Sunday, September 23, 2012

The King in exile

On Friday the 21st of September was invited by Ms Vimla Patil to the launch of the book: 'The King in exile' by Sudha Shah.
At the moment have also been reading about  Moghul Kings (books by Indu Sunderesan) I have always been influenced by Moghul History. Wonder what the Universe is trying to point out to me? That riches is not much to fret about? That 'everything passes? Yet one has to play the game of life, the best way one can!
About 'The King in exile:

Not much has been written about the personal life of King Thibaw, the last king of Burma, after he was deposed by the British in 1885 to live in exile in Ratanagiri, a small and isolated town in India. And even less has been written, even in Burmese historical books, about the tragic lives of the four princesses.

In Burma’s history, Thibaw’s rise to throne was marred by the massacre of a large number of royal family members, and his reign made infamous by marking the end of many centuries of monarchy due to British colonization.
The first section gives readers a feel for the magnificent riches and power enjoyed by Thibaw and Supayalat in their palace as well as the intricacies and scheming alliances of the power struggle in court, and how it affected the future of the country.
The second and third parts highlight the impact British colonization had on Burma and Thibaw’s family personally. From being the sovereign of Burma, Thibaw was reduced to having to survive on a comparatively paltry allowance from the British government after his precious treasures and properties—much of his wealth subsequently unaccounted for—seized by the British.

On one hand, Thibaw and his family have to get approval from the British on every aspect of their lives—how much money they can spend per month, who they can meet, who they can hire and fire in their housing staff, who the princesses can marry, even what education the grandchildren receive.
Thibaw and Supayalat used to have the power of life and death over the Burmese people, and so life in exile, subjected to totalitarian control, must have been extremely strange and frustrating.
The princesses grew up without any formal education and their peer group was principally limited to just staff—mostly uneducated Indians from the town and their Burmese “servants.” Would they have had better futures if properly schooled and exposed to other privileged societies?
The British government—in order to curb a possible rising of Burmese nationalistic spirit—did not allow the ashes of Thibaw, who died in exile in 1916, and his junior Queen Supayagalae to be brought back to Burma.
Was the British government being too severe on a family who had to live in exile in a foreign land for more than 31 years? These questions might surface in the reader’s mind upon finishing the book.

Saturday, September 22, 2012


Lord Ganeshji is known as the Remover of obstacles. Ganesha is elephant faced, pot bellied and with short legs because he has no ego.
We all have eight negative energies in some measure in us and we need to overcome them in order to control the ego.
Ganesha took many forms as visualized in the Mudgala Purana.
1)      Incarnation as Vakratunda, the One with a curved trunk when he vanquished the demon Matsarasura.
Matsarasura means jealousy and the anger born from it.
2)      Avatar as Ekdanta or the ‘One tusked one”was taken in order to subdue Madasura.or the demon of Vanity.
3)      Ganesh as Mohadara teaches us to get rid of moha or attachment by killing the demon ‘Moha”
4)      Ganesh as Gajanana kills the demon Lobha or greed.
5)      Ganesh as Lambodara he overcomes krodha or the demon of anger.
6)      Ganesha as a deformed Vikata destroys the demon Kama
7)      Ganesh as Vighnaraja h destroys the ogre of self indulgence.
8)      Ganesh as Dhumravarna he cuts the root of it all, ahankara or arrogance.
(Excerpts from article by Sudhamahl Raghunathan)

Thursday, September 20, 2012


It is an ecofriendly Ganesh made of cardammon and grain and so is the background.
Wonderful Pradeep! Get to know Ganpatiji better! click:
http://www.dalsabzi.com/Language_Festivals/ganesh_chaturti.htm



Monday, September 03, 2012

corporators job Dr Anand home MRA


Attended an MRA meeting at Dr Anand's house. Milind Maske was the speaker. He told us about Praja Foundation. Find out who your corporator is, make him work for you. Any complaint garbage potholes etc write a complaint.Elected representatives are supposed to do the job. Many of them waste their time debating about renaming roads.Find out who your neta, is If you feel reluctant to do it, contact PCGT or RTI.  Help line 1916www.praja.org.

Friday, August 24, 2012

VW enters my life once again!



My beetle VW was my first step towards Independence. It was a gift from my husband when I was a young woman in my 30s. My desire to probably drive a VW as my last car during this lifetime was once again fulfilled! Thankyou

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Mike Handcock Dave Rogers

Attended an International workshop on the X Factor (presented by  Quantum Business School and the Sage Foundation.)
conducted by Dave Rogers and Mike Handcock.
It particularly taught us:
How to maximize our uniqueness which everyone has..How to get noticed in an interview or deal even if you're not a Star profile.
Some interesting learnings and experiences
Dont think your way through things
BUT
feel your way through things
What is a billionaire's formula?
Ability to recognize opportunity multiplied by intuition and topped by decisiveness.
I asked: "What does one do, if one has the passion but less energy (In my case I have a passion to understand spirituality and Interfaith dialogue).
The answer was: Become a consultant
Will you believe that Rael Padamsee said: I will contact you to become a consultant for my plays based on religious stories! :)





Saturday, August 18, 2012

Aspi Supriya Kitaab Khaana




Like wine, it feels one can never have enough of Sufi Poetry. After last month's evening with Sufi poetry, those who came wanted some more. So in this month's Poetry Corner at Kitabkhana, we continue where we left off, with a focus on Omar Khayyam this time.
Myself when young did eagerly frequent
Doctor and Saint, and heard great Argument
About it and about: but evermore
Came out by the same Door as in I went.
“The very best poems produce a shift in awareness that takes us outside ourselves. In this place, momentarily, time seems to slow down or even stop. From this vantage point, we view life from another perspective — one that seems strangely familiar, and perhaps even more real, than our casual, day-to-day way of looking at things. In this way, by stepping beyond ourselves into the Tavern of Wonder, we catch a glimpse of what the deeper self, and our deeper ties, are really like.”
— From the introduction to Love’s Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition by David and Sabrineh Fideler
Sufi’s are lovers of the truth. Through love and devotion they seek to become one with their beloved. Through poetry many of the great Sufi mystics have been able to encapsulate and share their spiritual experiences.

Aspi Mistry is the founder member of the Dharma Rain Centre for Buddhist Studies, Free Tibet and human rights activist, who prays, with apologies to Shantideva, “May I be a thorn in the sides of those who desperately need a thorn in their sides…”