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We Must Be Responsible Citizens Too

Nowadays there are endless talks and discussions on TV about what went wrong during the terrorist attack and all the fingers point towards the irresponsible coverage of the media. They argue that nobody stopped the media from reporting at Trident or at Taj, there was no cordoning off the media and no control on broadcasting. Millions of people in India were watching the TV during that time, why didn’t they object? I was watching the live coverage too, I was getting offended with some of the useless talks that reporters were grilling at the public, but all I did was to change the channel and see what other channels were reporting. Not once did the thought come to my mind that I could call up the TV channels and ask them to stop reporting and telling them the dangers of exposing the details to their big bosses who were in constant touch with those terrorist, doing mass destruction. If the police and the government are in wrong for not stopping the media from reporting, then we are partly to be blamed too.

A new beginning, into a brand New Year…….2009

We have stepped into a brand new year 2009 and I have been so busy since the day one. They say that what you do on the first day of the year, you are likely to do it the whole year. Well then, 2009 seems a promising year and looks like I am to have the best of time throughout the year. Amen! I have been having family get together almost everyday. With Babaji in town, there was a large family in Mumbai visiting me. Anyway, on last day of the year 2008, my cousin (who has come to India without her spouse and kids) tells me that she did not want to go out for the New Year because her husband her asked her to stay safe. So she asked me to invite my friends and we could celebrate New Year just chilling at home. That sounded like a good idea. I invited few of my friends home for chilling in my house for 2-3 hours. On 31st night, my friends and their kids arrived at 10pm and the party started. I had made Samosas and Ragda, and my cousin made lasaniya (a baked dish), My friend brought Pineapple cake and I ordered Natural Ice cream. I had organized the games which had first and second prize as incentives and that became the best part of the evening. After having some snacks we started the first game, that was of acting out a situation. For example, a situation where your maid wins a lottery ticket and has become richer than you are and you react showing jealousy and regret or in another situation where you go to the market and you are getting cheated by vegetable hawker and you are protesting….. There were many different situations and the best actor won the prize. At 12 midnight we cut the cake and served it with ice cream, wishing everyone a ‘Happy new Year’, watching crackers from my balcony and then we returned back to resume our games. We then started to play ‘Snakes and Ladder’ which also had prize for the winner. This game was fun when playing in the group of adults and children. I had never had so much fun before on this board game. Climbing the steps, being bitten by snake or killing the pawn when he lands in the same slot added fun to the game. This game was never ending and it went on for more than an hour. Next game was throwing the dice and excluding the player who has minimum number on the dice. After most of them went back by 2am, my friend and I decided to do some networking, surfing and playing 'Spider Solitaire' on Computer and didn’t realize that it was 6am and it was time to sleep. We all were kids during this night, screaming and shouting like younger children, pinning for the prize and during that moment, we forgot that we are living in the competitive and dangerous world where security is lax. Just one month ago, we were glued to the TV, watching the terror, that had capsized my city of Mumbai.

Babaji’s Message in Mumbai on 4th January 2009

Babaji came to my town this week-end and I am reminded of those days when the satsang used to take place in Bandra and my whole lane, of 36th road, used to be filled with satsangis who would come from different parts of the world to attend the satsang and there would be so much cheer in my town. I was too young to understand the significance of Hazur Maharaji’s visit to my town but there used to be lot of excitement in my house. For me it was like Hazur Maharaji has come to Bombay and there will be Langar in my lane and I will enjoy the meals and drinks that can be purchased with coupons. The meals had special flavor and were enjoyed by non-satsangis as well. There would be many families in my lane who would not cook during the whole week. There were many guests in my house too, who would talk about the satsangs and about Hazur Maharaji’s life styles, which was normally after attending the discourse. They would meet with family and friends in my house and discuss the teachings and I would listen to them, not understanding a word. My family and my guests talked about meditating on Naam, about abstaining from meat and about adopting a simple and pure life style. Over the years, the venue for Satsang has changed. It now takes more than an hour (depending on traffic) to reach Bayander and listen to the satsang and get a glimpse of Babaji. Although the sangat has multiplied ten fold, the message has not changed over the years Babaji had same message to convey that Hazur Maharaji had repeated for forty years. Babaji preached the significance of Naam and our ignorance on understanding the true path of reaching God, and that path resides within us. And Babaji conveyed the same message, once more, this week-end. He began his satsang by saying: “Which spiritual route can be taken so that we are able to accomplish our goal of reaching God?” He stressed the importance of meditating on ‘Naam’ which is the true path and not to get discouraged easily. Every deed is recorded and according to the law of karma, we come back to this world again and again and built up more Karma and getting entangled in this vicious circle of birth and death. To be released from this cycle, we have to find the right path of truth. Our thoughts are scattered in the external world. By collecting all our scattered thoughts from nine apertures of our body and converging it to the eye centre, concentrating on ‘Naam’ we are able to connect the ‘Word’ with the ‘Sound’ which is within us and get the strength in liberating our self from this cycle of birth and death. ‘Naam’ is strength which is inside us and without which we cannot be alive, without ‘Naam’ there is no life. Shabd is the strength which has made the creation and without shabd everything is scattered. If we look outside in the world, we will never find it, the strength is inside. Although externally, it is known by many words, we cannot understand its strength unless we experience it our self. It is not connected to any one particular religion because it ihas stretched over centuries; it is this strength which is the basis of creation. Gurus and spiritual guides are just physical human being who show us the path and help us to recognize and connect the ‘Word’ with the ‘Light’ and ‘Sound’ which is within us. They are not Gods. We cannot get salvation by touching their feet or their clothes. To get salvation, we have to understand their message, absorb it and work hard on meditation to find its’ strength inside us. He cited the example of a child who is admitted in school. The child cannot pass his exam merely by touching his teachers’ feet and bowing down, he has to listen to what his teachers has taught him, understand it well and absorb it. He cited another example of a chef, who cannot fill his stomach by merely reading the cook books. Understanding and absorbing the method and then actually cooking it and eating the food will fill his stomach eventually. Similarly, we have to concentrate on the message of God. If there is no improvement in your behavior; if you cannot absorb the message and make your own life meaningful then, it is of no use of attending endless satsangs. The true value of satsang is maintained only when you understand the real purpose of attending it. Therefore it is important to understand the true meaning of ‘Naam’ which is the strength within us, a life supporting system, without which, our life is useless. We are so engrossed in ‘me’ and ‘Myself’ that we lose contact with the real thing and forget to concentrate on ‘Naam’ to reach the supreme goal. If you have true love for your Guru, then you should understand and follow his true message. He ended with a shabd that said, “Naam ki ghat Niyari….Gur prasadi karm karo….Bin satguru, Naam nahi jagge…. Radha Soami

Can College Students Work Without A Crown?

Doctors have advised me to take walks to stay healthy. The best place to have long walks is by the sea shore. I often go to Bandstand or Carter road for my evening walks. But there are times when I am too lazy to go to a sea shore, and the next best option is to go to a park on the linking road. That means walking on our Mumbai road. And it is a night mare walking on those Bandra streets. The uneven roads and open gutters are eye-sore. The road outside National College is in pitiful state. There is no proper footpath. Broken tiles and uneven roads make it too dangerous for walking. One false step and I could land in hospital with broken bones. Is our Bandra ward so poor that they cannot mend the roads? They use cheap materials that last only a week. Small pebbles and dust is scattered on the streets. This road is just outside National College but it does not affect even the young college students who use these roads everyday. Many years ago, during my short visit to Holland, I had seen young college students helping with the civil work of repairing and restoring the government buildings. It is the part of the curriculum in college to contribute to the community with their services and care. But would our college students in Mumbai do that? They would consider this too lowly a job to undertake. The college students in Mumbai take more active part in organizing noisy parties and having social entertainments. Are they capable to giving anything back to society? Everybody plays a blame game and pointer is always outward. After the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack, we saw many college students start a temporary uprising, shouting slogans, lighting candles and organizing loud street plays to divert the TV camera on their ego, but how many of them are really disturbed by the poor state of our Mumbai streets? Will somebody work without a proper crown to show off their credentials? Light off. Action Shoot.