Competition and Contemplation in a 10k race

I ran my first 10km race today. Organized by the Living Well foundation and the University of Florida, it was a contest between students and faculty. The track was pretty, with a lake and woods along the way.

What was most interesting was watching the thoughts and emotions arising in my mind:

1. Pre-Race:

I was a little awkward for this was my first competitive 10k run. I have always run alone, for my own sake, and was nervous about running with others. What if i burnt out, or couldn't finish? What if the others were really good? How could i hope to compete with americans who are so much fitter and train so much more for such events? Maybe i should have stayed at home and studied for the imminent exams.

I just kept saying 'No' to these thoughts. Afterall, how can i ever know what is good/bad for me without doing new things? How would i know how good/bad i am without doing things? I am scared by the thought of restricting myself to a limited set of beliefs and learning little about the world. And this kept me going on.

2. During the race -

I had nearly 25 people ahead of me in the first 5k lap. A part of me was saying run or you would be left behind, another part kept saying go slow, dont burn yourself out. I ignored these thoughts, as they are so tiring, and settled into a steady breathing rhythm and kept running at a pace slightly faster than comfortable. Instead of looking to the leader, i would look to the next person ahead of me and catch up to them one by one. By the second lap, i was in third place.

I was helped by the interval training i have done for the last month and a half. This involves alternating between jogging and sprinting. Plus i have been having a more protein rich diet.

3. End of the race-

Throughout the second lap, i kept my focus on the two guys ahead of me and kept gently accelerating to catch up. They had a 120 m lead which i eventually cut to 20m, and i finished third in the race, at 44:11 seconds, 20 seconds behind the second placed guy. Not a bad debut!

I felt a mixture of emotions - euphoria, that i had not only completed the run but had actually been successful against runners who had participated in many more events. My small mind, which was filled with doubts at the begining, was now dying to get back and announce to the whole world that i had won, i had won.

And then i thought, how futile, how juvenile is this mind, which measures my worth based on how the world is, rather than trusting my capability. Guruji had mentioned in 'Feelings and Fools - "How can a piece of wood (an award) be the most important thing in your life? Don't you know that you are good?" And i felt much calmer and clearer then.

In all competitions i have participated in, the winner is always a person who believes in himself, before comparing himself/herself with others. And that self belief is beautiful.

Jai Gurudeva!

Guru Poornima Chicago 2009

Guruji ushered a breeze of love, knowledge and shakti in the Windy City. The Hilton Chicago, the venue of the event, throbbed with his presence and the purity of a huge advance course, the Guru Poornima celebrations, a YES course and the ongoing TRM. Guruji stayed at the south imperial suite, which we devotees would inevitably refer to as kutir, and Bhanu didi, arvind and ajay were with him. Devotees came from all over the US, Canada, Brazil and Argentina. Blissful bustle marked the celebrations, with every elevator crammed with devotees. The buttons pushed were not all found on the elevator panel, but all the smallness fell aside in the magnificent satsang and Guruji's discourse on the eve of the celebration.

He spoke on the Guru principle, whose excellent verbatim transcript can be found here. Nearly 3000 devotees meditated, sang and celebrated in the beautifully-decorated, grand ballroom.

Once the satsang had reached a crescendo, Guruji asked - "How many of you are confused? That is good - do you know confusion is a sign of intelligence. Only intelligent people can get confused.

A Guru's job is not to convince, it is to ? confuse :). Good good good". And then the joy of satsang continued.

Guruji travels to LA and Montreal in the coming weeks.

Jai Gurudeva!

Getting out of examophobia

What is so off-putting about applying one’s backside to the chair and burning the midnight oil?

When we dream, we dream of perfection. In our dreams, we are never doing things semi-perfectly. All results are perfect, all action is effortless.

Sadly, in real work, even when we know what needs to be done, the perfection seems so far away. Either we are plain bored and uninterested, or suddenly ‘discover’ other must-do things, or crave for fun, or witness spectacular dreams and memories coming to life. Then there is negativity – “C’mon you do not really remember everything you read. And you are killing yourself for such abysmal output! Take a break, come back and you would be fresh full of life and ready to rip.” Sadly, that ready to rip state happens once in a blue moon, and almost never after that break. And for some, like me, your philosophy muscles burst with eureka moments about why we are the way we are? And we need to pen it immediately. If only these flashes came around during semester breaks.

We often believe that this problem will go away once we are not students. I am sure you would have thought at times – “What do those working adults know of what we have to go through? Once I start my career, everyone will truly know how awesome I am.” Then we join our jobs and realize, surprise surprise, that have to go through the same emotional washing machine everyday!

It is so easy to start towards a goal, but so hard to actually accomplish it!

Wouldn’t it be amazing to not be bothered by the imperfection, about the way you are feeling, about how sexy the idea in your head really sounds and why it would change the world, or by how urgent this other task really is? Just imagine if you could sit to study, and only study! The kriya definitely helps, but wisdom is needed here.

I remember Rashmin had indicated something very interesting – he said that one must master “the art of not dealing with the mind.” Either fighting thoughts and sensations, or yielding to them creates trouble. What works then? Recognizing that these thoughts and actions come from the same divine source as you, and there is nothing right or wrong about them. They do not need your co-operation or support. Let them go their way, and you go your way. Have an ‘adult’ relationship with your feelings and thoughts.

This wisdom helped me all through my IIT days. When I started playing basketball, when I started playing the guitar, when I started doing seva and organizing courses, it would take me forever to start doing the job, be doubtful and bored through the job, and the results were understandably discouraging. I resisted the shortcomings initially. But as I started accepting them, and taking action, I would miraculously discover insights into succeeding. Either something would just ‘click’ or someone would come up with an awesome tip out of the blue. Consequently, I would be successful at the task, and more dispassionate at the same time.

This acceptance is a skill. It happens only when you are committed to winning and giving your 100%, and you get better at it the more you do it. And as you become more accepting of yourself, bigger challenges will come your way! And bigger rewards too. And at the same time, you don’t get swayed by extremes!

Stock pricing and the G

I am studying about stock and security valuation in finance, i just saw an equation which says

P0 = D0 (1 + g)/(rs - g)

where P0 is how much someone would pay for a stock, rs is how much return you require from it, and g is the expected increase in the stock's dividends.

What makes this interesting is that financial experts say that no stock can have g > rs, or growth greater than requirements because then it would be infinitely precious...

If only the financial experts knew that there is such a g who always provides more than rs:) Therefore, it follows from the above equation, that holding devotee shares in AOL is infinitely precious:)

Who says studies can't be fun!

Knowledge and Exams

It is 1.51 am here in Gainesville, and i have exams in a few days. I always considered myself an imaginative person, but my God, the onset of the exams has opened faucets of reminiscenses, such that i am flooded with mental and emotional activity.

Is'nt it wonderful to note how the mind works so hard to not do well in exams! If it were to spend 10% of the energy it spends avoiding studies on actually studying, grades would skyrocket and i would never have to worry about doing poorly again.

I sense this carrousel of emotions within me, whirling with so much velocity from relief, elation to hopelessness, dejection and back and forth and back and forth. It is really fun to watch!

I feel so grateful for the kriya and suryanamaskars right now - when in the face of total phyiscial , mental and emotional revulsion to the thought of studying, i can still smile, watch and keep studying! For those in the knowledge, studies and exams are such an awesome opportunity to become stronger in wisdom! Wow!

New blog on Guruji experiences!

Dinesh bhaiya has sent links to this beautiful blog that emnates grace from every line written here...

Here's a link to his article...

http://whisperfromtheinfinity.blogspot.com/2009/05/finally-new-beginning.html

JGD!

May 13th! (belated)

So many beautiful posts on His birthday - on Bau's blog, Bhawana's blog, Komal's blog...bless you all.

While it is/was His birthday, the gift was mine.....I just returned from conducting the first ever Kriya in Gainesville, and i am much much happier than the participants were, whose smile indicated that they were very very happy indeed. 

Had the Kriya in a 'New-Age' church! Can't wait for the next kriya on the coming thursday.

Jai gurudev!

PS: Had to edit this one. Just had flashbacks of Guruji which I thought I  should share. On almost all my meetings with him, whenever i have taken sweets or any food for him, He has always blessed it and asked me to distribute it to the devotees. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciated that He has a huge devotee base and that He needs to take care of everyone, but there was this small voice hissing that maybe what i carried was not good enough for Him. Then one day, when Guruji looked at me asked me to distribute the gulab jamuns i had brought, I suddenly felt I understood why...My God, only the Guru can do this. Whatever He holds dearest, He gives to his devotees as a blessing! There is absolutely nothing he holds for himself other than our love for him, a love over which we have 'No Choice' in any case. Blessed is this creation, that it can witness His love!

Y3S+

The third YES+ course in Abu Dhabi concluded today amidst much celebration and silence. Conducted at our center, the YES+ had an interesting mix of working professionals and students on the first day. At the end of the 6 days, there was just one big group of joyous, wiser and more peaceful human beings – empowered, as the course promises.

 

We had keen volunteers, who made all arrangements and were keenly present throughout the course. The participants changed from being a little hesitant on Day1, to blooming and free by the time the course ended. The satsangs were fun, the kriya deep, and the games and activities were totally charged up.

So many blessings, so much love and appreciation flowing on the last day, and so many new wonderful friends. Where else on the planet can you get even a shadow of this joy?

 

Blissed out remembering the last 6 days and reading the feedback. Love, JGD!

An amazing Advance Course!

Waves of silent joy and contentment washed over the 49 participants at the advance course concluded at the ashram today. By personal choice, i feel that the advance course is the most beautiful program we have, with techniques cleansing the farthest reaches of the mind and beyond. My 11th course was special, with Joshi ji wonderfully guiding us through the enchanting, energizing journey. In a short spell of 4 days, difficult emotional blocks were confronted and transcended, for us to experience higher and higher energy and purity. The pearls of creation in the program were all polished punah punah. Even the pics are so white without any flash employed :)

Prior to that was my cousin's wedding in Mumbai which was a traditional Bangalorean one (the groom is bangalorean). Will update pics soon. Am too awash with Advance course bliss at present :)

YES+ @ AD...Once more!

The YES+ deuxieme concluded with glowing smiles, flowing hearts and growing minds. Each day, starting from the 10^th, brought forth a blossoming of the participants’ hearts. We played, we danced, we sang, we shared wisdom and ,naturally, we breathed to celebrate His priceless gift to humanity – the YES+ program. From the eventful first day at the India Social Center, to the next 5 days at our Abu Dhabi AOL center, and the finale at our home, I had the honor of guiding 25 loved ones to His light. 

Day 1 was fun. The riddle nearly started a riot. On Day 2 all of us unlocked secrets of unending enthusiasm and had our first peek into infinity. The experience of 

vastness deepened on Day 3 while tough insights were had to discover what holds us back in life. Day 4 was our picnic where even at the end of a whole day of discovery and fun, the participants wanted more and more. Day 5 was marked with colourful (or rather dimly lit) skits symbolizing the different groups. The group presentations on vegetarianism were very insightful, and reiterated the crying need for all of us to turn vegetarian to save our bodies, our planet and our wallets. When we parted on day 6, our hearts were full and our heads light and clear, and we committed to making life a celebration for more people.

There were many snapshots in the course - Saroja proposing to the whole group on Valentine’s day with roses; the Suryanamaskar relay races which brought out the best (or worst?) of the different groups; Avanish ji’s enthusiasm and belongingness belying his age; the long and amazing yoga sessions; the games and the games and more games; Suraj’s “YESmobile” delivering people safely after the course, and so many more. Swati, saroja, vishwan ji and soumein showed fabulous commitment in the way they were at the venue every day, making all the arrangements happen, so that the course was a seamless, smooth experience for all the participants. The satsangs were divine, and Guruji’s blessings flowed so abundantly. 

For me, the experience of conducting the program was as stunning as organizing it. Congrats to all of us who had worked towards it – Swati, Saroja, Bimlesh, Soumein, Vishwan ji, Apporva, Khyati, Sumal, Jitesh, Ranjan. Heading to the malls, our team would randomly meet up people and inform them about the program, and by doing that we feel so much more a part of the city and the community, so many insecurities have vanished, and fears of other people’s judgement diminished. At the same time, the mind feels sharper and more creative, and our communication has improved tremendously. It is amazing that though I have been actively meeting new people  and speaking to them about the course for the last 10 years, yet every time, some awkwardness falls away and I feel much more connected to the World around. It is so much easier to see Guruji's wisdom on how the mind works. All the dullness and false concepts start dropping away when doing seva.

In all, a wonderful journey ended and another amazing one begins now, with all of us fervently praying

 and working towards making our dream a reality – of having Bawa here in the first week of April.

Wonder wonder!

The heart seeks the old. The older the love, the more fresh it seems, the more full of joy. We always admire old ties, the older the better.

The mind seeks the new. New discoveries thrill us, new frontiers. 

When yoga happens, then both these tendencies unite, and steady love, joy and peace are established. (more in Shiv Sutra 5)

This is an interesting insight into how we deal with commitments. For example, studies or a new fitness plan, or a new hobby. It is so interesting initially, with the mind discovering new things everyday. After a while, the heart starts longing for freshness, for established formulas of getting happy. If a few days/weeks/months have passed since starting the activity, the mind loses its charm, because now the activity is not new anymore. And hence revertng to doing things the old way becomes so appealing.

This is why most new year resolutions/ commitments, etc fail.

Through knowledge, through wisdom, the heart and the mind unite and both these seemingly opposite tendencies can miraculously coexist.

I have personally experienced the power of this knowledge. When i do anything that i must do, i listen to knowledge/read knowledge sheets when these tendencies get very strong. Then i get back to working and repeat the procedure whenever taking breaks. I have noticed that my mind wanders much less now and the uneasiness has also diminsihed. The questions have reduced, and the wonders have increased! Thanks so much to Guruji!

Udyamo Bhairavah!

Why work hard when God is taking care of everything? If you are going through trouble, and God is supposed to comfort you, does that mean God is not with you?

Often when we need to do good things, we say "Godwilling, it will happen." Do we say that when we have to do something wrong? Also, when a rough patch comes, we often hear "God is testing us, we are having to suffer." Then we don't say we are responsible. When we achieve something, we talk about how much effort we had to put in, how we overcame obstacles. When we screw up, "this is what God wanted." 

Udyamo Bhairavah, let us invoke the divine in our actions. If God is doing this, rest assured that He is experiencing it also. If He does it, then He experiences it also. You cannot have this duality of Him doing and you experiencing.

So,udyamo bhairavah. Without udyam, without purusharth, the divine cannot be invoked. Becmoing skillfull, adept at what you do is important. That comes with 100% effort, not simply physical effort, but mental and emotional effort too. Often some people say that we have been good all our lives then wy has this suffering come upon us? They were good, but they were also foolish. When stuck in a problem, we have to devise the upaya, strategies to alleviate the problem.

Do not wait for God to call you. He has been crying out your name loudly for ages. Arise!

(more in Shiva Sutra 4)

Good and Evil

Q. Dear Guruji, Here on the path i feel i am taken care of. But what about those who go through torture, slavery and suffering? Is God partial to taking care of a few?

Guruji:

You cannot know the mind of the divine. You cannot fathom it you can only wonder about it. If you stay with the question i don't know if you will find an answer or not. Do you know if there is no misery in this world, all the good qualities will also disappear. This is a tough truth to digest because it is not very pleasant. For good qualities to exist,  it is essential for the opposite to be there. Suppose there was no suffering on whom will you be compassionate? How will you even know what is compassion. That is why we say opposite values are complementary. 

Theres a story in indian mythology. Good and Evil decided that they would play a drama in the world. For one to be a hero, one had to be a villain. And so it was. The good and the evil fought for a long time, and at the end, when evil was killed, they both sat together and thanked each other. This is the story of Ram and Ravana, when Ravana was about to be killed, he told Rama "I am glad to die at your hand, for I have found salvation."

Opposite values are complementary. Truth is multi dimensional, not linear. Good and Evil both co-exist in God.

Jai Gurudeva! 

(for more listen to Guruji's talk, aptly titled, "Good and Evil")

First YES+ in Abu Dhabi!

Wow, i am so happy writing these lines. We had a small but very cordial and fun first-ever YES+ course in Abu Dhabi. All the participants were working professionals and two Art of Living teachers also did their first YES+, one of them being my mom! The bonding that we are all experiencing right now is amazing, like a thread has strung all us different pearls into a link of love and joy.

Everyday threw up surprises, and we had passionate discussions on being Indian and on

 vegetarianism. We plan on playing cricket to start our first YES+ follow up here, and look forward to a bigger, more dhamaal course on Feb 10. 

Hatke happenings in the 

course, hmm...we had three dinner outings! One to Lebanese Mill, one to Pizza Hut, and after watching Meet your Meat, to the local vaishnavi-gujju restaurant. Bau sent his wishes and blessing too, and we may get a chance to speak to him today.

Personally, it was an emotional course as Abu Dhabi is where i grew up and it is always special to do seva in a place where you grew up with your parents. The bonus is your parent deciding to join the course...:) 

Dec 4 & 5: More time with Guruji

On dec 3 Guruji returned from Tawang. Our group of volunteers and teachers were happily busy since the morning to recieve all our family who had come for the advance course from Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur. The buses started coming in by 5.30 am and we had our stall up at Ganga market, recieving and directing the entrants to their guest houses/hotels/etc. An important learning to note is that having alphabetically-sorted state wise lists is a much better idea to quickly complete the formalities so people may comfortably proceed. The morning program lasted till around 8.30 am. Then Guruji visited our Art of Living school, which also served till yesterday as the Art of Living office, and he met all the kids and others who had assembled for his darshan. His cavalcade was bigger that day because others had joined in from Guwahati. I got to meet many close friends from Guwahati and the atmosphere was festive. In the afternoon, there were about 15 of us volunteers who worked at the Banquet hall, cleaning the room for the advance which was to start the next day. 

Loads of work was done that day, with the setting up of  the PDS venue for which around a 100 odd volunteers worked the whole day and night. People had interesting experiences. Alok narrated how Bhavesh and he had to wake up a shopkeeper at midnight to buy plastic.

The PDS started as scheduled, and so did the ad

vance course. I had the privilege of conducting Long Kriya for the 370 Advance Course participants in the venue. Pankaj Bhaiya was a treat to be with throughout the program. Dixon and Deepak joined us at the center in the evening.

Dec 5 was another yummy day. I was sitting inside his kuteer the whole day, and had a chance to carry and lay his asan. I witnessed a press conference and 4 important meetings that day and again, it was a treat to watch him in action. So gentle, so skilful yet, fortuantely for all of us,

  Guruji always gets His way. He left for the ashram in teh afternoon and promised he would meet us all in the evening. I had some personal difficulties i wanted to speak to him about and he smiled and told me we shall talk about it in the night.

There were many important messages Guruji sent across in all his meetings, one He is extremely concerned about 

preserving the indigenous culture and traditions of Arunachal, which many sociologists claim to be as one of the richest surviving traditions. Second, he was very clear that China should extend its hand to shake hands with all of India, and not try to cut off a finger of the hand by claiming Arunachal. he also mentioned about the need for Arunachalis to start growing their own crops instead of importing from Assam, and for exporting the delicious kiwi fruits and pineapples grown here to all the country. Arunachal kiwis taste better than the NZ ones and cost only a fraction. guruji emphasised hwo important it is from Arunachal to build roads and connect itself with thes rest of the country. And he has told all Art of Living members to contribute to work for Arunachal.

The evevning meditation and stasang was bliss. Guruji spoke on Shiva, who is worshipped

 diligently in Arunachal. And he had more meetings in the night. He must have met close to a

 1000 people through his personal meetings that day, and yet he ahd enough sparkle and mischief left over. He is so patient when listening to the smallest of things.

And when he left in the morning, he took our hearts away. 

Now, in the aftermath of his visit, we are getting started once again. Feels like a Monday

 morning...

Dec 2 : Seva and Radio Interview

On Dec 2, Guruji left for a day to Tawang, called the switzerland of india because of its beautiful landscape, its still rivers, its snow, its pine trees and lofty monasteries. There were entertaining moments when he was leaving and certain members of his entourage without seats wanted to travel with him and were trying to exchange with others who were. I had a wonderful chance to meet with some teachers and organizers who have with Art of Living for a long long time. One lady, Shashi ji, who is a pillar of art of living since 1985, used to organize apex courses for Guruji way back in '87. The power of the lady was phenomenal and her conversations with Guruji are almost like two close friends talking to each other. At one point, she ws telling Guruji "Aaaj aap pareshaan lag rahe ho. Jo bhi problem hai mujhko de do." :) (You seem tired today. Give me all your problems). And there were other teachers who have been working wonderfully for so long in the North East.

My afternoon seva was to take our guests from Canada on a tour and on shopping. There were 4 ladies from Canada, who belong to the indienous community there, and who mentioned how with conversion the entire local culture is being wiped out with escalating stress and problems in the society. Hitu, their Indo-Mauritian teacher did the translation between french and english for our sake. We went and saw the local museum which highlighted the dressing, weapons, early statues and paintings of the 26 major tribes who inhabit Arunachal even today. There is a huge diversity in the people here, from the monk-like Monpas of Tawang (in Eastern Arunachal), who build monasteries, work businesses and are more docile, to the hunter Wanchos of Tirap district, in western arunachal, who depend p

rimarily on hunting and have elaborate war helmets adorned with boar tusks and bear hide. We also saw the main Gompa, the Buddhist temple, of Itanagar, which was filled with paintings of all the Bodhis and the Yakshas. The temple was very serene.

After the touring, we went shopping for local handicrafts. We found a small Apatani shop and the ladies spent close to 2 hours shopping for all manners of local skirts, shawls and trinkets. We had lunch at E&K's, the Cafe Coffee Day of Itanagar, and we parted in the evening at their guest house.

On returning i was given the very pleasant job of escorting Vikram Bhaiya to the local FM station for a radio inerview, and i was off to the ashram to pick him up. Vikram bhaiya was to be interviewed in the most popular radio show here between 9 pm and 11 pm, and we arrived to a warm welcome at the radio station. After the initial pleasantries with the owner of the channel, bhaiya was headed to the interview, at which point RJ Samir asked me if i would also come along. Man, it was quite a thrill to be sitting inside a live studio with the big radio mikes. Although it was to be Vikram Bhaiya's interview, but the RJ introduced me as a 'youth specialist' f the Art of Living and asked me several questions on youth. This was totally a blast! Vikram Bhaiya is so perfect at everything he does, and it was a teat to watch his smooooth answers to all the questions that were posed.

After the show, i went with him to the ashram and we had a fun conversation on topics ranging from radio shows to macs. Was an unforgettable day.

Dec 1: A Day with the Master

In the company of a sadguru, when we are truly ourselves, time seems to slow down. Sights, sounds and words seem magnified, every happening is redolent with nuances, and life seems so much more special. One moment spent with him seems like a day, an hour feels like a month, a day like infinity. The last 5 days have changed something within. It feels like all the wonderful profound experiences, all the learnings of a lifetime were magically lived through in 5 days. And this is one of many more to come.

The first day he landed, Dec 1, we were all at the helipad waiting like mad for him. The weather 

was surprsingly (or maybe not) cheerful in the anticipation of his arrival. The sky shone azure, the verdant hills seemed to be dancing in stillness. His white and orange chopper made a nice, slow landing and he glided majestically. I got a chance to welcome him with a flower and gift him a white woolen cap. When recieving the cap, he remarked "Humein topi pehna rahe ho?" (tr. pulling a fast one on me?), at which we all laughed and i replied "Guruji, sar aapke havale hai" (Guruji, i am at your command) at which he laughed:)  The Tribal Women performed a traditional welcome dance and then we all rushed after him to inaugurate the

 new art of living center here. The elcome was done in Dyoni Polo ceremony (this is the local religion, which literally means worship of the sun and the moon). He spent some time here and then we were off to the Banquet Hall, the VIP guesthouse, where he occupied suite 110. He was resting, reading his emails and newspapers after a long day of travel and told me to read certain articles out to Him. After the newspapers, Guruji slept awhile and in the evening there were rounds of meetings with the local politicians and imprtant dignitaries. It was a treat to watch him so close in action. There is not a wasted comment, a wasted look or a wasted gesture. Everything He does, there is so much significance behind it. Sitting in his presence, i was feeling so charged and focused. He retired to rest around 10 in the night, and that was the end of a wonderful day!

YES Course, PDS passes, et al

People around the world have some things in common - all around the world parents force their children to brush, men always want the remote to the TV, and individuals suddenly realize that they dont have time when it is time to enrol into art of living courses. Thanks to working for YES+ courses, there are plenty of antidotes i have learned as a volunteer for that kind of behavior. Doors banged shut not withstanding, we have been getting positive vibes from people generally for the upcoming PDS - the first time our beloved Master will be conducting a PDS in North East India. Work is on in full swing and teams of teachers, volunteers, devotees are going door to door canvassing and enrolling people for the course. 

I also recieved a pleasant surprise on Sunday night, after completing the previous course, that i would have to conduct a YES course and here are 30 wonderful kids at the Royal International School here who now belong to me :) Will post pics tomorrow. The YES course is just so much fun that everyone should experiee this. We have been having rounds of suryanamaskar relay races, om games, etc etc. Will have an intro talk for PDS for all the students tomorrow and am hoping that we have a great turnout here....

Happy blogging and ciao for now

Youth course at RGU

Last week's course at the RGU in Itanagar went off well. There was a bit of drama when itstated out with some students noisily demanding the use of the venue when the kriya was going on, and i had to calm them down. The kriya went well with the participants. Disucssions were interesting and they were all moved by Love Moves the World'. Two interesting facts about the course, in the intro talk given at the girl's hostel 10 of them registered out of 21 on the spot. Secondly, the only guy in the course dropped out because he was too shy. So we had an all-girls course. Was great fun to teach, and many learnings. I returned on sunday night and am now reachable on my phone. Have started a YES course yesterday, so its back to back courses at present.

Rocking Rajiv Gandhi University

Hi, some delays in bloggin activities as i am presently put up in the Rajiv Gandhi university where i dont have an internet connection. So here are the latest happenings.

The Rajiv Gandhi university campus can be mistaken for a hill station resort. It is situated atop a small peak of the low lying Rono hillocks. I am here working towards hopefully the biggest youth course yet in Itanagar. The view all around the campus is gorgeous, As far as the eye can see there are green hillocks in every direction. The university has been very warm and gracious by offering me a stay in the special suite of their guest house, which has all amenities, including a TV, AC, sofas, double bed, dressing tables, study table and a view in 3 different directions. I landed here on Wednesday and met with the vice chancellor, Mr Belliappa, who has worked for 15 years with the Mysore university and then with Aatung, my friend and guide in the university. I have been traveling everyday to the town of Nahar Lagun, 15 kms away, to conduct knowledge sessions for my students from the last week’s course and it has been a blast so far. We conducted our first rounds of intro talks in the subansri and the lohit boys hostels yesterday and the response has been amazing. Most students wanted to enroll for the course. We have around 40 confirmations already. On Monday, I would approach the women’s hostel for intro talks and also start getting the forms filled and the money collected. The venue would be finalized on Monday for the course which shall be from Tuesday 28 oct, my birthday, to Sunday 2 November from 4-6.30 pm. Looking forward to a huge turnout. Will put up pics as soon as I get my camera. In the meantime, wishing you all happy blogging.

One thing i really enjoyed was conducting my first yes+ intro talk in hindi. Could not really translate ability to focus and relax and ability to handle doubts completely, as this may have killed off the effect somewhat. But you are welcome to offer suggestions for hindi points.

Another thing I immensely enjoy about the university, I get to jog down and up the 2.5 km hill atop which the university is situated every morning, and man, this is an experience to be had J