I love sharing what I find fascinating...

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's recipe to:

Experience peak intensity by simply sitting

…If you want to see more of life, your life energies should function at a higher level of intensity… Most people become intense only when there is danger…Now let’s say you are alive, still you can never forget those moments. Somehow they were so intense that if you just think about it, it comes fully alive. Or let’s say you are standing at the edge of a tall building, just about to fall. Do you see how intense you become? If the consequence of the fall is taken away, the fall is a damn great thing. Is’nt it?

Suppose those consequences are taken away, won’t you like to experience it all the time? All the adventure sports what do you think it is? Accidents without consequences…You jump off an airplane, at the last moment you pull the parachute. But you want to experience the fall because it makes you so intense…
Meditation is about pushing life towards its peak…
Shiva sat like this for millennia…Because He took his voltage up really high, that was how His third eye openend…

ANEKANT VAD

Anekantvad as far as I understand means that there is not only one truth to the matter but various…There can be many points of view and all may be right from a certain perspective.

I was reading an article by Acharya Mahaprajna
He states that Anekant Vad ‘takes into account as many aspects as possible…it does not take a single dimensional view of things that could twist logic…Through Anekant we accept the co-existence of opposites as a fact…Both loss and gain are to be accepted…The two are mutually connected. The two are in fact, one…The same applies to happiness and sorrow, life and death, loss and gain, praise and insult…But we are strange, we usually do not adopt a balanced view. We do not like to move along with the principle of anekanta; we want to move independently.

An individual wants gain but not loss, joy but not sorrow, life but not death, and he wants praise never condemnation. He then forgets the universal rule. In this dualistic world, nothing comes alone…When the world and nature have a rule, how can it be broken? Yet man makes his own single dimensional perspective…

Hiro Shroff's 'Down Memory Lane' is a labour of Love.
I am happy to know that the new/revised edition of the book is out!

Inder Malhotra feels that 'As a people we Indians are strangely disinterested in History'...Journalism, by definition is the art of writing History in haste...Hiro's contribution to Oral History , even on such exciting subjects as the power struggle in Pakistan or the war in Vietnam has the quality of strife and turmoil recollected in tranquility'

My Husband and my visit to Hyderabad Sind in Pakistan and ancestral home is recorded in the book under the title: 'In search of their roots'
Despite partition, despite the passage of 40 years, and despite the fact that the building has new owners, it still displays in solid stone the name: Jhamatmal Kimatrai Building...

Down Memory Lane ~ Hiro Shroff

Anaita Vazifdar writes:

If you’ve always wanted to turn back time or take a trip down memory lane, what better way than through the written word? Whether you’re nostalgic about Alibag’s temples or are reminiscing about Partition, you will treasure Down Memory Lane. A collection of journalist Hiro Shroff’s newspaper columns over the years, the book brings you India in her past glory. And what a glorious past!

For those too young to have read the original columns, this book is a delight. From the Pope’s visit to meeting Chairman Mao, from encounters with Gandhi to photographing the Queen, traditions, customs and habits come alive on every page...

...Short chapters and a simple style make this a light,entertaining read. You could savour it one story at a time, but I’m pretty certain you’ll want to devour it in one go!


For enquiries on the book
email:
hiroshroff@hotmail.com

Attended a meeting in Mani Bhavan which was Gandhiji's residence in Bombay.It is situated at 19 Laburnum Rd, Gamdevi, Mumbai 400007.
Amongst many other activities that took place there...
Gandhiji learned spinning here.
Satyagraha against Rowlatt Act was launched from here in March 1919.
Today Mani Bhavan is a Gandhi Memorial.

The meeting I attended on 9th June 2007 was an Interfaith Dialogue on 'Status of Women in Religion' hosted by 'Centre for Study of Society Seculiarism'

Some of the points discussed by various Religious Scholars...
Shariah Law can be changed since it is an interpretation of the Quran.
Purdah is not advocated in the Quran
If purdah was advocated then why should it be advocated that man should lower gaze in front of the woman.
Female circumcision not advocated in Quran

Status of Women in Jainism
According to Digambaras women cannot get Moksha (Liberation)...Also because women are fickle-minded...a man has to renounce everything including clothes and a woman cannot do that...

...However when Lord Mahavira was asked whether a woman can come in the Sangha, he answered in the affirmative.

According to the Christian Scholar, Christ took water from a Samaritan woman...who was considered 'less priviledged' The Christian Scholar was making the point that Christians do not have a Caste System...

I clarified that the caste system was equivalent to 'professions'. In modern society, the son of a lawyer may decide to become a doctor, or the son of a sweeper, a teacher. Similarly there was no law that insisted that the son of a 'Shudra' remain a 'Shudra' A son of a 'Shudra' could join the army and become a 'Kshatriya' just as easily as the son of a teacher may become a merchant today. Unscrupulous people have the genius to exploit the credulous for their selfish ends, and this is exactly what happened to the 'caste system'. The Brahmins decided that only their sons may have access to the Scriptures, They exploited the 'working class' and even declared that it would amount to a sin to have any contact with them! Nowhere in the scripture is the above expressed!

Education is required, to eradicate ignorance. Desire to learn erases misconceptions.


Hindu women enjoyed a high status in Ancient India...Sadly Manu Smriti lowered her status...Manu was just a law giver and is not the final authority in Hinduism...

The Buddhist woman enjoys a good status...I do hope that it is as much in practice as it is in theory...

We all agreed that the True Masters of each religion respected the position of women...Durga Laxmi Saraswati is a woman...but it was man's insecurity that sometimes interpreted the Holy Books to suit them!
Sad but I believe it to be true!

On the 5th of May 2007 we (Ms Harvinder Bindra and myself) were invited to Sharda Mandir High School for its 75th Anniversary.
The school's founder was Social Activist Ms Champubai Shringarpure.Its sole purpose has been to impart education to the students coming from the weakest section of society. Renowned young magician Ms Kruti Parekh adopted the school when it was in the verge of closing down. Kruti supported the school financially, morally and mentally...The school since then has progressed by leaps and bounds.
Harvinder and myself had a delightful time and wish the ongoing success of good people and their activities.
In the photographs Harvinder participates in the magic show and in the other photographs you will see us along with Jackie Shroff and a young child who happily sat along with us!

Scylla, that charming lady holding my face so lovingly is my Yoga teacher...She introduced me to Kriya Yoga and taught me lessons valuable enough to remember all my life. My childhood friend Asha is also in the picture. We took her out for lunch on the 7th of June 2007, to the charming restaurant Govinda connected to Iskcon, Chowpatty, Mumbai!
Thankyou for coming Scylla, love you too!

SONG OF THE SINDHU HINDU


We of the Sindhi Nation celebrate several events, rejoice in birthdays of great personalities and pay handsome tributes to those who have enriched our lives, culture and heritage across countless centuries since the formation of Bharat Varsha.

Yet one major personality whom our people often forget is Bharat who was the Karkarta (Elected Supreme Chief) of Sindhu Hindu Clan in 5000 BC. It was in Bharat's honour, that the Indian sub-continent was named as BHARAT VARSHA (long after Bharat had retired as a hermit at the age of 60, in accordance with age-old custom).

While much had remained hidden in the graveyard of history for these long centuries, Bhagwan S. Gidwani has, with enormous research, brought to light in his book, Return of the Aryans, the story of Bharat and his life and times. As this masterly book shows, it was Bharat, in whose honour the Indian sub-continent was named as BHARAT VARSHA (long after Bharat had retired as a hermit at the age of 60, in accordance with age-old custom). Gidwanis book brings out the extraordinary and unmatched achievements of this great Sindhi.

Also, as Gidwani shows, it was Karkarta Bharat who had composed in 5085 BC, the SONG OF THE SINDHU HINDU to explain: WHO IS A HINDU? - His Identity, his Duty, and his Mission .

This great Song celebrates the principle of ancient Indian culture of all inclusiveness, excluding none from God's grace whatever their faith. Clearly it says, God's gracious purpose includes all human beings and all Creation, for God is the Creator and God is the Creation, that all are blessed and whatever God you choose he is that God and Dharma, righteousness or good conduct is His will. The Song stresses need for continuing search of truth and knowledge, for we can not be hostage to dogma or custom or present learning, but must strive to enlarge the heritage of mankind, for ours is a growing tradition and not a fixed Revelation. To the present day Indian, whatever his spiritual beliefs, conception of the Divine and his Cosmos, afflicted by misconceived ideas of pacifism and non-violence, the song's message is clear. That he must remain strong and united for he must know that not an external outside force can ever crush him, except when he is divided and betrays his own.

By recalling and singing this Song, we pay respectful homage to the sacred earth of Sindh, which nurtured this breathtakingly advanced civilization of Sindhu-Saraswati. It is the common inheritance and the priceless treasure of both India and Pakistan . - in fact, the whole world.

This scroll is to celebrate the Song of the Sindhu Hindu and to salute its Composer Karkarta Bharat a gallant warrior, great nation-builder, statesman, poet, philosopher, and one who firmly believed in the humane ideals of Sanatan Dharma, particularly his recognition of spiritual nature of man wherever he is from and acceptance of every culture as an expression of eternal values.

Many of you, hopefully, will share my joy in celebrating Song of the Sindhu Hindu and re-affirming our faith in the values that its Composer Bharat put forth for harmony, tolerance, national integration, individual freedom and human rights.



Text of The Song

Reproduced from
Bhagwan Gidwani's Book

Return of The Aryans

"Our desires have grown immeasurable. But they should be desires to give, not merely to receive, to accept and not to reject; to honour and respect, not to deny or belittle...

"God's gracious purpose includes all human beings and all creation…

"For God is the Creator; and God is the Creation...

"Each man has his own stepping stones to reach the One-Supreme...

"God's grace is withdrawn from no one; not even from those who have chosen to withdraw from God's grace...

"How does it matter what idols they worship, or what images they bow to, so long as the conduct remains pure…

"It is conduct then - theirs and ours - that needs to be purified...

"There can be no compulsion; each man must be free to worship his gods as he chooses...

"Does every Hindu worship all the gods of all the Hindus? No, he has a free will; a free choice…

"A Hindu may worship Agni (fire), and ignore other deities. Do we deny that he is a Hindu? ...

"Another may worship God, through an idol of his choosing. Do we deny that he is a Hindu?...

"Yet another will find God everywhere and not in any image or idol. Is he not a Hindu?...

"He who was Karkarta before me was a Sun-worshiper. Did the worshipers of Siva ever say that he was not a good Hindu? ...

"Do the worshipers of Vishnu feel that he who worships before the image of Brahma is not a Hindu ?...

"How can a scheme of salvation be limited to a single view of God's nature and worship?…

"Is then God, not an all-loving Universal God?...

“Know this then, that whatever god you choose, He is that One God,
and Dharma or righteousness is His Will.

"Clearly then, he who seeks to deny protection to another on the basis of his faith, offends against the Hindu way of life, and denies an all-loving God...

"Those who love their own sects, idols and images more than Truth, will end up by loving themselves more than their gods...

"He who seeks to convert another to his own faith, offends against his own soul and the will of God and the law of humanity...

"In the Kingdom of God , there is no higher or lower. The passion for perfection burns equally in all, for there is only one class even as there is only one God...

"The Hindu way of life?... Always it has been and always it shall be...that God wills a rich harmony - not a colorless uniformity...

"A Hindu must enlarge the heritage of mankind…

“For a Hindu is not a mere preserver of custom ...

"For a Hindu is not a mere protector of present knowledge...

"Hinduism is a movement, not a position; a growing tradition and not a fixed revelation...

"A Hindu must grow and evolve, with all that was good in the past, with all that is good in the present, and with all goodness that future ages shall bring. …

"Yet he remains a Hindu…

"Hinduism is the law of life, not a dogma; its aim is not to create a creed but character, and its goal is to achieve perfection through most varied spiritual knowledge which rejects nothing, and yet refines everything, through continuous testing and experiencing...

"Yet a Hindu must remain strong and united, for he must know that not an external, outside force can ever crush him, except when he is divided and betrays his own...

"What then is the final goal of the Hindu? Through strength, unity, discipline, selfless work, to reach the ultimate in being, ultimate in awareness and ultimate in bliss, not for himself alone, but for all...

"This was the silent pledge that our ancient ancestors had taken, when they called themselves the Hindu…

"If I cannot abide by that pledge, how can I retain the right to call myself a Hindu?"

SONG OF THE SINDHU HINDU

We have been receiving a lot of emails about Hussain's paintings.

Some people claim it is art...others say that it is a deliberate attempt to hurt Hindu feelings...even though I believe that God is too powerful to need anyone to advocate for Him...My feelings have been hurt as a human being who happens to be Hindu...
Christ said one should treat others as we would like to be treated.

Respect others beliefs and sentiments as you would like yours to be respected...

Why does one want to stir a hornet's nest when there is so much from which one can get inspiration for art?

I respect/love my Gods/Mother/Father and if you want to be my friend respect them!
I want to be your friend and hence I respect yours!

I was having a pleasant conversation with a Muslim friend...the beauty about her is that she communicates to learn not to argue...
She wondered how come most Hindus do not know much about their religion...
I said: While true to an extent...there are two things that most Hindus 'grow up with'
The knowledge of basic Karma theory, which teaches that as you sow so shall you reap...
and most importantly Hindus always 'grow up' respecting all Prophets/Incarnations of all religions...To us Allah and Ishwar and Satnam/Wahguru are different names of the same one God...As long as you believe in God you are a believer...as simple as that!

Read about my interview on Theory of Karmas. Click:
http://www.dalsabzi.com/Articles/karma%20in%20the%20Practical%20world%20Mid-day.htm

My elder daughter and family! God bless them!