The Lord's Leela (play) is strange...Was supposed to have gone to Dubai, for a short holiday to spend some time with my eldest daughter. Realized that my passport was expiring, so I decided to take the opportunity to visit Jagannath Puri instead.

There are 4 dhaams that every devout Hindu is expected to visit. They are: Badrinaath in the North of India, Rameshwaram in the South of India (You will find photos in my facebook and in my blog) Dwarika in the West and jagannath Puri in the East.
Called up Sham who is enthusiastic,about Spiritual travel, Asked him if he would take me to Puri and in the next breath he said: "Yes Aunty, I will do all the arrangements, you just print out your ticket"
God bless him. His lovely daughter joined us for the trip.

To come back to the story of Dhaams. I had visited the other 3 Dhaams so I was keen on visiting Puri. I am told that in the olden days, people would set out to visit the 4 dhaams after they had completed their responsibilities. They would say: "Good bye to their family members with the fear that they may never return! Travel in those day was not a flying matter!

On the way to Puri, visited the Udaigiri Caves. Actually a palace with caves for visiting monks, and also a place for song and dance! Talk about living a full life!

In Bhubhaneshwar visited the Lingraj Temple.
Would not Shivji prefer a clean and quiet spot where people pray, rather than people constantly breaking coconuts and pouring cold water and milk over Him making it pretty slippery for the very same devotees? But then that is between Shivji and His Bhaktas. Who am I to give an opinion?


Saw the place where the War of Kalinga was fought. After seeing the carnage, King Ashok had a change of heart and spent the rest of his life propagating peace and Buddhism.
Saw the edicts of Ashok. Quite a delightful place actually!

I have no words to describe the Sun Temple in KOnark. One can 'see' the exact time of day through the shadow the finger throws when placed in the centre of the wheel! I was in awe at the 'bright brain'of Ancient Indians!

In one of the photographs you will see the idols of the 9 planets. We did a short puja there.

We spent a night at the Lotus cottages near Konark. The cottages were very pretty and small, but clean. The Ocean that you see in the photograph has history. The river and Ocean have a sangam (meet).
The Tsunami hit there, and the bridge and wall collapsed. You can still see the stones of the broken road in the sea!


We had no time to change into our traditional Indian clothes when we reached Puri. So the Guards thought we are not Hindus and as such were denied entry. After showing them our identity cards, they allowed us in. They invited us to have a prasaad luncheon and Visit Jagannathji, Subhadra, and Balram (The 3 Divine siblings)not one Darshan but two times.
Chuckled at the ways of the Lord. How can Krishna let us return home without some teasing on His part!
I feel blessed.

Soul Searching

Gopika Vaidya Kapoor | April 09, 2003 10:34 IST

For those in search of who they really are, the answer may be online

I am the woman
who writes in red ink
because she dreams of being
bolder.
I am the one
who wants to find a way
to fly
with her feet still on the
ground.

To find her soul -- her inner spirit -- has become the aim of the modern woman. Under constant stress to succeed as a professional, wife, mother or daughter, she often finds herself in a puppet-like position, pulled in many directions and unable to reach a single one. So, in this high-tech age, where does she turn for comfort, solace and peace? The Internet!


Read more.Was googling my name and came up with this site. Thought I would share it with you.
Click:
http://specials.rediff.com/netguide/2003/apr/09soul.htm

I was invited on

Thursday 10th November, 2011 at
KITAB KHANA to join young poet, writer, activist Tenzin Tsundue as he read from the seventh edition of his book of poetry KORA. Tenzin also shared his thoughts, hopes & concerns around his homeland, Tibet.
I particularly empathize with Tenzin for 2 reasons:
1) He is a refugee...We Sindhis also lost our land and possessions during the partition of India...
2) I really really appreciate the peaceful method that Tibetans adopt under the leadership of the Dalai Lama and their faith in the Almighty...

Tenzin Tsundue is a restless young Tibetan who, after graduating from Madras, South India, braved snowstorms and treacherous mountains, broke all rules and restrictions, crossed the Himalayas on foot and went into forbidden Tibet! The purpose? To see the situation of his occupied country and lend a hand to the freedom struggle. Arrested by China’s border police, and locked up in prison in Lhasa for three months, and was later 'pushed back' to India.

Born to a Tibetan refugee family who laboured on India's border roads around Manali, North India, during the chaotic era of Tibetan refugee resettlement in the early seventies, Tenzin Tsundue is a writer-activist, a rare blend in the Tibetan community in exile. He published his first book of poems, Crossing the Border, in 1999 with money begged and borrowed from his classmates while doing his Masters degree in Literature from Bombay University. His literary skills won him the first-ever 'Outlook-Picador Award for Non-Fiction' in 2001. His second book, Kora, is already in its sixth edition and his third title, Semshook, is in its third edition.
His writings are published online at www.friendsoftibet.org/tenzin and www.tibetwrites.org

Went through a 'down' recently which had an 'up' embedded.
How is that? Well my husband had to go to hospital (down) to get cured (up)
To feel an 'up' during my 'down' period, went to the Jamnalal Awards function (while my daughter was in the hospital 'caring' for her father. (Thank God for loving kids!
Shri Morari Bapu was the chief guest. The awards were 'heavy' but the envelope with the cheque was 'light' Sri Morari Bapu said: There is a saying in Gujarati that 'seva se meva milta hai, but the Bajaj family is one of the few 'jo meva se seva deta hai'
(You get fruits when you 'serve' but with fruits (money) you can serve (society)and that is what the Bajaj family does!

The 'Japji' is the first message that sprung out like nectar from Guru Nanak's lips as he emerged from the river after 3 days. Guru Nanak remained immersed in the River for 3 days. It is said that it takes 3 days for the ego to totally disappear. It is then that one experiences the Ultimate. That is the reason why maybe the 'Marka' and/or 'baithak' and/or 'Chautha' is done on or after 3 days after a person's death.

http://www.dalsabzi.com/message/gurunanak1.htm

I was brought up in Spain. Hence I have always been demonstrative in my affection. It comes easy to me to hug a friend. I curbed the instinct as I soon relized that in a place like India there is a different set of rules. Osho says that intimacy comes from the Latin word
Intimum which means your innermost core. He writes: unless you have something there, you can't be intimate with anybody...because they will see the hole, the wound, the pus oozing out of it. Friendship is only a word now; it has disappeared.and the reason? There is nothing to share. Who wants to show inner poverty? One wants to pretend, : I am rich, I have arrived, I know what I am doing, I know where I am going".