My Guide, My Friend till eternity…

 I have mentioned this to some of my close friends a number of times, I am so grateful and feel so gracious to have so many wonderful and loving people around me, both professionally and personally. This is my personal tribute to a special person who has had a prodigious influence on me in so many ways.

 I have mostly been an agnostic person most of my life, never in my wildest dreams could I imagine someone having such an extraordinary impact in my life ever since I found HIM (rather HE found me, through co-incidence). HE changed my life and the life of so many others, I couldn’t really imagine getting pulled by a person who looked and behaved like an ordinary human being, yet his extraordinary ability to pull with his unconditional love is beyond mere words and beyond any comprehension.

 To start with, if not for HIS style of pragmatic talks and HIS charismatic aura, I wouldn’t come even close to anything “spiritual”. That way I feel HE was such a diplomat, pulled so many us close to HIM, tricked us into making us fall in LOVE with HIM. But beyond that, HE spoke with such authority as if HE was directly experiencing what HE was talking about, and not like a scribe quoting theories from scriptures. Gradually, the personal experiences and co-incidences I had with HIM, built my faith in HIM and brought me closer to HIM and to the practice of Surat-Shabd-Yoga (which essentially means union of attention and the sound current), HE really made me and many others experience unconditional LOVE in its purest form; HE truly exemplified LOVE and DEVOTION in its true essence. I strongly believe, any spiritual faith is established only through a series of experiences, merely listening to discourses and not following those leads nowhere and is a shear waste of time and quickly turns into blind faith. HE always maintained that the spiritual path that he’s urging us to tread on is based on living faith, it takes immense courage, requires exemplary determination in every aspect of life and necessitates one to fulfill all worldly obligations and not to run from them, claiming to be a spiritual being.

HE left HIS physical body on 24^th December 2020, and left so many of us with loads of unforgettable memories, it felt like a carnival which lasted 5 years. HE was a rare real Soorma (warrior), who reached the epitome of excellence in so many ways, which would take others lifetimes. HE reached the pinnacle of success in his personal and professional life and his spiritual life, the balance HE maintained in all dimensions of his life was truly exemplary. Never saw a frown on his eyebrows despite everything he went thru in his tireless trips across the globe despite being 90+ years of age, meeting hundreds of people 1:1 each day, which was hard to imagine but it seemed HE was on a mission, like a shepherd determined to find HIS marked sheep, before gong back home.

 Many of us will miss HIS physical presence would be an understatement, the thing that I’ll miss the most would be the grace and unconditional love flowing thru those twinkling eyes, which can’t be captured in mere words but only by sheer experience in HIS presence, HIS touch on the head, HIS pat on the cheeks, HIS powerful aura and a mere look from those eyes enough to bewitch anyone, as if they were a portal to a whole ocean of LOVE behind them. When I look at the last meeting with HIM in retrospect, with a bunch of us, I feel HE knew it was HIS last with us and HE showered HIS grace to the fullest. HIS favorite Shabd being “Jo mange thakur tere te, soyi soyi deve…” (The lord gives whatever is asked from him), which I have always felt has been more of a message from HIM, and something to be experienced and realised than a Shabd to be recited and listened to, but the bigger Question is do we know what we need as against what we ask for, I feel HE has known all along what I need and at what juncture. In one of HIS talks he quoted a verse from Krishna’s address to Arjun, which still reverberates in my ears and got embossed in my memory and a lifetime lesson in the way he explained - Yoga Karmasu Kaushalam, which essentially means doing your duty to the best of your abilities and to the best of skills without getting attached to the results and the outcome, is the purest and highest form of yoga.

 I miss HIM, I long to meet HIM again some time somewhere, though I know HE would be smiling upon me as I pen down this narration, the memory of HIM holding my hand is so fresh as if it happened yesterday, as HE looked into my eyes, as if HE could see through me and my soul and said “Amit, do you know I’m with you all the time…”

A beginning...

Close to the city of Paithan, in a small village called Sauviragram, which lay along the banks of the great river Godavari, lived a woman named Ilaa. Being cotton farmers, her family was well to do, but not among the richest in their area. It was the harvest season, and cotton had to be picked from the plants. The wholesalers and traders from Paithan would be arriving in just a few weeks, carrying gold and goods for barter. They would exchange what they carried for the cotton that the farmers grew. The bales of cotton had to be ready in time! Work was at its peak!

But Ilaa was not to be found in the fields. She wasn't working. Instead, she was sitting by the banks of the great river Godavari. 'I am sick of this!' she grunted loudly.

Yet another conversation with her mother had left Ilaa dismayed, the words still echoing in her ears "Your father is a respectable man in society, you're letting him down, Madhavrao Ji himself walked upto him." Ilaa failed to understand how her resentment to marriage could bring disrepute to her father, Tukaram.

Staring at the silent waters, Ilaa for once thought about diving into Godavari and attaining "moksha-tirtha" –liberating her soul from this shackled existence forever. Something within her did not want to succumb without a fight. Ilaa's grandmother's words would reverberate in her ears every time she lost temper - "You're a brave girl, keep calm and learn to channelize your anger."

The sequence of events of late had unfolded rather quicker than Ilaa had expected after a clandestine meeting of Tukaram with Madhavrao, one of the wealthiest merchants in Sauviragram, in Jyotirlinga temple a fortnight ago. Tukaram was thanking his stars at the prospect of his only child getting married in a reputed family. Madhavrao’s brother, Hrishikesh had convinced both the families to consider marrying off Ilaa with Madhavrao's son, Arun. Hrishikesh wanted Madhavrao to gain access to Tukaram's Buddhist cotton traders who used to visit him in huge numbers after every harvest. Tukaram on the other hand, saw a golden opportunity of Ilaa getting married to wealthy and well known merchants of Paithan. He could finally heave a sigh of relief.

Ilaa had little idea, while she was trying to figure out what conspiracy was being hatched, Madhavrao had offered a package comprising of a pair of red Paithani Sarees as an act of acceptance of this marriage alliance. The package was full of fruits, with a familiar mark of an elephant seal symbolizing premium goods from Buddhist merchants who came over with ships full of imported goods and to barter their gold with the cotton bales of Sauviragram.

Ilaa was 23, she had been a scrupulous student and a talented Orator, she had always helped her father in agricultural pursuits. Her wish was to expand her father's cotton trading business. Having won accolades in recent philosophical debates in Sauviragram’s Shada (School), Ilaa was upset that her credentials and her social freedom was being neglected at the behest of her father wanting to marry her off.

Hrishikesh had arranged a meeting with Kawale Ji, a prominent priest in Naag-Ghat. During Chhartrapati Shivaji's brief halt in Paithan, on his way to Jalna in 1679, he appointed Kawale - leading priest of Paithan as the royal priest. Age was catching up fast with Kawale Ji, he seldom entertained common folks. Hrishikesh was a resourceful man; Madhavrao & Tukaram were also overwhelmed with Kawale Ji’s magnanimous generosity.

Ilaa got up from the Godavari banks; lost in her thoughts she passed by the cotton farmers in the nearby fields. Some were still plucking cotton from the plants, while the others were beating the plucked cotton into bales with quick rhythmic grunts.

"Where is your father?" asked her mother Lakshmi. Ilaa silently walked into the house, still upset over the altercation with her mother this morning.

Lakshmi replied, "What's wrong with you, ever since your grandmother expired..."

Ilaa interrupted with a meek voice - "Mother, It's not because of her, I do not want to discuss this any further"

“What is wrong with this girl?” Tukaram walked into the house with a vociferous voice.

Ilaa - "Father, just listed to me once"

Tukaram’s cacophonous reply came instantly - "I’ve had enough, we leave in the first light of dawn, the Buddhist merchants would be here in a couple of days."

Lakshmi sat next to Ilaa. Silence meant acceptance in Tukaram's family. Small clouds had gathered over Sauviragram, worrying Tukaram about his cotton bales, but it rarely rained at this time of the year.

"God, save us from the rains, and give this girl some brains" - Tukaram murmured retiring to his bed after gulping a glass of milk.

Ilaa lay still staring at the open sky. She missed her grandmother's endless stories about lives of Aryan women being so different than it's today, the delineation of rig-Vedic society had a long lasting impression, she would say - "Ilaa - the status of Hindu women in our land has been fluctuating since Vedic times. The women of the past enjoyed freedom in pursuing their interests in Vedas and arts, they were treated as Ardhanginis by their husbands, they were deemed to be equal when it came to prestige and respect that was accorded to her in comparison to the male counterpart. The husband used to consult his wife on all social and financial matters. A family in which women suffer is bound to be ruined. You must treat your mother as the most venerable person in the world."

The next morning Tukaram & Ilaa left for Naag-Ghat. Madhavrao's family will meet him at the venue.

Madhavrao, Tukaram, Hrishikesh, Arun & Ilaa reached Naag Ghat next morning. The temple besides, Naag Ghat was full of Kawale Ji's disciples, some of them were busy watering the plants in the temple premises, the others were preparing lunch in huge containers stationed in the corner. It was summer but a cool breeze was blowing across the temple.

Hrishikesh seemed to be well aware about the surroundings; he went straight ahead in a small quarter, right next to the main temple while the others waited outside. Few moments later Hrishikesh came out and waved his hand asking the others to walk in. Upon entering, Ilaa saw a lean looking Brahmin with vermilion applied on his forehead, sitting on a raised platform amongst his disciples, in the middle of the quarter. The disciples started leaving one after the other, touching Kawale Ji's feet as they left.

When all disciples had left, Kawale Ji whispered something to Hrishikesh. Hrishikesh asked the others to sit on the carpet below. Kawale Ji greeted all of them with a nod; his smile was reciprocated by all.

Kawale Ji spoke - "The girl and the boy should come forward, I would like to read their palms"

Arun and Ilaa slanted forward. Arun already had his palm outstretched to Kawale Ji. Even before Kawale Ji could comment anything, Ilaa said in a feeble voice – “Panditji, I'm not ready for this marriage."

Arun saw at Ilaa for the first time since they had arrived. Hrishikesh looked at Madhavrao and shrugged his shoulders in amazement.

Madhavrao was awestruck - "Tukaram Ji, What is all this? We've sought Pandit Ji's precious time to seek a marriage date."

Tukaram's voice almost cracking - "Madhavrao Ji, please do not mind her words, she's ignorant about the practicalities…"

Hrishikesh tried calming down everyone with his dogmatic voice - "Kawale Ji's time is precious, we must not waste..."

Kawale Ji intervened, he had a sense of calmness in his voice, he turned towards Ilaa "What is it my child? Haven’t you been consulted in this matter?"

Ilaa, for the first time looked at Kawale Ji and nodded in denial – “I don’t want to”

Tukaram - "Ilaa, how dare you. Do you even realize the consequences of what you're saying", He turned towards Kawale Ji - "Pandit Ji - Ilaa is a little upset these days, more so after her grandmother's death few months ago. I'm sure she'll do just fine after marriage"

Kawale Ji spoke slowly - "Ilaa my child - What is it that you want? Like every father, Tukaram Ji is trying to do the best he can, you must abide"

Ilaa gathered courage to speak up - "Pandit Ji - I want to be independent, I want to go places and trade our goods, I want to expand my father's business. The Buddhist trader, who buys cotton bales from my father every year and also visits Europe every season, says there has been a debate in Roman parliament about banning all types of luxurious imports. I foresee a downfall in Paithan's economy; I want to contribute my learnings for well-being of Sauviragram. If I marry, I'm afraid all this may not be possible." Ilaa said it all in one shot.

Madhavrao and Hrishikesh stood up in unison as Madhavrao’s pitch rose “Tukaram Ji, What’s all this? Are you backing off from your word which you gave me few days ago?”

Ilaa looking at her father straight in the eye "Father, I want to help you; I believe I have potential to bring about this change and help you and Sauviragram’s farmers"

Tukaram’s face went red and his eyes wide open while he looked at Ilaa “Ilaa, This is my final decision, this discussion is over, you’re letting me down.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Very well then, few hiccups are usual in such matters, kids need guidance from their guardians, it’s all sorted out now. Let’s seek the marriage dates from Kawale Ji, people tell me next month is an auspicious one” - Hrishikesh’s voice almost suppressing everyone else’s; all his negotiation skills were being put to test.

Kawale Ji was the only one smiling amid all this chaos. Hrishikesh kept staring at the faces in the room with a peculiar smile. Ilaa’s world came down crashing. It’s not that she had expected anything better from this discussion but she had sensed a glimmer of hope after voicing over her concerns, she didn’t have an iota of remorse on what she said. She thought she had mastered the art of debating, her knees weakened, her head pointing downwards. “Is this the end of all my hopes?” she thought. 

Tukaram was relieved; the worse was over he thought. Madhavrao forced a smile as he looked at Tukaram.

Arun, who had been a silent observer amid all this, imbibing all discussions, made a capricious comment - "I refuse to marry Ilaa". 

All eyes turned on Arun as his laconic reply struck as lightening, even as Arun's eyes were transfixed on Ilaa.

Hrishikesh trying to manage the situation, like he had negotiated so many times in his business dealings in the local markets of Sauviragram – “Arun, your concurrence was sought before proceeding, backing-off is not an option here. Your father and Tukaram have also agreed on…”

“Uncle, Please stop, this is not a business deal” - Arun intervened without even looking at Hrishikesh. This left Hrishikesh red faced. Madhavrao was taken aback with Arun’s comment.

Ilaa had a star like glitter in her eyes; she knew this conversation was over. Tukaram couldn’t accept this with equal alacrity.

Kawale Ji smiled and looked at Tukaram, his voice firm as ever - "Ilaa is a bright girl, the entire room was filled with energy when she arrived, she'll do well whatever she pursues. You must treat her with kindness and consideration; you must take her into confidence before deciding anything. It’s must for a girl child to gain knowledge and utilize her learnings if we expect the society to respect women in our land in the coming centuries" 

Ilaa couldn't believe what she heard.

“A family in which women suffer is bound to be ruined”, Kawale Ji continued. Her respect for Kawale Ji had grown ten folds by this time. "Go back and seek consensus within your families, there is a dissonance amongst you, no one will benefit from this alliance, it will only exacerbate things" Kawale Ji declared looking at Madhavrao and Tukaram.

Madhavrao looked at Hrishikesh - "I've never been insulted like this in my lifetime." Tukaram knew Madhavrao's comment was not meant for Hrishikesh, it was for him. Belligerent Madhavrao stormed out of the small quarter, Hrishikesh followed his brother. Arun glanced at Ilaa with a smile, touched Kawale Ji’s feet and left.

Kawale Ji looked at Arun as he was leaving – “He’s a good lad with a stable head on his shoulders. Ilaa is a special child Tukaram Ji; one day she’ll be your pillar of strength”

Tukaram’s shoulders dropped, he had succumbed to the situation; he had given up on Ilaa. Paying their regards to Kawale Ji, they prepared to leave Naag-Ghat. None of them spoke on the return journey. Hrishikesh and Madhavrao didn’t wait any further; they had left immediately with Arun.

In the next one month, Tukaram’s family buried themselves in work; they bartered their cotton bales with gold by the time harvest season ended. The decline in the number of traders and merchants was a cause of concern not only for Tukaram but for the entire Sauviragram.

One month later, Ilaa went on to address a gathering of 300 merchants in Palthi Naagri, a small town near Paithan. She wore the Paithani gold & silver colored sari with Jacquard border, vermilion applied across her forehead. Ilaa was nervous but she was not scared, she had participated in numerous debates, but a gathering this huge was something she had never handled before, she needed confidence more than her arduous preparations, she began - "We're all aware about the quality of textiles Paithan produces, there is no parallel of Paithani in the contemporary world. We have trade and commerce links with marts across Europe but of late there has been a downfall in our exports. We must find alternate markets and create alternate channels for marketing our goods, keeping all our eggs in one basket may not help. We must tie up in a profit sharing model with merchants who visit us in every harvest. We have the economic & cultural wherewithal to take our exports to the next level..."

Ilaa went on and on, she was gasping for breath by the time she ended. She was nervous, "You're a brave girl, keep calm..." she kept repeating it to herself. The crowd had witnessed one of the finest speeches delivered, Arun sat in the first row of the crowd, he was clapping non-stop, with an esoteric smile on his face.

Tukaram came forward and kissed Ilaa's forehead, non-stop tears flowing down his eyes. Ilaa's eyes welled up as she hugged her mother, words wouldn't come out even when she was trying hard to say something, she had never seen her father express himself ever in her lifetime. Ilaa knew this was just the beginning.

Cross Roads

This is more than a delayed post, This compendium of my thoughts then, has had the privilege of being in my Inbox for almost a year now.

Last few days have been full or ardor and ambiguity owing to the aberrant happenings - A Job switch & Off-Course my parent's New Year resolution getting fulfilled - My Wedding :) One of my school teachers had a favorite terse that my subconscious mind refuses to forget- "Nothing is permanent in the world except change". I find myself on yet another cross roads of change. Folks close to me would know that It has never been a good feeling to hop places. I landed in the city of gardens with an intriguing belief to give my career a new lease of life post MBA. As a callous being, I must honestly admit that I got more than I could have asked for-both professionally & personally.

One of my ex-colleagues did more than enough to sow the seeds of doubts as to whether the decision to make a move was a wise one. An audacious gentleman went to the extent of admonishing me about too many changes in quick succession. I may never be sure if i made the right decision but my instincts tell me that however alluring it might be but i'm also cognizant of the fact that I'll never regret moving closer to my family, at least for a while :) I long to find out what the future beholds for me as I gear-up and brace myself to accept the biggest change of my life.

Drive for Rash Drive

Last Friday while returning from my office, I witnessed a tragic road accident, perhaps a hit and run case. The crowd was swarming around a biker who was lying unconscious flat on the road and his helmet crashed to pieces besides him. A moment later an ambulance arrived but it looked like the damage was beyond repair and unthinkable was inevitable for the young biker. These days it has become so easy to run over a common man or being run over by somebody in the capricious crowded streets of metro  cities. Road accidents are on the rise, proving to be fatal and are threatening to reach alarming proportions. Unending streams of rucks, cars, buses and two wheelers can be found overtaking each other in the peak hours of the day, I myself came close to hitting a girl who was speeding on the wrong side of the road.

While probing the reasons for the rash behavior, I came across an interesting cogent analysis arrived at through a research carried out by a group of MBA graduates. Driving under the influence of alcohol can neither be condoned nor forgiven but, is indulgence in drinking the only reason for reckless driving especially amongst the youths. Perhaps not, a desire to impress the opposite sex and peer pressure are considered to be the other primary drivers for the act, a recent survey done by a group of XLRI MBA graduates elicited this finding. As per the empirical analysis in the report, out of all the casualties caused, 33% involve teenagers and a drive to impress the opposite sex and competing with their counterparts are considered to be a major factors in committing the act. The findings in the report delineate that two wheeler accidents have increased by 11% in the last 3 years, most of these fledgeling teenagers don't carry a valid driving license. We shouldn't get duped by this insanity which is so prevalent, driving fast in no means should be misconstrued as an indicative of positive attitude towards life.

Let us discuss the counter measures of tackling the insanity of rash driving. In a state of anarchy, the rash driving has a lot to do with the lack of speed monitoring cameras in the cities, all the major junctions must have a surveillance camera in place to monitor and track down the rash drivers. Hit and run cases need to be catered to immediately unlike the infamous BMW case which as been pending for more than a decade now. Perhaps dual-coded signals which delineate a tragic accident would be more impactful especially for the youth community. Hefty fines for the rule flaunting defaulters and banners of gory pictures are useful measures that can bring some decorum and prove deterrent to the rate of road accidents.

A Tribute to the Legend

Very rarely has a Biopic been inspiring enough for me to blog about it. Tigmanshu Dhulia's Paan Singh Tomar is a laudable act in every aspect and watching it was a mesmerizing and mollifying experience. Paan Singh Tomar, a gregarious affable tall man with a hard angular face is delineated as a diligent Army man whose taking up sports just to meet his dietary needs was as amusing as his sending his children for a lemon toffee to catch up with his wife. Even more hilarious was his attitude after being abused by his coach in a racing event. Nevertheless once a phlegmatic serving Subedar in the Indian Army for Roorkee regiment and seven times steeple chase winner at the national games, he turned a maverick to bring havoc in the Chambal Valley. His national steeplechase record stood as tall as his stature, for more than two decades only to be broken by countryman Gopal Saini in 1981. His 2000 strides for a 3000 meters steeplechase race is still a benchmark for Indian Athletes. Tigmanshu Dhulia deserves credit for raising a question as to whether it's worth being a patriot, more importantly so since Paan Singh chose to pick up a gun over a candle or a pen. He defied the system which more often than not goes Gandhian way to approach a problem related to political system's flaw. Why does the political system disown its patriots who were once willing to pour in every bit of their sweat for the nation's pride. Why can't the system forestall such events from happening. Having done a bit of research about Paan Singh, I still believe he was more of a patriot than a decoit, he got pushed into the latter role after falling a victim to the corrupted system. The biopic is a classic delineation as to how society mistreats its heroes, In one of the scenes Paan Singh is apparently asked to put on the spikes just before the race in Asian Games, he loses the race just because he was not accustomed to running with spikes on. Another scene shows how medals won for the country fail to move a corrupt police officer to perform his duty pushing Paan Singh towards fighting fire with fire. It's indeed sad but true that several Atheletes have gone into bolivian begging for recognition, let us hope this falls into deaf ears of management committee which couldn't even offer cab fares and couldn't clear hotel bills for our women Kabbaddi world cup winning Team this year. Earlier last year some of the sportswomen even committed to having banned drugs to boost their athletic performance claiming they were subjected to the act by their very own coaches; such incidents can neither be condoned nor forgiven. This goes to show how sorry state state of affairs our sports management is in a country so obsessed with Cricket. Playing for the nation is a matter of pride and one would always cherish this moment, high time we stop mistreatment of our patriots. We must draw a fine line between politics, money and sports, unless there is a transparency, the future of Indian sports would continue to look bleak and precarious.

Road Ahead...

Life comes a full circle. I got a Job offer from Wipro on 28/2/2010 and I was blessed with a Job yet again at Wipro on 28/2/2011 post MBA. The feat was well acclaimed by my dear ones, with their blessings I guess this was destined. In the wee hours of 5th of May, Sunday 2011, I stand at the cross roads of yet another beginning to an exciting journey. The much awaited joining at Wipro Bangalore as a Bid Manager is just a few hours away. A familiar buzz at New Delhi Terminal T-3 and One of my dearest friends coming over to see me off makes me feel even more nostalgic. A Bangalorean kid is at his aesthetic best while carving out a pic of the animated character Doremon unmindful of the cacophony around him. What the future holds for me at the city of gardens would definitely be a huge learning experience for me and I look forward to cherish each and every moment with the zealots of Bangalore.

Disaster Management - An ignored aspect!!

Recent rescuing of 33 trapped Chile miners is an excellent example of disaster management. The credit not only goes to the Chile government for avoiding what could have been an unforgettable tragedy in the recent times but also to the intrepidal miners who were trapped for more than a month 1650 feet under the earth's surface. The rescue operation was being broadcasted live throughout the world round the clock. The government headed operation put an end to the ordeal of the miners. It's an amazing story of how a disaster management exercise should be carried out and there is nothing like sheer patience in such a situation. This is what management and leadership is all about. "A never give up" hope and striving for the ultimate goal tirelessly is what was required to handle the situation with lot of human lives at stake. Chileans have shown us the way. Perhaps tragedies like BP Oil spill, Terror attacks could have been better handled and there are a lot of takeaways from the rescue operation carried out by Chile government. A "pigeon transport system" was used to carry food & drugs to the heart of the earth. Urzua, a 54 year old veteran was the "group captain" credited with managing miners underground for more than a month. Lot of disaster management tools and techniques were used in the rescue operation. In such a technologically advanced world, the rescue operation went on for close to two months. Disaster management is a crucial field which needs immediate attention. Perhaps there should be disaster management courses to equip professionals which is the need of the hour. The incident is truly a source of inspiration for us all!!