Resplendent Rayalseema: Temples and More

Resplendent Rayalseema: Temples and More The year was 2004. It was the first day of November when I alighted from a train at Guntakal in the Rayalseema area of the undivided Andhra Pradesh to take charge as the Senior Divisional Operations Manager at Guntakal Division. Guntakal is a bijou town known primarily for its railway establishment. The Divisional headquarters provides preeminent connectivity from Chennai towards Mumbai, Howrah and Bengaluru. The region is endued with high-priced minerals and metals like dolomite, bauxite, quartz, limestone, and iron ore. There are important cement factories that dot the landscape. My brief in operations was to enhance iron ore exports to China (the country was building stadia across its landscape) by ensuring efficient loading from a host of terminals spanning from Bellary to Guntakal West. Apart from mineral deposits, there is the Rayalseema Thermal Power Plant at Muddanur that generates power to illuminate the area; Temples of Modern India, to quote Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. Rayalseema is an arid and sun-baked region by day and as the sun sinks into the western skies, an unexpected chill sets in and a cool breeze wafts across the desiccated landscape. I distinctly recall that potable water was in short supply and the railway establishment imported cans of water from Nandaluru, another nanoscopic almost vest-pocket size town in the region. I hurriedly freshened up and reached my new office. However my personal secretary had other ideas. He declared in a rather supplicant manner, “Saar, you have to pay obeisance to Lord Hanuman who had wrecked havoc over the diabolical and demonic Ravana.” Thus pell-mell we made our way to the Sri Nettikanti Anjaneya Swami Temple, the famous Lord Hanuman temple in Kasapuram, barely 4km from the railway station. Little did I know that our religious sojourn would not terminate there. In quick succession I was chaperoned to the Buggasangala Sivalayam, Jambudweepachakra at Konakondla, Sri Venkateswara Temple and eventually to the Sri Guntakallappa Temple (the presiding deity of Guntakal). I well nigh wondered whether such a delay would be viewed in proper spirit by my new boss. However the effervescent Divisional Railway Manager, Mr. Carmelius parried my doubts. Waving his hands affectionately, he mentioned that he too had undertaken a parikrama of these holy shrines upon joining the coveted post. Later I realised, it was almost an unwritten ukase for all railwaymen joining Guntakal Division. Officers of all faiths, castes and creeds undertake this peregrination to ward off the baleful eye. I was quintessentially impressed with the plurality and facileness of the denizens of Guntakal. The Rayalseema is a geographic entity in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It includes the southern districts of Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur, an area of 67,526 km2. Although Rayalseema is a piffling region compared to the rest of Telugu-speaking areas, its contribution to Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, and Urdu arts, culture and literature is unparalleled. The well-known suzerain of the Rayalseema region was Sri Krishnadevaraya. It was also the original home of the Eastern Chalukyas, who gradually expanded their sway over Karnataka under pressure from the Chola kings. During the British era, the Nizam of Hyderabad ceded this area to the British, and the area came to be known as the ‘Ceded Districts’. Around the time of the freedom movement, the area was renamed as Rayalseema; an amalgamation of the words ‘Rayala’ (from the title ‘Raya’ or ‘Rayalu’ used by the Vijayanagara kings) and ‘seema’, which was an administrative unit of the Vijayanagara Empire. Rayalseema is larger than several states in India and borders Tamil Nadu to the south, Karnataka to the west and Telangana to the north. The region contributes 52 assembly segments to Andhra Pradesh state legislature and 8 parliamentary constituencies. These Telugu-speaking districts were part of the Madras Presidency until 1953, when Telugu-speaking districts of the Presidency were carved out to form Andhra State. From 1953 to 1956, the region was part of Andhra State. In 1956, the Telangana region too was merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh State. Earlier, Bellary district too was part of Rayalseema. With the formation of states based on languages, Bellary was joined to Karnataka though the city continues to have large numbers of Kannada and Telugu speaking people. It would be singular to mention that signs and symbols play a role in all the world’s religions as objects on which thoughts and prayers can be focussed. Spiritual and religious symbols point a way through the numinous world of religious belief, acting as badges of faith, teaching tools and aids on the pilgrimage towards appreciating complex philosophies. The landscape of Rayalseema is dotted with a humungous number of temples and pilgrimage spots which provide sanctuary to the faithful. The most prominent is the Lord Venkateswara Temple, the Lord of Seven Hills at Tirumala. There are several others too. Important among these is the Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjana Swami temple at Srisailam, the only temple in India revered as a Jyotirlinga and Shaktipeeth. The fabled Khadiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Kadri and Tallapaka the birthplace of the legendary Annamayacharya are significant spots. In modern times the devout make a beeline to the Raghavendra Swami Mutt at Mantralayam on the banks of Tungabhadra River. Raghavendra Swami is believed to be in a state of live samadhi over here. At Puttaparthi is Prashanti Nillayam, where Bhagwan Satya Sai Baba lived and cast his mortal self. The abode of Jiddu Krishnamurthy, erudite scholar and philosopher is located at Madanapalle near Horsley Hills. The region of Rayalseema is replete with history, historical places, ancient historical sites like the Belum caves and an array of temples. It is a must visit area for agnostics, theists and atheists alike. “Your daily life is your temple and your religion. When you enter into it take with you all,” wrote Khalil Gibran. The inhabitants of Rayalseema adhere to this principle in letter and spirit.

History of Verdant Godavari

History of Verdant Godavari “Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,” is a captivating sentence in the Rudyard Kipling poem ‘The Ballad of East and West’. Never the Twain Shall Meet is also the title of two prominent Hollywood blockbusters, including a 1925s silent movie. Dhowleswaram is a prominent place in the Godavari delta. It is here that the majestic River Godavari assumes the shape of the geometrical figure of a triangle. The Vasishta River which is on the west delta forms the boundary between the two districts of East and West Godavari. The landscape west of Vasishta is West Godavari and locales east of it fall under the jurisdiction of East Godavari. The twain indeed do not meet, just a physical contiguity. The prepossessing Konaseema is the area between Vasishta and Gouthami rivers. This is the verdant and alluring triangle. Konaseema is an integral of East Godavari. Konaseema lies south of Gouthami and east of Vasishta. West Godavari district or Paschima Godavari Jilla is one of the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative headquarters of the district is the viridescent town of Eluru. The town is sandwiched by Krishna district on the west, East Godavari (on the east), the gargantuan Bay of Bengal on the south and the newly carved state of Telangana to the north. History The Chalukyas were once the potentates of coastal Andhra (700 AD-1200 AD), with Vengi as their capital. Historical evidences of the empire have been discovered in the villages of Pedavegi and Guntupalli (Jilakarragudem). It is noteworthy to mention that Eluru was then to become part of the Kalinga Empire until 1471. Later it fell under the Gajapathi dynasty. In 1515 Sri Krishna Deva Raya overran Eluru and subsequently when the Vijayanagara kingdom capitulated to the Sultan of Golkonda, Kutub Shah, the town exchanged hands once again. In modern times during the reign of the Britishers, West Godavari District was formed with Eluru as the headquarters and all the district offices and regional offices were set up at Eluru. West Godavari district was hived from the existing Godavari District in the year 1925. The erstwhile Godavari district was renamed East Godavari district and the new district was named as West Godavari district. West Godavari has a flat terrain and generally the rivers in the district move from western to eastern direction. Three rivers cut across the district, namely Godavari, Yerrakaluva and Tammileru. Paddy, banana, sugarcane, and coconut are the principal agricultural products of the district apart from the buoyant fisheries and prawn cultivation. Further, cashew nut, mango and tobacco have received impetus over the years, making them significant products from the district. Some Important Towns Bhimavaram or ‘The Gift of Bhima’, named after the celebrated Pandava is a prominent township. Legends mention that around 890 AD –918 AD, an Eastern Chalukya king named Chalukya Bheema built a famous Shiva Temple here. The town was originally called ‘Bhimapuram’ but was subsequently changed to ‘Bhimavaram’. Some important temples dotting the landscape of Bhimavaram and nearby towns are the Sri Someswara Temple, the Amararama Temple in Amaravathi, the Kumararama Temple in Samalkota and the Ksheera Rama Temple in Palakollu. The Shiva lingam at the Sri Someswara Temple is known for its unique properties. It is believed that the lingam had been installed by Lord Chandra. The colour of the linga assumes alterations as per the penetration of the lunar rays. During full moon days it dramatically transforms into shimmering white while on the day of Amavasya (no moon) it metamorphoses into black. Sri Adikesava Embermannar Swamy Temple at Narsapur is of similar architecture and design as the renowned Sriperumbudur Temple in Tamil Nadu. Interestingly this is the only temple where Goddess Lakshmi has a name attributed to a devotee of the lord; the Goddess of fortune or ‘Varaprasadi’, the one who bestows all wishes. The Aasanam (altar) of Sri Emberumanar Swamy is called Bhadravedi or Thrivedi, exemplar of authority in the triad of Sruthis namely Bheda, Abheda, and Ghataka. The Jagan Mohini Kesava Swamy temple is renowned at the township of Rayali. The exquisite idol, made of black stone depicts Maha Vishnu and Mohini on the anterior and rear respectively. The surrealistic idol is a marvel of sculptural dexterity. As per popular folklore once a flower from the plait of Mohini fell on the ground during a squabble over sharing of the Holy Divine Nectar (Amrit) and thus the town acquired the name Rayali (‘to fall’ in Telugu language). It is widely believed that unmarried girls discover a suitor by performing 108 Pradakshinams (circumambulations) on seven continuous Tuesdays, paying obeisance at the Maddi Anjaneya Swamy temple at Gurvaigudem. Worshipping the Lord unflinchingly on Saturdays diminishes the malefic effects on the devotee from demonic forces and unfavourable planetary configurations. Scenically situated at the banks of River Godavari, Rajahmundry is often described as the cultural capital of Andhra Pradesh. There are twenty nine important temples in Rajahmundry and it is among the major Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. The bustling city is also popular for the duo decennial congregations of Pushkaralu. Rajahmundry witnesses a spectacular festival where millions of devotees throng its soil. There is the famous Kotilingeswara Temple, a prominent religious site which was built in the 10th century. This temple has bathing ghats all around it. The loftily constructed temple attracts thousands of pilgrims. The Draksharamam Temple, Mahalaxmi Gudi, Markandeya Temple, Iskcon Temple, Somalamma Temple are other significant places of worship in Rajahmundry. Only by travelling across the swathes of East and West Godavari can a tourist appreciate the pristine fragrance and unalloyed culture of the place, populated by people who are by nature highly emotive. “Whether we like it or not, we all come from someplace. And at some point in our lives, we have to make peace with that place”, writes the author Jeffrey Stepakoff.

The Story of the Telugu Language

The Story of the Telugu Language “Language comes first. It’s not that language grows out of consciousness, if you haven’t got language, you can’t be conscious,” writes the fabled British author Alan Moore. One can perhaps say prior to the onset of liberalisation and Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao occupying the exalted position of Prime Minister, every one living south of the Vindhyas was a ‘Madrasi’. I reckon even today, one would only sporadically be aware that Telugu is a vowel ending language, and is among the four Dravidian languages. This language has been acclaimed as the “Latin of East” for its mellifluous quality and is the second largest spoken language in India after Hindi. Very few know that Telugu literature has produced two Jnanpith awardees. These are Viswanatha Satyanarayana, who was decorated with the award for his traditional Kavya, Ramayana Kalpavriksham in 1970 and Dr C. Narayana Reddy for creating a lengthy poem in free verse, Viswambhara in the year 1988. These are precious nuggets which ought to be cherished by the people of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other Telugu speaking people in the country. Telugu literature or sahityam is the body of works written in the Telugu language. It comprises of poems, novels, short stories, dramas, ghazals and puranas. The embellished and ornate corpus of Telugu literature has its roots going to the early 10th century period. The Prabandha Ratnavali written in 1918 describes graphically the existence of Jain-Telugu literature during 850 BC–1000BC. In the nascent phase, it was in inscriptions that the language took literary shape. Telugu has been appropriately accorded classical status along with Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada by the Government of India. As per myths and tradition the first Telugu author was Kannaiah, who lived at the court of Andhiraya. During the reign of that king, Sanskrit was said to have been introduced in the Telugu country and Kannaiah had apparently dealt with Telugu grammar after the methods of Sanskrit philologists. Alas his works are lost in the sands of time. Three of the earliest prominent writers of Telugu language were Nannaya, Tikkana and Errana. They had translated Veda Vyasa’s Mahabharata into Telugu. This work was commenced by Nannaya at the behest of the Chalukya king, Rajaraja Narendra. Nannaya wrote two and half parvas, thereafter Tikkana was to write from the fourth parva till the end and Errana accomplished the onerous task of translating the Aranaya portion. The troika are thus referred to as Kavitraya. Thus, the Mahabharata is the first comprehensive literary text written in Telugu way back in 1053 AD. One stumbles into the history of the language while studying the trajectory of its growth. The primary genre from the 11th century to 18th century was essentially – Itihasam, Puranam and Kavyam. Itihasam revolves around the ballads of kings and the myths of Gods and Goddesses. This literature pivots around the quintessential questions of truth and dharma. Puranams focussed on the narrative of the universal creator and his myriad forms, the stories of avatars, with an intention to inspire devotion and give rise to spiritual pursuit. Kavya is an amalgam of myth and fiction. The pleasing style, the syntax and grammar was to make it popular among the masses. Apart from the above three were the Sataka, Yakshagana and Padakavita, literary performing arts. The inspirational troika were to fire the imagination of 12th century poets like Palkuriki Somanatha and Nannechoda and the 14th century prodigious writers like Nachana and Srinatha and Pothana during the next century. It would be pertinent to mention that the contribution of the troika whetted the appetite of several woman poets to pen their thoughts; these included Tallapaka, Timmakka, Molla, Rangajamma, Muddu Palani, Ramabhadramba and Tharigonda Vengamamba. Meanwhile Hindu mainstream thoughts and practices were dominated by strands of thoughts emanating from Vaishnavism and Shaivism. These movements influenced the estimable corpus of Telugu literature. Miles away at Chitrakoot, Goswami Tulsidas, author of the venerable Ramcharitra Manas was deeply anguished about the rivalry and the resultant bloodshed between the proponents of Vaishnavism and Shaivism. So much so, he beseeched his Ishta Devata, Lord Ram to pay obeisance to Shiva (for peace to prevail). This finds mention in his text through the importance of the religious place Rameswaram. But people, I reckon are ignorant that Tikkana, one of the prominent members of the troika responded to a similar unabated rivalry by declaring his religion as Hariharadwaita (a combination of Shiva and Vishnu). How history is recorded, written and portrayed indeed shapes our thoughts and vision. It is a quirk of fate that folklore regales us with numerous Akbar- Birbal encounters; history does not provide the aperture for Krishnadevaraya – Tenali Ramakrishna repartees. This was the golden period of Telugu literature. The Ashtadiggajas (the eight great poets) in Telugu exemplified variety, creativity and diversity in the language. Krishnadevaraya, synonymous with Vijanagara Empire, was himself a scholar of immense repute. During his reign, not only did he patronise art forms but over saw the flourishing genres like Kavya, Prabandha, Purana, Yakshagana and prose genre. The prodigious works of Vemana in the 18th century ushered in satire into Telugu literature. The story of Telugu literature would be incomplete if Annamacharya’s writings (Padakavita or renditions in praise of Lord Venkateswara, Hanuman and the Narasimha Avatar), Saint Tyagaraja’s Kritis and contribution towards Kuchipudi dance and Saint Ram Dasa’s Dasarathi Satakam and Surabhi theatre are not mentioned. Life is synodic and Telugu literature went into decline for some time. It was revved up with the Bengal Renaissance, the advent of printing press and growth of English education and literature. Around this time Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu emerged as a profound thinker and a colossus of Telugu literature through novels, one-act plays, essays, columns, biographies and autobiography. Alongside emerged Kanyasulkam Gurazada Apparao to write modern plays. Wordsworth, Shelley and Keats inspired the Romantic Movement in Telugu literature, where there was unalloyed focus on pristine love, dignity of women, spirituality, sentiment where lyricism was the bedrock of all writing and from the penumbra emerged writers like Rayaprolu Subbarao, Devualpally Krishna Shastry, Nayani and Nanduri Subba Rao and Gurram B Joshua. Krishna Paksham by Krishna Shastry is a monumental work of this period. The ever evolving story of Telugu literature wound its way through the nationalist, progressive, revolutionary, feminist and Dalit movements where several writers emerged. “Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts,” writes the famous author Patrick Rothfuss.

A Glimpse into the Andhra Satavahanas

A Glimpse into the Andhra Satavahanas The year was 1982. Headlines of several newspapers screamed that N.T.Rama Rao (NTR) and Ramakrishna Hegde had formed non-Congress governments in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka respectively. Soon I was accosted by a few friends in the Hindu College canteen, where I was then a student. As a ‘Madrasi’, I was expected to enlighten them on developments in the two southern states. These incidents were noteworthy on two accounts; most denizens of northern part of India were unaware of southern states other than Tamil Nadu, Second, in the pre-globalisation era and before the advent of Google anyone from south of the Vindhyas was a ‘Madrasi’. In the alcoves of my memory bank names like Pallavas, Cholas and Cheras resounded, but I was clueless about the Satavahana dynasty. Indians by and large are ignorant about their culture and resplendent history and pay scant respect to it. Delving into my history books I discovered an interesting and glorious history. Governance in the Satavahana kingdom was organised on classical conformist lines. There are references to the kingdom in various Ashokan scriptures and also by the ancient Greek traveller Megasthenes. The Aitareya Brahamana classifies Satavahana beyond the pale of Aryanism. While the Nasik Prasasti lays claim to Gautami as a brahman who perhaps founded the dynasty. There is faint numismatic evidence that the Satavahana dynasty spanned present day Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Epigraphic evidence also attribute Andhra is the tribal name; Satavahana, the dynastic one and Satkarni, the patronymic. Other historians claim the Satavahanas were of Naga origin. As one sifts through the history of the Satavahanas, shrouded as it is by several foggy analyses, there are some robust literary sources which provide an insight into this kingdom. The Puranas mention thirty kings, Gunadhaya’s Brihatkatha and the literary text Leelavati refer to the majestic military exploits of a certain King Hala. The Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela refers to Gautami Balasari as the first ruler, a fact accepted at a few inscriptions in Sanchi too. After Gautami, there were astute kings in Simuka, Krishna and Satakarni, who administered the kingdom. Subsequently, principal kings like Raja Raja, Swamin and Pulamavai acquired power and the Satavahanas flourished. It became a naval power and established capital centres at Vaijayanti and Amravati. The kingdom was divided into janapadas, which were further segregated into aharas. Each ahara was under the vicelike grip of an Amatya. It is worthwhile to mention the basic unit of ahara was the grama, with the village headman, who was called gamika. The central piece of their administration was that the empire connected the northern parts of India with the southern parts, providing a valuable channel for transfer of ideas and commerce. It is quite riveting that centuries later, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana continue to play pivotal roles in modern day Indian governments, be it National Front, UPA and NDA. I wonder how many people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana would be aware of the glorious history of the Satavahana dynasty. It is perhaps our pedagogy which deprives students of awareness of this precious chapter in our glorious history. Only those who pursue history or archaeology as subjects or opt for history in the Civil Services examination are exposed to these incidents of ancient Indian history. There would be several such clans and dynasties in India about which we have little information.

Valley of Flowers and More

Valley of Flowers and More “We can only climb the mountains because there’s a valley that makes the mountain a mountain,” writes the noted psychologist Craig D. Lounsbrough. A valley is a low area of land lying between hills or mountains, usually with a river or a stream flowing through it, much akin to the landscape of our lives, populated as it is with peaks and valleys. People dream that one day each valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain will stretch out to caress victory, the rough places will be made straight and the glory and bounty of divinity will be revealed in their lives. Without doubt, the one place where a walk through a valley will bring rapturous contentedness is a trek through the Valley of Flowers - a World Heritage Site- in North Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Neatly nestled among the snow clad peaks of the Himalayas, the state has abundant places of scenic beauty which also offer a bouquet of amazing opportunities for trekking. For those with a religious or spiritual bent of mind Kedarnath, Badrinath, Joshimath, Gangotri and Yamunotri offer ample scope. The Valley of Flowers trek is usually planned over 4-6 days and is a lifetime chance to witness stunning natural vistas. The valley is populated with estimable meadows of alpine flowers and a variegated spread of flora and fauna. The rich bio-diversity of the area is also home to recherché and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, the snow leopard, the atypical brown bear, scarce red fox and the blue sheep. Birds inhabiting the park include the rare Himalayan monal pheasant and other high altitude birds. At about 3,352m to 3,658m above sea level, the gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National park to the east. These landmasses encompass a sui generis transition zone between the Zanskar mountain ranges and the robust great Himalayas. The park itself stretches over an expanse of 87.50km2. Though place has been recognized internationally only since about a century back, it finds a pre-eminent place in the mystique of Hinduism. Since aeons local denizens have visited the valley. Indian rishis and yogis are known to have visited the valley to meditate. Adi Shankara, who established the Advaita School of philosophy, at a tender age traversed all the way from Kaladi in Kerala to the pristine hills and established the celebrated and venerated temple at Badrinath. Possibly he too visited the Valley of Flowers. In 1931, Frank S.Smythe, Eric Shipton and R.L Holdsworth, all British mountaineers, lost their way while returning from a successful expedition to Mt. Kamet and happened to stumble upon the valley, which was blazing with radiant flowers. The magnetic charm of the area allured them and it was christened the Valley of Flowers. In 1939, Joan Margaret Legge, a botanist deputed by the Royal Botanical Garden, Kew arrived at the valley to examine the rich tapestry and abundance of flowers. While traversing some rocky slopes to collect flowers, tragedy struck as she slipped-off and a precious life was snuffed out. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial near the spot. The valley has variegated and colourful flowers, taking on various shades of colours with the passage of time. Prof. Chandra Prakash Kala, a botanist deputed by the Wildlife Institute of India, carried out a research study on the floralistics and conservation of the valley for a decade, beginning in 1993. As one footslogs over peaks and treacherous precipices, the tipper pays obeisance at Sri Hemkund Sahib, among the holiest pilgrimage sites of the Sikhs. The expeditionary also witnesses natural splendours throughout the grandiose trek. The trek usually begins from Govindghat, about an hour away from Joshimath. From Govindghat the trekkers move to Ghangaria, about 3km away from the valley. Along this route one would find many devout Sikhs on their way to Gurudwara Sri Hemkund Sahib. At Ghangaria one needs to obtain a permit to actually visit the Valley of Flowers. The trip to the valley is permitted only during the day. The adventurous can plan their itinerary to include more destinations like Haridwar, Joshimath and Rishikesh. Besides undertaking the arduous yet fascinating trek and rafting on the waves of the Ganges near Rishikesh or Haridwar, there are several other standout points and vignettes in the vicinity. Tour operators and tourist agencies make arrangements for travel to Haridwar. The fascinating itinerary is indicative of what could be possible. The tailor-made holiday packages cater to the specific interests of guests. To leave an indelible impression on the minds of the travellers there are several interesting places to visit. These include a visit to Har-ki-Pauri, witnessing the consecrated evening Ganga Aarti at Haridwar, trips to the Panch Prayag, (Vishnuprayag, Nandaprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag and Devprayag, which are five points of confluence of the Alaknanda River with other rivers), sightseeing in Rishikesh and its environs. These are some jaw dropping vignettes to which travellers are exposed and carry with them sublime memories as clouds waft across the panoramic view of swathes of land. A trip to the Valley of Flowers and other splendid locations would make one firmly believe in the words of American author, John Burroughs, “You are always nearer the divine and the true sources of your power than you think.”

Kailas Mansarovar Yatra

Kailas Mansarovar Yatra “Shiva Tattva is where there is no mind and the moon signifies the mind. When there is no mind then how can this ‘no-mindedness’ be expressed? You need a little bit of the mind to understand, experience and to express. The no-mind, infinite consciousness requires that little bit of mind to express itself in the manifest world. So, to express that inexpressible, that little mind (crescent moon) is on Shiva’s head. Wisdom is beyond the mind, but it needs to be expressed with a tinge of mind and this is symbolized by the crescent moon,” says the spiritual master H.H. Sri Ravi Shankar. There was once a blue stock student who passed out with distinction from an estimable college in Delhi University. Numerous opportunities beckoned him -the Civil Services examination, joining a corporate house, or turning to journalism among others. Instead he embarked on a peregrination to the lofty peaks of Mt.Kailasa. Meanwhile a friend who was well ensconced in the hallowed portals of Rail Bhavan, commanding humungous power was unexpectedly diagnosed with osteoporosis. In order to overcome the pain of the condition, the doughty fighter enrolled herself at the Bihar School of Yoga, which did ameliorate her condition. She learnt that some of her course-mates planned a trip to the majestic Mt.Kailasa and a dip in the Mansarovar Lake. The brawny warrior ignored all aches and witnessed the grandiose peaks of Mt.Kailasa. A third friend, himself a mini czar in the travel and tourism business and living life king-size awoke one morning with a seizure and slumped into his bed. A chord struck in his mind and he resolved to “feel pristine nature” after he was sufficiently recovered. They all faced existential crises and sought a certain fulfilment in life; they were determined to experience something out of the ordinary. Though all 3 were at different stages in their lives, by merely gazing at the sheer majesty of Mt.Kailasa, they experienced true celebration in their mind and soul; something they had never experienced in the ho-hum existence of everyday drudgery. The pristine snow clad peaks of Mt.Kailasa stand tall at a dizzy 6,638m. This august Kailash Range (part of the Gangdisê Mountains), is nestled in the Trans Himalaya in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. This undefiled peak is located near the holy Lake Mansarovar and Lake Rakshastal, in the vicinity of the interminable Asian rivers like the imposing and exalted Indus, the Sutlej, the Brahmaputra, and the Karnali (also known as Ghaghara, a tributary of the Ganges in India). It is noteworthy to mention that Mt.Kailasa is considered to be the sacred cradle of four prominent oriental religions, namely Bon, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. The mountain itself derives its name from the word ‘kelasa’ or crystal. Preeminent authors of Tibetan-English history and literature have also mentioned the word ‘kai la sha’ for this towering mountain, which essentially is a Sanskrit word. The Tibetan name for the mountain is Gangs Rin-po che. Gangs or Kang is the Tibetan word for snow peak, analogous to alp or hima; rinpoche is an honorific meaning ‘precious one’. So the combined term is loosely translated as ‘precious jewel of snows’. Tibetan Buddhists refer to it as Kangri Rinpoche or Precious Snow Mountain. Bon texts have christened the peak as Water’s Flower, Mountain of Sea Water and Nine Stacked Swastika Mountain. For those professing Hinduism, the peak is the home of the Hindu God Shiva and it is widely believed that Lord Shiva resides there; for Jains it is where their first leader was enlightened; for practising Buddhists it is the navel of the universe; and for adherents of Bon religion the mountainous range is the abode of the Sky Goddess Sipaimen. There are numerous sites in the region which are associated with Padmasambhava, whose tantric practices in the consecrated sites around Tibet which are credited with finally establishing Buddhism as the main religion of the country in the 7th-8th century AD. Years back on account of hostilities between India and China, the pilgrimage to the legendary abode of Shiva was curtailed (from 1954 to 1978). Thereafter, a limited number of Indian pilgrims have been allowed to visit the place, under the supervision of the Chinese and Indian governments, via a lengthy and hazardous trek over the Himalayan terrain, travel by land from Kathmandu or from Lhasa where flights from Kathmandu are available to Lhasa and thereafter travel over the great Tibetan plateau by car. The voyage spans over four night stops, finally arriving at Darchen at an elevation of 4,600 m, a small outpost that swells with pilgrims at certain times of the year. Despite the existence of minimal infrastructure, modest not opulent guest houses are available for foreign pilgrims, whereas Tibetan pilgrims generally sleep in their own tents. A small regional medical centre serving far-western Tibet and funded by the Swiss Ngari Korsum Foundation was built here in 1997 to house pilgrims. Circumnutating the mountain, of which a part is an official park, is to be executed on foot, by pony or by domestic yak. It takes around three days of trekking, going past the Tarboche (flagpole) to cross the Drölma pass at 5650m. An interesting facet for all pilgrims, troupers, mountaineers and those pining for inner peace to absorb is that Mt. Everest stands erect at m 8,848m in height, with the summit being scaled by over 4,000 people. The awe-inspiring Mt.Kailasa is 6,638m and yet its summit is yet to be conquered. It is said that in 1926, Hugh Rutledge, an English Civil Servant and mountaineer studied the north face, and proclaimed that it was ‘utterly unclimbable’ and thereafter considered an ascent of the northeast ridge, but gave up the plan. In 2001, reports emerged that the Chinese government had accorded permission for a Spanish team to climb the peak, which caused an international backlash. Chinese authorities disputed the reports, and stated that any climbing activities on Mt.Kailasa were strictly prohibited. Reinhold Messner, an explorer and mountaineer unequivocally condemned the reported Spanish plans, and was to remark that, “If we conquer this mountain, then we conquer something in people’s souls. I would suggest they go and climb something a little harder. Kailasa is not so high and not so hard.” “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves,” was to remark the icon Edmund Hillary. The trip to Mt.Kailasa and Lake Mansarovar fall in that category.

A Long Haul

A Long Haul “Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God,” wrote Kurt Vonnegut who pioneered post modernism in literature. This stellar American has authored fourteen books. One would wonder whether travelling by Vivek Express from Kanyakumari washed by the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal to Dibrugarh in far-east of Assam would be a propitious decision. Pat comes the answer in the quote by Ed Hanley, “If all journeys are teachers, it may well be that a journey to India is the greatest teacher of all and it was in search of a new dance that I purchased a one-way ticket on the longest train in India.” This 4,000km peregrination is certainly an effort to be undertaken as a traveller is exposed to the basket of variegated cultures traversing from the depths of Southern India to one of the extreme corners of North Eastern India. As someone from South India and having worked on North East Frontier Railway, headquartered at Maligaon, in Guwahati, Assam, one can seamlessly establish the connect. Dibrugarh is part of Lumding Division, an archetypal railway town. Lumding town itself is a crucial junction which provides connectivity to other North-Eastern states like Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. There is a station on Lumding - Badarpur line called Jatinga, which is lionised for the hordes of Jatinga birds which commit hara-kiri. This is a breathtaking site. Now back to the long haul between Kanya Kumari and Dibrugarh travelling by Vivek Express. Ed Hanley is a Toronto-based multi-dimensional and multi-faceted artist who doffs numerous hats - photographer, creator, performer, producer, cinematographer, recording engineer, video editor, writer, and above all a tabla player. The journey is sheer music and in the long haul as iron strikes iron sounds of the rhythmic tabla resonate in the mind as one witnesses visages of the wondrous hinterland across several states. Indian Railways’ train number 15906, the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, traverses 4,273km as it winds its way from the north-eastern corner of Assam to the southernmost tip of mainland India. It is an 85-hour journey which provides it the prestigious title of the longest train in the country both in terms of time and distance covered. Indeed a test of patience and temperament. The journey commences in the cover of darkness and as the sun rises over the only ‘male’ river in India, the Brahmaputra, travellers observe the picturesque hill station of Diphu, emerging from a thicket of fog. The train consists of 21 coaches which ferries over 1800 people several times more than the capacity of a modern jetliner. It is segmented into different types of accommodation, including AC 2 tier and AC 3 tier, sleeper class and the ‘unreserved’ coaches. Gandhiji always travelled third class and was often asked why he did so. His repartee was as there was no fourth class. The train is served by a pantry car providing delectable dishes to tickle the travellers’ palate. As part of Prime Minister’s mission clean toilets are being provided across the hinterland and on trains too. The train is equipped with bio-toilets to overcome the earlier versions which stank and were extremely filthy. Tea is ritual in India, and savouring the garam-garam chai on the train and the platforms is an integral part of the experience. Trippers lose track of chai consumed. As one enters southern India from, tea is soon replaced by coffee. Eastern dishes get replaced by south Indian staples like vada, idli, dosa , upma washed down with spicy sambar. The romance of this train travel is unique as passengers witness the three sunsets from their widows. Travellers whip out their smart phones and click the images, preserving them for posterity. The largest employer in India with 1.3 million employees, Indian Railways is one of the largest railways in the world with over 115,000km of track over a route of 65,808km and 7,112 stations, carrying a staggering 23 million passengers a day, with freight and passenger revenues of US$24 billion. The infrastructure is both gargantuan, and prepossessing. One can only marvel at the infrastructure created by Indian Railways and admire the unity in the diversity of this land while travelling over such a vast distance, almost as though traversing a continent. The train winds its way west through Assam on the first day, then south overnight through the Siliguri Corridor or ‘Chicken’s Neck’, a thin strip of West Bengal at times only 20km wide between Nepal and Bangladesh. The next morning finds one in Dubrapur, West Bengal, crossing into Odisha after a heavy lunch, and passing through Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh when one prepares to retire for the day. The train then enters Vijayawada Junction after crossing the Krishna River. One can also see the famous Dr NTR Thermal Power House (a 1760 mega watt imposing structure) in Andhra Pradesh. Vijayawada is the 2nd busiest railway station in India (after Mumbai Central). On the third morning, passengers have lunch near Nellore. Nellore is now home to India’s fast developing modern port called the Krishnapatnam port. Once the train crosses Gudur junction one enters the splendorous state of Tamil Nadu in time for afternoon tea. And overnight the train angles west to cross into lush, coconut-laden Kerala. The final sunrise of the trip is around 6:30am as passengers enter Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. The train makes its entry into Kanyakumari and finally drops anchor around 11am.

India Wildlife Travel

India Wildlife Travel “Every creature was designed to serve a purpose. Learn from animals for they are there to teach you the way of life. There is a wealth of knowledge that is openly accessible in nature. Our ancestors knew this and embraced the natural cures found in the bosoms of the earth. Their classroom was nature. They studied the lessons to be learned from animals. Much of human behaviour can be explained by watching the wild beasts around us. They are constantly teaching us things about ourselves and the way of the universe, but most people are too blind to watch and listen.” Thus writes Suzy Kassem, daughter of an Egyptian mystic and a popular American author and poetess. The deafening roar of carnivores shatters the hush and shush in verdant jungles. Humans would perhaps like to listen to the quieter creatures, rather than those species on the prowl. The gargantuan national parks such as Ranthambhore or Bandhavgarh are prodigious places, where jungle cats and other animals move with sheer majesty in the midst of strewn ruins. The Kaziranga National Park in the state of Assam, houses two-thirds of the world’s one-horned rhinos. National and international tourists throng the place in humongous numbers. Certainly it is an ‘Aha!’ moment when they capture images of the rhinos on their glitzy mobiles. Globe trotters also traverse less-fancied fauna hangouts, such as the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary or Thattekad Bird Sanctuary in Kerala or the Gir National Park in Gujarat where Asiatic lions yawn at the lesser beings. These lions, in a statuesque manner cross the tracks of the Bhavnagar- Gondia line as the petrified gang man hurries for cover! India is a Brobdingnagian hub for many variegated types of birds. Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan is of course one of the most famous ones. This is an entirely different other world of natural and cultural heritage which is to be seen to be believed. The park was a hunting ground for the maharajas of Bharatpur, a tradition dating back to the 1850s. Duck shoots were the order of the day in honour of the British potentates. The year was 1938, when over 4,273 birds such as mallards and teals were killed by Lord Linlithgow, then Viceroy of India, in one devastating shooting expedition. A Few National Parks that Enthrall Bandhavgarh National Park For several trippers, this is the toast among bestial beauties in India and is often included on the Delhi-Taj circuit. Rugged, arid landscapes combined with dense forest trails, a gamut of gorgeous wild cats (including the white and Bengal tigers and leopards), sambar, nilgai, and gaur makes it an enthralling experience. Several of these animals take refuge in the rocks and ruins around the centuries old Bandhavgarh Fort. Large numbers of tourists traverse to this authentic location. Gujarat The Little Rann of Kutch is where wild asses, chinkara, desert foxes and striped hyenas move around the mirage of shimmering saline deserts. Another choice for a tourist is the Velavadar National Park with its blackbuck beauties and of course the Gir National Park where the suzerainty of Asiatic lion is indisputable. Kanha National Park The map of this Indian tiger habitat is enchanting, as if a red carpet were laid out for the lethal cat to elegantly stroll across the length of the country. In the epicentre is the Kanha National Park where tigers and leopards ingeniously stroll through the grassy plateaus, misty plains and bamboo forests. Like accomplished paparazzi, a tripper can camp to await these and other prepossessing starlets of this animal kingdom -sambar, chital, monkeys and mongoose. Keoladeo National Park Among the interesting dichotomies of our country, is the vast expanse of wetland in the middle of a desert state. This had been flooded purely for delectation of the Maharajas and erstwhile Viceroys who with great gusto shot birds out of the sky. It is bountiful grace of the nature that over 360 species still thrive here. These range from kingfishers to coots, from storks to birds of prey. Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary Kumbalgarh is the place for concentration of leopards and their exploits. The word ‘sanctuary’ will perpetually seem infinitesimal as this wild cat races with alacrity and feasts on its prey with remarkable speed. The animal’s habitat stretches for almost 600km across Rajasthan’s Aravalli Hills and assumes its name from the magnificent fortress that dominates the area. Further backpackers can have a visual treat looking out for hyenas, wolves, nilgai, the debonair golden chinkara and the chausingha, a four-horned antelope. Snow Leopards in Ladakh Ladakh, now one of the newest Union Territories of India, extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram Range to the Great Himalayas to the south and is inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. This is virtually the roof of the world; absolutely a surrealistic place to be in, where one experiences one of the finest wildlife encounters in the world - a glimpse of the grandiose snow leopard. Pench National Park Apparently this park fired the imagination of Rudyard Kipling and compelled him to write the much celebrated ‘The Jungle Book’. Far divested from fiction this is now a land of Bengal tigers, which enjoy the habitat around the Satpura Hills or the Pench River valleys. While it is also called the Pench Tiger Reserve, the striped beauties are extremely elusive to spot. A traveller can however see herds of gaur (Indian bison), chital, sambar and nilgai as well as sloth bear and civets. Periyar National Park This park is a veritable visual treat for lovers of nature. Neatly nestled in Kerala’s Western Ghats, this is not only a tiger reserve but also habitat for elephants, monkeys, wild pigs and hundreds of species of bird. Furthermore animal lovers can gaze at the Indian bison, which gather with their fellow fauna at the Periyar Lake. Ranthambore National Park Ranthambore is home to the Bengal tigers. There are jungle covered ruins where leopards and wild cats are easily camouflaged. Beside the Chambal and its tributaries, sloth bears and black bucks gather. There are vast open plains, claimed by the likes of chital, nilgai and chinkara. Sariska National Park This is a popular resort and national park in the valorous state of Rajasthan. It is a tiger reserve, although not many have survived the vicissitudes of life in the arid forests and rocky cliffs of the Aravalli Hills. Besides, the place is also home to leopard, jungle cats, hyena, chausingha and sambar. These species are found sauntering around an ancient temple complex and 16th century Kankwadi fort. These ten national parks provide an aperture to the animal kingdom which astonish the novice enthusiast and professional wildlife watchers alike. Yes, the more ferocious is man…who has ravaged nature to fulfil his capricious demands. “The only good cage is an empty cage,” wrote noted environmentalist and conservationist Lawrence Anthony.

India Wildlife Travel

India Wildlife Travel “Every creature was designed to serve a purpose. Learn from animals for they are there to teach you the way of life. There is a wealth of knowledge that is openly accessible in nature. Our ancestors knew this and embraced the natural cures found in the bosoms of the earth. Their classroom was nature. They studied the lessons to be learned from animals. Much of human behaviour can be explained by watching the wild beasts around us. They are constantly teaching us things about ourselves and the way of the universe, but most people are too blind to watch and listen.” Thus writes Suzy Kassem, daughter of an Egyptian mystic and a popular American author and poetess. The deafening roar of carnivores shatters the hush and shush in verdant jungles. Humans would perhaps like to listen to the quieter creatures, rather than those species on the prowl. The gargantuan national parks such as Ranthambhore or Bandhavgarh are prodigious places, where jungle cats and other animals move with sheer majesty in the midst of strewn ruins. The Kaziranga National Park in the state of Assam, houses two-thirds of the world’s one-horned rhinos. National and international tourists throng the place in humongous numbers. Certainly it is an ‘Aha!’ moment when they capture images of the rhinos on their glitzy mobiles. Globe trotters also traverse less-fancied fauna hangouts, such as the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary or Thattekad Bird Sanctuary in Kerala or the Gir National Park in Gujarat where Asiatic lions yawn at the lesser beings. These lions, in a statuesque manner cross the tracks of the Bhavnagar- Gondia line as the petrified gang man hurries for cover! India is a Brobdingnagian hub for many variegated types of birds. Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan is of course one of the most famous ones. This is an entirely different other world of natural and cultural heritage which is to be seen to be believed. The park was a hunting ground for the maharajas of Bharatpur, a tradition dating back to the 1850s. Duck shoots were the order of the day in honour of the British potentates. The year was 1938, when over 4,273 birds such as mallards and teals were killed by Lord Linlithgow, then Viceroy of India, in one devastating shooting expedition. A Few National Parks that Enthrall Bandhavgarh National Park For several trippers, this is the toast among bestial beauties in India and is often included on the Delhi-Taj circuit. Rugged, arid landscapes combined with dense forest trails, a gamut of gorgeous wild cats (including the white and Bengal tigers and leopards), sambar, nilgai, and gaur makes it an enthralling experience. Several of these animals take refuge in the rocks and ruins around the centuries old Bandhavgarh Fort. Large numbers of tourists traverse to this authentic location. Gujarat The Little Rann of Kutch is where wild asses, chinkara, desert foxes and striped hyenas move around the mirage of shimmering saline deserts. Another choice for a tourist is the Velavadar National Park with its blackbuck beauties and of course the Gir National Park where the suzerainty of Asiatic lion is indisputable. Kanha National Park The map of this Indian tiger habitat is enchanting, as if a red carpet were laid out for the lethal cat to elegantly stroll across the length of the country. In the epicentre is the Kanha National Park where tigers and leopards ingeniously stroll through the grassy plateaus, misty plains and bamboo forests. Like accomplished paparazzi, a tripper can camp to await these and other prepossessing starlets of this animal kingdom -sambar, chital, monkeys and mongoose. Keoladeo National Park Among the interesting dichotomies of our country, is the vast expanse of wetland in the middle of a desert state. This had been flooded purely for delectation of the Maharajas and erstwhile Viceroys who with great gusto shot birds out of the sky. It is bountiful grace of the nature that over 360 species still thrive here. These range from kingfishers to coots, from storks to birds of prey. Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary Kumbalgarh is the place for concentration of leopards and their exploits. The word ‘sanctuary’ will perpetually seem infinitesimal as this wild cat races with alacrity and feasts on its prey with remarkable speed. The animal’s habitat stretches for almost 600km across Rajasthan’s Aravalli Hills and assumes its name from the magnificent fortress that dominates the area. Further backpackers can have a visual treat looking out for hyenas, wolves, nilgai, the debonair golden chinkara and the chausingha, a four-horned antelope. Snow Leopards in Ladakh Ladakh, now one of the newest Union Territories of India, extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram Range to the Great Himalayas to the south and is inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. This is virtually the roof of the world; absolutely a surrealistic place to be in, where one experiences one of the finest wildlife encounters in the world - a glimpse of the grandiose snow leopard. Pench National Park Apparently this park fired the imagination of Rudyard Kipling and compelled him to write the much celebrated ‘The Jungle Book’. Far divested from fiction this is now a land of Bengal tigers, which enjoy the habitat around the Satpura Hills or the Pench River valleys. While it is also called the Pench Tiger Reserve, the striped beauties are extremely elusive to spot. A traveller can however see herds of gaur (Indian bison), chital, sambar and nilgai as well as sloth bear and civets. Periyar National Park This park is a veritable visual treat for lovers of nature. Neatly nestled in Kerala’s Western Ghats, this is not only a tiger reserve but also habitat for elephants, monkeys, wild pigs and hundreds of species of bird. Furthermore animal lovers can gaze at the Indian bison, which gather with their fellow fauna at the Periyar Lake. Ranthambore National Park Ranthambore is home to the Bengal tigers. There are jungle covered ruins where leopards and wild cats are easily camouflaged. Beside the Chambal and its tributaries, sloth bears and black bucks gather. There are vast open plains, claimed by the likes of chital, nilgai and chinkara. Sariska National Park This is a popular resort and national park in the valorous state of Rajasthan. It is a tiger reserve, although not many have survived the vicissitudes of life in the arid forests and rocky cliffs of the Aravalli Hills. Besides, the place is also home to leopard, jungle cats, hyena, chausingha and sambar. These species are found sauntering around an ancient temple complex and 16th century Kankwadi fort. These ten national parks provide an aperture to the animal kingdom which astonish the novice enthusiast and professional wildlife watchers alike. Yes, the more ferocious is man…who has ravaged nature to fulfil his capricious demands. “The only good cage is an empty cage,” wrote noted environmentalist and conservationist Lawrence Anthony.

The Majestic Nilgiri Mountain Railway

The Majestic Nilgiri Mountain Railway A tourist can discover the thrill of riding a wondrous toy train, which provides an aperture to panoramic vistas during the three and half hour journey from Mettupalayam to Ooty. The voyage offers an exotic and unparalleled train travel experience. Ooty is a paradise for travel enthusiasts desirous of basking in a tranquil place packed with myriad landmarks. Ooty, a fabled travel getaway can be reached by road or rail. However boarding the toy train provides a singular experience as there is an abrupt romance in the air and a spring in the step. It is veritable love at first sight as a tripper travels from Ooty to Ketti, crisscrossing the celebrated Nilgiri Mountains. The train navigates tunnels, curves and bridges. Traversing a distance of 46km from Mettupalayam at the foothills to Ooty on the lofty peak, a tripper carouses breathtaking views of terraced, green, tea plantations, steep valleys and towering, swaying trees. For its sheer majesty, this enthralling expedition has been appropriately designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the only heritage train which motors at the highest elevated place in Southern India. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, was initially operated by the Madras Railway. It is a tribute to the robust mechanical and civil engineering departments of the British rulers that the railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. This promptly connects the globetrotter to the past and the rich heritage bequeathed to us. The toy train service first commenced operations between Coonoor and Mettupalayam during 1899 (certainly seems aeons ago). This was to link the army establishment of the sovereigns based at Wellington. The railway system provided transportation and crucial supplies to the British army. The bulwarks of the conquerors over natives were the civil administrative system, railways, police and the postal system. The foreign rulers were shaken to their core on account of the challenges posed by the First War of Independence in 1857 (also called the Mutiny of 1857). However, commercial reasons weighed on the minds of the railway mandarins and this alluring and spellbinding line was extended up to Ooty in the year 1908 to cross subsidise railway operations and also to extend the empire beyond Coonoor to Ooty. The maiden passenger service was initiated on 15 October, 1908 between Ooty and Coonoor. Ooty, also known as Udhagamandalam in Tamil, is a hill station in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is encircled by dense forest cover and a gargantuan population of swaying eucalyptus trees. The liquid extracted from the trees acts like a magic potion for a person suffering from the pestilence of cold and fever. Ooty was a largely British town in pre-independence India, far from the heat and humidity of the Madras Presidency. Alfred Tennyson referred this place as the “sweet half-English air of Neilgherry”. For Lord Lytton, Viceroy of India, Ooty had “Hertfordshire lanes, Devonshire downs, Westmoreland lakes, Scotch trout streams and Lusitanian views” which reminded him of being home in the cool climes of England. There are several attractions to witness- a spectacular mountain range, a hop at Coonoor and eventually visit Ooty while travelling by the amazing rack and pinion rail system. A few years back there was a change in traction from steam to diesel as the train traversed between Coonoor and Ooty, which led to protests by the local denizens. Tippers did not wish the snapping of the umbilical cord of the past heritage. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is a major tourist attraction. Approximately 5 lakh people travel every year by this toy train. Tourists depart from Mettupalayam at 7.30 am and the train moves across the serpentine bends and curves. This train covers a distance of 46 km in five hours snaking through Hilligrove, Coonoor, Wellington, Aruvankadu, Ketti and Lovedale stations, eventually terminating at Udhagamandalam or Ooty. Whenever the train abruptly comes to a grinding halt, passengers pluck flowers from trees with glee. During every start on the hill slopes the engine invariably gives a jerk while gaining momentum to push the train from the rear. After travelling three or four kilometres in the hills, occasionally the train comes to a sudden halt as a lofty eucalyptus tree would have fallen on the tracks and the process of cutting and salvaging work to restore traffic would be in progress. After a brief halt of 15 to 20 minutes the journey resumes. This is quite a regular feature and adds spice to the rail journey. Vintage steam engines ply on part of the route. Coaches are small in size with multiple coupes, each with doors on either side. The average speed barely touches 10-12 km/ hr and no one seems to be in a hurry, rather luxuriating in the slumber where time appears to have frozen. Much of the journey by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway feels like travelling in British India, before the advent of the frenzied, frenetic pace. The first two stations, Lovedale and Ketti, are buried deep in the woods. Tall, thick eucalyptus trees surround the idyllic stations. The compact station houses virtually appear as log cabins. Snatches of birdsong fill the air. It isn’t merely the town names which are evocative of the British Raj. Different old semaphore signals are fixed on the route, and not the modern electric signals. Drivers hand in a bamboo hoop with a metallic tablet at every station—this “token" is a testimony to ensure the arrival of the train. Coonoor which also houses the Wellington Staff College reminds the tripper on the route that they are connected with modern day India. This is the bijou town where passengers alight, and witness the steam engine attach itself to the train. Inside the distinctive black chamber are gauges, pipes, knobs and analogue metres distinctively out of a 19th century science fiction book. Post a relaxed chugging on the plain, the train crawls into the station premises of Ooty sometime in late afternoon. The sightseer looks back at the misty silhouette of the Nilgiris in the distance which by now have carved an indelible impression on the mind. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end,” writes Ursula K. Le Guin.

Matheran Hill Railway

Matheran Hill Railway The group of Americans from Boston who romanced with India on their maiden visit while traversing the Golden Triangle circuit (Delhi- Jaipur- Agra) googled and decided on an expedition by the Matheran Hill Railway. They found it to be exciting, exotic and opined that a visit to the verdant mountains would provide an exhilarating experience. They were received by a representative of the IRCTC at the Sahar International Airport and put up at a glitzy hotel in Mumbai. The backpackers accompanied by IRCTC officials boarded the Kurla-Karjat Express the following morning and detrained at Neral. This enthralling journey in the viridescent Western Ghats is a journey of around two hours. Neral is the starting point of travelling on the Matheran Hill Railway (MHR). The MHR is a 2 ft narrow-gauge heritage railway in Maharashtra, under the auspices of Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways. Neral rises 40m above sea level and is around 85-87kms from Mumbai. Jumma Patti and Water Pipe are the only two railway stations along the Matheran Light Railway. This quaint hill resort does not boast of any upmarket hotel or resort and makes for a quiet, green retreat with tiny holiday homes, away from the bustle of Mumbai. Several bird species including egrets and the common bulbul and Bonneted Macaques can be spotted throughout this region all the way up to Matheran. The mystical journey amidst a thick forest cover is a distance of 21 km, connecting Neral to Matheran in the Western Ghats. The MHR has tentatively been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The Neral–Matheran Light Railway was built between 1901and 1907 by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy and financed by his father, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy, at a cost of $160000. Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy was an Indian magnate, philanthropist belonging to the Dawoodi Bohra community, based at Bombay in British India. He was born in 1846, at Dhoraji in the Princely State of Gondal of British India (present day Gujarat) into a very poor family. The entrepreneur frequented Matheran often, and had an intense desire to establish a railway to ensure seamless travel to spread his business empire. Hussein’s plans for developing the Matheran Hill Railway were formulated in 1900, and construction commenced in the year1904. The architect to execute the plans was a Britisher named Everard Calthrop. Commercial operations on this incredible line opened in 1907. The Americans travelling by the toy train were speechless at the crawling pace of a mere 12kms per hour, where they could feel the clouds passing by, making the atmosphere amorous. Train operations were wrecked and infrastructure ravaged in 2005 as the entire area was flooded following a cloud burst. However, ingenious engineers restored the track by July 2007 and operations resumed. It is noteworthy to mention that the MHR celebrated its centenary operations that year. In November 2012, Central Railway added a saloon to the trains operating on the line. The saloons are embellished with LCD screens displaying various pictures and images of the mountainous terrain. . Neral, from where the journey commences is in close proximity to the financial capital of India. It is a majestic sight to see the narrow gauge line running parallel to the broad-gauge line west of Hardal Hill before turning eastwards, prior to the ascent towards Matheran. Rail and road (always fierce competitors!) cross each other’s path at Jummapatti, and once again to unite after a brief separation at Bhekra Khud. After a short level stretch, the foreigners had their jaws dropping at the sharp ascent just before Mount Barry. A large horseshoe embankment was built to eliminate a reversing station here. The line runs for a mile or so northwards around this before turning to take the One-Kiss Tunnel through the embankment. It takes around two hours and 20 minutes to complete the 21-kilometre journey, although CR plans to reduce this to one hour 30 minutes. Matheran is an alluring town, where a tripper is in communion with nature and divinity. On the lofty hill, the air is pristine. The thick forest covering the entire hill keeps the weather salubrious. Once the Americans reached Matheran, they were housed in a reasonably furnished lodge and soon after a sumptuous lunch they trekked up the mountain slopes of the Sahyadris. One among the tippers was a biologist and screamed in sheer delight, “Look at that rare Ceropegia, it's a carnivorous plant!” As one clambers the majestic peaks higher one encounters grandiose cascading waterfalls. All the slopes are dotted with several hues of green, making it the cynosure of any traveller. Soon the tourists approached the outskirts of the village and spotted a few boys who were flying their kites in the stiff breeze. They cocked up their ears to hear the distant cry of the peafowl. The Americans were to observe the origin of a stream on in the rocks. This rivulet would eventually emerge from a tiny stream into a boisterous river as they followed its trajectory along the river bed. The might of the Sahyadris with thickly wooded ridges and imposing formations made for fantastic views along the way. It was an unalloyed peregrination into glorious nature. The night was spent in the lodge and the Americans recalled the day’s events in the amphitheatre of their mind. The next morning they travelled by a SUV to Mumbai, to board a flight to their next pit stop- Goa. “The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life,” writes Agnus Reppler.

Kalka- Simla, an Exotic Rail Journey

Kalka- Simla, an Exotic Rail Journey “I listened, motionless and still, and as I mounted up the hill, the music in my heart I heard, long after it was heard no more,” captivating lines by the iconic poet William Wordsworth and a fitting description of the wondrous train journey from Kalka to Simla. Indian Railways proudly proclaim that it transports ‘an Australia’ everyday on its wheels, no mean feat! However these days airlines and roadways have built robust infrastructures and provide product, price, place and promotion (the 4 Ps of marketing), luring travellers away from the sedate pace of rail travel. Nevertheless, the narrative to unearth landscapes as a train motors through the serpentine bends on some steep, fascinating and enthralling routes in our vast country remains the domain and bulwark of the Indian Railways. A backpacker uncovers diverse landscapes while undertaking a rail journey. Steep mountain slopes, narrow valleys, dense jungles and wide seas are just some of the jewels waiting to be discovered as one chugs along the rail routes. The Gen X or Y perhaps are perhaps unaware of two momentous events which transpired at Simla. Aeons ago in the summer of 1945, it was at Simla that Lord Wavell, the Viceroy of India discussed the Cabinet Mission plan with various stake holders who were at the forefront of India’s struggle. Exactly 27 years later, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan inked the Simla pact on 2 July 1972, paving the way to end hostilities between the two warring and sparring nations. India had earlier vanquished Pakistan in December 1971 in a war that resulted in the creation of the new nation state of Bangladesh. This Queen of Hills served as the Summer Capital when Indians were the subjects of the British monarchy and was the seat of the estimable Railway Board. Today it houses the academy for the probationers of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service. A vacationer who cherishes a journey through picturesque valleys, up steep pathways and through foggy meadows, would certainly not be disappointed as he or she travels in the narrow gauge train on the Shivaliks from Kalka to Simla. This stretch from Kalka to Simla along with the little toy train, a legacy bequeathed by the British, has been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. The train journey from Kalka to India’s erstwhile summer capital Simla at the crack of dawn is quintessential rail-travel on the hills of India. The erstwhile quaint town is today a hustling and bustling tourist spot, located in the north-western ranges of the Himalayas at an altitude of 2,213m. The toy train weaves its journey from Kalka, a town in its neighbouring state, Haryana and terminates at the enchanting Simla. The Kalka – Simla rail line is a narrow gauge railway which traverses a distance of 96km. This 96-km long railway track was constructed over 889 short to long bridges and passes through 102 tunnels in the foothills of the Himalayas; the longest tunnel is located at Barog. A Twist in the Tale – Barog Tunnel On this enchanting trip famished tourists break journey to savour delicious parathas and fried eggs, cutlets and piping hot tea or coffee in a restaurant at Barog. There is mystique and majesty attached to the place. Cool breeze wafts in and one can hear the sounds of chirping birds and a rivulet as the Sun plays hide and seek. The Barog Tunnel passes through the fissured sandstone and has a tragic tale associated with from during its construction. Colonel Barog, who was supervising the construction of Tunnel No. 33 committed the cardinal mistake of boring the tunnel from both (opposite) ends of the mountain, a strategy adopted to expedite construction. The crew was divided into two halves, and started the digging and blasting work for the tunnel from the opposite ends. The Colonel instructed the crew members to bore the tunnel and according to his calculations both the ends would intersect at the centre. He thereby envisioned a single tunnel in the amphitheatre of his mind. The workers kept on boring from either end, but did not meet even after crossing the centre of the mountain. After some time, the workers became restless and questioned the decisions taken by Colonel Barog. The Colonel too realized that on account of his miscalculations, the alignment of the tunnels had gone awry and the two ends of the tunnel did not meet. His miseries were compounded as the British government decided to levy a hefty fine on the Colonel for profligacy of public property and wealth. It was a double whammy for Colonel Barog as the Government took umbrage and the staff became hostile. In sheer despondency Colonel Barog snuffed his life through the barrel of his gun. On this picturesque path ply several trains including the Kalka-Simla Express, Himalayan Queen, and Shivalik Queen Express. The journey is enduringly enchanting at a slow pace as the train ascends the slope rhythmically through stations such as Dharampur, Solan, Kandaghat, Tara Devi, Barog, Salogra, Totu, and Summerhill to reach the summer capital. The journey, which snakes its way through imposing mountains leaves an indelible impression on the minds of the pilgrim. Silken and pristine mountains, breathtaking lakes, salubrious climate, and alluring greenery –Simla offers on the platter all that a tourist pines for. The breathtaking beauty of the city and the places in the vicinity never cease to leave the traveller spellbound. There is this magical quality in air which endears Simla to the visitor compelling them to visit time and again. There are around eighteen tourist spots which are habitually visited by sightseers. The more celebrated among them are the Summer Hills, the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Annandale, Jakhoo Hill and Temple, Tara Devi Temple, Chail (the Palace of Maharaja of Patiala), Gaiety Theatre and the Viceregal Lodge. Summer or winter, a stroll along Mall Road with a stop by for a hot cup of coffee is a must do. Come winter and Kufri tops the list of must-visits. Though tourists throng the Queen of Hills by road, rail and by air, the journey by rail through the thick forest cover and clouds floating through the coaches has an old world charm which leaves an ineffaceable impression on the febrile mind of the tipper. Thus seize every opportunity to visit Simla by rail for the amazing magical quality attached with the rail journey. “Trains are wonderful.... To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers, in fact, to see life.”- Agatha Christie

Gurudev

Question - Gurudev, when you come before me, then all the highest knowledge like that mentioned in the Ashtavakra Gita, Upanishads, Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, etc all falls apart. Dispassion crashes into pieces and I become clueless. Why does this happen to me? Gurudev Sri Sri - Good, you are lucky (Laughter) People long for that to happen. Knowledge is like a detergent, it is there to purify you. After applying it, you must also wash it off. You do not say, "I have bought an expensive soap which I have applied to my skin and I am not going to wash it off". You do not keep expensive toothpaste in your mouth the whole time. Right? So, the purpose of knowledge is to get rid of ignorance. It is like detergent. You have to wash it off too. Then you become hollow and empty. Then you become Nirankaar - it means you become lighter. Otherwise the burden of knowledge can bog you down. With knowledge you become more simple and natural. The purpose of knowledge is not to make you arrogant, but to make you more humble. It is to make you lighter, instead of thinking 'I know it all'. The purpose of knowledge is to lead you from a frustrated 'I don't know', to a simple and innocent 'I don't know'. It is to take you from an ugly 'I don't know' to a beautiful 'I don't know.

James webb space telescope

James webb space telescope just 2 months back recent images sent images of large galaxies far distant which should not be there even older than big bang theory giving sleepness nights to supporters of big bang proving it wrong as start of universe with a burst from nothing and expanding. There should have been nothing that large at edge of universe . in fact even hubble discovered large galaxies when a space researcher pointed hubble mirrors in empty space almost losing his job for wasting money and amazingly found large galaxies which should not be there. Hence this resulted in development of james webb to discover more galaxies at edge of universe and whats beyond that, how universe started , exploring exoplanets proxima b very similar to earth and also 5000 exoplanets where life can exist just beyond our solar system in just our one milky way galaxy . There are billions of galaxies and billions of solar system in observable universe ie we can see capturing light from it or by going just near our solar system only to get clearer light not even beyond it with present technology and billions of light years distances and there may be multi universes. 🤔for thousands of years made to believe earth is center of universe and earth is center of our solar system our sun till proven wrong and for thousands of years big bang theory was the origin of universe till now pictures proving it wrong. Also contradictory theory of general gravity contradicting quantum theory gravity and relative theory space gravity and time and space relative theory contradicted by quantum theory that quantum particles can exist simultaneously in two or more places at same time. Had they looked at our historical books instead of burning them indian scientists and rishis knew a lot about our solar system and how it was formed with universe rebirth and also our rebirth

WHAT MOSES MEANS TODAY

WHAT MOSES MEANS TODAY Around the Year with Emmet Fox July 30 Read Exodus 19:6-20:20. Moses was a man of extraordinary understanding of God and of man. He was also one of the great historical leaders of the human race. He was born in Egypt, which was in those days the most highly civilized country in the world. But at the time, the authorities gave orders to kill the male children of the Israelites, and Moses' mother tried to save his life by placing him in a little basket and hiding it at the river's edge where Pharaoh's daughter could not help but see it when she came to the river to bathe. The sister of Moses was told to hide among the tall reeds to guard the baby. The king's daughter saw this little basket, opened it, and when the child cried, her heart was touched. She looked around, and out came the sister, and you know the rest of the story, how the sister was sent to fetch a woman to take care of the child, and brought Moses' own mother. Now there is a remarkable text here. Pharaoh's daughter says to the woman: "Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages." (Exodus 2:9) In the Bible sense you are the King's Daughters as soon as you reach out for the Truth. The infant Moses is that higher teaching that draws out your heart. Now, how do we nourish our infant Moses? By prayer and meditation. Otherwise the child will starve. However, if we take the child and nurse it, we shall get our wages, and our wages shall be freedom, peace of mind, harmony, understanding, and the fellowship of God Himself.

1. PM Modi to visit Gujarat on Friday

1. PM Modi to visit Gujarat on Friday PM is scheduled to inaugurate an exhibition on the semiconductor industry at the Mahatma Mandir convention centre in the state capital on Friday. 2. Amit Shah to launch ‘En Mann, En Makkal’ Padayatra on Friday ahead of LS polls The Tamil Nadu BJP is all set to launch a six-month-long padayatra ‘En Mann, En Makkal’ (My Land, My People) on July 28, seeking a decisive mandate ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election to install party leader Narendra Modi as Prime Minister for a third term. 3. CBI to take over Manipur sexual assault case The Government is also likely to move the Supreme Court on Friday for holding the trial outside Manipur; also follow up on related developments in Parliament and no trust motion 4. Farmers protest acquisition of farmlands for NLC Pattali Makkal Katchi leader and former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss announced a picketing agitation in Neyveli on Friday demanding that the company drop its plan to acquire agricultural lands. 5. Heavy rains cause traffic snarls, train delays, waterlogging in Mumbai; intensity highest in north-west suburbs For Friday, the IMD issued a ‘yellow’ alert for Mumbai, predicting heavy rainfall at isolated places. 6. Heavy rains continue to lash Telangana; State govt puts administration on alert In the wake of heavy rains, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directed Education Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy to declare holiday for all educational institutions in the state on Friday. 7. RVNL OFS over-subscribed, institutional buyers place bids worth Rs 2,000 cr The government’s 5.36 per cent stake sale in RVNL on Thursday got an enthusiastic response from institutional investors, who subscribed the issue 2.73 times by putting in bids of over Rs 2,000 crore. The issue will open for retail investors on Friday. Sign up for free Today’s Best Reads CBI to probe May 4 Manipur sexual assault CBI to probe May 4 Manipur sexual assault No-confidence motion | Ayes or nays? Unaligned parties weigh choice No-confidence motion | Ayes or nays? Unaligned parties weigh choice No accurate count of population of Persons with Disabilities, says parliamentary panel No accurate count of population of Persons with Disabilities, says parliamentary panel Stapled visas for Arunachal athletes unacceptable: India Stapled visas for Arunachal athletes unacceptable: India Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please try here Manage your newsletter subscription preferences here If you do not wish to receive such emails go here

Compulsion

~A.A. Thoughts for the Day~*~ ^*^*^*^*^ (\ ~~ /) ( \ (AA)/ ) (_ /AA\ _) /AA\ ^*^*^*^*^ Compulsion ^*^*^*^*^ "It helped me a great deal to become convinced that alcoholism was a disease, not a moral issue; that I had been drinking as a result of a compulsion, even though I had not been aware of the compulsion at the time; and that sobriety was not a matter of willpower. I was afraid to let go of what I had in order to try something new; there was a certain sense of security in the familiar. At last, acceptance proved to be the key to my drinking problem. When I stopped living in the problem and began living in the answer, the problem went away." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417 4th Edition

EASY DOES IT

EASY DOES IT Around the Year with Emmet Fox July 28 What you concentrate upon you bring into your life. Many people fail to concentrate successfully because they think that concentration means will power. They suppose that the harder they press the faster they get through. But that is quite wrong. Think of the photographic process. The secret of a clear picture lies in focus. You focus your camera lens steadily for the necessary length of time. Suppose I want to photograph a vase of flowers. I place them in front of the camera and keep them there. But suppose that after a few moments I snatch away the vase and hold a book in front of the camera, and then snatch that away, and hold up a chair, and then put the flowers back for a few moments. You know what will happen to my photograph. It will be a crazy blur. Is not that what people do to their minds when they cannot keep their thoughts concentrated for any length of time? They think health for a few minutes and then they think sickness or fear. They think prosperity and then they think depression. Is it any wonder that man is so apt to demonstrate the "marred image"? It is always good to make a practical experiment, so, I advise you to take a single problem in your life— and just change your mind concerning your problem and keep it changed for a month, and you will be astonished at the results. If you really do keep your thought changed you will not have to wait a month for results. "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" Matthew 24:13

Sri Sri

Question - Gurudev, Why is it necessary for us to spread the knowledge of The Art of Living ? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar - We have to spread this knowledge of life to every doorstep and you all have to work for that. People know how to operate mobile phones but they don't know how to manage their own life, mind. We need to bring this education to every nook and corner of the planet - 'How to be happy and make others happy'. 'How to live and let others live in peace'. This education is needed. We need to spread the Art of Living. This knowledge helps us in moving through challenges with a smile, sharing happiness with others, feeling one with everyone and this is the Art of Living. The goal of Art of Living is about having a perfect balance in life. Both inner richness and outer beauty. Don't you want this? Knowledge is ancient and eternal but the presentation of knowledge and reach of knowledge needs an organisation and that’s what the ' ArtofLiving ' movement is all about. Did you know that the Goal of ' @ArtofLiving ' is to turn every tear into smile, anger into compassion, hate into unconditional love. Knowledge and wisdom are eternal. They are ancient and yet ever new. And that is what art of living has been doing - reviving wisdom, kindling compassion and uniting people of all strata from society. The ultimate goal of human life is Self-realization. This is the core of " ArtofLiving ", to lead people to a deeper level of understanding about one's Self. The means for this is Meditation and spiritual knowledge. And the application of this is service to society. We should see, ‘How can I be of service? How can I be of use to others?’ The Art of Living International Center is a platform for everyone to come together and do some service. Reduce stress, reduce violence, create a sense of belonging, and spread the positive vibrations of love and peace. Shall we all do this together? Is everyone committed to this? Gurudev @SriSri

-Sri Sri

*As you can't go outside without makeup or brushed hair, then how you can go outside without peace, clarity, purity in mind?* *Take care of your mind like you take care of your face and hair. It is very important! Your Sadhana (practices) including Meditation, is the way to expanded mind,* *expanded consciousness* *Never miss your Sadhana and Meditation, give the high attention to it!* -Sri Sri

CLARITY AND INTEREST

CLARITY AND INTEREST Around the Year with Emmet Fox July 27 The key to life is to build in the mental equivalents of what you want, and to expunge the equivalents of what you do not want. You build in the mental equivalents by thinking with clearness or definiteness, and interest. Remember clarity and interest; those are the two poles. If you want to be healthy, happy, prosperous, doing a constructive work, having a continuous understanding of God, you think, feel, and get interested in these ends. What we call "feeling" in connection with thought is really interest. Ninety-nine times in a hundred the reason why Christians do not demonstrate is that they lack feeling in their desires or prayers. How are you going to expunge the wrong mental equivalents? Suppose you have a mental equivalent of resentment, or of unemployment, or of criticism, or of not understanding God. The only way to expunge a wrong mental equivalent is to supply the opposite. The right thought automatically expunges the wrong thought. If you say: "I am not going to think resentment anymore," what are you thinking about except resentment? The key to the management of your thinking, and therefore, the key to the management of your destiny, is to substitute an affirmative thought for a negative thought. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. . ." Psalm 138:8

*Some pearls of Wisdom from 💝Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar*

*Some pearls of Wisdom from 💝Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 💎"Challenge & Change are cousins. If you are strong, you change the challenge! If you are weak, the challenge changes you! 💎If you are with the Guru, it is to Learn, Serve, Dissolve and Disappear. Not to achieve, accomplish, compete or perform~ 💎Even thorns have a purpose, else the rose cannot exist! 💎Life is a combination of free will & destiny. As you go deeper in meditation & align with the laws of Nature, your free will increases. 💎It is easy to disparage someone. It takes courage and intelligence to uplift people and bring out the divine qualities in them. 💎To love someone whom you like is insignificant. To love someone because they love you is of no consequence. To love someone whom you do not like means you have learned a lesson in life. To love someone who blames you for no reason shows that you have learned The Art of Living. 💎The role of meditation and other spiritual practices is to withdraw the mind from the sense objects and take it back to its source. This is critical for success in life. The knowledge of coming back to the Self, the self-referral value of consciousness makes it rich, energetic and beautiful. Q-The breath is so powerful. How does it work in connecting us to the subtle dimension? 💎My dear, in the subtle you are already connected. The breath only makes you realize that you are connected. Your mind is always outside and it does not come back to itself, so the breath is the first step in bringing the outgoing mind inward. It is the doorway or the pathway, and meditation keeps the mind in the inner chamber.

Such a beautiful read, had to share ❤

Such a beautiful read, had to share ❤ *Me*: Hello God. *God*: Hello... *Me*: I’m falling apart. Can you put me back together? *God*: I'd rather not. *Me*: Why? *God*: Because you're not a puzzle. *Me*: What about all the pieces of my life that fall to the ground? *God*: Leave them there for a while. They fell for a reason. Let them be there for a while and then decide if you need to take any of those pieces back. *Me*: You don't understand. I am breaking. *God*: No, you don't understand. You're transcending, evolving. What you feel are growing pains. You are getting rid of the things and people in your life that are holding you back. The pieces are not falling down. The pieces are being put in place. Relax. Take a deep breath and let those things you no longer need fall down. Stop clinging to pieces that are no longer for you. Let them fall. Let them go. *Me*: Once I start doing that, what will I have left? *God*: Only the best pieces of yourself. *Me*: I'm afraid to change. *God*: I keep telling you: YOU'RE NOT CHANGING... YOU'RE BECOMING. *Me*: Becoming? Who? *God*: Becoming who I created you to be... A person of light, love, charity, hope, courage, joy, mercy, grace, and compassion.❤️ I made you for so much more than those shallow pieces you decided to adorn yourself with and that you cling to with so much greed and fear. Let those things fall off you. I love you🤗 Don't change Become who I want you to be, who I created. I'm going keep telling you this until you remember.🎊 *Me*: There goes another piece. *God*: Yes. Let it be like this. *Me*: So... I'm not broken? *God*: No, but you're breaking the darkness, like dawn. It's a New Day. *Become who you really are*

Who is Happy?

Who is Happy? - - - No One (Short story) A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But one day he saw a swan. "This swan is so white," he thought, "and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world." He expressed his thoughts to the swan. "Actually," the swan replied, "I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot,which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation." The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot explained, "I lived a very happy life—until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors." The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock. "Dear peacock," the crow said, "you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet." The peacock replied, "I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere." That's our problem too. We make unnecessary comparison with others and become sad. We don't value what has God given us. This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness.

EYECANDY*

EYECANDY* On the war front? No way. Me, a pacifist. Except for verbal assaults with my favorite "Bunch of Morons." Then why did I loiter around the 1965 built Vijayanta tanks on a sunny and sweaty afternoon in Lucknow? Good question. Before my memory fades, a coal-fired locomotive engine - imported or home-made? - pulls me. It definitely belongs to the pre-Atmanirbhar Bharat era. Then these.. What these? I mean the grandiose works of Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose and of course Raja Ravi Verma. Is it "Revi" given his Malabari roots? I hang around the well-lit foyer with bamboo kursis arranged nicely. I peep into the huge glass & wooden fronted darwaja with jazzy curtains obfuscating me from knowing what's inside that "music room." The curious cat in me purrs. I try to push the darwaja open in vain. Where am I? On the lips of the 4-lane Hardoi bypass. On the outskirts of the Nawabi Lucknow. Inside the huge campus of the *Indian Railways Institute of Transport Management (IRITM).* On a short visit to share my take on the evolution of the road sector particularly about freight movement with railway staff collated pan India. I start with Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden where the First Couple had "everything". Including the Forbidden Papayya.. Oops... Forbidden Apple. They needed no roads (pucca or otherwise) for Amazon or Flipkart to door deliver in that zamana. 120 minute long session with a 10 minutes tea break. What I end up with? Fuggedit. It's immaterial. All the taqawat of spending extra four hours inside a crungey Lucknow Superfast Express due to midway engine failure vanished in a jiffy after a detour of what my eyes got treated in the city of tunde kebab

Have you made some mistakes in life?

When I started using pen in primary school, it was natural to make mistakes.I would try hard to erase it before submitting to teacher. Sometimes, I use chalk to clean my mistake but it later re-appeared. So I began to use saliva, it worked, but only to leave holes in my books. My teachers then used to beat me for being outrageously dirty. But I only wanted to cover my error. One day, a kind hearted teacher who adored me called me aside and said, " Anytime you make a mistake, just cross it and move on" . He said further " Trying to erase your mistakes would further damage your book I told him in protest that I don't want people to see my mistake. My loving teacher laughed and said " Trying to erase your mistake will make more people know about your mistakes" Have you made some mistakes in life? Cross it over and move on. Don't expose yourself as a result of trying to cover your mistakes. Better things are ahead of you.

*You start dying slowly*

*You start dying slowly* *if* you do not travel, *if* you do not read, *If* you do not listen to the sounds of life, *If* you do not appreciate yourself. *You start dying slowly :* When you kill your self-esteem, When you do not let others help you. *You start dying slowly ;* If you become a slave of your habits, Walking everyday on the same paths… If you do not change your routine, If you do not wear different colours Or you do not speak to those you don’t know. *You start dying slowly :* If you avoid to feel passion And their turbulent emotions; Those which make your eyes glisten And your heart beat fast. *You start dying slowly :* If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain If you do not go after a dream If you do not allow yourself At least once in your lifetime To run away from sensible advice *Don't let yourself die slowly* *Do not forget to be happy!* ~ Pablo Neruda Chilean poet who was awarded the Nobe Prize for Literature in 1971

Eggs to fertilize

Sarah was in the fertilized egg business. She had several hundred young pullets and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs. She kept records and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced. This took a lot of time, so she bought some tiny bells and attached them to her roosters. Each bell had a different tone, so she could tell from a distance which rooster was performing. Now, she could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells. Sarah's favorite rooster, old Butch, was a very fine specimen but, this morning she noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all! When she went to investigate, she saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover. To Sarah's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job, and walk on to the next one. Sarah was so proud of old Butch; she entered him in a Show, and he became an overnight sensation among the judges. The result was the judges not only awarded old Butch the "No Bell Peace Prize" they also awarded him the "Pulletsurprise" as well. Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the unsuspecting populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention? Vote carefully in the next election. You can't always hear the bells. ( If you don¹t send this on, you're chicken …… no yoke! ) To add a pun….. no yolk....

Abel Mutai

In one of the most notable moments in sports history, Kenyan runner Abel Mutai was just a few feet from the finish line, but became confused with the signage and stopped, he thought that he had completed the race. A Spanish athlete, Ivan Fernandez, was right behind him, and after realizing what was happening, he started shouting at the Kenyan for him to continue running; but Mutai didn't understand his Spanish. Fernandez eventually caught up to him and instead of passing him, he pushed him to victory. A journalist asked Ivan, "Why did you do that?" Ivan replied, “My dream is that someday we can have a kind of community life where we push and help each other to win.” The journalist insisted “But why did you let the Kenyan win?" Ivan replied, "I didn't let him win, he was going to win.” The journalist insisted again, “But you could have won!” Ivan looked at him & replied, “But what would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honor of that medal? What would my Mom think of that?” Values are transmitted from generation to generation. What values are we teaching our children? Teaching children about winning is an important aspect of their development, but it's crucial to instill the right values and principles alongside it.

WHY ARE WE SO STRESSFUL? OR WHY ARE WE STRESSED OUT?

WHY ARE WE SO STRESSFUL? OR WHY ARE WE STRESSED OUT? Are we running after a chimera? Or like Rama and Lakshman are we running after a non existent golden deer? Or like the Pandavas, save Yuddhistara we partake water from a poisonous lake. In all situations our mind is fully aware that what we are attempting is incorrect and inchoate, yet we undertake that activity. There are a couple of reasons for this hara-kiri or running after the hubris. We are not wakeful enough, neither are we listening to our gut feeling and or we have a woeful sense of time management. A) We are not wakeful (not sleepy in a literal sense) as we are not focused or centred. We cannot differentiate and distinguish between choices. Consequently we are gobbled by the snake in the game of snakes and ladders. B) Our mind and thoughts (a human mind on an average receives 50k thoughts a day) batter us endlessly . Now the company we keep and the food we partake has a significant impact on the human mind and body. Negative company drains a person and toxic food and drink totally enervates and debilitates our system. I was a victim and patient of alcoholism and realise the suffering one goes through it and following the techniques of Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayama overcame the disease. There is a deep connect between the stomach and mind. That is why it is called the gut feeling or the sixth sense. Our solar plexus keeps sending us signals. It depends as to whether we are conscious and wakeful enough to listen to those signals. Yoga is the latest buzzword. With regular practice of Yoga, especially Surya namaskar and pranayama our solar plexus develop to receive and transmit important signals. C) Tools for effective Time Management- a) The POSEC METHOD – That is to prioritise by organizing, streamlining, economizing and then effectively contributing. b) Do a SWOT analysis and become winners. c) Learn to work in groups and Art of delegation. d) Attempt all hard tasks first e) Build in flexibility in your schedules or else one would suffer from psychosomatic disorders. f) Develop hobbies, read creative books and self help books. g) Every morning and night while being grateful make an inventory of do’s and dont’s and must Do lists. h) Learn to say NO. Also learn to say YES. An oxymoron kind of a situation. However a Yes mind makes an individual take up responsibility. And taking up responsibility only can empower a person. Imagine a situation where you could have shouldered responsibility but evaded or shied away or a situation where you took up responsibility. Which box would you like to be in? i) Live life king size and learn to celebrate. We can celebrate only if we are able to quiten our minds. These are some ways to quiten our mind and develop a relaxation room or space in our minds. For that we can the following: Go for long walks, talk out our problems, hug a person ( perhaps someone whom you do not like), write down all our botherations, be in sync with our breath and movement, pursue a passion, be a daredevil, get out of our comfort zone, exercise vigorously( positive endorphins get released which have a soothing affect on the mind and body), have cold water baths to conquer passion and carnal instincts( they can be a distraction especially during examination times). Despite practicing all techniques, we may not be able to find our place in the sun. So what does one do? Just surrender to the immense power within ourselves and learn to accept. Realise that “Aham Brahmasmi-“ I am the infinite reality.”as written in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad . Our mind has that immense power. It needs to harnessed and realized. We just need to declutter our minds. “Your mind is aninstrument . It is there to be used for a specific task, and when the task is completed, you lay it down. As it is , I would say about 80% to 90% of most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless , but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature , much of it is harmful . Observe your mind and you find this is to be true. It causes a serious leakage of vital energy.” writes Echart Tolle. Today he is a great philosopher. At the age of 29 he was about to commit suicide. There are several ways to channelize this energy. There may be some who may practice meditation, breathing techniques and observe silence to quiten minds. There may be others who remain focused by playing a game of tennis and sweating it out or pursue other passions. You have to choose the path that suits your personality. But the ultimate aim is to be in the present and lead a happy life. Feel blessed, feel grateful and feel abundance. Let your mind not be judgemental and complain and cling on to negativities. Willy nilly we provide the hook to hang the coat of negativity. Isn’t it? As Alice Walker said, “Look closely at the present you are constructing; it should look like the future you are dreaming.”