Silent night....Holy night.....Happy birthday....

It is Christmas eve. Last year I was at the Coptic Church in Egypt.  My roots go back to the ancient Hindu tradition of rejoicing the spirituality and holiness in any religion. A religion will lose its spirituality if it prevents or refuse to extend universal love, acceptance and tolerance beyond its own. Then it reduces itself to a mere procedures and legal instructions to perpetuate fanaticism. Fear replacing the love and violence replacing kindness and compassion.
 
I remember the time when I travelled in France almost in every church I recited the Hindu Prayers. I felt that Mother Mary or Jesus has acknowledged it with a smile or a wink!. When my Mom visited the Cathedrals and Churches in Europe, she would even remove the shoes when entering a  church  as a way of showing reverence. An amazing Mother.

Tonight is special when millions of people think about God, peaceful, joyous, kind, feel and express love. That is the magic of festivals and celebrations when the universe experience the collective vibration of love and kindness.

Happy Birthday Jesus! Joy to the World!

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Litteratura....Grammata.....e-Mail....

I quickly closed the PDA when the US Airways flight attendant announced the departure of my fight to Washington DC. I was half way through an e-mail. Sitting back I started reading the in flight magazine. An excerpt from the book "Tyranny of e-mail" by John Freeman caught my attention. Apparently Freeman has compiled enough data to support his theory that e-mail is indeed a menace!.  I can understand if he had talked about spam but the theme of his book is how e-mail has altered the business life and cases where productivity has lowered.

Pardon me! John Freeman should have put more efforts to write on how to use the e-mail tool more effectively. One can use additional spam-filters in business networks, add another "How to" training program for effective e-mail communication.

I thought some people must have reacted the same way as the author in every epoch of human history when the cave paintings were replaced by clay tablets, papyrus, Palmyra leaves and subsequently ink and paper followed by printed material and now Internet and e-messages!.

Expression of thought, feelings, imagination, facts, and news require a medium. The evolution of writing shows that we have been constantly in search of or improving the tools to convey our thoughts. Why blame e-mail or newer technology!

                                         Photo: Rinconada Canyon Petroglyph – New Mexico

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Regal.....Forts.....Nostalgia.....

"Jaipur has changed so much and I will show you the forts and bazaars", said our driver cum guide. During our visit to Delhi we also planned a trip to Jaipur. I am going back to Jaipur almost after 20 years.  My sister and I began our journey by road. The quiet villages once around Delhi with blooming yellow mustard flowers have become technology parks within the last 10 years. There is a feeling of  joy to see the development yet sadness to see those beautiful fields have become concrete structures.  The road from Delhi on to Haryana and to the state of Rajasthan presents a colorful landscape where both the BMW and camel carts pass amicably!. A classic example of culture at the cross roads or melting pot!

Maharaja Jai Singh was instrumental in building the city and the Amber Fort in 1727.  The royals of Rajasthan played a major role in the history of India in preserving the culture and religion from the Muslim invaders inspite of the waves of internal conflicts, deceit and rivalry. During the colonial period, the same waves continued but the royals started adopting the western education and culture. The buildings in this pink city show case the blend of western and eastern elements in its architecture.

Today,  The ancient forts and the roads are given a face lift . Beautiful gardens and bougainvilleas on the road side welcomes one to this historic city. We stayed at the hotel Trident in the Amber Fort Road with a beautiful view of the palace on the lake. We also visited the old city and the bazaars famous for its gems and jewelry. The palace "Hawa Mahal" with its numerous ornate windows stands majestically in the middle of the old city as a reminder of the past glory. In Jaipur, one finds modernization is just an extension of the past and have to co-exist.

The crimson sky and the rising sun brought yet another stroke of color to the city when we started our palace tours.  A beautiful decorated elephant was walking on the road stoically without worrying about the lost pomp and splendor of the regal past!

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Delhi....Schmaltzy....Celebs....

Arrived in Delhi on the foggy cool morning of October 28th.  Kumkum was at the airport with a big smile to recieve me and my sister. We were quite excited about Mashima's (Kumkum's Mother) birthday celebs on October 31st. Mashima is such a caring person. It is always fun when she is around.  Age never matters to be friends with her. How can I ever forget the yummy Baingan Bhartha (egg plant curry with a special gravy) that she makes for me.  Guess what... I had my  favorite dish this time also when we had lunch.

On October 31st we attended the Rabindra Sangeeth concert at the India International Center followed by the  cocktails and dinner honoring Mashima's 75th birthday.   We enjoyed the evening with familiar and new faces full of smiles and laughter. Kumkum has organized it beautifully and asked the guests to donate to a charity instead of presents and gifts. She also wrote a lucid and humorous chronicle on Mashima that was distributed to the guests.

I also met some good old friends. It was great to meet Balu and his wife Rama almost after 5 years.  Kumkum arranged a luncheon with JNU buddies. It was great to share some happy memories with Kumkum, Suchetha and Maithri.

Overall Delhi visit was fun filled with the highlight of October 31st. Delhi was also getting prepared to welcome Obama on November 6th. It was  great to see the admiration for Obama in India.  When you are outside America, hearing good comments about our President does matter. Inevitably I felt proud!


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Stonehenge.....Bath.....Patterns....

The 2010 vacation began with a stop-over in London for 5 days on my way to India.  It was great to be in London after 4 years of gap.  Nothing has changed much except for the makeover of some of the buildings and a little more securtiy measures.  The change of guards ceremony and the palaces looked as if the time had stood still. Actually Buckingham palace need a new coating of paint.
 My sister suggested that we must visit the Stonehnge to energize and to see whether we receive any new vibes to figure out the origin! So a day was allocated to go to the Henges and also the Roman Bath.  These pre-historic monuments stand in a field out of no where as there are no mounds, hills, or mountains nearby. Yet the massive stones that are gathered and arranged in a kind of a circle makes you wonder about the reason behind it.  The question is mostly towards one's sub-conscious trying to dive into the depths to find an answer. Ultimately the mind stops questioning or stops resisting and just absorb what is in front of it and immerse into it. There you go... it is Nirvana! not to think, not to question, yet be a witness to that grand patterns in that beautiful green meadow.

We hopped into the tour bus to move from the pre-historic to the Roman period.  The Romans knew how to tap the hot springs from the earth to have a nice cozy public bath.  Bath is a beautiful town with many relics from the Roman conquest.  I was thinking....Is it not the same pattern that we see throughout history. A belief, a counter-belief, possession of resources, conquest,  power, a time frame of peace, time when art and technology flourish and patronized. Then another belief system or power takes over and the cycle continues. 

The street musicians in the city square played lovely melodies. With a cup of hot chocolate we enjoyed the music and started going towards London. 



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Heidelberg....Philosophers....Walk...

During the spring of 2009 I had a business trip to Waldorf Germany. During my previous trips I have covered Munich, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin and Kolhn.  I did the Rhine valley tour and had a glimpse of the black forest.  With this assignment I had 3 weekends to visit the cities around Mannheim where I stayed.  As always Hertz gave me a nice Benz with GPS and it was a breeze to drive on the auto bahn.  The right hand drive is just like the US and I really enjoyed my commute from Mannheim to Waldorf every day.

Heidelberg is a city famous for its castle, university and the philosophers walk! The old universities all over the World fascinate me partly becasue of my late realization that I should have completed the thesis towards a Ph.D. A research dropout! cannot stick to one subject... thus ending up in the right field IT!  I always wanted to hike the Philosophers Walk or Philosophenweg. So on a fine Saturday  I managed to hike the Philospher's walk. The morning was lovely and the university students were kayaking in the river Necker.  The fresh smell of pastries and breads filled the air. I crossed the bridge to enter the city center.  The city has nice cobbled stone streets and narrow clean alleys.  A nice cup of coffee and a pastry had magic. I forgot the academics, philosophy, work, achievements and non-achievements, happy and sad moments of life.
The  river, the flowers, the sky, the castle, people around me everything looked very familiar as though I lived there all my life. The connection with nature and humanity and the awareness of it energized me more. The church bells started ringing and I walked or rather hopped happily towards the castle.

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Random...Cosmic....Design....

Usually I skip the book review if the subject or author happened to be my favorite.  Recently, "The Economist" has published a review on Stephen Hawking's "The Grand Design".  It seems to be an impartial review. It brought the factual errors and also how Hawking and his co-writer Mlodinow have been flippant and no conclusive answers. http://www.economist.com/node/16990802

This review has poked my interest and I want to read the whole book to know more about how these two scientists try to provide the real grand design of the cosmos or failed to explain what exactly is the grand design.

Currently, I am reading the book "A search in secret Egypt" by Dr. Paul Brunton the British philosopher and Yogi.  This book is fascinating just like his other book " A search in secret India".   In his travels, Brunton met with numerous yogis, mystics, mendicants, hypnotists and even magicians to find out the links between the self and the universe.  In Egypt, Brunton had managed to spend a night alone inside the great pyramid.  Brunton has captivated me through the simple narration of his experience and connecting the dots - self and the cosmos. Yet, the questions on why we are here and what lies beyond the universe remains a mystery.

This morning I looked at the rising sun's rays smiling through the oak tress in the backyard. The branches moved gently in the wind and the rays moved randomly  creating multiple designs like a kaleidoscope.  Undeterred by the wind or light, not worrying about the "Grand Design" or not I saw a squirrel focusing on the acorn on one of the branches.

Photo Courtesy: National Geographic



Post Script:  I did not have a camera handy with me. Got this photo from National Geographic!

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Courage....Optimism.....Reinforce.....

This is one of those business weeks when project dependencies seem to dominate. Well, I am back in my hotel room with a choice to brood on it or to think positive.  I remembered the two inspiring news that caught my attention few weeks ago.

One is about the three US veterans Kirk Bauer, Neil Duncans, and Dan Nevins who lost one of their legs in the Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq wars respectively.  With prosthetic leg they climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro about 19,330ft. These gallant men proved that physical challenge will not deter them from reaching their goals.  Yes they did it. Three cheers to them.

Next is about a lady who works for the Nebraska legislature and received an award for America's outstanding oldest worker.  Sally Gordon is 101 years old and loves her job.  She looks so elegant and graceful. An inspiration to all of us.
Hats off to you Sally!

                                                 Photo: Associated Press



 

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Vanuatu...Port Vila....Kava Kava...

"This is the beach where they filmed Survivor Australia series", our tour guide beamed, showing us the white sand beach. Port Vila is a beautiful city and one can go around the island by hiring a tourist taxi. It is always safe to have a taxi arranged by the hotel.  One can find the remnants of the past exploits, migration, and wars in their cuisine, language, and culture. It is a mixture of Polynesian, Portugese, French, British influence and the native Melanesian traits. The interior villages retain the original tradition and the ethnic pride.

Our tour guide cum driver is a local Melanesian with a wealth of knowledge about the island. Vanuatu comprise of 83 islands and most of them are not easily accesible due to the volcanos and steep mountains. Port Vila is the capital with a nice small harbor, tourism related business and government offices.

The taxi veered around the busy city center towards the coastal road. I wanted to meet the locals to know more about their lifestyle. He stopped at a traditional village where the houses do not have electricity. The street lights are powered by solar lights installed by a Japanese firm. I chatted with the locals and the taxi driver was the translator. 
The villagers lead a very contented life with what they get from the pacific Ocean and the fertile land. The land gives them coconuts, bananas, taro and other vegetables and fruits. A simple non-matrialistic life much tuned with the moods of nature. I felt that they know how to adore nature and know the art of living in harmony with the nature.  Why would anyone want to change them!

The locals adore the Americans. Their legend goes back to World War II when the famous cargo planes arrived and the cult of nationalism. When I said that I come from the USA they were very happy and offered me tender coconut water which is my favorite drink.  They also suggested that I must try Kava Kava a local drink made out of Kava root which has a relaxing effect aka intoxication.  Instead of the strong Kava drink I preferred the mild Kava tea which tasted like tea made out of galanga roots.

The following day we went to the Lelepa Island on a Sail Boat for snorkeling and island tour. On the way back, a large bloom of jelly fish with beautiful umbrella like shape were floating on the ocean. I have never seen such a large group in yellow, white, orange colors. We also spotted some dolphins.

The boat cruised back to Port Vila in the evening. The hotel chef was happy to know that I am originally from India. He said his ancestors were from India who migrated to Fiji sometime in the late 1800's. Guess what.... for me, he made a great vegetarian dinner with coconut, taro, pine apple and green banana curry.

Vanuatu....Tanna...Yumi....

Yumi....Yumi a song woke me up from my slumber. The air hostess announced that Yumi in Bislama language means "We" and it is the National anthem of Vanuatu.

Yes, I was on my way to Vanuatu. one of the South Pacific Islands.  This 
adventure of mine began from Australia. South Pacific islands fascinated me from my childhood. R. L Stevenson's Treasure Island, Somerset Maugham's Moon and Sixpence,  and the travelogues of Captain Cook played a considerable role in this.  

From the air, the green volcanic islands looked like emerald jewels set on a nice turquoise blue ocean.  It was the quest to see the living volcano on the island of Tanna plus the stories of Cargo Cult and about the Tanna Army USA parade!! inspired me to take that trip.  In Port Vila. the hotel arranged a volcano tour with Unity Airlines. We arrived at the White Grass airport which is a tiny landing strip. The pilot handed all the six of us to the local tour guide. With expectant faces we jumped into the land cruiser and the first stop was at the Ever green resort where we had breakfast. It was about 2 hours ride to Mt. Yasur. The rain forest and the lush green landscape makes you feel that one is walking thru the paintings of Monet.  Except for the small villages, few locals on the road and the yonder peak of Mount Tukosmera it felt like one is witnessing a silent drama.

 Gently the landscape changed to a volcanic sea of lava. Wrapped in wonder we got out of the Land cruiser to check out.  It looks like Mother Earth has spewed this lava to reinforce the island from the ravages of the sea.  After crossing the sea of  lava we arrived at the base of Mt. Yasur. 

We could hear the rumblings and the smoke.  "Look over here, this is the hiking path to the summit of Mt. Yasur. I will not come with you and you are taking your own risk. Do not go near the edge.  You are all lucky. Today the wind is on the opposite direction so the firing stones will not fall on you. If you are afraid stay with me at the base", our guide announced encouragingly!! None of us wanted to stay. It was the call of the volcano. We have to climb up and be an audience to that great nature's dance.

Up we climbed and the rumblings are now turning into thunderous. Mt. Yasur's crater is shaped like a horse shoe  and actually made up of two craters joined at the edge.  The level of the crater is below the summit and we could see the activity inside the crater.  The dance began with a rumbling, some smoke and then the fire balls of rocks were thrown out that fall into the crater again. The small chips, the  smoke and the fire escaped out of the crater towards the Sulphur bay.

I felt that the Volcano was holding my hand and showing its wonders. I stopped to take a deep breath and listened, first a sound and then a light all in a rhythmical pattern. The sense of accomplishment of climbing the summit vanished.  My comparison of the volcano to the cosmic dance of Shiva and the joy of that revelation too was gone. My thought process started to freeze and transformed to tranquility. At that moment I felt the presence of God.


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Friends...Freunde...Amis...

When I grew up in India I never heard of any special friendship day.  There are always friends who became part of the family without having a need to reinforce or celebrate. My best friend Kumkum and I are daughters to both our families. Then there are neighborhood friends, school friends, and vacation friends. Some of my great friends are also from work, met in seminars, flights, and friendship that bloomed out of an interest in a common cause.

There are many friends who uplifted me when I was sad and lost hope. I thank them all for the kindness, support and smiles that made me stronger to move forward. Even books are my best friends and I have special bonding with authors whom I have never seen.

My romantic friends from college and later in life are also my best friends now. The romance had turned into transient when we realized that the best part of our friendship is the empathy, respect, and unconditinal love we have for each other.

I remember the first day in Kindergarten at age 3 when I first learnt that friendship is about comforting someone in distress and to understand the meaning of give and take. I think that was the first little step I made towards understanding what is the meaning of friendship.
                                              Happy Friendship Day !  

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Swiss....Cheese....Yes....

Yes....Switzerland was our next destination. My Mother put it beautifully by saying, "Well I do not have to prepare for this trip studying historical facts or refer Fodor's guide. All one has to do in Switzerland is just to imagine that you are walking holding Mother Nature's hand".  Sure it was.

The first time I went to Switzerland was in 1997 on a Eu-rail adventure trip with friends.  I have to write about that fabulous experience one of these days.

This adventure with Mom was more well planned but full of excitement.  What I learnt in those trips both with friends and Mom was that the travel itinerary must have some spontaneous acts and out of the tourist routes. The heart of Switzerland lies in its beautiful mountain villages. Though I like Geneva, Zurich and Basel which are nice cities to get around especially for business trips, yet my favorites are Interlaken and Grindelwald. The towering peak of Mt. Eiger and the Alps range makes you feel humble and happy.

Alright, no Swiss trip is complete without tasting the real Swiss Fondue, Brie and of course chocolate. The best Fondue I had was in Grindelwald. We stopped at this restaurant for dinner. The Chef gave me a wide choice of vegetarian and patiently taught me the nuances of properly selecting the cheese dips.  I looked out of the window.  Mt. Eiger with its tall majestic peak glistening under the moon light looked so comforting.

We loved the villages on the way. Sometimes we stopped at a village cafe to learn more about the local lore's and tales. One such story we heard was about why the window sills have beautiful flowers in every village we passed thru. According to the tradition if the plants looked healthy and blooming it means that the household is peaceful and happy. If the flowers are withering and not pruned properly it means that there is some problem or issues in the house. The villagers usually step in to find out the reason and to help.

Interestingly, when human beings lived in a more communal and sharing way of life the interaction was more face to face. Now, we have created a "Web" around us, operate in a www World! Technology is an enabler to change the traditions. But the quest to connect, to share, to love and to be loved are still the same. Right?

We reached back to the hotel and checked the map to visit Lichtenstein another tiny country in the Rhine valley bordering Austria and Switzerland. My mind wandered from Mt. Eiger to the Himalayas, the Andes and the Rockies. What a beautiful planet is ours!


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Amma....Hugs....Bliss....

Mata Amirthanandamayi, affectionately called as the "Hugging Saint" or Amma is in town. Just returned from the evening lecture and bhajans. It was a great comfort to be in her presence, who relentlessly works and helps the unfortunate people all over the World.  In today's lecture she mentioned about the need to reflect and to develop awareness. The human mind will always oscillate between good and bad thoughts and sometimes what is bad may even be more tempting. If one practices to distinguish between the good and the bad thoughts, that awareness will help one to prevent the action related to that bad thought.

Amma was born in a fisherman's village in Kerala on the shores of Arabian sea in India.  Started helping her poor villagers and showered love on them when she was a little girl.  She expanded her universal love to all. Her smile and empathetic hugs bring donations and volunteers to serve the community not only in India but poor and destitutes all over the world.  Her spiritual organization runs projects related to charity, education, housing and empowerment of women.

On the stage Amma was singing beautifully the Bhajan song "Praise Mother". The well orchestrated chorus, the rhythm of the cymbals, the lovely music from the harmonium and her sweet voice pushed me into that divine experience. Slowly my heart melted into sheer joy and peace.

On the way home, I was silent, smiling, and thinking "Thank You God".

http://www.amritapuri.org/9379/embrace-concept/





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Mother …….London……Reflection….

Mom always had a great fascination for London due to its history and the treasures that were taken from India to adorn the British Royals. I think even the school anthem they had in those days “God save the King” must have been a part!. My grandfather worked for the British government and like all the educated middleclass family, talking and thinking in “English” was considered as a “cool” thing to do. My Mom literally grew up surrounded by books and poems of Wordsworth, Keats and Shakespeare!!. Luckily being an orthodox Hindu, my grandparents also taught her Tamil and Sanskrit literature and religious hymns which she adored and mastered.

Ok coming back to England, when I started going to London on business trips, I have decided to take Mom also with me. When I asked her to join me in one of those trips, she was very enthusiastic, started humming “London Bridge is falling down” and created a list of tourist spots to visit. She was very happy that she is visiting London as a free Indian now and not when India was ruled by Britain.

We arrived in Heathrow and there was not much scrutiny as it was one of the pre 9/11 period. We took a taxi and arrived at the Hilton near Nelson Square. My Mom said that every landmark looks very familiar as she had seen them many times in the Travel Channel or read in the books. Well, after a brief rest and breakfast we headed out. My Mom said “Imagine the time when the Palace had no electric lights and the horse carriages carrying those Dukes and Duchess in the cobbled stone streets of London”!

The principle of Monarchy in England has changed with the time and with the Parliamentary democracy, the Royals have become a “Living Museum” concept. I think the choice to maintain that tradition even though it cost a considerable amount in the budget, is important as we can witness the continuity and the preservation of an antiquated tradition unfolding in front of our eyes. We need those brief moments of “awe” and “wonder” in our lives to become a child again and to enjoy a fairy tale!

The most awaited Crown jewels! We went to the London Tower to see the jewels. The Kohinoor diamond and the Peacock throne plus beautiful Emeralds, Rubies and Sapphires looked adorable in the well protected show cases and heavily guarded. It is also amazing to see how a piece of lowly carbon was transformed into a piece of dazzling diamond in the cradle of the mother earth and gained value to be followed by war, treachery and greed.



London trip can never be completed without a visit to the British Museum, Greenwich, Stratford at Avon Stone Henge, and the Oxford University. In Oxford, my Mom sighed and said that she never had the opportunity to go to College. I said “Mom your scholastic aptitude and research mind is unsurpassable. Without you I would not have gone to College”. With a new vigor and a sense of gratitude, I took Mom back to London right into the Regent Street. Yes, to the oldest Indian restaurant in London, Veeraswamy’s. The Manager was happy to narrate the history and the famous people who had visited the restaurant to my Mom while I was busy munching the best onion and vegetable pakoras!!




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