Wisdom series in Bali 2024

 Wisdom series in Bali 2024

Body is like a river. Fresh water every minute and yet river is very old. 30 trillion cells in body and how many 35 trillion bacteria in body. They are good bacteria. You are a Maternity house and burial ground.. you are made up of recycled material and you are very very very ancient. You are born here many many many times. Nothing is new and everything new. Moons is so old and and you feel it is so new. Air is old and yet it is supporting the new life. See life in bigger context and all the worries will drop. You create misery. We create trouble and problems for others and yourself. Someone says you are being a problem that is their problem. Have context to life. 

You See Wonder when you see this phenomenon. Leaves come, leave flow. In traffic lot of pitta. When the road is empty it is beautiful. And it all is part of life. And this is all part of life and this is how we get freedom. Freedom is what .. nothing matters . He gives snippets, we need to bring out the knowledge. Just get the context and so you will be able to bless others and fulfil our desires as well when GURU is in our life. We are born several times, we met Guruji lots of times in the past. So we so ancient. And so new. So we need to do nature walks and do pranayama and deep breaths. Keep brain active .. we meet to breath art excel kriya. It stops aging. Timeous in DNA, it becomes elongated and so it stops aging and rejuvenating our system. Doctors confirmed it. 

Do kids kriya . They do when they are crying.

Happy breath it is called. 2-3 mins.. max 5 mins.

Do Padma sadhana in beach. Do in open place. Do your meditation on your own.

Meditation not happening.. too

Many thoughts come because of desires. Desires are not good . You stop them. They multiply. Acknowledged the desire. Desire is like shoes. Don’t take shower with them. Take them out , keep it aside and take them back. Can’t sleep with a desire. It gets fulfilled in the dream.

Happens for thirst and bathroom break. 

Let me meditate and then I take on desire. That works. Anxiety or anger, regret about the past. Nobody walked without falling. We shouldn’t stop working because we failed. This is not the only life. If wanted to be doctor and you became a mechanic. We can have it next life. What you have now is the best for you right now.

Regarding money, World situation cannot be controlled and markets fluctuate. Lakshmi stands on lotus and it floats. Money moves floats. You will be given what is needy and you will get it. 

Scanning teachers looking into the time.

It gives little more clarity about past, present and future. 5 scanners are here. Few questions you ask for 5 mins and you can experience it.

*Happy Financial Year 2024*

 *Happy Financial Year 2024*

*Hard and Harder*

*Hard:* Making money 

*Harder:* Keeping money

*Hard:* Start investing

*Harder* Stay invested

*Hard:* Saving

*Harder:* Prudently investing savings

*Hard:* Controlling greed in bull markets 

*Harder:* Controlling fear in bear markets

*Hard:* Saying no to easy money

*Harder:* Sitting tight for long term compounding 

*Hard:* Not looking at daily prices

*Harder:* Not reacting to price fluctuations 

*Hard:* Looking at opportunities in bear market

*Harder:* Looking at risk in bull market

*Hard:* Analytical skills

*Harder:* Discipline and Patience 

*Hard:* Not chasing multi-baggers 

*Harder:* Contentment with modest returns

Happy Financial Year 24-25.

Why HT house is so brilliant

 A friend forwarded this very enlightening piece by Vivek Shukla on the Hindustan Times building in Delhi.

Today is the last day for Hindustan Times in KG Marg. From now onwards, it would publish from a building in South Delhi. Here is my piece on the making of iconic HT house. 

Why HT house is so brilliant 

The making of iconic HT house 

 In the crowd of skyscrapers all around, some buildings stand out thanks to their innovative design and lovely look. The 18 storied Hindustan Times House on Kasturba Gandhi Marg looks regal and a modern building even after half century of its construction. It was constructed in 1974 and all the HT offices moved here by the end of 1975. Before that HT and its sister publications were published from the Bombay Life Building in Connaught Place. That building is still there and standing tall.

 Actually, the 18-20  Kasturba Gandhi Marg, was the residence of Lala Shankar Lal, the younger brother of Lala Shri Ram, the founder of the DCM group. As a connoisseur of Art and Music, Lala Shankar Lal used to host private mehfils in his sprawling house. The likes of Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar had mesmerised  their audience there. Of course, the elite of Delhi used to attend those private mehfils.

However, Lala Shankar Lal sold his house to Birla family in 1960s for some unknown reasons. It had one deep well and several mango trees. Till then, the whole area was dotted with Raj days' built mansions. It was a quiet and serene place. Both Connaught Place and the India Gate were so close to it. Those were the days when Mr. K.K. Birla, the son of Seth GD Birla, the grand old man of Indian corporate world, had started looking after the affairs of Hindustan Times. Mr. Birla had many plans for this prime location property. It is said that after his series of meetings with his trusted managers of HT like Mr G.N. Sahi, the General Manager, and Mr Ram Nandan Sinha, Printer and Publisher of HT, Mr Birla had decided that they should build a modern newspaper building at  18-20 KG Marg.  It is worth mentioning here that ace photo journalist of India, S.N. Sinha is the son of Ram Nandan Sinha ji. He had also served as the photo editor of HT for many, many years.

Meanwhile, the cash rich Birla family and HT had enough money to construct the building.  The first task  before Mr. Birla, Sahi ji and Sinha ji was to find an architect who had a good body of work to show and a contractor who could handle the project effectively. Mr. Birla zeroed on Habib Rahman, an architect with phenomenal work to his credit. Habib Rahman, the man famously known as the architect of independent India has left his imprints on various structures that have been admired by one and all.  He was an absolute visionary who brought modernism to India with an ideology that was embedded in every one of the structures, evoking a sense of authenticity and boldness that dictated the surrounding spaces. His buildings kept every passerby riveted with the picture of a developing new India that still had the genesis of its culture and tradition.  Habib Rahman had already designed Dak Tar Bhawan, Rabindra Bhawan, Delhi Zoo, AGCR Building and some sectors of RK Puram. Those were the days when equally celebrated architects like Shiv Nath Prasad ( Sri Ram Centre and Akbar Bhawan), Joseph Allen Stein ( Triveni Kala Sangam and India International Centre) and CP Kukreja ( JNU) were also active in capital.

 Yet, Birla ji had settled for Rehman. It goes without saying that they would have known each other perhaps due to Rahman’s association with Rajghat project. It was Rahman who had chosen young designer Vanu Bhupa to design Raj Ghat project as he was the head of CPWD. Actually Pt  Nehru had entrusted him to find an architect for Rajghat. And  Mr. Birla was so close to Gandhi ji since his childhood days. 

 At the same time, the Sahi- Sinha duo had chosen Uttam Singh Duggal construction company as a contractor of the would be HT House. It was a known contractor firm  of Delhi in those days. After Bhoomi Pujan, the construction for the HT house was started in late 1969 in full swing. SN Sinha was there with his father when Bhoomi Pujan took place under the watchful eyes of priests of Birla Mandir.

 In HT house, Habib Rahman was creating a master piece with his design principles which were composed of a philosophy that resonated with the Bauhaus style of architecture. What is Bauhaus style of architecture? At its heart, Bauhaus is all about simplicity, but this doesn't mean that Bauhaus architecture lacks style. Thanks to the clever use and placement of geometric shapes, a clean, unfussy look was achieved that also worked well when applied to mass production and designing functional buildings that were intended for everyone. HT House is a perfect example of simplicity and class.Once legendary Executive President of HT told me that Mr.Birla had clearly told Habib Rahman that he must design a user friendly building. He wanted comfortable stairs to climb up or down. It has indeed a very comfortable stairs for users. Even senior citizens and pregnant ladies could climb HT House floors without any difficulty. HT House had very spacious stairs on front and back side of the building. Construction of stairs or staircase in a commercial/ residential building is the most necessary component that access flight between one floor to another. On this front nothing to beat HT house. When the spacious offices are only shrinking fast, HT House gives an ample space for all to move around. Alas, such media offices are very few.

And imagine HT house has a big underground parking. It was constructed when India had not even heard of auto revolution. Buying a car was a big deal in those days. Around 150 cars could be parked there. That’s besides the parking it has. I don’t think any building in CP or in Kasturba Gandhi Marg area has so much space for car parking.

 Of course, it was the vision of Mr. K.K. Birla who thought of an underground parking in the late 1960s. He was very particular about the cleanliness of HT house. Mr Naresh Mohan also told me that “Birla ji had told us in no uncertain terms that HT house should remain neat and clean like Oberoi Intercontinental Hotel all the time.” He was also involved in the making of HT house since day one. Of course, the words of Mr. Birla were implemented in letter and spirit.

 Finally, HT house is so special thanks to the mural. It is out of the world. It makes HT House just brilliant.

PS: This is my edited piece that was published in Delhi Press Club magazine couple of years ago.

"Don't we all" ?

 A bit long BUT worth a read. An excellent forward!

"Don't we all" ? 

I parked in front of a mall, wiping my car, when a tramp approached me.

From the looks of him, he had no car, no home,  no clean clothes, and no money. 

There are times when you feel generous but sometimes you just don't want to be bothered.

This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times".

I hope he doesn't ask me for money, I thought.

He didn't.

He sat down on the curb and after a few minutes he spoke.

"That's a very pretty car," he said.

He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly beard keep more than his face warm.

I said, "Thanks," and continued wiping my car.

He sat quietly. The expected plea for money never came.

As the silence between us widened something inside me said, "Ask him if he needs any help." 

I was sure he would say "Yes" but I held true to the inner voice.

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget.

We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.

I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. But he spoke the three words that shook me.

"Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a tramp in the street, until those three words hit me.

*Don't we all?*

I needed help.

Maybe not for a meal or a place to sleep, but I needed help.

I reached in my wallet and gave him enough to get a warm meal.

Those three little words still ring true.

No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too.

No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.

You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. But they may be waiting for you to give them what they don't have! 

* A different perspective on life

* A glimpse at something beautiful

* A respite from daily chaos, that only you with a different view can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets.

Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to people too comfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a tramp, then said, "Go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."

*DON'T WE ALL?*

From Katherine Hepburn

 From Katherine Hepburn

Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. 

Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.

There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price. 

The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation. 

He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with. 

Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.

*That day I learnt the value to Give.*

*The Giver is bigger than the Receiver.* 

*If you want to be large, larger than the life, learn to Give.*

*Only if you Give can you Receive more. The Givers heart becomes the Ocean, in tune with the Almighty - The Source*

*Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.*

A non medical student attended a Medical exam by mistake.

 A non medical student attended a Medical exam by mistake.

See his answers... 

The last one is the ultimate!! 

1. Antibody - One who hates his body .

2. Artery - Study of Fine Paintings or military, not sure.

3. Bacteria - Back door of a Cafeteria .

4. Coma - Punctuation Mark .

5. Gall Bladder - Bladder of a Girl .

6. Genes - Blue Denim.

7. Labour Pain - Hurt at Work .

8. Liposuction - A French Kiss .

9. Ultrasound - Radical Sound that is above human hearing capacity, such as wife's talk.

10. Cardiology - Advanced Study of Playing Cards .....

11. dyspepsia : difficulty in drinking pepsi.

12.Chicken Pox- A Non-Veg. continental dish.

13.CT Scan: Test for identifying person's

city

14.Radiology- the study of how Radio works

15.Parotitis : information about the parrots.

ULTIMATE-------!!!!!!

16. Urology: the study of european people

LOOKING WITHIN

  

Good Morning!!!

 

God grant me the Serenity

to accept the things

I cannot change;

Courage to change

the things I can;

and Wisdom

to know the difference.

Thy will, not mine, be done.

 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*

 

April 1, 2024

 

LOOKING WITHIN

 

A.A. Made a searching and fearless

moral inventory of ourselves.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 42

 

Step Four is the vigorous and painstaking effort to discover

what the liabilities in each of us have been and are.

I want to find exactly how, when, and where

my natural desires have warped me.

I wish to look squarely at the unhappiness

this has caused others and myself.

By discovering what my emotional deformities are,

I can move toward their correction.

Without a willing and persistent effort to do this,

there can be little sobriety or contentment for me.

To resolve ambivalent feelings,

I need to feel a strong and helpful sense of myself.

Such an awareness doesn’t happen overnight,

and no one’s self-awareness is permanent.

Everyone has the capacity for growth,

and for self-awareness,

through an honest encounter with reality.

When I don’t avoid issues but meet them directly,

always trying to resolve them,

they become fewer and fewer.

 

****************************************************

Give Thanks

 

Though I still find it difficult to accept

today's pain and anxiety

 with any great degree of serenity-

-as those more advanced in the spiritual life

 seem able to do—

I can give thanks for present pain nevertheless.

I find the willingness to do this

by contemplating the lessons learned

 from past suffering—

lessons which have led to the blessings I now enjoy.

I can remember how the agonies of alcoholism,

the pain of rebellion and thwarted pride,

have often led me to God's grace,

and so, to a new freedom.

Grapevine, March 1962

 

**********

"Alcohol gave me wings

and then slowly took away my sky."

 

********************

Grapevine quote of the day

 

"From the moment I pulled open the doors to my very first meeting, I felt something different; something good was going to happen. Those doors, which at the time I believed to be the heaviest ever made, allowed me to walk into a new way of life."

New York, N.Y., January 2006

From: "Attitude Adjustment"

Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

 

*****************************************************

The Indispensable Man

 

Sometime when you're feeling important;

Sometime when your ego's in bloom;

Sometime when you take it for granted,

You're the best qualified in the room:

Sometime when you feel that you’re going,

Would leave an unfillable hole,

Just follow these simple instructions,

And see how they humble your soul.

Take a bucket and fill it with water,

Put your hand in it up to the wrist,

Pull it out and the hole that's remaining,

Is a measure of how much you'll be missed.

You can splash all you wish when you enter,

You may stir up the water galore,

But stop, and you'll find that in no time,

It looks quite the same as before.

The moral of this quaint example,

Is to do just the best that you can,

Be proud of yourself but remember,

There's no indispensable man.

Saxon White Kessinger

 

***************************************************

It is always a mistake

not to close one's eyes,

whether to forgive

 or to look better into oneself.

—Maurice Maeterlinck

Why are daughters not allowed in the Hindu cremation? Is it religion or culture?

 

Why are daughters not allowed in the Hindu cremation? Is it religion or culture?

Culture.

Open cremation is actually quite a ghoulish affair, especially in the old days when the cranium of the deceased was broken with a blunt instrument - said to release the soul but done to ensure the person was dead and to prevent the head bursting during the incineration.

Weeping and overt displays of emotion at the time of cremation is discouraged and since women tend to be more emotional than men they are not invited to attend.

But there is no religious reason why women should not attend nor why a daughter should not herself conduct the funeral rites of her parents.

Was Krishna aware of the Ramayana?

 

Was Krishna aware of the Ramayana?

Yes Krishna was fully aware of the Ramayana. Here are few instances from Mahabharat that confirms it.

1. When Rajsuyagya Shishupal questions why Krishna was chosen for agrim Puja. Bhishma explained all avatars Krishna had previously taken including Ramavtar to all Kings who were present there.
2. In chapter 10 of Bhagavadgita Krishna mentioned - among bearers of arms I am Shree Ram.
3. At the end of Kurukshetra war, when Duryodhana hides himself in a Pond, Krishna suggest Yudhishthira to use tricks instead of force to bring him out of pond. For this Krishna gives examples of many previous battle were tricks were used to defeat opponents. Among the example he also mentioned example of How Shree Ram defeated Ravan.
4. When Yudhishthira is mourning the death of relatives Krishna tells him story of conversation between a king Sanjaya and Naradmuni where Naradmuni tells King about Shree Ram and His Kingdom.

Be prepared for the next heat wave between 40 to 50°C.

 Be prepared for the next heat wave between 40 to 50°C. 

Always drink room temperature water slowly. 

Avoid drinking cold or ice water!

Currently, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and other countries are experiencing a "heat wave."

These are the do’s and don’t’ s:

  1. *Doctors advise not to drink very cold water when the temperature reaches 40°C, as our small blood vessels may burst.*

It was reported that a doctor's friend came home from a very hot day - he was sweating profusely and he wanted to cool himself quickly - he immediately washed his feet with cold water... Suddenly, he collapsed & was taken to hospital.

  2. When the heat outdoors reaches 38°C and when you come home,  don’t drink cold water - drink only warm water slowly.

Do not wash your hands or feet immediately, if they are exposed to the hot sun. Wait at least half an hour before washing or showering.

  3. Someone wanted to cool down from the heat and immediately took a shower. After the shower, the person was taken to hospital with a stiff jaw & had a stroke.

*Please Note:*

During the hot months or if you are very tired, avoid drinking very cold water immediately, as it can cause the veins or blood vessels to narrow, which can lead to a stroke.

_*Please spread to others!*_

THE FACE OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

 THE FACE OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

How did the widow of the creator of the Singer sewing machines give her face to the Statue of Liberty?

Isabella Boyer's life is like a thrilling novel. She was born in Paris, in a family of an African pastry chef father and an English mother. Her name was Isabella, a beautiful name that should have been the basis of a beautiful destiny. It quickly became clear that nature gave Isabella a special beauty.

At 20, she marries sewing machine maker Isaac Singer, 50, and after his death becomes the richest woman in the country. And no wonder she was chosen as the model for the Statue of Liberty, because she embodies the American dream come true. After becoming a widow, Isabella began traveling the world, seeking new knowledge and exciting challenges, far too young to be buried under mourning clothes.

She remarried Dutch violinist Victor Robstett, who is a world celebrity and an earl, so Isabella also becomes a countess. Soon Isabella becomes the star of showrooms in America and Europe, and is invited to all world events. At one of them, she met the famous French sculptor Frederick Bartoldi. At the time, Bartoldi was strongly impressed by his trip to the United States, by the size of the country, by its natural resources, by the population there, and had already accepted the proposal to create a statue symbolizing the independence of the United States. The sculpture was supposed to be a gift from France in honor of the 100th anniversary of the country's independence. Thus the idea of a giant statue depicting a woman holding a torch in one hand and plates in the other was born, with the date of adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.

Bartoldi was so impressed by Isabella's face that he decided to use it as a model for his sculpture. Therefore, on Bedlow Island in the Gulf of New York, the Statue of Liberty was erected with the figure of an ancient goddess, but with the face of Isabella Boyer.

Isabella marries for the third time, at the age of 50, to Paul Sohege, a famous collector of art.

She died in Paris in 1904 at age 62. She is buried in Passy Cemetery.

But the statue with his face continues to rise over Bedlow Island, symbolizing America's first pride, freedom.

THE MERCIFUL

 Good Morning!!!

 

THE MERCIFUL

 

Around the Year with Emmet Fox

 

March 30

 

“Blessed are the merciful:

for they shall obtain mercy”

Matthew 5:7

This is a brief summary of the law of life

that Jesus develops more fully

later in the Sermon (Matthew 7:1-5).

As it stands,

this Beatitude is as obvious in its meaning

as the law in question is simple

and inflexible in its action.

 

The point that the Christian needs to note

is that the principle covered in this Beatitude

lies in its application to the realm of thought.

Let us be merciful,

in our mental judgments of our brother,

for, in truth, we are all one, and the more deeply

he seems to err, the more urgent is the need for us

to help him with the right thought,

and so, make it easier for him to get free.

 

Because in deed and in truth we are all one,

component parts of the living garment of God,

you yourself will ultimately receive

the same treatment that you mete out to others,

you will receive the same merciful help

in your own hour of need from those

who are farther along the path than you are.