Petrichor

Calgary and most of the West is under a Winter Spell. It has been -20C for the last 1 week. Not so much snow, but the cold really gets to the bones unless you are dressed appropriately. It feels like Christmas already. All the evergreens are adorned with brilliant white snow. Just beautiful! S says it is cold. She says, "winter is here". But no complains so far. I feel so gratified, though she is probably too young to complain. She loves to go out however be the weather outside. The temperature read positive today(just on the border) & it feels so warm. Relatively. I am amazed how I underestimate my tolerance limit. From "how are people surviving in that cold" to "It's not too bad", I feel like laughing at my own deceptive mind. So, there is my first winter snowstorm & I survived gracefully. Will wait for the chinooks now. :) I have been smiling at the snow for reasons unlimited. I am known to complain about the heat & now I learnt my less...

I think I have mentioned this earlier. But I was never a big fan of this man, thanks to my limited knowledge. I always believed that violence was an answer. But, today, when I heard this man say, "An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind" I truly hope I got the meaning behind his words. What powerful words & what noble intentions!!!! I dare not say so. By saying so, we can put him somewhere high up & continue to do our nonsenses. Today, the world is in such a state that each & every person should think like him. Maybe not totally. Extending out to the whole nation or the entire world may seem as a Mahatman...but we can surely extend our current periphery. This man went on a fast-unto-death until the Hindu Muslim fight stopped. What will he do in today's world? One Gandhi managed to get us freedom. But how many more do we need to sustain this independence? I did not go "Boo Boo Pakistan" nor "Hurray India". Finally I have grown up,...

A recent joke G told me. :) What do you call someone who talks only one language? A: An American.

I get to meet a lot of people, thanks to the classes I take S to. The one thing that has not ceased to amaze me in Canada(among many other things) is the diversity amongst people. I meet 5 people & they are all from different countries. And yet, they behave like they are equally amicable. Like, yesterday, I met a lady from Pakistan. Being in India, I've never really had ill-feelings towards Pakistani's. Pakistan, maybe. But not the people. And I told her, "You and me talking like this...It can probably happen only in Canada." To my surprise, she told me that her husband is an Indian. Canadian now, but Indian origin. From Madras. That told me they haven't been home for a very long time. She did not know that Madras has moved to Chennai now:) But seriously, all this boundaries, these limitations, who is stopping me from breaking it? After all, it is me who created it. And these Pakistanis, they talk Hindi, so hell...I can even talk to them. Is there any other pl...

Of all the things I've experienced in this life...anger, jealousy, love, affection, compassion, joy, misery, the best thing by far is Devotion. Shambho...

This is definitely a better movie-er, more like a documentary, real life story. I saw one word, Everest on the DVD & picked it up. Turns out that this guy, Erik had climbed the Everest. If that is no big deal, which I think it is, here is more truth. He is blind. Here is the IMDB rating. The documentary goes about how Erik leads a team of 6 blind kids & their guardians up to the peak of Lakhpa-Ri, 23000ft, right close to Everest. What this means to Erik & his team & how different do the Tibetans feel about this climb is potrayed very well. Sabriye, a blind German woman runs a school, "Braille without borders" at Tibet What she decides to do when 3 out of her 6 students had to go down the mountain at just 3000ft below the summit is mind-blowing. It feels right in every sense. A must watch, I would say. About Sabriye Tenberken . She is something.

This was the first time I knew so many south Indians live in this part of the world. There were only 2 shows. I have no clue how G picked up from his friend that it was happening in a downtown theatre. I don't know if I should call him a die-hard fan, but he enjoys all Rajni movies. He made me watch Sivaji as well. This one...well, let's see I survived because of Harry Potter. I was almost at the end of the last book & used G's iPhone light to read the book in the theatre. I would've been stoned to death if I was doing this in Chennai. That's for sure. The first half was over before I knew it. I enjoyed the comedy a lot. Rajni makes a good comedian. His innocence comes out. Specially the first Mariyatha electro-magnetic mode. It was sooooo funny. But I just hated so many things. -Ash was used as a doll. Well, when was the last time she wasn't? Not sure, honestly. -The songs did not stick to my mind or heart or brain. I hadn't heard it even once before wa...

Dated: Oct 1st 2010 Dear Self, The world is just so immensely beautiful. The sky is beautiful. Today, just a couple of minutes ago, I was out, looking at the night sky. The moon had not yet risen. But the sky was lit by billions of diamond-like stars. It was a perfect analogy to sing “Twinkle Twinkle” to S out by the picnic table as she fell asleep on me. I am at Hay River, NWT, Canada. Above the 60th parallel. About 500 odd km S of the Arctic Ocean. From where I sat, one of the long stretches of the beaches at Great Slave Lake, all alone, if I looked up, I had a 365 degree view. But my extended peripheral vision was a good 180 degrees only. Inspite of that, I counted…I saw 23 shooting stars. At that instant, I realized there were millions more shooting themselves out. It was so still. OK. There were dogs howling that made me think of wolves, for an instant. But still, it was still. Everything. Including me. I did not exist. I just witnessed. Life is happening at this very instant. Lif...

Today,exactly a year ago, 17th September 2009 was my first day of Shambhavi . My association with Isha. The first 40 days, for some reason, did not look like a milestone. I continued it twice even after the 40 days. And then 2 months later, I took my first trip to the Tennessee Ashram for my Shoonya. And the 6 months target was also touched. Since then, no looking back. But now, 1 year. Sure seems like a milestone. Don't know why. But it does. I am aware that there are so many people with more than 15 years association with Isha. But this is my journey. And I feel many things. Mostly grateful. Life has changed immensely. I'd have probably missed my daily practices for about 5 days in all of this 365 days. It did not seem easy to even think of doing 2 hours of practice every day for 1 year. But somehow, it happened. Between S. Between all our travels. It just happened. It feels like the worst of the my life is behind me. I don't have anything to look forward to. Just honest...

I owe today's post to Deepak . I was alone at home in the afternoon. Someone knocked on the door. I opened to find some kids. Though soliciting is not entertained in our complex, I somehow did not feel offended seeing them. One of the kids asked me to buy a piece of chocolate for $2 as donation for their school. I did not even think. Just said, "I don't have cash. Maybe some other time". They replied, "oh, okay" and found his way to the next apartment. I locked the door. But something struck me. I looked in my purse to find $20. So, picked up some laundry coins & went back after the kids. Fortunately, I found them. "Found some change", I admitted sheepishly. The boy smiled. "Thank you", he said. The chocolate tasted divine, no doubt. I don't know what made me refuse the first time. I told myself that it was ok(absolutely) to buy something unnecessary for myself. The kid's smile lit up my face. I am still smiling.

What is love? Most times, Love comes off as an expression of a feeling. It means expressing it to someone. It always needs someone to show it to. Else, it feels incomplete. Whenever I've experienced this kind of feeling I would always look for someone to show it to. It is precious. It is priceless. BUT. What if we have a feeling towards someone & that person is not around? That immense feeling that has a desperate need to be expressed, but is unable to because THE person to be showered it with is not around. Ok, you can call, talk to that person. Tell "I Love you" a million times. But still, it doesn't settle. The moment you drop that phone, you want to call back & talk it out all over again. The important fact is the pleasant feeling it leaves us with. It leaves a permanent smile. You want to smile for as long as you can. BUT again. What if I want to be loving? Not bothered. Not waiting for that perfect person to come around. What if I am able to just love. N...

I know what made me want to go to Florida(from Canada) to volunteer for the IE class. With the IE online happening, there could be some time before this class happens again. But I was not so sure after making reservations. After all, I took the class in San Francisco & I have family & friends there. It made so much sense to stay with someone whom I already knew. But there I was sitting on a plane in Calgary. Absolutely pleasant & joyful for no apparent reason. A series of fortunate events happened. IE happened. Again! And I am blown over. All over again. In a completely different way. And how so grateful I am! Today is the last day of the class. I've been living in close association with so many volunteers. SO many things happened. I can barely find words. So, I am not even going to try. But I am noticing one difference distinctly. The past is no more. The future is not here yet. I am living in the now - No, not even today. Just this moment. I have sometimes tried to re...

7.00 am. I am sitting on a plane. Alone. I look behind. Calgary downtown lit up by the morning Sun. And the Silhouette of the Rockies in the backdrop. I wonder. No. Conclude. There is no city that has a landscape like this. Well. I always considered San Francisco to have one of the best skylines too. That counts. And this too. :) In a while I am airborne. Got a twist in the neck looking out of the window hoping to follow the Rockies. I probably followed until what seemed like Denver(beneath the clouds) & then all I know is we were 140 mi from Houston. This is the first time I am flying into IAH. And all I could think of was, "Houston, we have a problem". How dramatic! Geography is important to me. So, I was (actually)hoping to find the border from 37000ft high up. Where Canada meets the US. But I couldn't. It all looked the same. Until Houston. But Houston was different. All of a sudden a busy airport. Too many people(Pardon me, no pun intended). And steak everywhere....

One of the best movies I've seen lately. The movie is based on a book by the same name. It is based on the real life story of Brad Cohen who did not allow his Tourette's syndrome to win over him. He still lives in Atlanta, GA doing what he wanted to do all his life, Teach. I had similar emotions when I watched the "kadavul ullame" song from Anbulla Rajinikanth long long ago. More read about Tourette's syndrome here . It is really wonderful to see how the 2nd grade class kids had no issues with their teacher's syndrome. The movie gave lot to ponder about. A wonderful watch.

Definitely not "just another" book. I cannot call it inspirational but would willingly agree to say "life transforming"(to say the least). But it can shake you completely if you will. While reading the book, I cannot deny, I started to believe what was being told, at least a part of it, but now, as I sit and write, I am...confused. All the more. And as I know, confusion is good. Better than a conclusion. A friend mentioned that she read this book as she would her Ph.D thesis. The book belongs to the same genre as the one I read earlier, but it goes a level higher with scientific proof. ie., if you consider Psychiatry as science. It is very easy to dismiss the content of this book as illogical(even with the scientific proof) because the content is such. "A life cannot be rushed, cannot be worked on a schedule as so many people want it to be. We must accept what comes to us at a given time, not ask for more. But life is endless, so we never die; we were never rea...

I came across this book through a friend. The name sounded interesting & hence reserved a copy at the library. I had no idea what this book is about & did not bother doing research either. Only when I had the book in my hand did I know it was about Quantum physics. :) The author, Mani Bhaumik, the brains behind the LASIK invention writes about his poverty-stricken life in India & his journey of getting out of that "black hole". He successfully managed to become one of the millionaires of Los Angeles. But. That was not enough. That did not mean anything. The book is about his journey inward. It was a page-turner to say the least. And now about Quantum physics. I've heard Sadhguru speak about science. But never really thought it significant enough to look it up & verify his quote. Science on some level, never really mattered to me. But Mani speaks of Quantum physics & the presence of energy, only makes me smile. I do not believe anything. I do not not-be...

S planted her first seed 2 days ago. She was so excited trying to dig a hole, put the seed in & pour water. It's a given that Canada is populated with immigrants. And the Government is doing so much for the new generation. They have art programs, gym time, indoor play area, movie days, Help me grow times for kids. And it is all free. I learnt about this recently & have benefited greatly in just 2 visits. S absolutely loved being in the garden. They use organic fertilizers(I am yet to find out what they are) & the parents get to reap the veggies. I picked up a bunch of spinach & mint leaves. My cooking yesterday costed me nothing, we all ate organic food & I am also glad that we contribute to the community. Next week, we will go check on the zucchini that we planted & plant some more. From the post, if it is obvious that I had more fun, maybe you are right. I am getting to learn so much from all that is available. Hopefully, I gather enough information to sus...

when I am really happy. For my Mother mostly, but also for so many things untellable. Amma has just returned from Isha Yoga Center for an advanced program & she has been raving ever since she got back yesterday. Amma did her Inner Engineering 3 months ago. She has been regular with her practices. And in just 2 months time, the family doctor has reduced her sugar medication to almost nil. While I wait for the day it actually becomes NIL, I am so relieved, satisfied & grateful that this has happened. She has also dropped all other medications that she was on. She has been peaceful, energetic & happy for no reason apparently & I can definitely see a big change in her. And the way I am sharing things with her, I told her that I've never felt so close to her, ever. And it means a lot to say this when she is 60. But yesterday, when she was sharing her visit to the Ashram, my heart just wanted to be there. How privileged are some people! Amma has an extremely low tolera...

I've known 2 father's in my life pretty closely. One was mine & one my daughter's. One I know as father alone & the other, have the privilege of seeing one become so. Though it would've been tough, I think G took the transition to fatherhood pretty well. Now, all I see him is as a father & I say this with deep satisfaction & gratefulness. And the reason to that is probably my own father. While I will wait for my daughter to write about her father, this post is about my father. The person I looked up to as my Idol; My hero in my own right. My memories about my childhood days are vivid. I have special memories about my school, my home, all those travels up North, my astronomy time with Appa, all those books & rhymes he got & enthusiastically read out to me. A large part of this vests with Appa. The reason he is still fresh in my memory is probably because he has affected me very very deeply. And continues to do so. He took his work seriously. He wa...