My Vipassana Experience – Interesting insights

6 Dec

I have wanted to attend a Vipassana program for ages. There are friends who have attended multiple sessions who vouch by its benefits and others who say they had no/limited impact.  I decided to experience it.

There are over 40 centres in India (and many more globally) and most get booked months in advance. A little research helped me make my shortlist of 3, Igatpuri – Near Nasik, Bodh Gaya & Dharamshala.  I was lucky to find that Bodh Gaya had a course at the time in which I could take a 10-day leave. What better place to start your meditation that the town where Siddhartha got his enlightenment! Its an interesting location – with Nalanda and Rajgir at a 3 hr drive from Bodh Gaya.

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I made my bookings in August for the Dec 1 Program, Bangalore – Delhi – Patna by flight and then a 3 hr. drive to Bodh Gaya and finally reached my destination. Coming so far I made time to visit the Bodh Gaya Temple and the famous Pipal tree spot where Siddhartha got his enlightenment. The temple is a world heritage site and very well maintained. Lots of positive energy and sitting below the massive tree at 5 AM even a layman can start his meditation journey.

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I planned to be amongst the first so that I would get a single room – which I did. The camp is spread over 18 acres, lot of trees, about 25 – 30 cottages and buildings that can house about 100 inmates. Calm, peaceful, rustic, clean and Spartan.

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My room was similar to my college single room with its own attached bathroom. Functional – meets the need very well. The place is rustic and beautiful – but has seen better days.

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Day 0: Registrations happen in the morning and you handover all your gadgets / pen / paper everything except your clothes and toiletries. At 6.30 PM the participants are briefed on the rules. You need to take a vow and follow the foundation of the practice  sīla — moral conduct. Sīla provides a basis for the development of samādhi — concentration of mind; and purification of the mind is achieved through paññā — the wisdom of insight.

The key percepts are – Maintain Noble Silence (Silence of body , speech & mind  – even eye contact is not allowed). Other rules –  No Stealing, No Lies , No Killing ( I struggled to live with 5 large spiders in my room) , Maintain Celibacy , No Liquor /Intoxicants / Non Veg food and total segregation of male and female meditators. Others are no Yoga , no exercise , no chanting of mantras , removal of sacred thread etc.

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Day 1 : The session starts at 4.30 AM – so you need to be up at 3.45 AM take a bath (not compulsory but I did) and report at the meditation center at 4.25.  All the instructions are taped / videotaped conversations from Guruji (R.P.Goenka  – The passionate founder who brought this movement to India in 1969 after learning it in Burma. He is not related to the Goenka business from Calcutta). There is a very Sr Acharya who program manages the whole event and a few Jr Acharya’s assist him.

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The routine is rigorous and spans almost 18 hrs/ day. You get about 6 hours of sleep.

A day in the camp

 4.30 – 6.30 AM Meditation, 6.30 – 8.00 AM Breakfast & rest, 8.00 – 11.00 AM Meditation , 11.00 – 11.45 AM Lunch followed by rest till 1PM , 1 – 5PM Meditation , 5 – 6PM Tea , 6 – 7 PM Meditation , 7 – 8.30 PM Dhamma Talks by Goenka Ji  and instructions for the next day , 8.30 – 9.00 PM Meditation , 9.00 – 9.30 PM  1 : 1 Q&A sessions with the Acharya, Retire to bed at 9.30 PM

The Dhamma Talks are interesting. The content is simple & good, but Goenka Ji is a moderate orator. The teachings are a reiteration of how Vipassana is simple, practical and the essence of how Siddhartha got his enlightenment.And how with practise and commitment everyone can learn it.

Breakfast is simple and healthy – Poha Or Upma Or Sabudana Khichdi with some fruit and Tea/ Milk. Lunch is grand – Rice / Dal / Roti / 2 Sabji’s / Curd / Pickle. Tea break is just Tea and some puffed rice. Between evening tea and breakfast is a 13.5 hr break  . Food is tasty, piping hot, homely and very healthy and nutritious. I loved it.  And you don’t feel hungry given that there is hardly any energy spent in physical action

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Day 1 to 3 is spent only in practicing and perfecting a breathing technique called “Anapana Sati”. Before I explain what this technique is lets step back a little and understand what Vipassana is all about.

Vipassana is a 2500-year-old technique that Gautama practiced to achieve nirvana. It’s all about observing and getting deeper and deeper into your body. The most important thing here is to OBSERVE, not have feelings of like or dislike. By this process your mind slowly moves from the gross to the subtle.  You sharpen the mind to cut thru the body and look deeper and deeper. “Anapana Sati” is a breathing technique that helps you sharpen the mind. The mind then acts as the tool.

Gautama found thru this process as he went deeper and deeper that at the final innermost layer the body is nothing but wavelets. The smallest subatomic particles that are in constant transition – replacing itself almost a trillion times every second. When you reach enlightenment you are able to see your body as a light wave and the energy balance becomes perfect.

In the process of going deeper and deeper using your mind like a knife you also eliminate from the root all the layers of impressions, dogma’s, filth, emotions, desires that choke you and cause unhappiness and suffering.

 Here is a quick look at how the course evolved over the first 5 days. The end objective being to teach you the technique practised by Buddha.

Day – 1 : You just observe your natural breath going in and out. This technique is used to eliminate thoughts. The mind constantly wanders and you focus the mind on the breath. It helps you increase your concentration and control the meandering mind. It’s frustrating initially but by the end of the day one does get the hang of it . At the end of day – 1 I was still a sceptic – I had spent 10 hrs. just observing my breath and it did seem like a waste of time.

Day – 2 : You observe the breath hitting the inner walls of your nostrils. It’s like watching the path of the breath as it bounces along the inner nostrils. You observe the temperature of the breath – cold going in warm coming out. At times it goes thru both nostrils, at times only thru one. 10 hrs. of this – By end of Day – 2 I started seeing some excitement – but still a skeptic.

Day – 3 : You observe all the sensations in the triangle that borders the upper lips as base extending along your nose.  This is tough. Initially you feel no sensations but after a few hrs you start felling the first small tickle. Then slowly with time you experience other sensations – a small throbbing, at times warmth, sudden burst of cold draft , some pin pricks , at time pulsing, sometime an indescribable sensation – a variety of sensations which you thought never existed.

As the mind has become sharper it is able to start identifying these sensations. They always existed – the gross mind does not see or experience them, the subtle perceptive mind does.  This was a very interesting experience and a great discovery. Something that can be used on a ongoing basis.

Day – 4: In the first half we start getting more precise. We now observe the sensations in the small area above your upper lip and below the nose. Now you are focused on a much smaller area, this is like sharpening the pencil even more and making it ready for Vipassana. The mind is concentrated to the point and at the end of 1 hr your forehead begins to heart with the intense concentration. You do this practice for about 4 hrs.

With this you have now prepared your mind to be able to concentrate on a small area of your body,

Now that you are ready Goenka Ji introduces you to Vipassana. The technique is to run your mind from top of the head to toes covering each part of your body in a certain flow and observing the sensations. Each journey of the mind takes about 10 – 15 minutes and whenever you don’t observe any sensations you stop for a minute at the spot. You suddenly realize that the full body is actually throbbing with sensations.

I found this to be similar to “Yoga Nidra”. Yes the Anapana Sati has helped you to assess and observe the sensations in your body a lot better. But conceptually it is similar. You do “Yoga Nidra” for 10 – 15 minutes after Yoga to relax your body , while this is a lot deeper and you spend days focusing on the sensations across your body.

I was a trite disappointed. I was expecting more. Post our learning we practiced for some more time. By day 3 you could see some change in the room. People were beginning to cough, burp, sneeze, and fart –  by day 4 night this was increasing a very rapid pace.

This just psyched me out. In a dark, dimly lit room with about a 100 people creating funny noises was not a pleasant experience. It affected my concentration and I was struggling to focus from Day 4. Add to this the level of energy is very low. People lost in their own world walking like zombies with slow steady steps starting into space made me feel that this was somewhere a mix between an asylum and a government hospital.

Day 5 you continue with the practise of Vipassana but now start spending 1 hr sessions ( 3 times ) sitting absolutely motionless like a statue. Mind becomes calmer when the body is still. This is not easy

I exited on Day 5. Most people exit on day 2 or Day 6 – I am told that 25 – 30 % of attendees exit. The reason most leave is because of the frugal food, Spartan facilities, the inability to communicate, or a struggle to sit cross-legged for 10 hrs. None of this affected me. I loved the simple food, enjoyed the peace and quiet of noble silence and my living quarters reminded me of college. I was beginning to enjoy this like a resort and hoping I could make it a yearly trip.

But two things that did not work – One the negative energy. You come to a program to get the adrenalin pumping – to get motivated & charged. Even the Acharya and successful returning meditators look like people from another planet. Weak & frail. That’s not something I want to be. Maybe they have tremendous internal bliss. But I guess I am not ready for that – YET.

And secondly the effect of meditation and the cleansing process was releasing all the impressions from the mind. The only way it can get released is thru yawning / burping / coughing.. . I somewhere saw this as a cloud of negative emotions hovering around the dimply lit room like a shadow of negativity – and that freaked me out.

Am I disappointed – Yes & No. Yes because I did not complete a project I wanted to do for long. No – because I learnt the tool of Anapana Sati which I can put to use effectively on a day-to-day basis. I have learnt the right way to meditate – rather than focus on Om, a lamp, a mantra – its better to focus on sensations on your body. Also I got an opportunity to visit the world famous Bodh Gaya Temple and to understand Buddhism a little better. It’s interesting to speculate why Buddhism lost out around 500 AD and Hinduism revived (That’s a separate blog – Coming soon). I also missed out visiting Nalanda that was just 60 Km away ( 3 hrs on Bihar Roads) . This whole stretch is worthy of a holiday Varanasi – Khajuraho – Bodh Gaya is a interesting 1 week circuit.

I am sure millions have benefited from this program. It surely delivers value. The organization is committed and the band of volunteers (Dhamma Sevak’s) is amazing. Most Sevaks in our program were from abroad – France, Kosovo, Prague. More than 30 % of the participants were foreigners. They don’t charge a pie for the 10-day program and exist purely on the charity of people who complete the course.

In todays world who would invest in your well being for 10 days with food and lodging free of cost with so much committment ? As I left I requested them to accept a donation – they were categoic that they take donations only from people who complete the course. This did upset me a little – but I hope I can contribute in some manner or come back later when I am more prepared.

Vipassana is a great example of how good things don’t need marketing. Every year 1300 teachers train over 120,000 people globally. Compare this to Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri and many of our current age spiritual gurus who run marketing campaigns to fill up their paid classes.

What Goenka Ji has started and built is indeed very impressive. Sadly the media (paid media) hardly gave Vipassana any visibility. Even the recent death of Goenka Ji in Sep 2013 a Padma Bhushan winner was poorly reported.

So what next – Isha Inner Engineering was high energy & fun and Vipassana was different & interesting. I have Osho in my mind. But as of now – I am going to let deep spirituality and inner well being take a bit of a back seat – its back to family, work, gym, yoga and my weekly Vodka!

Other Useful Information

1.     Visit www.dhamma.org for more details on program & Registration

2.     Carry your own bed sheets / blankets / toiletries / Alarm clock  / Torch / Odomos / Skin Lotion / Water Bottle

3.     Don’t go with a friend / family – one may connect the other may not, exit then becomes a challenge for both

4.     Once you have completed the initial 10-day program you can attend others – there are 10, 20, 30 & 45-day programs. There are also 2-day refresher sessions on Anapana Sati sessions dedicated only for Sr students who have attended 1 course – many keep coming back for repeat sessions.

5.     A 10 day program gets you started – but to constantly be on the journey you need to keep coming back (This is what some of the Sr meditators who have attended 5 + sessions told me on the day of registration)

 

 

 

 

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Its Raining – viewing from a different lens !

27 Nov

Mon night I had a 1030 PM flight to Delhi. Between Nov 15th and Dec 12th I am spending 2 nights at home so I was in a real groucho mood when the driver comes in at 7.30 PM and says – its pouring, traffic is jammed lets leave early.

Bangalore traffic is a mess in the evening and when it rains all hell breaks lose. Stuck in a  car for over 2 hrs with nothing much to do I received a SMS from Jet that the 10.30 PM flight was delayed to 11.20 PM  – and for the first time I was happy – I would now not miss my flight.  This started the train of thoughts and hence the blog.

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Its interesting to see how the same event at different time – of the day or your life leaves a different impact. The action is the same but the reaction it causes is so different. Lets start with the SMS – A 10.30 PM flight further getting delayed would normally have me very upset – but here I was smiling and saying thank you Jet.

When it rains in the morning the kids are happy. On most occasions  schools get cancelled and they can rush back home getting drenched shouting ” Chutti” . I still remember the joy when school was called off due to the rains – or when the Pope died ! There was no sorrow – just the sheer joy of having a day off

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However if it rains in the evening at 4 PM – the kids look sad and forlorn. Play time is gone – no more cricket & football. Got to stay home and study. Its the same rain and the same kids – its just a matter of timing and the effect it has caused.

In small town Durgapur during the rains we used to sit in the lovely verandah overlooking the garden and sip hot steaming tea watching the rain , smelling the mud and feeling the spray of water on your face. A few adventurous kids used to step out to sail paper boats in the drains that were gushing with water. Garam Chai and hot pakoda tastes so good on a rainy day at 4 PM.

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But ask the person who plucks the tea leaves – how rain affects them ! They are not happy as they have to drag on for 8 hrs a day in the wet cold rain plucking two leaves and a bud across hilly slopes. ( Every time you have a cup of tea on a rainy day , do remember these guys)

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The farmer is so happy when it rains – the seeds will sprout and there is hope for prosperity. He stares at the sky and says a silent prayer. However the hawker in the road is dismayed and upset – he just lost his days earning . So is the fisherman who dare not venture out.

The 3 night family holiday in a lovely hill station that you planned months ahead is wiped out when it rains , but the honeymooners in Goa are happy to see the rain from their lovely Suite.

When Larry Golmes and Shiv Narain are battling post tea to save the cricket match at Eden against India they welcome the rain and when Sachin is at 99 and the rains come the whole country cries.

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When you meet the hot chick in college after 20 years and see an unrecognisable obese, tired looking aunty  – you silently say Thank God I didn’t propose to her . Its again how time changes things . Whats good today isn’t good tomorrow and what we feel is right and fun is pain and agony for someone else .

Finally its all a matter of perspective and which lens you view it from – I guess thats the way of life , nothing is right or wrong.

Sachin Fever !

17 Nov

Sachin has finally retired ! 200 Tests , 100 Centuries , Maximum Runs , humble & down to earth , a great guy loved by all – All of this is true and unquestionable. Thank you Sachin for what you have done for Indian Cricket.

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But what I question is the mad sycophancy that one has seen in the last few days culminating in the Bharat Ratna. Yes its true that he started his career in 1989 and over the last 24 years has grown with the generation that can be called the free economy generation. So he and a few Bollywood Khans are probably the only symbols that one can associate as mascots of India over the last 25 years.

I am going to analyse this rationally – because if you wear the emotional hat then you just join the crowd in the frenzy.

I belong to a generation that grew up seeing Sunil Gavaskar and I still remember him  all of 5.5 Feet standing up to the WI tornadoes Marshall , Garner , Roberts & Holding – without even a helmet in the early years ( he later got a skull cap) and smashing them away. Few may recall that in his very first series in 1971 he scored 774 in the fast pitches of W Indies. Once Gavaskar & Vishwanath collapsed India collapsed. He played against the best bowlers of the world – not just the fearsome W Indies but Hadlee , Imran , Botham , Lillee , Thomson …. .I have seen Marshall and Imran at nets – they are so fast that all the batsmen see is a red blur whiz by.

Those were also the days when the pitches were not batsmen friendly – the ball swung and nipped & bounced. Almost all the pitches were unplayable. The protection was sparse and yet Gavaskar delivered match after match – and when he ended up at the pinnacle with an average of 51 + in Tests he retired at his peak graciously.Or compare this with the body-line series when the batsman had no refuge. The Question that comes to my mind is – If Gavaskar or Sobers had played in the Sachin era with the current bowlers and current pitches for 200 tests would they have not fared at par or better than Sachin ? The question I post is – In a game like cricket can you really compare and say X was the greatest when the conditions are never the same.

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On skills , competency & attitude – Sachin scores highly. But for those who are avid cricket fans  – Azhar, David Gower, Dada, Zaheer Abbas and even Laxman had the silken touch –  their timing was sheer class. It was a pleasure to watch them play. When it comes to memorable innings I will always remember Kapil’s 175  not out  against Zimbabwe and Gavaskars 221 not out at Oval – but I am trying to remember one Sachin innings that is etched in my memory. Yes Sachin has played many memorable innings with amazing shots – but he is not in the best in class when you compare him with the above. And not many of his centuries have helped India win matches.

Lets also look at Dravid – the gentleman from Bangalore. 164 Tests , 13288 runs , Average of 52.31 ( Sachin 53.79) – he is right there, just a notch behind.  Sachin unlike Gavaskar was lucky to have great batsmen in his team – Sehwag gave the start , then there was Laxman , Saurav and Dravid to support the innings. I don’t recollect Saurav , Dravid , Laxman getting even 10 % of the accolades and send off that Sachin has got – Dravid at least was 90 % as good as Sachin. And Dravid the gentleman that he was did not drag on to round off his statistics ( Sachin 100 Centuries & 200 Tests does make even the best of fans feel like he dragged it on a  bit too long for the perfect statistics). Add to this Rahul Dravid started his career in 1996 – 7 years after Sachin and if one were to compare the two between 1996 & 2012 it may be interesting to see if Dravid nipped Sachin on run aggregate & averages. And finally he was also a amicable guy liked by all and a good captain.

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Even closer many have started comparing Kohli to Sachin stating that he will soon surpass Sachin. The angry young man seems to deliver whenever India has been in trouble. Kohli has over the years shown that he revels in India’s run chases. All his 11 hundreds batting second have come in an Indian win. He has been involved in as many as six 300-plus successful run chases and has scored centuries in five of them. On both the occasions in this series when India chased 350-plus targets, Kohli’s swashbuckling hundreds have been the common factor. Statistically speaking he is the fastest man to score 15 ODI hundreds and the fastest Indian to score 4000 ODI runs. Kohli became the first player to amass 1000 runs in the last three calendar years in ODIs i.e. 1381 in 2011, 1026 in 2012 and 1033 in 2013. En route his 115 not out, he also became the first batsman to record five successive innings of fifty-plus twice in ODIs. He had first achieved the feat in 2012.

Yet again an indication that with the no of matches being played and the batsmen friendly pitches – batting today is a lot easier than 20 years back. When you compare Sachin with Ponting , Kallis , Lara , Sangakara – the sad truth that emerges is that if all of them had been allowed to play for 200 matches they probably would have better statistics than Sachin. But Cricket Australia and most world Cricket bodies do not operate like BCCI.

Lets take one more point on leadership. If one person comes to my mind who embodies passion and leadership its Kapil Dev. His self belief and passion was so high that he took a team of underdogs to be world champions. Totally unexpected – leading from the front. Sachin in his 24 years delivered us one World Cup and I am not sure if he was among the lead architects or if this was more a Dhoni , Yuvraj and gang deliverable. Sachin’s record as captain is not at all good –  he was Captain for 25 Tests , won only 4 , Lost 9. In ODI he captained India for 73 ODI’s , won 23 & lost 43.

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I like Sachin – he is a great player , he is simple , honest and loved by all…..but would Sachin himself have wanted this sycophancy. When a Kumble says – “Sachin threatened my bowling” its just carrying it a bit too far.  Does it not put him in a spot when he meets his team mates  Dravid, Laxman & Saurav, Kumble the next time. And the vote hungry UPA – did they shoot the gun too fast. We are a  country with a short memory , once Kohli starts piling runs the way he is , will the country not forget Sachin in a few summers ? If Sachin – then did Gavaskar & Kapil not merit the Bharat ratna ? Doesn’t a Ratan Tata who changed the lives of millions deserve this more. And V Anand who has been a world champion for so many years. Why not Amitabh Bacchan who has entertained millions !

In a recent leadership discussion at our company I had nominated a few people from a great team for the annual awards – the team leader immediately came and said I want to nominate team awards and not individual awards. He was right – Sachin is great , but at this moment we need to say that the gang of 4 were the best India has produced and they made us a great team. Not just one individual.

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Even a man wants a HUG

4 Oct

Do you recollect the last time you gave or got a nice,warm HUG. It feels so good. A smile can be phony, a handshake can be cold & official and a Namaste can be very artificial – but a HUG has all the positive connotations around it. You HUG only your dear & loved ones. Now you know why people like Mata Amritanandamayi have established a successful spiritual business based on HUG therapy.

So if you havent got a HUG in a long time what does it say …….

lens1524543_1325110018free_hugsThe 40’s are a worrying age. Its not just receding hairline, less energy (the mind says run faster , the body doesnt respond), and in some cases a pot belly – but there is a lot more to it. The 20 year olds think you are vintage ( and we were the Tech generation !), you realise that you missed the bus to being a Bill Gates and in many cases the brash young country manager in office is younger than you. Employees in the mid 45 – 50 age group are being retrenched like ninepins ( you see that as a status update in Linked in when the status suddenly becomes “Consultant”). The Home Loans never end and the investments are not even beating inflation. All the kids in the neighbourhood are doing their higher studies abroad and you suddenly realise that you never planned for that for your children and its only 5 years away.

So lets look at a typical scenario of what happens when a man walks home after a long day in office , followed by a few hrs in the gym. Its around 8.30 – 9 PM , you use your own key to enter the house. Your son / daughter is busy with the iPad or watching TV or reading a book , Wife is on the computer or preparing for work the next day, there is luke warm food on the table ( Its better than the cold food that the angy wife throws at her husband in the Indigo Ad). You are so hungry after the Gym – that you eat ( and you no longer grumble of salt being less or the food being too spicy) , take a bath and coax the kids or the wife to let go of the TV remote so you can watch the news for 30 min. Even with 2 TV’s at home you struggle to get some TV time (Not that you are missing anything great).

I am scared of dogs and have alwys kept a safe distance from them. But when I see my friends dog it gives me rare joy. The guy comes jumping at you as if he is meeting you after ten years. He slothers you with his wet kisses and showers you with love and affection. He does that not just to the family he belongs to but to everyone who rings the bell. It is indeed amazing to see how an animal can shower so much love on anyone.

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A few years back the kids when they were 4 – 5 years old would have come running at you like this when you rang the bell. But as they become teenagers they are in a world of their own.

Men are by nature lonely. Most people don’t realize this. Women operate in packs. A Kitty party or a 40 year b’day bash there will be at least 15 – 20 of them in a group. Men are loners – the only warm buddies they had were school friends who are now all over the place. The mens group is nothing but a convenient bunch of 3 – 4 people to play golf or share a drink over a weekend. The topics of discussion are also pretty mundane  – real estate , investments, work , inflation , politics  and the always in planning group visit to Thailand which never seems to materialize.

I have seen FB updates from women talking about the multiple roles they play – Mother , teacher , nurse , cook, professional , maid …… . But if you draw the list for men its a lot longer – Professional at work and in most cases lead breadwinner, finance guy , tax guy, plumber, electrician , gardener , driver, tour planner ….. the list can go on and on. So guys for once glorify the man in the house – he needs an emotional connect too. (Yes we all grew up being told men cant be emotional)

So mothers & children – coming to the crux of the matter – the next time you see your man come home after a long day’s work, jump at him like the dog next door and do give him that elusive HUG which he so desperately needs.

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Navratri return gifts – a project by itself !

23 Sep

Navratri is round the corner. Its Durga Puja in Bengal and Garba/Dandia in Gujarat while in S India its “Golu”.

What happens in S india is interesting –  every women invites her friends and relatives for ” haldi / kumkum”  – the visitor is treated to a high protein meal of  ” Chundal ( Chick Peas)” and is given a “return gift”. The guest list is broken down in Category 1, 2 & 3.  Category 1 gets the best of gifts , is invited prime time ( normally a Fri) , the best “Chundal” is made that day and the associated snack is a meal by itself.

Houses are decorated & lit , this is the season when the ladies get their Nalli & Kumaran silk sarees out , the scent of Jasmine is in the air and there is soothing Carnatic music all around. Lots of positive energy in the air.

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Now lets do some simple math. My Building has 124 flats – around 20 Tamil ladies invite on an average 80 of their friends – thats 1600 visits , 1600 gifts.  (No wonder you need the high protein meal of Chick Peas Chundal if you have to climb so many stairs and walk to so many houses)

Lets now multiply this across Bangalore ( & I am not even touching Chennai ). Bangalore has a population of 8 M –  thats 2M Households (HH) , 30 % of of Bangalore Residents are Tamilians ( I am told that 30 % are Telugu’s,  20 % are Malayalees and 10 % are N Indians- so you can guess how many Kannadiga’s are in Bangalore !) – so 600 K HH are Tamilian  , if we assume that even 10 % of them decide to celebrate Navratri thats 60K Households each inviting about 50 people apiece. So how many gifts do we need , how many miles of Jasmine flower and how many Kg’s of Chickpeas  ? This would indeed be a good math problem for an IIT entrance on Permutation & Combination. Add to this the traffic criss crossing the city ! and delicately balancing time between your external visits and catering to your incoming visitors. Its a complex project.

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Which brings me to the important question of return Gifts. Its not just kids who are excited about return gifts from a birthday party but so are the “girls” ( Aunties). Traditionally what you got was a coconut , some bangles, haldi , kumkum and some eatable. Almost all of it home made. But things are complex now – you cannot repeat what you gave last year and there needs to be a dash of innovation to get an edge over the neighbor. What you get in Jaynagar & Malleshwaram is passe and meant for the masses.

We hunted online and could not find a single site that had a good variety of gifts – it needs to look good , have some utility & shelf life and should be priced within Rs 250 ( Here is a great business opportunity to start an online business).

I went utilitarian and suggested to my wife to get a nice jute bag and pack it with one Kg of Onions – in todays world that would be a great gift.  As expected I got ” the look” and there ended my useful suggestion.  A dash to Chickpet is common – and the wholesale Marwari merchants are suddenly deluged with  beautiful visitors who strike a hard bargain pinching for every rupee. Every single item is checked and rechecked and packed.

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Its an interesting job and you can well imagine the excitement in so many households.

Time is running out the search is still on – so anyone with good ideas do send them across. And the enterprising ladies – don’t forget the business opportunity it holds for next season.  Happy Navratri !

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Leadership Vs Dictatorship – A fine line between the two

10 Sep

Its interesting to watch “Diplomacy” .  Nobody supported the US in its dominating brute force to bomb Syria.

UK Refused , The G 20 refused , UN refused , the Polls showed that the majority of people in US oppose a strike against Syria – and then suddenly Mrs Clinton wakes up and appears with a possible solution that if Syria returns its Chemical weapons then the matter could possible be resolved.

I am making an assumption here – but I feel that a lot of bombs in the US armory are reaching their expiry date . The Iraq, Afghanistan wars are over and the Arms lobby is itching to keep the factories humming.  A war has always been good for the US economy and a Democrat President supporting the Arms lobby is a slap in the face for the Republicans – so its a double winner.

Obama has been an extraordinary individual and leader – but his ( or was it Kerry) war mongering has taken many by surprise. The image he has built till date is that of a sensible , logical , mature leader. Not a Texan cowboy who screams that he will ” smoke em out of their holes”

So is Obama a  genius who has played a masterstroke. Till date no President has taken congressional support before launching military action – Reagan did not seek authorization in 1983 before the invasion of Grenada , Bush did not seek authorization before attacking Panama in 1989 , even Bill Clinton did not seek approval from Congress before authorizing airstrikes in Yugoslavia in 1999.  So why is he seeking Congress approval this time ? Is it the fear of Guilt, or is he just playing a brilliant games and winning popularity from all quarters.

The Syria war is nothing but a power struggle between Iran (Shia) and Saudi Arabia ( Sunni). Iran threatens the power of the Saudis, it is a bigger threat to Israel &  and the US is more than happy to join the party – and project itself as a saviour of the world. 9 / 11 was caused by bombers from Saudi, UAE , Egypt – but Afghanistan was bombed. There were no WMD in Iraq , but on mere suspicion Iraq was hammered . Its the same story now about Syria.

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Whats the US track record on Chemical weapons. Not very healthy. Way back in 1966 the US used Chemical weapons in Vietnam. Israel attacked Palestinian Civilians with White Phosphorus in 2008 – 2009. Washington attacked Iraqi Civilians with White Phosphorus in 2004. But did you hear of the UN or the Global Media make any noise about this

(Read about all this & more in http://www.policymic.com/articles/62023/10-chemical-weapons-attacks-washington-doesn-t-want-you-to-talk-about)

Air Force

Which brings me to the topic of Leadership Vs Dictatorship. 

When you think of a Dictator – the first names that comes to your mind are Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini , Pol Pot , etc.

But what about Churchill , Indra Gandhi , Margaret Thatcher, Putin  – they are or where equally powerful in crushing dissent and ensuring that their will was always enforced. I wonder what makes them men & women of steel and not dictators.

Who is not a dictator or desires to be a dictator.  99 % of Indian Husbands are dictators at home, Ask a teenage girl and she will say her mother is a dictator, the CEO of every company just has to raise his voice or glare and dissent vanishes – he is also a dictator. Almost every CM in India has shown dictatorial powers. Every MP , MLA , Zamindar, every Panchayat & Ward leader have exhibited strong tendency of being dictators. Like the TISCO ad we may say ” there is a little bit of a dictator in every one of us” 

Its natural that every leader wants to dominate and get his way …. always , so whats the difference between leadership & dictatorship.

Adolf Hitler Saluting, 1934

The world despises dictators – we shun them – its even a crime to praise them. The Indian media and the INC say that Modi shows dictatorial powers. So shun him.

Then we should shun the powerful rulers of the Middle east – they are dictators , they don’t even give freedom to the women in their own country. We should not allow the roads in Delhi to be named Aurangzeb Marg – after all he was a notorious brutal dictator. So was every Mughal King. So was Tipu Sultan. So were the Hindu rulers of J&K . So why do we hold them in respect – every King has been a ruthless dictator. We should ban them from the pages of history rather than eulogize them.

In conclusion its all about diplomacy , real politik and who controls the media. the US can attack Syria and use their dictatorial might over the world to get away with it. Its all about how you position it and spin a story – finally the line between Leadership & Dictatorship is indeed very fine.

One day in Stockholm

9 Sep

The land of the Vikings Stockholm is a compact & beautiful city.  At 59 Degree N latitude its the N most city I have visited ( Only Reykjavik at 64 & Helsinki at 60 are established large cities at higher latitudes). Like any European city it has a wonderful personality  and old world charm. A population of about 900,000 and 30% of the city is waterways and another 30% are parks. Its a wonderful place to walk and experience and it takes just a few hrs to cover the length & breadth of the city.

Stockholm

I finally got an opportunity to visit the city famous for greats like The Abba , Bjorn Borg, Greta Garbo , Ingrid Bergman & Alfred Nobel.

Stockholm

Thanks to our quarterly team meeting being held here I was able to spend a Sunday here. Its a short flight from Frankfurt ( 90 Min) and the Arlanda Airport is a well designed spick & span airport. The Arlanda Express connects the airport to the City in less than 20 min and the Sheraton where I stayed is right opposite the Central Station. While one can walk around the city it has excellent public transport – Buses , Taxis , Metro, boats  and even Tramways.

Few Things that must be seen

The Djurgardsvagen area – which is like a large central park and covers a vast area. Its green , enchanting , peaceful and tranquil. I was up at 5.30 AM and walked to this park ( 25 min from my hotel). AS I was walking I passed a beautiful passage of tree lines roads that created a boulevard for walkers and cyclists right in the middle of a arterial road.

Djurgardsvagen area

I spent a good 2 hrs getting lost in the peace and quiet of this wilderness. I loved this green patch which was glistening with dewdrops and spent 30 min meditating in the fresh morning air and praying that in my next birth I should be born in Europe.

Stockholm

Right opposite to the park is the Nordic Museum a structure that has a Russian influence. The city and its people have a mix of Russian , German , Lapland influence which is visible in their features and the architecture of the buildings. In the 9th & 10th Century the the Vikings from sweden spread all across E Europe and reached as far as Constantinople. They even invaded Russia and all but the last Tsar are of Viking descent.

Nordic Museum

Next to the Nordic Museum is the Vasa Museum. This is the most visited Museum in Stockholm ( and they have 87 Museums in the city) . The Vasa was a ship like the Titanic built in 1628. It was a War Ship built to enable the Swedes to control the Baltic – but the design was faulty and the ship sunk within an hr of setting sail. 333 years later in 1961 the wreck was salvaged. The reconstructed vessel (98% original) is now the largest Tourist Attraction in Scandinavia.

Vasa Museum

The city also has a Hop on Hop Off bus service , but this can be avoided as all the places are walking distance and the commentary and service is no comparison to what one sees in London. One good place to drop by and explore is the old city

bus service

In addition to this all along the waterways there are boat companies offering city tours , bridge tours , hop on hop off tours . One option is to link the Bus & Boat tour in one package.

What else to do – Visit the Opera House and Palaces if you have the time. The hall where the Nobel Prize is announced. Food is not a problem  and there are enough Italian / Sandwich / Pizza Huts  / McDonalds all over the place. One large TGIF and Hard Rock Cafe are landmarks. I did not spot an Ikea or the Ericsson HQ  – and was told that its in the suburbs and not in the Central City. City shops are mainly Mom & Pop stores. Not much of SE Asians ( fortunately) and did not spot any Indian restaurants in the 8 hrs that I walked around. Lots of Chinese & Japanese Tourists.

The local currency is SEK ( Swedish Kroner) and not the Euro though Sweden is covered under the Schengen Visa. (1 SEK = 10 Rs). The place is not cheap – food for one in a simple restaurant is about 300 SEK ( 3000 INR) , the Hop on Hop Off is 260 SEK and the Arlanda Express one way is also 260 SEK ( Compare this to the 14 Pounds for the Heathrow Express – and London looks a lot cheaper). The room rate at the Sheraton is about 2000 SEK ( 20 K INR) and this was booked 60 days in advance ( The ITC Sheraton in India for 10 K / night is a lot more luxurious with superlative service) . So a one day cost for 1 person is about 10 K ( Luckily I had the room on my Rewards Points). Getting a family of 4 with 2 rooms can be a very expensive proposition.

Did I see the Aurora Borealis – No I did not . Although the hotel staff did say that it was visible on certain times of the year. I was lucky that it was a nice sunny day ( 25 Degrees) and it was bright till 8 PM. Summer days are 18 – 20 Hrs and winter nights are 18 – 20 hrs.

Thanks to my company and my manager in London one more beautiful city ticked off the – To visit list.

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Oh for a silver lining in this sea of negativity

2 Sep
We have been a lucky generation. We started our career in 1992 when the engine of growth just started revving up. But for a small blip post the Lehman crisis its been great sailing with strong tailwinds for most people of our generation.
However the sea of negativity that has been all pervading and accelerating over the last few years is  now getting us deeply worried. And I am sharing some of my concerns.
Match winners lose in the last over 
I would rate Narasimha Rao as one of the finest PM’s India has produced. The man pulled the economy from deep crisis and set the road for a 20 year bull cycle in India – credit may have gone to Manmohan but PVN was the anchor  – he was indeed the shrewd Chanakya of indian politics – he lost his next election.
Atal Behari Vajpaye was the darling of the educated urban – the India Shining Campaign , Golden Quadrilateral project , fast decision making,  clean governance, brilliant foreign policy – he  gave hope to millions – markets were booming , economy was on fire , the feel good factor was all pervading and thousands came back from the US in the early 2000’s – sadly Atalji and BJP lost the next election. I always felt that if Atalji & Advaniji had got 3 back to back terms they would have changed the face of this country – but that was not to be.
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Closer home Chandrababu Naidu was the man who put Hyderabad on the global IT map. His vision and passion was evident as he worked 16 hrs days to realise his dream. Building the roads , fly overs getting Bill Gates to invest in Hyderabad – he was more of an effecient CEO than a politician. He also lost his next election.
What scares me is that UPA may win the next election by putting together a majority with multiple partners. NDTV , Times Now , CNN IBN , Facebook , TOI & HT touches a few Million people- we can cry ourselves hoarse – but things like the food security bill deliver votes. Nobody questions why a Food Minister who has been around for 10 years has done nothing about rotting food and a broken distribution system
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Drive 30 min from Bangalore and nobody knows Anna Hazare & Arvind Kejriwal – thats were 80 % of India lives. The whole formulae of freebies & largesse to the poor , caste politics , minority politics is indeed a great concoction that delivers votes. Who cares about the 15 M educated Tax Paying salaried class who are great at intellectual masturbation but sadly 80 % of them dont vote.
If you messed it up so badly its a strategy – not a mistake 
A booming economy cant get messed up so badly in 5 years. The growth momentum sustained UPA 1 , but all that they have done in the last 5 years seems to be calculated moves. 18 Months back Anna & Arvind Kejriwal were threatening the Parliament from Jantar Mantar. The whole country felt that finally we were at the anvil of a revolution. When was the last time you saw either of them in a TV Interview or read their interview in a paper ? They seem to be totally blocked out – How I wonder ?
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Is there fear amongst the powerful ruling class – many of who are descendants of erstwhile Maharajas that the educated middle class like Arvind Kejriwal can upset their party. Some time back a very famous CM of Bihar had said – as long as people are poor and hungry its easy to brainwash them and get their votes. Educated people with the power of RTI can be threatening. So its better to keep the people poor and hungry. And for that you need to get the economy on the slow track. Stop investments , block FDI with retrospective Tax , complicate transactions , build infrastructure at snail pace, outsource everything for a price  – what happens the factories get built in Thailand , Vietnam , Cambodia and even Bangladesh. We just become a country of Traders. But then that serves the purpose of the 10000 rich families that probably control 80 % of the wealth in India. Remember the biggest protest against liberalisation came from the Bombay Club !
Reverse Exodus  
As we live in a bubble economy ( Tanker Water , Generator , Private Security , totally devoid of any Government institution help) I see a lot of worried friends . Many US citiziens who came around 2000 are heading back. Not just because of the economy but because of the state of Education and the safety of women. You are really scared if your daughter cannot walk 200 m from your building to buy a packet of milk or cycle with her friends outside the complex or take a bus / train on her own. The news paper every day reports at least one ghastly rape. Quality of education has collapsed – we still have good schools but the college’s are a disaster. Even the IIT , NIT , IIM’s are nowhere close to the standard that they had in the 80’s. A leading Medical College like Manipal has a batch size of 250 + , St Johns , AIIMS, AFMC & JIPMER  probably have a batch size of 25. And people are ready to pay Crores to become a doctor from Manipal. There is no work for the 15 M Engineers & Graduates who come out of College every year. There are no good teachers. Yopu pay donation join a college and then join tuition classe. So what happens most people who can afford send their children abroad to study even for UG course. And with the $ close to 70 that makes it even more challenging. The cops dont exist for the common man and the ROI for the last 5 years has not even beaten inflation. What do you do ?
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I just hope I am not getting too pessimistic and I would love someone to show me the silver lining. A friend who came home for dinner yesterday did say that we have indeed been a generation that has never seen challenges. The potholes of the last five years do look like black holes but over a 20 year period they may seem miniscule. I just hope he is right – I just hope UPA 2 does not come back to power.

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In a world of our own !

13 Aug

8th , 9th , 14th , 19th – thats what I hear every morning as I enter the lift to my office. Its 8.30 AM  as hordes of hassled people jam into a lift juggling their bags , tiffin boxes still managing to talk on the phone. One lone voice and a smiling face greets the old lift operator in Tamil “ Appu Sir – Did you have your breakfast” . You can see the joy in Appu Sir’s  face as he finally feels acknowledged. He feels he exists.  To everyone else he is just a robot who for years has been pressing the lift buttons to your floor.

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The 32 lane Toll booth on NH 8 between Delhi & Gurgaon is the second largest in Asia. Over 2.5 Lac’s pass thru them daily. Its a sight to see the speed with which the toll boy collects and dishes out changes in the evening rush. He is just a nameless face.  One morning when the crowd was not a mad rush my friend Rajesh Marwaha a good rare samaritan  greeted the  Toll Boy with a pleasant smile ” Good Morning Ji – Kaise Ho” . The guy literally fell off his chair. For so many years nobody had even noticed him – and here someone was greeting him. A simple act – but the millions who cross him daily had never thought about it.

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While Govt may claim that Wholesale price inflation is 7 – 8% the truth on the street is very different. Food inflation is at an all time high – galloping past 20 % YoY. Onion prices in many parts of the country are touching Rs 100/Kg and most vegetables are priced above Rs 50/kg. Govt employees DA is increasing by 20% , most companies are doling out pay hikes in the range of 12 – 15% – but have you even given a thought to your maid & drivers salary. People who live from hand to mouth. While the Planning Commission & Montek may say that Rs 32 / day is all takes to be a middle class citizen of the country the truth in the street is very different. Maids earning 3000/ HH / Month and Drivers earning 10 – 12 K / Month need a big fat hike now.

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I have tried convincing many in my building to give maids a weekday off. But thats a touchy topic and 125 angry women pounce upon me as the discussion starts. These  people  are indispensable to the Housewife ( there are over 15 M of them in the country and they form the largest group of unorganized labour) they are supremely skilled and can manage a wide variety of work ambidextrously. They are efficient , fast , tech savy with HH gadgets , they are not maids they are Super Maids. If they knew english they could be the next big export from India –  and yet when it comes to feeding them – the first thought is to treat them with leftovers and cold food. Dammit they are human too – treat them to a nice warm lunch after they have slogged in your house for 4 hrs with backbreaking work. When you give them Diwali sweets get a nice new box for them. Its not the cost that you save – its all in the thought.

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The MP’s gang up together to give them pay hikes and block thru legislation any rule that puts them at a disadvantage ( RTI for political parties , no participating in elections if you are in Jail etc) – and we shame the politicians for this. But the smiling housewife your friends & relatives & maybe at your very house needs some introspection. Like they say change begins at home.

We see the contractors at Maruti & Bajaj protest against low wages and long hours. The era of “salam saab” is fast ending. We are lucky that the poor in India are not violent ( Aka S Africa / Brazil) – but lets not push them into a corner so far that they have no choice but to revolt – and that can indeed be a violent volcano.

Food – Eat to Live or Live to Eat

2 Aug

Have you ever weighed the amount of food you eat in a  day ? Across Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner , a few snacks , some Coffee , Tea – add it all up – it will be about 3 – 4 kgs/ day. Thats about 1000 Kgs a year. Assuming you live for 75 years thats 75,000 Kgs of food you have consumed in your lifetime.  

A large adult male African elephant weighs about 6000 Kgs – so in effect an average adult in his lifetime consumes  12 Elephants. That sounds scary given the fact that the average weight of an adult is about 75 Kgs . So 74,925 Kgs of shit is generated by a human being in his lifetime. Sounds Gross – but think of this the next time you gobble down an extra serving.

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If every indian reduces his food intake by 20 % then food prices will come crashing down and so will inflation. So rather than a food security bill maybe the UPA should enroll Baba Ramdev and preach the benefits of eating less and doing Yoga.  Added benefit is no more additional sewage maintenance plants will be needed for a few years.

So how much food do you actually need ? Very less given that 70 % of your energy comes from Sun & Air. The more you eat the more you consume energy to breakdown the food in your body. Some say that in 24 hrs all you need is 24 times the quantity of food you can fill in your palms.

People living in Ashrams , monasteries , the ancient Rishis seem to have figured this out . And that was the core doctrine of their good health and source of energy. A good lifestyle , coupled with Yoga , Meditation &  minimal food can generate enough energy and more for you.

sri_rama_rajyam_movie_valmiki_ashram_set_06

The discussion on Veg & Non Veg food is also interesting. 80 % of Indians and more than 90 % of the 7 Billion inhabitants in the world are meat eaters. Think of the meat that is being processed every day ! Unlike animals Humans have no canines to tear the flesh. Our digestive system is also designed in a manner that 70 % of the digestion happens in the mouth and throat , we also have a very long intestine when compared to carnivore animals.

In humans Non Veg food takes about 35 Hrs to digest. The temperature inside the human bods is about 40 Degrees – its dark & humid. Ever tried keeping a piece of cooked meat on a hot summer day in a dark corner of your house for 35 hrs – see what happens to it. Thats exactly what happens to the piece of meat that you eat.

Eating meat has no correlation to strength & energy – the Horse & the Elephant two of the strongest animals are pure vegetarians. So a simple Veg diet rich in fruits & vegetables , coupled with regular exercise and some meditation is all you need to feel light and energetic.

Dont let the tastebuds dictate your life. A few 10,000 cells spread across less than 1 Sq Cm should not be dictating your health & wellbeing

( Information based on discourse delivered by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudey in his Inner Engineering program)

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