To yield to that strange pull ..

A new year lies ahead... I have no resolutions. All I wish is that I can abandon myself completely to all the strange little pulls that tug at ones heart just like Rumi said ...Let yourself be silenty drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray

The Inspiration of Late Bloomers

At the age of 37, as I gaze at the horizon I see endless little possibilities. At 5yrs and 3yrs, my children are a bit older and are not as needy as they used to be. There are so many things I would like to do ...  so many things I want to learn ... so much I want to give.  I look up to these women.  

Rukmini Devi Arundale was a dancer of Bharatnatyam. She was inspired by the beauty and spiritualily of this art form and started learning Bharatnatyam at the age of 29 and presented it on stage at the age of 31yrs despite strong public protests.

Julia Child the famous American chef spent many years working as a secret intelligence officer. She was 49 yrs when her first book was published, 51yrs old when her TV program “The French Chef” first aired.

Violinist Vanessa-Mae who debuted in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at the age of 35 . This is what she said "I am 35 and I only took up racing a few months ago. There is no pressure, only really good spirit. If you do everything when you're young you leave no fun until the end."  

Maya Angelou is an author and poet. Her life is truly inspiring...a life of great courage and indomitable spirit. She is a creative genious who wrote her first autobiography at the age of 41.

These inspiring women have shown us that any age is a good age to learn something new. Age is never a barrier in following our passions.  

Types of Food: Satvik, Rajasik and Tamasik

My father is a veritable repository of Sanskrit shlokams (verses) having learnt alongside his father Subramanian Namboodiri who was a temple priest in my native village Mundur, Kerala (India). My father has a knack for pulling out an apt shlokam for any occasion. Talking about the 'Vitality of Food' in my previous post, I was reminded of one of my father's all-time favorites on the types of food according to Hindu scriptures. 

Ayuh-sattva-balarogya-
sukha-priti-vivardhanah
rasyah snigdhah sthira hrdya
aharah sattvika-priyah
( Food that promotes longevity, virtue, strength and health. Food that enhances happiness and satisfaction. Food that is tasty, smooth, firm and hearty are dear to people of Satvik nature.)

katv-amla-lavanaty-usna-
tiksna-ruksa-vidahinah
ahara rajasasyesta
duhkha-sokamaya-pradah
( Food that is pungent, acidic, salty, excessively spicy or hot. Food that is sharp to the tongue. Such food that promotes sorrow, remorse and regret is called Rajasik and is favored by people of Rajasik temperament)

yata-yamam gata-rasam
puti paryusitam ca yat
ucchistam api camedhyam
bhojanam tamasa-priyam
(Food which is stale or old and tasteless. Food that is putrid and has been castaway. Food that is not palatable. Such food is desired by those of Tamasic nature)

Vitality of our food

A while ago, I attended a bread baking workshop lead by baker Vitold Krueger at the Village Market. Listening to Vitold on his philosophy and practice of baking, the class for me was more a lesson in spirituality and wisdom than baking. Freshly baked organic bread and bagels just happened to be an end product of the class.

Vitold talked to us about the grains, stone grinding and the subtle spiritual energy that goes into the kneading and baking. He talked to us about the vitality of the food we eat...that the grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables are all living entities. The high heat of processing, distances that our food travels, our acts of repeatedly heating and freezing simply kills it.

Ultimately our diet is just "dead food" that has to be enriched (with supplements). All it provides us is empty calories and more chemicals in our bodies. Eating real food nourishes the body and the soul! Real food is also medicine when it retains all of its vitality.

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.