I read a new concept yesterday. People regularly ask me my 'thought' concerning Free Will and Destiny. You may like to read what I have to say on Karma and its theory on my website (Search 'Karma theory dalsabzi)
What the note read is this: If one believes that one has free will (at least to an extent) one will utilize ones faculties to overcome ones difficulty...
I am reminded of a story: God asked a person to move the door from a cave...he tried and tried abut was unable to move it...Dejected, the person told the Lord 'As hard as I tried, I could not open the entrance to the cave' The Lord replied: I only asked you to move it, never to open the entrance...the opening I will do...you just have a look at your muscles...'
If one looks back, it is the time of adversity that made one 'grow' the happy times were to take a breather...

I told GOD: Let all my loved ones be healthy and happy forever...!

GOD said: 4 days only....!

I said: OK! let them be SO ON a Spring Day, A Summer Day, AN Autumn Day, and A Winter Day.

GOD said: NOOOOOOOOOOO 3 days..

I said: OK! Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

GOD said: NOOOOOOOOOOO, THEN 2 days!

I said: OK! a Bright Day (Daytime) and Dark Day (Night-time).

GOD said: NoOOOOOOOOOOOO just 1 day!

I said: Yes! OK!

GOD asked: Which day?

I said: Every Day in the living years of all my friends!

GOD laughed, and said: You Sindhis know how to negotiate. But since you are praying and asking happiness for your friends, I can't refuse. I love everyone who thinks of others first, so don't you worry...All your friends will be healthy and happy Every Day!



ALL THE BEST! MAY YOU ALWAYS BE HAPPY & HEALTHY

Uzma Naheed is a Trustee of WMPP (Women's Movement for Peace and Prosperity)

As per her Micro Financing arrangement - that she termed as first of its kind in India that too totally on non interest basis - Uzma Nahid under the banner of Iqra International Women Alliance (IIWA) offers two options:

First, IIWA lends Rs.2000 as an initial amount to the women that they have to return back in an installment of Rs.100 per month. Using the given 2000 rupees, the women either purchase sewing machines or other needed items. IIWA gives them the raw materials to manufacture headscarf, portable and folding Jaye Namaaz - the special mat used for Namaaz, Makwana - the special garment used by Muslim ladies to cover the heads, Juzdaan - the special covering used to cover the Holy Quran and other hand made garments.

Second is like a job work wherein IIWA provides the skilled women the needed raw materials to manufacture the above items, and in return gives them a share in the profit besides giving them labour charges immediatetely...

Avtaar The Movie – Similarities with Hindu Teachings and symbols and concepts in Hinduism
In the Hollywood movie Avatar, it is not just the term `Avatar' that is associated with Hinduism. The core concept of Hinduism is that all animate and inanimate are the result of a single energy source, which is Brahman or God. All the plants, animals, human beings rise and fall in this single energy source. This formless and indefinable is given form by humans and worshipped as God. One of the important themes of Avatar is based on this core concept of Hinduism which was taught first time more than 5000 years ago. In the movie, the Na'vis are able to physically connect to animals and plants. And they believe that they are just a part of the whole which includes all animate and inanimate present on their planet Pandora. This concept is explained beautifully and there is a magical scene in which the Tree is connected to the human body and this body is connected to all the Na'vis through holding their hands each other.


Another striking aspect is the use of the color blue. Hindu Gods are depicted blue in color. Blue is the color of the infinite. All Hindu gods are an attempt by the human mind to give form to the formless Brahman (God). The color blues symbolizes immeasurable and all pervading reality – formless Brahman.

Another concept found in Hindu Puranas is Parakaya Pravesham – leaving one's body temporarily and entering the body of another person. Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have done this to enter a king's body so that he can learn about material world. Something quite similar happens in the movies as Humans are able to temporarily enter the body of a Na'vi.

A more visible symbol in the movie is that of the characters in Avatar riding on a flying dragon like being. This is more like Lord Vishnu riding on Garuda.

It is said that great minds think alike in all ages. The great saints of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) thought about this 5000 years ago and they tried to explain it to us through symbols and stories. Today we have technology explain the universal truths. But are we listening? We are slowly wiping out the green cover and destroying the Mother Earth thinking that we humans are superior and above all.

But what Avatar missed is foreseen by Hindu seers the total annihilation of human race when there is rise of Adharma (today it is unimaginable greed and lack of concern for mother earth). We are fast heading towards such a situation and this divine action will be carried out by Kalki. Then there is a fresh beginning. The cycle continues and this present age is not the first cycle and it is not the last.

From the internet

(From left) CineAsia organiser Robert Sunshine, GSC general manager Irving Chee and Twentieth Century Fox Internatioanl Asia-Pacific vice-president

Our son Sunder Kimatrai, vice-president, Asia-Pacific, for Twentieth Century Fox International, got an award as the “Distributor of the Year”

And while we are ready to celebrate the end of 2009, want to share with you a picture of Diwali Dhamaaka. It was organized by the enterprising smart beautiful girls who attend my Geeta class. They are the mothers of the leaders of tomorrow and I am mighty proud of them!

Every New Year, there is one thing that most of us will indulge in, ie making new resolutions.

But do they work? And if they do, for how long? I would like to share with you something that I read in 'Awaken the Giant within' by Anthony Robbins that seems to make sense.

Associate pain with a habit that you are desperately trying to break... I remember, my son, when he was younger would offer his friends a chocolate with the quip "Have a pimple!"

If you hit a level of pain that you aren't willing to settle for anymore you change your old habits or way of living. You could get fed up when you cannot fit into your clothes, or when you cannot bear another hangover, or the sight of the pained look of your wife when you have lost your last penny at the gambling table...finally you say, ' I have had it ' and you make a decision.

Charles M. Sheldon states: Good resolutions are like babies crying in church. They should be carried out immediately.

It is the desire to remove pain from your life and establish the pleasure of self esteem.

May all your dreams come true this coming year. May we have the strength to kick our old debilitating habits and may we all experience tremendous pleasure at the idea of adopting a new empowering Life.

Bharti and myself were school class mates...Today she lives in Hongkong with her family. Her son is getting married soon and she was in Bombay getting Wedding stuff...I was happy to meet my close pal...Dont I look happy?


Charming Priya is my nephew Raju's wife...There was a time when we would do all our shopping abroad and now i am proud to state that nris are more than happy to buy in India. In this picture Priya and myself at Phoenix Mills , Mumbai...

Please read and think about it:
…Although we often behave as if we’re the only ones who live here, we depend on other organisms in all manner of ways.
Some of these are obvious. We hunt fish to eat them; we grow cows for meat, milk and leather. We cultivate silkworms to make clothes. We grow a large number of plants for diverse purposes – to eat, or to use as drugs, timber or paper. But much of our dependence is less obvious. Worms, fungi, insects and microbes consume dead bodies and fallen branches. Some organisms consume dung; others move seeds. Many organisms make soil richer and more fertile. Plants around streams and rivers filter the water and make it cleaner. Plants also take carbon dioxide from the air, and thus affect the composition of the atmosphere; their roots help prevent soils from washing away. Some bacteria may play a role in making clouds; the list goes on.
By and large, we do not pay for any of this: our economics does not, for the most part, include paying for nature. But we pay when it is lost. Less fertile soils make it harder to grow crops. Dirtier water is more expensive to make fit for human consumption. The collapse of fisheries leads to unemployment. The loss of mangroves increases the impact of tsunamis. The loss of animal species increases the risk that humans will catch diseases such as Lyme disease. Again, the list goes on… For we must start cherishing our fellow life forms, and treating them well: we need them, in more ways than we probably imagine. Their loss makes the planet – and ourselves – poorer. So please be up-standing, raise your glasses and join me in a toast to: “Other Life Forms!” And let’s make sure that in the years ahead, we don’t need to change it to “Absent Friends’’
An excerpt from:
A wild celebration
By Olivia Judson

On the 2nd Oct 2009 I was invited to the Harmony Hall, Nehru Centre by Dr Anand and his charming wife Asha to be a part of the release of 'Himmat' a book on series of selected articles which were published between 1964 and 1981 during which period the Emergency was imposed...
Dignitaries who attended: Ms Kalpana Sharma (Indian Express) Mr Azim Lala (Author of Biography of JRD Tata and 'Thread of God in my Life', Mr Ketkar (Loksatta)

Point which stuck to my mind: Gandhi's, the Harijan had hardly any circulation perse...There was no tv radio as such during those days, but it is ideas in these small tabloids which go on to become history...

I was happy to meet Ms Bhanu Athaiya, the Award Winner for Costume designing of 'Gandhi'

Last night I saw:

Sammy! The word that broke an empire The following material is from the Internet, but I have read that during a man's lifetime various corridors open up full of opportunities...Most of the time we do not enter into those corridors and so we miss out on fulfilling our life's plan!
Gandhiji listened to his 'inner voice' and took the plunge...and the rest as one says is history!


Sammy was a play in two acts by
Partap Sharma

Directed by
Lillete Dubey

Primetime Theatre Company, Mumbai

From man to Mahatma
Sammy! is the incredible story of Mahatma Gandhi, told by an ensemble of actors in a modern and exciting manner. Led by a lively debate between Mohandas, the man, and the irrepressible Mahatma in him, the play highlights Gandhi's relationships and how he changed everyone he touched.
It traces the transformation of the young Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi from a naive, tongue-tied lawyer into a shrewd politician and finally a Mahatma and recounts his story from his earliest days in South Africa to his final assassination.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an extraordinary man about whom Einstein once said Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one once walked upon the earth! The play aims to bring alive a man whose influence changed politics forever (and set in motion the journey of others like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King). With its dynamic style of presentation it hopes to straddle a large cross section of audiences, especially younger ones, who know him only from dusty textbooks!
The play is important not just as a powerful piece of theatre, but is specially relevant because of the times we live in, where the Mahatma's creed of non materialism and non violence is sorely needed in an age of terrorism and consumerism.
The title of the play is easily explained and becomes clear in the early part of the action. The word Sammy, along with the word coolie, was used as a derogatory term by the whites in South Africa to insult Indians and other coloured people. It originates from the word swami, which actually means master or guru. When he first hears an angry mob in Durban shouting the word as an insult to describe him, the young Mohan smiles and ventures the hope that he may, some day, be able to live up to it.
Sammy! is the result of several years of research on Mahatma Gandhi by Partap Sharma.

She danced like a fairy and she is physically challenged

I had a most interesting 'Friday, the 4th of December':
In the morning I was invited to SEC celebrating 50 years...What is SEC? It is the Society for the Education for the Crippled...Are they really crippled? You should have seen them dance and praise the Nation and Thank the Lord...Makes one feel embarassed to complain when you see the less priviledged so joyful! I believe that some of them were trained by Shiamak Daver, God bless his soul!
Actually I was invited by my cousin sister Manju who is also challenged, but what a useful life she has led...I love her and I am sure those who know her are inspired by her life!

In the afternoon I attended a session of Celebrating Life where we were taught a Dance Movement Therapy by Dilshaad Patel...We were asked to think and Dance 'Water' I imagined the Ganga flowing from the tresses of Lord Shiva...and then felt beautiful Ganga tripping on pebbles and bypassing boulders, just like you do in Life...

In the evening was invited to the Prince of Wales Museum(Is it also called Chhatrapati Shivaji?) by Vimla Patil ...I listened enthralled to Mr McGill who showed us slides of paintings/photographs/artifacts that proved that the Ramayana was an intrinsic part of the life and culture of the people of Rangoon...and Vimla Patil adds that:

Indian religion and culture
influenced all Asian countries for centuries and
Ramayana was a major vehicle. Thoug many of the
countries are now Islamic states (Indonesia, Malaysia)
these countries under the Asean Group meet every so
often and the entertainment on this occasion is the
performance of Ramakien or Ramayan irrespective of the
religion
of the participants. It is therefore sad that the
people of India, irrespective of our religious
background, cannot venerate this epic which is the
heritage of all Indians.

'The lecture-slide show was
presented by Mr. Forrest McGill, curator of the Museum
of Asian Art, San Francisco, USA. It was on the theme
of how Hinduism, Buddhism and other Indic religions had
influenced the Siam and Burmese culture with motifs and
sculptural styles repeating themselves in the
construction of temples, in creating art objects and in
the art of music and drama. The Ramayana is one of the
major influences on many Asian countries which have
their own versions of this epic. For instance Thailand
(Siam) has Ramakien which is also done as a dance
drama'

You must get to know Dattatreya. He made 24 Gurus... His Jayanti (Birthday was celebrated on the 1st of December
Do click:
http://www.dalsabzi.com/Books/In_touch_with_masters/prologue_and_blessings.htm

Giving Thanks

Gratitude connects us to others and feeling gratitude allows us to be our
best selves--in good times and in hard times. When we are truly grateful, we
can count on living the life we want. Excerpted from Giving Thanks

Do you know that happiness, the sheer joy in being alive, is within your
reach? All you need is an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude creates happiness
because it makes us feel full, complete; it's the recognition that we have
all we need, at least in this moment.
Recent scientific research has begun to indicate that positive emotions,
such as gratitude and love, strengthen and
enhance the immune system, enabling the body to resist disease and recover
more quickly from illness, through the release of endorphins into the
bloodstream. Endorphins are the body's natural painkillers.

Among other effects, they stimulate dilation of the blood vessels, which leads to a
relaxed heart.What this means is that the more we experience a sense of
gratitude, we literally bathe ourselves in good hormones and feel happier
and more content with our lives. Like most great spiritual truths, gratitude
is stunningly simple. This is not to say it's necessarily easy to practice.

All kinds of distractions, and negative attitudes from our
upbringings may get in the way. But all you really have to do to receive
gratitude's gifts is make a commitment to be thankful on a daily basis, and
the world will be suddenly transformed into a beautiful wonderland in which
you are invited to play.

I am grateful for my health, my husband, my children, my amazing friends! Hugs!

I got the above from an email fwd...but I would like to add that whenever we do Reiki we have to have an attitude of gratitude and so I may safely add that if one would like to manifest miracles in ones life it is important to cultivate the habit of being thankful
Shakun

Click on the picture and you will be able to read in short what it means to live in a state of surrender...
My way of putting it is 'Do your best and leave the rest'
Then 'flow'
If you do not like a chipped tile in your room, you have 3 choices:
Replace it
Ignore it or
accept it...but joyfully
After you have taken responsibility for your life and decisions...Go your way rejoicing...

Jyoti Nagda is my young friend, She is participating in a “Dream Run”to raise funds for Organ Transplantation of Mr. Gangaram Mallana.

Few months back 33 years old patient Gangaram Mallana was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure. He is the sole bread earner in his family with his wife and three children to look after. Working as a peon, he hardly earns enough money to run his house and now due to financial constraint, even undergoing dialysis every week is becoming unfeasible.
Pls reply to:
jyotsnagda@gmail.com

My other young friend's husband has been diagnosed with blood cancer...My friend has sold her jewelery and is ready to sell her house to pay for her husband's treatment...


My third friend to add cheer, is starting dance classes with steps of Michael Jackson...You may reply to me and I shall fwd your and participation...

I attended the programme 'We Remember' hosted by PCGT (Public Concern for Governance Trust) and NCPA (National Centre for Performing Arts)
at Tata Theatre, NCPA Nariman Point on Wed 25.11.2009
The program in brief included
Prayers by Blind Students
Bhajans by Shri Jalota
Recognising Children of Victims of 26.11.2008 carnage
Memorial Concert to REMEMBER victims of the tragedy of 26.11.2008 by Symphony Orchestra of India

The programme was inspiring, remembering, touching and sensitively put together...the speeches of Mr Narayan Varma, Sivanandhan, Deshmukh, Rahul Bose...were short, crisp,and to the point and reached their target: Our intellect and heart!

Before one reads what Bella Jaisinghani wrote about the DAY...I would like to say that WE NEED TO REMEMBER...and we as citizens need to show our solidarity...to some of the politicians who may have done something in the past year, but need to do so much much more...

Mumbai: A year to the day since the multi-pronged terror attacks targeted Mumbai but impacted the world, its citizens made a brave show of oneness as they remembered their martyrs. For a city that has come to view its vast shoreline as a threat, where the thousands who pass through each entry and exit are vetted by man and machine, its people made an effort to show they may have been bent — but not broken — by the enemy.
On Wednesday, a few children wearing traditional Indian costumes lit candles at CST railway station. At the NCPA, blind schoolboys reached out a prayer for the souls of the martyrs even as the orphans of the terror attack watched from the front rows. When the young victims rose to speak, the audience comprising police commissioner D Sivanandhan and former chief Julio Ribeiro listened as the children recounted their stories of horror.
Ribeiro, whose Public Concern for Governance Trust had organised the event, made a case for police reform, saying public pressure was the only way to stop political interference in postings.
Apart from the indigenous think-tank, the international community has also stepped in to express solidarity at this time, pointing out how terrorism is a global menace that has engulfed all religions and countries...
Bella Jaisinghani | TNN

Look at the photograph of the earth taken out from space!
It is blue, green and stunning!
What are we doing to our greenery?
We are killing trees to make place for a bigger concrete jungle...
Sunita Godbole, a trustee of WMPP is doing her bit to save the trees...I am doing my bit trying to inspire you...What are you doing?
There may be less time than we believe there is...Let's please wake up!
Mother earth is unhappy and if we procrastinate, she may have no other option but to react...

RUHANIYAT

Yesterday, Saturday the 21st of November I attended a Sufi and Mystic Music Festival...I did experience a world 'replete with universal love, peace, harmony...
Last year I heard Parvathi Baul, she reminded me of Meerabai...She carried her orchestra with her, on one hand her ektara and her drum in the other...The picture is of Kachra Khan. The children of his parents would not survive until a sage prophesied that a son would be born to them who would enthrall with his music...but they must call him Kachra Khan...Kachra means 'garbage' with a name like that you had no choice but to remain humble even if you touched peaks of glory...
More about Kachra Khan:
Kachra Khan is one of the most renowned traditional singers of the Managniar community of western Rajasthan. The Manganiar is the largest heredity musician caste whose music has been supported by wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations. Kachra Khan was born in Khanayani Village, in the Barmer district of Western Rajasthan. He is now 47 years old yet his voice thrills world music audiences in every part of world. He learned from his father and started singing from a very early age. He sings a variety of songs related to local folklore as well as the sufi repertoire of Rajasthan. He also sings "Sufi Kalams" of famous sufi poets of the Sindh Area. He is a master of "Dohas and Allap" (High Pitch Recitation). He sings hundreds of traditional Rajasthani songs with themes around weddings, child birth, love and bravery

I have always maintained that nothing like a family...Yes, sometimes you may have disputes that last a long time...but I do believe that blood is thicker than water...and such karmas are time bound!
Sabina, Didi Janki's daughter initiated this dinner as a birthday party for her mother at the Spaghetti restaurant at Inox Bombay...and it was lovely to interact over a meal on the happy occassion...

A couple of months ago was invited to a fascinating programme hosted by 'Illuminations' and a young Sindhi lady named Sonia Punjabi from Dubai, at the Dargon Fly, Express Towers.
The speaker was brilliant. His name: Yuvraj Kapadia and he spoke about...yes brace yourselves 'the disaster expected on 2012...'
Reason: The enire human race has lost its track...It needs to review where it is headed...
The alignement of the sun, earth and centre of Milky Way which is happening on 21/12/09 comes every 225 million years...Sun is the Father Energy, Milky Way is the Mother Energy and the Earth is coming in the Centre...
The 3rd movement of the Earth's axis which is normally 7,8 cycles per second is now 12 cycles per second...

He believes that there is a possibility of averting the disaster unless we become a peaceful, mature unified society...the crystalline dna experiences the same pain that we inflict on others...There is however a remedy...Love!
Yuvraj explained the process but the bottom line is that the Centre of the Milky Way is emitting an energy equivalent to Love and responds to it!
So here is a hug coming your way...

Just before you panic because you are incapable of peace within...a lot of scholars do not believe the above theory and some also believe that it is a gimmick to promote the films on the subject...but what do you lose if you spread peace and love...you actually benefit because 'mehndi lagaane wale ke haath automatically range jaate hain, na?

Melodious and Beautiful Singing Group




We have been meeting for over 30 years...We have new young entrants who have infused energy into our Singing Group. This picture was taken during Diwali!

Sacrifice
R. Sridhar writes;
The concept of sacrifice is woven into the Hindu way of life...But sacrifice as written in the scriptures is about the sacrifice of the ego. The concept of giving up and letting go was paramount. According to the Vedic Scriptures, the simplest sacrifice was to abstain from food once a week. This was not only seen as a sacrifice but was also meant to purify the body. Less food means less production of blood. An empty stomach also aids in meditation...Unfortunately, over a period of time, it came to be interpreted as 'sacrifice of blood' Man's ingenuity led him to find ways to sacrifice blood instead of him sacrificing a meal! This led to animal sacrifice and then unfortunately to human sacrifices as well...Adi Shankara, the spiritual guru par excellence was instrumental in ensuring that this undesirable practice was discontinued at many spiritual centres...the coconut was chosen as a suitable substitute by people who did not want to give up the practice of 'bali' or sacrifice of animals and humans...

Why was the coconut chosen?
The coconut resembles the human head in many ways. The coir outside resembles the human tuft of hair. The hard nut, the skull, the water inside the blood and the kernel is akin to the mental space. Another interpretation equated the outer shell to the human being’s gross physical body and the kernel to the subtle body…A coconut is quite like the human womb. The inner kernel is protected from outside influences and chances of getting polluted are very minimal...

Laxmi and Saraswati
Devdutt Pattanaik

It is said that Vishnu keeps Saraswati on his tongue. This makes Laxmi jealous. She rushes towards him and plants herself in his heart. Vishnu knows that the fickle Laxmi will leave as soon as Saraswati leaves his tongue. Thus to sustain Laxmi, he needs Saraswati. Good leaders know that to sustain their business they constantly need to inspire, motivate people and at the same time innovate new products and services that will delight the customer. Laxmi will come into the company where Saraswati thrives.

Sonal Sheth is a Trustee of Women's Movement for Peace and Prosperity (WMPP) She is connected to 'Women Graduate's Union' which was started in 1915.
I was invited by her to a Session they were conducting on 'Productive Ageing'

Amita Lavekar said:
We are moving from elderly to well dearly

You lead a 'productive life' when you 'contribute'
Maintain an active interest in life
Ageing does not happen at 60...It happens right from the moment that you are conceived in the womb...(so why make a big deal of it?)

Few age uniformly in the following 6 fields, so what we are trying to say is that many skills remain as one ages...

The 6 Fields that very few age uniformly in:
chronological, Biological, Social, Functional, Performance, Cognitive...

Whatever strengths you have should be strengthened further...

Indifference of the Soul is what we need to worry about more than the ageing of the body...

To get attached to the past is dangerous...

A bored adult can be dangerous for the community...

Help your Society and Community...

Ms Naini Setalwad (Nutrition and Ageing Dietician said:

Cook the way you cook...but add:
Garlic (it prevents knee pain)
Also add:
Onion, bananas, olive oil, turmeric, nuts, prunes...

Then I just got this email:

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning.Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7.. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

For the Group 21 of October, we celebrated Diwali...As such we had to package the gifts and interchange them. This gift has an environment message...Some of the notes urge you to:
Save Water, Shower with a friend...
Recycle paper, it comes from trees
Save electricity, Light a diya
Love your neighbour, not HER HUSBAND!
This gift packaged by 'Yours Truly'
There were other gorgeously packaged gifts, which won admiration and prizes!




We played 'Sach ka Saamna' Enjoyed it thoroughly and learned so much more about our friends of over 30 years! Most were sporting enough to disclose their heart kept secrets...and I am sure that we will keep those secrets safe in our hearts! What say u?
The party was hosted by Poonam Asha Mulchandani, Ms Rani Daswani and Ms Sharmila Dadlani

It is Guru Nanak's Janam Day on the 2nd of November, 2009
Please read about Him,
Click:
http://www.dalsabzi.com/message/gurunanak1.htm

IIWA (Iqra International Women's Alliance) has adopted 'Ambujwadi Nagar'
In the pictures alongside: Grand Entrance to Ambujwadi and
NO RECESSION HERE. THIS IS THEIR DAILY CHORE


The Women's Movement for Peace and Prosperity (WMPP) has got 2 main objectives:
To connect with good people, good NGOs to realize their dream of making WMPP into a Movement...
We have done that. We are connected with 'Sage' Eager to B. MRA(Initiatives of Change) and IIWA
We connect with the Prerna Singing and Lecture Group...

The other objective of WMPP is to give Voice to the Voiceless Woman...
Let me lead you to its logic...
Women are by nature, compassionate and abhor violence...
How come there is so much violence in the world, despite every family having women members as wives, sisters, daughters?
Obviously the Women's Voice is not heard...
Why is it not heard?
Because maybe she lacks education, an intelligent, logical way to communicate, no financial independance...
So if we provide the above, the world will move towards Peace and Prosperity...

Symbols of the tools carried by the Gods

The following is inspired by Devdutt Pattanaik. It is so interesting that I thought I should share it with you....
Read on

Lord Shiva carries a trident and a rattle drum

Brahma is identified by his:
Books, rosary and pot

Vishnu is identified with 4 symbols:
Conch shell, trumpet or shankh, discus whirring around his index finger or chakra
A mace or gadda and a lotus or padma

Vishnu’s Conchshell or Shankh:
It is blown to announce his presence in a battlefield in Vedic times…it is a measure of lung power and mind control…

Vishnu’s Chakra which whirrs around his index finger is a weapon and a symbol.
As a Weapon: It strikes the target and returns to Vishnu’s finger.
As a symbol of life it indicates that what goes around comes around…
The mace or gadda is like a teacher’s ruler to punish those who do not do what they are supposed to do.

The Lotus is born, lives and dies in the water and yet remains untouched by water…The Lotus inspires us of the same mode of conduct in Life. Though we are born in the world, live in the world and die in the world we should be untouched by it!

Maya and Myself at a function chatting lovingly, enjoying our friendship and the way we connect!

Sage Foundation in association with the PATT foundation successfully carried out the plantation of 2000 trees at INS TRATA at Aksha Mumbai the funds for the same were donated by Standard Chartered bank.
Mighty proud of Maya Shahani, Chairperson, Sage Foundation and Chairperson Emeritus Women's Movement for Peace and Prosperity, WMPP)

How correct networking helps Mother Earth


The seed of tree plantations was sown in Mr Ram Maheshwary's office at the Times. He had organized an amazing get together for Irene Millar, General Manager of XL Foundation who had immediately sent an EMail to the Chairperson of PATT Foundation about Mr Maheshwary's passion for tree plantations. Subsequently Mr Ram had organized a meeting with SAGE and Kamal Damania introduced Maya to the Navy Commanders Singh and Sharma. Maya has been coordinating with them ever since, and this plantation of 2000 trees is the outcome of their collective effort.

Maya has just come back from Bali where she was awarded the XL Extraordinay Life Award for 2009. This is a global award given after a system of voting by all the XL members globally. In Maya's acceptance speech she mentioned how the Times Foundation had been instrumental in her growth.

Someone in Australia is coming out with a movie called "War without Guns" and he has asked Maya to distribute this movie in India as it is focused on the power of the feminine. Maya has told him all about the Women's Movement for Peace and Prosperity and Shakun's Gems of all Faiths.

PS: I, Shakun have written a book on the 'Power of the Feminine' but am awaiting a sponsor for the same' I know the Lord will send me the right person at the right time...

Ms Amla Ruia has done tremendous work on Water harvesting in the remote areas of Rajasthan...Today Mumbai has awakened to its need. She enlightened us on 'Water' She spoke about Water drops being like 'Silver'...If we heard that 'Silver' is raining...Would we not run out with our buckets and pails to collect it? Well that is what we need to do with Rain Water...Amla not only enlightened us on 'Water' but also inspired us with Songs on the 'Silver Liquid'
Amla belongs to many organizations but more importantly for me, we were instrumental (along with Ms Vimla Patil and Maya Shahani) in starting 'Eager to B.' a group of ladies who have done so much with their lives and who are eager to do more...We meet once a month to enrich one another...I like to believe that 'Eager to B. is an extension of WMPP (Women's Movement for Peace and Prosperity)...Women's Movement is a Movement and it can only become a Movement if we add an connect with other organizations...Lately we have connected with MRA now known as Initiatives of Change...Dr Anand and his charming wife Asha have a meeting with interesting speakers on the 1st Saturday of the month so I thought why not invite WMPP and Eager to B.to the meeting...Asha an Dr Anand were so gracious about it! Here is one enthusiastic couple hmm Eager couple to B !
In the photograph Ms Amla and Mala Daswani President of the Queens Rotary Club, also a dear dear friend!

Gift Forgiveness this Diwali, no matter what is happening around you. Forgiveness releases a prisoner: YOU
Rancour is like carrying a sack of rotten potatoes on your back...Put it down, throw it away...
People say: I can forgive, I cant Forget..so Dont...Just say loudly: I forgive! and move on with your life, the Universe and time will do the rest!....Just like when you are physically hurt, you clean it and rub an ointment and place a bandage...Nature and Time does the rest!
I was reading an article: Anger, A New Ailment' by Firoz Bakht
...Forgivess does not meaning giving in. It means letting go.
Once we forgive, we are no longer emotionally handcuffed to the person who hurt us. When we forgive we reclaim our power to choose...
...and I add TO LIVE!

...Oh people may think and/or say: Who are you to forgive? We need to forgive you...no matter! You dont have to put it into words or go up and hug the person (it may irritate them if they are looking at it from only their perspective)...Say it in your mind and release it to the Universe...

Happy New Year to all of you
Love and Light

Must watch Obama's msg on Diwali, Click:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuiAW_6XKVM

Many of you request me to tell you the way, the Sindhis perform the Diwali puja. I am going to tell you later. But first, have you heard what Maansic Puja is?

Maansic Puja , is a puja in which you require nothing but your imagination. You visualise the puja. It may be simple or elaborate. It can take place at any exotic location. And you can use the most exorbitant ingredients, as you have to pay for them in terms of only your faith and love. The advantage of a Maansic Puja is that your mind cannot wander. The Scriptures promise the same rewards for this Imaginary form of worship Try the above puja anytime that you are on a flight of fancy, or literal.

Now for the conventional puja:

Read more, Click:


http://www.dalsabzi.com/mantras/sindhi_diwali_puja_vidhee.htm

http://www.dalsabzi.com/Language_Festivals/laxmi.htm

http://www.dalsabzi.com/Books/kids_kahaani/Festivals/happy_diwali.htm

http://www.dalsabzi.com/Language_Festivals/dhanteras_and_diyas.htm



Love and Light the year round...

Shakun Narain Anuja

Mona Shah Patel of the PPI Professionals Party of India (PPI). had stood as an Independant for the last elections...This time Santosh Awatramani is standing...

This photograph was taken at our Dassera Celebration...
I support women and clean candidates...you may not agree with me...
BUT
Whatever you do and your heart dictates you to do...VOTE YOU MUST


Santosh aims to make governance citizen-centric... loves simplicity, is friendly and accessible. He wants to know what is going on in Governance, and he wants you to know what is coming, not after but before.
He says:
I want you to be able to suggest and intervene where necessary; but this can only be done if you are informed before not after.

I believe that Mumbai needs less governance; it needs us to be more involved.

Did you know that each MLA is entitled to spending 1crore a year indicatively on the following area:

Community Hall, Library, Road Improvement, including Foot Bridges, Stone Pavements
and Drainage, Banks/sides of Nalla, Water Supply , Education ,Gym/Health , Cremation Ground , Four Cross , Flood/Disaster Rehab, Beautification of Open Spaces, Waterfronts, Ponds, Rivers, Forts,
Pavements, Bus Terminus, Tree Guards etc, Compound Walls, Cleanliness & Toilets , and Public Utilities in declared slums .

Do you know how this money has been spent in your constituency for all these years? When elected I shall seek your inputs in deciding on how this money is spent, as it is your money.

I truly believe that I can be the bridge between you and governance.

So please vote on 13 October 2009.
Santosh Awatramani

Nancy and Esther have been my Spanish friends since the last phew over 50 years. We were classmates in the Dominicas, Canary Islands in Spain...We met up in Barcelona and they wanted me to tie the saree for them!
So I did...I have even renamed them. Nancy I have called Nanhee (small) and Esther I have called Aastha meaning Faith!
Me, helping them tie the saree...
The only way to help this Earth which is going through such distress to survive is to connect....love!
We wear Western clothes, they wear the saree...We respect their Beliefs...they respect ours!
...and my friends, do...I really love them and I know they do, me!

Attended the sixth Nani Palkhivala Memorial Lecture today, the 5th of October at the NCPA, Tata Theatre, Nariman Point.
Mr P. Chidambaram the Hon'ble Home Minister of the Govt of India spoke on the 'The Emerging Challenges to Civil Society'

Awards were given to Public Concern for Governance Trust (NGO) and the Outstanding Individual Award went to Smt Aruna Roy for keeping Civil Liberties alive.

An interesting point made about the Right to Information Act:
When we send our child to the market with Rs 10 we ask him for the acct.
The govt spends millions of the peoples' money does not the people have the right to information?

Figure this one out! (I hope, I understood it correctly...On second thoughts, I hope I did not)
The Supreme Court was asked to provide some information.
Supreme Court did not provide it (the information)
An appeal was made to the High Court.
The High Court asked the Supreme Court to disclose the information...
The Supreme Court is appealing to Itself...

It reads like Alice in Wonderland...

Mr Narayan Varma, Dr R.K. Anand, Mr B.G.Deshmukh, Julio Ribeiro were felicitated for their good work.


Mr Chidambaram took us on an Indian tour since Independance...'A tryst with Destination'

An interesting evening!

Thai Theme for the Group 21

Sandy Melwani was our Thai Beauty, instructor for the session. She successfully took us through some Thai interesting customs.
Thailand is known as the 'Land of Smiles'
Thais believe:

Thais believe in 'Sunook' which means, fun
Their favourite remark: 'My pen rai'Which means: Why bother? Keep on smiling!*Don't Dont eat cold rice with hot rice because you will lose your way.


Sandy took us through the mysteries of the Thai cuisine.
Thai Cuisine is hot and spicy. There is a balance of food: Ying and Yang
Their main ingredient is karela (bitter gourd) and yet Thai women are so sweet, and smile always!
They use quinine, Mediterranean basil, lemon grass, garlic shallots...Thai cuisine is well-known for being hot and spicy and for its balance of five fundamental flavours in each dish or the overall meal - hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty, and bitter (optional).

*sanook = sanuk

*my pen rai= mai pen rai

* karela is one of their main ingredients and it contains quinine, which gives it the characteristic bitter taste.

*Thai basil is also a key ingredient, not Mediterranean basil. Also, the former is sweeter than the latter, despite popular belief.


To complete the most enjoyable session we were served excellent Thai food!

Sandy is planning on doing various workshops on cuisine from all over the world...But she claims that she has been inspired by Sindhi way of cooking...and I am surely going to organize another session to learn about the same!





We had a Thai Theme for our Group 21 meeting.
We were threatened that if we do not dress in Thai clothes we would have to show our Thighs...so we took it seriously and in these photographs you see Thai Beauties no?

I have been reading The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The author has placed Draupadi in the forefront of the action…her joys, doubts, struggles, triumphs, heartbreaks, achievements…
Presenting some of the excerpts that have touched my heart.

Dhai Ma says to young Draupadi:
…“Love comes like lightening and disappears the same way. If you are lucky it strikes you right…I advise you to forget about love, princess. Pleasure is simpler and duty more important. Learn to be satisfied by them”



Krishna says to Draupadi:
…“A problem becomes a problem only if you believe it to be so, and often others see you as you see yourself”…

…“As for being pawns , ar’nt we all pawns in the hands of Time, the greatest player of them all”…

When Draupadi asked Krishna what kind of palace He thought she should have, Krishna said: “Already you live within a nine-gated palace, the most wondrous structure of all. Understand it well: it will be your salvation or your downfall.”

Draupadi said: “If I am a queen I owe it to my palace.”
Krishna frowned and said: “Don’t be so attached to what is, after all, no more than metal and stone and asura sleight of hand. All things in this world change and pass away—some after many years, some overnight. Appreciate the Palace of Illusions, by all means. But if you identify so deeply with it, you set yourself up for sorrow.”

…Krishna gazed into my eyes. Was it love I saw in his face? If so, it was different in kind from all the loves I knew. Or perhaps the loves I had known had been something different, and this alone was love. It reached past my body, my thoughts, my shaking heart, into some part of me that I hadn’t known existed. My eyes closed of their own accord. I felt myself coming apart like the braided edge of a shawl, the threads reaching everywhere…

…Can’t you ever be serious? I asked mortified.
“It’s difficult,” He (Krishna) said. “There’s so little in life that’s worth it”….

…”They’re saying the gods are angry at Sisupal’s death.”
“Priests like to say such things” Krishna replied. He didn’t seem too concerned about the anger of the gods…

When Draupadi was being disrobed:
…The wind smelled of sandalwood. Krishna sat beside me on a cool stone bench. His glance was bright and tender. “No one can shame you, He said, if you don’t allow it”
It came to me in a wash of amazement, that He was right.
Let them stare at my nakedness I thought. Why should I care? They and not I should be ashamed for shattering the bounds of decency”.
Was that not miracle enough?
Krishna nodded. He took my hands. At His touch I felt my muscles relax, my fists open. He smiled, and I prepared to smile back…

… “A situation in itself is neither happy or unhappy. It’s only your response to it that gives you sorrow. But enough of philosophy, I am hungry…”

Krishna explains to Draupadi about hatred

…Suddenly Krishna reached out and pulled a half burnt stick from the fire. He thrust it at me so that I flinched back.
“What are you doing?” I cried startled and angry.
“Trying to show you something. The stick—it scared you right? It may even have hurt you, if you hadn’t been so quick. But look –in trying to burn you, It’s consuming itself. That’s what happens to a heart---“

Draupadi thinks later:
“I know you want me to drop my hatred, Krishna” I whispered, It’s the one thing you’ve asked me for. But I can’t. Even if I wanted to. I don’t know how anymore”
Outside the hut, the shal trees bent and swayed, their leaves like sighs.

…I knew that the remedy lay not in finding a new flower but in what Krishna had advised me over and over again: Let the past go. Be at ease. Allow the future to arrive at its own pace, unfurling its secrets when it will. I knew I should live the life that teemed around me: this clear air, this newborn sunlight, the simple comfort of the shawl around my shoulders…”

Radha...Her Love was unconditional and supreme

When do you know when you are in love? or love anyone...the fact is that no two individuals can profess to love each other in exactly the same way and same depth...
Some suggestions:
You are in love when you would rather not live without the other person.
When he or she is the first that springs to mind in happiness and grief
When the other person is a constant companion even in absentia
When sometimes your loved one's happiness takes precedence over yours

Such a loving may or may not last a lifetime, but whatever the span it soaks up your entire being...
Excerpts from 'Are you really in love' Times Life Sept, 27th 2009 by Vinita Dawra Nangia

However I believe that there are various kinds of Love
1) You scratch my back and I shall scratch yours...
2) Romeo Juliet, Heer Ranjha, Sasui Punoo kind of love...where it is believed that they were soul mates or One soul divided in two or twin souls...
...and then we have the Spiritual Love...totally unconditional...We have never seen God...yet a lot of us Love Him...Radha's love for Krishna absolutely unconditional...Meera who sings...Jahaan bithaave ut hi baithoon jo de soyee khaaoon, Meera ke Prabhu Giridhar Naagar, Baar baar bali jaaoon...

For the Group 21 of the month of September, the speaker was Ms Shobha Gehani (in white) Jethmalani...She explained to us how imperative it is to donate our organs. She has a first hand experience in the case of her sister Rani, who had to have a kidney transplant after a liver transplant at a time where such transplants were rare...(Rani leads a full life)
The first transplants that we are familiar with are blood transfusions, cornea transplants...
Some people ask 'If we donate an organ, will be born without it?'
Where is the logic in that question?
I have always heard that whatever you donate returns amply to you...So going by that logic, If we donate an eye maybe we will never need to wear specks in our next life, no?

Anju and Myself at China Garden, Bombay



How wonderful to meet, connect and love!
Years then do not matter...












My lovely serene, flute playing Krishna (gifted to me by my family on my birthday) is also in the picture...
Whenever I feel concerned about something, I look at Krishna playing the flute and think: If the Lord who runs the Universe can feel so serene, with all that He needs to overlook, why should I need to think and worry?

I have always believed that opposites can tick...can is the key word...read on

Dr Harris Shetty, psychiatrist says:
We look for an alter ego who will complete us. At times one looks for what one is not.. So a guy who likes to party may land up with someone sober...

Dr Nirmala s Rao, Mumbai based psychiatrist reccommends: Relationships are about getting our own needs met, often on an unconscious basis. We look for a complement not someone identical, but we may begin to resent it. The key is talking out the difference...
Concludes Dr Rao: "When personalities are similar, couples tend to be happier since issues of daily living become easier to deal with. Personality differences may mean more conflict. Once two people decide to be together, they should be aware of their dissimilarities and learn to cope.
From Bombay Times, Sept 20, 2009, an article by Norbert Rego

Antarchakshu: A unique workshop



In the picture alongside I am clicked with Mr Partho Bhowmick. He is unique in the sense that he teaches the visually challenged how to click photos with a camera!!!
How? I asked him...He explained that the visually challenged have the other senses much sharper than those who can see! I saw a photo where a visually challenged was clicked on the parapet of Marine Drive, cycling, where he was following the sound of the bycicle in front of him...But the visually challenged also take out photos.
Click on: www.blindwithcamera.org




To experience what the challenged go through...Was made to sit on a Wheelchair and experience the obstacles in the way...They even made me look for a piece of cloth that fell on the floor...pick it up and throw it on a high table. open a lock with one hand, explain with sign language, feel different cloth and idetify whether it is silk, satin, denim, smell and isentify different spices...
Other experiences: With the help of a volunteer walked blindfolded with a stick, Wrote and Signed my name,even hit at a ball with a bat hile trying to hear the ball coming towards me, used a computer, was shown how the visually impaired use a software that talks back to them... also was led to a table with goodies and savoured a samosa and cup cake, blindfolded...must admit that all the time time I was concerned as to how I would climb down the 5 steps that I had climbed up!

Yesterday I had a unique experience.
I was invited to to a workshop called Antarchakshu at St Xaviers College by one of my most inspiring Geeta students Kanchan Pamnani. Though she is visually challenged (Cannot see at all) She is a busy solicitor and managed a photo and mention in a magazine along with eminent women like Sonia Gandhi!

Antarchakshu means: Inner eye and opens your inner eye.
Kanchan in her note addressed to me further added:
... Since you are a friend of mine and a well wisher who wants to be aware I would really like you to attend the programme. It will just take you one hour
I am sure you will have a fun filled 1 hour.

It may have been fun filled but it was laced with making one more sensitive to the plight of the visually challenged!

...Yet it is an inspiring story of coming out winning against odds...Where are we, who can supposedly 'see' in this picture?