Satvic Alternatives to Coffee

I have been thinking of giving up coffee for a while – it’s after all a narcotic beverage. But I haven’t come up with a non-stimulating, non-sedating sattvic alternative I can have in the morning (Hot water/milk/tea/chocolate/decaf ruled out).

Coffee’s a new fad right? I mean, what did people in the Vedic ages drink? Perhaps Panchagavya, made from five products of a cow: dung, urine, milk, yogurt and ghee, was the in-thing at those times. There were perhaps local Cowbucks stores where various flavoured Panchagavya drinks were sold. Teenagers would hang out there drinking this stuff saying “this totally rocks dude” in Sanskrit…

When I posted this on my organization's bulletin board, I received several suggestions on how I could wean myself from coffee. Here are the suggested alternatives:

- Hot / Cold Badam milk
- A combination of the following: Milk, Squashed banana, Honey, Dried mango pulp, Jaggery
- Warm water + Honey + Lime Juice + 1 or 2 Tulsi leaves
- Hot lemon tea
- Vedic Coffee at the ISKCON Café
- Alternatives to coffee available at Swadeshi Aandolana (Aazaadi Bachao) stores

I did try a Horlicks+Protinules combo for a week or so, but soon switched back to coffee... now I've got to try out the suggestions above.

Btw, sometime back, when I was at a local temple, they were handing out prasadam that looked like Panchamruta (which is a mixture of milk, honey, ghee, yogurt and sugar), which I happily gulped down. Only after that we were told that the stuff we'd just had was Panchagavya - yikes! Now I know what BS (or CS in this case) tastes like ;)

I wonder how they prepared this concoction. I mean, 4 of the 5 ingredients are generally easy to obtain. But how do you make a cow pee on demand? I guess there's a designated pee-gatherer who's job is to wait and watch the cow's tail. At the first signs of it lifting, he would rush in with his pitcher...

A phone under conversation

Since quite a while now, when you call a local BSNL phone line in Bangalore which is busy, you get messages in Hindi, Kannada and in English saying the line's busy. Well, the exact wording of the message in English is "The phone number you have dialed is under conversation".

Whoever came up with such a creative construction: "is under conversation"? This is not even a direct translation of the Kannada message, which says "Neevu kare maadiro dooravaani sankhyeyu sambhashaneyalli nirata vaagide" - which could have been translated as "The phone number you have dialed has a conversation in progress". Perhaps the creator of this message had intended "is undergoing a conversation"? Even that doesn't sound right.

The only similar construction in English that immediately comes to my mind is "is under duress". Ofcourse, one can have constructions like "is under construction" - but I like duress better. Being "under conversation" sounds labourious, stressful. It almost like saying, look buddy, this number is deeply immersed under a heavy conversation, so stop bugging us.

Ok, I'm no William Safire, so I'll stop my analysis here :)

Vishnu Sahasranamam in Kannada

The Vishnusahasranaamam (the Thousand Names of Vishnu) scripture is a part of the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. It is essentially a prayer to the supreme Hindu diety Vishnu, by glorifying his innumerable qualities in the form of mellifluous poetry.

I have hosted the complete Vishnu Sahasranamam in Kannada on my site, at http://www.beligere.com/vs. This page contains the Sahasranama text in Kannada, in a PDF format. The Vishnusahasranaamam as rendered by Smt. M.S. Subbalakshmi is also available on this site.

Is Indian Horlicks non-vegetarian?

There's something fishy about Horlicks, the malt-based product we've grown up eating and drinking. On their UK website, check out this response in their FAQ section:

Q. Is Horlicks suitable for Vegetarian Diets?

A. Depending on what type of vegetarian diet is followed, Horlicks may be appropriate for vegetarian diets. The whey ingredients in Horlicks is vegetarian. However Horlicks contains a selection of added vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A and D are fat-soluble and need a carrier to help them blend into the Horlicks mixture during manufacture. The carrier used, be it in minute amounts, is fish gelatin. Therefore Horlicks is not suitable for anyone who excludes fish from their diet.

Now, there are no details available on Horlicks in India. The GlaxoSmithKline India site does not offer any information about their products' ingredients. The main ingredients of the UK and Indian Horlicks are all the same. The Indian Horlicks has the same vitamins, minerals and proteins. So how are the Vitamins A and D being blended during manufacture in India? What is the carrier being used?

India is the largest world-wide consumer of Horlicks - there are over 2 billion cups of Horlicks being drunk in India every year (source). The market size is over Rs 800 crores (~ $ 174 million USD) (source). Surely they haven't been hoodwinking all these consumers (many of whom would be vegetarian) by including a fish-based carrier in their production system?

What do you say, GSK India?

Bangalore's Romantic Restaurants

The other day, I was looking for a nice place for a date. Some place with a cozy, quiet, peaceful, romantic, candle-lit sort of atmosphere. I posted my query on my company's bulletinboard, and had an overwhelming response. Here is a list of the restaurant names I received (all in Bangalore):

1. Spiga - Vittal Mallya Road, near Ffolio
2. Fresco's - Cunningham Road
3. Gufa - near 3rd Block Circle, Jayanagar
4. Blue Ginger – Taj West End
5. Fiorano - 100ft Road, Koramangala
6. Cosmo Village - Magrath Road, near Garuda Mall
7. Mynt - Taj West End
8. Citrus/ Jamavar - Leela Palace
9. Take 5 - 100ft Road, Indiranagar
10. 100FT - 100ft Road, Indiranagar
11. Tangerine - 100ft Road, Indiranagar
12. Holiday Village - Kanakapura Road
13. Ebony - 13th floor of Barton Centre, MG Road
14. Magnolia - 3rd Block, Koramangala
15. Inchara - 6th Phase, JP Nagar
16. Guru’s Garden - near IIMB campus, Bannerghatta Road
17. Adigas - 8th Block, Jayanagar
18. Bangalore Bistro - Brigade Road, near Eva Mall
19. Lemon Grass - Sarjapur Road, Koramangala 1st Block
20. The Harbour - Outer Ring Road
21. Aura - Cunningham Road
22. The Beach - 100ft Road, Indiranagar
23. Elements - Nandidurg Road
24. Orchids and Roses - Cunningham Road
25. i-Bar - in The Park Hotel on MG Road
26. Zero-G - Residency Road
27. Hint - Bangalore Central, Residency Road
28. Copper Chimney - Bangalore Central, Residency Road
29. Royal Afghan - at the Windsor Sheraton Hotel

New additions to the list:
30. Olive Beach - on Wood Street (off Richmond Road)
31. Samarkhand - at Gem Plaza on Infantry Road
32. Paradise Island - at the Taj West End
34. Sahib Sindh Sultan - at the Forum Mall

I finally decided on going to Ebony, on the 13th floor of the Barton Centre, on MG Road. Here's a report on my visit, and a review.

I first called them and booked a seat outside, on their terrace. Me and my date arrived there at around 7.45pm. The rains had stopped by then, and there was a pleasant cool breeze (and romance) in the air. We were offered the menus, a lit candle was placed on our table, and our waiter held a plastic bottle of Aquafina water in his hands like it was an expensive bottle of champagne, and asked if that was fine for us. All sorts of creatures that once walked, crawled or swam had been featured in the menu, and we being vegetarians, steered clear of all those pages.

For starters, I chose the Broccoli and Cheese soup, and my date chose the Minestrone Primavera soup. My broccoli soup was quite good, whereas the Minestrone was on the watery side. Both soups were hot, and we carefully sipped our respective soups, looking into each other's eyes, with the candlelight dancing on our faces. After the soups, came the entrées that we'd selected. I had chosen a Lasagne Primavera, while my girl had preferred a Provençale Pasta Quills. My lasagne was on the bland side. I felt that it should have spent more time in the oven - I prefer my lasagne crispy, but this was more on the soggy side. The pasta, on the other hand, was much better, and tasted good. The serving size was generous, and was quite filling. After this we decided wash it all down with a mocktail. This was mysteriously named Kukri, essentially a mixture of various fruit juices like orange, passion fruit, lemon and other unidentifiable liquids.

After we were done with this, the courteous waiters decided to let us talk, rather than thrust the bill down on us. So we sat there, doing some more of looking into each other's eyes, and talking softly. Just when the waiters began to wonder if we'll ever get up, we called for the bill, paid and left the place at around 9.30pm.

And then we got to my home, called it a day, and had a good night's sleep together. Oh btw, the date was my wife. It was her birthday :)

A Collection of Reviews - 1

Here are some reviews - of good and not so good experiences in dealing with businesses in India, specifically in Bangalore, unless noted otherwise.

The good experiences first.

A. R. Electricals: Run by A. Rafi. This man is a rare personality - polite, respectful and knowledgeable. His prices are fair - and he often obliges when requested for a discount. His store is adjacent to Book Paradise, in 4th Block Jayanagar, near the Post Office. Highly recommended.

Dakshin Honda: They've improved their service. I had visited them recently for fixing a punctured tyre, and they swiftly got it done in about 15mins while I waited. The Service Advisor I interacted with, Raghavendra K. R., was polite, and helpful.

Nature Nirvana (near Chikmagalur - around 250 kms from Bangalore):
We visited in June 2006. We practically had the entire bungalow to ourselves, and had a good time there. That being the monsoon season, there were occasional light rains - we got bitten by leeches on one of our hikes - interesting experience. The atmosphere was green everywhere - cool, serene, and relaxing - and the service was good. Mr. Kutty, the manager there, ensured that everything was arranged and organized for us. He took us out on nature walks, and a drive up a hill which once had a castle (koté). A simple, sincere man - we liked him. The pricing is on the higher side though. One thing we didn't like was the attires and appearances of our cooks - those ladies didn't look like they took a bath everyday - atleast not in the mornings. But their creations were eatable, though :)

Grange Resort (in Yercaud, near Salem - around 240 kms from Bangalore):
This is a surprisingly low priced resort - with independent cottages. Beautiful place in the midst of an estate. Quiet, serene, refreshing place. The service and the food was good - didn't get to see the cooks though. We were reluctant to return home to dusty and noisy Bangalore after our relaxing time there.

And now, the not so good experiences.

Paparazzi Restaurant, run by the Baljee Group (Royal Orchid Hotels) - formerly named 'A Pinch of Jazz', at the Manipal Centre: I had a very unpleasant experience with them - they were shockingly unprofessional. I had made reservations for a table for two, for the evening of a special occasion - 3 weeks in advance. And then, on that special day, I called them in the morning, and they confirmed the reservation. It appeared like everything was set. But then, out of the blue, I got a call from them at around noon time, with this guy saying lamely that my reservation for the evening is not possible since the restaurant is "closed". I was furious, and demanded to know the reason for this sudden closure. He then reveals that a large group has made a booking, and he needs to take away my reservation to make room for them. How crass can it get?

Asian Computers, at #73, 8th Main, Jayanagar 4th Block: I had purchased a USB data transfer cable from them, and the guy in the store assured me that if it does not work for any reason, I could return the item and can have the price adjusted against any other product (with the same or a higher price) in his store. The cable did not work because its software did not install successfully (it sucked) - and I took the product back.

The guy changed his tune, and said he can only replace the product - and not adjust it against anything else. So he gave me another unit of the same product - and this, as expected, had the same problems. I took it back to him again, and he said that it was my problem, and he couldn't do any exchanges. On persisting, he offered to take the product back, but return to me half of what I'd paid for it. I decided to keep the product than give him the opportunity to sell it again at full price (which he would've surely done). I had effectively lost my money on a hokey product, which I'd purchased with a false assurance of exchange.

Shell Station, on Hosur Road, near the Goldhill Square office complex: I usually purchase my fuel at the Bharat Petroleum station at Lalbagh West Gate. But I thought I might try this new Shell that's opened on Hosur Road enroute to my workplace. I drove in there and this attendant came up to me with a fake-looking Namaste, his palms joined. I asked for a full tank of regular Unleaded, and he said that the Regular pump was not working, but the Super Unleaded pump was working fine. I then asked if any other pump island had the Regular pump working, and he said No. Since I was in a hurry to get to work, I decided to not spend any time on verifying his claim, and asked him to start pumping in the Super fuel, which he did.

To my surprise, a car pulls up into an island next to mine, and an attendant comes over and starts pumping in the Regular fuel for him. That was not good - I had just paid a premium of over 50 rupees for this Super fuel which I didn't really need. I summoned the manager, and expressed my displeasure at what had happened. He was apologetic, but promised to instruct the attendant who'd lied to me. This just shows... you teach your staff how to greet customers (with namastes and smiles) - but have they been given a basic lesson in honesty?

Kannada nursery rhyme

Remember this sweet creation of Dr. G.P. Rajarathnam?

naayi mari naayi mari tindi bayke?
tindi bayku teertha bayku yella bayku

naayi mari naayi mari tindi tindu yeenu maaduve?
tindi tindu gattiyaagi maneya kaayuve

naayi mari naayi mari kallabandareenu maaduve?
bow wow bow endu koogiyaaduve

I recently translated this into English. Here it is, to be sung as a rap song ;)

yo puppy yo puppy whadya wanting?
gimme food gimme drink gimme eeeeverything

yo puppy yo puppy whadya gonna do when you're done eating?
i'm gonna protect your shack when i'm done eating

yo puppy yo puppy whadya gonna do when the hoods come knocking?
then i'm gonna bow and wow and give'm a proper baarking

Receiving Blessings - A How-to Guide

Finally, back to blogging after a long time. The one big change in my life: I'm now working for a different employer. The article below was started sometime in March, and I've finally gotten around to completing it.


I was thinking the other day, that we are not being blessed enough. Or we are not utilizing our blessings enough. Look at all the smiling benevolent faces of the gods, goddesses and saints with their outstretched blessing hands in our places for prayer. Surely they all mean it?

Even though in reality there is just one absolute omnipotent God, who in Hinduism is called 'Vishnu' (among other names), we don't all just pray to him. We could, in theory, but we don't. Instead, we have created and recognized over the ages several religions, and gods specific to these religions, their feminine counterparts, standalone goddesses, each representative of certain special qualities and implementors of certain specific wishes. The 'creation' of gods, goddesses and saints is an ongoing process. In India, at the time when Lord Rama ruled, if you'd mentioned Krishna, people would've said, Krishna who? Every generation recognizes someone worship worthy - today's holy man is tomorrow's godman. And if the godman remains genuine throught his life, he gains more followers... and soon, millions are swayed. This is how our numerous gods have been created. This is sort of like the stars in the night sky - even though it can seem like they've been around forever, in reality they were all born at various points along the timeline of the universe... and stars continue to be born to this day. (An interesting common factor amongst godmen is their talent for creating miracles. For the influencible masses thirsting for worship, the sight of a miracle is proof of divinity).

So where was I? Yes, all these various gods, goddesses, godmen and godwomen adorning our altars. Let us make an assumption that these folks are not fictional, and that they have actually lived on Earth at some point in time... perhaps not in the physical forms that the various religions worship them today (like Hindu deities having an elephant's or a lion's head, or with multiple hands) - but as normal humans. These folks did something good which generally pleased a lot of people, and also said stuff that inspired and guided them (take for example Krishna - his Bhagavad Gita dialogue with Arjuna totally rocks, even to this day). And some of these good guys wiped out the bad guys of their times. These baddies were planning world domination, or were just plain pains. Or had made a huge mistake of kidnapping a good guy's wife (take for instance Ravana. Oh boy was he asking for trouble when he laid his eyes on Rama's wife). Anyway, so these good folks became immensely popular. So popular that some of them were worshipped as incarnations or children of the supreme omnipotent God, and have been, to this day. The rest of the good folks were designated as incarnations of the friends, or the dearest devotees, or folks associated in other ways with the various Incarnations of the Supreme God.

Ok, so we have these folks who've done great deeds and are worship-worthy. But why should we worship folks who've done some great stuff in the past? Well, here's what happens. When you pray to your favourite god/saint or sing and praise his/her virtues, you are establishing a virtual connection to the one universal and eternal supreme God who is listening to you. Some call this "cosmic ordering", where your prayer is essentially placing an "order" for the cosmos to fulfill. From a rational perspective, what you are really doing is filling your mind with positive thoughts, and optimism. The words that praise the Lord are words that describe his greatness. When these positive words resonate in your mind, it creates bouyant thoughts and a sense of peace. The secure feeling of having an ever-supporting god on our side lifts us from the depressing depths of pessimism. As those joyous words of prayer flow from you, you start feeling better, thanks to the positive thought vibrations that these words stimulate in your mind.

This is why it is suggested that you should know the meanings of the words in your prayers. Take for instance the Sanskrit prayer called the Vishnu Sahasranama (which is essentially a recitation of a thousand names given to the Supreme God describing his pristine qualities). It is recommended that this prayer is chanted with awareness of the meanings of the words. While just the sounds of this prayer create a positive and pious atmosphere, knowing its meanings boosts the positive thoughts that get created in your mind as you chant. The constant generation of positive thought energies in the mind daily begins to influence the body too, making it healthier and livelier that ever before. So essentially, our prayers, while establishing a connection to the Supreme God, help in clearing up and refreshing our minds and bodies - filling it with hope and health. As you continue with your prayers to your gods, something else happens. The mind starts to get more clarity and elevation. This elevation gives you a new perspective over your life, and your current situation. What seemed a desperate problem is no longer so, when you've risen above the fog that clouds the mind at lower levels.

Ok, so you've been saying your prayers diligently over a period of time. But you may feel that nothing has changed. The problems in your life still exist. The issues you've been battling are still painful. Somehow, all your prayers appear to be falling on deaf ears. Your favourite god or saint seems not to care. Why does that happen? Why does it feel like you're not establishing a contact with the Supreme? Surely all those gods you pray to haven't turned hostile - so why aren't you receiving their blessings?

To truly receive blessings, there are three things you must do. First, you need to dissolve a barrier between you and God, created by your ego. Your ego skillfully prevents you from having faith in God, and blocks the reception of His blessings. Approach God with complete humility. When you realise, even slightly, his magnitude, your ego really does not stand a chance. Simply drop your defenses - when the ego is sublimated, a sense of peace and innocence dawns in your mind. There's a serene feeling of relief when you find yourself connecting better to the supreme diety.

The second thing to do is to quieten the mind. Typically, there are always several thought streams in our minds - moving in and out of focus. If you want to establish better communication with God, all that clutter in the mind should be cleared, and quietened. When there are several random thoughts jostling like bubbles arising from boiling water, your attempt at prayer becomes just another insignifant struggling bubble amongst others. Drop every other thought stream, and just bring your prayer into focus. All else should go, and your voice alone should reverberate inside you. Imagine your body to be a temple with just you inside - quiet, focussed and reverent. It takes practice to attain and sustain this meditative state of mind.

The third thing you must do to help blessings flow freely has to do with what you beseech for in your prayers. Our standard prayers, based on existing scriptures or just made up impromptu all revolve around praising or thanking God or the specific deities, seeking cleansing or pardon, or making specific requests or as some say placing "orders". Here's my suggestion about what requests you can make: do not ask for material benefits or changes. While this may seem radical, remember this: God really knows what's best for you. So instead of asking specifically for a specific thing to happen, like say, wishing for a better job, or wealth, or that doe-eyed damsel's attention - do this: ask for guidance, ask for the right knowledge to be stimulated inside you. Ask for inspiration and direction for your intellect.

This is the essence of the ancient Hindu prayer called the Gayathri Mantra. This Mantra starts off acknowledging the expanse of the supreme God, his omnipresence and his omniscience. It then offers thanks to God for sustaining life, and then genuflects to this supreme power in reverence. And then, it asks for just one thing: Please stimulate, inspire, illuminate and guide us to the right knowledge and onto the right path. Notice the 'us' in the previous sentence - one makes this request for all of humanity, selflessly - and not just for oneself.

So the next time you sit in prayer, having a problem that's been vexing you, simply, in complete humility, tell God about your problem and ask for his divine guidance on how you can face and bear with the problem, and what you can do to alleviate the suffering inside. As you sit, quiet and in a meditative state, talking to God, asking for his inspiration, you will begin to realize a channel opening up. You will begin to experience a sense of sweetness, arising from contact with the higher power. You then realize you are not alone, battling it out while the world fares better than you. You start feeling the presence of God, his love for you pouring over you in cascades, reaching every part of your body, and bringing a sense of relief, peace and lightness. As you chant your favourite prayers, you will feel surges of joy inside. In those quiet peaceful moments, you will begin to see the hints of a path ahead, ideas get created inside and you regain confidence in yourself to survive, overcome and thrive.

And that's when, full of gratitude, you realize: all those gods, goddesses and saints in your altar are indeed blessing you, and this time you can actually feel their blessings flowing to you.

Tadaima!

I was in Japan for four weeks - and no woman barged into my room demanding her stockings be lipped. Which is a good thing, ofcourse :)

My visit was a good one, on both professional and personal fronts. It was a nice experience of a unique culture. One thing we Indians can learn from the Japanese is to have pride in our traditions, and our way of doing things. In our blind rush to emulate Western ways, we tend to ignore, or not pay the respect due to our traditions. I now think we've been bending over backwards too far, to please the West and make our ways easier for them. While the Japanese are extremely courteous, with so many occasional bows, I think what they've really achieved is to make the Western visitor bow to them and make efforts to understand, respect and admire their traditions.

I must say that I have now a new and refreshed sense of pride in my nation. I think it's time that we start respecting, promoting and cherishing our customs and ways of life. I realize that we often have an apologetic tone when we describe something unique to us to outsiders. That should change to a tone of self-respect and quiet pride. It took me a trip to Japan to think this way - I hope we can instill this sense in our people without requiring them to take this trip.

One other thing that I have learned from my visit to Japan is that I should stop being critical of our weaknesses in English. I was always wishing (to myself) that some of the folks I know would improve their grammar skills. I have even taken the extreme step of fully editing technical documents because the writer had tendencies to skip using articles, or had made similar trivial errors. Not that I am William Safire or anything close, but I sometimes tend to be obsessive. Anyway, after seeing the level of Japanese English, I realize that we are relatively excellent - and I should stop feeling pangs of despair. Never mind the spoken language, even a few public notices had errors, causing me to suppress urges to tell someone to correct them. One notice I saw at the Landmark Plaza: Be careful your child do not fall in the pond.

Some Japanese find English not easily learnable. One reason for this, I think, is that their language is technically inadequate to faithfully transliterate the sounds of English. One illustration - I was at a restaurant serving vegetarian garlic and jalapeno spaghetti (among other things). After I had placed my order, the waiter said something in Japanese - and when I couldn't figure out what he was saying, he repeated a key phrase over and over. It sounded like "saala dubba". I still couldn't get it. Then he said, "begetables". Then it suddenly flashed to me - he was saying "salad bar". This is a common problem. At a drug store, I requested the assistant to read out the ingredients for a cough syrup. These were English words, like 'Codeine Phosphate'. But it was sounding completely different when read in Japanese script - it required some rapid processing to understand what the words were in English. Just take my name, for instance. It can be written as Pramodo, or Pramoda - and not as Pramod in Japanese script. So my Japanese business card says Pramoda now. And oh, yes. They tend to switch L and R sounds (which is rather famously known). Less well known, at least to me, was that they also (like Bengalis?) switch the V sound with a B. So they have Bodafone instead of Vodafone, and ofcourse, begetables.

The great thing about the Japanese is that they can have conversations in pure Japanese without resorting to mixing in English like we do. This works fine when they are in Japan - but when they step out, they suddenly realize that English is a universally used language (well, almost). For instance, the plane I was returning from Japan in had all printed notices in English. I had a seat near the restrooms - and I was observing that many of the Japanese folks couldn't immediately figure out how to open the restroom door. It said 'Push' on it - but they obviously couldn't read it! And when someone was inside, the door would say 'Occupied', but people would still try the door... It was good to see some Japanese folks having culture shocks, for a change :)

Last week, I got an opportunity to travel on the Shinkansen (the "bullet train") to Kamisuwa, to meet with a client. This particular route was not very fast - slower than the Eurostar, I think. But the train itself is comfortable, and quiet. The countryside enroute was beautiful... very serene. I could even see snow-decked mountains in the distance - the Japanese Alps. Kamisuwa has an onsen (a natural hot-water spring bath) right at the train station. We had some time while waiting for our train getting us back home, so I stripped and jumped right in, joining some cute Japanese girls who were already in there. Erm, I should qualify that. I stripped just my feet - I was at a Foot Bath :) It was quite cool outside, but the water was delightfully hot - my feet really enjoyed the surprise treat.

What's a visit to Japan without committing a social gaffe? Mine came at a Japanese restaurant where I was invited to, for an office dinner. The custom here is to remove the shoes at the entrance to the restaurant, and walk in to the low tables. At this same entrance, they have sandals, meant to be worn for visits to the restrooms. I was following another Indian colleague into the restaurant - and he wore these sandals, and I followed suite. I went to my table, and no one had noticed my restroom sandals yet. The appetizers came - my share was some Japanese beans. The rest were food items from creatures that once swam, hopped or crawled. One item that looked like beetroot slices, was not. Anyway, after eating my beans, grasping each one tenderly with chop-sticks (which was another adventure), I walked over to talk to a colleague at an other desk. That's when one of the restaurant's vigilant staff politely walked over to me and pointed at my sandals. This table was full with my Japanese colleagues - and I asked one of them what this man wanted about my sandals. I wasn't ready to part with them easily. This colleague said something about this man wanting my sandals. I didn't understand - should I remove the sandals before stepping into the lower deck where the tables are? The other colleagues were busily looking nonchalant - I could imagine later what they were thinking :) Anyway, I reluctantly removed my sandals, and handed them over to the man - with the others looking on (some glaring, I now think).

So, there you go - my first social error. I had read about this custom with sandals in the Rough Guide to Japan, but this guide had said that one changes into sandals upon entering - and would use separate sandals for the restroom, placed at the restroom entrance. But this particular restaurant had placed it's restroom sandals at the main entrance - very cruel for unsuspecting 'gaijins' (Japanese for 'foreigners'). I left this restaurant without waiting for the main course. Not because I was humiliated or anything - I just could not stay there any longer inhaling the polluted cigarette-smoke filled air. This is one thing I have disliked about Japan - smoking is allowed in many restaurants and coffee houses. Some establishments have a separate smoking area - but, as I had read somewhere, it's like having a peeing area in a swimming pool - you wouldn't want to be in it.

Houses, flats and hotel rooms in Japan tend to be on the smaller side, and they are generally expensive too. My home for four weeks was in a "Weekly Mansion" - I think the "mansion" part is a joke. The total size of my home was around 10 feet x 20 feet. This included a single room with a bed, TV and a microwave oven, a bathroom, and a sink, stove, a tiny fridge, and a washing machine in the corridor from the main door to this single room. That's all there was to it. All utilities and internet connectivity was included in the rent. The rent was around 180,000 Yen per month, which converts to a little over 70,000 Rupees! The good thing is people staying in Japan for a longer term can get into longer leases in real (bigger) apartments, and at lower rents than what I was paying.

I think the Japanese are taking their golfing too seriously. In my four weeks there, I occasionally saw them practicing their swings in public places - like while waiting on railway platforms. And more recently, while waiting for the restroom on the plane.

All in all, it was a good trip - and now onto sorting out the 600+ photos and video clips I have taken over there...

PS. The title of this blog is supposed to mean "I'm back home!" - if it implies anything else, do let me know!

Did thee feel the earth move?

Yes, literally. This morning, at around 2.54am, my bed rocked gently, and woke me up. I sat up in my bed, wide-eyed and fully awakened. All my utensils and stuff stayed in their places. And the rocking stopped after a few seconds. I tried getting back to sleep, but the birds in the adjacent park were all fully awake and chattering about what just happened. I heard this one particular female bird screaming to her husband, "How many times have I told you that this branch is prone to vibrations? You insisted on building our nest here. Don't you care about our eggs? We are lucky this time. First thing in the morning, you go and find us a safer location, ok?" The hubby didn't make any sounds - I guess he was meekly nodding.

(I learned later on in the morning that the quake measured 5.4 on the Richter scale, and was centered about 80kms southeast of Yokohama. News report here.)

Speaking of birds, I noticed a few Japanese crows the other day. They are bigger than their Indian cousins, and have a very shiny luxurious black colour. They're obviously on a better diet here. They have a different accent too. While Indian crows tend to sound 'kaaah kaaah', their Japanese counterparts have a shorter 'kaaw kaaw' - sounding definitely more dignified and sophisticated.

Being interested in energy healing, I was curious to experience Shiatsu - a Japanese massage technique to promote energy flows and healing. So I fixed an appointment at the Kimura Shiatsu Institute in Tokyo last weekend and went there. The healer is Susuma Kimura-san, a friendly man in his 60s, who speaks fairly good English. He got me to lie down flat on the floor, draped a sheet over me, and started prodding various points on my abdomen. Then he moved on to the legs, the back, my neck and head - prodding and pressing, and releasing his pressure when I was close to feeling pain. It was an interesting experience - similar to acupressure. I felt relaxed and refreshed when my hour long session was completed. He did make a surprise move on my back - in a sudden motion, he stretched my spine - causing a lot of crackling sounds. It's good for you, he said. I think one needs a few sessions to actually start feeling the energy work happening. The only disavantage I see is that it needs someone to work on you, unlike pranic healing, which you can administer to yourself.

Last weekend, I hit the temple circuit at Kamakura, which is 40 mins by train, south of Yokohama. I first visited the Hachimangu Temple, and then the Big Buddha - the 'Daibutsu' and the Hase Kannon Temple. The Hase Kannon Temple has a very beautiful garden around it - with hundreds of flowers everywhere, this being Spring. In fact, I have been seeing happy flowers everywhere, smiling and cheerful. Here are a few who coyly agreed to be photographed. All taken with my Canon A80.

A collage of Tulips in various colours - at the Yokohama Park (click for the original image - 2.9 MB in size).



And here's a collage of a variety of flowers, up close and personal (click for the original image - 1.5 MB in size).

Loveless in Tokyo

For me, the love of my life always resides in my heart. Physically though, she is currently 4140 miles away. I don't know what's it with Spring and me travelling alone... Last year it was Paris, and this time, it's the Tokyo region. To be precise, my office and residence are both in Yokohama, but my clients are in Tokyo - so I've been commuting often.

This is my first visit to Japan, and I'm liking it - even though I know absolutely no Japanese. The people are nice, courteous and helpful. There are occasional notices and announcements in English. At my workplace, most of my colleagues, both Japanese nationals and Indians, are bilingual. So it's not as bad as in 'Lost in Translation', which I saw for the second time when my trip to here was confirmed. I had an interesting time at a subway station - this was one of those places where everything around the ticket machines was in Japanese. I wanted to buy 10 tickets - so I tried explaining to the Subway manager my need, with my ten fingers spread out like that Parle Glucose child. Then static fingers not helping, I tried blinking them. Finally showing him money worked. I said, I want to go to Sakuragicho, and he said 200 Yen. Then I held out 2000 Yen, and he suddenly realized what I was saying. He took me to the ticket machine and got me what I wanted. He was very earnest, and was talking to me in Japanese all the time throughout this encounter, knowing very well that I was not understanding a single word :)

My office is located in the tallest building in Japan - the Landmark Tower, which is 70 stories high. We are on the 9th floor - facing east, so there's a grand view of the Yokohama harbour. It's enchanting. Here are a few pictures of the building and its environs, at night. You can click on them for a bigger image. Taken as usual, with my Canon A80, with a 15sec exposure.

       




Speaking of cameras, I just couldn't help lusting after Digital SLRs in a Canon Showroom in the ground floor of the Shinjuku Mitsui Building in Tokyo. Oh, I can swear, this perky little EOS 30D on display swayed seductively, looked at me with sultry eyes, winked and pulled me over... aaaah. Then I suddenly reminded myself of my wife, and pulled away. Vidya knows about the attractions Tokyo has for me, and she has clearly warned me: don't go to Akihabara and come home with a Digital SLR. She didn't say I shouldn't look at them, though ;)

One thing that gives me great relief when I use the various services here is that the people who provide the services are not expecting tips. Right from in a taxi to a restaurant, there is no convention of providing tips, which really puts my mind at ease. It's not that I don't want to give something extra, I just want it all included in the bill. I like this system here.

This is the time of the year when the Sakura, or Cherry Blossom trees are in full bloom across Japan. They come in various hues, from bright white, to a delicate pink. Very beautiful. Here are a couple pictures.

        

I would like to report that here in the East, they have solved the guessing game that most Westerners still play to this day. In the West, in buildings where you have multiple lifts, you press the Up button, and you wouldn't know which of these multiple lifts would be coming down to service your request. So you'd just hang around, try to stand close to the door that sounds like might open, and realize that another lift had stealthily come down, and then you run to it... so on. Whereas, here, it's all very clear. The lifts talk amongst themselves and decide who's gonna come down. And that lift door gets a light switched on indicating very clearly to the eager people outside, that yes, it is coming down for their upliftment. It's that simple. No hesitations, no moments of anxious waiting at the wrong lift door, no last minute running. How nice.

Speaking of technology, you must see the toilets here. The WCs come equipped with a complete control panel on the right side. There are controls for heating the seat, and for adjusting the temperature, pressure and direction of a water jet. There's a switch to turn on some warm drying air. And a few other controls that I haven't figured out yet, since the text is in Japanese. Really, they should start providing bilingual manuals at these toilets. If this technology keeps improving at this rate, they'll soon introduce a Certification, which would say that you are fully competent to use those toilets. Wanna take a dump? Sorry you must first be certified. Here's a picture of one of the simpler control panels I've seen, with English in it.



The transport system is very efficient here. The trains and the subways are on time, definitely more reliable than the London Underground system. Though I think the Shinjuku station, the busiest train station in the world, is a tad too mind-boggling for the first-time visitor.



Btw, I was reading in the Rough Guide to Japan, that blowing your nose in the public is considered bad manners. Hmmm, you know, with the kind of weather we've been having, with occasional rains, and cool winds, how can you really expect me not to blow my nose? My nose is like a child. When I take it outdoors, it likes running, and making noises. What is expected? Do I have to suck it in? Or just sniffle? Please, please let me honk in peace into my tissues!

Hosur Road Stories - Part Deux

Zen moment on Hosur Road.

Driving to work one morning, it was heavy traffic as usual. We were creeping forward in jerks, and folks all around me were honking randomly - a normal day. Suddenly I experienced a Zen moment - in the midst of all that chaos, the mind got quietened and became an observer. All the minor internal reactions of anger, frustration, and despair just melted away. A smile tentatively bloomed on my face. I looked around me. All the vehicles were still there - we were still occasionally crawling. But inside, I was peaceful, smiling and watching everything, as if from a high platform. That elated feeling stayed sustained for a few minutes, and then it disappeared, as quietly as it had manifested. I became normal again, honking and mentally scolding imbecilic drivers with renewed vigour. It never happened again - was there something weird in the orange juice I was drinking that day?

Cops who stop traffic - literally.

Traffic on the Hosur Road is like a rampaging flock of sheep. Traffic lights have absolutely no effect on us - we just plow through. So, the cops at the intersections, desperate for a solution decided in one of their weekly meetings to create a new team of super-cops, who, armed with wands with flashing red LEDs, like jedi masters, would walk in front of the moving vehicles to stop them. Two cops from either side of the road, with their wands waving, would start walking across and meet at the centre - completely cutting off the flow. When they decide to let the traffic move again, they would quickly run to the sides of the road, and we folks with our growling engines would roar forward.

Minding the Gap.

We have deep urges to get ahead, if not in our lives, at least while on our roads. Every gap between vehicles needs to be conquered. If you make the mistake of leaving a gap between you and the vehicle in front of you while at a traffic stop, the guy behind you cannot bear to watch it. He will honk, flash his lights and do anything to drive into your mind that there's a virgin gap in front of you. He would be desperately screaming, at least in his mind "What the hell is wrong with you? Why aren't you seeing that gap? Don't you find that gap attractive enough for you? You must be out of your mind! Go on, move forward, don't make me suffer".

Watching the Hand.

When approaching a bigger vehicle, like a bus, or a truck, it is very important to watch the right hand of the driver, which usually rests on his window. His hand's movements signal what's on his mind. If he wishes to change lanes and come in front of you, he will point his index finger to the right. If he urgently needs to cut in front of you, and requires you to hit your brakes, his hand comes out a little more outside the window, and waves rapidly. If he is however in a benevolent mood, he would sway his palm back and forth, inviting you to overtake him. If you make the mistake of not reading his hands, and come up on his right side when he was actually intending to move to his right, his hand would spread it's fingers and turn, which is an action similar to rolling eyes, essentially conveying to you 'Dude you are such a moron - what's your fricking hurry?'

Ma liaison amoureuse.

My affair with Akshaya has been carrying on well. I meet her everyday on my way to work. We exchange sweet nothings and terms of endearment. Her luscious green leaves wave everytime I drive by at 40kmph. We've known each other for nearly two years now... and our bond has been growing. My wife, ofcourse, knows all about this - and has been very understanding, hehe. There's a poignant side to Akshaya's life though... you can read more about her in my first set of Hosur Road stories here.

Today is Ugadi - the start of the Hindu New Year according to the lunar calendar. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead!

Petites pensées

My Ganesha Theory.

Contrary to popular belief, Ganesha is not a remover of obstacles. Instead, he has the power to change your perception of and reaction to obstacles. He gives you the strength and resourcefulness to accept your challenges and overcome them.

Struggling Tigers stop hot Indians.

This was a news headline I saw. Sounds like an adventure in an Indian jungle, or perhaps even a Sri Lankan jungle, eh? Well this is actually a sports news headline - these are names of American baseball teams: Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians :)

The Telebanking Voice.

I would like to confess an irrational hatred that I harbour in my heart. I hate the voice of the lady used for my bank's telebanking system - if a real lady exists behind that voice, I think I actually hate the lady herself. I think there is some subliminal thingie going on inside me which is causing such a reaction. That lady sounds pompous, supercilious, condescending, hypocritical, and oozes feigned friendliness. Perhaps this voice reveals my bank's attitude towards their customers? Everytime I hear her say "Thank you for calling (bankname)", I interpret that as "Hey sucker, you will suffer for disturbing me. I will now take you through various menu options and loan advertisements until you get frustrated. This is not your lucky day. You will never reach a human operator. Wuhaha!".

The low cut conspiracy.

I have recently arrived at the realization that traditional Indian women's attires are getting bolder in their designs. Once upon an innocent time, a churidar or salwar kameez was considered conservative in their coverage. Now, the necklines, both back and front, have reached new depths. The sides are turning into grids with holes in them. The long-repressed belly button now gets to peek out and see the world. Gosh, this is shocking. What is going on? Is there a silent rebellion underway? Is this a conspiracy of male attire designers to emancipate the conservative Indian woman? Or are they just listening to the hushed requests of women to help reveal their beauty while appearing superficially traditional? Or perhaps is it simply one of the effects of global warming, driving women to demand more air-circulation?

Impressioning encounters

It is mysterious how momentary encounters lasting a second or even lesser can create lasting impressions in the mind. Here's my theory: our minds are aggregations of thought energies floating around in an ocean of other energies - sort of like boats on an ocean. Our thoughts create ripples in all directions. When we approach and pass by somebody, there is a subconscious interaction between our energy fields. This interaction is intensified when one eyes or senses the other person, and more so when the eyes meet, or both become aware of each other... there's a subtle communication that's happening during those moments, which gets registered in the mind. Outlandish? Wait till you read the rest of this posting :)

I feel it should be theoretically possible, by cultivating detachment and quietening your mind, to read this subtle communication and know what the other person is thinking or feeling at that moment. Normally, our minds merely receive impressions like attraction, disdain, admiration, distrust... and so on. These are just the aftereffects of the thought waves interacting, whereas the data creating these impressions is still quite hazy and vague. When you can evolve to a level where you can consciously read the thoughts of another person in your vicinity - you can eventually become sensitive enough to read the thoughts of any person anywhere on earth, from their live broadcast or from their past. Uncanny, eh?

Stretching this possibility further (just when you thought I couldn't, or wished I wouldn't), this ability can help communication with other life forms, from the animal and plant kingdom to the esoteric world of gods, angels and other spirit beings, propitious or otherwise.

It's not just life forms that emanate energies... geometrical structures like pyramids, natural formations (both above and below the ground) all have an impact on their surroundings. For instance, an underground water stream creates an energy dimple, which a dowser or water diviner can sense and amplify using a divining device. Similarly the practitioners of feng-shui and vaastu have long studied the influences of man-made structures on the energy fields, and their effects on humans. Einstein theorized that every object causes a dimple in space-time, but this is only passive. When the object has life, it not only causes a dimple, it also causes a ripple with infinite life. Keep in mind that the ripple never damps - so Einstein's original thoughts are still somewhere out there. With the right search mechanism, you can locate these thoughts and read them - and if Einstein's spirit still exists, you can invite him over for a cup of tea to discuss how far he's progressed with his unified theory.

To summarize (hang on, we're almost there), the next step in our evolution would be to gain understanding of these energies and enhance our sensing abilities. Just like electricity always existed in various forms, but humans started understanding, creating and using it only in the last century or so, time is beckoning us to take curious steps into this currently unaccepted, unknown and unexplained world of energies, and to emerge with a new formal science.

So the next time you feel that pang of attraction for someone you locked eyes with for an instant, realize that there's more going on behind the scenes than mankind currently knows! :)

Kama in the Vishnusahasranama

This title was created on the 14th of February - it sounded promising. Perhaps there would be some astounding revelations inside, shaking the very foundations of Hinduism? An exposé of some sort, like, OMG Lord Krishna had this child we never knew about, whose descendants now live in various parts of Bangalore and are part of this super-clandestine organization.

Humph, I wish it was something as exciting as that. But non monsieur, il est tout à fait prosaic. It is merely a listing of all the verses in this poem called the Vishnu Sahasranama which contain the word 'kama'. Sigh. That's all. You see, I wanted to somehow bring in the significance of that day being the 14th of February... (Psst, you know, it's that day that deserves a Statutory Warning for men: Forgetting to physically express your undying love to your sweetheart on the Fourteenth day of February can be injurious to your love life.) So I tried hard. I located all the verses. And found a couple websites that provide their interpretations for these verses. Listed them all down. Then I wanted to make the post sensational. So I took this photo I had taken of me kissing my wife on the windswept peak of the Devarayanadurga hills, and after tweaking it to make it family-friendly, decided to upload it to this article. But then, how would I associate it with the previous scholastic listing of verses from the Vishnu Sahasranama? I couldn't just say, ok folks, that's all for the listing, and now, here's a picture of me and my dearie . No, that wouldn't work.

So until I get some ideas, this article will remain sensation-free. Ok here goes. The Vishnu Sahasranama, as you may already know from here, is poetry in praise of God. Reciting this produces a wonderful feeling inside... a sense of warmth, and peace - a feeling similar to experiencing love. 'Kama', as you may have already seen in titles of certain literary works, translates to 'desire'. It can also take the meanings of love, lust and pleasure. This word occurs a few times in the Vishnu Sahasranamam, in various contexts. These occurrences are noted here, with their possible interpretations. (Sources: 1, 2)

kAmahaa kAmakRut kAntaH kAmaH kAmapradaH prabhuH || (32)

kAmahaa: the Destroyer of material desires.

kAmakRut: One who fulfils the desires. (Note that these desires should obviously be non-material desires, or else they would get destroyed.)

kAmaH: The ultimate Lovable who creates desirable things (This is tricky - can these things can be material? If not, what is a non-material thing made of? Can you have non-material desires for material things?)

kAmapradaH: the Grantor of wishes.

kAmadEvaH kAmapAlaH kAmI kAntaH kRutAgamaH | (70)

kamadEvaH: The One who grants all desires. (Again, these better be desires certified as acceptable to God.)

kamapAlaH: The Protector of the gifts that He bestows, and the Protector of those who desire Him.

kAmI: He who has all things that are desirable, and He who is of fulfilled desires.

bhArabhRut kathitO yOgI yOgIshaH sarvakAmadaH | (91)

sarvakAmadaH: He who bestows all desires.

Yes, that's all folks. No photos here. Sorry, it didn't get past my puritanic editor ;)

Happy Peepal

Bangalore has had it's first rains of the year last night. The Peepal tree in my apartment's garden is looking very happy today. She's feeling so refreshed. In fact, all plants, trees and flowers everywhere are looking cheerful today, exuding healing pranic energies.

City dwellers don't always care much about trees, and spending time amongst them. But one just has to go to the countryside to realize that a tree is so much a part of the fabric of life. Tired farmers taking a nap, village folks chatting and passing time, cattle peacefully munching on their cud, stray dogs socializing and occasionally arguing over contentious matters... everyone seeks it's shade. There's also the occasional enterprising vendor setting up a small shop by selling bidis, matches, betel leaves and paan in a basket. Life moves at a leisurely pace... the usual traffic consisting of bullock carts transporting people, produce, or manure, the infrequent village bus rumbling by on the decrepit road leaving behind a cloud of dust, and the spunky village kid riding a big bicycle "scissor-style". The trees selflessly offer solace and tranquillity to all who seek them.

Our ancient Indian culture had profound respect and gratitude for trees... with many trees being considered sacred in India. Our ancestors discovered that trees like the Peepal (also spelled Pipal/Peepul) and plants like the Tulsi (also spelled Tulasi/Thulasi/Thulsi) have curative properties. Hence the tradition arose to worship these plants and trees as representative of divine forces, thus bringing the worshippers in close contact with the tree, and resulting in transference of the curative energies. Even the leaves of the trees and plants (e.g. Tulsi leaves) were discovered to have specific healing powers - thus the leaves are eaten directly, or concoctions prepared from them.

This close symbiotic relationship with the plant kingdom that man once had has been eroding nowadays. Our greed, hubris and demands have been resulting in large scale deforestation and a damaged ecosystem, leading us onto global warming and its dire consequences for mankind in the near future. An urgent global effort is required to change mindsets and curb our insensitive assaults on Mother Nature... for our Mother can only stay tolerant of our pranks to a limit... after that comes the spanking.

Ok, I've been rambling on too much. Perhaps I've sniffed in too much of the fresh rain scent in the air this morning.

A date with Chrysallis

I was always feeling that I was leading an insulated life here in Bangalore... too free from the problems people face in their day to day lives. So, like Buddha, I have run away in search of enlightenment.

Ermm, not exactly :) I have actually decided to do some volunteering - for organizations that radiate hope, enthusiasm and selflessness. I wrote an email to Janaagraha, wanting to offer my services, but never heard back from them. Just when I wanted to call them and follow up, I received an email bulletin at my workplace calling for volunteers for an organization called Chrysallis. It sounded very exciting - they were planning to celebrate their 7th anniversary with an integration program for mentally and physically challenged children with normal children.

The goal was to have 160 children with and without challenges in a 45-minute dance drama - and we would have just a 4 hour workshop to prepare these children. So I signed up, and attended an introductory session on Feb 11th, where Diana Tholoor (the founder of Chrysallis) and her core team briefed us on what it's all about. I got assigned to the Music group of volunteers - our job was to teach the children to make various sounds - which would eventually form the background music for the dance drama.

The Music group then met with Marolla Meneaud, who enthusiastically led us through the script and had us identify the various sounds, like bird sounds, the sound of footsteps on the snow, and so on. After one more session on 18th for us volunteers, we were ready to rock - more or less! There was this great sense of anticipation, and excitement as we waited for the 25th. Finally, it was D-Day. We met bright and early in the morning, at around 7am, at the Guru Nanak Bhavan, where the event was planned. The other volunteer teams for the Photography, Art and Interaction groups were all there, decorating the place. The kids started streaming in at around 9am, and we guided them to their seats. The Music group leader for the day was the talented Prashant Pillai, who quickly guided us into smaller groups, each group consisting of a volunteer, a challenged child, and a normal child. We had around 20 kids to teach the various sounds to be made - all this in a few hours. I was assigned Arokia Mary, a visually challenged girl and Vinay Kashyap, a 9th Standard student from a local school. My job was to teach them whistling - bird sounds and happy tunes, and heart thumping sounds. Similarly, the other volunteers had other sounds to teach: squacks, squeaks, sounds of the wind etc. Thanks to the students' eagerness to learn (and our hidden anxiousness to teach!) we managed pretty well, I think. The show, with a packed audience, started off at 6pm. There were several dances and skits from various schools for the challenged. And then, our dance drama. It was an amazing success - the children did a wonderful job. After that there were a couple dances lead by Diana herself, and had the whole audience clapping and cheering along, and asking for encores. It was the grand finale to a beautiful night, and after leading the kids back to their waiting transport arrangements, we volunteers were given a small souvenir from Diana, thanking us for our participation.

It was a tiring day, but at the end, there was a strange sense of fulfillment. My heart got tugged a few times for sure... when I felt the grasp of Dinesh, a spastic kid's hands when he held my hand and called me 'uncle' with a wide smile, when I lead Arokia down the stairs, realizing the challenges some people face with actions we don't give a second thought about. It was also heartening to see how well the normal kids accepted the challenged kids - Vinay and Arokia were chatting away like old friends. Another sight to cherish was that of the volunteers: to have so many people wholeheartedly participate in an event like this, doing their bit to bring light and joy into a child's life was truly incredible.

Here are a few pictures that I've taken at the event. All of these were taken with my Canon A80, and improved a bit with Picasa. As you can see, this camera is no low-light champion, and as I was adviced on not using my flash, there's quite some blur in some of the pictures. Anyway, here they are. You can click on the pictures for a higher resolution image.

The Guru Nanak Bhavan, and the arrangements in the garden:



And the decorations inside:




Diana, seen here energetic as ever. She's moving so fast, my camera couldn't catch up :)



Our inspiring Music team leader, Prashant.



Our Music team kids - with their big smiles, and their special sunflower claps:



Preparing for the big event - script in hand:



It's lunch time!



Ms. Butterfly and her team getting ready:



The Asatoma Sadgamaya team getting ready:



The various performances:



And finally, the Music Volunteer team. From L to R: Preeti, Sheefa, Susheela, Anita, Thiru, Myself, Sowmya, Sunaina, Amogh, Akeena, and Jean.

The Quiet Joy of Fasting

Ah, the joys of corporal mortification... some Opus Dei members do it with their cilices, and some Muslim devotees with their self-flagellation. And me? I fast for around 34 hours every fifteen days. Which means if my last meal for today is at around 9pm, my next meal would at around 6am the day-after-tomorrow morning. And what's taken in between these meals? Just some water. Nowadays I have been experimenting with limiting my water intake during fasts to almost nothing. And oh yes, I confess to popping in a mint or two when absolutely necessary.

How does it feel? I cannot immediately describe the serene and elated feeling inside. Let me try. First of all, there's a sense of control. All the chaotic thought traffic running wild in the mind quietens down. Sometimes I become an observer of myself - like sitting on a riverbank and watching the river flow gently by. And then, there's the greater awareness of the senses, especially the sense of smell. The mind is quick to recognize various aromas wafting in the air... coffee, samosas, fries, spices and so on. Sometimes there is a twinge of attraction for an instant, almost like a reflex reaction - but self-awareness immediately takes over and switches on the observer state. When this happens, there's a quiet sense of triumph. This sense of triumph results from what Bertrand Russell describes (in his inspiring essay 'A Free Man's Worship') as the strength that enables man to forgo even the joys that are possible. This gentle power over the olfactory sense extends over to governing impulses from all the other senses. There's this beautiful feeling when all the senses are reined in... a sense of power, without arrogance. A state of mind no longer reactive, but responsive. This is a state of meditation in motion, where, like in Tai-chi, the approach to everything is focussed, yet relaxed. This is the state of mind that gets induced when listening to the andante sections of some of Mozart's piano concertos.

The fast ends early in the morning, usually in a temple which organizes a special prayer ritual and follows up with serving a hot meal to the gathered devotees. I should mention that these fasting days in the Hindu tradition occur on a 'Ekadashi' - the eleventh day after a full or new moon. The ancients who decided to fast on an Ekadashi day probably had a very good reason for doing so - but their knowledge has not been preserved. The first food to be eaten on a Dwadashi - the twelfth day, is boiled rice, just a few grains to begin with. This is when the full taste and aroma of a single grain of rice is experienced... aah it is so blissful. This is when you realize how precious food is to those who cannot have enough of it.

Fasting is a process with scope for continuous improvement. Perhaps the ultimate goal is to make the meditative state permanent... where day after day, fasting or not, the mind remains peaceful, content and with a quiet sense of joy. It takes practice and perseverance to learn to control hunger, and manage its physical manifestations and side-effects. But it's these little sacrifices that leads one to greater heights. Heights you've gotto experience to believe in their existence. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita (4:31): This world is not for the man who does not sacrifice, how then the other world, O Arjuna?

Sustained little Wishes

This was a thought, or stream of thoughts that scurried across my mind the other day. I was thinking about wishing someone well, and I wanted to project that little wish into the air, where the wish would take a form* of it's own and stay sustained. Then, if the intent was selfless and pure enough, that wish may actually take effect on the target. Just the creation and deployment of a wish brings a serene joy. One must not get eager for the wish to actually get realized, for afterall, the Implementer of Wishes has the final say on it. Our role is in the creation of the wish - everything beyond that is outsourced to a force beyond our control, and beyond our current science. This force knows whether the target deserves the payload requested in the wish, and whether you deserve your wish to be realized.

This universal driving force is often called God. In one of God's periodic visits to planet Earth in the human form, he was known as Krishna, and his exploits (some too risque) were chronicled in various scriptures, including the epic Mahabharata. There's a particular incident described in the Mahabharata where Krishna subjects a dude called Arjuna to some really intense drilling for refusing to fight a war containing his kinsmen and family elders on the enemy's side. The drilling was so intense that the editors of the Mahabharata decided to publish it's narration in eighteen chapters. Finally Arjuna gets his brain washed, sees the light and agrees to fight that war, and wipes out all his cousins, uncles and their families - simply because Krishna convinces him that those folks deserved to die anyway for being on the wrong side.

Anyway, where I was leading to is, these eighteen chapters are commonly termed as the Bhagavad Gita, and is a very inspiring piece of literature. Reading this should not turn you into a raving warrior, but instead lead you onto reflecting on the human psyche, and should guide you to lifting yourself onto a spiritually enhanced state of existence. The Bhagavad Gita is the equivalent of the Bible - we swear on it, in our judicial system. Not everyone understands it, and so there are hundreds of authors trying to interpret the scripture to help us laymen figure out what the heck all the fuss is about.

I digress again. Coming back to my statement on wishes, I was saying that God is behind the entire wish lifecycle. In the Bhagavad Gita, in Chapter 18 Verse 61, by which time Arjuna's defenses were nearly fully blown away, the lord Krishna speaks about himself in the third person: “The Lord abides in the hearts of all beings impelling them to movements by his own absolute wish, as if they are mounted on a potter’s wheel”. There you go - that's the proof. It's he who's to blame for everything. Nevermind if you do not know what a potter's wheel is. That's not the important part.

So to summarize, God inspires a wish inside you, and you think you've just done a good deed. God already knows whether the target deserves this wish to be realized. And so it happens, or it does not. You or your target will know it, or will not. Regardless of all this, you have been selfless, you have wished someone well, so you gain. What is this gain? Try it - it feels good. Who knew there's so much pleasure in altruistic indulgences?

* Technical Note: A wish is contained in an envelope. Within the envelope are two additional sections: the header and the body of the wish. The header contains relevant information about the wish. For example, the header can contain the date the wish has been created, a preferred realization date (optional), unique source and target identifiers, and authentication information (optional), and an anonymity status (0=Not anonymous, 1=Source remains anonymous to Target, 2=Realization status remains unavailable to Source, 3=Combination of statuses 1 and 2). The body of the wish describes the payload. Here is an example:

<wish:Envelope>
   <wish:Header>
       <creationDate>07FEB2006</creationDate>
       <targetDate>10FEB2006</targetDate>
       <sourceIdFormat>PAN</sourceIdFormat>
       <sourceId>AQRNP2865S</sourceId>
       <targetIdFormat>SSN</targetIdFormat>
       <targetId>342120023</targetId>
       <anonStatus>2</anonStatus>
   </wish:Header>
   <wish:Body>
       <enableGetNewJob>
         <orgName>Google</orgName>
         <salaryCurrency>USD</salaryCurrency>
         <salaryAmount>250000</salaryAmount>
       </enableGetNewJob>
       <enableGetNewCar>
         <makerName>BMW</makerName>
         <modelName>M5</modelName>
         <modelYear>2006</modelYear>
       </enableGetNewCar>
   </wish:Body>
</wish:Envelope>

Adequate security mechanisms would be in place to protect Personally Identifiable Information and the integrity of a wish throughout it's lifecycle. These details are beyond the scope of this footnote.

The bafflers keep changing...

Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, in Chapter 3 Verse 34, warns that sensual attractions are 'bafflers' on the path of spiritual progress. They are like highwaymen, waiting to snare and rob the unsuspecting traveller on a lonely road. As one progresses through life, one's bafflers keep changing. One starts life with getting lured by candies and toys, and moves on to getting lured by doe-eyed lasses, and so on.

As for me, nowadays, I have been into seeking image galleries of sexy models. I furtively ogle at their vital statistics and revealing photos, and long to caress their accentuated curves. I feel strange thrills when candid shots of a future model are exposed. It's so hard to decide who's most desirable. An angel suggests a Toyota Prius, while my pal with the pointy tail suggests I look at a red Ferrari Modena. The Hosur Road (and occasionally Sarjapur Road) driver in me demands a Subaru Tribeca. When in Paris, I couldn't take my eyes off a Renault Megane. Sigh, what a seductive backside she had...

This is unbearable. This too should pass. I just cannot wait to switch over to my next set of bafflers, whatever they may be :)

Our passion for loudness

We are a loud nation. Our traffic rarely moves without active honking. Our heavy duty vehicles (mostly from Tata and Ashok Leyland) request you to honk well with a 'Sound Horn' painted on their backs. There are several messages that can be conveyed to the outside world with honks:

- Hey just wanted to inform you that I'm beside/behind you.
- Look out, I'm coming in from the wrong side.
- I am approaching the intersection, and not slowing down.
- Please don't crush me, I have snuck into this little gap between you and the road divider.
- Idiot, how dare you cut me off.
- Hoy why are you straying into my path.
- Hi baby, you're looking cute, standing on the roadside.
- Why is traffic in the other lane moving?
- Do you know I am in a bigger vehicle? Get out of my way.
- The light just turned green. Get moving quick.
- How long do you expect me to wait at this traffic junction? Let me go now.
- You slowed down in front of me and turned, and didn't use your indicator.
- Don't you dare start crossing the road.
- You are going too slow, so change to the other lane now and let me get ahead.
- What on earth am I doing stuck in this traffic jam.

Other sources of unwanted sounds from vehicles include loud music that gets played by 4+ wheeled vehicles when in the Reverse Gear. Do we really need to blast out popular Hindi song tunes when our cars are reversing? Or for that matter, sing Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram? If we really need to make a noise, can't we just have beeps, like what's used in heavy-duty trucks in the West? And what's with the loud beeps you hear with Remote locks. Why should our cars emit loud shrieks when we lock them?

I think our society in general has a higher tolerance for intrusive sounds. Every morning, Subbalakshmi wakes us up from the neighbourhood temples' loudspeaker systems with her suprabhatams. The suprabhatam was designed to wake up God, but apparently it's hidden strategy includes waking up all the mere mortals in the vicinity of the temple. And when it's not Subbalakshmi, it's the well-meaning neighbourhood mosque with their calls for prayers. And oh, yes - if it's a time for celebration, like a religious festival, the Government allows you take over a section of a road, install the deity and all the associated paraphernalia, and blare out all sorts of music all through the night, having no concern whatsoever for the aural sensitivities of the folks in the area.

It's not just on our streets. In my workplace, even the proximity card readers that let you in and out of offices have a beep that is too loud. Apparently, everyone is required to know when someone enters or leaves your office. And ofcourse, cellphone ringtones are rarely at a low volume. A variety of tunes are played out for the benefit (or botheration) of everyone in the work area. One can almost analyze a person's character by the ringtone he/she uses, and perhaps analyze your own character by the thoughts and emotions a ringtone invokes in you. Using Nokia's or Airtel's signature tune? how unimaginative. Using 'Hey bubbly' as a ring tone? how cruel. Using a tune from the TV serial 'Malgudi Days'? Ah, you trigger nostalgia in me. Whoa, is that Morse Code I just heard? Damn where is my Morse Code flash card when I want it? Hey isn't that Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor? How dramatic. Using a romantic old Kannada movie song? Was that a message for the Kannadiga damsels around you?

For the record, I currently use Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca. Honk if you like it :)