Bonding with one's student

Is it a Coincidence???- 26th day of the month seems to have far reaching consequences !

China Earthquake
26th July 1976

Gujrat Earthquake
26 January 2001.

Tsunami in Indian Ocean
26th Dec 2004

Mumbai attack 26/11
26th November 2008

Taiwan earthquake
26th July 2010

Japan Earthquake
26th February 2010

Now Nepal earthquake
26th April 2015.

Why is it Always "26" ?
Is it a mere Coincidence or A Timely Reminder From God..Need to Think on it Seriously!!!

The Rhodes earthquake 26 June 1926

North America earthquake 26 Jan 1700

Yugoslavia earthquake 26 July 1963

Merapi volcanic eruption 26 Oct 2010

Bam , Iran earthquake 26 
Dec 2003 ( 60,000 dead )

Sabah Tidal waves 26 Dec 
1996 ( 1,000 dead )

Turkey earthquke 26 Dec 
1939 ( 41,000 dead )

Kansu , China earthquake 26 Dec 1932 ( 70,000 dead )

Portugal earthquake 26 Jan 1951 ( 30,000 dead )

Krakatau volcanic eruption 26 Aug 1883 ( 36,000 dead )

Aceh Tsunami 26 Dec 2004

Tasik earthquake 26 
June 2010

China Earthquake 26 July 1976

Taiwan earthquake 26 July 2010

Japan Earthquake 26 feb 2010

Mentawai Tsunami 26 October 2010

Gujarat Earthquake 26 Jan 2001.

China Earthquake 26 July 1976

Taiwan earthquake 26 July 2010

Japan Earthquake 26 feb 2010

Mumbai attack 26/11

Mumbai floods 26 July 2005

Now Nepal earthquake 26 April 2015.

Why is it Always "26" ?

Is it just a Coincidence?

Mind Management

My dear friends, what is the difference between PK and PIKU. Two alphabet. I and U. I is us and U are them (an extra-terrestrial Aamir Khan). There; CPU is   cerebral. And our CPU is at the level of abdomen. Or say for vast multitudes the focus is at the abdomen. It would be quite captivating watching the main protagonists PK and Bhaskor sharing their thoughts and respective metabolisms in a spaceship.  Food has a tremendous impact on our system, which we do not quite comprehend. Improper diet first takes a toll on the metabolism and then attacks other organs of the body. Simply intake of toxic foods generate repugnant thoughts and results in a weak mind and body.

 I remember the remarkable lines by   from the master piece movie, “ Chakra” that Zindagi mein keval do hi chakker hein , ek pet ka aur ek uske neeche ka . Yes our thoughts are the baser levels. Ofcourse, there are sages,philosophers and the  enlightened ones  who transcend this level and reach a superconscious state .

A few months back ,  while I was  sweating it out on the treadmill ,  I received a devastating  call from a few friends of my son . The call was from Bangalore. My son who is pursuing a course in architecture became unconscious and was hospitalized, following an attack of seizure.   Imagine a young boy of your age suffered this attack.  Why did it happen? Pressure!  Other reasons for the trigger were an occasional drink, occasional smoking, improper diet, lack of exercise and basically a drive to excel at any cost.

Rhonda Byrne, the noted writer of The Secret, Magic and Power among others says” You are the most powerful magnet in the universe. You contain a magnetic power within you that is more powerful than anything in this world, and this unfathomable magnetic force is emitted through your thoughts.”

Human mind is an enigma and a reservoir of potential. But the moot question is as to how do we tap this potential? The mind is a movie theatre where we script and enact innumerable movies and soap operas. Some funny, some mysterious, some idealistic and others tear jerkers . The mind is constantly on the move. It is hyperactive. It needs a relaxation room, wherein you can dump the garbage, declutter it and achieve something useful for yourself and the society.

“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.” opines Wayne W Dwyer.

The generation today is a product of SMAC, not SMACK. Smac is an acronym for software, mobiles, apps and cloud. Technology alone cannot be a substitute for the enormous potential of mind. It needs to be cultured, harnessed and harmonized with the needs and wants. Talent, energy and thoughts have to be channelized to become achievers. We need to focus on goals and objectives. Technology when misused can make people mental wrecks. A person can become addicted to watching porn, he could become a hacker or even a terrorist.

We need to distinguish brain from the mind. The brain is an organ that serves as the centre of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. Only a few invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, adult sea squirts and starfish do not have a brain, diffuse or localized nerve nets are present instead. The brain is located in the head, usually close to the primary sensory organs for such senses as vision, hearing, balance, taste and smell. It is the most complex organ in a vertebrate’s body.

Mind on the other hand is the faculty of consciousness and thoughts. It is an individual’s intellect or memory or his attention span or will.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has captured it very succinctly. He says mind is like the sky and thoughts are like clouds . Your thoughts make or mar the progress and development of the mind. In fact he further elaborates by saying that mind is like a kite and breath is like the string which can control the mind. Through the practice of breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya, Pranayama and meditation among other techniques an individual can harness this enormous realm of possibility. Primarily, we need to quiten or silence the mind. We intend to live in harmony with ourselves and our environment. Or do we wish to listen to the endless chatter and cacophony of the mind?  I reckon anyone would prefer symphony to cacophony or be silent.

To be happy in life and calm the obdurate and recalcitrant mind, human beings should be aware of certain intrinsic laws of nature. That is Law of Attraction and the Law of Acceptance. Further we need to train our minds to keep reminding ourselves that we are blessed, we are grateful and have abundance in our lives. Life is full of valleys and peaks. It can never be a rising curve or a straight line indefinitely.  There are constant changes in life and we have to accept this reality without any strings. We may apparently like some peers and friends today and tomorrow move on with another group. It is inevitable and a natural process. As Buddha says, “The only permanent aspect in life is its impermanent nature.” So we need to move in life with equilibrium, equipoise and equanimity.

Law Of Attraction simply states that if a person is joyful and happy the individual would attract such people and thoughts which are joyful in nature. Such a person is positive in nature and begets positivity. The reverse is also true.  If the mind focusses on lack it would only attract lack. Therefore we need to be constantly reminding ourselves that we are blessed, be grateful with whatever we have and feel we have abundance. In such a situation we   attract only positive energy or prana   from the universe. In fact to such people universe conspires to provide more. The Bible says that if we are grateful for what we have, we will be given more and if we are not grateful and happy, all that was given would be taken away from us.

The human mind vacillates between the past and the future. In the past, the mind is regretful and if it is in future it is anxious. In either case the mind is not at peace or in the present moment and so remains unhappy.

Eckhart Tolle puts it, “Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now”.

As we sweep our house, we need to declutter our mind. Sweep our mind from negative thoughts. Virendra Sehwag comes to my mind as a cricketer whose mind was not filled with cobwebs. With absolute panache he could score runs. Yes he could score a triple century and also got out on zero. But apparently it did not affect his mind. Unlike Marcus Trescothik , who could not survive mentally on foreign tours . He suffered from multiple phobias.

This leads us to various types of personalities. Personality is derived from the latin word “Persona”. The mask used by actors in Roman theatre for changing their makeup. Personality refers to our characteristic ways of responding to individuals and situations.    Human mind is temperamental in nature and action.  It has several attributes, different dispositions, moods and reacts and responds in a variegated manner. The mind can be our greatest friend or enemy and like a chameleon acquires various colors, characters, characteristics and keeps acquiring various patterns.

Noted Psychologists, Paula Costa and Robert McCrae have developed a five factor model to elaborate various psychological traits of human personality.

a)    Open to experience- Those who score high on this factor are imaginative, curious and open to new ideas.

b)     Extraversion- People who are socially active, assertive, outgoing and fun loving as compared to those who are shy and introverts.

c)     Agreeableness- Essentially cooperative, caring and friendly people. Those opposite to this trait are hostile and self centred.

d)    Neuroticism- These are emotionally unstable people, irritable in nature and are hypersensitive. Those opposite to this trait are centred and well adjusted.  And finally

e)    Conscientiousness- Those who score high on this attribute are dependable, responsible, hardworking and achievement oriented. Those on the opposite scale are impulsive in nature.

So in which quadrant would we place our minds and personalities.

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 or undertaking is incorrect and inchoate, yet we undertake that activity. There are a couple of reasons for undertaking 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.”

Spirits to Spirituality

‘Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount.”   writes Clare Boothe Luce.

It requires enormous courage to acknowledge our deficiencies and make a 360degree change in our personality  to be acknowledged and acceptable. Normally we live in a state of denial.

Man is a social being who is in seek of recognition and positive strokes. Only a sage or a mad person does not require attention.

This piece is on my personality development and various bottlenecks encountered in the path.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says” If you can win over your mind ,you can win over the whole world”. Body and mind are the precious gifts of nature. And we neglect them leading to physical  and psychological  disorders.

We torture our bodies through various forms of addictions, be it excessive sex, smoke, substance, alcohol, food, desire for power etall. The mind is cluttered with innumerable thoughts which impede clarity in thinking. On an average we receive around 50k to 60,000 thoughts and most of them are negative in nature. These thoughts are either fretting about our past or anxiety of what is expected in the future. We are never in the present moment.  Living  in the present moment is  a state of meditation  and almost  devoid of desires where nature  works wonders .  How does one reach  being in the present state?  There are several techniques  and each one finds his or her path . 

I  became an alcoholic  and a heavy  smoker . It had a deleterious impact  on my mind and body .  I was hospitalised, operated upon  and put in a rehab.  Simultaneously   relations with  family, friends , parents , place of work  get jeopardised . One gets categorised as a no- brainer.

My  dalliance with alcohol was for more than 15 years .  Astrologer friends blamed my fate  on  planetary configurations. Basically I was at war with myself . I could not pursue my areas of interests  that is theatre and  had to settle for a job in the government ( Indian Railway Traffic Service) . I was selected to the Indian Police Service but was dissuaded from joining that job . This added to my frustration   as I  lost out on  POWER.  Slowly I hit the bottle and the situation worsened.

I overcame addiction through various Art Of Living Programmes . The  fulcrum of all Art Of Living programmes is the unique breathing technique called Sudarshan Kriya( Proper Vision Process) which has  magical  curative  powers. Today  by the  grace of the Master ,  I am  an Art Of Living Teacher aswell.

As Sri Sri says” Only the presence of the master will bring fulfilment to your life and to all your relations.”

Breathing techniques  and meditation are extremely powerful  and can harmonise  body , mind ,thoughts complex . Srinivas Iyengar says” breath does not mean air taken in and exhaled , but the Prana( subtle life force) that is the magnetic current of breath.

BRICK  IN , BREAK THE WALL- Teacher -Student relationship

Last  friday  , after  school , my  daughter stormed  into the  house(  it was very hot ,she was sweating and did not  secure good grades in English) . Instead of being greeted by me or by my father , she was questioned about her performance in English. That infuriated her further and my daughter skipped the customary evening  snack and locked herself in her room  only to appear for tuitions later in the evening.

How did I forget my childhood? Why did I not recall , Pink Floyd’s classic ,” Brick in the Wall”. And how did I not recollect  our very own school  production  with Barry John called KIDSTUF , staged years ago  which highlighted the  travails of children  at school and at home.

President Kalam opined that to be a unique human being , an individual needs to possess four qualities , namely  a great aim, continuously acquiring knowledge by reading great books and keeping great company , hard work and great perseverance.

Are   parents , schools , administrators and  teachers  nourishing this dream of  creating   unique children fired with passion , imagination and talent  or producing marionettes from factories ? This needs to be deliberated by all stakeholders including children.

In this age of SMAC( Software , Mobiles, Apps and Cloud) and not SMACK , teachers and parents  need  to navigate the field of technology  adroitly  so that they keep  pace  with the latest information to challenge  the mind of the child and not confront them.

Today  education is imparted in three ways. Face to Face, Correspondence Courses and On- Line. A  student/child/learner expects the  teacher/educationist is respectful( to the demands of the learner),responsive,knowledgeable,approachable,communicative,organised , engaging , professional and humorous  in disposition .

Teachers, need to look at this inventory  list and  do some soul searching . Without, any doubt , a child expects  moments of wonder in the classroom . Students crave for that  AHA! moment to break the monotony of non-stop classes . The educator today  needs to navigate pop culture and understand the lingo of being”cool”, and understand the mind of the child. Mutual trust between students and teachers is absolutely paramount . There should be no politicking, favouritism etc . Studies in Organisation behaviour ,  clearly  indicate that many a times teachers pay attention to certain children or certain columns  in the classroom,  neglecting others at their own peril. This results in resentment and poor grades of the lot  ignored . A bit of humour, being witty , that lighter moment immediately attracts  a child towards the teacher . As Gail Goodwin says,” Teaching is one-fourth preparation and three fourths theatre.”.

Teachers need to  master two secrets to be successful  in their careers . The Law Of Attraction and The Law Of Acceptance . Law  one  makes  a teacher radiate energy, liveliness ,inspire students, invoke positive vibes and thoughts in the classroom .  The second law encourages a teacher  to accept  the learner  in all respects .  The student  is taken seriously, feels  recognised and challenged, develops  special skills  and their  creativity gets harnessed   . Besides the teacher needs to  understand the difficulties, complexes, sexuality and  hesitations of the child . A student is to be embraced not humiliated.

Today  the teacher today is harassed , has odd timings, plenty of corrections to undertake , rear children at home ,  manage  two fronts(home and school), invariably carries school to house and home to school, does not have time to exercise , yearns for that  Sunday or holiday to relax and unwind .  In such a scenario teachers  have  certain expectations   from children, administration, fellow  teachers  and their  spouses and families .

From  Students- Teachers expect  children are prepared , committed to learn, motivated , respectful , understand their strengths and weaknesses , respect each other and  do not become bullies .

From Parents- It is expected that  the parents do not become super teachers . The common goal is the interest of the child . Parents need to be participative and not coercive . They need to inculcate habits which  need not be moral policing but  to encourage their children to blossom.

From Administration- Not to play petty politics  amongst teachers . Inculcate discipline among the fraternity , provide good packages , encourage  them and support them during crisis . Invariably the  home front  impinges upon the circumference of the school , but the school is so tied up with the TRPs of SRPs- Scholastic Report Performance Schemes)  that they lack the ability  to hear out the teacher, forget even listening to them.

From Co- Teachers- Need to be collaborative, professional, supportive , respect differences among them and also accept unity  among some groups  gracefully.

From Family- To be  warm and proud of the profession and provide that extra space  in their lives .

All this may appear to be altruistic , but  is perhaps essential for the teacher to sport a SMILE to the child  and GREET and be GREETED everyday by  the children. And most essentially to increase the SPAN OF ATTENTION of the child  in the classroom.

This  piece covers  the spectrum of public schools  which have reasonable resources . There  are millions of children who are illiterate  and several schools in  India which do not have  necessary infrastructure , including TOILETS ,which  leads to large drop outs especially among  the girl child.

In the final analysis as Kofi Anan put it  “ Knowledge is power , information is liberating , education is the prism of progress in every society , in every family.”

Life spent in equilibrium, equipoise and equanimity

My uncle Shri  V.K.Rao, the last surviving ICS officer completed 101 years of distinguished and an eventful life on 15^th July, 2015 It has been my privilege of knowing him and receiving his affection, though I must confess I was only on the ringside. Possibly his way of bestowing kindness was in a measured way, not ostentatiously but in a silent fashion. People talk of detached attachment, the result possibly of his long association with  Bhagwan  Sathya Sai Baba. When I cleared the competitive examinations, he was discretely anxious what about what particular service I would choose.

The third son of an assistant engineer, he was relocated in his schooling days; but wherever he was educated  he distinguished as a student of immense potential. The shifting ended when he joined Loyola College in Madras where he excelled in  intermediate and BA (Hons) courses. He stood second in MA and there was no looking back. It was in 1932 he married Smt.Prabhavati from the Nidamarti family. My aunt breathed her last on 31^st December, 2014.  Uncle absorbed the tragedy with great equanimity. He proceeded to Cambridge  in 1935, where he was selected as a Wrangler in mathematics and in the same year 1937, stood fourth in the I.C.S. examination.

On his return to India, uncle was posted to the then Bengal province where he worked in Midnapore and then Manikganj, near Dhaka. The family lore has it that his young wife would on occasions spend tremulous time when he would go out on inspection on a boat in surging rivers. Later during the Bengal famine and the tumultuous pre partition riots, the family was  ensconced in Ballygunj but they spent anxious times nevertheless.

Post partition my uncle opted to serve in India. After three years of service in the Madras Secretariat in different departments, revenue, finance etc. he was posted as Collector at  Vizag.  In 1953 when the process of dividing Madras into Andhra and Tamilnadu  began , he represented Andhra in the committee formed to oversee the division of the state.

In 1959 he was appointed as a Joint Secretary in the Planning Commission. However he began to feel that the entire exercise of planning was quite  unnecessary and wasteful . Interestingly the present government has converted Planning Commission to NITI Ayog.  Not surprisingly thereafter, he moved over to the Works and Housing Ministry where he worked along with Shri.Dharamveera.

  The then Minister Meharchand Khanna, a tall well built person, often guffawed that between Dharamveera and my uncle who was taller, as both were short statured personalities.  The call of the State  made uncle  move back to Andhra where he served as  Secretary to  various departments. It culminated  in his becoming the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh.

When Andhra was engulfed in agitation he was made an advisor to the Governor along withShri H.C.Sarin, who would present himself as the points person of the P.M. After the agitation petered out he was made Vigilance Commissioner.

He served on the interview board of UPSC.  A young aspirant apparently rendered a Carnatic classical song  during viva voce and was selected for the  IAS.

 His final posting with the government was to work  as Special Secretary to  Shri. Neelam  Sanjeeva Reddy, when the latter was the President of India.

Not being given to politicking he moved back to Hyderabad once the President’s term ended. Some well-wishers wanted to see him occupy higher positions but the “powers” at helm opined that, he was not sufficiently “political”.

An important characteristic of his personality is that he remains detached. The profound spiritual influence of Baba made him not to aspire for positions but positions came his way. He spends his time mostly reading and receiving old friends and sharing with them his thoughts. I understand he  also spends times listening to music. He is happy and contended and instead of identifying with situations, he observes and witnesses them in a detached manner. That is the essence of Ashtavakra Gita.

SRI SRI EXPRESS- ANUGRAHA YATRA

(15^th to 19^th February 2014)

In ancient India , Kings performed Aswamedha Yagya to expand their kingdoms through forcible conquests or  states accepted the suzerainty and became vassals . Guruji undertook a cultural conquest spread over 5 days and won the hearts of the people through Divine love . The horse was replicated by a train.

This train consisting of 20 coaches including a saloon meant for Guruji was christened SRI SRI Express ( Anugraha Yatra). The journey covered 18 districts of Andhra Pradesh , where Guruji interacted with lacs of people . 4 major Satsangs were held at Produttur, Tirupati, Mangalgiri and the coastal town of Kakinada . Further he mingled  enroute  at several stations with thousands of people . The YATRA commenced at Kacheguda on the 15^th of February , covered Telengana , Rayalseema and Coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh .

 It would be a fair statement to make that Mahatma Gandhi had undertaken a similar journey by rail crisscrossing the country side spreading the message of peace, non violence, evils of consumption of Bachus and communal  harmony besides exhorting people to  take up  cudgels against the tyrannical British rule. This Yatra  too was reminiscent of  the journey undertaken by the Mahatma. This was  mentioned  by those   frail in body but strong in spirit senior citizens or offspring’s of those who witnessed the earlier event.

A background

A chilly and wintry morning greeted us in Bangalore sometime in 2010 .As part of my protocol duty along with other senior railway officials we received Gurudev Express( a special train commemorating 150^th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore) at Bangalore Cantonment Station . There was a fleeting thought in my mind that had  Guruji been  the Chief Guest of the function , the headlines and breaking news would have been GURUDEV RECEIVES GURUDEV .  The seed of SRI SRI EXPRESS was thus sown.

Promptly a mail was sent to Guruji to travel by   a special train in Karnataka showcasing various facets of Art Of Living , particularly Sudarshan Kriya and various Seva activities of the NGO .

Some   tentative plans were chalked out to run the  train  , on the lines of Deccan Oddesey  or Palace on Wheels .But perhaps the time was not ripe and the mission got aborted.

Meanwhile , I was transferred to South Central Railway , and along with Kishoreda kept requesting Guruji to allot dates and travel Andhra Pradesh  by a special train . But a mere request is not answered without a  deep Sankalpa  . It needs to be supported by a concrete action plan . Guruji was scrutinizing our seriousness and determination . Along the way ,  Kumar from Railways , Mani Naidu and Ravi Bhaiyya a DSN teacher from Andhra Pradesh joined the team and we kept persisting with our proposal . Between 2011 to 2012 we kept  a request letter at the sanctumsanctorum  during Shiv Ratri and Navratri Pujas seeking Divine blessings hoping that Gurudev would give his nod.

Finally , Guruji  in a TRM  agreed to the dates sometime in February 2014. But  we were overcome by anxiety and feverishness which  literally  forced  Guruji to advance the programme to November 2013. We did not anticipate poor response  in bookings, inclement weather conditions and the agitation by the populace of Seemandhra against  the bifurcation of AndhraPradesh . The Divine was aware all but  gave us a long rope and in all magnanimity changed the dates to the earlier planned February 2014. The super conscious mind had all along known the dates , but the ordinary mortal did not comprehend the Divine plan.

During the course of this historical Yatra , SRI SRI  addressed 4 major Satsangs and several station side meetings .Our present day politicians revel in road side shows , should have witnessed the fervor of the faithful and the casual onlooker at the stations where SRI SRI EXPRESS was provided a scheduled or an unscheduled halt .

The entire thrust of Guruji was a campaign against an unjust bifurcation of AndhraPradesh (keeping the sentiments of Seemandhra in mind) , forcible proselytization and  the need for good governance not only in Andhra Pradesh but in the country as  a whole. And Guruji skillfully and succinctly raised these issues during the entire Yatra without offending any particular group’s feelings or sentiments . His gem at all Satsangs and addresses was that we keep changing our Gods and not the guards(leaders) who administer us . By changing Gods  neither are we devoted  to any faith  but also betray our ancestors .Further by  constantly reposing faith in the same Guards , the  wheels of growth and development get fossilized and do not provide succor to the hapless population. Thus the need to Vote for  a better India. He was quite candid in mentioning that Lord Krishna could have comfortably played the flute for the Gopas and Gopikas of Brindavan , but plunged into politics to uphold Dharma .

 Before SRI SRI EXPRESS embarked upon the historical tour several  roadblock  and knots were cleared by the grace of the Guru . So much so that Railways provided the Art Of Living with concession even though it was a commercial project as far as railways was concerned. To begin with there were a few of us involved in this Yagya . And we  got caught in the vortex of ego and Gurumandal. Guruji purged it all by his grace thus a larger group was formed to execute the project .During the course of the preparation the AP Apex  astutely led by Shri Ramachandranji  andShri Ravi Kumar formed select committtees  to keep an eagle’s eye on each aspect of the project . These pertained to marketing , catering,logistics and operations, hotel arrangements, publicity et all.

Day-1  - Kacheguda to Yerraguntla

A special train consisting of 10 sleeper coaches, 6 air conditioned coaches( 2 each of ac three tier , two tier and first class) ,a pantry car , saloon for Guruji and guards van rolled into Kacheguda station of Hyderabad . 1000 travellers awaited Guruji’s arrival with bated breath . Guruji was greeted by Nadaswaram and he literally floated to his saloon . The faithful could hardly believe their eyes and jostled with each other to have the glimpse of the Master .

Sri Sri Express( Anugraha Yatra) stopped at Mehboobnagar, Gadwal, Kurnool Town, Dhone, Gooty  and Tadipatri before reaching Yerraguntla . Thousands flocked to have a glimpse of the Master .  He was accorded traditional welcome and people could scarcely believe that Guruji was amidst them and speaking on esoteric subjects like spirituality, pranayama, dhyana,yoga and topical subjects like bifurcation of the state, voting for a better and stronger India , perils of alcoholism etc.

Guruji who is pure energy personified  sprang surprises on the passengers by boarding the train and meeting each and everypassenger, celebrating their birthdays , commiserating with their problems if any and primarily making them happy . Devotees were dumbstruck that , Guruji like any ordinary traveller was traversing through the 20 coaches of the train . This is what they pine  for , this is what they long for ! To have a glimpse of the master . Each and every traveller opined that they never had such an interaction with Guruji ever in their lives.

He interacted with the security personnel and the cooks of the pantry car . With remarkable presence of mind  he  mentioned that Indian Railways ought to have  air-conditioned pantry cars in trains so that the food cooked does not get contaminated in any manner . His concern about the quality of food being provided to both nationals and internationals was indeed  touching .

As the sun sank at Yerraguntla and shadows lengthened , the train chugged into the station . The IRCTC( Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation ) who were not only providing security and food arranged buses to ferry passengers to Prodottur , where the first of the 4 Mahasatsang was organized in the trip . Even though the train was running behind schedule a record crowd had turned up for the Satsang , where Guruji conducted meditation and spoke with  effortless felicity and ease which perhaps only he can.

Day2- Renigunta- Tirupati

SRI SRI EXPRESS arrived early in the morning at Renigunta on the 16^th.

Gurudev (  Narayan) left early in the morning to Tirumala and freshened up at Padmavati Guest house and was received by Shri Bappi Raju ( MP) , the Chief of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam .He meditated and was present during the Suprabhata Puja. What  a mirror image of Narayana performing Puja to the Lord . At the crack of dawn , with a slight drizzle and incandescent bulbs still glowing provided the setting of Vaikuntha.

Guruji was felicitated by the priests of Tirumala with Vedic Hyms and incantations reverberated the temple.  Meanwhile 1000 devotees travelling on the special train got ready in various hotels at Tirupati and reached Tirumala . Vaishali , STC of AP along with a senior bureaucrat made arrangements for the Darshan of Lord Venkateswara . It was quite a task to ensure that all devotees went in a group for the Darshan . Guruji , had other plans . He  conducted a meditation for 1000 devotees , before they all could have Balaji Darshan . In one stroke Guruji ensured the presence of all the devotees  rather they going astray. Corporates and Governments  alike  can learn a few lessons in  skillful management of men,material and time.The devotees had never experienced such a powerful meditation nor a group Darshan of this nature .

Before the evening Satsang , Guruji paid homage at Goddess Padmavati’s temple at Tirachanur , where the incantation of the hymns were absolutely meditative and intoxicating .

This was followed by a massive Satsang at the University grounds . The meditation and Bhajans by Shalini and Srinivas held people spell bound . YesPlus activists enacted the jingle of Rail Yatra … Sri Sri  to perfection . The jingle in Telugu which incidentally  was  the theme song of the Yatra indicating the places where Guruji would be visiting along with different facets of Art Of Living is almost like a rap song and with proper marketing can become a very big hit with public . Years back Ashok Kumar the legendary actor sang a similar kind of jingle in the film Ashirwad and is still a very popular number.

Day3- Renigunta- Mangalgiri

The day was Monday (17^th) . The organizing team felt that something was amiss . How could the Master not perform Rudra Puja ? Gurudev( Shiva)  reached Srikalahasti  and was present during the Rahu, Ketu and RudraPuja . As soon as the train reached Srikalahasti , Guruji joined SRI SRI EXPRESS .The devout saw the Divine energy spreading as he entered his saloon.

Guruji touched , Nellore, Ongole, Bapatla, Chirala, Tenalai before reaching Mangalgiri . Enroute he was greeted by enthusiastic crowds and the Master spread the divine knowledge and his deep concern to make India a strong country . There are a very few spiritual leaders who make such strong pitch not only to rejuvenate the country spiritually but also politically . He has no stakes. His only mission is to spread the gospel of truth and purity . Infact Gurudev is the Supreme Consciousness. He is purity, hollow and empty, sacred , he is Narayana and Shiva .

This energy made him visit each coach several times a day .And get down at every  station  and address the devotees . On average he would have walked around 8 kilometres  daily without fail .And with enthusiastic devotees jostling and falling over him made  the task even more arduous and cumbersome.

That evening  a grand Satsang was organized at a resort called Hailand at Mangalgiri . The grandiose stage did not quite impress the Divinity . He specifically spoke about the need to ensure  austerity and simplicity . He was quite candid in mentioning that such backdrops  act  as   distractions .

The 1000 odd devotees were  housed at Hailand resort and suddenly problems of boarding and lodging  cropped up . Guruji assuaged the devotees by uttering  the word Toilets in his inimitable trademark  style  and disarmed all agitation and disquiet  from the minds of the faithful . By his grace , despite purported lack of accommodation , every traveller was provided a place to sleep and to freshen up the next morning. It was again the energy and magic of the Master at work.

Day4- Mangalgiri –Kakinada

While the devotees boarded the train at Mangalgiri , Gurudev performed Puja at Narsimaha Swamy temple .

Gurudev in this segment  of the journey stopped at Vijawada, Gudiwada, Akividu, Bhimavaram Town, Kovur , Rajamundhry and finally the train terminated at Kakinada . Thousands flocked at the stations and Guruji’ s grace simply flowed . Despite the crowds , the Master walked from one end of the platform to the podium in the circulating area of the station which  was at a quite a distance.

Like a child , Guruji through his saloon transfixed his gaze at the bridge over Godavari river and asked questions about chain pulling , crossing of trains , speed of trains etc . 

The journey culminated at Kakinada where Guruji addressed a massive gathering . There were 108 Grama Devatas , which added color to the existing splendor .

It would be pertinent to mention that , senior officers from railways travelled various segments of the journey who facilitated the movement of the train . It was almost running like a Rajdhani or Shatabdi Express . Interestingly all these officers have done some course of Art of Living and are indebted to Gurudev for the change in their lives .

The dream journey culminated on the 19^th morning at Kacheguda . While one can chronicle the physical aspect of the journey , it is next to impossible to gauge the spiritual energy received by the 1000 travellers , station staff enroute, staff on board , a few lac people who saw Guruji  in the physical form . People were transported from the mundane to sublime in these 5 days and  memories will be always etched to become better human. beings and contribute to the society .

The Journey has just begun