Hail Chennai!

I happened to be in Chennai during the floods. As the rains poured incessantly, the neighbors got together and most of them narrated stories on  floods they had experienced before, however all of them unequivocally agreed that they had never ever witnessed anything like this before. One of them, an aunt who knows me since I was a child said,'why did you choose this time to come here?, wrong time!'

Wrong time? I wondered. I understood what she meant, she knew that the place I now live, there is hardly any power cut. On the contrary there was no power there for 3 days. I remembered Mark Zuckerberg's comments - "connectivity is the birth right of humans". In that context, all Chennaites had lost their birth right for more than 3 days - no mobile or phone, no TV, no internet.
There was knee deep water everywhere and her comment was apt - couldn't I have chosen some other time to visit Chennai?
Despite all this - I consider myself to be very fortunate to have been in Chennai during the floods.

Going through a calamity gives you a learning that is most valuable. I have never seen the family so closely knit and herded before. I have never heard so many funny school stories from my teenager nieces ever before. I have never had the opportunity to bind so closely withe my brother and dad before, after many years we caught up on many stories from childhood sitting around candle light. This was surely a thumps up on building family ties.

I have always witnessed Chennai as a very busy city. People are quite friendly but quite busy - they do not have much time to spare - school, office, jogging, dance class, Carnatic music, quiz class, tuition etc. etc. Kids and parents are constantly busy doing lot more - at least this is my impression. During this calamity, I saw the humane and generous side of Chennai. I saw young college students wading through water and asking each and every house if they needed any supplies - they had drinking water, milk, candles, one person even had a power bank which he had managed to charge from a car. This gave life to a few mobiles.

The area we stayed was not so very affected compared to a few other areas, so if you manage to wade through the street and reach a house, you are in safe zone. I saw one of my very orthodox neighbours invite many strangers into his house. I saw him attending to people of all caste, creed and age with a lot of happiness. He along with his wife cooked and fed many people all the three days. This had a positive effect which was infectious, several of us were on the roads providing supplies, blankets and sarees to the affected people. I had never seen so much of networking between strangers ever before.

As somebody wisely said, going through a calamity makes you reflect about your good fortune. It makes one realise that whatever we  hold valuable is after all perishable and of no use at the end.

Finally what stands good is our help and service to fellow human beings who are in need.

The Katha updanishad is one of the most beautiful updanishads that deal with this concept, Live for today, but see life from the eyes of death - from the eyes of Mithya (that which perishes)!

Chennai will arise, there's no doubt about this. Having witnessed the spirit first handed, it not difficult to predict that this ancient city of great history and culture will arise like a phoenix with even more resolution. Hail Chennai!

Blissful Happiness!

I was watching a TV program recently where a 'Guru' was explaining about how he attained 'enlightenment'.  According to him, he had sat upon a hill one day and suddenly had a very strange indescribable feeling. This he explained was attaining 'enlightenment'.  He explained how this enlightenment had transformed him from being a hip-hop western minded individual into a 'Guru'.

What he mentioned sounded like some special powers descended upon him on that day, and then on wards, he became eternally wise and worthy of preaching ignorant people and guiding them out of their miseries.

What was more interesting was the sheer number of people who surrounded him. They listened to his words intently with awe and attention. There were probably thousands of them, all of them with folded hands and utmost reverence.

This brought about a question, Why were there so many people around him? What were they seeking? What really attracted them to this man?

The simple answer to this question should be 'Happiness' - right?; Every human being on the earth is on an eternal search - of happiness. 

If we look at it carefully, the main reason for human suffering and human grief is Self-ignorance. The only solution to be Happy is to understand more about one's own self and to gain Self-knowledge. Where exactly is this happiness? Is happiness inwards i.e in our own nature ? or is it something that can be dervied from external circumstances?

And how does one obtain Self knowledge? Can deep contemplation on questions such as Who am I? why do I exist? help get us this knowledge. May be.

Here is a simpler suggestion. There are very good spiritual scriptures already available. Taking some time and doing a systematic study of these scriptures helps. I'm not proposing one religious scripture over another. I believe all religious scriptures fundamentally preach the same thing - to find peace within yourself.

Let me give you an example, this quote is from the Gita, (chapter 6, verse 5)

uddharedaatmanaatmaanam naatmaanamavasaadayeth |

aatmaiva hyaatmano bandhuraatmaiva ripuraatmanah ||

This means, Let a man raise himself by his own efforts. Let him not degrade himself.

Because a person’s best friend or his worst enemy is none other than his own self.

This verse talks about how one should never entertain self - diffidence, never be too self-critical, never to be pessimistic. As man has freewill, freewill will contribute to actions, and the actions determine happiness. The body-mind-intellect complex of a human being is the ultimate toolkit of man. The kato-upanishad talks about how the mind is the steering of the vehicle, the intellect is the driver and the wheels of the vehicle are our sense organs. To be healthy, all these need to be well coordinated. Parents, teachers, well-wishers and God even can help only those people who help themselves. Once we realise that we are in full control of our state of mind and our own happiness, there will be eternal happiness, eternal peace with oneself.

Most of these scriptures are very obscure. These writings have a literal meaning and an esoteric, inner deep meaning. A person who can help you understand these scriptures is whom I call a "Guru". Self knowledge comes from reading scriptures (Shravanam), understanding them rightly (Mananam) and assimilating the knowledge internally (Nididhyasanam). And finally putting the assimilated knowledge into practice in the daily walk of life.

There is no short cut to gaining Self-knowledge. Enlightenment or awakening does not descend from the sky, it happens after a systematic and rigorous Shravanam-Mananam and Nidhidhyasanam.  Other forms of sadhanas such as chanting, prayers or even meditation only aid the process, these cannot produce knowledge. Meditation for example helps assimilating knowledge, however knowledge itself needs to be acquired first. There is no other way to attaining happiness in the world - other than to realize that you are yourself the true blissful happiness! 

Amygdala hijack

Last evening I witnessed a scene of road rage. Unmindful of the line of cars that was building behind his car; the driver got off his car at the middle of the road and started yelling at another driver. 

On another occasion; the four year old daughter of my friend dropped a cup of ice-cream at a birthday party. Though it appeared to be a little inadvertent mistake by the child, the mother reprimanded the child in front of the guests. 

I wondered if such strong reactions were necessary and what triggered such emotional reactions. The closest explanation that I could get is what is termed an "Amygdala hijack". The usual signs of this hijack are that the person exhibits anger, irrational or explosive behaviour. It is said people (like what my friend did) reflect after the incident with "I realise it was inappropriate" or "I overreacted" or "I don't know what came over me". 

So - why do people react differently to similar situations? 

Famous examples of Amygdala hijacks are Mike Tyson’s action of biting his opponent’s ear off (which cost him $3 million fine) and recently Luis Suarez's action at the FIFA 2014.

The Amygdala is a small part of the brain which controls response to a situation. It controls reactions and when not regulated can result in irrational behaviour. The good news here is that the amygdala can be trained and the behaviour can be regulated. It is our choice on how we react to a stimulus. This is possible to learn, however not easy and a person needs to put concerted effort and be sincere in developing the behaviour.

It is said emotions define a person. Emotions shape a man's destiny and define the way he perceives life. With due attention we can change our lives for the better. This subject is dealt elaborately in organisational behavioural studies. We often hear about EQ and about how a person with higher EQ succeeds in an organisation. Though it appears that this research is recent, it can be seen that ancient philosophy deals with this subject more extensively and more holistically.

Going beyond having a successful career, these texts impart knowledge on how to have a balanced, peaceful and meaningful life. There are several verses which deal with emotions in the Bhagvad Geeta, and the second chapter is full of wealth on information on this matter. I have picked the following three verses, however if you are interested go through more verses from the chapter. As these verses are multi-meaningful, it will be better that a good Guru explains the subtleties of these verses.

  

dhyayato visayan pumsah

sangas tesupajayate

sangat sanjayate kamah

kamat krodho 'bhijayate

When contemplating on objects, a person develops attachment to them. From attachment a longing or desire develops, and from the longing, anger grows.

krodhad bhavati sammohah

sammohat smrti-vibhramah

smrti-bhramsad buddhi-naso

buddhi-nasat pranasyati

From anger comes delusion; from delusion the bewilderment of memory; the bewilderment of memory causes destruction of discrimination/intelligence; and from the destruction of discrimination the person perishes (spiritually).

There is another verse which sums up EQ very well:

Yaḿ hi na vyathayanty ete

puruṣaḿ puruṣarṣabha

sama-duḥkha-sukhaḿ dhīraḿ

so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate

The person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress; and is steady in both is certainly liberated.

Acquiring the knowledge from the scriptures is the first step, however assimilating the same, breaking old habits and practicing in life needs real effort. This is easier said than done and will come with practice just like what the EQ experts say.

Cheers

Food; Waste Not

It’s wonderful when kids start teaching parents. That’s what happened when I was about to throw a worn-out apple from the fridge. “Mom, why do you stock more than what we can eat? Do you know by throwing that apple away, you are throwing away 5 buckets of water?” There it was – the moment – the moment to pause and think - I absolutely love these moments that helps me pause mundane stuff and reflect and admire about life and its dichotomies.

We had a potluck dinner at office recently. It was a lovely event with many awesome mouth-watering dishes. Great hidden talent was exposed. We thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and in spite of all of us overeating, it is no exaggeration that we wasted more than half the food that day.
This supports the hundreds of report on food waste, which highlights that more than half of all the food produced in the world is wasted. It is said that the food wasted by a few rich countries is enough to feed the entire population of poor countries. The effect is not just financial, the wastage of water, pesticides used, the fuel used for transportation and the methane gas produced from the waste all makes our contribution towards wasting food not a very Green proposition.

So why do we waste food – I think this is simple – man from times immemorial is a stockist and has a very risk averse, hoarding attitude. It is said that our anthropology is also based on hoarding food. So even during the days of plenty – we will always produce more food, cook more food and more importantly eat more than what is required. The other side of the coin is Overeating. Overeating and Wastage is due to our hoarding attitude, both are injurious to ourselves and to the society.

I enjoyed reading the “Share my dabba” initiative by the dabbawalas of Mumbai. A Havard case study and certified Six sigma by Forbes, this network of people who deliver lunchboxes have come up with a brilliant way to save food every day. This food delivered through this network is to around 200 thousand people and around 120 tonnes every day. Through a small sticker called “Share”, they hope more than 16 tonnes of food can be saved, and more importantly reach the plate of the hungry!

Going back to my favourite poet Thiruvalluvar who quotes “Food and exercise – if excessive or insufficient is the mother of all root causes for Disease”

Marundhena Ventaavaam Yaakkaikku Arundhiyadhu
Atradhu Potri Unin

Simply put, A person will not be diseased, who eats only after what he has already eaten is fully digested (hence he will not need any medicine).

Atradhu Arindhu Kataippitiththu Maaralla
Thuykka Thuvarap Pasiththu

Knowing the food digested well, when hunger prompteth thee,
With constant care, the viands choose that well agree.

I would like to end by quoting Chetan Bhagat here – “Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up?
We are people, not programmed devices.....
Don't be Serious, be Sincere !”

Yes, let’s be Sincere… about not wasting food and about not overeating. This will make our 2500 weekends more meaningful and enjoyable!

Cheerio

Morning Circus

The schools have started again and the traffic is all over the place. It has once again gotten busy in the mornings. Like at mine, the Morning hustle-bustle similar to a circus must have begun at several homes. It’s quite a sight in the mornings to see half-asleep kids being hurried into the buses as early as 6.30 AM. Will it not be better to start elemenatary school a bit later, say at 8.30? I wonder. More kids will then eat a healthier breakfast. 
One day, amidst all the morning circus, my little one  asked – Mama, Why shouldn’t I be a bird or a butterfly? I wouldn't have to go to school. I will be so free, so happy! I wouldn’t have to wake up so early.

This is indeed a serious question especailly as it was asked by a 5 year old at 5.45 in the morning. Hence I gave it some thought. I want to tell my little one:

Aridhu aridhu manidarai pirathal aridhu,

adhaninum aridhu goon, kurudu, sevidu pedu neengi, pirathal aridhu,

nyanamum kalviyum nayathal aridhu,  dhanamum dhanamum seivadharidhu.

The above means – “To be born a human is most venerable;  even more revered is to be born as a human without goon (hump on the back), blindness, deafness or sickness. This is because humans have the freewill to seek knowledge, to learn and to have the ability to do dhanam (charity/help others)”

There is a also nice saying with similar intent in the 3^rd chapter of Bhagvadh Gita:

mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi

sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā

nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā

yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ

The above is one of the most important verses on Karma Yoga, which is based on 5 principles :

1)  Adhyatma Cetasa – Humans have the ability to choose and pursue spiritual goals.They can choose: To take a bigger perspective of life and to be peaceful. To know the difference between Atma and Anatma, Nithya and Anithya. To think and prioritise things such as service to mankind over the daily run of the mill in life, and to choose spiritual happiness over materialistic happiness.

Often misconstrued is the meaning of ‘To be peaceful’. This does not mean one has to renounce all actions and becomes a saint. Infact the scriptures laud the people who are active in the world, yet practice Karmayoga. Karma means ‘Action’ and yoga means ’Attitude’. Thus doing the right action with the right attitude is the gist of the 2 words given above.

2)  Mayi sarvani karmani – Right action is a huge subject – what does right action mean? there are several chapters that talk about this subject in the scriptures. The simplest definition is to do things that will not prick our conscience – i.e. to do actions that will not disturb our peace and does not become the reason to wake up at night. It is said that even a thief knows that stealing is a wrong deed. He hears the inner voice, however quashes it. Do not quash your inner voice, listen and act rightfully. And dedicate these actions to God.

3)  Nirāśīr – is to be free from hankering for the rewards of the actions. This means to do actions ‘with’ happiness rather than ‘for’ happiness, and to let go of worrying (about results). Worrying is not a deliberate action – it is a sign of not being in control. Again do not confuse with Planning – Planning is a good thing –  we should plan for right actions and for rightful goals. Mahatma Gandhi had rightful goals, so did Mother Terasa. Having a goal and planning for it is a good thing,  but worrying is not a good thing. 

4)  Nirmamo – in simple terms means to be humble. Humility is the greatest virtue and nirmamah means to be without a sense of Ego.To denounce the ‘I did it!’ attitude on getting success and to look at things in a humble and understanding manner.

5)  Vigata-jvaraḥ – To perform without a sense of grief.  This has a slightly deeper connotation. To have a equanimous  and balanced attitude towards deeds. To have a 'Work is worship' attitude and to love the work one has to do. In spite of the work not being in line with one’s Swabava (liking). In case you do the work you love, you are double blessed, otherwise love the work you do.

It is said that these principles will help us understand why it is better off being a human than a bird.

I want to tell my little one all of the above. However, I realise the timing may not be right. Hence I pack his school bag and hurry him into the bus. As the bus drives away and his gleamng eyes go past me, I ponder what Gandhiji said.

"The best way to find you is to lose yourself in the service of others", said the Mahatma.

This note is for all the moms and dads who do the Morning Circus!

Adieu

Incredible Teens

When I was a teenager, the best display at my school science exhibition was that of a wind turbine model. Now a days Teens do amazing things - they have built working models of cars, planes, created bio-plastic from banana peels, written hundreds of mobile apps etc. Their access to information, ideas, images and sounds is unimaginably huge and is without any precedent.

Yet it appears, Teens are doing 2 things simultaneously - they are growing up way too fast on one hand and on another they are not growing up at all. The tween to teen transition seems to equally tough on the parent and the Teen. The sweet child who would cuddle on my arms and hang around family members is undergoing changes both cognitively and behaviourally. There are several changes that a parent of a Teen can list - for example the increase in bbming, texting, surfing and calling friends is equally compensated by his/her decreased communication with family members.

I think the point here is that we, the people around the Teen (as parents, teachers, neighbours, friends) do not change our behavior towards them. This is because Teens still depend a great deal on family and friend in spite of their assertion for independence. Though they appear to have become less caring and less communicative, we should strive to understand them and talk to them as much as possible. Often, the reason for their angst is imprudent and is of miniscule significance in the vast landscape of life that beckons them ahead. Yet these small issues appear as larger than life problems in front of them. It will be easier if we acknowledge the concern as they visualize it (and not to write it off with our experience), listen and provide guidance in a manner their mind can make sense of it. The crux obviously is to talk and to gain their confidence.

Neurologists say the assertion and moodiness of teenagers is apparently due to their developing brain cells which are slightly out of sync. "The brakes become functional somewhat later than the accelerator" - Apparently the limbic system (the emotional seat of the brain) develops faster than the prefrontal cortex (rational seat) and the brain can be out of sync for up to 5 years during the teen years.

As a parent, teacher or friend - the cognizance that the tough exterior a Teen portrays is a wrap over a very vulnerable, sensitive inner self may help us provide the right support. Towards building a strong sense of self confidence and righteousness in the Teen as they transform into becoming future citizens of the world.

There is an interesting connect with Vedanta on the above subject - comforting the distressed and the "student" in particular has been acknowledged as one of the Panchamaha Yagnas (5 Selfless Services) in Vedanta. Perhaps the plight of a Teen/ Student has not changed much over the course of 5000 years!

The 5 Yagnas (Selfless services) are as follows.

1.    Bhoota-Yagna - This is the service to the plants, trees, birds, animals, insects and the environment by and large. Watering trees, providing food to birds and animals and being kind to them is a noble service recognized as a maha (great) Yagna (service).

2.    Manusha-Yagna - Service to humanity and society is a great service and is the only way to distribute happiness and wealth to others. It is said that one should spend a part of his earnings  in charity and social service. Service to the poor and needy, comforting distressed people and students have a special reference here.

3.    Brahma-Yagna - Learning scriptures, understanding and practicing the stated and teaching others.

4.    Pitr-Yagna -  Prayers to parents, forefathers and ancestors as they are the reasons for a person's existence. Taking good care of parents and elders has a special reference here.

5.    Deva-Yagna - Any form of worship for inner purification, could be meditation, praying etc.

It is said that by performing the Panchamaha Yagnas (5 Selfless Services) every day, we will develop kindness, hatred/selfishness will vanish and the egoistic heart will soften and we will have a wider perspective of life.

 Cheers 

Action

The power of the choice of the common man became evident when a brand new kid in the bloc rallied against veteran bureaucrats and politicians and formed a government recently. This has re-kindled hopes in a billion people over the despondency created by scams, scandals, rising prices and corruption. Desperate to have a change & as a drowning man clutches a straw - people have univocally voted for change. The power of democracy resonates even after one and half centuries and reminds us of Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg words.
 

Much as voting is an action that a person has to exercise to see change, it does not guarantee the result he or she wishes for.

A famous couplet from the Geetha deals with actions and results.
 

Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana

Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhur: matey Sangostva Akarmani

The first quarter says A person has the choice of doing action - he has freewill - he can choose one action over other. This is the reason why people act differently in similar situations.

"Phaleshou adhikara kada chana Maam" - However, he or she does not have a choice on the results.
 

Though the verse is quite popular, this is supposedly the most misinterpreted verse.


There is a friend of mine who talks about this whenever he does not get the desired result - this is fate or this is god's will or there is a predetermined outcome - so why perform action?

I vote for a party - and when the results are announced and the party I voted for wins – I feel elated, I say "see, my vote mattered". What if the party did not win? -
here as well, my vote mattered, but there were other factors that mattered as well. Results are decided by my action but not by my action alone.

 

People had assembled for a Geetha class on a rainy evening. Just as the teacher started teaching the meaning of the above verse, there was an electricity failure and the microphone stopped working. When the power came back after a few minutes, the teacher said: "The desired action today is to take the Geetha class - so I have done my bit which is to come to the class. However I wouldn’t have taken the class if many of you had decided not to attend the class (due to the rain). Had you all come and had I not arrived, then too the desired results would not have been produced. Even if all of us attend but if the electricity fails, then too the desired result will not be produced. He continued, “To produce the desired result – your action is important. Your action contributes to the result but is not the sole determinant of the result".

 

 

Having freewill to act also means we act according to dharma. The basis of all beliefs are absolutely identical. The Hasshōdō of Japanese and the astanagamarga of Sanskrit or for that matter of any other belief is exactly the same - right action, right intention, right speech etc. The rituals followed may be different but the principles remain the same.
 

Whatever you do may be small (insignificant), but it is very important that you do it. - Mahatma Gandhi

Society does not go down because of the activities of criminals but because of the inaction of good people.  - Swami Vivekananda