I have visited the Majestic Standing Christ, in Rio de Janeiro. It is a magnificent sight! He stands 38 meters tall, on a monument 38 m high which is on on a rock 710 meters tall. It is believed that Rio was created by God Himself and it is probably where the Garden of Eden was.

I had always wanted to see this Christ on the hill, and this trip, as I moved towards His outstretched arms I was once again reminded that He does call you, if your wanting to visit Him is sincere. Do believe me when I tell you that all obstacles melt away when He so wills. I am reminded of the last time I was faced with a million to one chance of seeing the Giridhar of Meerabai. One of the greatest devotees of Lord Krishna that have ever lived. Yes, I mean the Rajasthani Princess Saint Meerabai who lived a few centuries ago.

I had gone to Udaipur and from there to Chittor, famous for the forts and palaces of Rajput princes. There my main aim was to pay obeisance in Meerabai’s temple. Meerabai was married to a Shishodia Rajput Prince. At Chittor garh, I kept imploring the guide to show me the temple first as I was afraid that it might close at noon. The tourist guide kept re-assuring me that the temple never closes. When we reached the temple, it was closed!!!!!! I mentally said to Krishna: "I refuse to believe that my desire to see the temple was not straight from my heart, so why is the temple closed?! The guide felt sorry for me. He tried to make me feel better, by telling me that the real Idol was not in this temple but in Udaipur Palace amongst the present Queen's private collection! Needless to say, that bit of information did not make me feel an iota better. After all it was a long drive to Udaipur and from thence we were driving off for Ahmedabad the following morning. To top it all, the queen was NOT my personal friend, so how would I get access to her private collection to see Meera's Giridhar!!!!

It seemed impossible.

Yet, to cut a very long story short, I did (miraculously and by His Grace get to see Meera's Giridhar the next day, and I even got flowers that had touched His feet. The priest gave it to me claiming that he did not know why he was so doing. I strewed the petals of Krishna into my 200 page Bhajan Book. (The note book that contained my favorite hymns & prayer songs). When later I opened my note book, wonder of wonders!! Most of the petals had fallen into the three songs penned by Meera! It was like Krishna had assured me that He was indeed Meera’s 'Giridhar’, Her Beloved Krishna.

In the Mystic land of South America, I got to see the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, who stands 36 m tall and is visible throughout the whole city of Santiago in Chile. I got to see the chapel of SorTeresa, a nun, who died at the age of 19. I read her autobiography and she writes so naturally about her mystic experiences! I got to see the Basilica of the Aparecida in Brazil. It is the largest Marian shrine in the world. There the priest personally hugged me and blessed me for having come from so far away.

One of my wishes, before I flew to South America was that I visit the Land of the Sun Worshippers ‘The Incas’. Imagine my surprise when I was told that the place where I was putting up, was once a part of a farm belonging to the Incas’ Civilization!

Carl Jung said: Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”

The more you clean up your inner world, the more beautiful your outer world will be…
What about a broken heart?

A broken heart occurs when one loses someone one loves, literally or/and one finds that one is not connecting......The breaking of hearts happens when one begins to realize that ones dreams have faded and ones desires have not been fulfilled...

Then do miracles happen?
Yes, they do!
Whatever the force that brings about miracles in ones life is awesome!
I shall tell you how they happened in my life...One day...
Until soon...

THE MIRACLE OF KAVERI

I have a fascinating friend called Seeta. I have known her for over 30 years!
She was married to an industrialist. After her husband passed on and she had ‘settled’ her children she opted for devoting her life to that of prayer. I have personally seen the cottage in which she lived at the bangs of the River Ganga! I salute, you my dear Seeta! (In the photograph, I am in the center and Seeta is on my left)
A while ago I went to the picturesque slopes of the Brahmagiri hills. The holy place, from where Mother River Cauvery (Kaveri) springs.
Kaveri is considered the Ganga of the South of India.
My friend Seeta, was visiting the place and she invited me to go along with her.
So I flew to Bangalore.
From there, it was 5hrs, of scenic drive to Coorg.
My friend Seeta is originally from Coorg, hence we stayed with her sister and brother in law.
Both, doctors, both very hospitable, and both, great human beings.
Early next morning, we drove for about 2 hrs, where the Mother Kaveri moves, as in a slow dance, under the bridges, that adorn the beautiful landscape.
I took 3 dips, and imagined, Mother’s Grace descending over me. I felt blessed!
Then it was another half an hour to the source of Mother Kaveri. It is called Thalla Cauvery.
On top of a mountain, was a small tank. About 4ft. by 4 ft, believed to be the birthplace of Mother Kaveri.
A few steps below the small tank, there is a bigger tank, the size of large swimming pool.
We again took the dips. The gracious pandit poured water over my head from the higher, smaller tank above. The water was clean. Why am I surprised?

Now let me tell you the story of the sacred place.
Beautiful Kaveri is the daughter of the Sage Kaavera.
Kaveri performed tremendous penance, to be able to achieve the boon, of becoming a river, for the arid region.
As Kaveri turned into a beautiful damsel, the enamoured Sage Agastya asked Kaveri’s father for her hand in marriage.
The father could not refuse the sage. Hence Kaveri, being a dutiful daughter agreed to marry the sage, but there was a condition attached to the matrimony.
She told her husband that if he left her alone, for any amount of time, she would leave him.
The sage agreed. The wedding was solemnized.
However, once the sage left her alone, for a short while, as he went nearby for a bath.
Kaveri decided to leave her husband, as she had vowed, she would do, if her condition was not fulfilled.
The Sage protested. The locals interfered and took sides, in the dispute that arose between husband and wife. They were cursed, that they would become corrupted by sin.
The Mother transformed into a Mighty River and promised that whosoever bathed in her clear cool waters, would be absolved of all negativity.
Not only that. Mother Kaveri promised to appear once a year. I bet that you are about to ask me how She does that?
Well, a holy miracle occurs every year. As soon as the sun reaches a particular position, mostly on the 17th of October, the water in the small tank bubbles up, as the locals implore Mother to come, one more time to wash away their negativities. And she does. Appear.
I was fortunate to be there on the 17th of October J. However Her Darshan time, was at 1.30 in the morning L.
Oh 2 more things! The force of Mother Kaveri, turning into a mighty river, made the pleats of Her sari, which were in the front, move to the back. Until today, the charming ladies of Coorg wear their sarees with the pleats at the back.
Also the water beneath the bigger tank disappears, to appear much later as a dancing stream. Maybe that happened as Kaveri hid, because of the wrath of her husband.
I was told, that even though scientists have dug at the site, to find the hidden waters of Mother Kaveri, under the tank, they have been unable to.
Shacune
www.dalsabzi.com

I attended a panel discussion on Marriages.
(Photo) Our marriage 1965
I shall walk with you aways, in joy and in sorrow

The following were the conclusions:
MAKE YOUR MARRIAGE THE BEST THING GOING
The first solution to all problems is:
Effective Communication:
Listen more talk less
Never say: 'it is your fault’
Do not communicate when angry.
Look at the plus points in your marriage
You do not have to agree on everything...you can love intensely despite...
You must allow each other to grow
Speak your mind clearly and gently
Do not ask 'How was your day?' ask specific Qs.
Remember 'men come from Mars and Women from Venus. We may not be able to understand each other fully, but we can still love.
Celebrate the difference and complement one another. A great marriage is not when the perfect couple comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy the differences'

I received an email from a friend which made sense. Sending you excerpts:
It stated that the deepest fear we have is the fear of being alone… The source of the fear is our original separation from God… We try to escape this fear by having someone in our life who we believe will be here for us …unfortunately it does not work for long… We are forced to face our limiting beliefs, our judgments and our control patterns…

Queen Mary High School

THE QUEEN MARIANS OF 1963
Gloria (Jesudian) Jacob (gloria_jacob@hotmail.com)


The class of Queen Marians of 1963, stands apart from the rest of the world. They are unique in that they have taken great pains to keep in touch with each other. Out of a list of 93 names, which include students who passed through, joined late and left, for a multitude of reasons, we are now in touch with 59 another 4, unfortunately, having passed away. 22 of these live abroad, 33 in Mumbai and 4 in other parts of India. Whenever anyone arrives, it is time for a get-together. 9 years ago about 30 of us celebrated our 50th birthday and next year, as we totter towards it, we hope to celebrate our 60th.
Perhaps we can stake a claim to the Guiness Book of Records!!! We’ve rubbed shoulders with some celebrities in our batch. Bhakti Barve, Uma (Dalal) Chowdhary, Mira (Mehta) Hatiangadi, Shakun Narain (Vimlu Khiani), Meera Isaacs…to name a few, but many have carved a niche for themselves.
We are proud to say that of the lot we’ve had 3 Principals of schools, the one most recently honoured being Ms. Meera Isaacs (nee Samuel). Apart from being the first Woman Principal of Cathedral & John Connon School, on the 5th of September 2005, on Teachers’ Day, Meera was presented the National Teachers’ Award (for Principals) by no less a figure than President Abdul Kalam himself.
But the unique part is that we meet often and are there for each other. There were about 12 of us, some with spouses, at the party hosted by Meera’s daughters and friends to felicitate the recently honoured Meera, on Sunday the 18th of September 2005.

Something to crow about!
Queen Mary's for Aye!

Hi Folks,
Party time again! This time we zero in at Delna's place (Our batch head-girl) on the 15th March 2006. Occasion? "Saptha-apthe-poorthi"(!!) which translates to our sixtieth birthday!! Since most of us are going to celebrate it this year, the planners have decided to do it on Roshan Lala's birthday! (See photo at the top of blog)

Crystals

A while agoI gave a lecture on Crystals, I thought that I would share this information with you. My information comes from some books that I read recently on the subject.It is believed that crystals remind us of our starry origin, since crystals are supposed to be figments of stars as we are. Like any precious stone all crystals are supposed to possess an individual 'note' or 'sound', which it releases into the ethers.It is believed that Pyramids utilized the power of Quartz crystals to create weightlessness. South Americans believed that crystals were sacred stones inhabited by Spirits.Atlanteans used a lot of it to receive telepathic messages.Aborigines believed Quartz crystals to be sacred stones, particularly those with flaws.Gypsies could read ones future by gazing into a crystal bowl.Hindu ascetics often don a crystal necklace, even though they renounce everything else.So are you convinced enough to go and pick up a quartz crystal for yourself? Well, it is believed that you cannot go looking for the crystal, the crystal which is meant for you, finds you, when you are ready.

THE EVIL EYE JEWELLERY
THE BLUE GLASS EYE CHARM
It is believed that the Turkish evil eye jewellery wards off the evil eye and protects the wearer from negative influences and the belief that one person can cast a spell on another.
The above concept to ward off negative influences owes its origin to a Turkish myth (nazar bonjuk)
The blue glass eye charm stares at the person who is supposedly casting the spell telling him that he is not going to get away with it! It also mirrors back the blue of the evil eye and confuses it.

GOOD LUCK-BAD LUCK

What is good luck, what is bad luck? Who really knows?
Look back on your life. What you considered bad luck, probably turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

One yearns for material wealth, travel, fame, spouse, children...?
Do we really know, that they will be the harbingers of happiness?
So then why feel jealous of anyone, when they achieve what we so earnestly wish for?
Why waste precious time and effort on envy?
If, however, a certain wish refuses to budge, then state your desire out into the universe, and expect it, to be granted…and go your way rejoicing.
More often than not, doors will open.

It would be a smart move to ask for peace of mind and contentment no matter what life may bring?
And that wish would be granted immediately.
How?
Do not dwell on the past or exist in the future!
Live in the moment, in an attitude of gratitude.

If you feel lost and sad, then watch a sunrise, hug a tree, lift your eyes to the heavens and you will be comforted, because that is what nature is meant to do.

Accept your defeats, flower where you are planted, and you will realize that you are much more capable than you gave yourself credit for.
Spread Love, joy and goodwill and the Universe will return it to you with interest!
Why worry? I have read somewhere that ‘today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday’
I have also realized that we are unhappy because of our own conditionings. It has been imposed on our belief system that we can only be happy if we are rich, famous, powerful etc. Question your beliefs and superimpose them with a new belief that states that you will be happy no matter what!

Recognise that you hurt because your ego has been bruised or your desire has been obstructed by an obstacle!
After having done your best, leave the rest! Surrender to Life and Its wisdom! Have faith!

When you accept the real You, fear drops and a certain joy takes its place!

THE CREATOR OF PAIN

We create our own pain. People do not create problems, our minds do.
I can already hear you protesting.
Ok! Others may create problems for us, but they move away from the scene.
It is our mind that remains, constantly chattering, living and reliving the past, and worrying and getting paranoid about the future.
But since everyone is paranoid, we consider it normal.
The above does not mean that one must stop caring or being bothered about the work at hand. I believe in what the Bhagvad Geeta teaches: “Do your best and leave the rest”.
Accept, whatever life brings, and ‘Act!’ and then leave the result of the actions at the feet of the Almighty!
One must become aware of the continuous unnecessary chatter that goes on in ones mind, like a broken record.
One must become the Conscious Presence.
Life is the way it is. The mind judges the past, worries about the future and wastes the precious moment at hand. The above holds true even when the moment is unbearable.
How awful can it really be, if one decides to live one moment at a time?
One must remember, that today is the tomorrow, one worried about yesterday.
Let us not create any new pain now, and let us not live in the pain that one brings from the past.
Let us start by believing that we are far greater than our minds.
I was reading the other day about Raman Maharishi, (The Guru of Swami Vivekananda) one of the greatest sages that walked on our planet.
Raman, at the age of 16, felt that he was dying. Immediately, he realized that he was not the body. He was ‘real’ an eternal spirit that transcends the body and cannot be affected by death or any kind of pain.
His teaching was simple. He taught: ‘Continuously ask yourself ‘Who am I’
“Who am I prior, to me being a daughter, a woman, a sister, a wife…?”
And one will be lead to ones Eternal True Being. ‘Ones True Nature’.
However, that Deepest Self can only be understood when the mind is still.
For those who reach the Enlightened State, I am told that beautiful experiences may come and go, but an undercurrent of peace remains.
Buddha called that state: The end of suffering.
I said earlier that the true mind may be experienced when the mind is still.
You might say that people who do not use their mind are crazy.
Mind is different from ‘intellect’ and the power of discrimination.
The mind is made of the constant useless chatter.
I have read that the reason why less people are creative is not because they do not know how to think, but because they do not stop thinking. The Creative Power that comes from the Beyond comes from the stillness between thoughts.