The Chai Table
Saathee Readers Forum She is now five, a happy five… her face is always lit so bright, She makes me feel the love of God, and that he has his grace on me… The next few years will go so quick, that feeling makes my heart so sick. And then I think, when she is big, she would want to fly free, Tuskegee Airmen All Airmen of Tuskegee, First black pilots to be, Trained in a Tuskegee The US patriotic legacy, Idea of the black military President Roosevelt did relent Many blacks were trained finally Working hard, black men many Organized as a 332nd Fighter Group, Later they were ordered to base, Italy Slow Bombers, big targets for enemy, Soon White Bomber pilots gave respect Completed 1500 sorties, black airmen The skilled Airmen Pilots of Tuskegee Awarded were they for combat bravery,
Himalayan Climbing Expedition In 2011, I planned to climb a couple of peaks in the Himalayas in the Khumbu/Baruntse region around 21,500 feet with a technical high-pass in between at 19,000 feet. I had trained hard from an endurance standpoint all year with swimming, running, and cardio. Physically, I felt pretty good. Bollywood Music Goes Fit Priya’s Son is Coming to Town Reflections on the Charlotte Indian Community and the Hindu Center Satyameva Jayate Family Finding God in Unexpected Places Blurred The First Spaceman Yuri Gagarin 50 Years later Once upon a time Place Yourself in Others’ Shoes From Mediocre To Marvelous In this superficial and controversial world, the greed and the eagerness of proving oneself better than others is increasing with tremendous speed. Great American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, once remarked, “I know the price of success: dedication, hard-work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen,” is a clear answer to the unending obsession of people regarding their ceased progress, dissatisfied status, and most importantly their success. Hard work is the only criteria that people must adhere to in order to achieve their goals. There are many personalities in the fields of business, entertainment, and research that emit the radiations of success, which is the outcome of their diligence and their perseverance. Madhav Bhatt is a sophomore in the Pre-Pharmacy Program at Campbell University, North Carolina. Do you know where my Grandma is? I do not know when, nevertheless She would wrap her arms around ‘You are the apple of my eyes, We played in the snow we made Grandpa Gandhi I miss playing with Grandma Silk sari, crown make up. Fancy up-do- Fusion of her perfume and mirch-masala (spices) I wake up feeling hungry I sit on the floor I adorned myself with her curly locks Grandma I miss you very much. Sharing My Heritage: Indian Participation in the Raleigh International Festival “Hey Ram” on the lips of Modern Ram Being a Hyderabadi doesn’t just mean you’re from Hyderabad; instead, it’s a phrase that signifies someone who knows much more than just Hyderabad as a city itself. They know that no matter what the world or signs say Hussain Sagar Lake will forever be etched into memories as Tank Bund. They know that old city Charminar is where to go if you’re looking for the best pearls or bangles. They know that they’ll be proud of Amruta Castle simply because there aren’t a lot of Indian cities that can say they have a mammoth hotel shaped like a castle with a white Birla Mandir temple in the background. And being Hyderabadi means you know your Biriyanis well and have your own distinct flavor of Hindi. It’s a simple combination but one that makes me proud. Bollywood and Beyond: Hinduism Changing the World Secrets of Happiness part II My first Marathon Facing the fear It was peaceful here Claire had to say. The park wasn’t somewhere one usually found her in the winter but here she was. While preferring the indoors during winter, she sometimes felt the need to be outside, to enjoy the rush she experienced from spending a few silent minutes with nature. She saw two figures in the distance and acknowledged them when they made their way over. Majestic Mount Fuji In July 2009, I signed up for a two-week Japan trip with GAP adventures. I wanted to see the land of the rising sun and the country of Shinkansen (bullet trains). I had trained for high-altitude climbing and climbed Mt. Elbert (14,400 feet) in Colorado in early July and wanted to use this training to climb Mt. Fuji as well. Climbing Mt. Fuji Dating, matrimony and Indian parents Contemporary God My Favorite Middle Eastern Delight-The Falafel The rain was relentless and it was getting late. I wanted to grab a quick dinner and call it a day. My Heart My heart seeks peace in times of unrest and upheaval My heart seeks stability in times of economic uncertainty My heart seeks faith and trust from friends & family July July brings nostalgia It’s cold out here tonight (CHORUS) I’m driving home right now (CHORUS) I’m coming home to you (CHORUS) Now I’m here and holding you tight Man Made Mind When we look at the mountain from a distance, we are captivated by its grandeur, majesty, and beauty. We feel joyful and peaceful. This joy and peace is not the result of effort, will or desire. We mentioned earlier how the two-year-old twins at the lake responded when they saw the ducks. Both were dancing with joy. We can call this the dance of life. Parents of the children were part of this dance. Luckily because I was there, I was also participating in this dance. The whole cosmos, the sun, the air, the weather, the lake, the trees and the birds were making this dance possible. The joy was not the result of an achievement of a goal set by thinking. Contact: sardarsingh@msn.com
I love you Kripa
By Ritu Bhat
It seems just like yesterday, when she came into my world,
I knew that very moment; she was more than just my baby girl.
Her face so perfect, she was so sweet, so soft and was so pure,
All wrapped in pink, my little girl, looked like an angel for sure!
She gives greatest hugs to me, be it morning, evening or night.
Sometimes she is willful and sometimes demure and sometimes she is so coy,
She wants to do all that she can, to give me so much joy!!!
Her twinkling eyes, her naughty smile, her face is flawless as can be!
She is so gentle and so kind…to everyone she knows,
And as the time just goes by, she grows and grows and grows!
I’ll miss these moments of laughter and joy, mixed with a few tears to cry.
The nightly rituals, the bedtime stories, will remain forever in my head
The giggles, the laughs, the piggy-back ride, on her way to the bed!
And I shall always pray to God…that let her stay some more with me!
All I know she would always be... my little baby girl,
With a sweetness that shall never end, I would always be her closest friend!
By Jai Rangappa (Bowie, MD)
Band of Negro fraternity,
Fought in air so bravely,
Did not lose planes any,
In WW II, old Germany.
In US Air Corps Army,
Defeated German Nazi,
Stood America proudly.
AL airfield patriotically,
Challenged ultimately,
Racists of the country.
Of the Airman Tuskegee,
Not heard by very many
American citizens sadly.
Pilot, absurd to so many,
Said Army report in 1925,
Little hope for black to fly.
To Civil rights group eventually,
To train black men with talent,
To be pilots, fly in US military.
By “Chief” Anderson, black pilot
At the Air Institute in Tuskegee,
After a ‘ride’ by Eleanor Roosevelt,
As S. Service relented eventually.
In planes day and night did fly,
Did learn an air combat strategy,
Flight controls and meteorology.
Under Col. Benjamin O. Davis, troop,
Did train all pilot airmen of Tuskegee
Enter air combat in Africa, Germany.
Fighting Luftwaffe air force of Nazi.
To protect US Bombers on missions
And protect them as they flew slowly,
Skilled pilots fought with old lessons.
332nd saved them in close company,
Painted bright red their airplane tails,
Courage nicknamed “Red Tail Angels “.
For Tuskegee Pilots courage and combat,
Many White pilots who initially did object
Did request the protection and soulful pat.
Did destroy 260 aircraft of an enemy,
Sank a destroyer, demolish installation,
With no loss of their planes you see.
Made proud American black community,
And all the American citizens generally,
Show racist leaders in the Big Military.
By many governments, other military,
Humble and skilled pilots of Tuskegee
Were all disbanded after WW II finally.
USA should be grateful in perpetuity.
Distinguished Flying Crosses, Silver Star,
Legions of Merit & Yugoslavian Red Star,
Purple Hearts and French Croix de Guerre,
Congressional Gold Medal, 62 years later
Given by President G. Bush to pilots dare!
By Naveen Vedula (Raleigh, NC)
I flew into Kathmandu, Nepal in mid-Oct, and met my teammates: a police officer from Gibraltar, an acrobat pilot from Lithuania, and one from South Korea, all led by a climbing guide and five Sherpas to carry camping equipment, gear, and food. We started chatting soon, and people started discussing their previous experiences. Most had done either Mt. Elbrus (highest in Europe), Mt. Aconcagua (highest in Americas), or Mont Blanc in France.
We started the following day and flew to the base at Lukla (9,400 feet) from where our expedition would begin. Lukla’s Tenzing-Hillary airport was something. The runway was only 1500 feet, and is inclined at 10%. The take-offs and landings are always interesting here.
We began the climb the following day with roughly 25 lbs on each of our packs. Our climbing routine was 7-8 hours of climbing. We’d usually stop after 4pm and the rest of the time would be spent in setting up tents, re-arranging equipment, taking off the crampons, etc. It was very cold in the tents (around -10C), but I managed to get roughly four hours of sleep.
On the fourth day we were to climb the first high pass at 15,200 feet, and then climb down for the night. Climbers go by the maxim – climb high, sleep low – meaning the sleeping elevation shouldn’t increase by more than 1000 feet per day roughly, although you could climb higher during the day. This is to acclimatize effectively. We began at 8am the following day and by mid-day we were at the top of the pass; however, we had to come back down to 12,000 ft for the night. At this stage, due to the low oxygen levels, we had also begun taking Diamox (Acetazolamide) to prevent AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness).
After several days of climbing, we reached glacier camp at 17,200 feet amidst a lot of crevasses. Everything went well, except for the one incident. A porter from the expedition ahead of us died due to altitude-sickness the previous day. He was carried down to 14,000 ft. where the helicopters could come in to transport the body. The incident affected everyone’s mood.
The next day, we started early for high-camp (19,300 feet), with each climber roped in to each other so if one slips, the others could arrest his fall. By the time we reached high-camp it was around 3 pm. The high-camp was a rocky ledge covered with snow and ice and the last stop before summit attempt. There was hardly any room to pitch a tent there and there were steep drops all over the place. One side of the tent was right alongside the edge, so I had to put some heavy equipment on the opposite side to be extra careful.
We talked to a few climbers who were waiting and didn’t submit due to avalanches that resulted from fresh snow the previous day. Some climbers had aborted the climb because of frost-bite, or altitude sickness, and were being rescued by helicopters. We estimated that roughly 4 out every 10 made it to the summit. I felt pretty good that evening for the altitude although I was very tired. No sign of altitude sickness and my pulse was around 80.
On day 20 we made the summit attempt for 21,500 feet. We began in the dark at 3am with four layers of clothing and our headlamps on. The climb was extremely difficult with some very steep sections and cold at -20 Celsius. The last 250 feet of the summit was almost vertical. We really pushed ourselves for the next 4-5 hrs. The climbing was slow. The cold made it difficult to get a proper foothold even with the crampons, or get an adequate grip on the rope. Finally, with the ice-axe in my left hand, and Jumars clipped to the rope in my right, I reached the peak! Once on top, I anchored myself using my safety carabiners since there wasn’t much room to walk around and there were steep drops all over the place. I could see Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, and Choyou clearly; they represent five of the six highest peaks in the world. I spent roughly 10 minutes on the peak, gathered my equipment and started my descent.
I knew I had to be very careful since most accidents happen on the descent. I started abseiling down. It took me five hours to come down to 14,000 feet. We had been climbing or descending for 12 hrs. It was bitterly cold and the weather was getting bad. It began to snow. Now, 23 days after the start of my expedition, I was finally down and back in Kathmandu at a small but famous Tibetan hotel called Utse. I took a much needed shower and shaved. I finally slept well that night knowing that I had accomplished what I had wanted to do.
By Ashima Kodali and Seher Khanna
From the golden era of Madhubala to the thumkas and jhatkas of Munni and Sheila, the Indian film industry has transformed, modernized, and exploded into “Bollywood.” And along for the ride have come the costumes, dances, and the music. Today the leading musical talent from Bollywood collaborates with the likes of Akon, Snoop Dogg, and Kylie Minogue. The result is the sometimes sultry, sometimes earthy, always pumping music we love.
Bollywood music pervades almost everywhere today. In India of course you can hear it blaring from chai stalls filled with autorickshaw wallas, and high-end discotheques frequented by the who’s-who. Bollywood music has gone far beyond the big screen with reality shows Just Dance and Dance India Dance capitalizing on the Bollywood craze by choreographing competitive routines using hip-hop, ballroom, Latin etc. with Bollywood music. Here in the US, shows like So You Think You Can Dance regularly feature Bollywood dance and music, and of course A.R. Rahman’s “Jai Ho” topped the music charts in five countries around the world.
So what’s next for Bollywood music?
Well, let’s take all that bhangra, garba, classical, and fusion music from Bollywood, throw it in a box with some high energy, easy to follow dance steps, shake it all up, and voila: an exotic new fitness routine is born! Consequently, Bollywood music has begun to play a major role in the global fitness arena. Popular dancers like Serena Jain and Hemalayaa have successfully launched dance-based fitness programs and videos, all set to the beat of catchy Bollywood tunes. Mainstream gyms are adding Bollywood-based fitness classes to their offerings as an alternative to Zumba, well aware that gym-rats are always on the lookout for the next new fitness craze to add to their workout regimen. And Bollywood fitness is just that. The combination of moves and music is unique, yet you don’t have to be on Dancing with the Stars to get the hang of it. Simplifying Farah Khan’s choreography and Hrithik Roshan’s dance moves retains the very essence of Bollywood, and combining this essence with targeted, aerobic moves yields an exciting and effective workout.
And so, Bollywood fitness classes are springing up everywhere in the US as well as in India, attracting a diverse range of clients.
Especially after Slumdog Millionaire’s eight Oscars, there is a growing segment of the American population interested in Indian music, food, and culture. For them, traditional and classical Indian dancing often seems complex, daunting and inaccessible. However, Bollywood, especially in a fitness domain, is much less intimidating, and non-Indians are excited to be part of this movement. Not only do they get to experience a different genre of music they also gain familiarity with certain cultural aspects related to the Indian sub-continent. Xeniya Klimova, a regular at BFit Dance in Charlotte, says, “I love the unique combination of ethnic choreography with cardio moves. I feel like I’m dancing rather than working out, it raises my mood on the rest of the day.”
At the same time, those familiar with Bollywood and all its masala, enjoy the opportunity to dance to Bollywood music in a safe environment, while getting a workout at the same time. For them, the nostalgia they feel when they hear the “dhol” or the “shehnai” often brings back memories, thus involving them in the classes at a much deeper level. Of course they are intrinsically familiar with the moves, whether they consider themselves dancers or not, there is an in-built momentum that kicks into action!
In this day and age we all know how important it is to be physically fit. And choices are unlimited. Some of us prefer a brisk walk in the neighborhood while some opt for state-of-the-art gyms; but once in a while, it’s great for your mind, and your body to blast some really wild Bollywood music and go crazy. Shake off those inhibitions, stomp out the stress, and relax! In just a few minutes you will discover moves and muscles you never knew you had.
Article courtesy of www.bfitdance.com
By Sadashiva Godbole
(Sung to the tune of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”)
We can’t wait, we can’t sleep,
We can’t do ‘most anything,
Priya’s son is coming to town.
Lots-of-toys are here, the bassinet is all set,
So is baby’s swingo-matic, and soft-cozy blanket.
We can’t wait, we can’t sleep,
We can’t do ‘most anything,
Prem’s son is coming to town.
Nanee-is here-and-ready, Nanaji is ready too!
Dadee-is waiting eagerly, for the happy happy news.
We can’t wait, we can’t sleep,
We can’t do ‘most anything,
Our grandson, is coming to town.
Dear Priya is hosting, the process of creation*,
Let’s give-her-a jolly-big-hand, and-watch God in-action.
We can’t wait, we can’t sleep,
We can’t do ‘most anything,
Priya’s son is coming to town,
Prem’s son is coming to town,
Our grandson, is coming to town.
* The conception and child bearing process are very actively associated with God’s creative power. During this process, stem cells are created, which differentiate into specific cells to, further forming the physical structure of the body. Therefore, a pregnant lady has an especially active God’s presence in her during that time and it is an opportunity to see God in action. She is hosting, and participating in the divine creation process, which continues until the child is weaned off mother’s milk. Thus she should be specially respected, honored, and treated with tender love and care during that time. God has entrusted ladies with this exclusive capability.
By Roshan Attrey
The Hindu Center was only two years old when I came to Charlotte. The Charlotte Indian community was quite small then – small enough that you could hail a stranger walking on a street because he or she looked Indian. That was before the mid-eighties. The Hindu Center catered to the religious, cultural, and social needs of most Indians then, particularly the Hindus and those closely affiliated with them.
A decade passed – Charlotte grew larger and became more diverse, and with that grew the Indian community and the Hindu Center. In 1993 the Hindu Center hosted its biggest week-long religious event at the Oasis Temple – The Rama Katha. The administration marked the occasion by bringing out the 1993 special publication titled The Ram Katha. Of many significant letters and articles included in it, the one on page 5 still inspires me. It is a statement of the Hindu Center’s vision, which reads as follows:
The Hindu Center Dreams of a Future in which Indian heritage becomes part of America:
—In which Indian children feel accepted by their American peers;
—In which they cherish their Indian names;
—In which they choose to worship according to their Indian religions;
—In which they cherish the best of their Indian culture;
—In which they speak at least one Indian language;
—In which they keep their ties with India;
—and in which they pass the Indian heritage on to future generations and keep the torch lit.
Does this statement inspire you despite some distinctions in your belief system? If so, you might find it worthwhile to think deeply over the issues that matter to us and our children in the years to come. We are at a juncture when Charlotte’s Hindu population, which has reached a peak in diversity and in numbers, should find creative ways to pool its resources for a more vibrant future of the community.
Now, almost thirty years later, the second generation is beginning to step in to take charge of many things at the Hindu Center, and even the third generation, enrolled in local daycare centers and schools, is getting exposed to its activities and happily playing on its premises. This religious-cultural center is steadily growing and improving as it responds to its members’ religious, social, and cultural needs. Periodically, as indicated by the temple’s ongoing activities and developments, the Center reviews current and future needs of the Charlotte Metro Hindu community and actively seeks input from its members.
Thus far the Hindu Center has been a place of worship for Hindus of all stripes and a sort of cultural center for Indians in general, including north Indians, south Indians, Gujaratis, Sindhis, Maharashtrians, Bengalis, and Punjabis, to name a few. And the picture becomes quite colorful when you add Hindus from other countries, such as Fiji, Kenya, Uganda, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Surinam, and others. These groups represent a huge diversity, meaning numerous differences in language, food habits, ways of dressing, religious and social practices, and in other aspects. At the Hindu Center I feel they have satisfied in some measure their need or desire to connect to other Hindus and in so doing softened and modified their original edges and angularities so that their children would find a bigger pool of Hindu children to connect to and draw upon.
Sometimes when a certain section of society reaches a critical mass in terms of its population and resources, they tend to exercise their right to a separate temple of their own, especially if supported by distinct traditions and belief systems. I believe, however, that if they can function together in one temple, or under one religious umbrella even when separate, they should do so – knowing that deep religious affinities hold them together.
When the various religious groups accept and accommodate one another harmoniously, they cumulatively enrich and empower all children emotionally, intellectually, and religiously. If, for instance, my son can associate only with a small group of 25 children of my religious denomination, he will become exposed only to that small group. Conversely, if he can be part of a group of 100 children, he will have the opportunity to be part of a much larger number, from which to draw upon and to broaden his horizons and enlarge his mental-spiritual landscape. Moreover, I might argue, the Hindu community is relatively small and politically not strong, and if it becomes divided into smaller groups, its power and resources become divided. So it is important for us as a community to know what can unite us and realize the power in “unity in diversity” to best serve the interests of our children and grandchildren.
While I do understand the advantages of smaller groups (warmth, autonomy, etc.), our children would be better off connecting also to larger and diverse groups of Indians. Some of you might disagree with me, but I feel our children would find it advantageous to learn: how their religious heritage is pan-Indian/pan-Hindu, how it is relevant to their American lives, how their heritage – and they – should relate to other people living in this country and on the planet, and how it – and they – can improve the lot of humanity.
I hope you would find some food for thought in these reflections. If you please, think over the issues that matter to us and our children in the years to come. Let us find creative ways to pool our resources for a better future for our community or communities. On the whole, the Hindu Center has made the various Hindu denominations feel at home, which minimized their differences and valued common ground as Hindus and Indians. As long as the Hindu Center keeps its focus on its long-term vision, continues to evolve with the changing times, and remains relevant to its members, it will continue to effectively serve most Indians, particularly Hindus and those closely associated with them.
By Jay Desai
What could be more exciting? The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger chanting “satyameva jayate” alongside Oscar-winner A R Rahman and three other international artists, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone and Damian Marley. This is exciting indeed, that Jagger is truly singing in Sanskrit!
“Satyameva Jayate” meaning “truth alone triumphs” is a part of the Hindu mantra from the ancient scripture Mundaka Upanishad. Upon India’s independence from Britain, the phrase was adopted as the national motto of India. It is inscribed at the base of the national emblem. The emblem and words “Satyameva Jayate” are also inscribed on one side of all Indian currency.
Rahman was asked to offer a great Indian song for the multi-artist album. Rahman said in a recent interview, it was l “long dream for me was to take one of the morals of Indian culture which is Satyameva Jayate and make it a song.”
Much milking has been done of this mantra for many centuries by politicians or by nations or now by artists like Rahman, rather than leaving it as an example. More so, where in India does he find that truthful moral? Although it is not an easy proposition for any ordinary individual, or for that matter any nation, to leave and lead by this famous mantra. Let’s accept that, for most of us, it is merely more politically correct or poetic, cosmetic, and compelling on an Indian currency or the country’s emblem.
However, one man was not ordinary, but was exceptional and historic. He showed the world that “Satyameva Jayate” is true; that truth is tough, testing, and challenging but does triumph in the end.
Gandhi was unique when it comes to exploring truth, and of course executing it in every aspect of life, or struggle or fight. He explained little more about his fascination and pursuits of truth in his biography, so aptly titled “My Experiments with Truth.”
In this biography he talked about some of his childhood experiences, including one when he disobeyed his teacher who wanted him to copy correct spelling of the world “Kettle” from a fellow student.
The teacher wanted all his students to come out with all the words spelled correctly, because an Educational Inspector was visiting his class to examine the teacher’s own teaching record. But to the student Gandhi, such untruthful acts were not appealing.
The other crucial one was the play he watched. The play on King Harishchandra – the historical legend who sacrificed all his materials and kingdom just for the sake of his high regards for truth. This character and the play inspired Gandhi greatly, something he talked about later. Gandhi aspired to be King Harishchandra.
The seeds were probably planted at the right time, and then later on, he just kept mastering his character around these basic ethical forces - sacrifice, love, truthfulness. He termed his freedom struggle against British as “Satyagraha” – insistence of truth, or truth force; and surely there are other interpretations to it! And not to forget, he learned from Tolstoy and Ruskin about passive resistance and non-violent force, which he blended in with those ethical forces. His ultimate weapon became Satyagraha.
Satyagraha did sound complex or even cowardly to many of his contemporaries, maybe even to his adversaries the powerful British. Although it was the only practical yet mighty means against the tactful, established, and shrewd British. Strategist that Gandhi was, he had probably seen it through, as he had been fighting against them while living in South Africa. Well, he was challenged by his own people many times, more than the British for using these soft techniques. He would never give up, though. He had faith in these ethical forces and more importantly they were evidenced at every stage in his practice. It was not easy using these softer ethical weapons as the fight for freedom was tough. It was tougher than the cowardly British General Dyer’s massacre of hundreds of innocent children, women and men in Jalianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab.
Gandhi would put a stop to his Satyagraha movement many times when he saw the prevailing weaknesses of violence, hatred and “Duragraha” (opposite of Satyagraha). These weaknesses were many times purposefully provoked by his opposition. He would rather wait than dilute his ethical means.
Gandhi just wanted a fair fight while applying the force of truth. In the end, to him, truth was higher than his fight, or outcome of his fight, and as he perceived, truth was higher than even God. Truth was his God. Non-violence was the means of realizing Him.
And, as it seemed to Gandhi, when and where truth prevails, there prevails true Godliness.
By Ananya Mallavarapu
Anita looked into the office at the man hunched over the table focusing diligently at his work. He was so focused he hadn’t even heard her approach the room. The only sound that could be heard in the otherwise silent room was the slow scratch of pencil on paper and a slight rustling every time a new ruler or compass was used to draw lines.
She’d never imagined that she’d be here today, especially not in the state that she was in. When her parents had suggested marriage she’d acquiesced mainly because, at twenty-six, she felt it was time to look at settling down and starting a family. Out of all the marriage prospects, for some reason Nitin’s face had struck hers. She’d met him and his family and couldn’t help but be drawn to the man.
He was caring and compassionate and wanted a family. But he didn’t want a housewife either- he wanted a woman who could work and yet be there to put her children first. He fit all her ideals. Being an architect, he was a hard-worker who often brought his work home with him, but at the same time always made time for family.
Before she’d gotten married, she’d stipulated that she’d need a three month “dating” period to make sure that this man was for her. Truthfully, she sometimes wondered if the “dating” period was necessary now. Nitin had always been considerate of her. He’d taken her views into account and tried hard to reach that middle ground with her. Instead of the three months that were given, it only took her two months to tell her parents that she wanted to marry him. Six months later they were.
Now two years after that day she’d gotten married, she was here, in love with her husband who loved and cherished her in return. Shaking out of her sudden reminiscence, she knocked on the door causing Nitin to briefly look up from his work. After all, she’d come here for a different reason altogether.
“You shouldn’t stand too long.” He chastised as she walked inside and made her way to him. The study was the one room that she couldn’t touch. Being an architect, Nitin needed a room in which he could use work without having to worry about space when he brought work home.
His home, which now had become their home, was modest. It had three bedrooms, one which doubled as a guest bedroom and her own private lawyer sanctuary, one which they had made Nitin’s room and their bedroom. But they both were looking for a bigger home; one in which they could happily raise the family they both wanted.
“I haven’t been standing too long.” She replied, coming to stand by him. “Plus, I can’t just sit all the time and expect to be carried everywhere.” Nitin looked up again, a brief smile playing at his lips. She loved it when he did that; it made her feel privy to a side of him that was meant for her only and that alone made her heart swell. She knew that was also why he did it so often too- to make her happy.
“Maybe not, but I still worry.” He pushed away from the table, setting his pencil down on the papers and pulling her onto his lap. He knew she’d come to tell him she was going to bed, and he was done with his work for the night anyway, so he supposed that it was as good a time as any to relax with his wife. He held her, stroking her hair lovingly, before his hands strayed down to her stomach.
“When do you think you’ll start showing?”
Anita tenderly placed her hands on top of his. She was only two months in but her husband worried over her so much. It was nice to feel that sense of protection from him. It was also nice to see how much love he had towards the family they were creating.
“I’m only in my first trimester,” she replied, “give me two more months and I might start showing then.”
“Hn.” His eyes refused to stray from that spot as though he was imaging her swell with child. She didn’t mind it, but she hadn’t come here to talk; as she muffled a yawn, her intentions became clearer.
“I’m sorry about dragging you to bed so early.” She began bringing her hand back to cover his. “I was just going to tell you I was sleepy.”
“It’s no problem.” Gently ushering her up out of her seat he stood up, placing his hands on her back and guiding her up the stairs. He was always attentive. At first Anita had tried to push away that side of him, but soon it grew on her and she could only accept it whenever it came- such as now when he helped her upstairs and into their room.
Nitin quickly changed into his night clothes and used the bathroom. By the time he was back in the room, his wife had already settled herself under the comforter and lay there waiting for him. Turning on the lamp, he switched off the large light and settled beside her. When he was sure she was comfortable, he turned off the little lamp as well.
“Good night. I love you.” Anita’s voice meandered to him and he sighed gathering her closer to his body. No matter how many times he heard it, the three words managed to make him feel tremendously happy.
“I love you both too. Good night.” Settling himself around his wife, he settled in for a comfortable night of sleep thinking of the family they were starting together.
By J. Dana Trent
India has an age-old system of monkey versus human. Monkeys perched on market street rooftops, poised to steal eyeglasses as ransom for snacks. Not far behind these thieves are angry shopkeepers, shooing away the rascals for fear their spectacle-wearing customers will neglect their purchases.
India’s other ancient tradition is Hinduism. Touted as one of the world’s oldest religions (circa 2500 BCE), India’s rich Hindu history is foundational to its daily life. Although monkeys are seemingly everywhere in India—God is even more so. Temples, shops, schools, and even cars are adorned with representations of the Divine. Men, women, and children wear outward signs of their inward faith preferences, carry japa (prayer) beads, and offer religious greetings to one another in the street.
Last January, when my husband and I returned back to the US from our two-week honeymoon in Vrindavan, India, I missed God. On most American days, I don’t see God. The divine is not obvious in my workplace, my car, on the street, in the grocery store, or at the mall.
There was a time when God felt more present. During my Clinical Pastoral Education Residency (2006-07), at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, I saw God in most hospital moments. Someone was invariably having their worst day, and as patients and families asked, “Why?” God was ostensibly nowhere and everywhere—all at once. While patients and families felt that God’s comforting presence had been exchanged for disease, trauma, and bad news, the chaplain—focusing on being open and unassuming—was willing to hold their suffering for the moment, hour, or night.
India was not unlike this chaplain experience. In India, you relinquish control. Patience is a must; days are spent praying, waiting, and moving (slowly) through life’s chaos. Temples keep time and rituals mark the hours. Your minutes are not your own—they belong to God for worship, bhakti (devotion), and service. The country’s landscape is imbued with a constant hum of chanting Hindus.
The hospital felt similar. Patients’ time was not their own. They were at the mercy of their circumstances and caregivers. Endlessly waiting, they surrendered control and slipped into the institutional rhythm, and prayed.
In India, I struggled with God just as I did as a chaplain. Questions of suffering, purpose, war, evil, joy, and sadness bruised my time. I abided by schedules not of my own making, walked with suffering people, breathed stale smells, and washed off the despair at the end of the day. I adjusted, let go of control, and accepted India as a place for healing and surrender. It seemed familiar. While white coats save lives in one time-keeping house, saffron robes save souls in another.
I miss India. In my American life, I rush through my day, barely whispering a quick prayer before dinner and bed. I neglect Scripture study. I don’t carry prayer beads to work or to run errands. When I shop, there is no sweet smell of incense or an altar to remind me that God, too, looks over this place. I’m blissfully unaware of the depth of human suffering. I’m grumpy and I lose patience with others. I skip church, snarl at traffic, and indulge in far too many large meals.
I long for the closeness to God that I felt in India and in my work as a chaplain. I long for the fusion of surrender and spiritual in a community where it’s okay to have messy boundaries.
J. Dana Trent is a freelance writer and spiritual director. Ordained in the Baptist tradition, Dana served as a hospital chaplain specializing in death and dying for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Healthcare System. She blogs at http://jdanatrent.com/
By Jay Agrawal
My parents lived in a country that is constantly on the move, and if you don’t move with it, it’s like you get left behind. They lived in a world where it was everyone on their own and if you didn’t grab the opportunities as they passed, they would disappear in the wind. Then what would you have to show for your work? Your life? What would you have to set you apart? In a world of a billion other people just like you, these are the brief accomplishments which moved you forward. So they get married at twenty-four, like all their peers do. Started a family at twenty-five like all their peers do and moved to the pace of a world where competition is the only way of life.
Everything happens in a blur; go through school, get a degree, get married, and start a family. Then what? Then you live until you die. And while you’re dying, you force you’re children into that culture. Run, keep on moving, because if you slow down, life will come and stab you in the back. If you slow down, then you’ll come in second, and no one remembers the one who came in second. So they learn to run, and while they’re running, life becomes a blur of colors where they forget that sometimes it’s okay to stop and look at the objects that make up that blurry landscape.
Then they moved to a western country. Here there is more competition. Their accomplishments of the past had given them one goal; go to the other side of the world. Then the lists start all over again.
By Jai Rangappa
A Russian pilot became 1st man in space,
27-year-old cosmonaut’s 108 minutes trace,
As he circled in space once round the earth,
Parachuted down into the country of his birth.
April 12, 1961 Gagarin’s rocket left,
At 9.07 am, Moscow time in secret,
As United States peacefully slept,
Rest of the world in peace dreamt.
Yuri Gagarin circled in the spacecraft Vostok,
As a stunned America & the world took stock,
Russian was the first weightless man in space,
He returned to earth smiling with simple grace.
This handsome man became a poster boy,
For communist Russia’s intrigues and ploy,
He has remained a national hero till late,
After a great historic feat of man to date.
Yuri Gagarin was a simple man & kind,
With Valentina, his wife always in mind,
With a loving older daughter Yelena,
And an adorable younger one Galina.
He told loving wife Valentina to remarry,
If mission was fatal or was lost in space,
But she was never for him to feel sorry,
He carried himself with concern & grace.
Writing to Valentina, he did to her ask,
To raise daughters “not as princess
But as real people”, fulfilling his task,
Opened space, to adventure limitless.
A handsome Hero of the Soviet Union,
To city of Moscow was next day flown,
Greeted by premier Nikita Khrushchev,
By all adoring Russians & Brezhnev.
America woke up & was shocked,
Russia had publicly USA mocked,
With its incredible space feat,
In a space race America beat.
NASA was grilled by US Congress,
To see Russia show such progress,
23 days after Yuri Gagarin’s flight,
Shepard was 2nd to space alight.
His US suborbital flight was done,
In 1962, circle earth did John Glen.
J. Kennedy committed to put a man
By decades end on the full moon,
My wife & I saw on TV 1st American
On July 20, 1969 land on the moon.
March 27, 1968,in air crash did YG die,
Valentina Gagarina never remarried,
And was simply out of the public eye,
Yuri Gagarin was as a Hero buried.
First man to enter space was gone,
With his graceful feat, he had shone.
By Ritu Bhat
Once upon a time,
I looked into your eyes,
Those dreamy dark eyes,
Eyes deep with passion,
Eyes that took my breath away,
And left me speechless.
Once Upon a time,
We started meeting each other,
Under the beautiful blue sky,
And our feelings became everlasting,
Just like the love within you and me.
Once upon a time,
We sat by the pond,
We held hands,
And gazed into each other’s eyes.
We felt a bond so strong and magical,
As if our souls were connected.
And then I knew,
I knew I had lost my heart to you.
We met everyday,
And with time fought the weeping willow,
Suddenly my perfect fairytale was on fire,
Sunlight shone on my eyes,
Shattering my fantasy.
The sun ascended,
And reality settled in.
And then finally the day came when we overcame the tragic,
And under the dreamy light of the moon,
Our love lived that moment with it’s magic!
I opened my eyes,
Only to find myself in your arms.
Thank god for you are not a fantasy,
Not a fairytale.
You are my reality,
My real life fairytale.
By Nina P.
Oh no, not again! I had recently met Mandy at a baby shower and felt an instant bonding. We decided to meet for tennis on a Monday morning. She was describing the awful time she’d had at a Superbowl party the night before. “What was so awful about it?” I asked, recalling the rather ordinary night we’d had of getting the kids to bed by eight.
“I was one of four women there, the only white American.” The other three were of Indian origin, like her husband. “They spent the entire evening conversing in Gujarati, their native tongue, even though they were all fluent in English and spoke it well. Since I don’t understand it, I spent the entire evening feeling out of place and bored, since I don’t follow football very well either.” The evening dragged on like this for Mandy for four solitary hours.
Where have I heard this before? Or should I say how many times have I heard this before? I had a similar experience. I was once invited to my daughter’s South Indian friend’s birthday party. Once it was ascertained that I did not speak Tamil, I became merely part of the decorations. Actually they got noticed. I quickly found out what it must feel like to be completely invisible. I was wiser than Mandy though. I made excuses and escaped within an hour.
I arrived in the USA from Africa, in search of a better life and of course the American Dream. How then could I not speak a little English? Surely this is the smallest gesture of thanks I could give to a country that has done so much for me? Speaking English here has not made me any less Indian, or Gujarati or less African or less anything. Speaking English the American way complete with colloquial has given my brain a much need workout. It’s opened up a whole new world for me and the best part is I’ve gotten to know some amazing
people, like Mandy.
I’m not opposed to people speaking in their own languages; in fact I am one to cringe when I hear of even a dialect in danger of extinction. Languages are art that make the world a richer and more fascinating place. So much so, that these same people are ever so proud when their child attends a school that offers various languages. Being fluent in many languages is such a respected ability, that people eagerly highlight this on their resumes and job interviews. What makes it so wrong then to speak it at a party, or outside of an academic or career environment?
How important was it for those three ladies to speak in Gujarati that night? Doesn’t the non violent principle of Hinduism translate into compassion for all living things? Specifically, not causing suffering to all living things no matter how minor that pain, like feeling excluded as Mandy did. Did any of the women at the party think about what it would be like to be in Mandy’s shoes? Nobody likes the feeling of being left out in the cold, especially not at a party. My guess is that the content of the Gujarati conversation was not much different to one conducted in any other language by 30 something housewives at any party, anywhere. (Unless it was about Mandy and that is a whole other story.) As my mother always says, in the end, we’re all the same on the inside and we all have the same goals and
problems in life, regardless of what language we speak.
The notion of “let’s bond by talking in the same language” is so passé, if you’ll excuse my French!
By Madhav Bhatt
For example, one such personality who completely changed the perception towards science and a true example of an average student who transformed into a renowned scientist is Albert Einstein. He was a mediocre student at school. He was often defamed by his teachers and was considered a foolish student. Einstein could never understand history and disapproved memorizing historical dates and events. He always said, “It’s not important to know when battles were fought, but why were they fought.” Though failing in few subjects, he was an exceptional master of mathematics. His performance in math was constantly outstanding.
He was, however, asked to leave school because of his overall academic failure. After a long stretch of hard work and determination, he was allowed to study higher mathematics in Zurich where he stepped into the world of science. He solved and described the most challenging enigmatic principles of energy and mass. He formulated an equation that would hold true and was approved as a universal scientific application. He clearly proved that confronting failures with right attitude and ameliorating mistakes are the true characteristics of diligence and a most appropriate way to success.
Classical music legend Ludwig van Beethoven is another glimpse at a portrait of determination and meticulousness. He was a child prodigy on piano. As a child, he was able to play piano with extreme degree of perfection and perform with a precise gesture of a professional artist. He often gave an impression of more than two hands playing on piano. Later, he became a victim of incurable health defects. As he grew older, his hearing weakened. He was not able to hear low frequency sounds and was unable to respond to the people who spoke in soft tones. As a result, his skill of producing high quality work was impaired. Instead of being perturbed and dejected, he realized his inability to hear accurately and decided to keep composing music until his death. He kept on composing music and tried to regain his sense of music without listening to the sounds made by the instruments. This determination led him to compose one of the finest pieces in the history of classical music, which is still played in concerts and by numerous orchestras around the world. His success describes the genuine meaning of the importance of being conscientious and meticulous instead of being absolutely undermined by inappropriate health.
Yet not only did the field of music and science have the evidences of hard work as the key to success, but also there are innumerable sources that substantiate uphill struggle into triumph in business. One such example is Dhirajlal Ambani. He is the founder of Reliance Industries, one of the biggest industrial groups in the world, involved in various sectors such as petrochemicals, textiles, and polymer products. Ambani started as a worker with Arab merchants and later moved to Mumbai to start his own spice business. After long years of struggle, he was able to make modest profits and was capable to break through the catacombs of poverty. He moved into textiles and opened his first mill and slowly expanded his business and founded Reliance Industries. Though he had proclivity for business strategies, he had to confront many pressures and unexpected hindrance to his progress from the other competent business tycoons. However, he made it through with excellence and fortitude. He has been the inspiring foundation of willpower and strength for the young generation and exemplifies the benefits of hard work and its emphasis on victory.
In addition to this, Helen Keller, an American author and political activist, also showed a remarkable spirit of diligence. She was an extraordinary child with a treasure of immense desire to study and become literate. A disastrous event took place when she was nineteen months old, which altered her normal living. She suffered from a high fever, which caused her to become blind and deaf. These circumstances made her realize her inability to accomplish her aspiration of graduation. After being supported by her teacher, Anne Sullivan, she regained that essence of executing her dreams into reality. After a long period of perseverance and assiduousness, she became the first blind person to read regular books and finally, the first blind woman to graduate from college and achieve Bachelor of Arts degree. Thus, she was an inspiring source depicting the essence of hard work and accentuates on the inner strength of overcoming inabilities and accomplishing goals.
In conclusion, history keeps giving illustrations of people who have overcome the imminent fear of incapability to tackle problems and achieve their dreams. It is high time people must realize that being meticulous and determined is the only medicine to the interminable pain of facing failures and not achieving goals rather than searching for other insignificant reasons that precludes victory. Hence, people must remember that triumph without industriousness is like a boat on a dry land.
By Usha Gandhi
As if a rainbow, she came in my life
My heart become lighter, days became brighter
From that day forward, our bond become tighter
I was her Beta (sweetheart) and
She was my ma that was very grand.
I miss my Grandma
Do you know where my Grandma is?
She would kiss me on the head.
Then many, many rounds, of-merry go round.
And rolling on the carpet that was very red
Were such our rituals, each time we met.
Playing with Snupu and fat Tiku
I miss our trips to meow mart.
Do you know where my Grandma is?
You are a song in my heart’
Grandma would sing her signature song,
In her sweeter then sweet voice
Tucking me in the bed each/every night
Kiss on the head she never/never missed
I miss that kiss and I miss Grandma sweet
Do you know where my Grandma is?
We red many stories and we acted out ‘green giant’
‘I smell little Mahatma, I want to eat little Mahatma,’
The green giant- Grandma Gandhi would scream
Then little Mahatma would run and hide
Under grandma’s skirt, as if he was very, very scarred
Do you know where my Grandma is?
‘Where you are going Grandma, may I ask you?’
‘I am going for a ball, I am riding pumpkin coach.’
I run after Grandma, pulling her red hair
I scurry and I hurry, and I jump in pumpkin coach.
We blast Sony stereo and we do disco dandia
I made children dance on my tabla beat
All night long, now only in d-r-e-a-m-l-a-n-d
I miss those fulfilled yesterdays
Do you know where my Grandma is?
Miss Basmati Biryani and I miss Tadka-dal
Miss Grandma’s goodies especially Halva-Puri.
Head in my hands instead in Grandma’s lap
I sit on the floor rest of the night.
I am Gra-ma’s little monkey, mischievous for sure,
Nevertheless, I do no evil.
Then why I do this time,
You must tell me, what was the crime?
I miss grandma’s home I miss her loving care.
DO you know where my Grandma is?
Used her rolling pin, In-lieu-of real flute
I posed as if; I was baby Krishna .
I told a sweet lie, with a cunning smile.
‘Sun O, vahali Yashoda maiyan,
Main ne Makhan nahi churayo.’
I ate couple of chocolates, that is all
She opened my mouth and laughter rolled
When she found her calcium tablets in my tiny mouth
O what laughter, as if pearls spilling on the ground
I miss that laughter
Do you know where my Grandma is?
By Yash Garg
It was the year 1986. I had just moved to Raleigh with my family when one day I received a call from Mrs. Saroj Sharma, the then President of Hindu Society of North Carolina, asking for help at the International Festival. I said yes and participated in the Raleigh International Festival as a volunteer to coordinate the Indian Cultural Booth. Participation in the festival meant that we could showcase our culture through dance, cuisine, bazaar, and cultural exhibit. We had a large number of volunteers and participated in all areas of the festival. It encouraged camaraderie as well as gave us an opportunity to raise some funds for our organization by selling Indian ethnic food and merchandise in the bazaar.
This year the festival marked its 25th anniversary. I feel that just as the 1st festival celebration 25 years ago gave birth to a quiet resolution of its continuity in the minds of the administrators, we expect over the next 25 years and beyond the International Festival will help transform our world, making a meaningful difference in the lives of NC’s Triangle area residents, corporations, communities and cultures. I was amazed at how much I learned that weekend about different cultures, history, and about countries I had never visited. The festival brought together a large number of people to eat, dance and celebrate diverse cultures. While storytelling, arts and crafts keep children absorbed, ethnic cuisine demonstrations – from Baklava to egg rolls and from Indian Curry to sausage – enrich culinary experiences. Those were the beginning years when Mrs. Sharma coordinated and cooked Indian delicacies all three days with many volunteers, which work is now replaced by restaurant-cooked delicacies.
I have come to realize that this event brings all of the area’s international communities together to build better community relations between various ethnic groups and the community at large. I love the opportunity to visit cultural exhibits, buy imported gifts and souvenirs in our international bazaars and taste the culinary richness of far off places.
This year I decided to give a true taste of Indian cuisine during the two-hour demonstration session featuring Baingan Bhartha, stuffed green peppers, and cauliflower rice pilaf. The audience greeted these preparations and took home recipes.
This year’s cultural exhibit was presented by Mala Kasthurirangan on the theme of the celebration of Navratri as observed in South India. Her decorated dolls stole the show and Geetha and Bhaskar Rao’s presence at the exhibit acquainted many visitors with the theme.
The setting of the main stage was spectacular under the skillful direction of Karen Edwards, who had been organizing the center stage dances since 1986. The audience could watch the steps and movements of the dancers on an un-curtained stage.
Indian dancers participated in almost all categories – children, teens and adult dances. A total of 150 performers presented a variety of Indian dances ranging from traditional folk dances of Gujarat to Punjabi Bhangra, from Ganesha Aarti to classical kathak and Bharatnatyam. Whereas Indian bazaar attracted many patrons with clothes, custom jewelry, art & crafts, and shawls. Ramesh Patel offered henna designs.
International Festival celebration has encouraged many of us to organize our own ethnic organizations for showcasing our culture to acquaint our children about their heritage and traditions. I can say about myself that as an indirect result of this experience of being associated with International Festival, I along with my husband Dr. Harish Chander, community leader Harsha Shah, and other like-minded people founded Heritage India Association of North Carolina.
I have not missed attending the festival since I joined in 1986, and I find that my enthusiasm for the festival is stronger than it has ever been. Like most of the other ethnic group coordinators, I enjoy coordinating participation of Indian community in all areas now. I spend almost three days at the Festival.
At the 25th anniversary of the International Festival, which was held from Oct. 1-3, 2010 with this year’s theme of “Global Celebrations,” local collaborators and emphasized the need to come together as a community, it inspires the audiences to discover the surprising connections we have with one another.
To me, International Festival of the City of Raleigh beautifully illustrates the motto of the United States, E. Pluribus Unum (out of many, one), as it brings together diverse ethnicities in a spirit of amity, friendliness, and common purpose.
By Jay Desai
It was a victory of Good over Evil. It was victory of Virtue over Vice. It was history – very ancient history - thousands of years ago. It was history made by Lord Ram. Hindus have been celebrating that victory for many years by lighting lamps and calling it Diwali.
And now, in the time of modern history again there was victory. Victory for many millions, again for good over evil; victory of political freedom and justice, social justice, victory for downtrodden, and untouchables; victory for women, and many others; but this time the victor was not Ram, rather it was his devotee Modern Ram.
Modern Ram lived to the legacy of his mythological Rama. He dreamt of so-called Ram-rajaya (Rule of righteousness) where values are based on universal truth, personal sacrifice, equality and justice. His dreams were big in such modern time where challenges of materialism were daunting, ill effects of industrialization was haunting and faith of the common man and woman was getting crushed upon. But his efforts were bigger than his dreams, his sacrifice was taller than his aspirations, and his stone-like attitude was far larger than probably his own imagination. He was ready to be a change in order to bring change. He was ready to experiment on his own in order to implement. He was ready to practice before, in order to preach later. He was ready for his big battle. He was warrior sharper than his own Mentor Lord Ram.
He had digested every aspect of life of his mentor Ram, and adopted it to reality. Be it his sacrifice of his political position - when Ram gave up his kinghood just to keep father Dashrath’s promise and prestige. Be it his sacrifice of family – when Rama gave up his most beloved Sita, just for his sake of love for his people; just for the sake of respect for the opinion of Dhobi (washerman) - opinion from ordinary man. And the story goes on and on. Rama’s wisdom, his firmness, his simplicity, his love for his people, everything was an inspiration to Him, everything was guiding light to Him. He used all those in his personal fight, his social fight and larger political fight.
And every step of his fight, this modern Ram proved that he was no different than his Hero. He gave up his own personal desires, surely all political desires long ago, he gave up his family desires, he gave up his all sons. When there came war to fight mighty Ravana; Ram walked thru jungles, and built army out of nothing. Many joined him by mere admiration, his rightfulness and trust they found in him. He built Vanar Sena (army of Monkeys) to fight against mighty Ravana. Ram’s army was even joined and strengthened by Ravana’s own brother Vibhisana. That was power of his character which attracted everyone to join the right cause.
It was no different here. This Modern Rama built an army of common people to fight against a mighty empire. His army included all, Harijans to Brahmins, Sikhs and Muslims, women and children, rich and poor. Millions just believed in him, trusted him, gave away their jobs or left their families at his call, and joined his army to fight against evil. Many good thinking British joined him too. Meeraben (Madeline Slade) who was one of many became his life-long disciple. It was a scene no different than one that took place thousands of years ago.
Well, victory was achieved; it was massive against the British Empire, which was as powerful as Ravana. However, to his satisfaction it was mere political victory. He was looking for complete victory on all fronts. He was aiming for victory leading to Ramrajya.
He did not think he had achieved it, and hence he continued his truthful and bold battle till his last breath. But he was just modest. He had brought change that did not seem achievable. Just that sky was limit for him aiming at total victory, a perfect victory over all evils of society. His impact was huge on the society, on the mankind, on the modern history.
Dramatic is the end when “Hey Ram” was on his lips at his last breath; that moment he again proved that he was truly Mahatma or for that matter Modern Rama. Ten days earlier at the first failed attempt of his assassination, he said in his prayer assembly, people call him saint or Mahatma, but he could be truly Mahatma, only if he can take a bullet on his chest with smile on the face and “Ram” on his lips with sense of forgiveness to his own opponents. Truly was he Modern Ram, left us with his legacy of simplicity, sacrifice and Satyagraha.
(Jay Desai humbly appeals to all readers to try to be civil to all others and be even vegetarian in diet at least for a week or for a day during month of October in honor of Modern Ram – Mahatma Gandhi.)
“Tu Hyderabadi hai kya?”
By Ananya Mallavarapu
I was born in Hyderabad on February 25, 1992. Ever since, I’ve been incorporated into life with all the sights, colors, and randomness that the city offers. Even before I knew what Palak Paneer or Channa Masala was I could tell you how I absolutely adored Biriyani - the Hyderabadi specialty. And even though the APS RTC Bus System is kind of questionable at times, it’s very cost-effective and can take you anywhere in and around the city. Of course I also know that living in Domahalguda (pronounced Domalguda to us Hyderabadis) puts me in relatively close distance to anything I want. I know that if I want to try my hand at shopping, Sultan Bazaar is about twenty minutes away, fifteen on relatively traffic-free days.
It takes me ten minutes (sometimes even less) to get to Liberty Crossroads from my Grandmother’s House - a little past the Gaganmahal Nursing Home. Once I reach those crossroads at the edge of Himayathnagar I can relatively go anywhere in the city. I go left and hit Basheerbag, Abids, and Koti where you have the lovely Sultan Bazaar for shopping. I go right and I hit Tank Bund, NTR Gardens, Lumbini Park, and of course the largest monolithic Buddha statue ever (set conveniently in the middle of a lake). This route also takes me to Secundrabad- Hyderabad’s sister city with areas like Tarnaka, Tirmulghery, Rani Gunj, Patny, and the General Bazaar. If I happen to decide to go the straightest route possible from the crossroads, I’ll eventually hit Necklace Road and go around Tank Bund. And I’ll even hit the Khairtabad Flyover, which takes me to the newer “posh” areas of the city- Panjagutta, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, and Hi-Tech City. The Hard Rock Café in Hyderabad is located in Banjara Hills right next to the Taj Deccan and the Taj Krishna.
Now all these may sound confusing to anyone who hasn’t grown up in Hyderabad, however, it’s relatively easy to understand if you have a seasoned experience Hyderabadi go over certain things with you. One of the biggest, always know where you are going before you get into an auto and make sure you know the best way to get there. It isn’t hard for an auto-drive to rip you off! Second, make sure you have a partial grip on Hyderabadi Hindi- trust me it helps!
And lastly, make sure you know what your plans are before setting out - of course don’t set these in stone as things change within the blink of an eye. I’ve been seasoned in all this knowledge but it was put to the test recently when I was allowed to finally roam the streets on my own.
Up until now, I had always been learning the streets through my parents, cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandmother. This year, when I had to go to an internship in Jubilee Hills, I finally put this knowledge to the test. Every day, I would set out in an auto geared with my backpack and purse and head to a location that was “a little past the Jubilee Hills Checkpost.” The auto drivers had various ways to get me there but I didn’t mind at all because I found nearly five different ways to get at my final destination. That’s one thing I love about Hyderabad - there is never really only one way to get anywhere!
My cousin once said that as long as you keep going straight on an unknown Hyderabadi road, you’ll eventually find yourself in a place that you recognize. To put it simply, as long as I recognize a landmark such as the Panjagutta flyover I’ll know what road to take home. I’ve passed many neighborhoods in my regular travels and usually remember them via landmarks. For example, if I see the E-TV building I know I’m in Somajiguda. When I see the Secretariat, I know I’m on Necklace Road, which goes around Tank-Bund. When I get to the Chermas in Abids- well that’s been a landmark for thirty years so I don’t think I need to elaborate. The joy of living in a city like Hyderabad is that even though new stores pop up and old ones disappear there are some institutional landmarks that are always present.
Take for example Tank Bund. Place me in any spot on or around Tank Bund and I can tell you nearly four different ways to take me to my grandmother’s home. Leave me alone in Himayathnagar and it takes me around twenty minutes to walk and get home. I can even guide an auto through that neighborhood simply because every auto driver in the city knows where the Urdu Hall in Himayathnagar is. When travelling to Abids a person simply has to say “Abids Chermas” and the driver knows where you want to go. It’s these kinds of things that make me think I love the city.
Recently, the city has grown and there are so many outskirts that are popping up to encompass “Greater Hyderabad.” I don’t like seeing that because the many new immerges cropping up that it becomes confusing to handle at times. It’s losing some of its old Nizam charm and it’s hard to find a good decent Hyderabadi Biriyani place these days without having to travel as far as Paradise (nearly 30-40 minutes away). The city I grew up in - where Banjara and Jubilee Hills were once considered greater Hyderabad - is now becoming a mapping ground of epic proportions. While I’m glad that my grandparents ended up settling in the heart of the city in Domahalguda, and I can go relatively anywhere with ease, I wonder what will happen when I return a few years from now and have to travel all the way to Lingampally, Kukatpally, or Patancheru for certain things? Even two years ago, my mother’s uncle and aunt in Patancheru were far away and travelling to visit them was a long journey. Now even they - although they live nearly two hours away from Tank Bund - are considered to be in the Greater Hyderabad sphere.
I have to admit that although there are some things I find wrong with the way the city is growing, I love the fact that the heart of it - Sultan Bazaar, Abids, Tank Bund - is still such an essential component to the city. I’ve been raised up with stories of Hyderabad’s Nawabi Charm and wonderful cuisine. When I grow older and have kids of my own, I’d like to show them this charm and point out the wonders of the city. Maybe I’ll even take them to see the Birla Mandir temple overlooking Tank-Bund. Now I ask you a question: you may have visited Hyderabad but “Tu Hyderabadi hai kya?”
By Pankaj Jain, Ph. D.
In his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.” I think the future of humanity is nicely summarized in these words. In addition to living together with humans, we also need to learn how to live harmoniously with our environment. In our increasingly globalized world, we are witnessing our local neighborhoods becoming increasingly globalized. Just as an example, now within the USA, there are more than seven hundred Hindu temples and their associated communities according to the Pluralism Project of the Harvard University. Similarly, the threat of climate change challenges us to learn and practice new ways of relating to our natural resources. Can Hinduism present us some ideas to deal with these issues challenging the present and the future of our world?
Although the United States is often referred to as the melting pot absorbing different ethnicities and races, history of Hindus living in India presents a much longer tradition of accepting even larger number of diverse people such as the Greeks, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Zoroastrians, Huns in the ancient times and the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhists in the last century. It is this Hindu past of religious acceptance and harmony that goes even beyond the human species. Hindus not only have accepted humans of diverse races but have also accepted divinity in non-Human forms. A Hindu can worship a stone and/or a specific mountain, the water and/or a specific river and/or the ocean, a plant, an animal (not just a cow but a snake or a rat or any other species), a bird, the earth, the sky, the sun, the fire, and so on. It is widely mentioned that Hindus have 330 million gods but perhaps it is better to say that Hindus have infinite number of gods and goddesses, because everybody and everything is potentially divine according to its philosophy. Its practitioners are simply trying to live up to the Hindu ideal of visualizing divinity in every part of the universe, every particle of the ecology. And following this infinite number of divinities, there arose thousands of different castes, tribes, and other socio-religious communities who not only tolerated each other but even accepted each other’s spiritual path. Thus, there is no false god or true god for Hindus.
The most fundamental concept of Hinduism is Dharma which etymologically means “that which sustains”. Indeed, the very foundation of dharma is based on sustainability of not just the human society but its related Vedic concept of Ritam includes the entire universe. There is a famous hymn in the Rigveda which describes the creation of the entire universe: how a cosmic person is transformed into the ecological entities (the sun, the moon, the wind, the sky, and so on) and the human society (different social classes). This interconnectedness of humans with the ecology can be a very promising message for the contemporary problems of global climate change.
It was the Hindu idea of non-violence as immortalized by Mahatma Gandhi that Dr. King witnessed in his 1959 visit to India and later adopted in his own movement in the USA. The Hindu practices of Yoga and meditation are now helping millions of Westerners improve their health. Hindu idea of revering the Mother Earth is also increasingly shared by many Westerners in their quest to save the planet. In August 2009, Newsweek ran a story titled “We Are All Hindus Now” based on the Pew Forum Surveys showing that 65 percent of Americans believe in multiple paths leading to God. Similarly 24 percent of Americans say they believe in reincarnation, according to a 2008 Harris poll, another major Hindu (also a Buddhist and a Jain belief). More than a third of Americans now choose cremation, according to the Cremation Association of North America, up from 6 percent in 1975, which is yet another practice of majority of Hindus.
Another major cultural presence largely representing the Hindu way of life is the “Bollywood”, a popularly name for the Indian film industry. India not only produces the largest number of films each year (in Hindi and other Indian languages) but Indian films are now enjoyed in African countries, the Middle Eastern countries, the South East Asian countries and Australia, the Europe, and the North America. According to a Businessweek report, Bollywood sold more than 3.2 billion movie tickets in 2009, much more than Hollywood. This globalization of Indian films has not only shown a glimpse of Hindu culture worldwide but in turn Bollywood films themselves have now started becoming more global in appeal, for instance, by deemphasizing the village life and the caste system. Future of Hinduism, as depicted in Bollywood at least, seems to be led by the urban globalized Hindus.
Ironically, Hindus themselves need to be reminded of Hindu ideas now to save their land of origin India from the assaults of all kinds of pollution. The Bishnois, a Hindu community in Northern India, is famous for its earliest ecological sacrifice in 1730 in which a woman named Amrita Devi led 362 other Bishnois to sacrifice their lives to protect their sacred tree. The public memory of this event continues to inspire environmental movements, such as the Chipko and the Appiko. However, Indian rivers, mountains, forests, and air are under tremendous pressure due to rising economy and growing population. The future of Hinduism is thus increasingly dependent on how successfully Hindus learn and apply their teachings in everyday life.
To conclude, Hindu ideas and practices are slowly entering and transforming the Western lifestyle. Hindus in turn are becoming more aware of the global problems such as the climate change. The ideals of Hinduism, such as pluralism, dharma, ritam, and nonviolence are some important lessons for the future of Hinduism in particular and for humanity in general. If today’s Hindus can take inspiration from their own teachings, they can ensure a healthy and prosperous future for themselves, their diverse neighborhoods, and their natural resources.
(Originally published at: http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Bollywood-and-Beyond.html)
Pankaj Jain is an Asst. Professor at the Univ. of N. Texas where he teaches on South Asian Religions and Ecology. He is interested to connect ancient traditions with contemporary issues and has been published in the Journal of Vaishnava Studies, Numen, Religion Compass, Religious Studies Review, Visual Anthropology, and Worldviews.
By Swami Satyanand
From birth to death we all search for happiness. Absolute Bliss is our true nature, yet every one of us chooses to search the external world to solve the inevitable problem of unhappiness. With the goal of happiness in mind we embark upon an endless and fruitless search for satisfaction and contentment. Intellectually we can all understand that true happiness comes from within, yet we continue to participate in a mad race for happiness based on the false belief that the answer can be found in a better job, a new car, an expensive vacation, a thinner body, or living up to the expectations of others. In this way we relentlessly pursue that which we hope will bring us the happiness we so deeply desire. Man has continually pursued this goal with misplaced enthusiasm for millennia, yet even though it has not worked for our forefathers, we continue on the same path. This is why Vedas declare that man should follow the path of Shreya (spiritual well being) and not the path of Preya (material well-being). Ancient India’s Rishis and Yogis were capable of creating all the luxury of material pleasures, yet preferred to live a simple life in the forest. They knew that material well-being distracts us.
So what, then, will lead us to true happiness? And what is it that prevents us from experiencing our true nature, which is bliss? Let us begin by looking within and considering how the attributes of nature affect us. The soul’s entrapment in materiality lies in its association with prakriti, or nature. The individual soul becomes bound by prakriti during the process of evolution that results in the manifestation of the empirical world. Once the soul is bound and shrouded in delusion, the pull of prakriti is so strong that it may be compared to that of a powerful magnet. All of our activities, all of our ups and downs, are ultimately governed by the interplay of the attributes of prakriti, or nature. It is, in fact, the three attributes of Nature that create maya, or the illusion that causes us to participate helplessly in this drama of life and death. There are three attributes or qualities of prakriti: sattva, rajas and tamas. Sattva is a state of peace and purity. Its characteristics include spirituality, right knowledge, harmony, purity, generosity, contentment, happiness and indifference to worldly ways. It is the principle of illumination. Rajas is a state of activity, restlessness and agitation. It reflects the qualities of possessiveness, greed, and passions. Finally, the guna of tamas represents a state of inertia. It reflects the qualities of indolence, laziness, anger, falsehood, and the pursuit of delusion.
The interplay of these attributes, or gunas, is the cause of our submission to maya, or delusion. Our life-styles, birth, death, eating habits, friends, behavior, attitudes, etc., are shaped and inspired by these gunas. In fact our entire life is governed by these gunas. Only one who learns how to master and transcend these gunas can become free from the drama of maya and the anguish of death. How, then, do we come to associate with the gunas of nature? When prakriti (nature) is in an undifferentiated state, the gunas remain balanced and dormant. But the entanglement of the soul begins when the gunas become imbalanced, thus disturbing the purity and bliss of the divine soul.
As this process progresses, the soul remains inactive; it is not really doing anything. It is the gunas that are working on their own. It is said that “guna guneshu vartante,” or “the gunas play the role of life and death.” But, because we have identified ourselves with the gunas and their derivatives—the ego, mind and intellect—we feel that we are doer, that we are the initiators of all of our activities.
It is said in the Bhagwad Gita (3/27) that “prakriti kriyamanani gunai karmani sarvash. Ahankar vimudhhatma karta aham iti manyate ! (All karmas are performed by the gunas. But under the influence of the ego, the ignorant feel that “I am performing these karmas.”) Again it is said in the Gita (3/28-9): ”Tattva vittu mahabaho Gun karma vibhagayo. Guna guneshu vartant iti matva na sajjate !” Prakriti Gun sammudhha sajjate Gunkarmeshu ! (“The self-realized person who has transcended the gunas knows the gunas and their karmas. Once he understands that gunas are the cause of karmas, he is no longer attached to them. But those who remain under the power of gunas continue to follow the path of maya and prakriti.)
So how do we escape from this entanglement with the gunas? How can we attain freedom from this delusion? The interplay of the three gunas creates an infinite combination of characteristics as long as they remain imbalanced. But if we can narrow our focus to just one of these gunas this interplay will stop. For just as three colors of nature— red, blue and yellow—can make innumerable color combinations in the realm of nature, so also can sattva, rajas and tamas lead to innumerable manifestations of needs and wants in the minds and activities of our inner world. Prompted by desire the only result is an endless cycle of unfulfilling pleasures and prolonged sufferings. But if we can focus on only one guna this multiplicity of unfulfilled desires and wasted energies will disappear. But which of the gunas should we choose of the three? Sattva is the principle of illumination, harmony, clarity, peace, purity and spirituality. Sattva takes us towards the spirit while rajas and tamas draw us towards the illusion of Maya. Sattva on the other hand takes us to spirit. Thus the only way to reduce rajas and tamas is to strengthen the quality of sattva. Swami Satyanand opened a retreat called Life Mission?U.S.A. in Mebane NC in May. Contact: 336.421.0690. www.lifemissionusa.com
Eleven million people, Sixty votes and one state
By Lakshmi Challa
There are approximately eleven million undocumented people in the United States anxiously awaiting immigration reform. Recently, President Obama stated that he needed 60 votes in the Senate to pass any immigration legislation. As of today, he does not have those votes. The immigration debate has resurged after Arizona's passed the controversial immigration law (SB 1070), scheduled to go into effect on July 28, 2010. This law, among other things, requires state and local law enforcement to check the immigration status of individuals it encounters, and makes it a state crime to be without proper immigration documentation. Other states also frustrated with Congress’ inaction have passed similar legislation. The Arizona law has incited boycotts; demonstrations; inter-state rifts and many legal challenges. Proponents of the Arizona legislation affirm that the measures were required to combat the criminal activities rampant at the border. Does legislation requesting the immigration status of migrant workers have a direct or indirect correlation to fighting crimes stemming from the trafficking of drugs, guns and money?
Clearly, the south-of-the-border, cartel-related crimes require wide-ranging solutions based on cooperation from both the Mexico and the United States law enforcement. However, enacting the Arizona legislation to address the problems at the border is akin to treating cancer with an antihistamine. The purported cure does not relate to the disease. The violence at the border and the problem with illegal immigration are distinct and to treat them as related afflictions would dilute resources. The distinction is that unauthorized immigrants are not the cause of the violence which plagues so many communities in Mexico. The more law enforcement is focuses its efforts on apprehending non criminal undocumented workers, the less resources it has to channel its efforts on combating serious criminal activity. Further, despite assurances from the Arizona Governor, there is also a concern that the new Arizona measures will lead to racial profiling. Since Arizona passed the controversial immigration law, one of the most famous cartoon characters, Dora the Explorer, has already fallen victim to racial profiling. Pervasive on electronic media is allegations about Dora’s immigration status. After all she is brown and has an accent; how could she be an American citizen? Wait a minute, the original occupants of this country, the “true Americans,” the American Indians were brown and had an accent. Perhaps if they enforced their immigration laws, America would not have an immigration crisis today. Just think, Arizona might be questioning the immigration status of white men with no accent.
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The Secret of Happiness, Part One
By Swami Satyanand
Before we may understand the secrets of happiness, we must first we try to understand what happiness is and where happiness is to be found.
Are you happy? How might we describe a happy person? How can we learn to be happy?
Although happiness appears to be a simple concept, everyone’s definition of happiness is different. Similarly, although water is the simplest and most common liquid, the containers that may hold it are many. Therefore one person’s happiness will manifest as unhappiness for another. A smoker may find happiness in a cigar while a non-smoker is repulsed by its strong odor.
In truth, no one has a clear understanding of the true nature of happiness. The very idea of happiness appears to be an illusion, yet we spend all our time and energy pursuing it. One person may find happiness in collecting wealth, while another seeks it in parties and social events. Another person finds happiness in enjoying movies while still others find it in eating. Still others find it in raising a family or attaining good health.
The vast majority of people pursue endless goals that end in dissatisfaction; ultimately leading to new pursuits followed by yet another dissatisfying result. No matter what we accomplish, the “happiness” we seek inevitably proves to be unfulfilling and transient. The inherent tastes and desires that drive us in our search for happiness are also constantly changing. If today we eat pizza and we are satisfied, tomorrow our tastes change and Caribbean food will be the order of the day. Thus whatever we seek from the outside world never results in permanent peace, contentment or satisfaction.
I will give you one example. An old lady was searching for something in her backyard one evening. Her neighbor noticed that she was hunting about for some time and asked her, “What are you searching dear?” The elderly lady answered, “I am searching for my needle,” replied the lady. The neighbor asked, “Where did you lose it?” “I lost it in my house,” the lady answered. “Then why are you looking for it outside of your house?” asked the neighbor. She replied, “There is darkness in the house, so I decided to look for it outside.” In the same way we look for happiness in the outside world, while happiness is only to be found within.
Saint Kabir said, “I have often heard it said that ‘a fish is thirsty in its own pond.’ In this way people wander restlessly from place to place, while the peace they seek is only to be found in the dwelling place of the soul.”
Everybody wants happiness. After all, no one is satisfied with unhappiness! Why do we seek happiness and reject unhappiness? The answer is that our natural state is found solely in contentment, peace and happiness. Yet we continue to search out pleasures that lead only to an ever-changing and painful existence.
What is in us that causes us to be unhappy? It is the prakriti, or maya, that is attached to the soul that makes us unhappy. Maya is delusion and it has the ability to project its veiling power, making that which is lifeless appear to be vibrant and full of life, that which is temporary to be permanent, and that which is impure to be wholesome and pure. This is why we identify the physical body with our self rather than with the Divine Essence, which is our true nature. The truth is that the body has no life of its own. It exists only due to the presence of the Atma, the Divine Soul within.
Since we identify ourselves with the physical body, we become passionately connected to the Maya of the tangible world and its comforts. Meanwhile we hardly remember the Atma or Divine soul within, for our focus is on the physical body only.
Life is like a drama. Maya engineers this drama, but we imagine that the drama we are enacting is truth. That is why it is called God’s leela, or “divine play.” In truth this Maya is an illusion, not a reality. For example, in the waking state this physical world appears to be real, yet while we are sleeping in the dream state the world becomes unreal. Further, when we are in the dream state it appears that dream world is real and our waking state is unreal.
Finally, when we are in deep sleep, both these states become unreal. What, then, is real and what is unreal? In truth, all three of these states are unreal. Each of them is no more than a transient world that constantly changes, keeping us off-balance and ultimately unhappy. In contrast, Truth, or reality, never changes. It is changeless and eternal.
We will discuss what this prakruti and maya is and what are the measures and practice necessary to come out of maya so as to achieve stability, happiness and peace in the next issue.
Swami Satyanand is opening a retreat called Life Mission U.S.A. in Mebane NC in May. Contact: 336.421.0690. www.lifemissionusa.com
Summer Descent at Baga Beach
By Cecilia Gomes
In the summer of 2007 I was strapped to a harness on a boat resting on the waters of the Arabian Sea. The day’s heat stung until the coastal breeze swept the skin. The Goan afternoon sky was a motionless reflection of the vast, blue water. My parachute was multicolored, but I barely remember the colors. I was tied to ropes that held me to this world, but eventually physically disabled me for the rest of my life here.
I had not left the United States since our permanent move from Bangladesh in 1994. My dad was completely opposed to the idea of his first born leaving his sight, let alone his residing country. I wanted to see the world. I wanted an adventure! And, when the opportunity to visit my newly-wedded, newly-relocated cousin in India presented itself after my sophomore year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I took it up. While in Goa, I took it up to the heavens.
A stranger approached us on our second day at Baga Beach. We all wanted to go parasailing. It was 700 rupees—only 20 US Dollars.
His boat drove us far from shore. I bubbled with disbelief and anticipation.
“I wanna go first!” I announced, overzealously, to the passengers, five of my cousins also visiting from the States. They stopped chattering as the boatmen slackened the ropes to release me. We all held our breaths. The parachute lifted me.
Then, it was silent.
I cannot recall my ascension, but at some point I felt like I was awakened mid dream. Even though my eyes were open the whole time, I felt like I had them closed until that moment. I awoke to see eternity—silent and ever-extending eternity. It was blue sky. Beyond some dispersed clouds, I saw that sky meeting blue ocean. My brain could not focus on one point of the vibrant monochromatic scene it was experiencing. I felt the rush of soundless adrenaline.
My mind was excited, yet my body was still and cozy in a constricting harness. I searched for the boat. It seemed miles away below me and so small. It was a toy boat in the distance, and I didn’t care to look at it for long. My focus was the consuming blue that was feeding my high. As I looked toward the sky again for the image ahead, above and surrounding me, the silence broke without warning. And, quite nearly, it broke my face.
I felt a sudden pressure on my left cheek.
Then, a sharp sting.
“What just happened?” I was startled and confused. It didn’t feel like the sweet sting of the Goan sun, but a painful one. was yards away from my boat. Around me there was endless space and no one.
What just happened? Again, I asked myself. I looked once more for the vision that exhilarated me just a moment before, but, this blue canvas was moving now. When I realized I was falling, all I could do was wait.
I discovered, six months later, that the impact of the rope that snapped off the boat and whipped my face resulted in a damaged retina. After the wounds on my face healed, I was left with only that scar, never to regain vision in my left eye. This was permanent, yet I never regretted the experience. I got a glance at a beautiful eternity of blue, and I will never see the world the same way again.
By Dilip Jumani
I raised my tired arms up in the air, as I ran through the Tobacco Road Marathon finish line with every ounce of juice I had left. Breathing heavily and hearing the slowing of my pulse as my heart started to ease, as my pride soared above this blue planet. Looking back I remember how last year I was amazed to see my manager, Nemie Celemen, run a full marathon and the joy on his face for his terrific achievement. I decided right there, that if he can do it while raising five kids, I can certainly do it with three kids. Inspired and fascinated by my manager’s victory, I decided I could and wanted to accomplish this titanic self-challenge. Now in front of me is a river of achievers wrapped in metallic, silver blankets, and I am very happy to be a part of it this year.
My friends let me share my story of my first marathon with you. The night before the big run, I lay in bed thinking of what a good friend, and fellow runner, stated about the big day: “The difficult part (training) is over; this is the victory run.” What a terrific statement, for it is true. Putting in at least 20 long miles a week and continually icing aching joints and muscles, makes a person eager to finish the race, but the training has definitely improved my mental and physical discipline. I fell asleep tingling with nervousness and excitement.
The brilliance of the cheerful sun perfected this bold day. When 3300 participants heard the boom of the cannon, a roar of liveliness filled the small town of Cary. I started with full enthusiasm and continued my journey step-by-step, mile–by-mile. By mile 20 my smile faded, and I was moving on determination alone. The last three miles felt like a marathon in itself. My body was in pain and I needed more than Gatorade, Power Gels and Powerbars; even the crowd’s cheers were a fog to me.
I had heard about “The Marathon Moment;” that it is a very special instant during the race that inspires you in such a way that at that moment, you know that you will make it…
While I was running exhausted, my mind wandered. My thoughts led me past my present pain, the past of my training, and into the events of my upcoming week. Suddenly I realized I had my citizenship interview tomorrow. That means I would be a US citizen within a week - but today I am an Indian citizen. An Indian runner in the Cary Marathon. Since I was the only Indian of the 900 full-marathon runners, this run now became a matter of pride for my country. It was at that instant that I knew I was going to make it or rather, I had to make it! I stopped running and was speechless for a moment. After that wonderful split second, I never forgot again why I was there and whom I was running for. I knew I had to do it for my country and my family.
Other runners may have been a driving force behind my running initially, but my end drive was for my country. What has always been motivating me though was my family. I had to finish because I knew my family was at the finish line, eagerly waiting for me to arrive. Not only would they be at the finish line, but they would also be in my life the next day, and the next, and the next. That’s worth running for.
I stopped at the 26-mile-marker to take a final picture of what I saw; a sea of faces, a mixture of pain and pleasure, people reaching out to their final destination, the finish line.
I rounded the final corner of the 26.2-mile and glanced at the crowds of families and friends, searching for my family. Regardless of the hundred of spectators cheering the runners on the sidelines, it took only a few seconds to find them. As I raised my arms high over my head and crossed the finish line victoriously, it was as much their triumph as it was mine. Although the blisters had worn through three layers of skin and my toes were raw, my back, shoulders, knees and thighs hurt, as I finished, I didn’t cry out of pain. Instead, I cried out from joy - the joy that filled my heart and my mind, the joy that I had completed my first marathon. Friends asked me “Are you OK”? I realized in that moment that not only I was OK but also I was more OK than I had ever been before. What an indescribable experience! Events like this change your life forever.
I had run for a long 4 hours and 49 minutes straight, but time melted the day quickly. This awesome act rewarded my body with soreness and blisters, which will last for few days; but it has tattooed my pride with an unforgettable memory of self-accomplishment. There is a deep satisfaction in setting a stretch goal, figuring out how to accomplish it, challenging myself to dig deep within, then going about the business of making it happen.
I learned a lot about perseverance and how to be flexible. Completing a marathon is a confidence-builder. I found out what I am made of, and the result is comforting. The finisher medal is a worthy reminder of achieving something difficult, something that few people try and fewer complete. Now I possess a new confidence that has altered my way of thinking. I have learned so much from the process of training for the marathon, that I can say with certainty that anything is possible.
In the end, I have to say thank you to the volunteers and the spectators. So many times along the way I wanted to quit. I was out of gas and just plain beat. It was at those times when a stranger on the sidewalk or a volunteer at a fluid station would say something, and I would get a little burst of energy. I made sure to thank each person who handed me something. I tried to high five as many kids as I could along the way. Their delight with my high-five was probably as great as mine. It was so amazing. To all of you, who volunteered or just came out to cheer us on. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am now a marathoner and I owe this to people like you who supported me so generously and allowed me to live in this moment.
By Ananya Mallavarapu
Claire had left her hometown years ago for the urbanized life of Boston. She missed things about life in Cape Cod, that was sure, but seeing the person she missed most at this moment she didn’t know what to do. He approached her with a little girl next to him and smiled in greeting.
“It’s been a while Claire.” Claire regarded her best friend. College and maturity had changed them both for the better. David was now a teacher at the same high school that they had graduated from. He was wiser and accepted things. She still remembered the times when he truly was her best friend; years back in high school. They were still close now, but three years of no contact had undoubtedly caused a rift.
“How have you been?” She began ready to face her fears. She hadn’t returned to Cape Cod for years - three in fact, three years that she spent earning her reputation as a ruthless Boston lawyer. Being here, in her hometown, she remembered events in her life and the important days they occurred on. She could see in her mind the day she left for college - nearly fifteen years ago, and now sitting here next to David, she remembered the day she left him.
“It’s been good.” David watched his daughter play on the swings. The years had been good and bad for him. He’d gotten married once, eight years ago, and his wife after giving him a beautiful daughter had left. It was fine living with a six-year-old girl, but at times he wished he could have gone back and fixed things in the past.
He wished he’d seen the signs sooner so that his daughter could have grown up with a mother. But right now what he wished for most was to return to three years ago and undo the past. Both the friends remained in silence as they looked at the little girl who was now pushing herself on the swings.
“She’s six now.” David stated pointing to his daughter, “Becca loves the swings.” Claire nodded, knowing that she needed to face David now before things escalated. She had ended their friendship, relationship, interaction, whatever she wanted to call it, abruptly, and she was unsure of where they stood at this point.
“David what are we?” She stated cutting him off. “I know what I did was stupid, but I just couldn’t think. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t ready to be what you needed me to be.” She had finally let her tears and emotions free, and was scared of the outcome. These thoughts had been plaguing her for three years and she needed to just let them out now. She needed to tell him.
“Do you think you’re ready now?” David questioned after a few moments. He too had spent the last three years thinking: What if he did this, what if he did that? It was all in the past now and he just decided to wait to see what was going to happen.
A slight wind blew and Claire stared at the sky behind the playground. It was a dull winter gray, with trees silhouetting the landscape and she admitted that after three years of thinking of the answer to David’s question she wasn’t sure of the answer still.
“I don’t know.” Claire shifted her gaze to her companion stating her answer honestly. His age was starting to show in his face now. There was a look in his eyes - a look that showed just how much he had gone through in the past years.
“I want to try.” Claire added looking at him. “I was scared and so I left, and now I’m still scared but I think I’m ready.” David smiled at her and gently held her hand.
“We’ll take things slow.”
“No!” Claire shouted, embarrassed at having suddenly screamed her dissent. “When I said try I meant yes. I know that things can’t just happen this fast but three years have told me just what I’ve missed. I should have been there for you when Becca found out about her mother; I should have been there for everything. And I wasn’t. We had something David and I want to get it back.” David sighed, turning to his daughter who had now stopped in her play to look at the two adults.
“Are you sure? Because I still love you Claire. When you left, I was afraid I’d pressured you into a relationship you didn’t want. Don’t do this just for my sake.”
“I’m not. I’ve come back for good.” David stood up and walked towards his daughter. When he approached her, he turned to Claire.
“Let’s go home. I have some hot chocolate waiting. And we can talk some more.”
A couple was waiting on the sidewalk in the fall. They were waiting for someone to leave a school bus and soon they were tackled by a little girl who eagerly gushed to them about her first day of first grade.
“And you know what? Now everyone wants to meet my new mommy! You’ll come visit won’t you?”
“Yes.” Claire answered, squeezing David’s hand. She was ready to go on and create a new life. Ever since she’d started law school she’d been alone until four years ago when she began seeing David. Now, she knew that she was an accomplished woman who had finally found her spot in life.
She may have had to drop a hefty salary in Boston for life in Cape Cod but she was silently glad that she did.
“Mrs. Griffin, what’s on your mind today?” David asked noticing she was lost in her thoughts.
“Just happy to be here Mr. Griffin.” She answered with a reassuring squeeze of his hand.
By Ron A. Virmani, M.D.
I landed in the Shinagawa suburb of Tokyo on July 20. There were a total of 14 of us, a couple from Germany , a couple from Canada , a few from U.K. , a lady from Belgium and another lady from Australia. By and large most, including our guide, spoke English. For about 11 days, we toured Takayama, Hiroshima , Nagasaki , Himeji and Kyoto. On July 30, we headed 62 miles west of Tokyo by train to Kawaguchiko, at the foot of Mt. Fuji .
Fujisan (san=mountain) is Japan’s highest mountain, rising to 12,388 feet. It is a stunningly impressive cone of almost perfect symmetrical proportions. Poets and pilgrims have revered it since ancient times. Painters and photographers, including me, have been mesmerized by it. It is the icon and pride of Japan.
Mt. Fuji is actually a volcano. Geologists estimate that it was created 600,000 years ago in Pleistocene era. It last erupted in 1707. The mountain was sacred to Ainu, the original inhabitants of Japan. It is also sacred in Shinto (religion in Japan before Buddhism) and Buddhist religions. The mountain is named after Buddhist fire goddess Fuchi. The shrine of Shinto goddess Sengen-Sama is found on top of the mountain.
Surrounded by five lakes, the spectacular mountain is impressive in its dimensions. Not only does it rise more than two miles into the sky, but also it is 25-30 miles in diameter, topped with a crater spanning 1600 feet in diameter. As a rare occurrence, the mountain may be visible on a clear winter day from 100 miles away. In general, Fujisan is shrouded in clouds.
When I was able to get some clear pictures of the awesome mountain from our hotel in Kawaguchiko, I knew that I was one of the lucky ones.
Even though it is the holiest of the three holy mountains in Japan, it is not considered sacrilegious to climb it. Japanese have climbed it forever, but women were considered impure and not allowed to climb it until 1871. How they became pure after that, beats me.
The official climbing season lasts only two months, July and August. In other months, snow cover and weather conditions make for a hazardous and even perilous climb and people have died on the mountain.
Mount Fuji is divided into 10 stations. The first station being at the foot of the mountain and the tenth being the summit. Paved roads go as far as the fifth station, after that, you are on your own.
On July 31, we took a bus from Kawaguchiko station to the fifth station in the morning and got there at about 11 am. We were at 2300 meters altitude now. It was a foggy morning with drizzle, temperature around 70 degrees. We were facing a climb of 1470 meters or about 4800 feet, approximately a vertical mile.
A mother daughter pair said they were not going to climb, so the twelve of us joined the throngs of people starting off on Yoshidaguchi trail. The trails are like I have never seen before. Because 3000 people, including children and grandmothers, climb every day, the trails are very wide. They narrow to some degree as ascent continues.
It started raining. The possibility was that this could be a miserable hike. One of the girls turned back after an hour and decided to visit Tokyo. The rest of us pressed on. Fortunately, the rain was not terribly heavy or sustained. There were periods of clearing between rains.
The terrain was firm to start and then became full of gravel. There were stretches of volcanic rocky climbs and a seemingly infinite number of switchbacks. As we climbed up, the air got thinner. Some faces became pale, some people started having headaches and nausea. Some vomited. Some lay by the wayside clutching their oxygen tanks. Surely, it was altitude sickness.
Many mountain huts have been constructed along the way to the top. As we passed each one by, we hoped that one would be ours. Finally, we made it our hut Tomoe Kan at 3400 meters. I got to this hut around 4 pm, having hiked for four and a half hours. Boy, that was a hard hike!
Some made it to this hut before me, some after. In the two-story hut, there were several rooms or small halls. In each hall, there were futons on the floor and blankets. The hut accommodates, which is not the right word, about 250 people. We were packed like sardines in a can.
Some of us were quite finished by this point. The holy mountain had taken its toll and drained them. I do not think that they had realized the seriousness of the climb before they undertook it. Anyway, the supper came at about 5 pm. Rice is always a part of every meal in Japan. In addition, there was Miso (soy) soup and a hamburger patty. Buying a coke could set you back 500 yens (five and a half dollars) .
The view from the hut was spectacular. The sun was setting. Darkness grew and the mercury fell rapidly. Going to the outside primitive toilets was an act of bravery because of narrow passage and cold weather. The use of toilet cost 100 yens. We could see a constant stream of hikers making their way both below and above the hut on the switchbacks of the mountain. Their headlamps and flashlights made for a captivating sight.
We lay down, hoping to get rest, maybe sleep. But sleep was hard to come by. I am sure that CO2 level was high from having so many people in such a small enclosed space.
We got up around 2 am. The plan was to be at the top of Mt Fuji to witness the sunrise. The temperature was freezing by now. Six of us started up, the rest were going to go back down. I had five layers of clothes on.
It was a thrilling and unique experience to join hundreds of hikers climbing up the volcanic rock in the middle of night. We were packed on the trail 5 or 6 hikers abreast. It was like being in a crowded state fair with some amount of pushing and shoving to make room to the next step up. The going was slow. Many times, we came to a complete stop from congestion. Trail was steep and challenging. I managed to make headway by maneuvering through and around the crowded pack.
Reaching near the summit, I saw the Torii gate. It is a traditional religious gate in front of Shinto and Buddhist shrines. By 4 am, about an hour before the sunrise, I was on top of Mt. Fuji, the first one from our group. It was not only freezing on top but also very windy. I would say the wind chill was about zero degrees Fahrenheit. Thousands of people were at the top, dozens more pouring every minute, all awaiting the big spectacle of sunrise. The clouds were below us, the east was aglow and the sky was getting lighter with time.
A few minutes before 5 am, the first rays of sun reached us. The miracle was happening. Just then, clouds rolled in to partially block the sun. Fortunately for us, they cleared up in a couple of minutes. We were now witnessing the breathtaking sunrise we came to see. I had long dreamt about this moment. It came true on the first day of August. We savored the sunrise to our heart’s content. Not many people are lucky enough to see a clear sunrise because of the ever encroaching clouds.
We saw the crater on top of Mt. Fuji. One could hike the perimeter in about 90 minutes. There are eight peaks surrounding the crater, the highest being Kengamine. This truly is the highest point (3776 meters) in Japan. But the collective will of the tired group was bereft of any desire to hike the perimeter in bitter cold and howling winds.
We started back down around 5:30 am. Again, treacherous trails of volcanic ash greeted our feet and made short work of our shoes. Some of us fell but did not get hurt. Sun, clouds and rain kept us guessing about the kind of weather we were going to have for the next five minutes.
Libby, the British girl and I were the first ones to get down by 8 am. It was beginning to rain. But that did nothing to hide the glow on our faces of conquering the highest mountain in Japan.
Would I do it again? As they say in Japan, one is a fool not to climb Mt. Fuji once, but a fool climbs it twice! However, only one percent of Japanese people actually climb Mt. Fuji.
By Vatsal Suthar
Matrimony. That’s a word that brings about anxiety among Indian parents and their children alike. It is that word we see posted at the end of Indian newspapers and magazines. Kids in their mid-twenties look at it and begin to chuckle and think “I would never let my parents do this for me.” More and more Indian youth are prolonging marriage while they are finishing their degrees or establishing themselves in their respective careers while also looking for a mate that is equal in both stature and personality.
Parents also have a same mindset for their kids to finish school and methodically establish themselves in the world before settling down with their mate. I was born in America and was brought up by parents that took me to many religious and cultural events growing up while instilling in me the values of India such as learning Gujarati, Hindi, and understanding the importance of family. Talking about relationships with the opposite sex with Indian parents is most likely nonexistent. Whatever experience I would know about dating and relationships began with watching TV shows such as “Saved by the Bell” and “Family Matters.” As a high school student, the prom and other dances were just platonic experiences with friends while college introduced me to more freedom with the opposite sex but without expecting to find my future wife.
But high school and college are over. I am now in my mid-twenties. My cousins and college mates around me are getting engaged. People are becoming serious about looking for a “life partner.” Well I want a life partner too but what is the right way to go and get one? Do I do what they do in Bollywood and start to sing at the first girl I see? Will I have to prove my academic worth by submitting my standardized test scores from kindergarten onwards to the fathers of daughters around the Southeast? Or do I simply make my mom the captain of my Life Partner Search Ship? Can it be appropriate to date an Indian girl/guy in America while trying to avoid getting parents too caught up in either anticipation or skepticism?
Watching movies, Hollywood or Bollywood, we kids have the mind set that seeing someone on the train or at a coffee shop can potentially be our future mate. But what’s the next step with our parents? Some would like to introduce the boyfriend or girlfriend as their future mate after dating for some time while others would display them for approval from parents. I believe a majority of American born Indians like me would like to do both if their parents were also on the same page.
The parents have to be involved in the life partner process for their sake as well as the children. It is intimidating to begin dating someone while parents tell us that there is no time for all those shenanigans until after getting a job and establishing a career. Parents should be somewhat lenient and be open to dialogue with their children about dating and interacting with the opposite sex without immediately thinking they will get married or that dating a specific person is the most awful thing their child could do.
Being in our twenties we “ABCD’s” expect autonomy in order to find our ideal wife/husband while our parents are on the sidelines acting as spectators and not judges. However, the parental input is invaluable because they know what will constitute a successful marriage. All of our parents more than likely were a part of an arranged marriage era but they probably still maintained marriages for decades and created a successful generation of us kids while in a new country.
Watch the film The Namesake to better appreciate the sacrifices you parents have made. Our desi parents are a great display of hard work, flexibility, and sacrifice that should inspire our approach to dating and, eventually, marriage. They can serve as consultants but cannot become dictators over us because we grew up as Americans that expect our life partner search to include dates, parties, and heartbreak with a touch of the romanticized expectations we have seen in Hollywood as well as Bollywood.
So, I plead to parents as well as my fellow desi youth to work together and start a dialogue about relationships and marriage when you must cross that bridge. It can be awkward to initially begin but once it’s rolling, it will be good to know you are working as a team and not as adversaries.
By Jay Desai
Located at costal town of Mangalore, in the state of Karnataka, the Gandhi Temple attracts people who believe that Gandhi and his principles are meaningful even decades after his death. Gandhi is worshipped here thrice a day like any other God in temples.
And, far away on the other side in the state of Orissa, stands a temple built in 1971, where Mahatma Gandhi is placed as a deity. The temple was established by once untouchable Abhimanyu Kumar, who believed Gandhi worked hard to earn them dignity and social status in the caste-driven society. Gandhi deserves more than having his own place of worship.
There are several examples of such Gandhi temples, or such associated stories. Around the world, Gandhians will continue building temples for him, or continue worshiping him as God; it remains mind boggling why Gandhi could be perceived as a God, demigod or God-like Hero. Also, the larger is question here is does Gandhi deserve the stature of God?
As it is abstract to many, God is difficult to perceive when it comes to realizing or understanding his own full spectrum. To some, God is a just holy divine thing whose shape, form and power is eternal, infinite or mystic; and they just want to stop right there and not think beyond, or they may simply be blinded by faith.
Most of humanity likes to think about god in abstract form, since they want to remain glorified by his mystic existence and mystic power. To many it seems that once you define the God, once you finite its form, than God is merely an object not different than a tree, a house or your pet or pal, which than could be taken as granted by many.
However, to the modern generation growing within constant scientific and technological inventions, “faith” is not the answer. Constantly puzzled with their logic and questioning attitudes of why, what and when, the concept of a mystic or abstract God may not be very buyable to this generation.
And, by the same token, for those simple-minded, too, same is not acceptable, since they want to understand the God in simple ways with whom they can connect for their day to day life encounters, or where they can relate their day to day rituals to something. Merely in simplistic terms, they are looking for real life mentors and not something on a grand scale that took place ages ago or is described in mythology.
Thinking about ages and mythology, Lord Jesus seems to be somewhat closer to reality, may be, since he appeared on the face of the earth lot later. However, it was still sometime ago, when cultural values and norms of society were quite different than modern era. Also, many different interpretations can be made, without having all tangible references. Same you can say for Buddha. And now when we think about Lord Krishna or Lord Ram or Abraham of Jewish mythology, we have some layers of mystery shrouding the reality since it supposedly happened thousands of years ago. When an investigating mind tries to remove layers, more questions of why, what and when becomes unavoidable and undoubtedly daunting. An average being can be really lost or confused amongst all these, if not supported by strong inner faith.
Hence that is when real-life heroes come so handy in our daily and average lives. Although, where do those “out of the box” thinkers find those “close to perfection” kind of heroes in modern history?
It seems that Gandhi might fit the bill amongst all these. He seems easy to understand, follow or emulate, as he set his own life as an example for everything he presented or preached. He does make appeal to the “out of the box” thinker; Someone who just happened to be around the corner or around the century, someone who was surrounded by the similar if not the same challenges that most of us face today. He is not distances or eons away, yet someone who one can feel, touch and realize. To many of us, what Gandhi did during his lifetime feel like it just happened yesterday.
Okay, so Gandhi may stand as real life idol for many, however, it will be nothing but idolizing, something that Gandhi would never have preferred. He was the most modest man on the earth so far that one can think of. A man who believed more in practicing than preaching who also said that all his writings should be burnt when he is gone. He also emphasized that what he had been saying is nothing new but as old as hills standing for centuries.
To a larger extent, Islam and Judaism do not entertain the idea of idolizing unlike Christianity, and of course Hinduism. On the other hand, Hinduism accepts the existence of many other faiths, which was strongly manifested and practiced by Gandhi throughout his life. Gandhi’s life-long peaceful battle and personal sacrifice for humankind is very well comparable to Jesus’ life, and above that, his compassion for non-violence and kindness for downtrodden seems to be adopted from Buddhism and Jainism.
So Gandhi appears to manifest little bit from every faith with some proven results. That might make him tangible and more universal.
Born in 1922, Abhimanyu Kumar probably could not get his answers from religious scripts, but he did see Gandhi in action, bringing desirable changes possibly for everyone in society during his life span, enough to convince him to make Gandhi a deity.
Be it Abhimanyu Kumar or any other average Joe, he or she may not want to do endless research, or may not want to go thru Gita or Bible or Koran. He or she does not want to be bombarded with heavy scripts and deep preaching. He or she is simply searching for simple answers, and for that they might have found those answers in their contemporary god-like heroes, or for that matter God – Mahatma Gandhi.
By Indhu Gopal
I stood in a long line to order one falafel - a tasty fried seasoned chick pea mixture stuffed inside pita bread and topped with a salad mixture and sesame sauce (tahini) - for just $2.50. My Iranian friend from the Faculty Resource Network Seminar I attended in the morning suggested that I try the famous falafel at Mamoun’s Falafel. Established in the heart of Greenwich Village in 1971, the restaurant has been turning out tasty authentic cuisines for years. I could not wait to take a bite of the Middle Eastern delight.
At last, it was my turn to place an order. However, to my dismay, I had no cash and credit cards were not accepted. I was extremely disappointed and scanned my surroundings to find an ATM with little success. I looked further and my eyes turned toward a small store called The Land of Buddha, one among the very few Tibetan stores in the United States. I somehow knew that I would get help there. With high spirits, I walked into the store and explained my situation to a humble, compassionate man behind the counter. He comes from Nepal and to me he was kindness personified. He gave me three dollars instantaneously and with no reservations. I promised that I would return with the money the next day.
I lingered a little longer to look at all kinds of Himalayan handicrafts. Most items in his store came from Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. It was a charming place with jewelry, Tibetan carpets, antiques, DVD and CDs related to Buddhism and Yoga. It had religious items like thankas and singing bowls galore. You could also find prayer wheels, prayer beads, and incense sticks as well as traditional Tibetan style brocade dress, shirts, and Pashmina. This was home away from home. I felt like I was in a store on Big Bazar Street in India, where I was born and lived for twenty five years before immigrating to the United States.
With three dollars in hand, I once again stood outside, holding my red umbrella to shield myself from the rain as the line inched slowly into Mamoun’s Falafel. Finally, I got my falafel and I sat on the steps adjacent to the restaurant to take my first bite with a big smile, all the while thanking the kind man who made it possible for me to taste the Middle Eastern cuisine.
On the next day I returned to The Land of Buddha around 11:30 am and found it closed. As I walked down the street, I saw many small boutiques, tattoo parlors, bars, dance clubs and restaurants lining both sides of the narrow street. It was fun to walk on MacDougal Street with so many different ethnic restaurants: Yummy Village, Japanese Sushi, Ritz Asia-Asian fusion, Pasta Bristo Grill, Humm us and many more. A few men were unloading groceries in front of a restaurant and were getting ready for the hectic day ahead.
I made my way to another boutique, Nepa Bhon, where Renu, the proprietor’s wife from Nepal has been doing business since 1993. The shop deals in Nepalese Papers, mainly “Lokta” paper products. The “Lokta“ shrub grows in the high elevations of the Himalayan foothills and is used to produce paper sheets, photo albums, journals, stationeries, and picture frames. The products provide the only source of income for the villagers who grow, harvest and produce these goods.
It was wonderful to chat with Renu. She was warm, friendly, and conversant. We began to talk about the life and death of Buddha, Nirvana, and The Noble Eightfold Path, one of the principal teachings of the Buddha to end suffering (dukkha) and achieve self-awakening. The Noble Eightfold Path includes: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. “Buddha was born in Kapilavasthu and died under the Bodhi tree in Bodha Gaya, 100 km from Patna, in Bihar State, India,” she said. “Yes, Buddha was born in India,” I replied. She corrected me by saying: “No, Kapilavasthu is in Nepal and many Indians think it is in India.” She continued: “it is under the Bodhi tree that Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment or Bodhi.” I did not want the conversation to end as I was grossly immersed in every word she was saying. After our lengthy discussion, I found my way to The Land of Buddha, which was still closed. It was time to join my colleagues for lunch.
As I traced my way back, I saw the Dosa Stand. The rain never stopped and the day was gloomy, yet Kumar, the man behind the vegetarian stand in Washington Square, was busy. The Dosa Stand was considered one of the best vendors in New York City. A posted article on his stand, by New York Times, described the countless accolades he had received.
Kumar was happy to see me and started talking in his native language, Tamil. He hails from Sri Lanka, and I from Tamilnad in South India, so we had much in common. He made me a spicy Sadha Dosa, which is made of rice and lentil and included two small cups of sambar (like lentil soup) and green chutni (made with green chilies, mint and coriander leaves). It was scrumptious. Then, he handed over a Masala Dosa (dosa stuffed with potatoes) to an East Asian woman who was in a similar predicament as I was, with no cash. She asked if she could pay him the next day. He happily obliged and bid farewell to both of us. I was deeply touched.
Subsequently, I traced my way back to The Land of Buddha, which was now open. I returned the borrowed money to the owner’s wife, thanked her profusely, and parted with these words: “I will never forget your husband’s kindness, which I will take to my grave.” As tears swelled in my eyes, I said goodbye. It was time to go back to my afternoon seminar session.
That night as I lay in bed, I reflected upon the day’s events. I have never written any short stories and today I was inspired to put it in writing - my thoughts, my emotions and what I saw and experienced. I wondered about why I was stirred to write; could it be the amazing discussions we had during the seminar? We focused on community outreach in a writing program developed at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Could it also be the erudite colleagues in my program, including Dr. June Foley, the program convener and the first director of the Writing Program at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individual Study? Maybe it was the Chinese immigrants, the adult learners who read their writings aloud and shared their life experiences. Perhaps it was a combination of all of these.
Now, I know that I will continue to write. I also plan to introduce a service-learning course at my university where I teach Yoga, Exercise Physiology, Kinesiology and Psychomotor Development. I would like to connect students with adults through a literacy project. To that end, I contacted the chair of the Computer Science Department, who is interested to collaborate and see that the minority community from the Historical Washington Heights, a neighborhood near our university, will be computer literate and become a “laptop community.”
As I tried to sleep, I was reminded of what Marian Wright Edelman said, “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.”
By Anjali
My heart bleeds with sorrow for those mushrooming
around the poles on the sidewalks
as my car passes them, closed windows and shying mirrors
trying to avoid these shards of poverty
trying to blindspot these pieces of reality
around the world, across the continents
as news channels pour out pictures of gore
trying to sensationalize these shards of brutality
trying to commercialize these pieces of reality
around stock markets, sensex and wall street
as life begins to change, everyday counts, every penny amounts
trying to quantify these shards of necessity
trying to justify these pieces of reality
around me and for those I love
as time moves forward, actions shape today and hope tomorrow
trying to rely on these shards of possibility
trying to enliven these pieces of reality
By Pravin Benjamin
Of meat balls and curry made with care
There is the wishes and gifts
Along side mom’s great reassuring smile.
The new clothes and age
Brought with happy regularity
A time, happiness for
Which my
Dad never cared.
My mom remembered it
And made something special.
So did my sisters.
The two creatures I loved.
Now painful memories
Of past and aging worries me
Making my July unwelcome.
Yet I smile, I was born.
I’ll Hold You Tight This Winter Night
By Ananya Mallavarapu
Can’t wait to come home And hold you tight.
Next to the fire it’ll feel so right,
With you inside our igloo dome.
Just wait for me on that rug
Where our names are scribbled down
And greet me with a hug
As I come home from town.
La La La La dum di Dai
I’ll hold you tight this winter night.
Just wait for me a while
I promise I’ll greet you with a smile.
La la la la dum di dai (dum di dai)
I’ll hold you tight this winter night.
As the snow falls onto the ground.
It’s slowly collecting on the boughs
Of the trees we see all around.
I’ll be home soon
To protect you from the dark.
But until then watch the moon
And the tiny stars that spark.
La La La La dum di Dai
I’ll hold you tight this winter night.
Just wait for me a while
I promise I’ll greet you with a smile.
La la la la dum di dai
I’ll hold you tight this winter night.
As the snow falls so pure.
And I just want to tell you anew
That I’ll hold you tight and secure.
I’m at the door and I walk in
To see you greet me with a smile.
You slowly tilt up your chin
And I lean down and kiss you for a while.
La La La La dum di Dai
I’ll hold you tight this winter night.
Just wait for me a while
I promise I’ll greet you with a smile.
La la la la dum di dai (dum di dai)
I’ll hold you tight this winter night.
And I won’t let go of you this night.
La la la la dum di dai
I’ll hold you tight this winter night.
Oh, I’ll hold you tight this winter night.
(Based on "I've Just Seen a Face" by the Beatles)
By Sardar Singh
Generally I go for a walk around the lake that is very close to our house. One day I met a young couple who had come to the lake along with their two daughters. I was told that the kids were two years old and identical twins. I was fascinated to see the way the children responded when they saw the ducks in the lake. Both of them were very excited and full of joy and happiness. They would go close to the ducks but would immediately back off. They played this game for quite some time. I think it is worthwhile to ask, why are we not able to maintain the same sense of freedom and happiness throughout our life?
The human brain has unbounded intellectual potential and an amazing power of the mind. Because of this potential human beings have made tremendous progress in the fields of science and technology. Resources and ingenuity have been mobilized to create variety of goods and services. But in the bargain we have lost innocence and our capability to enjoy life. We have miserably failed in creating a healthy and harmonious relationship with each other. The state of my physical, mental and spiritual health depends to a large extent on the quality of my relationship with nature and other human beings. A sane world implies where there is right relationship. Right relationship means to respond with love and care. Unfortunately human beings are not living that way.
The significant problems that we face arise out of numerous conflicts arising out of human relationships. Any type of conflict brings about pain, misery and sorrow. There is conflict between husband and wife, between parent and child, between one group and another. There is enormous confusion, violence, brutalities, the wars, terrorism and endless division on the basis of religion and nationalities. There is also the problem of poverty, overpopulation and environmental degradation. All problems are interrelated and affect each and every human being one way or the other. It is so obvious that when the children grow up they will be affected by the world in which they live.
Although each one of us is born with certain distinct physical and intellectual characteristics yet when we examine very carefully we will find that psychologically we are not different from each other. All human beings, irrespective of their color, caste, creed, religion and nationality are fearful, uncertain, feel insecure and face the same life of pleasure, pain and sorrow. Our perceptions and responses to challenges of life and our basic urges, desires, demands are similar. Our consciousness is shaped by the culture in which we live. Our mind gets influenced the same way. The society shapes the individual and the individuals create the society. The individual and the society are inseparable. If we are really concerned about the deterioration that is taking place in the world we must understand the nature of the human mind.
Our thinking determines the nature of our consciousness. Our thinking determines our actions. The ultimate source of our problems is in thought. Psychologically we are not different from each other because the process of our thinking is the same. Our own thinking is responsible for the existing state of the world. We can very safely say that the mind that we have inherited and the mind that has been shaped by the society is man made mind. If there is lack of clarity in our thinking and if there irrationality in our thinking it will inevitably create the monstrous society in which we live. There is only one question that we need to answer. Can we be free of the old, rotten, traditional mind and create a new mind?
In order for that to happen we must understand the existing framework of mind and in the process of self-enquiry and self-examination eradicate from our mind all thinking that is based on false premises and all thinking that is contradictory and therefore creates confusion in the mind and conflict in human relationship. Love, compassion, goodness and generosity are the key factors that can bring about a healthy and harmonious relationship. Love is not a process of thought. The action of love has no motive. The mind that is in state of love is a religious mind. When love expresses itself through our hearts we experience a state of bliss. Without love life has very little meaning. Is it possible for us to bring that quality of love in our life so that the future generations can also live in peace and harmony?
We would like the readers to actively participate in the dialogue so that we may together explore this vast and complex territory called the mind and find out the root cause of our problems. We can examine the existing framework of the mind only when we are in pure state of observation. Our observation should be objective, free from bias, prejudice, opinion, judgment or conclusion.
Only such a mind can see things as they actually are. Human beings do have this capability if they are willing to exercise it. No problem can be understood without clarity of perception. Clarity of perception facilitates the operation of intelligence, which is the basic instrument to wipe out the mess that man has created.
Man Made Mind - Part 2
By Sardar Singh
No doubt human beings are endowed with the power of thinking. But they are also endowed with abilities that are beyond the process of thinking. Human potential is beyond any limit. Human beings have the energy that is the very source of life on earth.
They have the ability to enjoy the beauty of the earth and experience the mystery of life. They have the ability to see things as they actually are without the involvement of memory and thought. In this state of awareness thought completely ceases. In this state of intelligence we gain insight into different areas of life. Albert Einstein said, “I never came upon any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.”
Human beings have the ability to experience the mystery of life in the form of love that is unconditional and without any cause. In this state of love there is bliss and peace. Life is relationship. I am related one way or the other, intimately or remotely, to nature and to all human beings. The state of my physical, mental and spiritual health depends to a large extent on the quality of my relationships with nature and fellow human beings. Right relationship means to respond accurately, which means to respond with love and care.
Now the question arises why human beings are not able to live in peace and harmony with nature and with each other? Why is there so much conflict, misery and sorrow in the world? Why there is lack of love, compassion, affection and care? Why hate, anger, fear, violence, greed and jealousy have become so much dominant factors in our lives? Why is there so much poverty, injustice and degradation? By the power of thinking human beings made tremendous progress in the field of science and technology. Same instrument of thought is being used to bring about self-destruction. Is there a way out of this mess?
The quest for intelligent living and the search for a better society are perhaps as old as man himself. Saints and philosophers examined life from different angles and prescribed codes of conduct. Psychologists carried out research into the conscious and subconscious mind and provided a plethora of findings on the basis of detailed analysis. But the fact is that despite all the knowledge and experience accumulated through the centuries, man has not been able to produce a harmonious and healthy society. Technological progress has further complicated matters. More and more education instead of helping man is making the situation still worse. All the ideological and management approaches to the problems have failed. It needs to be examined what is wrong in all the attempts to make life better and worth living.
Let us take the case of current worldwide economic crisis. Media calls this as our issue number one. How did we respond to the situation? First of all only some individuals here and there have been blamed for the crisis. These include some top executives and business people in the financial markets and some homebuyers who got the loans that they could not even afford to pay. Lack of regulations was also cited as one of the reasons. US government and politicians moved quickly to fix the problem. The Stimulus Plan to boost the economy was worked out. It is said that new laws to regulate the financial market will be enforced and everything will be all right in due course.
Although it has been mentioned in the media over and over again that greed is at the root of this economic mess, yet very little attention has been paid to the basic cause of the problem. Greed is taken for granted. We say it is part of human nature and then forget about it. It is believed that new rules and regulations will take care of this problem. Past history clearly shows that greed always overpowers. Cunning, clever and greedy people, including the politician, always find ways to bypass the rules. The tragedy is that we do not see the gravity and the depth of the problem. Greed is not confined to just a small percentage of population. If each person carefully looks at his mind he will find that in so many subtle ways his actions are guided by greed.
Greed transcends racial, religious and national differences arising out of cultural conditioning of the mind. Priests and preachers of all faiths who claim to be the custodians of ethics and morality mechanically repeat what others in the past centuries have said about greed. They tell people not to be greedy but they themselves are the greediest people on earth because they mint money not by doing any constructive work but by simply preaching what they cthemselves do not do.
Our problems continue because we do not see them clearly. We do not see clearly because our minds are befogged with ideas, opinions, beliefs, conclusions and influences. So the first step is to use our ability of pure and objective observation that helps us to see things as they actually are. The challenge is to drop the entire load of accumulation and look anew. The very pause to take a fresh look is a significant new step. Clarity of perception is our top priority. When we are looking at the problems we need to make sure that we are concerned with facts only. In our dialogue we should move from fact to fact and not from one idea to another idea. Please do respond with your comments or questions.
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