Meditation- adding a meaning to life !!!

If ever I have experienced any miracle so far in my life, it is mediation. The feeling of trans when you see and feel bliss without opening your eyes. It is that state when we feel a high, generally.

 Within 24 hours of a day we find time to eat( three or four times), sleep(6-8 hours or more) and work(8 hrs or more). The top priority list is the things which benefit us, either financially or otherwise. Life is to be lived each day. Every day poses new challenges and opportunities. As time moves ahead and days turn into week, weeks to a month and months culminate with the end of the year. Yet another year has gone by and 'I have not even begun'.

Each year we set targets for professional and personal lives. In the pursuit of these we face successes and failures. But  we never try to find a means which could make our life a daily celebration. Yes, a state of mind when both success and failure are taken in a same stride. Something to experience happiness and joy even with little nothings.

As Secret says your mind  is magnet attracting thoughts from the universe based on the principle of' like attracts like'. It is important to brush off the negative thoughts daily as we brush our teeth. Have we ever tried to experience the power of silence ? Have we ever experienced a state of mind when we feel so light ? It takes just 20 -30 minutes a day but these magical moments can yield enough happiness and positivity to enrich life.

There are numerous ways to meditate. The simplest way is to sit in a peaceful corner of your home and close your eyes to a journey within by leaving without. It is important to take your mind away from the daily stresses for a while and let it recuperate its energy.

It has been a proven fact that meditation could further help the men's stress levels. There are some meditation programs which have been proven successful in some prisons in India and US. One such program(Vipassana meditation course of 10 days) held in complete silence -at Donaldson.  This experiment has brought about a tremendous change in the behavior of the prisoners. “We were finding that after this 10-day course, inmates were better able to control their anger and better able to conduct themselves,” said Dr. Ron Cavanaugh, director of treatment at the Alabama Department of Corrections, who worked with others to bring Vipassana meditation to Donaldson.“It appears that it was a miracle that this happened in the Deep South in one of the worst prisons in the country in the first place,” said Mr. Stewart, the Vipassana teacher. 

Meditation can lead to miracles for sure. It is a miracle to feel bliss. It is important to relax and look back with pride at all you have achieved and appreciate yourself. All it takes is a sincere and dedicated effort  just for yourself . If you make up your mind on it then the joy has -No limits! No limits! No limits!

Social network-- Real or Virtual !!!!

How important is social networking? This phenomenon has gained more importance these days than ever before. People go out of the way to enlarge their social circle. Whether it is a meeting or get together or dinner or lunch or anything. It seems like a never ending to do list. What I find interesting is that as kids we never paid importance to who or where is someone invited or not? But as we grow up this seems like an important aspect which is hard to neglect.

As human beings we are not born to survive in isolation, all of us need someone to connect with. Perhaps, the biggest punishment for anyone is to remain isolated from the outside world. It is the interaction or small little conversation with other human beings which makes our day. Dialogue is certainly preferred more than a monologue.

The question is  how far it is viable to get along with it. Should we have a specific target of meeting a particular number of people per week or per month. Do we ever try to move out of our social circle or remain glued to one? How many of us try to connect with new people easily? In fact very few look forward to meet up people outside their social circle.

Modern paced times has given way to so many different social groups we associate with. On an average a person keeps up with a - work group( all those people who are your colleagues at work), peer group( all old friends you have grown up with), neighbors group( people living in and around your area), couple group( your spouse's friend and family), parent group(your child's friend's parents).

When I posed this question on my facebook page regarding the importance of social networking online or otherwise I got two differerent replies." It creates a sort of virtual world all around you and lets you live in a self-centric world. You are also able to present the good and positive aspects of your personality, whereas the negative part of you doesn't appear as such. It also acts as an ego booster as well" writes Atul who is a student. While Ravee G Kaushal who works for a television production company believes in giving only a bit of importance to social networking on FB.


On  the other hand Liz who is working for an Insurance Company is not active on FB but she certainly has a big circle of friends. "I am busy working during the week but weekends are mostly going out or inviting people at my place. There is hardly any weekend when I am not meeting someone"she said.


Everyone has a different approach to social networking be it virtual or real. For youngsters FB is the rage of the age. But  as we age we realise that there is so much more to be socially active than a mere exchange of posts on some site.

Nothing like Canadian Summer !!!!

The moment we come up with the word summer we Indians relate to a hot, humid and unbearable heat during the months of June, July and August. I mean my definition of summer was this till now.

Summer in Canada an incredible experience.Ever since my arrival(March 2010) here I wake up every morning to see a change in color. Summer is the time of splendid sights, sounds and smells all around. Beauty of nature at its best. A walk around the street and I see beautiful flowers and gardens . Even the busy market places also have their own charm. Eating out has never been so lovely. There is nothing like having your favorite food or coffee while sitting in a patio surrounded by flowers of different colors.

Each day a walk through all this reminds me to make most of it. As it is short lived and very soon long harsh winter will be on its way. I believe mere memory of these bright long days will sustain me for a long period of time.

Few days ago I read on my fortune cookie , "those who endure the most are rewarded the most". I know that winter is going to be tough time for me because I am more used to summers. Honestly, if there is a reward in form of the summer after the winter endurance, I would gladly accept it.

If someone is making a bucket list then do add on the experience of Canadian summer. It is worth it.

Indian women can do it too!!!!

To most Indian women marriage is a sort of end of the story. It is still a fairy tale of girl meeting up a boy or vice a versa, falling in love and live happily ever after. My story is not a happily ever after or there is no story after marriage. Somewhere we get lost as there is a lack of purpose because none of the stories or films have tried to answer what next.

My story begins with neither falling in love or getting married but an ever after. This is related to that part of life which is more alive and vibrant as it was before. The purpose behind writing this blog is that marriage is not an end of life but a new beginning. Most Indian women especially belonging to small cities assume that it is only their responsibility to take care of home and family. While doing this if they think about a career it is a vice.

I am not going to do any moral preaching or anything because each individual is unique and lives his/her life their own unique way. This is my story which begins at the age of 30. An age when we think we have almost achieved what we worked on. Generally, women who want to experience motherhood have been blessed with two or more kids to look after. We establish ourselves career wise as well. But here I am getting married at age of 31 and leaving my stable job of university teaching, move out with my husband to settle down in a different part of the world.

For most wise people in the world this move might sound insane but it is not so. It is fresh beginning- a new country, a new city, a new address, a new name tag and a new life to experience. It has been four months since I have reached here. Within this time span i have added so many new experiences that amaze me. It takes a great deal of courage to come to terms with your surroundings but once we take the initiative it is done.

some thoughts on 'the last station'

The last station is a film about Tolstoy's life's last year before he dies. The film traces the difficult relationship of Tolstoy with his wife. Being a woman I feel that it hard to explain what a wife goes through on occasions like this. She was the one who was strong support structure during the most crucial years of his life. She helped him with his writing pursuits.

Her entire youth and a lifetime indeed was dedicated to her husband. We all know that Tolstoy is a world renowned Russian writer who has influenced many. I believe the film was difficult project to accomplish but failed to present the the plight of his wife.

Both Tolstoy and Gandhi have been hailed as Prophet and Mahatma respectively for the their adherence to a simple life. A closer look at their lives will enable us to see a difficult dilemma they faced with their loved ones. Tolstoy with his wife and Gandhi with his son. These public figures pulled the masses and changed life of many people but they failed to light up the the life of the people most close to them.

A sort of similar film entitled "Gandhi, My father", made by an Indian filmmaker also dealt with the strenuous relationship Gandhi shared with his son. In this film also the director tried to give a very balanced picture without being biased to any one side in particular.

Being a film director demands to reveal a story as objectively as possible which is present in both films, "the last station" as well as" Gandhi, my father". But as a viewer my heart goes out for Tolstoy's wife and I feel that the film could have done a little more justice to her character.

Films are films after all !!!

I wonder what is more important fiction or facts when one makes a choice of watching a film. Recently the city of Toronto has got a major event happening that is Hotdocs 2010-a documentary film festival where for more than a week around hundred documentary films were screened. Most of the venues were flocked by people trying their luck through the rush lines just to grab a ticket to watch their favorite documentary film.

Events like these definitely provide us a peep into the lives of people belonging to different parts of the world. Whether it is a story of four babies been brought up in four different parts of world or about Bin Laden's chief bodyguard, it adds to our knowledge of outer world. I think even a mere awareness of these issues is relevant in context of the times we are living in.

For most people films are a source of entertainment and at its best an escape from their stressed out lives. it is indulgence to get lost into the fantasy land. But after sometime this sort of cinema becomes monotonous and extremely predictable. As innovation does not always work so tried and tested formula films are made. Ironman 2 becomes the rage of the day. Believe me, it is perishable but if it makes money then worth it.

As a viewer I think our viewing should not be atypical. Rather it is an assimilation of films of different flavors and fervors.