Small Loving Gestures.....and its Soulful Impact!

It is amazing how small gestures of love and affection from people you happen to come across can validate the most important thing for you in your life.

Yesterday as I walked out to purchase some fruits, I met one of my neighbours (who lives in the same gated community which has 1000 odd families living), who had a big smile as he greeted me and as he is a qualified nutritional expert even gave me some caring information about apple as I picked a few. I could feel his genuine care and I instantly felt grateful.

Then as I turned around the old man who owns the fruit shop was so delighted to see me after some gap, since I was travelling, that I wondered what made him have that twinkle in his eyes because I am definitely one of his big clients.....and soon I got to know...when he said, it is so good to see you, there are very few people who speak kindly. We all wait for you every day and keep looking at the gate but since last few days we did not see you. You were well na? Awwww....my heart melted at his genuine love and care.

As if this was not enough for a day, I finished my purchase, paid and was walking out of the shop when I hear the lady of the shop give me a shout and say...pick one guava, it is nice! It was as if a mother tells her daughter and she ran up to pick one of the best for me to munch on. Oh! I was feeling dizzy with so much love!!!

Anyways, as I thanked her and accepted her loving gift, I saw the flower lady close by waiting eagerly for me to turn to her and as soon as I did, I saw the brightest smile ever :-) She said, I was wondering if you will forget smiling at me.....you know, it means a lot to me. I like to see you, whether you buy or not. So, keep coming na :-)

Ha, and as I was trying to digest all that, my phone received a message and that was from a neighbour who might have seen me walking, welcoming me back!! All of these if you observe are such selfless sharing of love and care that it makes you do that with others all the more :-) These small gestures ultimately mean so much more.

When you sit with a loved one and share your day or listen to them with genuine interest, it has the same impact. Just one genuine look and smile can keep someone going. A little text letting the person you care for know that they are in your thoughts, may mean the world to them. Nothing else is required to be done or said...just these small gestures from the bottom of your heart will have a soulful impact on the other, pumping life in that other like nothing else can.

You know what all this finally meant to me? After feeling and soulfully thinking of these experiences, I felt validated. Validated about the life I have chosen to live. Validated about the value system I am able to demonstrate, for which I have to thank my parents. But to continue with those old fashioned value systems with head-held high would not have been possible without the support and encouragement from my Spiritual Master. Not only has he been encouraging me to continue the value systems that are right but has also helped me drop some that were not helping.

I have to specially mention one person I met recently. I know OF him from my birth but in reality met him and got to KNOW him only now I felt. He not only helped me see myself but also gave me some of the best tips I have received so far in my life for my personal and professional life. It is amazing how fear of losing loved ones can play up there in your head and make you feel so insecure that you feel the need to always defend yourself and all your actions. Phew! and that is why you need some friends, mentors, well-wishers in your life who can help you see what you are doing and mend yourself for your own sake and be the person who you are meant to be. How can I not feel grateful?

Then again life has showered me with soul-mates....I don't know how else to define these relationships that I have come across in the last few months.... they are intense and deeper than anything I have experienced so far. Sometimes, I feel I don't know how to handle them and the intense energies. It is exhausting and all consuming....but I think if I know how to channel the energy that I am receiving through them in the right direction, it will result in something powerful for all of us. However, I will admit, as of now it is a bit of struggle for me...hard to put it in words. Anyways, I trust that if these are real soul mates as I tend to believe and Universe has brought us together, I will receive the guidance to retain them and know how to go forward. When I meet these soul-mates, it is as if Universe is validating me and giving me the strength to move on....without feeling tired and lonely. They are walking along in my journey which has been pretty lonely so far :-)

Thank you all for being a part of my life and helping me better myself consistently. Gracias!

Banyan Tree Realisations on this Independence Day!

As I sat under this Banyan Tree this morning meditating and trying to "feel the freedom" on this Independence Day, as one of my friends wished this morning - my thoughts went deeper into the meaning of freedom and its importance in one's life.

It is important to know who or what we should be free from and why? If we do earn that freedom consciously, then the next responsibility is what are we doing with that freedom. We need to take charge of it and make sure we are better off. Otherwise, the whole exercise is wasted. Are you with me?

This is applicable at all levels. If we talk about country earning its freedom from foreign rule, it was a conscious fight with specific reasons why we wanted Swaraj or our own rule and why we needed to get the foreigners away from our land and these are the reasons that got many people together to do their bit and even give up their very lives for the purpose. We achieved this hard earned freedom or independence in India 72 years ago and we are celebrating that achievement and remembering with gratitude all those lives sacrificed so that we can be enjoying our freedom every moment for all these 72 years! But this is not going to be enough. We need to review how we have dealt with what we have been gifted with. Have we gone on the path for which or freedom fighters fought for freedom and are we managing our own land the way they wished, hoped and dreamt of? 

I am not saying we have done a bad job at all. We have made a lot of progress but still is this our best? Of course not. We need to review where have we fared well and celebrate, where do we need to focus and do better and zoom in with a concrete plan to achieve success in that in the near future. 

For example, we can be a lot better if we even just realised what an amazing nation we were and the fact that we are the spiritual capital of the entire Universe!! Inspite of greedy people from within and outside trying to rob us of our spiritual treasures, they have not been able to. It is fortunately something that cannot be robbed. We are gifted with this wealth from the creator himself. We are the centre of the spiritual world! But this comes with some responsibility on us as well. While the wealth is still around, what those robbers have managed to steal is our intelligence and brain wash us quite successfully with their nonsense about our own tradition, culture and spiritual wealth so that we stop valuing that and act like beggars even if we are the wealthiest of all. Our brains are still not free from the contamination that has been infested into us. We have lost our understanding and pride in who we really are. Time to wake up folks. 

I really believe that, for example, our traditional Gurukul System of education, that led to us being the education capital of the world, can help us get back to being the best. Please don't judge my statement based on any opinion you may have on the Gurukul system. If you differ in your opinion, I respect that. But let us debate. Write to me and let us share our views and come to understand it in the greater interest of our own community. 

Somehow, many of us, especially the so called educated class, have become almost allergic to terms that remind us of our great tradition as if it is something like taking us backward. Behold, it is the reverse. Even science is yet to "discover" a fraction of what has been recorded in some of our vedic scriptures with precision many thousands of years ago. What is our problem in acknowledging that? I think the problem is that we don't want to make any effort to know about anything before making a judgement. We have been brain washed to believe in some things to be seeming 'so called modern' and trendy in this society and fit into the system. But we are not realising that the more we 'fit into this system' our system is getting rotten and dying!! 

That is why many times we find ourselves being the most hypocritical society. We have a traditional value system embedded in us and then we have superficially adopted something that we don't even understand and make big statements like ' "There is no God", "There is no use of Religion" or "There is no need for a Guru" without even getting into the subject. Sometimes, when I hear someone say these and the likes, in my curiosity as to how they can be so confident of this conclusion in their lives, end up asking " How do you know?" and they just don't have any statement to offer which shows that they have invested any time or energy in even researching the subject. It just seemed more convenient and comfortable for them to lead their lives and hence they say so!! And worst of all, this comes from our top most leaders, educationists etc. Come on Indians, we can be better, seriously :-) 

If we can wake up to our spiritual wealth and become realised citizens, we will be world leaders in every other aspect. We don't need to own anything else, we can be the advisors to the world who can bring world peace and economic development. After all, there was a sound reasoning why even the mightiest of the Kings had their spiritual master as their advisor. 

We were under foreign rule where we were not allowed to follow our traditional values, our spiritual values, we were looked down upon, we were made to believe we were slaves. But now, we have SWARAJ - our own administration - then where is the problem now? Why are we still continuing with the very same education system, administrative system, economic system and social system that we fought against? Why are we still producing slaves for the same rulers? Have we really become free or have we just managed to fool ourselves into believing that and still serve our rulers sitting outside of our land but still ruling us? I will leave you with these thoughts this morning to ponder upon as responsible citizens.

Before I conclude, a bit about what I think we really need to free ourselves from so that we are capable individuals who can perform at our peak. We need to free ourselves from FEAR, INSECURITY, ANGER, NEGATIVITY and then replace these with GRATITUDE, LOVE, COMPASSION AND POSITIVITY. Once we have all of the right ingredients, we can be the best version of ourselves, we can be the best team, best community and best country. These were my humble realisations under the Banyan Tree this morning. What say you?

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Curd Rice - My Sunday Morning Adventure :D

Yes, I mean the same curd rice that you are thinking - the south indian yummy dish which is as important for a south Indian to end his dinner with as a desert or sweet is for a Punjabi, Bengali or a Gujarati.

Now, this is what happened. Yesterday, I was in a mood to celebrate the fact that I lived through a natural calamity, had a wonderful session, sold few of my books especially to some decision makers from the education sector and the fact that I got some token of appreciation in cash too 😉 Of course, I was tired of travel, all the anxiety, washing all the clothes I brought back too because of which I was not in a mood to cook 😊

 So, I decided to go to a near by restaurant which I am quite a fan of called Desi Paratha and pack something for dinner - some pakodas and some curd rice. Pakodas for celebration and curd rice to digest those pakodas 😀

Look at the wonderful ambience they have, besides their amazing varieties of parathas, this is what drives me to this place again and again.
 

So, I went to this place, ordered for my dinner and came back with   my parcel soon. Put on the TV and as I watched my favourite program started munching on the hot delicious pakodas with super hot green chutney.

I was actually full by then but thought of tasting the curd rice a bit and keeping the rest for next day. I digged into it and took one spoon full and put it in my mouth and it was the most disgusting version of curd rice I had ever tasted! It was smelling of cigarette I thought at first. I could not understand how can curd rice become so horrible! There were some beautiful cashews decorated on top so I was sure they wanted to make it nice and rich. For a minute I thought, I was too full and that is why I am finding excuses to say that the food is not nice. I wanted to be sure. So, I took one more spoon and tasted it. And yuk, it was simply not edible.

This time around I understood the problem though. They had used some strange smelly oil that was already used for not just frying something but also had burnt it and then used whole lot of that in which they put a whole lot of mustard seeds (much more than would be suggested) and had added that to the curd rice and now as I looked closer, I could see oil floating on the sides!! I decided to share my feedback with my favourite restaurant knowing that their chefs were probably from North India and hence did not know the blunder they were doing with this simple local delicacy 😔

I stored what was left in the refrigerator so that the chef can smell and taste what I was mentioning and understand for himself. This morning as decided I went to the restaurant and gave my feedback. Fortunately, there were no customers in the vicinity and I could talk to them without damaging their business. What astonished me very pleasantly was the way these young employees including the cashier, server and later the chef himself took the feedback, were so apologetic and were very happy to learn from me about how to make it properly and what fruits they can use to make it better. They accepted the fact that they are from North and they do use the oil that is a bit smelly but North Indians are used to it and they may have re-used the oil used for frying. I was so pleased with their attitude that I wished them all the very best and started walking out.

They immediately offered to give me anything else I wanted instead. I refused, saying that was not my intention and informed them that as they know I am a regular customer of their restaurant and will come back but this time I just wanted to help them with my feedback. They were not happy and satisfied. They were not sure if I really meant it I guess. They insisted for their sake I accept at least one paratha. I could see the love with which they were offering and I understood  it would mean a lot to them if I accepted. So, since I was full, I asked them to pack one of the parathas of their choice. They insisted I make a choice and I did and they happily went back into the kitchen and in a few minutes with a big smile and a little fear gave me my parcel once again apologising from the bottom of their hearts.

I appreciated them for their wonderful attitude and requested them for a picture. They posed but as you can see, they did not know how I am going to use them.

I sensed that and quickly once again convinced them that I was really happy with them and asked them for a selfie. This time as you can see they were more relaxed and posed away.

As I walked away with a big smile and my parcel and waved a thumbs up in their direction, their spirits were all up. I felt good about them and somewhere about myself too 😜😇

Wishing you all a fantastic Sunday friends! Be Conscious, Be Good, Be Happy, Be Grateful 🙏

Travel Light BUT Never Without MarieGold Lite :-)

While we start the journey of living consciously, we have strange but important realisations. For example, I recently was invited to conduct a session at a college in Kerala. I am usually a light traveller and pondered many times over if I need to carry anything to eat, should I carry or buy a bottle of water en-route or do I need soap, towel etc. since my tickets were booked in the AC compartment of train and a hotel was booked for me to check-in as soon as I get there.

However, some past experience and a gut feeling told me to anyways keep the essentials. I even ended up buying a packet of MarieGold Lite biscuit at the station, in case dinner was not served in the train just in case there is an emergency in my energy levels considering I am a diabetic.At this point I had absolutely no clue of the situation I was going to experience.

I realised the train was on time till Coimbatore but soon after started crawling and stopping every now and then till I reached my destination Palakkad. The train was delayed by over an hour. Anyways, I did not mind much because I was busy screening through the wonderful greenery and backwaters on the way in this God's own country!

However, my host who had come to receive me mentioned as we walked out of the railway station that the whole place was flooded the previous day and the forecast is not so great even for the next 48 hours. As I walked out, I could see what he meant....there was water everywhere, people had taken out stuff out of their shops and trying to dry them, roads had almost disappeared in some places!! I was aghast...still the worst had to hit me.

I realised soon that the railway track on which my train crawled was almost swept away and probably they were laying back the tracks and making sure it was safe to take the train over,  while the train stopped every few minutes!!

Soon we got to our hotel and there I understood how my host had to plead to get me a booking since the hotels had stopped entertaining guests. Power was off, they were on generators, they did not have access to basic amenities to provide their guests and too many people were heading to their hotels including the locals whose homes were washed off in the flood and needed a place to stay!! WOW! I was grateful, they had accepted the request and provided me the place. Here is how the place looked a few hours before I checked in it seems!

However, as soon as I got to my room, I realised they were not supplying towel, soap, shampoo or anything that they may usually do for obvious reasons. Rooms were kept neat and clean but no accessories. So, every single thing I had carried thinking I might be taking extra stuff, totally came handy and I got to use them all. My life training of not necessarily wanting hot water to bathe, also came in handy! 

While people were dealing with the situation and also preparing themselves for the next 48 hours, they still went on with their lives and do what they needed to do. Seriously, kudos to that human spirit! So, while our entire program was cut short by a few hours since all the participants who had come from out of town (which was the case with 99%), had to leave at the earliest to reach their place safe and sound, still till the time the event was on, not one participant was distracted with what was happening to them, their families, loved ones and their own place!! I was amazed at their level of commitment to learning and being in the moment. I salute their spirit once again!! I learnt so much!!

Post my session, I got back to my hotel and as I prayed that the track will be on "track" and the trains would continue their service so that I can leave back for Bangalore by the evening train as scheduled, I was once again not sure of what to expect and so thought of ordering something to drink and eat before I left. However, when I called for the room service boy is when I realised that the hotel also does not have the access to get me anything! However, the boy with a smile and what seemed like french or german (since that is how much I understand Malayalam), said he will try to go out and get me something! Please know that it was still pouring when he said that!! I could not believe it. I was grateful, I needed something hot. Because there was no power, I had ended up taking a cold shower in the evening and needed to somehow feel a bit warm. So, I handed him some money and requested to get me something hot to drink and any kind of snack available (vegetarian) to eat. 

He took the money and went off. I was wondering what is making him even do this for me? I felt so grateful. He could have just denied the service. Anyhow, in a short while, he came running back holding a glass of coffee....saying he went in one direction trying to find coffee/tea and unforunately there was nothing available to eat that he could buy. So, instead of getting the drink to get cold, he ran back with the hot coffee for me....it was one of the most touching sites for me.....he was half wet but so concerned about getting me my hot drink!! I accepted with gratitude what he got and had no heart to get him to run in another direction trying to find something for me to eat. So, I settled down with that hot cup of coffee and remembered my MarieGold Lite that came to my rescue! I have probably never enjoyed every sip and every bite of coffee and biscuit as much as I did then. 

This is when I realised, travel light but never without a MarieGold Lite and some basic accessories. Once you are out travelling, you may face situations that you can hardly imagine when you leave home. Also for those youngsters who don't carry any cash, these are the times when you cannot rely on digital payment methods or be able to access ATM and hence some cash is always good to carry. Thank God I did and somewhere deep down I was prepared to deal with whatever comes. 

Thankfully though I did not have to face any further adventure. My hosts took care of everything wonderfully and my train started back on time and I reached back safe and sound with some fond memories of the human spirit and nature from God's own country! Love you Kerala and dear Keralites!! Keep it up :-)

Intent and Action - The Dotted Line

Our intent is usually good for any action we take. However, many times the intent does not translate into action. Why?

Here is what I think. Intent or intention comes from our desire. Desire is based on what we wish. Wish can be based on flimsy dreams with no facts. That is where the problem lies I guess.

Intent needs to have a different dotted line. Intent needs to come from desire but desire needs to come from our understanding of our duty and purpose. Understanding of duty and purpose comes from understanding ourselves, our position in life and life as a whole. Now that does seem like a lot of work before we can have an intent, right? True, it is and it should be, if we truly want our intent to translate into action and for that action to be meaningful, purposeful and useful.

This duty that I am referring to, is what is mentioned in Bhagavad Gita as DHARMA. Yes, dharma is not religion or religious duty as most of us understand but it is our duty as a human being. Now this dharma or duty is different for different people. We are different people and we need to therefore first understand what type are we?

This type is referred to as VARNA in Bhagavad Gita. There are 4 Varna's and they are:

1. Brahmana;
2. Kshatriya;
3. Vaishya; and
4. Shudra

Very simply put, Brahmana's are the intelligent class of people who understand Brahman (source of life) and can communicate with Brahman (through Vedic rituals) and become the channel to receive peace, prosperity and harmony for the entire life (jeeva) on this planet and this is what their purpose and duty is. Nothing else. It is the duty of the rest of the society to provide for the basic needs and comfort of these Brahmana's and their family.

Hmmm....anyone out there who feels they belong to this category? I doubt right, so let's look at the next one :-)

Kshatriya's are the warrior class who are the passionate aggressive kind who feel intensely to defend the right against the wrong and save the world from all kind of negative impact. They are willing to give their own lives to protect and safeguard others. Now, these are the people who may be best suited for defence, army etc. Most importantly they are the people who should be governing us, be in politics, the administrative class. They are the one's who have the duty to protect the right from wrong and provide a safe environment for the entire community so that the community can live in harmony and flourish. Towards this the advice is for the Kshatriya's or the rulers including Kings and Presidents and Prime Ministers to ideally have a Brahmana as an advisor!! Since only a Brahmana can be neutral and have the right vision to make sure that the Kshatriya is not making any wrong moves due to his passionate nature. There are 3 modes of material nature that governs us and everything there is around us. These are:

1. Sattvik (mode of goodness)
2. Rajasik (mode of passion)
3. Tamasik (mode of ignorance)

This is a topic by itself and we will dwell into it another time but for now it is good to know that Brahmana's are in the Sattvik Guna (nature) or beyond, Kshatriya's are in the Rajasik Guna and the ones described later in this article are in the Tamasik Guna.

So, this is the Dharma of a Kshatriya. We get absolute clarity even on the career we need to be in, right? Yes, it is as simple as that. Their own needs and their family needs are the responsibility of the rest of the society.

Few of us can relate to that? But do we really have it in us to make sure we fight for the right reasons and not for position, authority, money, name, fame, power or simply because we are following the instructions of some senior who does not seem to necessarily be doing it for the right reasons? Check and if you fit here, very good. Now you know - who are you, what is your dharma and based on that you can create your desires, intent and action which is your karma. When you do your karma based on your dharma and not for any other reason, you are a Karma Yogi!

Now, for those of us who are not sure yet if we are this category also, let's move on to the next one :-)

Vaishya's are the class of people who do agriculture, rear cows and do everything necessary to create the material needed for all to live and grow. Their duty is to produce and trade these products. It is their duty that they not only take care of themselves, their families and the families of the people who work for them, but also provide for the Brahmana and Kshatriya families too. They take care of all forms of life including the animals, not just human.They are the ones responsible to provide for the community for its sustenance. Now, to some extent, protecting the environment from being exploited for unnecessary and self-destructive reasons is something this category can do well. This is their duty and Dharma. Nothing else. They receive spiritual blessings from Brahmana and protection from Kshatriya in return. Thus there is natural harmony.

Wow, many of us must be wondering we are traders, agriculturists, entrepreneurs and what not but we mainly do that for name and fame..now, let us be honest about it. But do we really belong in this category and if so can we follow our Dharma and correct our desires and intent so that our Karma is according to that? Some job to do right? Yep, let's get started. At least we know now!

Hmmm...but before we get started, let us check what is the next one too, so that we can be sure we are rightly categorising ourselves right? So, let's move to the next one :-)

Shudra's are those who follow instructions. Period. They do what is asked of them and they do a good job of it. They serve their masters. That is their Dharma. That is it. To do what is said in the best possible manner according to their capability and make a living out of that for themselves and their family is their karma.

Ha, are we all having some realisations here!! I hope so. Yep, like it or not, most of us do belong to this category. Okay, no worries, at least we know. This is where we are. Let's do a good job here and be karma yogis to begin with.

Once we understand all these four categories and based on that our Dharma and Karma, we will realise the best is to ultimately work towards transcending it all and if there is a better world where we can find our true happiness, let us move on to that plane. Now that is yet again a whole different topic and hence I will not get into that here, but let me assure you friends, there is that plane and that is where our true happiness lies!

Now, coming back to the point I was making -  now do you see why most of the times our intent, desire and action don't go along? We think as parents we have the right intent for our child, as a teacher we have the right intent for our pupil, as a spouse we have the right intent for our partner, as a friend we have the right intent for our friends, as a employer we have the right intent for our employees and so on...but intent is not enough without connecting the dots right?

So, if you are a parent who wants to know where to get started and how to make the beginning to set things right, please join me for the Workshop on Conscious Parenting that I am conducting on 5th of August 2018 from 2pm-5pm at Jayanagar, Bangalore. You can find more details here and also you can register yourself - http://go.eventshigh.com/fj3oq

If you are not in Bangalore or cannot make it on that day but would wish to attend a program on the topic, you can do one of the following:

1. Arrange a event at your office, school, college, house, club house or a near by venue and call me
2. Get a bunch of friends and family members who would want to be part of this kind of program sitting at their homes, let me know and we can do a webinar
3. Think of any other creative way on how to do it and I will be more than happy to participate.

You can reach out to me for this or for any other related thoughts you may have or if you wish to volunteer with my venture called Conscious Living Center (CLC) and do your bit in helping people live a conscious life - write to me at "archana@consciouslivingcenter.in". I will surely revert to you within 48 hours of receiving your mail. That is my promise.

Have a conscious day filled with the right intent, desire and action!

With loads of love and regards,
Archana Krishnamurthy
Founder, CLC and Mindful Living (OPC) Pvt Ltd
Author, Trainer, Coach and Mentor

Conscious Prenting - Workshop Promo#1

Interactive Workshop on Conscious Parenting - Announcement

Hi friends and folks, happy to share the next event being hosted by Conscious Living Center (CLC). This is a program I believe is critical for all parents and would-be parents to attend. Event scheduled for 5th Aug (Sunday) from 2-5pm at Jayanagar, Bangalore. Only 20 seats available. Book your tickets now!. Check more details about the event and book your tickets here - https://www.eventshigh.com/detail/Bangalore/6499dcb3e755d94b8013b20edcb840bf

Lead YourSelf- Workshop Promo #2

Lead YourSelf - Promo Video for the Workshop on 15th July 2018

The tale of 3 Mangoes and 1 Pineapple

I had been to Trivandrum on some official work recently and as soon as we found some time in hand, me and my colleagues did not waste a moment to be on the beautiful Kovalam Beach! The weather was just perfect. Cloudy but not raining, high tide pushing the waves to give us a gentle kiss right on the beach and wind that literally washed off all our stress from the day and before in a moment.  

We walked up closer to the light house where there was a beautiful restaurant called Coconut Grove. While we were walking up, one of the ladies selling pineapple gave me a shout….I looked and smiled and she gave me a beautiful smile back which attracted me not just to her product but her and her zeal. 

Anyways, I indicated we are headed for lunch and once done, I will come back to her to take something from her. Indicated -  since we did not know each other’s language to speak but our smiles, heart, eyes and a bit of sign language did a better job :-)   

Soon, we reached our destination hotel and wow! the walls were painted with bright colours brightening our mood instantly as well. The view in front of us and the environment inside made us all relax and while we were hungry, we were fine to wait for as long as it takes! We placed our orders and sinked into our chairs facing the sea and soaked in as much as we could and breathed in all the fresh misty air.

While we were waiting for our order, I suddenly saw the lady with the smile and pineapple walking up in front of me and indicating that she is waiting for me!! I don’t know if it was her smile, the place or something else…I was not disturbed. I nodded with a smile back and she parked herself in the empty shop next to us patiently waiting for us. I realised how tough life is for them and actually appreciated her determination to follow up on a prospect :-)

Soon enough our order arrived and we hogged on our food :D It was delicious and we had a great company with each other to enjoy also. So, it was as perfect as it could be. Soon after we finished feeding our stomachs, we were sleepy since none of us had slept the previous night preparing and stressed with the meeting preparation we had in the morning. We got some coffee. teas and as we sipped in we slowly woke up and started clicking pictures and videos…all our creative juices started flowing through!! This is what happens when nature’s superb creativity surrounds you in all its serenity.  

Photo Courtesy - Rajat Chaturvedi

Video Courtesy - Saumya Shanker

While we were growing crazy clicking, posing pictures, another lady walked up with the same goodies and with a bright big smile looked up to me with a hope to sell something to me. Once again the smile killed me and I instantly indicated to her also that I will come back to her in some time. 

Next thing I saw, she also settled down right in front of our “adda” waiting for me to get free!! Now, I had two ladies waiting for me….I realised what I have done soon but somehow had no regrets….I walked up to the first lady and called the second lady to also come over. They almost started fighting…but then I told them I am going to keep my promise and buy from both of them. So, I told one lady to give me pineapple and the other to give me mango. 

They both wanted to make the same amount from me….irrespective of what I wanted…hee hee…and they used all tactics from a hug and a kiss on my cheek to get it……feeling the love of all 3 of us ladies hugging, kissing and smiling away, a dog that was watching us went on his back with all his four legs up in the air and went off to sleep feeling all loved and cuddled as well :D 

I knew I paid 2-3 times for the product I bought but I had no regrets. I was buying from a tourist spot, so double was anyway expected. But then what is the cost of the love and affection I received from these lovely ladies. How much money could have shown my appreciation for their hard work and determination with a smile that came straight from the heart?? How many of us can even fake a proper smile when we go through tough patches of our life? So, feel whatever I paid was totally worth it…if I could afford more, I would have probably given that too!! 

I came back happy to my adda and friends with my goodies and enjoyed the pineapple which was cut out for us and brought back with me the 3 lovely mangoes. As I sat today and ate one of the mangoes, I can taste the love and affection of the ladies…I am so glad I experienced what I did and acted the way I did….at least all the 3 of us and smiling away while these 3 mangoes and 1 pineapple exchanged hands ….gratitude and love to the ladies and all of you friends reading this little story straight from my heart! 

Be Conscious, Be Grateful, Be Happy!!

Let's Talk—Inspiration

Let's Talk—God Consciousness vs Society Consciousness

Let's Talk—Differences of Opinion

Let's Talk—Heart of Krishna

Let's Talk—Krsna West

Let's Talk—Krsna West

Interactive Workshop on Conscious Living - The Vedic Way of Life

Conscious Living - The Vedic Way of Life -Intro Video #3

Conscious Living - The Vedic Way of Life

Interactive Workshop on Conscious Living - The Vedic Way of Life

International Woman's Day - An experience to share

I had a wonderful experience on this Woman's Day that I wish to share with you all. I was invited to conduct a session on the theme "PressForProgress", which was attended by woman employees. They gave me an opportunity to also sell my book since they felt it is relevant for woman and to the occasion of Woman's Day. As I was moving out, Ajay of In4Velocity was checking out if he should buy my book -YAY, I AM 18. He asked what is the book about. I explained to him. He then said this before he bought one, which made my day "My wife Swarna was working and used to celebrate Woman's Day at her office in a big way. Now, with two kids, she has decided to be a full time mother and home maker. So, I guess it becomes my responsibility to gift her something and make her feel special on this day. Book I think will be a great gift because she loves reading and I think she will connect with the subject of your book. Please give me one copy. How much?" Thank you Ajay for being who you are. I wish more men think and do what you are doing. How many of you are able to relate to this? Swarna, you are one lucky woman. God Bless both Ajay and Swarna and their two beautiful daughters 💞💞💞💞

Biren Book Launch Speech