IBM CSR Chennai - Spread Smiles Project- Distribution of 200 Christmas gifts to 4 homes children

National Girl Child day- Jan 24- Part 2 - Talk at Adi Dravidar School, M...

Celebrating 'National Girl Child Day- 24th Jan' - Was invited as Chief Guest to Adi Dravidar School, Mugalivakkam to address girl students on this occasion and distribute prizes for the competitions conducted.
Addressed on 4 Key things important for girl children:
1. Be safe- Physical, mental, emotional and social safety
2. Be focused- on health, hygiene and happiness.
3. Be ambitious - education, goals and career and to dream big
4. Be conscious - on time, priorities, commitment, aiming success and financial independence
Thank you Raghunath AnandaBabu and Gayathri Ramadoss for joining me and making this event a grand success.

National Girl Child Day -Jan 24th- Talk at Adi Dravidar School Mugalivak...

Celebrating 'National Girl Child Day- 24th Jan' - Was invited as Chief Guest to Adi Dravidar School, Mugalivakkam to address girl students on this occasion and distribute prizes for the competitions conducted.
Addressed on 4 Key things important for girl children:
1. Be safe- Physical, mental, emotional and social safety
2. Be focused- on health, hygiene and happiness.
3. Be ambitious - education, goals and career and to dream big
4. Be conscious - on time, priorities, commitment, aiming success and financial independence
Thank you Raghunath AnandaBabu and Gayathri Ramadoss for joining me and making this event a grand success.

Drama Review: Dummies Drama's Dharaniyin Perumai : A rasika's review, a lawyer's pride, a citizen's tribute to Crown Jewel of legal fraternity- Nani Palkhivala

We had the spectacular deep dive into the Indian History and a day to rejoice the life of the crown jewel of legal fraternity in India.   Sri Nanabhoy Palkhivala.   

He was brought live back on stage, into the court rooms and to the political arena of India that spoke volumes of the great son he was to India and as the safekeeper of Indian Constitution as a tribute on his Birth Centenary Year 2020.   I am sure Sri Nani is all smiles in the heaven, blessing his disciples, and enjoying his Dronacharya moments seeing the team of Dummies Dramas crew bringing his life to 1000s of audience who were blessed to witness the docu-drama

Jan 16- 19 2020 -the auspices of MFAC and full support of Sri. Varadarajan of MFAC, dummies Dramas presented the life of Palkhivala as a centenary celebrations tribute to the great son of India.

In words of Srivotsan, Drama is an experience.  This doc-drama runs close to 80% during the era where mobile phones were not even known.  He pays his grateful thanks to Ms. Shobana Ravi for lending her voice and team of Karthik, Ashwin, Ananya, Sowmya, Dakshi, Giridaran for providing the BGM.   The sets by Padma, Sejas Kanna and make up by Vijay and Perambur Kumar.   

Srivotsan shares his experience of going to Madras University to listen to Nani on his budget analysis in a scooter with his father, was fascinated by the illustrated weekly articles that used to come in Times of India with RK Lakshman Cartoons.   This play is a fan boy moment and tribute.  He calls it is Gurudakshinai to Nani Palkhivala and take inputs from several books of Kamath, Solim Sareja, Dharmendra and many others for his research.   He explains that the team tried their level best to bring in the court room scenes and thanks to the marketing of Kavasam Connect.   50 awesome actors on stage individually and collectively they are known as Dummies Drama’s perumai

Now starts the summary of the great docu-drama we witness in the recent times.  

The Parsi family from where Nani hails are Palanquin creators who believe in perfection and quality.  Nani’s father stands as an inspiration in telling to do it to get things registered in mind than telling it and standing as an example.   He mentions that the great treasures are found after deep researches only.  

Nani as a child struggles with stammering issue and he takes it as personal challenge and participate in the debate competition.    His father inculcates the habit of sharing what ever he has.  He calls it humanity to share things and books become his biggest treasures.  The bookstore owner becomes his destination to lend books for Nani to read as much as he can and that helps him gain abundant knowledge

Prasanna as the Young English Professor and adult Nani makes his mark on the stage.  He calls being independent as the real freedom.   He calls for Building India and give back for generations to come. 

He writes a letter to the Best Swadeshi who was a parsi – Sri JRD Tata and plans to publish/ send the article to Tata, inspired by the letters that Nehru used to write to Indira Gandhi from the prison.   He goes on to tell that there are 2 types of speeches – one to give knowledge and other as if others don’t have that knowledge.   At this stage, referencing to Shakespeare, Nani is called as India’s unshakeablesphere for his wonderful ideology coupled with literature. 

There is a reason behind every strong experience and as he moves on from being an English professor to pursue law, he undergoes a writer’s cramp before the exams.   God’s design is unpredictable.  That’s when Nargis comes into his life as a writing assistant for his entrance exam and makes an entry to his life as his wife.   Love on law takes him to the love of his life.

That was the era of Jamshedji Baramji Kanga who sets example in law.  Iron goes towards magnet and the whole of India was going behind the Iron Man of India Sri Sardar Patel.   Nani makes all attempts to get into Kangaji’s law firm and learns that the 360 degrees of case through understanding is required.   Right interpretation matters. 

Those were the times that the Democratic India was going through rapid changes.   Democracy is said to have 2 oppositions – one inside the Parliament and other of intellectuals who criticizes what governments does which actually helps progress. 

Nani participates in the Income Tax commentary and brings out his book ‘Law and Practices of Income Tax’.   No man under the sun is right.  At this stage Sri. N.H. Bhagvathi comments that a ‘New Lawyer is Born’ referring to Nani

Nani always insists that the law should win, and not the lawyers.   Chennai based Sri Sampath Iyengar files a case on the book written by Nani and issues a legal notice on the IT commentary on Nani, Kanga, and the publishers.  Finally, with his detailed facts and figures, Nani does a brilliant argument and wonderful presentation and makes Sampath Iyengar emotional and lose the battle

Nani goes with his ‘Forum of Free Enterprise’- a lecture in 1958.  He comes up with wonderful statistics, proves as a great economist and insists that Democracy is indeed a boon and knowledge is power, and it is the combination of democracy and knowledge that the Nation can reach to greater heights.  Nani proclaims that we India are not Underdeveloped Country but ruled by the underdeveloped minds

At this stage, Nani meets JRD Tata after 45 years after the first letter that he wrote and kept it with confidence as his brother said, that one day he will meet the great man.  With this Nani, meets Mohana Kumaramangalam and expresses his understanding Constitution and later started TCS with Nani’s idea.   He gets to meet Smt. Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India as an expert in Indian Constitution

Nani advocates capitalistic way of economy.  And many times, ends up in logger heads with Indira Gandhi.   Indira government appoints Nani as Attorney General of India which he refuses to accept after deep introspection.  His respect to his profession and knowledge revered by the entire legal fraternity.

He keeps telling his wife, that when ever sleeps disturbs, there is a great reason for mistakes.   He proudly declares that you don’t need to be born Hindu, to be a Hindu.   The great epic case Rann of Kutch Vs Pakistan brings him closer to Indira Gandhi.   He politely declines Rajaji’s offer to join the party saying that he cannot do political justice as he cannot be Justified Political!

The landmark judgement of Goraknath Case on Land Reforms act where his counterpart was Mr. Pai and the 11^-bench jury is argued, and Nani calls for sudo-socialism and insists that socialism should be for passing money from rich to poor.   He goes on for prospective overruling so that the judgement effects the cases going forward. 

He roars that Government is subordinate to Constitution.  Just because you are elected, you cannot select laws that favour you.    Nationalization of Banks by Indira Gandhi Government was strongly condemned by Nani and he made his brother Behram move the petition against the government when one individual whose share holding got effected and none of the banks came forward to fight against this government move.  

Nani emphasised that Government should govern and not to do business against the power-driven policies and should not forget people welfare and Constitution.   Power should not be misused.  Freedom to do business should be the fundamental right.  Compensation should be to make good enough for the loss if the loss is in the National Interest.  Government’s meaningless takeovers will kill efficiency.  With this case and R.C. Cooper Law, Nani proved that the strength of the Constitution is to protect even the individual right  

Nani is also known for his philanthropy and was instrumental in establishment of Bhartiya Vidhya Bhawan in Chennai.   Currently, he meets Gwalior King Madhav Rao Scindia and emphasize on laws are to protect people and governments are to govern people.

One of the most important and landmark cases handled by Nani which remains as the landmark judgement is the Keshavanandha Bharathi Vs Union of India (Kerala High court) on the Kerala Land Reforms bill.  He roars again saying that we should not allow government to lay hands on private property, speech, writing and people’s behaviour and makes this a fundamental rights issue.   He insists in the court that Constitution is superior to the Government. 

Nani Palkhivala was and is regarded even today as the Crown Jewel of Law, even if it means being the enemy to the ruling government.  Politics create their own enemies.   Despite of his ideological differences with Indira Gandhi, he takes up the case to support her and reaches out to V.R. Krishna Iyer – moving with the vacation judge on the Indian Elections case in Allahabad Court. 

He smiles and tells that the downfall starts when one behaves arrogant because of being powerful, successful and super pridefully arrogant.   Despite the Interim Relief to Indira Gandhi in the election’s cases, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declares emergency and Nani pleads Indira to stop this

‘Sarvadikaram Thalai Thukina Thalaigal Urulum’

Constitution is immortal whereas lawyers and politicians are not.  No life immunity should be given to the politicians who may take advantage of the same.  Nani fights against the reopening of the Keshavanda Bharathi case.   Indira feels that arresting Nani or someone like Lawyer Cho Ramaswamy should not be done as they are very honest, self-less and very special.   Moreover, she feels that she should not get them arrested and make them big

Nani is known to fight for Indian people and Indian Constitution till the end of his life.  He was keen to preserve constitution till last breadth.  He keeps questioning if the Democracy is a boon or a bane?     On insisting and fasting treat from Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Nani accepts to be the US Ambassador and goes on to develop Indo- US ties.   During this period, the iconic Nuclear Energy Accommodation agreements happen strengthening the Indo-US relations. 

Nani is also known to have supported Dr Badrinath in bringing up Shankar Netralaya in Chennai.  Nani applauds Dr Manmohan Singh as the best Finance Minister and calls him the Architect of Modern India. 

Despite his differences he had with Indira Gandhi, Nani goes heart-broken on her assassination.   He regards her as the powerful Prime Minister and Iron Lady of India.  

Nani Palkhivala thus becomes the God’s gift to the country, crown jewel of the legal fraternity and is amongst the top 10 lawyers in the world even today

A big thank you to Dummies Drama for bringing this amazing docu-drama and Nani Palkhivala live to all of us and cherish his great memory.    May DD be blessed with more and more powerful stories and keep their theatre journey ever shining!  God bless.

And now you can find me and Raghu in the engrossed audience:-)

Long live the legacy of Nani Palkhivala…economist, advocate and India’s most favourite citizen.  Jai Hind!

Karma, Money & Success! - Tamil Speech by Spiritual Guru Sri Aasaanji in Chennai - 12 Jan 2020

Strongly influenced by my own spiritual guru/ teacher/ co-seeker and best friend AtmaYogi Kumaran, Raghu and I went to Sri Aasaanji's Tamil Speech in Chettinad Vidhyashram, Chennai on 12 Jan 2020.

Shri Aasaanji is a World Renowned, Non-Religious, Contemporary Spiritual Teacher and a Living Master of Inner-Science & Ancient Healing.

Keeping aside the surprising factors of how he manages to pull a full house every time (magic of his words probably), a well disciplined audience (thanks to excellent organizers) and a humor filled spiritual depth of the discourse.    I get fascinated by his self-styled spiritual guru attire, his beaming eyes and absolutely brilliant oratorical skills.   The greatest Masters of all times and Best Leaders of the world were astounding orators beyond anything.  Public Speaking is an art by itself, and able to articulate a deep subject like Spirituality can be done only when you have the adequate knowledge in the subject you are speaking with.   That keeps the audience  attention, keen following and repeat attendees to your programs. 

Keeping aside the fact of the commercial aspects, or the origin of the swamiji or his original identity, what keeps up the momentum of such spiritual journeys are the courage to deal with the truth,  keep it so close to the common man's day to day affairs and speak nothing but their layman language with no jargon's and filling it up with humour that's no less than from the memes online.   So I was also a repeat audience to this Master...and below is the write up on my take-aways from the session.

The big topic of the day was Karma, Money & Success! 

The three things that amuse human beings all the time.   The belief in Karma, the need for money and the quest for success is quite common to us. 

Assaanji goes on to say several things in his own way and he openly condemns astrology as misleading the human beings and he challenges the Jothisyasastra with fierce anecdotes of how the disbelief's get created as we trust our 'Jatakams' or Horoscopes.  He creates a sense of thinking, rather pondering in us as we listen to him. 

Summary of his 3 hours Powerful speech filled with knowledge, humour, experiences, pain, wisdom, truth, untruth and lot more:

• Process of belief is the key to existence.   Search for Guru doesn't end.  We cannot equate God to anyone .  No Master can dominate God.  
• PRESENT MOMENT   (It begins and ends there!)
• It is ok to be selfish and care about your ownself -  Health , Happiness matters.  No one has any care on you really. You have to save your ownself
• Death is not the end of life.  It is the continuation of the past life and passport to the future life
• Love is a 2 sided process.   Can love only the God within.  It is ok to be low with each other, to let the love flow
• Success above survival.   This is pushed by divine intelligence-  Aarivu, Aatral 
• Practice what you learn.   
• Life changes by connecting to the supreme power above you
• Objects don't change based on discrimination.  You cannot change the creation.  Classification based on emotions turn futile
• Changes/ modifications is the rhythm of life
• Nithyam, Nithiya, Nimathiya irukum neram venum!  (For ever, for yourself,  to be in peace, let the time hold you towards it)
• Jeevan Sivanana (The god is within you)
• Don't believe in astrology or that there is an external force.  Truth will not change.  The force is within you
• 'National Youth Day'  12 Jan - Swami Vivekananda Birthday should one day be celebrated as International Youth Day
• Celebration of Pongal is the transition of the sun towards North called Utarayanam
• He smiles and says ' Be sincere not serious!'
• Those who can love the soul within can only be spiritual (Anmavayi miga pidikum podhu daan anmigam)
• Best of Power is within you,  use it for your self
• The highest noncommunicable disease is STRESS
• There is only one God.  Can there be 2 Gods?- he questions
• Think within for knowledge.   Have vision for success,  Prepare for the future. Future is You
• Come out of suffering, comfort the suffering and not concentrate on the suffering by having awareness
• 'Mathagalayi Maranthu Manithanayi Nesi'  - Forget Religions and love all fellow human beings
• Mathathey Kadandhu Iraivanayi Oasi '  -  Thing God beyond Religions
• Think deep in utmost suffering and embrace pain to heal within
• NITHYA KARMA -   Acting in Present,  anticipating the future and learning from the past
• Faith-  takes you leap against fear.  Fear NOT
• No one can live with full awareness.  but still try to be aware
• Avoid unwanted fears of the future.  The future is what you create.  Ask for resources to achieve the future.  STOP working on the suffering. Come out of the suffering and look at it from outside
• 'Anbhuvathuku unna nee thayaru sei'-  Prepare yourself for the experience
• Relationship leads to expectations which leads to responsibility and leads to increased capabilities and some time can lead to disappointments
• Yogi aa iru, drohi aa illa (Be a Yogi not an enemy) to yourself
• You have no right to take your life and commit suicide.  Remember if you do, it is against nature.  In my world training is common but treatment will be special !
• Future is next minute. Relish it.  Remember the future by creating it.  Only when you decide to life yourself,   God will help you lift up.  Stop feeling for suffering.
• Requirement on conditioning of the physical body and mental wellness is essential
• Trust no one.  Love everyone.  Love and Trust God
• 'Seyavendiyadhu Seiyamal, nadakavendiyadhu nadakadhu'-  Until you do what you ought to do,  what need to happen will not happen
• First love should always be parents.  
• Create Vision - don't focus on the action, focus on the vision
• Money is never enough.  But to experience money you need good karma.  You may have best of things, but may not have best of company or health to enjoy the wealth.  There the wealth becomes useless
• This Bhogi-  Burn the Past..not just the old things at home
• Parameters to measure should be
• to see progress
• measure calibration
• being fearless
• remembering god is everything
• you are your best enemy
• Stillness in meditation is oneness with God
• An small idea with clarify can transform reality
• Four Parameters for Happiness and Successful life
• Health
• Stop using abusive words
• Be with inner strength
• Awareness without strength is useless
• Don't compare with others
• Good energy is the Body
• Body is the vehicle of the soul
• There is no day as some day that I will be wanting good health. That day is today
• State of Mind
• when mind is not happy, the toxins get generated in the body
• compassion and love
• Happiness and less words leading to abundance in love
• when words are in crisis, love is in abundance
• Take options to tell best words - Oru Vartha pesnalum, thiru varthaya pesu (Speak one word and let that word be powerful)
• Dont take time to build vision
• Don't kill your emotions and those of others
• Focus on feelings and future
• Practice is important even if you are an expert
• Practice makes you progress till your death
• Relationship without conflict
• Love accepting to compromise
• Freedom in expression
• Love during school/college distracts the vision
• Unimaginable and irrational expectations to be avoided
• anonyam (affection) and dhambatyam (mutual understanding between husband and wife or any 2 people) is key to successful relationship
• First transactions in relationship is the word you say with real genuine and honesty
• Take time to commit to relationships
• Wealth that has meaningful utilization
• Vision based decisions and decisions based on vision 
• You need money to experience life
• Remember that presence is valuable in life
• Nithya karma- Chapter 3.8 of Bhagavat Geetha
• The only thing that you can leave behind is your wealth, so create with pride
• When you are sweat, when you are happy and thats when you will not lose
• Your warriors
• Your war of life
• Yourself
• Karnaney Nenavil Kollu (Remember Lord Karna and his Vijaya Dhanush )
• Sivaney Karuthil Kollu  (god will work with you and not work for you)
• You fear nothing but truth. 
• Positive thinking may bring positive outcomes and vice versa
• Be with God for him to life you up
• Check what you need to change in the current situation in life-   Health, State of Mind, Relationship or wealth?
• Action performed with preparation to see the outcomes in future
• Focus on your inner voice.  Come what may, tell one thing to yourself- To be Fearless

Success and Happiness depends on how you deal with yourself and the strengths within you.   

Thank you Guruji for the wonderful speech and beautiful experiences shared and lots and lots of good take-aways to practice.

Money & Success are the Result of your Karma. Discover the Power to get rid of your Negative Karma and Live the Life you Desire.

One Day Trip to Pondicherry and Auroville - 5 Jan 2019

Had an amazing day trip to Pondicherry and Auroville.   Auroville visiting point is closed on Sunday afternoons and it is better to visit the place before 12 noon on Sundays.

Started at 7 am from Chennai and reached Auroville after a leisure breakfast break and marathon related detours around 10 am-  Spent good 2 hours in Auroville enjoying the greenary, serenity and spirituality of the place.  

Auroville

Pondicherry Mankula Vinayagar Temple and Aurobindo Ashram

From there we started and visited Manakula vinayakar temple by 12.15 and spent an hour before the temple closed at 1 pm.  

Pondicherry

Then headed to heart filling lunch at Kamatchi Mess 

Then came back to Aurobindo and Mother Ashram by 2.30 pm and spent good one hour near the Samadhi and in meditation.    

Did a bit of shopping and strolling around the lanes of Pondicherry before we hit the road to Chennai.   

Marakannam Sri Bhoomeshwar Temple

On the way back near the Marakannam junction, we stopped to visit the Bhoomeshwar temple, a very old temple where you will find Suryan and Chandran together.  and then on the way back, 

ECR Lord Jaganathar Temple

Opp to Mayajaal on ECR,  we stopped to visit the Lord Jaganathar Temple around 6pm for the evening aarthi and prasad and started back home at 7 pm.    

I had the great company of my ever green rathasarathi Raghu and lovely girls Hema and Jaya from my team and we had an amazing day of spirituality, great food, great drive,  not hurried leisure getaway for a day and amazing temple visits and above all the best of meditation time at the Ashram!

Not just spirits, spirituality can also drive you to Pondy and you can still have the great ardeline rush!

Book Review : 'World Travel in low budget!' by Shrinidhi Hande

As a travel enthusiast and a vivid blogger, I was closely following the blog posts of Shrinidhi Hande,  a well established blogger and IT professional and an amazing traveler, that too within low budgets that astonish us.   So when he first published about his book in Kannada, along with many of his regular readers, I too placed a request for the English version of the same.   Within a month and a half, Shrinidhi posted about the launch of his book, ' World Travel in low budget!'.   And I picked it up from amazon immediately and took my annual break to start reading the book.   The first thing I did on the first weekend of the year was to complete the same.   

Few Lines -  'Absolute delight to read this book which throws light of the no-nonsense ordinary traveler.  This book is the extraordinary feast to the travelers who want to explore the world.   This book also is an eye-opener that travel is not limited to rich and affluent only .  Each one of us can travel all over the world with good amount of planning, understanding our lifestyles and environment,  keep tab on the changing dynamics of the world and this book gives you an amazing reading experience with lot of tips in simple language and relating to the regular aspects of travel.   Want to explore the world?  Then, this book is a must read.

Shri very intelligently covers all aspects of travel,  right from how you can choose you dream destinations,  how to smartly keep a tab on checking for cheap flights,   challenges and opportunities to get Visa's having Indian Passport,    understanding currency of each country,  and most importantly where all you can save to make the travel budget-friendly. 

For sure, I cannot survive like Shri walking 15 miles a day and not hiring taxi even once,  but for sure, there are lot of other great take aways, like understanding public transport system of each country,    keeping online apps to support language barriers and how a great planning will ease your travel  and above all he emphasizes  on planning food, especially if you are a vegetarian.   

Shri gives a detailed checklists on various aspects of travel including Visas, Flight tickets,  Forex,  Climate and seasons,  do's and don'ts,   risks and how to mitigate them.

His concern for environment is in line with the concept of 'Mindful consumption' that I keep bragging about and he gives you great tips on how to be a responsible traveler.    Not just during travel, but practicing these tips even in our day to day life will make huge difference to our health, happiness and environment

He throws light into some of his experiences of travelling to 39 countries in the last 9 years since his first travel to Sri Lanka in 2011 and it is a great motivation now to plan the next travel and pack your bags asap and enjoy the beautiful world that is awaiting to be explored by you.

God bless you Shri for this beautiful book.  May your travel continue for ever and may you one day reach 100+  Nations and keep spreading the message of travel happiness wide...for travel is a great teacher of the best of lessons in life.   

Her Divine Grace - Living in her Aspirations - Way of Life...Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo so said

" Nobody can transform himself by his own unaided efforts; it is only the Divine Force that can transform him. If you keep yourself open, all the rest will be done for you."

CWSA-31

The psychic being in Savitri

The first line of this verse describes the psychic being as being “no bigger than the thumb of man”. This is an allusion to verse 2.1.12 of the Katha Upanishad which says “The Purusha, of the size of a thumb, dwells in the body. (Realizing Him as) the Lord of the past and the future, one does not (henceforward) want to protect oneself. This verily is that (thou seekest).“

She puts forth a small portion of herself,

A being no bigger than the thumb of man

Into a hidden region of the heart

To face the pang and to forget the bliss,

To share the suffering and endure earth’s wounds

And labour mid the labour of the stars.

This in us laughs and weeps, suffers the stroke,

Exults in victory, struggles for the crown;

Identified with the mind and body and life,

It takes on itself their anguish and defeat,

Bleeds with Fate’s whips and hangs upon the cross,

Yet is the unwounded and immortal self

Supporting the actor in the human scene.

Through this she sends us her glory and her powers,

Pushes to wisdom’s heights, through misery’s gulfs;

She gives us strength to do our daily task

And sympathy that partakes of others’ grief

And the little strength we have to help our race,

We who must fill the role of the universe

Acting itself out in a slight human shape

And on our shoulders carry the struggling world.

This is in us the godhead small and marred;

In this human portion of divinity

She seats the greatness of the Soul in Time

To uplift from light to light, from power to power,

Till on a heavenly peak it stands, a king.

(Sri Aurobindo, Savitri, Book VII, Canto V)

Om Namo bhagavathey Om Sri Aurobindo devaya Namaha!

Year 2020 had a great beginning by visiting the beautiful Flowers decoration and group meditation and prayer songs to Sri Aurobindo and Mother at my friend Kumaran's best friend Jaya's house.  

Small things make a great beginning and this one hour of group satsang brought in great positive vibes and absolute inner energy to start the year with great enthusiasm and blessing of the Divine Mother.   Thank you Kumaran for this auspicious beginning.  

Professional Journey, Social Work, Public Speaking, Awards and Recognition 2019