Alongside: Shobha Melwani and myself at the beautiful Yacht Club in Bombay...We have been friends since we were young brides...Our children were born around the same time...we were neighbours in Singapore where I lived for over 5 years!
Our friendship is still very warm and we continue to touch each other's lives with care and love...is'nt that a good definition of friendship?

Karma connections have a strange way of unfolding...I met Mala Sridhar (in while kameez) when I was more active in introducing 'good people' good speakers, good workshops to participate in Nalanda under Times Foundation activities.Since then she has continued to spread her good work...But there is a difference. Out of gratitude, respect and love...She has not forgotten me. She continues to invite me to whatever Spiritual activities she thinks I will savour. This time she invited me to a Video presentation of 'Patanjali Sutras' by her young knowledgeable Guru Swami Nithyananda...


I was touched by what Swami Nithyananda taught. He said the Patanjali Sutras start with the words: Here Now the Patanjali Sutras...HERE NOW is all that exists...If one lives in the HERE NOW you have learned all that you need to learn...
Also: Accept the circumstances that manifest, which in other words means that one must surrender to 'Life' (after having done ones best to change situations to suit us, which again may not be the best...)
However one must not only 'surrender' to Life on the outside...but be truthful, aware and surrender to whatever is transpiring inside your mind...
Do read what I have written on 'SURRENDER" Click:

http://www.dalsabzi.com/Mantras/surrender.htm

Alongside, Panelists (Sindhi Roohani Poetry) Teckchand Mast, Jetho Lalwani, Prem Tolani, Kamla Goklani, Dr Dayal Asha, Rita Shahani (compere) Ishwari Jyotwani, Nirmala Jyotwani, Girgilani


I attended a Sindhi Convention 'Thanksgiving Week' at Pune, Sadhu Vaswani Mission.
I enjoyed interacting with the Sindhis and specially speaking in my Mother Tongue.
In the above photograph: An appreciation of Roohani (Spiritual Sindhi) poetry.
I have never appreciated Sindhi poetry the way I did that day. Sadly though each speaker was brilliant they were mostly above the age of 60...the younger generation may never be able to savour the beauty of Sindhi Spiritual Poetry. One of the panelists said that in Rohiri Sindh, there were 125000 pir (Highly Spiritual Souls)...It is possible because of the constant contact with evolved souls Sindhis became Spiritual...also because of constant attacks on prosperous Sindh, Sindhis became peace loving...True! We did not fight for land after partition...but we prospered because we did not waste time complaining and whining...However we must reclaim our language, our identity, now that we have not only done well on the material side but given back to Society Hospitals, educational Institutions...
One of the programmes was a Panel called 'From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary'
In that young Sindhi people, 'who have made it' in various spheres of Life attended.

Some of the Panelists:
Sweta Jumani, Numerologists, has made predictions and is responsible for her advice that serials starting with a K would be succesful...
Mohit Lalwani, a playback singer said: Think Big and you will succeed...
Ritu Chhabria: Her parents did not lose on Sindhi Values when they migrated from Sind...Sindhis are peace loving people and adaptable...
Vicky Idnani, photographer: You have to take certain risks in Life to succeed
Neeta Lulla: fashion Designer: For me designing is meditation, it is not a job!
Sandeep Bansale: Works in TV serials...Got a big hand as he spoke in Sindhi...Key factors to succeed: Determination, Devotion and Discipline...The ordinary person is afraid...
Nikhil Gera...Success is a journey...there are no shortcuts...

The Icing on the Cake: Dada Jashan Vaswani said:
I dont want to be extraordinary, I want to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way...

Work is Karam in Hindi
ka is Krishna
Ma is Murli
So let us all do good deeds
Good Karam
Krishna's Murli!

True success is to be happy...To make others happy...To love and to be loved...To be able to live in peace with oneself and God's Cosmic Laws!

...and the strawberry on the icing of the cake:
When I met Dada Jashan and introduced myself as the author of 'Dadi Nani ki Kahaani' he lovingly said: 'So you are the Dadi Nani Shakun?
I think of you more than I see you'

I felt truly and totally blessed!

On the 7th of March celebrated Women's Day (Women's Day is on the 8th of March) at a grand function at the Taj hosted by the IMC (Indian Merchant Chamber) Women's wing.
Alongside in the photograph you will surely recognize Shobha De.
Some of the points which speakers touched upon:
We have all heard the famous dialogue:"Mere paas Ma hai'
Now let us say with pride:
Mere paas Mumbai hai!

MaoTse Tung has said: Women hold up half the sky!

Obama says: "Yes, we can!

No votes for criminals
No votes for illiterates!

Though not clear, in the alongside photograph you will see Mala in the foreground...I have known her since I was a child. She has had most physical diseases that you can think of...At the time of marriage, she was diagnozed with a heart ailment, 30 years ago she was given only 15 days to live as she was diagnosed with a life threatening disease and she could not keep down a morsel...About 10 years ago doctors said she will never walk, yet she dances!

I admire her determination and her zest for life. I once asked her how she does it. She says she believes more in herself than she does in her doctor's verdicts.

She is in a hundred places at the same time. In this photograph she is with her daughter and Aarti Hundalani at Shanti van for an Eager to B. meeting.

Yesterday, the 9th of March our Singing Sakhees Group of over 30 years celebrated Holi with colourful flowers!
It is remarkable what a good response we get by just making a few phone calls/emails and basically passing the word!
We may not be the best of the best of singers, but we sing from the heart...Goes to show that people 'feel' more than 'hear'
Alongside: The Singing group in the photograph as we started the programme with the Om chants...
In today's troubled times one takes the opportunity whenever it arises to share some thoughts...So after thanking my friends for coming...I urged them to VOTE during the elections...The politicians respond to the fact that people vote...If many from your area/community do not exercise the franchise, the politicians can actually ignore you...One must educate oneself on the performance of the candidates...Find out if any of them have a criminal record...
We are Sindhis, we opted to come to Hindustan and are we glad about it! We have prospered but we did lose our land and because we merged into the country that gave us abode, we lost out on our culture and language!
Maybe Sindhi language is dying, should we not try and revive it?
Dont we try, until the very end to try and revive a dying man?
Let us at least learn our proverbs...folk songs...
Click;
http://www.dalsabzi.com/books/wisdom_of_sindh/wisdom_of_sind_intro.htm

Holi falls on the 10th of March...The colour fun is on the 11th of March

In Barsana (Radhaji's birthplace) Holi is called 'Lath Maar' where the womenfolk have a rolicking time using bamboo sticks to keep the menfolk under their control.
Holi is observed a fortnight after Mahashivratri I have already told you in my earlier messages what Holi means: Jo ho li so Ho li, which means allow Bygones to be bygones. The new piece of information that I am about to share with you, is that dry sticks and cow dung is put into the Holika bonfire. Corn seeds are burnt, until they lose their power to germinate. To me, the above would mean that, one is not to allow old 'old seeds of dissent to take birth again' But to bury the hatchet once and for all. I was informed by a friend yesterday, that the burnt corn seeds are taken home, and shown to the parents, and blessings taken from them. Maybe it is to say: 'See mom and dad! I have learned to forgive, forget and move on…'
Read more,
Click:
http://www.dalsabzi.com/Language_Festivals/Holi.htm

Heavenly Radha and Krishna at Iskcon Chowpatty...Earlier I used to go to Juhu Iskcon to do their darshan...They have realized that I am getting older...so they have come closer to where I live!



Alongside Radha Krishna Prabhoo presenting the brilliant concept of Mid-day meals:
Strategic program to address two of the most pressing problems of India : Hunger & Education. The Government of India has made education for children in the age group of 6 to 14 years compulsory, but poverty prevents the underprivileged from getting full value of their educational experience.


Hunger obstructs education as children are forced to leave schools and take up menial jobs. Lack of education curtails opportunities for development and leads to the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger. Education empowers a child to explore his potentials and earn a decent living and live a respectable life in our society.

ISKCON FOOD RELIEF FOUNDATION, has resolved to liberate the underprivileged from this vicious cycle by feeding the poor with sanctified and nutritious food.

In just three years since it was founded, the program has scaled to provide over 1,00,000 hygienic and nutritious meals every day through an extremely cost-effective program. MIDDAY MEAL has demonstrated and is now showcased as an operating model that can strategically address two of the most pressing problems for poor children in India : hunger and education.

Our goal is to scale the program to serve over 5,00,000 children per day by 2009. We believe success on that scale will offer a model of replication by other developmental organizations and State Governments across India .

To many of our children, the MIDDAY MEAL is the only complete meal that they have access to during the entire day. This has produced dramatic results in terms of enrolment, attendance, and attention spans.

We are seeking your assistance to grow MIDDAY MEAL and to make it a model for addressing a large and desperate problem for children in India .

ISKCON FOOD RELIEF FOUNDATION NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

Together We can make a world of Difference, remember the children of today are our promising hope of Tomorrow, let us make our tomorrow bright by working on our today.

A stage of life is an 'ERA' When one gets married or moves into another city for whatever reason, it is 'the end of an era' it is not necessarily a bad thing but it is a change...One learns in the 'Era' Good and bad experiences happen, but since they all teach you, they are good...

Friends also come and go...yet the memories live on and one would not want to change anything...Life is good! and all changes are to be celebrated, I believe!

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.
Elizabeth Foley







FRIENDSHIP
You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.
I wove my webs for you because I liked you.
After all, what's a life, anyway?
We're born, we live a little while, we die.
A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies.
By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle.
Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.


Charlotte, "Charlotte's Web"