Kailasha i came to see you.

 

Kailasha i came to see you
I wanted to see you from as close as i can
I wanted to walk around you
And tell you i have come

That afternoon, I will never ever forget how you opened the skies
Gave a glorious glimpse of You and Nandi
Without even making me feel bad i could not do the circumambulation.
You said you are there, watching over all of Us.

I long to come and see you again
You will for ever remain in my heart and mind
For now I just have to close my eyes
You are right here with me, Kailasha......

Rama Shyam

Chat with God

Chat With God  God: Hello. Did you call me? Me: Called you? No. Who is this? God: This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat. Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of something. God: What are you busy at? Ants are busy too. Me: Don't know. But I can't find free time. Life has become hectic. It's rush hour all the time. God: Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes time. Productivity frees it. Me: I understand. But I still can't figure out. By the way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on instant messaging chat. God: Well, I wanted to resolve your fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In this net era, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with. Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now? God: Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated. Me: Why are we then constantly unhappy? God: Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying because you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That's why you are not happy. Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty? God: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional. Me: But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty... God: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer? God: Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don't suffer. With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter. Me: You mean to say such experience is useful? God: Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards. Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can't we be free from problems? God: Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering Beneficial Lessons to Enhance Mental Strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you are free from problems. Me: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don't know where we are heading... God: If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides insight. Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction. What should I do? God: Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you role ahead. You work with the compass. Let others work with the clock. Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated? God: Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing. Me: What surprises you about people? God: When they suffer they ask, "why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "Why me?" Everyone wishes to have truth on their side, but few want to be on the side of the truth. Me: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here? I can't get the answer. God: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. Me: How can I get the best out of life? God: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered. God: There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO. Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat. I am so happy to start the New Day with a new sense of inspiration. God: Well. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Don't believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.

The Inseparables

Patti and her iPad !




and 

The first lady of the VSR family has set the trail ablaze with her usage of the iPad ! She is in line for making it into the records books for the fastest metamorphosis and the oldest septuagenarian to do so! She is now the "iPad Queen" of the family - putting to shame her children and grand-children. All her sons and grandchildren who hold senior positions in corporate multinationals are slowly but surely heading for an inferiority complex - they can't hold a candle to her online presence - the lady who never sleeps - paati's is simply a 24x7 online presence these days ! 

She has become the talk of the town (in fact of the world!!) - from being the home-bound TV-watching paati to the online-grandmom and soon-to-be globe-trotting octogenarian - it's been almost an overnight transition over the past few months and has created a huge buzz in the family and extended family circles. A couple of weeks ago she even finalized overnight plans of flying in to Australia for New year to meet her long-lost relative, with a pit-stop at Singapore to wave a hi to her grandson ! But soon these plans came crashing down due to her incompetent daughters-in-law :-( - who unfortunately didn't oblige her - they were simply too blown on hearing it that they couldn't recover in time to join her on her jet-setting travel plans! 

Lalli paati who has always loved talking on the phone, nowadays refuses to take calls on the landline and mobile phones - she handles only skype calls, which leaves her husband to attend to the landline and mobile calls at home! She skypes regularly with friends and relatives all over the world - she not only skypes with a relative in Australia but also chats up with his guests during his Friday Indian get-togethers. Recently she even participated in his birthday celebration via skype! She is simply thrilled at the prospect of her virtual presence 24x7 and in the remotest parts of the world. Her circle of "online friends" is now growing exponentially !

Of course the other things patti nowadays does regularly is send jaadakams of prospective maapilais for her grand daughters through mails. She gets her US based grand daughters to complete their tasks through online reminder services via mail and skype !! And during the remaining time she does sudoku! She is of course completely upto-date with the happenings in each of her children's and grand children's lives. 

Her husband is probably keen to use the iPad, but he feels completely left out of this exclusive iPad club ! Sources say that he would love to view the Income tax related acts online on youtube but he has a long way to go, as he is yet to lay his hands on the iPad ! 

iPad Support Services
If on someday, the iPad doesn't work for some reason (which happens every once in a while) - paati goes through withdrawal symptoms without her pet iPad and skype :-( - she actively tries to revive it through instant online help, readily offered from Bangalore/ Chennai/ Noida. And sometimes from even Germany- from her son who may be either sleeping or in the middle of board meetings when he receives the emergency calls to either set right her skype  or to hear how smart he looks in his newly uploaded profile photo in Skype! Apart from online help, she also gets instant onsite support through her two faithful grandsons, who are instantly summoned and are promptly by her side to set right the iPad, ensuring zero downtime!  

New offerings in VSR Services

In view of the visibility that the iPad has provided, the VSR services proposes to add a couple more to its range of offerings: travel logistics and courier services,  esp between Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi - all of which can be effectively handled in a timely manner, due to the real time information now being made available! Other services that could be soon introduced include matchmaking, job and internship hunting etc. 

Tech-y conversation between paati and tanvi

Patti: Tanvi you must see this website about your cousin Lallluu . Write it down, i will read it out for you.
Tanvi - yes paati tell me
paati - w
Tanvi - yes
paati - w
tanvi - yes paati, go on
paati - w
tanvi - yes patti i know, you can go ahead
paati - dot
Tanvi - paati i know , you can read the whole thing fully
Patti tried to read letter by letter and each time pausing for tanvi's acknowledgement that she has written the correct letter. But Tanvi just couldn't take it beyond 'www.columbia' ! 
tanvi - (yawn) - paati i give up !
Lalanti's home page was yet to be read out : http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/student-data/lalanti-venkatasubramanian/student.html -but poor tanvi just couldn't take it any more - she said she will take it from Shyam chithappa ! Wonder if she finally got down to actually reading it :-)

iPad for Senior citizens ! as seen by Paati

The tech/iPad terminology - as seen from the eyes of a senior citizen !

the home button (the most important button in the iPad)- aka "thoppill" (the navel) !!
underscore - the dash that comes 'down'
the mike icon on skype - candle (mike appears like a candle)
video/camera icon on skype - toffee (camera icon looks like a toffee apparently)


Earnest Request
We solicit contributions related to this article from all the readers - in the form of more posts on the blog! Since Patti has inspired has eldest daughter-in-law to do a publication (with paati as the protagonist) that is soon expected to hit the stands !

Acknowledgements: Heartfelt acknowledgements to the visionary STEVE JOBS, without whom this transformation could never have been possible !! 

Yoga Sutra

मैत्री करुणा मुदितोपेक्षाणांसुखदुःख पुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातः चित्तप्रसादनम् ॥३३॥ maitrī karuṇā mudito-pekṣāṇāṁ-sukha-duḥkha puṇya-apuṇya-viṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaḥ citta-prasādanam ||33||

Attitude one can cultivate-



When someone is happy, do not be jealous, show friendliness.

When someone is in distress, show compassion.

When someone is doing "punya"/ charity,do not degrade, appreciate.

When someone is doing "apunya"/vice act, stay away or be non-responsive.


When we work with this attitude, mind will be calm.

Lalanti's blog

Please check out Lalan's blog - http://thedriftingdot.tumblr.com/ - Check out her tete-a-tete with John, Pete & Andre !!

Me, in search of Me.....

Meandering through the busy streets
Rushing from shop to shop
Wanting very badly to find some object
That connects with  Me.

In an ocean of people
i find myself gravitating almost like a magnet in slow motion
Towards the Ones'
That connects with Me.

Visiting new places, temples,and monuments
Running away from my work place/ home
I am quite desperate to find that somewhere
That connects with Me.

Aren't we all looking for that something, someone, somewhere.....
That connects and  pleases the Me
But have I in the first place understood the Me.
"The one" I so want to please?

It isn't going to be all that easy
we are conditioned by society to look outside all the time
The only time we probably get a whiff of Me
Is when we are in deep sleep (when the ocean of thoughts are taking a break too).

Hasn't it been every Man's biggest quest?
most researched and written about by those who have taken it upon themselves.
I am drawn to look inside me.
I contemplate, I meditate, and have started the journey inwards

There, i see Me after a long journey inwards
i run towards her and hug her tenderly
pure and pristine, words can only be, but a consolation.
But I see Me all her glory

I was cradling peacefully in Me's arms
Before the phone started to ring
Drawing me yet again to find Me outside
But yes now I sort of know who I am trying to please.......

Rama Shyam

RHYTHM

Is soothing to the mind
Is re-energizing for the body
Is comfort in the present
Is relaxing and calming too.....

But basking in her sands and refusing to see beyond
Can sometimes "auto-pilot" us to an extent
We dig  deep and stubborn crevices of thought patterns and habits
Sucking us down over a period of time!

So keeping rhythm as the base
Anchored to that divine source all the time

Twist our body and mind, explore and EXPAND... (within than outside!)

Aware and maintaining our balance is prime.

Creating new better pathways is the reward it brings
Shedding away the unwanted ones
Enjoying the "awe" factor it brings
Keeping the mind fresh and sound.

So bring down those walls and fences
The whole world becomes our home
Like windows that have remained shut, have opened to let fresh air in
It opens our heart and soul.

So let us not waste our time
To go out and explore
To seek and challenge our limits
And as my experience goes, it is never too late to begin.


Rama Shyam

Rachna's blog

See Rachna's new blog for some great photos ... http://rachnapranav.blogspot.in/
The same link is also there on the top of this blog (below the title)

After seeing that, read about the conversation between Tam-brahm mami and Siri for a good laugh !
http://tambrahmrage.tumblr.com/post/13495455035/siri-maami

INAUGURATING THE YAMUNA EXPRESSWAY

Pranav, Nagu and me set forth to Bharatpur bird sanctuary by car on saturday around 1pm. We followed the road map from the 8-year old Outlook Traveller to Bharatpur. The road was filled with traffic and we had to crawl through many towns enroute, and it didn’t seem to be the best route to reach the place.

For our return journey we were determined to try better routes to reach home faster. We sought solutions from the ever-dependable Google Maps and were delighted to find a suggested route through the Yamuna Expressway, with only 2.5 hour travel time compared to our 4.5-hour journey that we had made ! So we set out on the journey leaving Bharatpur by 1:30 and hoping to reach by about 5 pm. We wanted to stop at a dhaba just outside Bharatpur. Before lunch yours truly took over the wheels to give her better half a quick nap. After lunch when we resumed we realized that we were on a different route (the same as what we had come by).

Recording the number of retraces during the journey :
1. Naga decided to turn back and do the new found Expressway route from Mathura- So we went back at least 20-30 km to get onto some portion of the Expressway route.

2. While on this route we realised that this took us through the town of Mathura and leading to Vrindavan, which was no good due to the densely populated city, narrow roads, heavy traffic etc. it seemed to be a waste of time. So a while later, we turned back again and decided to go towards Mathura and restart the same new route from a different point. So we retraced another 20 km towards mathura - Now on our way we stopped and asked an elderly gentleman as to how good is the Expressway route. He said that it doesnt seem to be operational from Mathura.

Now Our good sense prevailed and we called to check with Naga's colleague (Mr. Pankaj Sharma), a native of Bharatpur, as to whether the new route suggested by Google maps is good. Now our phone call had suddenly awakened him from his Sunday siesta . He first said that he didnt think that this route was functioning at all.

3. So we promptly turned back to resume our original route (the long route). A couple of minutes later he then told us that he has checked with a friend who said that the expressway route is very good and would cut our travel time to about 2.3-3 hours. So we were quite thrilled at the reassurance given by his friend and decided to try the Expressway route ! This was the turning point - literally and figuratively too!

4. So once again, we turned the car to head towards the Expressway route and this time we were determined to give it a try ! So off we went. Pranav in the meanwhile said why not check on the net about the expressway status - and we read that it was not yet ready though almost there.
Yet it did not daunt us since the option of reaching in 3 hours was too tempting to resist!
Pranav tried his best to convince but his mama remained steadfast in pursuit of this elusive expressway!

We did an extra 40 km (via Raya) just to join the expressway - at the point of joining - which we were all eagerly awaiting - the road just didn’t seem to exist and a labourer said we could go parallel to the expressway on a mud-track for about 3-4 km and then go up the slope (at 45 degrees !) to join the expressway. We went on this route and were informed by someone that there is nowhere to join the expressesway from this side and we had to go to the other side to do so.

5. So once again we retraced our path (3-4 km) and went on the other side looking out for the slope to get up on to the expressway. We were finally able to climb on to the expressway from a muddy slope! We thought our worries ended and we felt that we were on the runway to Noida ! The car just sped down the road. But soon we realized that we were the only ones on the highway with no sign of any other human existence - it was completely dark (except for our car lights) around and there was not a single light anywhere in the vicinity - so we continued until we braked to a halt when suddenly the expressway remained broken - there was a huge gap and the road was broken and separated (remember the movie SPEED) - there was no way we could go ahead!

6. Yet again a retrace of quite a distance to get to the other side of the highway (to travel on the wrong side of the 2-way lane) - we followed this for quite a while - Naga was speeding to cover maximum distance before fog sets in. There was hardly anything visible - the road was so broad that even the sides of the road were not visible - and since there was nothing around we could barely see where we were headed in the dark! Finally we were stopped on the road with a barricade - and there were guards who made us turn back yet again.

7. So the next retrace to get off the highway to go parallel to the highway so that we could at least see some other vehicles around. But the road was simply terrible - the car had a rough ride ! and we were waiting to get back to the old route - to join Palval - which has set us back by another at least 3 hours by now !

Once we reached Palval, we decided to go ahead on the old route.

8. Lo and behold this was not the end of our problems. On reaching Delhi, at Apollo hospital junction where we were supposed to go up the flyover and then take the left exit, Nagu went down the flyover and took the side road - and reached a dead end which had nothing but a rubbish pile and a pack of dogs. The dogs started chasing us before we could ask anyone directions. Pretty soon this pack was joined by new set of blood thirsty canines, and we rode for our lives back to the appolo flyover.

Finally we reached home at 10:30 pm instead of 6:30 pm - had we taken the original route. Phew !

What do you think is the moral of the story? Top 3 answers win a free week end at Bharatpur via the Yamuna expressway !

Excerpts from Devi Shetty's interview

A chat with Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore was arranged by WIPRO for its employees The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone. 

Dr.Devi Shetty, Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore

Q: What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart?
Ans:
1. Diet - Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil
2. Exercise - Half an hour's walk, at least five days a week; avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a longtime
3. Quit smoking
4. Control weight
5. Control blood pressure and sugar
Q: Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?
Ans: No

Q: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person
gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective?

Ans: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.

Q: Are heart diseases hereditary?
Ans: Yes

Q: What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress?
Ans: Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.

Q: Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?
Ans: Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints

Q: You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so?
Ans: Mother Theresa , who was my patient.

Q: Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?
Ans: Extremely rare.

Q: Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age
(I'm currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age?
Ans: Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.
Q: How do irregular eating habits affect the heart ?
Ans: You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused.

Q: How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines?
Ans: Control diet, walk and eat walnut.

Q: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?
Ans: Fruits and vegetables are the best and the worst is oil.

Q: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive?
Ans: All oils are bad .

Q: What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test?
Ans: Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.

Q: What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?
Ans: Help the person into a sleeping position , place an aspirin tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to a coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour.

Q: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble?
Ans: Extremely difficult without ECG.

Q: What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 yrs of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems.
Ans: Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, sedentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.

Q: Is it possible for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy?
Ans: Yes.

Q: Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?
Ans : Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may not have a software engineer as a child

Q: Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a times we have to stay late nights in office. Does this affect our heart ? What precautions would you recommend?
Ans : When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.

Q: Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short / long term)?
Ans : Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.

Q: Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks? 
Ans : No.

Q: Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease?
Ans : No.

Q: How would you define junk food?
Ans : Fried food like Kentucky , McDonalds , samosas, and even masala dosas.

Q: You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food?
Ans: Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.

Q: Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?
Ans : No.

Q: Can a person help himself during a heart attack (Because we see a lot of forwarded emails on this)?
Ans : Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary care unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up.

Q: Do, in any way, low white blood cells and low hemoglobin count lead to heart problems?
Ans : No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.

Q: Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise?
Ans : Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot.

Q: Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?
Ans: Yes. A strong relationship since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.

Qn: What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?

Ans : Diet, exercise, drugs on time , Control cho lesterol, BP, weight.

Q: Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?
Ans : No.

Q: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?
Ans : There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem, but my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure by walk, diet to
reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyles.

Q: Does dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?
Ans : No.

Q: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?
Ans : Nature protects women till the age of 45. (Present Global census show that the Percentage of heart disease in women has increased than in men )

Qn: How can one keep the heart in a good condition?
Ans : Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise everyday, do not smoke and, go for health checkup s if you are past the age of 30 ( once in six months recommended) ....

Our Leh trip

Here are the photos of our Leh trip - though i dont think our camera has done justice to the natural beauty that we saw there
Despite the complete barrenness of the mountains, the designs, structures, shades and texture of each mountain were so vastly different - the stark beauty in all this is completely an artist's and poet's paradise  !! The lovely azure skies (the sky-blue shades of which i have never seen in the skies) the green grass, the white snow and the turquoise blue waters of the lake - absolutely breathtaking views - and in completely calm and serene surroundings  !
Had a tough time pruning down the 1000 pics to 1/10 the number. have tried a few collages of the Leh, its mountains, and lakes.You can click on the slideshow to view it in full screen.

Discover yourself.............

i look at life
as a nice pleasant journey
it is almost like travelling
to a new place every day.

you discover not only places
but parallely discover facets in yourself
in ever so different scenarios
the backdrop changing every minute.

the landscape may change
but the essence remains the same
shades of emotions and thoughts
a calm mind always soothens the soul.

we are all after all nomads
who have no stake over the land we tread
we can only carry forward the wisdom
gathered from past experiences we've met.

holding on to wisdom as a guiding light
a torch to find our way.
to discover places within us
where we can find ultimate peace and pure joy.


Rama Shyam

Trip to Jammu

Am writing this on behalf of my better half and sister-in-law !
The last minute ticketing and planning seems to be what Naga thrives on ! The trip to Vaishno Devi only confirms this. And added to that - the last minute goof-ups !

The trip had been planned for Jana and Ram and Nagu from Delhi to Vaishno Devi for 4 days. One week prior to their travel, there was a minor rerouting of Jana and Ram's itinerary - instead of going from Delhi, they were to move to Jammu from Amritsar. So Naga had arranged to have their tickets cancelled, while he was to join them from Delhi. But in the process, his ticket too (Delhi-Jammu) got cancelled by mistake! And amidst all this confusion, their cousin Aruna too decided to join in the travel.

So with 2 days to go he had tickets re-booked (of course wait-listed WL 31) -- so courtesy the IAS division- that the EQ got released exactly 3 hours prior to departure.  The train departed at 8:30 pm and was to reach Jammu at 11 am the next morning.. now as if this last minute wrong cancellation / rebooking/ EQ was not enough - he calls me up at 10:30 pm while still on the train - i guessed that all that excitement was not good enough -and  he wanted more - he wanted to get OFF the train early the next morning - at 4am at Jalandhar and explore Amritsar instead of continuing to Jammu !! Next he planned to cancel the booking at Patni Top for the next night and do another last minute acco at Jammu ... and as if all these were not enough ...

Jana and Ram on their way to Jammu - (they did Amritsar to Jammu by bus)-- realised that instead of getting off the bus at Jammu, missed the stop and landed in Katra 4 hours later at 11:30 pm - only to realize that there is no acco in katra  ! So a lot of last minute talks across the country at 11pm -- jana called nagu (on the train near punjab) -who called me (in Chennai) - and then we all took turns in calling the manager of JK tourism in katra , to arrange for Jana-Ram's acco for that night !! Poor manager was reeling under this onslaught of calls -- at 11:30 pm and finally gave them a room.
., After all the excitement had died down - they had a quiet day the next day... and finally all is well that ends well -- the four of them are on their way to the Darshan at Vaishno Devi.
Will give more of the dramatic details as and when i get to hear about it :-)

CREATING SPACE

Well as magical as this may sound

And I do not blame you for thinking so

For I too felt the same

When I learnt to breathe mindfully and slow.

As I learnt to breathe in deeply

Time stood practically still

Giving me the space to understand and assimilate

And not do or say things hurriedly against my will.

And as I breathed out slowly

I felt abundance in the air

Of love, understanding, forgiveness and acceptance

I learnt to see beauty in everyone and everywhere.

Creating spaces not only on the outside

But more importantly inside of me

I learnt a lot about myself

Thereby changing my outlook of how life ought to be.

Breathing in and breathing out mindfully

I know I am inching steadily everyday

It’s like coming home

I hope some day I will!

Rama Shyam

request fror some writing from Naga

hey
we go and watch a movie called "motorcycle diaries", what about our own family's diary? Why don't u write when u keep vigil at night due to sleeplessness, so that everyone can read. and post ur pics too please. or better still get your ghost writer, Lel?!!