers, environmentalists, all trapped in the second-child's baby shower, withering away in daily petty arguments with neighbors and relatives. It could be a rewarding experience to raise children, i wouldn't know, but is that all there is to our abilities ? Would we suffer an identity crisis in our 40s when all that we know/opine/express ourselves about is which extra-curricular activity our kids should be learning ? Don't we want a confident spot next to our men in debates on rising intolerance or if gun control should be implemented ? And when not heeded for our viewpoints, would be then crawl our way back to the feminism debate and claim we are disregarded owing to our gender? I think the answer lies in taking time for ourselves and straightening out our priorities. Women need to set aside the "ME" time in spite of wailing kids or hollering bosses to figure out themselves! The right to be someone is precious. As is the right to vote and be regarded as equals in soceity. Isn't that why Alice Paul fought for a lifetime to get you the right to get inked at a polling booth ??!

Maggi | Furore | Two Cents

With the stigma surrounding Maggi, everyone’s been in a tizzy of thoughts about its disappearance from their lives! How in the world is everyone going to claim to know how to cook now? What’s going to replace the one single solid go-to Food at 4 am post-party get togethers ? What are all the hostel-ites going to make on their iron plate? What’s going to entice kids to have dinner? Clearly, India has more to lose than gain with the current ban, no?

I agree that everyone with half a mind has given their opinion on Maggi, but then again Is the problem really a corporate one ? It’s like society blaming sleazy dance numbers on celluloid as objectifying women when clearly there is a huge demand for viewership in the very same society. Are we the problem?

For one, I think population is definitely the biggest problem plaguing the world and every other problem is an offshoot. The earth is not the milky way galaxy people ! “Stop Procreating!”should be the clear message that every responsible government must tell its citizens. Instead they promise jobs. The hope for a better job and better lifestyle drives not only the lower strata of society, but also the top echelons since that’s what human beings are about, wanting more no matter what ! Don’t get me wrong! I mean, I get the elevation out of poverty bit, but what about those with twin bungalows in Lutyens still wanting more??? Insatiable is probably an understatement when it comes to human greed! So eventually, everyone’s looking for better paying jobs, faster cars to buy (though roads are still pot-hole ridden!), swankier houses to own! No-brainer that corporates would be first choice of employment, corporates in-turn waste not a minute in capitalizing

this vast human population for their revenues. They sell and want to sell more. Somewhere some boss is swirling in his typical boss-like cabin chair, throwing his head back in evil laughter & rubbing his hands in glee with the dollar signs for eyeballs! Do you think such bosses even have the time to think about ethical food practices when all they want is triple digit growth?? Lead, Iron, Aluminium, Tar, Cement…. The list is endless; they will not hesitate to mix any of this to make profits. Monitoring all this is a corrupt Quality department in a government office, with slow fans, tons of files on the table, creaky doors and officers who seem to lead entire lives in slow motion! These snails would grant anyone who’d grease their fingers, a Quality OK Report ! Have to send kids to better schools, you see? Ultimately this led-soaked maggi is at the dinner table of the very same household, the one where the eldest son just got a job with a Cola manufacturer and so they have more disposable income for indulgences like Maggi !

What’s the end to what seems like an eternal vicious cycle? I would say two things, curb population and start organic farming. If each household supported its own food needs, we will be killing ourselves a little less with poison in the name of food !

Snap! & Its Over !

Lament and whine in plenty a bout,

Of Petty trivial everyday mishaps

Self-Importance crowned paramount

Seldom cherishing brief encounters.

Until Death rears its ugly head

Sparing none of its hand of wrath

Claiming a good-hearted soul or two

In a manner so gruesome that needs no Recount

Unjustness of it all slaps you

Out of stupor that life’s nature courts

Alive one day, dead the next

Knocked out for no reason or rhyme

Makes you yearn for a Rewind

Replay the conversation, the moment,

Wishing you were more clairvoyant

To see an End so eminent

 

Chalk & Cheese and other Alliterations!

Picking your bags and setting off to lands unknown, there is always a spring to your step no? that palpable sense of independence? So in the five days ear-marked for solitude, 3 were at a secluded sanctuary cut off from civilization and 2 in the outside world. The stark contrast jolted me out of routine and was truly fodder for thought! Makes me wonder, how our circumstances totally influence expectations, impressions, likes, dislikes, yearnings, resistance, all of it! The first day usually ends up being most eventful and every moment is utilized to the hilt and that’s exactly how my first day at this spiritual sanctuary was! An obvious transition from a bustling city to a narrow path dotted with tiny sloped-roof houses, slight drizzle, open skies, and several green hillocks later, here I was! Working as a volunteer in such a vibrant place where everyone seemed to be charged with a purpose and a sense of sincerity proved truly transforming. Would I be just as motivated day after day to do this knowing that’s what I’d do all my life?? Definitely not! And that’s why maybe they say, to find a purpose beyond you is of utmost importance! Jolted out of slumber by a torrent of cold water, Walking barefoot to feel the grass blade caress, eating an absolutely vegan meal, being lulled into sleep by this mild afternoon breeze next to a Pillar with the sounds of birds chirping & water flowing, watching the sky change colors during the sun set and finally a content night’s sleep on a mat have painted super colorful hues on the canvas of what should be an ideal 2 day detox ! I also ended up watching an amateur play put up by kids, where Krishna who delivers pep talk to Arjuna before war ends up forgetting his mike and apologizes for it, totally had the audience in splits. Left with a heavy heart and vowed to embed every moment!

Opening an even heavier work Inbox made my head spin, acclimatizing slowly, got thru the work day and literally showed tremendous resistance to check-into an uber luxurious hotel room ! Left with no choice, I reluctantly walked into this glass-mirror-exuberant-wood-fluffed-up-mattress room! Felt this shock when my feet touched the super soft carpeted floors, a look in the roof to floor mirror made me realize I hadn’t looked at my reflection in 3 days ! TV was such a revelation! Suddenly made me wonder if 3 days made such a huge impact, what would it be like to live a lifetime in such a sanctuary and be pushed into luxury immediately. Does the mind go into a guilt trip thinking luxury is to be abhorred? Or does it over-indulge due to deprivation? Or is it more conscious of experiences and their impact when a stark contrast happens? Does the mind automatically put all things comfortable into the “Like” Box? Do we inherently incline towards the easy in Life ? *Thought Clouds*

Hydie !

In crazy times when i don’t know which city i have arrived from when am approaching the baggage belt and when out-of-office assistant messages just won’t keep my inbox from overflowing, i am still compelled to write about this 1.5 days which took about 3 months of planning to materialize and about a month to create a blog-post about ! Most memorable take-aways from those 36 hours have been about Airport Mishaps and the much-awaited 2-hour night out 

FROM my name being called out for boarding due to excessive chit-chatting and taking for granted the non-timeliness of non-Indigo airlines, TO re-juggling a whole bunch of baggage just 'cos ur not allowed to carry more than 50ml of shampoo! Boo-Hoo to airline hand-baggage rules, do they really expect you to pour exactly 10 drops of shampoo required for your trip ?? or do they really expect you to check-in just one bottle of shampoo and wait endlessly for it to crawl by at the baggage belt ?? Oh, and dare i forget the ATR we made a mockery out of, by declaring it didn’t even need a pilot for how small it was and how even the slightest of clouds would make us feel like an earthquake inside !

Having manipulated a lot of people to make our dates of travel to hydie co-incide, me and my friend were seriously looking forward to hanging-out at the most happening joints all for a good two hours... :) We had quizzed atleast a gazillion people who suggested a gazillion places and all this atleast 2 months prior to the trip. Though we did end up going to a decent place, we were too tired to make the most of night-out which was the sole reason of all this endless planning. Like they say, anything too well thought of never seems to work !! And so, even though I did zilch of the touristy things, it still turned out to be a lotta fun !