The Love of Thousands ...

It was my parents 40th wedding anniversary last week. My sister wanted to make a video for them containing old photos of times gone by. As I was digging through old photos, I came across so many pictures of my parents with my kids, my mother-in-law with the kids, pictures of our siblings and our dear friends. I felt a deep sense of gratitude for all the time and love they have poured into our lives. They have stood by us through the rough times and the happy times.

Here is a picture of my mother-in-law presenting my newborn son to my 2 year old daughter who had kidney surgery just a week prior.  What would we be without all these people? We are the result of the love of thousands ..the love of generations!!

Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands! - Linda Hogan

My talented sister

As my older sister is preparing to launch her first book I am inspired to write a post about her. 

As kids, I excelled in academics while she excelled in the arts. She lives music and our house was drowned in music. She slept with our tiny red radio cum tape-recorder next to her pillow. "Man Chahe Geet" was her favorite. Bathroom singing was our daily pastime. You could hear high pitched, plaintive "Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi" ... "Naa.. Jiya Lage Na .." from the bathroom. Thinking of days gone by makes me smile.

Even as a school girl, she used to sew dresses using saris or old clothes. Though the stitching was not very robust, we used to wear it and they were actually quite pretty. She used to cut and style her own hair and even ours! Do you see the fringes on both my sisters hairs in the photo below?

We wanted to have a low diwan in our house and my parents refused to buy one. So we constructed one with wooden planks stacked on top of each other. It was wobbly but we did use it for a long time. :)

She used to play the Veena. She was good in drawing, painting and craft. She was a hockey player and represented her school in the regional level. Some of her school friends used to call her "talent". From the time I can remember, I know her to be bold, fearless .. diving into things and giving a 100%

My parents named her Prathibha after a doctor they knew. Prathibha means "talented" in Hindi! She has lived up to her name. She has and will always inspire me!

Perfection is a state of being

My 5yr old daughter started learning Bharatanatyam. As she begins learning, I too discover the joys of learning. This shlokam holds the key for any dancer to excel in this art.

Yato   Hasta   Stato   Drushti
Yato   Drushti   Stato   Manaha
Yato   Manaha   Stato   Bhavom
Yato   Bhavom   Stato   Rasaha
(Where the hand goes, there the eyes should follow
Where the eyes are, the mind should follow
Where the mind is, there the expression should be brought out
Where the expression is, there the flavor will be experienced)

Arun Shankar, my second cousin who graduated and taught at the renowned Kalakshetra, Chennai

Perfection and grace in any activity requires the complete coordination of body, mind and all the senses. 

Deeper meaning of Mantra Pushpam

Veda means "understanding" in Sanskrit. Mantra Pushpam is about a deep understanding of nature and all elements in nature. As one ponders on the elements, the interconnectedness of all of creation is revealed to us.

Yopam pushpam veda

The sublime inter relationship between air, water, fire, light and heat from the sun, the moon, stars, clouds, rains is what sustains life and keeps the continuous flow of life energy. In this understanding, we will understand ourselves, our place in the universe and our purpose in life. Only this understanding can bring everlasting peace in us allowing us to sail through life in tranquility

This sacred interconnectedness of all things in the universe was understood not only by the wise sages of India but also by the native, or tribal people all over the world who lived in close proximity and alignment with nature.

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.  - Chief Seattle
 
These is nothing superior. Like pearls strung on a thread, everything is hooked unto me. ( mattah parataram nanyat| kincid asti dhananjaya | mayi sarvam idam protam | sutre mani-gana iva )  - Bhagavad Gita

When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe. - John Muir 

A human being is a part of the whole called by us as universe - Albert Einstein

The Circle of Life

It is mid-november and all the leaves have fallen. Tiny empty nests of birds come in full view on the trees. Today I picked up a small abandoned nest. I am amazed at the beauty and symmetry of the nest. So light, yet robust. Soft inside with an opening that was a perfect circle. 

The circle that I saw reminded me of this quote by Black Elk (Oglala Sioux)

 "You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round..... The Sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours.... Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves."