Harnessing The Heart

Naguk.com

2010-06-11T16:35:00.001+08:00

I’m blogging directly on my main website

The Law of Causation

2010-05-13T18:10:00.001+08:00

The Rishis of Yore found that it implicitly obeys four fundamental and essential rules of the Law of Causation in all its working:

There can be no effect without a cause;
The "EFFECTS" are none other than the "CAUSE" itself in another form.
When the "CAUSE" is removed from the "EFFECT" nothing of the EFFECT can remain.
Therefore, the cause is concurrent and inherent in the effect.

The BMI Chart

2010-05-05T16:57:00.001+08:00

by Swami Chinmayananda

What Is Bondage?

I am what I am, a confused confounded entity. At one moment I am a sweet little thing, at another, a terrible monster, because of the variety of gratifications of my physical demands of lusts, mental demands for emotional satisfactions and because of my perturbed intellect, tossed by its endless mischievous thoughts. Somehow, I am aware of all this. Yet I cannot get out of it. Why this helpless bondage? All these pernicious sorrows arise because I, the Atman, misunderstand myself to be the not-Self (an-atman).

Suppose in a drunken mood you misunderstand your¬self to be your own shadow. Terrible suffering must then start for you. You find that you are lying down on the road, and the traffic is incessantly passing over you. Your head is sometimes in the filthy, way-side gutter. You refuse to move because you are being dragged. Thus, all the sufferings of the shadow become your sufferings. A simple misunderstanding that you are your shadow becomes the source of a chain of terrible sufferings.

Similarly, the misunderstanding, "I am being anatman", is the spring-board for all bondages and limitations that are suffered in voiceless agony by our personality. To end this misunderstanding would be redeeming at once our personalities from the encrustations of matter and its tyranny. One who is released from the tyrannies of matter is a God-man on earth—perfect, free, liberated totally from the weaknesses which characterize a mortal. God, apparently suffering the sorrows of persecuting matter is man.

In the dream when I forget my real nature, I identify with the things projected by me in the dream and suffer the consequences. The sufferings of the dream last only till I wake up. The moment I wake up and realize my real nature, all the sorrows of the dream end. When in a drunken state 1 forget my real nature, I keep the wrong relationship with the world around me, and consequen¬tly, I come to suffer. A mad man, because of some psychological changes in him, forgets himself, and starts behaving wrongly in the world around him. In the same manner I, who is God, the Para atman, the pure Self, not understanding myself, in the non-apprehension of my Real Nature, start creating misapprehensions. Then identifying myself with the not-self, which I am not, I come to suffer the pains of existence created by myself for myself.

This identification with the not-Self in each one of us is the cause of our life's sufferings. In a cinema-hall, we iden¬tify ourselves with the hero or the heroine on the screen. We feel happy at their happiness and agony at their sorrows.

As a result of this bondage, this is nothing other than our identification with the not-Self; the Atman— which is never born nor ever dies, which is ever the same, Eternal, Pure, seems to suffer the pangs of an app¬arent birth and death. Such a fall from the height of an eternal and everlasting state of perfection to the ever-changing ephemeral state of imperfection is caused by this identification alone.

The ‘unreal' is that which was not and that which shall never be, but only apparently exists. This is otherwise called an illusion. The body which was not there before birth and shall not be there after death, but is only tem¬porarily existent, must fall under the category of the 'unreal'. But because of Man's spiritual ignorance, and his consequent bondages, this body which is mortal, is considered by him as his real nature.
When this body is not only considered real, but in total identification with it, when a man asserts that the body alone is real, then there can be only one duty in life for him. That duty is to fatten, to nourish, to feed it and enjoy himself thoroughly. Here we have the true to life picture of what we are.

Think of the tragedy. You must attend to this body cons¬tantly, all the twenty-four hours of all the three hundred and sixty-five days of a year, nay, and one day more in a leap year. There is no escape. You must be with it all the time, without any holiday. An all-time-servant you become of your own body. You can have a release from your office, home, friends, society, —from everything, but not from this body-catering-mission in life.

Because of this indentification you must preserve this body, feed it, clothe it, treat it, when ill, and when necessary it must also get a blood transfusion or a heart transplant. It is not sufficient that we look after and preserve the body, but we must also run after all the ob¬jects desired by it—house, car, radio, air-conditioner, television and what not! 'Why am I living so contentedly in this slavery?' 'Because this body is me. My body's happiness is my happiness.'

Once we are under the hallucination that we are worms, we certainly become afraid of all insectivorous birds. This fear will vanish only when we are convinced that we are human beings and not worms. No matter how many times a psychiatrist tells us that are not worms, it will not help us if we do not realize that we are human beings.
Similarly, however much the Teacher may tell us that we are the Para atman, we may read and study books like the Vivekachoodamani, we may attend satsangs, and discuss in study groups, but deep down in ourselves we are convinced that we are this body only. Why? Because of the avidya, the non-apprehension of our Real, Divine, Spiritual Nature.

The Silk-worm spins fine threads from its own saliva and weaves a cocoon around itself. The cocoon becomes stronger and stronger until at last the worm gets en¬tangled in it and cannot come out. Similarly, once the misunderstanding that, 'I am the body' has arisen, this false notion makes endless demands for the preserva¬tion of the body. These demands multiply and they become so strong that the individual gets gagged and bound by them.

Under the circumstances, your personality becomes con¬ditioned by these endless demands and your essential vitalities, capacities and intelligence fail to bloom and express themselves as they get shackled and conditioned at all times by your past, which you have woven into ines¬capable patterns around yourself. All this arose from one the same spring-board—you forgot yourself. You lived all along, misunderstanding yourself to be the matter equip¬ment of BMI, the not-Self (anatman). In this condition, you come to experience sufferings. This is called bondage (samsara-dukham).

How Chinmaya Mission Trains Leaders

2010-04-27T13:30:00.001+08:00

Source: http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5058

The two-year Vedanta course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Mumbai demands rigorous personal discipline, deep devotion and intense scriptural study

CHINMAYA MISSION'S TRAINING PROGRAM IS NO ORDINARY COURSE OF STUDY. IT IS A 24/7 COMMITMENT OF BODY, MIND AND SOUL TO AN IMMERSIVE SPIRITUAL ADVENTURE. A RECENT GRADUATE, ACHARYA VIVEK, RECOUNTS HIS EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE. BY ACHARYA VIVEK, CHINMAYA MISSION NIAGARA, CANADA

Some great men try to improve the world by changing the outer settings of economic and societal conditions. A few greater men try to change the processes and the vision of the masses. The very greatest achieve a complete and lasting transformation, one individual at a time. That was Swami Chinmayananda's vision when he created Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in 1963. Sandeepany was the name of Lord Krishna's guru, and sadhanalaya means, "place of sadhana"--disciplined spiritual practice. Here the acharyas (teachers) of Chinmaya Mission are trained in a two-year program which begins and ends on Ganesha Chathurti. A year later, a new course begins. I was honored to join the 13th course, which commenced in 2005.

I was born and raised in Niagara Falls, Canada, to devotees of Swami Tejomayananda, the current head of Chinmaya Mission. I pursued all that any young Canadian would: higher education, travelling, fancy possessions. Like everyone else, I followed these pursuits for the sake of happiness. And like everyone else, happiness eluded me--time and time again. This was an intensely tiring period of my life.

Relief came from a most unexpected source. I had learned that Swami Tejomayananda himself was going to be the Resident Acharya, head teacher, for the upcoming Vedanta Course. Wondering how the head of Chinmaya Mission could take so much time away from the 300 centers and 300 acharyas around the world who constantly seek his presence, I asked myself: Will studying Vedanta from a swami in an ashram teach me to be content? Is this what I am looking for? The answer came to me: I will never know unless I try.

I was one applicant among 700. Of these, 160 were interviewed, and 70 were selected. In August of 2005, sixty of us arrived at the Mumbai ashram. We were a perfect sampling of the global diaspora: seven countries, five decades of birth dates--ages 21 to 65--and, yes, two genders, all unmarried. We were dispatched to our assigned buildings: unmarried men in Vivekalaya and unmarried women in Yashodalaya.

Householders and older participants were called "guest students" and technically distinguished from the brahmacharins (unmarried seekers). In practice, however, everyone taking the course was called "brahmacharin," i.e., one pursing Brahman. The guest students were housed in Chinmaya Vihar and treated more leniently. For example, their rooms had attached baths and air conditioning, and they could leave the ashram more freely for errands and such. On the other hand, during the course they were not called as often to speak in front of classes or the public. Being householders, they, of course, did not have the option of taking Brahmachari Diksha, the formal initiation into the path of renunciation, upon completion of the program.

My classmates' reasons for enrolling in the course were much like mine. Cauvery Bhalla of Mumbai said, "It is our common experience to get an object only to figure out that's not what we truly wanted. It is also common to come across people who know exactly what they don't want, yet are unable to point out what it is they do want. So, life goes on, endlessly chasing one object after another yet feeling no satisfaction. This has been the problem of humanity since time immemorial."

Sudha Shastry of Sydney, Australia, shared a similar idea: "I desperately needed a change. I needed more meaning to my life. I decided to give Sandeepany Sadhanalaya a try. I had nothing to lose. If it did not work out, I could always go back to my job."

Atharvana Chaitanya, who had come from Ahmedabad, India, offered his initial impression of Sandeepany: "This holy institute of Vedantic studies offers just the right environment for any seeker of knowledge to blossom into a perfect being. Everyone is given enough 'space,' within a non-judgmental atmosphere, to be able to drop all inhibitions and be what one is."

The Day Begins

Our first day of classes was September 7, and I was rattled. Never had I witnessed such oppressive heat and rain as Mumbai had to offer during this monsoon season. Never had I lived in a place where everyone seemed to know what they were doing, except me. Sudha, I found out, was equally lost, sighing, "I did not know what I had signed up for."

We gathered in our freshly donned white outfits for the inauguration ceremony. Swami Purushottamananda, Swami Brahmananda and the senior acharyas welcomed and blessed the class. Swami Purushottamananda declared, "It is time to forget about your dress and your address."

Ring, ring, ring, went the 4am bell--for 750 consecutive mornings. Although I had no problem with this discipline, some of us found it a hardship even after two years! Our first class of the day was Vedic chanting at 5:30 with Samvid Chaitanya. Born in Kerala, Samvidji spent many years as a wandering monk in the Himalayas, and eventually found himself at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya. We were fortunate that Swami Tejomayananda selected this young, experienced brahmachari to live with us and guide us through our challenges. "A scholar and teacher par excellence," said Shivani Khorana of Delhi, "Samvidji kept us engaged with his innovative teaching style and approachable nature."

Lacking any previous voice training, I found the Sanskrit chanting with its high pitch and low pitch quite a struggle. Vedic chanting was a sadhana I had never been exposed to in the West! Eventually I came to love it as a fine art.

The chanting set the mood for the next class: Vedanta philosophy. Like all classes during the course, it was taught in English.

Having casually grown up within Chinmaya Mission, I arrogantly thought I knew what Vedanta is and who a guru was. In retrospect, I knew nothing. I joined Sandeepany to study spirituality. Yet, at the time I had no idea what was special about Vedanta versus what I learned in high school or university. Soon, though, I came to understand that every class I had ever taken, at any level of schooling, was objective science--a study of the outside world. What I was now studying in the ashram was subjective science--a study of myself. I was humbled by the realization that I knew so much about the world and so little about my body, mind and soul.

Cauvery expresses a similar experience: "Imagine walking into a city of mirrors--a city where every inch, the roads we walk on, the walls that surround us, is covered with mirror glass. Every step in that city would be an effortless discovery of a new facet of oneself. Some facets would reveal beauty, and some facets ugliness. Sandeepany Sadhanalaya is such a city of mirrors."

Delving into Vedanta Scriptures

Every morning at 7am and every afternoon at 4pm, guided by Swami Tejomayananda, we would plunge into the mystical language of our scriptures--breaking up our habits of limited thinking in the process. Mentally and intellectually raised to heights I had never imagined, I was ready to listen to him all day, every day. Swamiji personally taught eighty percent of our Vedanta classes over the next two years, an extraordinary commitment.

The first text we studied was Adi Shankaracharya's Tattva Bodha. Our journey continued with Vidyaranya Swami's Panchadashi, Ramana Maharishi's Saddarshanam, Mandukya Upanishad with Gaudapada's Karika, and dozens more. Finally, we took up Adi Shankaracharya's Jivanmuktananda Lahari--the experience of an enlightened personality.

Through Swamiji's devotion to India's great saints, I was able to catch a glimpse of their greatness. This was especially true for Veda Vyasa Rishi and his Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. With tears in his eyes, Swamiji would bring tears to my eyes as he lovingly taught what Lord Krishna taught Prince Arjuna in the Gita. I am filled with reverence knowing the scripture dates back over 5,000 years, yet its message of serving and surrendering is as relevant today as ever.

When I was a youth, Swami Tejomayananda would stay at our home whenever he visited Niagara Falls. Devotees from all around used to flock by the hundreds to be in his presence. To me, the whole scene seemed boring. He was just another swami, only with a cool title--head of Chinmaya Mission. Only after I actually listened to him explain the subtlest of texts, like the Upanishads and Brahma Sutras did I come to appreciate his brilliance.

"There are only a few acharyas in the whole world who can teach what he can the way he can. Perhaps this is the reason why Swamiji was honored as 'Hindu of the Year' in 2005 by Hinduism Today," remarked Prabhat Chaitanya, a student from Toronto, Canada.

Sanskrit, Language of the Gods

After an hour's discourse and breakfast, Sanskrit class commenced at 9:30am. When I had first mentioned to Swamiji that I was interested in joining the Vedanta Course, he laughed, and told me to learn as much Sanskrit as possible before coming to Sandeepany. Determined, I started setting aside an hour a day to learn this language of the Gods. Within a month I had to give up as I struggled to even write the script. A teacher would be necessary for me to ever learn Sanskrit. But here, thanks to Samvidji, I not only learned the alphabet, but how to read shlokas, write exams and interpret our scriptures. Shivani said of Samvidji, "Not only did he get us to learn Sanskrit, he also instilled a deep love for the language."

Knowing Sanskrit was a great aid in chanting the Lord's names--which was our next session. I had never been a ritual-oriented person. Rituals seemed irrational, insubstantial. Hence, when informed we were to chant Vishnusahasranama at noon every day, I had the same initial reaction as towards Sanskrit study--an inefficient use of time. But this seemingly mindless chanting eventually became quite meaningful. Swamiji took the time to explain what each of Lord Vishnu's 1,000 names signifies and how by remembering His divine qualities, one could nurture the same within oneself.

Practical Classes

We had periodic "organizational classes" in which we learned how to conduct the Bala Vihar children's classes and camps, how to facilitate a study group and how the Chinmaya Vidyalayas are run--all grassroots activities of the Mission. These classes were not on Vedanta, but on how to spread it. For example, Swamini Vimalananda, who looks after the education facet of Chinmaya Mission, gave us an overview of the Mission's various schools and their curriculums. Another class was on Vanaprastha Samsthan, Chinmaya Mission's retirement communities. There were no classes in management of Chinmaya Mission branches, or in personal counseling of devotees. We were expected to pick up these skills from observation of the guru and senior acharyas. As a personal devotional practice, we were taught the Paduka Puja, the daily ritual worship of the guru's sandals. This is a common form of worship among all devotees of Chinmaya Mission, one which we would later be expected to teach.

Evening Satsanga

After lunch, rest and our 4pm Vedanta class it was time for arati and evening satsanga at 6:25pm. All day my head was stretched to its limit. Tired, I welcomed this class which focused on the heart. Filled with devotional singing and the clapping hands of the public and brahmacharins, every evening was restful and memorable. The highlight of our satsangas was Swamiji's line-by-line explanation of Sant Tulsidasji's entire Sri Ramacharitramanasa--the first time he has ever done this in a Vedanta Course!

Classmate Vimal Singh of Durban, South Africa, said for us all, "Living and studying with the master, studying the ancient language of Sanskrit, the camaraderie of fellow seekers, the incessant company of saints and swamis, the celebration of a kaleidoscope of festivals, the joy of singing the Lord's name, the glory of silence, the dynamism of puja, drama, dance and music--this was all a fulfillment of some long-standing urge."

After the evening class, we took dinner and retired for the night, only to wake again at 4am--a schedule we maintained nearly every day for the two-plus years. The exceptions came for truly exceptional events--the celebration of unforgettable festivals and pilgrimage to sacred places.

Our scriptures teach us that Mahasivaratri is one of the most sattvic festivals and so one of the most important for a seeker. Words cannot describe what I experienced seeing and serving the 100,000 devotees paying homage at the Mandir. The line formed at 3am and did not clear until 3am the following day. I will forever cherish the delight I saw in the eyes of believers as they prostrated before Lord Siva.

Our Days of Pilgrimage

After a year of study at Sandeepany, we set out on pilgrimage to Uttarkashi, to visit Tapovan Kutia. This was the ashram home of Swami Chinmayananda's guru, Swami Tapovan Maharaj. Our goal was to honor and pay respects to the guru parampara (lineage). No one was allowed to leave Sandeepany during the course without permission, and few wanted to. But now, everyone looked forward to this pilgrimage.

I was ecstatic about the adventure. En route we visited many holy places and stayed at several monasteries. Eventually we reached Tapovan Kuti, and this became home for a month. Our studies never ceased; only the context changed--heat to cold, plains to mountains. While in Uttarkashi, we had a chance to have darshan at glorious temples like Kashi Vishwanath and Ganga Mata. Our month passed in a moment.

I had visited Tapovan Kutia with two friends in 2000. At that time it was just a cool place in the Himalayas. The experience at Tapovan Kutia during the Vedanta Course was completely different. Swami Tapovanam was a great ascetic who believed in deep sadhana, and at Uttarkashi we were naturally inspired to engage in deep sadhana. Many took up disciplines, such as maintaining silence or fasting. The atmosphere was powerful and purifying.

On our way home, we paid our respects at the ashrams of other gurus of Hinduism, including Anandamayi Ma in Haridwar, Swami Sivananda in Rishikesh and Swami Narayana in Delhi. Truly, the religious wealth of Bharat is immeasurable.

Challenges and Fulfillment

When I lived in a university residence, I often heard students complain about how difficult it is to live in close quarters with others. I also heard some of my married friends whine endlessly about living with their spouse. Both these situations are trying, but there is always a chance to escape--which is what we always do. We try to run away from our mind via entertainment, relationships, even work.

Living in Sandeepany was a thousand times more challenging. All that I had ever depended on was taken away: cell phone, television, restaurants, friends--I was only left with my mind. I was forced to live with the minimum; and if I could not handle this, I suffered. There was no escape from this suffering but to face it and transcend it.

Classmate Vimal had a similar experience: "Only after studying at Sandeepany did I realize that happiness is independent of outer circumstances; that it resides in my own heart. One is forced to spend time in solitude, in ruminating, in silent searching, in discovering, in fighting the uprising of negative tendencies within." For some, the experience was too much. Of the 60 of us who began, ten left before completion for a variety of reasons, including being dismissed.

Returning to the World

Returning to Canada, I quickly realized that nothing had changed. The people were the same, the places were the same, the things were the same. What had changed was my vision of life and its purpose. Enlightenment was no longer a foreign concept to me; it had become the entire focus of my life. I grew closer to those who recognized and understood this change in me, and more distant from those who did not.

Now seeing the mundane world as just another form of God, interacting with it became simply one form of sadhana. My first assignment was serving at Chinmaya Dhara, Chinmaya Mission's center at Niagara Falls, Canada, which was wonderful. It took around eighteen months for me to earn the community's respect as a teacher. I was thankful for this period because it forced me to prove my commitment and conviction to spreading spiritual knowledge.

Sandeepany Sadhanalaya calls out to those spirits who are ready to question the feeble sense of contentment that the objects, beings and circumstances of the world have to offer. Those who heed this call are those who are ready to do what it takes to discover that contentment comes from within. They depart from Sandeepany blessed by their guru with the strength to carry themselves and others through the challenges of living. PIpi

Some Videos..

2010-04-23T17:07:00.003+08:00

Here are some videos I’ve recorded and uploaded of recent projects as part of Transformation TV. All of them are in 16:9 Widescreen format. Do check them out especially the fourth one on Kampung Bunga Raya.

Some new books

2010-04-05T17:22:00.001+08:00

Just got a couple of books for some studying on vedanta and philosophy.

1. From the Unreal To The Real - Swami Bhashyananda (Ramakrishna Mission)

Swami Bhashyananda has explained different aspects of Vedanta philosophy in this book with appropriate quotations from the Upanishads and the Gita and has brought home to us the significance of this great philosophy in the context of the present situation present situation in the world.

2. Sadhana [A Text Book of the Psychology & Practice of the Techniques to Spiritual Perfection] Swami Sivananda

Yesterday’s TRAC Session at Suresh Annai’s house was excellent. A lot of new insights on the Trimurthi

A prayer by St. Francies of Assissi

2010-03-31T17:29:00.001+08:00

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is darkness, light and
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not
So much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying
That we are born to eternal life.
—St. Francies of Assissi

Role playing in life

2010-03-30T12:27:00.001+08:00

I have been contemplating on a few things as of late.

I find myself in an environment where my closest of friends are also my mentors and leaders in various projects and the roles are at times exchanged depending on the project we are working on.

This has created a very interesting situation whereby, whenever a comment or suggestion is made, it can be misunderstood if we identify with our various roles. For example, at the centre level, Zeenee is a SSE Teacher and I am the assistant secretary. So during a centre committee meeting, I tend to ask questions to her about the SSE which may seem harsh and she can actually get frustrated because she looks at me as her husband. But if she understands that at the moment, I am playing the role of an assistant secretary and she an SSE teacher, such miscommunications or an opportunity for frustration gets thrown out the window.

With the various roles we play, I’ve noticed that we tend to get angry at times, tend to react in a negative way and identify too much with the role hence jeopardising friendships, passing on judgement on someone's character and forgetting the true nature of a person. I’ve drawn something very quickly which illustrates my thoughts on this matter.

When we are playing a role, we have to do it to the best of our ability. When we are communicating to someone on a personal/friend level, our roles get thrown out the window and we look at each other as equal. When communicating in regards to project, work or activities, then we should not take comments directed at us in a negative way and feel that the person is trying to be authoritative over me but instead understand what our roles and positions are and act accordingly.

Example, if in a particular project, I am a follower, I then should follow and not try to lead and the leader should lead and not try to follow. With everyone set in their respective roles, rest assured that the ship can sail.

Of course, where it sails or if it sinks is a different matter altogether.

Problems generally crop up when the follower refuses to accept directions of the leader and try to lead on their own. Eg, a crewman on the ship asking the captain to bugger off and try to sail the ship himself. This is a very common problem and can be avoided if we just learn to first play our own roles properly.

With us practising this and understanding our roles properly, ultimately I guess, the realisation would be that You and I were one and the same all along and it actually didn't matter who led or who followed.

Looking back at this, I would like to humbly apologise if I have then stepped on any of you leaders, toes. At the end, we are all best of friends and we’re just playing our respective roles.

Latest book purchase

2010-03-24T14:57:00.001+08:00

I went to BookXcess during lunch break earlier and got a few books for Zeenee and I. Already read most of the books at home and was running out of reading material. Really good to see a wide range of Asian authors featured at the new BookXcess outlet. The biggest suprise was seeing a few of Thrity Umrigar’s books.

Here is what I got:

Amitav Ghosh - The Hungry Tide
Thrity Umrigar - The Weight Of Heaven
Mohammad Hanif - A Case Of Exploding Mangoes
Sagarika Ghose - Blind Faith
Shobhan Bantwal - The Forbidden Daughter
Murzban F. Shroff - Breathless In Bombay: Stories
Sulaiman Addonia - The Consequences Of Love
Mahbod Seraji - Rooftops Of Tehran
Dan Brown - Deception Point
Dan Brown - Digital Fortress

Ramanasramam

2010-03-19T13:49:00.001+08:00

I need to go here…

Fallen Role Models – Keeping the Value

2010-03-11T19:26:00.001+08:00

Here is a great article I came across in regards to the whole Nithyananda issue. It pretty much sums up the way I feel about it and I think it would be a great read for all those who are caught up in reading about the scandal etc.

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The recent happenings with Swami Nithyananda have shocked many. After the infamous video released, there has been violence on the Swami's ashram, purportedly by his own disgruntled devotees. Meanwhile, the ashram has neither confirmed nor denied the videotape of the Swami, while dealing with all the other allegations. The Swami has millions of followers across the globe, who have woken up to disbelief, anger and confusion.

While the truth about the tape and the Swami may take some time to come out, the media brings on all its fury, and uses this as another occasion to berate those who would believe in teachers. This attitude is quite harmful for several reasons, for it makes errors of logic. The first being availability bias. When someone in the monastic order falls from grace, it is big news, and published all over the place. However, for one who falls, the tens of thousands who don't are not big news - that is the norm, right? Thinking that the exception is the norm is a big mistake to make. The second mistake is the bipolar reaction - when things are going well, the teacher is considered God incarnate, and when things have gone wrong, there isn't a drain that is dirty enough to drag the teacher in. This kind of extreme reaction serves no one - not the media, not the people.

But my interest in this post is to reach out to the followers of the Swami, who find themselves in a very vulnerable position - should they defend the Swami, whom they have genuinely loved and respected? Should they denounce him and his teachings, and give up learning from monastic teachers/role models? How should they face their friends, whom they had eagerly talked to about the Swami? It is not easy to be in this position.

Many years back, my professor shared a gem with me, which I feel is my duty to pass on - I think it will help the followers of Swami Nithyananda to reflect on this. The context of our conversation was Ayn Rand, and someone had praised Rand.
Me: I find it very hard to follow Ayn Rand's philosophy, after learning that she died insane. I was very influenced by her writing, but decided to throw it all out after knowing about her personal life.

Prof: I used to know a Buddhist teacher many years back, who was very high up in this country. He used to give wonderful enlightening sermons. Then one day, he was found to be a pedophile. I found myself questioning whether the knowledge I'd received from him should be thrown away. It was clear to me that whatever he had said about truth, compassion and love was invaluable, and had helped me in my own life. Nothing he did changed the value of his message for me, so it made no sense to throw out what he said because he could not live up to it. The value was for me to keep.

This was an eye-opening conversation for me. Prior to this conversation, I was a poor man. The moment I learned of some weakness they had, I'd throw out all the value I had received from them. After this conversation, there was a great sense of freedom. It didn't matter to me what the person had done. We are all human - and we make mistakes all the time. I don't care who is carrying gold in their hands - I will take gold when I see it. I know that my life is so much richer because of this change in my mental operating system. I am happy to learn from all. (Of course, it took some years to format the system, and the work is still in progress).

Stepping it up, this philosophy has big implications. What if someone tells me that Krishna was a mythical character - never existed! Suppose all of modern science backs up this assertion. The real test of whether I've understood the Gita at all is if I can say, without batting an eyelid, "Makes no difference! I have read and consumed the Gita, and it helps me every day of my life. My thanks to whoever concocted it- it is most helpful." This test can be applied to every religion, every sect, every order, and yes, even to science. It should not matter to us if Darwin or Galileo ever existed, or what indiscretions they indulged in.

What they have left behind is for us to experience in our own lives, and if we find value in that, why should we impoverish our lives by throwing it away?

About the writer:
Somik Raha is a Ph. D. student in the field of Decision Analysis. He believes that you can believe what you like. So he believes that people in this world are good. He believes that in a free society, peaceful and honest people should be left alone.

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For those who have not watched this yet, Nithyananda refuted some of the allegations in a recent press release but did not speak about the tape though:

Excerpt from Upadesa_Undiyar

2010-03-03T12:00:00.001+08:00

The fruit of action having perished [by being experienced in the form of pleasure or pain], will as seeds make one fall into the ocean of action and [hence] will not give liberation.

Getting hold of the great Guru Vachaka Kovai

2010-03-01T15:34:00.003+08:00

I have not seen any new Ramana Maharshi materials at Mylon Trading for quite some time until today. They finally brought in some new stock of books from India and among the gems there was the wonderful Guru Vachaka Kovai by the great devotee, Sri Muruganar

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History of the Guru Vachaka Kovai:

In the late 1920s Muruganar, an accomplished Tamil poet who had lived with Bhagavan for several years, began to collect the verbal teachings of his Guru, Ramana Maharshi. He recorded them in four-line Tamil verses. No questions were recorded, just the answers and statements on a wide variety of spiritual topics. By the late 1930s, Muruganar had completed over 800 of these verses, virtually all of which recorded a direct teaching statement that Bhagavan had uttered. In 1939 a decision was made to publish these teachings in book form. Bhagavan then asked Sadhu Natanananda, a Tamil scholar and devotee, to arrange the verses by subjects since there was no particular order or sequence in the material that Muruganar had amassed. After Natanananda had done this work and shown it to Bhagavan, Bhagavan himself thor oughly edited the work, modifying the sequences and adding many revisions. In addition to making these textual corrections, Bhagavan also composed new verses that he added at appropriate places in the text. Because of the care and attention that Bhagavan put into checking and revising these verses, we can be sure that their contents have his full approval.

Many of Bhagavan’s verbal teachings were recorded during his lifetime, but few of them were reviewed and edited by him. Guru Vachaka Kovai is the biggest collection of Bhagavan’s spoken teachings that was thoroughly checked and revised by him during his lifetime. As such it has a unique place in the Ramana literature.

A second edition of the Tamil work was brought out in 1971. This contained many additional verses that Muruganar had composed since the first edition of the book came out in 1939. This new edition of the work contained a total of 1,284 verses, 1,254 composed by Muruganar and the remaining twenty-eight by Bhagavan himself.

Muruganar passed away in 1973. In 1980 Sadhu Om, Muruganar’s literary executor, brought out a new edition of Guru Vachaka Kovai in which he rendered the original Tamil verses (which are often very difficult to decipher unless one has a good knowledge of Tamil literary conventions) into Tamil prose. He also added explanatory comments to many of the prose renderings. This book is the basis of the version I am including on this site.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s Michael James and Sadhu Om worked together on a translation of Guru Vachaka Kovai. Although all the verses were translated, along with many of the commentaries, the work was never published since Michael was not satisfied with the accuracy of some of the verses.

In a conversation I had with him many years ago he told me that he wanted to revise many of the early verses since he felt that some of them were somewhat loose paraphrases of the text, rather than literal translations.

After Sadhu Om passed away in 1984, Michael suspended work on his translation of Guru Vachaka Kovai.

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The book was finally published some years back I believe and it is great to finally get a copy of this rare gem! Ironically, this happens after Suresh Anne talked about how a book comes to you when the time is right to read it just last night.

Verse 507:
Only in order to turn inward the minds of less mature aspirants, which will be favourable for the aforesaid enquiry, [the Vedas] added the other two words ‘That’ [tat] and ‘Art’ [asi] to the word ‘Thou’ [tvam], thereby forming the Mahavakya ‘That Thou Art’ [tat tvam asi]. Thus should you know.

Verse 508:
Verily the enquiry done within oneself to know the real import denoted by the word ‘Thou’, ‘What is it?’ [‘Who am I?’], is the proper means to know the correct import of the other two words also.

My Humble salutations and prostrations at the feet of the great Guru Ramana and his disciple, Sri Muruganar.

The second scipture I managed to get hold of is Tripura Rahasya.

A favorite work of Ramana Maharshi, from which he often quoted, "Tripura Rahasya" is an ancient Sanskrit work and one of the greatest classics of Hindu spirituality.

The Tripura-rahasya (The Secret of [the goddess] Tripura) is believed to be an abbreviated version of the original Datta Samhita or Dakshinamurti Samhita traditionally ascribed to Dattatreya. This more lengthy work was summarized by Dattatreya's disciple Paramasura, whose disciple, Sumedha Haritayana, scribed the text. Thus, this text is sometimes referred to as the Haritayana Samhita.
The Tripura-rahasya is divided into three parts. The first part, the Mahatmya Khanda or section on the goddess is concerned with the origin, mantra and yantra of the goddess Tripura, also known as Lalita or Lalita Tripurasundari. The Jnana Khanda or section on knowledge elaborates on the themes of consciousness, manifestation, and liberation. Unfortunately, the last part, Charya Khanda or section on conduct, has been lost and some believe destroyed.

The Dash Poem

2010-02-13T18:05:00.002+08:00

I read of a man who stood to speak, at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on this tombstone from beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came his date of birth and spoke the following with tears. But he said what mattered most of all, was the dash in between those years.

For the dash represents, all the time he spent alive on earth.
And how only those who loved him know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own; the cars, the house, the cash, what matters most is how we live and love and how we spend our dash… So think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left, that can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough, to consider what is true and real.
And always try to understand, the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger, and show appreciation more,
and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect, and more often wear a smile…
Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash would you be proud of the things they say and how your spent your dash?

- Posted via iPhone

Namaste

2010-02-10T11:58:00.001+08:00

A very beautiful video explaining the meaning of the word Namaste. Should be used for Bal-Vikas/EHV classes

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9fm6RtymgE

Paintings at Indian Cultural Centre

2010-02-10T11:42:00.001+08:00

Went to the Indian Cultural Centre with Zeenee the other day and there were some of the most beautiful paintings I've seen by a featured Indian painter on display. Very very very beautiful. I quitely managed to snap a couple perhaps, illegally.

(click image to enlarge)

Twitpic & Blogger Sync

2010-02-04T16:13:00.001+08:00

I’ve finally found a way to sync what I upload to Twitpic using my phone and my blog so if you look on the right column of this blog, you will see a new section called “Mobile Uploads”. These are photos I’ve taken and uploaded using my mobile. Will try to snap anything interesting and post it up.

If you are viewing this blog via facebook, you need to access it directly at http://naguk.blogspot.com

Good to see that Zeenee has updated the Vege Me! site. Click here to view

Burning the midnight oil

2010-02-04T00:17:00.000+08:00

It's midnight now. Spent the last three hours doing some graphic design on a booklet I'm working on. Really tired so I decided to read a book before I sleep. Thrity Umrigar is actually quoting Omar Khayyam in her book. Have you guys read any of his poetry. Beautiful stuff and with a very deep meaning. Something worth contemplating on.

How Time is slipping underneath our Feet, Unborn Tommorow and dead Yesterday, Why fret about them if Today be Sweet!

Good night guys...

- Posted via iPhone

Kal Ho Na Ho (Piano)

2010-02-03T16:27:00.001+08:00

Did a rough version of Kal Ho Na Ho on piano. Has mistakes here and there though.

A beautiful weekend

2010-02-03T11:12:00.002+08:00

Friday/Saturday

Zeenee, Suhu and I went to Batu Caves to help out with the blood donation. Suhu suggested we take the train from KL Sentral as it would be “less crowded”

He was almost right. We arrived at KL Sentral and the ticket counter was quite empty! Phew! We’ve escaped the crowd or so we thought. The first shocker was that the train did not actually go to Batu Caves but instead went only as far as Sentul and then we had to buy tickets for the train to Batu Caves from there. Anyway, we got the tickets and took the escalator down and to our horror, there was a mini thaipusam waiting for us at the train platform. Hundreds of people were already queuing up for the train. When the train finally arrived, we squeezed ourselves into it and spent the next 20 minutes or so squashed as the train journeyed to Sentul.

Upon arriving at Sentul, the next nightmare presented itself. There were thousands of people queuing up to buy tickets. Thank God we met an aunt from the Sai Centre who's husband was already queuing up and he got us the tickets. We eventually reached Batu Caves an hour later. It seemed like there were a million people there.

We went straight to the blood donation area. During a short break, I did go out to view the kavadi’s. As usual, there were the people in trance, some with hooks on their backs, piercings on their tongue and face but there was a group of different people which caught my attention.

That’s right. In between the Kali’s and Muneeswarans were a bunch of cross-dressers much to the amusement of the whole crowd who were busy whistling and creating a ruckus.

That aside, the blood donation went well and I heard about 1110 pints of blood were collected this year. Kudos to the whole organising team!

Sunday

Took a road trip with Brother Parani to Johor Bahru to pass the Zonal Youth Conference scrapbook and proceedings to Dr.Ravi. He was not around so we passed it to his wife Aunty Viji. She shared many beautiful experiences with us about Swami and also about one of my favourite Gurus, Swami Chinmayananda. She then made a startling revelation that she was Swami Chinmayananda’s cousin/niece. Can’t remember. But listening to all her stories of Swami Chinmayananda were very revitalising. She also had this beautiful painting of Lord Buddha at her dining hall which was painted by a Nepalese in Puttaparthi.

Monday

Zeenee, Vijay and I went to visit Parani’s newborn. I’m not sure if I can actually post up the photos of the baby yet. However, perhaps, I can show you this beautiful photo of me, the giant, with the tiny baby.

Tuesday

Bernice from MyBookPlace sms’d me the day before informing me that the book I requested was available for rent. I’ve been waiting for this book for some time now. Thrity Umrigar’s “If Today Be Sweet” . I read her earlier book, The Space Between Us (my review is posted here) which was really good. Have gone through the first couple of chapters and its looking very promising. I also took another book which she recommended titled “No God but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam” by Reza Aslan. Will write more about that book once I finish reading it. What you guys reading these days?

An evening at Amcorp

2010-02-01T10:57:00.001+08:00

Zeenee and I went to Amcorp Mall a couple of days back mainly to get a few things for the Zonal Youth Conference proceedings and also a present for a friends birthday. I think Amcorp mall is one place you can get all sorts of stuff for quite resaonable prices, not forgetting to mention my two favourite book stores, BookXcess and My Book Place. Some photos from that evening.

Brain Freeze from Lemon Frost

Oh what a small cup!

I love colours!!!

As I was walking around, I found something interesting. A telephone that actually uses technology! Hehe..

Montfort Boys TRAC Session

2010-01-25T15:27:00.001+08:00

Every Thursdays, a few of us teach about Hinduism at the Montfort Boys School in Shah Alam. We made a quick video for presentation at one of the youth meetings on what we do. I’ve uploaded it to youtube. Here it is. It’s entirely shot with my IXUS 95IS Compact Camera.

Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmfRIqdmXyw

Bhajans on Piano – Krishna Madhava

2010-01-25T09:58:00.001+08:00

I just recorded a very rough demo of Krishna Madhava for piano. This is my interpretation of the song on piano .

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeeZzNUuGjs

A Midnight Visit to the Vet

2010-01-23T11:49:00.001+08:00

Su’s dog, Daisy was all of a sudden sick last night. So after the ZYC Way Forward meeting at Bangsar Centre, Zeenee and I took Daisy to the vet. Finding the clinic at 11.30pm was a big challenge considering that fact that the guy at the reception of the clinic kept giving us confusing directions. After going about in circles for about half an hour, we found the place and had to wait another half and hour for the doctor to arrive.

The doctor eventually came half past midnight and he was very friendly. Apparently, Daisy was running a temperature and her back was hurting. He gave two injections and advised Su to follow up with a vet near her house today. Hopefully Daisy gets better. She’s been sick on and off the past few weeks.

Zeenee’s Vegetarian Burger

2010-01-22T12:21:00.001+08:00

Zeenee has been doing more cooking lately. She says the movie Julie & Julia has inspired her to cook more. I must say it’s quite a good movie about cooking and blogging.

Anyway, pictured above is Zeenee’s Special Vegetarian Burger. It has tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, Shitake mushrooms lightly sautéed in garlic butter and a vegetarian patty made from mushroom stems topped with some chilly sauce.

Yummy!!!

A digital camera

2010-01-21T13:05:00.001+08:00

I’ve been contemplating on getting a digital camera for quite some time now. Zeenee was using her Sony DSLR before it got stolen and the only camera we had with us was an older Kodak one where the battery was giving alot of problem and beyond repair. I’ve not been able to take proper photos for the Transformation magazine and any of our outings and it has been quite frustrating at times.

So I finally got the Canon Ixus. It’s quite reasonably priced with some nice features and most importantly, the photos are always clear.

Some random shots I took just now. Should be photo blogging more often from now onwards =)

Women & Window Shopping

2010-01-01T20:45:00.000+08:00

I just hate to window shop. Walking aimlessly with no actual motive to buy anything. Thank God Metrojaya has this row of chairs for men who feel the same way. Here you have Ah Chong dozing off and Abu playing with his phone.

Oh, Happy New Year by the way!

A Taste of the Wimpy Kid

2009-12-30T11:24:00.001+08:00

You can read the whole first book online here:

http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html?ThisJournalDay=1&ThisPage=1

Year End Reading

2009-12-29T14:43:00.001+08:00

I’ll be ending 2009 with three great books.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw – Jeff Kinney

I know some of you might be wondering why the heck am I reading this. It is seriously funny! I just can’t get enough of Greg and his wimpy adventures! Do read it if you have a chance. It’s for the kid in you.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole – Sue Townsend

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ is the first book in the Adrian Mole series of comedic fiction, written by Sue Townsend. It focuses on the worries and regrets of a teenager who believes himself to be an intellectual. The book is written in a diary style and set in 1981 and 1982. It chronicles the supposed intellectual awakening of Adrian Albert Mole, and his wonderings, worries and woes. In the background, it refers to some of the historic world events of the time, such as the Falklands War and the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

I know I’m a bit late on reading this series but better late than never!

Between the Assasinations - Aravind Adiga

This is finally available in paperback. Didn’t want to pay so much for a hardcover hence the delay in getting it.

This short story collection, teeming with life in the small Indian city of Kittur between the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and that of her son Rajiv in 1991, serves as a prelude to Adiga's Booker Prize–winning The White Tiger. Loosely based on a tourist itinerary, the stories meander through the lives of a motley array of hoykas and Brahmins, Muslims and Christians.

I’d suggest you read The White Tiger first to get a true taste of Aravind Adiga’s writing genius before trying this one.

Hooray to 2009. A wonderful year of brilliant reads!

Bal-Vikas/Teen Youth Drama Practise

2009-11-21T21:49:00.001+08:00

There will be this 1Malaysia workshop at the centre tomorrow. The Bal-Vikas and Teen Youth will be combining and performing a drama on unity. Some photos from the practise session held today.

Interesting dish at Ananda Bhavans

2009-11-18T18:43:00.000+08:00

There was this special Vegetarian Fish Tandoori at Ananda Bhavans, Bangsar today. So next time you're having dinner here, perhaps you could try it. Only one left though when I came with Zeenee.

Amitabh Bachchan - Paa

2009-11-18T10:50:00.001+08:00

Can’t wait for this new movie “Paa” which is scheduled to hit the big screens on the 4th of December. Paa is an emotional father-son relationship with the ailment as the back-drop. Unlike real life, the film portrays Amitabh Bachchan as Abhishek Bachchans son. Amitabh Bachchan suffers from Progeria, a rare congenital abnormal characteristics where the person ages rapidly. Look at the posters below. Yes, the kid is Amitabh Bachchan!

Some stills from the movie:

The Pledge

2009-11-17T15:55:00.001+08:00

We stand as one family,
bound to each other with love and respect.

We serve as an army
courageous and disciplined,
ever ready to fight against
all low tendencies and false values,
within and without us.

We live honestly
the noble life of sacrifice and service,
producing more than what we consume,
and giving more than what we take.

We seek the Lord’s Grace
to keep us on the path of virtue, courage and wisdom.
May Thy grace and blessings
flow through us to the world around us.

We believe that the service of our country
is the service of the Lord of Lords,
and devotion to the people
is the devotion to the Supreme Self

We know our responsibilities,
give us the ability and courage to fulfil them

Om Tat Sat

Seeing Sai Baba – T.Selva

2009-11-15T16:07:00.001+08:00

This appeared in The STAR today:

Our columnist has a spiritual time in a remote village in India.

INTRIGUED by his teachings on human values and the fact that he has followers in 170 countries, I travelled to Puttaparthi, India, last weekend to experience Sathya Sai Baba’s darshan (blessings).

Puttaparthi is a remote village in Andhra Pradesh state in India’s south-east that has been placed on the world map as a top pilgrimage centre owing to the presence there of Baba, who is considered a living god by more than 100 million followers worldwide.

The shops, hotels, banks and other business outlets in the village all depend on the floating population of thousands who come there from all over the world throughout the year to seek Baba’s blessing and peace of mind.

Puttaparthi town comes to a standstill when its most honoured citizen, Sai Baba (below, right), is on the road. – Photos by T. SELVA / The Star

My first glimpse of Baba is when shopkeepers rush out of their stores to join the crowds lining the main street – Baba is passing by in a car escorted by police and volunteers, returning to his abode.

He’s returning from a visit to the Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, which treats the poor for free and also handles cases related to cardiology, urology, nephrology and ophthalmology.

I later discover that to get into Baba’s Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of Peace), one must go through airport-style security checks, including going through a metal detector and being frisked. And just like on an airplane, cameras, mobile phones, pens and sharp objects were prohibited. Men and women are separated to opposite sides of the huge hall.

The day that I’m here, Nov 7, is special because on the second Saturday of November every year, devotees in Puttaparthi and at Sai Baba centres worldwide sing bhajans (devotional chants) continuously for 24 hours to confer peace, joy, harmony and bliss to all of mankind.

Thousands of vocalists sing with full devotion and the divine vibration is said to have the power to remove negative thoughts, soothe the nerves, purify the mind and heal those within earshot.

I am overwhelmed by the vibrations of the sacred sounds the moment I step foot into the holy space.

Seated in a lotus pose in silence, I feel a sudden surge of energy rushing into my body when Baba arrives in a wheel chair.

Wearing a saffron coloured robe, Baba seems, to me, electrifying – so much so that I feel goose pimples, and tears well up in my eyes.

Some of his devotees tell me later that such experiences are common in the presence of a “realised master” because his mind is saturated with “God consciousness” and a great ecstasy will develop within any individual close by, without any mental or intellectual effort.

Baba is pushed slowly along an aisle lined on both sides by over 10,000 devotees; he stops occasionally to receive letters and wedding invitation cards from his followers, and some cry with love and joy when he’s close.

He does not speak but gazes deeply into the eyes of everyone he comes into contact with; when he reaches the dais in front, he sweeps his eyes over all his devotees. His disciples clasp their hands in prayer and bow, while the crowd basks in the peace he is emanating.

Baba was born on Nov 23, 1926, and, right from his childhood, there were consistent manifestations of his divinity. For instance, his birth was accompanied by strange phenomena – like the musical instruments in his house playing on their own and a cobra lying unthreateningly under his bed.

Even as a small child, he was against violence and refused to touch meat; by the age of four, when most children have not learnt to share yet, he began displaying compassion and generosity.

At the age of 14, he declared to his family that he did not belong only to them and set out with others who believed in him to launch his divine mission in the service of mankind.

He would enchant his followers by doing things like distributing sweets from an empty bag, plucking a variety of fruits from a tamarind tree, and creating holy ash in his hand.

One of his strongest messages then was to surrender completely to him, that he would take over his followers’ worries and fears.

According to Baba, surrender means not having expectations, not being upset if the outcome of events is different than anticipated. He says he can only help when an individual completely entrusts him or herself to him totally.

Baba says energy passes from him to devotees in his presence, and that whatever his eyes see will be vitalised.

In the meeting hall, I am five rows away from Baba and cannot pass him the letter I am carrying for a Malaysian devotee – but Baba stares at me and then at the letter I am holding, and, somehow, I feel that he knows its contents.

Baba does not perform any miracles that day but some of his devotees experience visions and say they feel a sensation of relief and contentment in his presence.

I feel lighter and almost blissful after the two hour session in Baba’s company.

Many who arrive there come “expecting” but return “accepting” the true purpose of life and of the power of love and compassion.

Feeding the homeless

2009-11-15T00:16:00.001+08:00

I was watching the new series "Jamie Oliver in America" and there was this episode where he meets this Mexican cook. The guy came in to the US as an illegal immigrant and then finally settled down, got a citizenship and so on. He works as a chef now and what he does DAILY is cook dinner for many homeless people. He brings the food in his truck, stops by this street everyday and distributes the food to the homeless people there.

The amazing thing is that he does this every single evening without fail. It is so touching to see people doing such excellent service like this.

- Posted via iPhone

Book Review: The Spaces Between Us – Thrity Umrigar

2009-11-10T23:21:00.001+08:00

Just finished reading Thrity Umrigar’s “The Spaces Between Us”.

Rating: 5/5

Overview:
Thrity Umrigar's poignant novel about a wealthy woman and her downtrodden servant, offers a revealing look at class and gender roles in modern day Bombay. Alternatively told through the eyes of Sera, a Parsi widow whose pregnant daughter and son-in-law share her elegant home, and Bhima, the elderly housekeeper who must support her orphaned granddaughter, Umrigar does an admirable job of creating two sympathetic characters whose bond goes far deeper than that of employer and employee.

It took me just two days to complete this book and I loved every page of it. The main characters Bhima and Sera are from two different ends of the social spectrum in India. Sera is a rich Parsi from the upper-class wherelese Bhima, her servant is an elderly lady who lives in the slums of Bombay. The author clearly shows the key differences between the two and how they react to each other. Although Sera and Bhima are good friends,the former still maintains reservations about Bhima due to her social standing, i.e. not allowing Bhima to sit on the dining table with her and so on.

What you will also learn from this excellent story is that no matter how close or secure we feel with a certain someone, it all can change in a matter of seconds, so in reality, nothing is permanent. You will see this through out the book.

Thrity Umrigar is an Indian-American writer, who was born in Mumbai and immigrated to the United States when she was 21. She is a journalist and the author of the novels Bombay Time and The Space Between Us. She has written for the Washington Post, Cleveland Plain Dealer, among other newspapers, and regularly writes for The Boston Globe's book pages. She is currently assistant professor of English at Case Western Reserve University where she teaches creative writing and literature.

I want to read…

2009-11-04T16:56:00.001+08:00

I really want to read this book..can’t wait for it to hit the Malaysian shelves..

Movie Review: The President is Coming

2009-11-01T10:42:00.001+08:00

Date Released: January 2009

Running Time: 86 minutes

Directed by: Kunaal Roy Kapur

Language: English

I just watched this hilarious ‘mockumentary’ if I may call it, The President is Coming. President Bush is coming to India and during his visit, a unique event is about to take place. He is to shake the hand of a young Indian who is responsible for shaping “The New India”. From thousands, six finalists are selected and they have to compete with each other in a “reality TV” like situation to determine who will shake the presidents hand. The six contestants are Maya Roy India's best young Writer, Ajay Karlekar India's best young Social Activist, Archana Kapoor India's best young Indian Entrepreneur, Rohit Seth Call Center Accent Trainer, Kapil Dev Dholakia India's best young Stock Investor, Ramesh S, a Software Engineer in Microsoft.

The jokes and antiques of the six contestants will keep you laughing through the entire movie. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse of the movie. Highly recommended to all those interested in fun, laughter-filled flick.

Note: This movie is available on YouTube the last time I checked. You just need to search for it there, divided in 9 parts. If you can get hold of the DVD, all the better.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgA0Zr7kE0U

Low Tide, High Tide

2009-10-31T20:20:00.001+08:00

Wanted to go swimming in the morning but it was low tide. And since we had to check out by noon, we skipped the whole swimming thing.

The beach was a bit stinky anyway..

Baah..

The vertical shower head

2009-10-30T20:34:00.000+08:00

The shower head at the hotel is mounted vertically so that when u bathe, you feel like you are under a waterfall.

Feels really good to bathe here but I guess if you have a shower like this and bathe daily using it (with the high pressure water hitting your head), you may end up looking something like this.

Lol!!

- Posted via iPhone

Holiday-ing in Cherating

2009-10-30T18:46:00.000+08:00

I'm currently in Cherating for a very short holiday. Actually came to Kuantan for some work and then decided to spend a day bumming around I'm cherating.

Zeenee enjoying some coconut water for lunch:

The amount of garlic they used in the mix vegetable dish:

The hotel room:

Haven't gone to the beach yet. Just bumming around and perhaps will go for a swim sometime in the morning. Going to continue reading Amitav Ghosh's "Sea of Poppies" for now.

- Posted via iPhone

Michael Jackson – This is it

2009-10-29T09:49:00.001+08:00

Running time: 112 minutes

I attended a corporate screening of “This is it” last night and I must say it was better than I expected it to be.

The movie which was supposed to start at 9.00pm was slightly delayed as the “corporate” audience tried to find their seats assisted by a couple of GSC ushers' who were busy humming to the tune of, not Billie Jean, but Aadhavan.

Once most people were seated, the movie begin.

The movie was assembled from more than 100 hours of footage from three different camera crews, Kenny Ortega (the director) presents a jigsaw puzzle version of the show that would have been. It was great seeing Michael on the big screen for the first and perhaps last time.

The movie is basically rehearsals arranged song by song as if it were the concert. You have to hand it to Michael. He was a total pro. He knew every line, every key, every tempo of his songs and was guiding the musicians in search for the perfect sound. On most of the rehearsals, he hardly used his singing voice, mentioning later on that he was reserving his singing voice. But you could still see his sheer genius when he finally broke free with his full vocals in “I just can’t stop loving you” and “Billie Jean”.

There are also some new short movies which were made for the concert including a very clever one for “Smooth Criminal” where Michael is super-imposed into an old film.

As I was enjoying every second of the movie, I was also annoyed by this lady sitting next to us. She kept laughing at every scene and worse still, during the Earth Song, she actually took out her camera and started to take photos! The guy sitting at the back of us was a bit annoyed, leaned over and gave her a piece of his mind. She immediately curled back in her seat and sat like a quite mouse for the rest of the show.

That aside, as the movie, and the rehearsal hours, get deeper, we see the fully engaged musician and artist at work without reservations. Even though we get used to his skinniness, and his sunglasses, and his face, we can tell there are health issues there – if only because every time he opens his mouth, we need subtitles to figure out just what he’s saying.

As the movie ended, there was a loud applause from the audience. This is it was authentic and true testament of Michael’s greatness. You have to watch it.

Report: Taxi drivers expelled from association

2009-09-25T16:06:00.000+08:00

Something interesting I read earlier:

Two cabdrivers have been expelled from the New York City Taxi Drivers Association (NYCTDA) for being too honest.

The drivers, Gulam Mustafa of Queens and Haron ur Rashid of the Bronx, were among more than 20 cabbies from across North America honored recently for their humanity, heroism and integrity by the International Association of Transportation Regulators. Mustafa was recognized for returning a wallet containing several thousand dollars to its owner, while Rashid was honored for returning wedding gifts to a couple.
Soon after accepting their awards, they received letters stating they were no longer members of the taxi association. "To be honest, we were very shocked," Mustafa said. Added Rashid: "It was honestly the last thing we expected."

Raoul Ramirez, president of the taxi association, said the drivers had broken a membership pledge to try their best to meet the public's expectations. "Let's face facts," Ramirez said. "The public doesn't expect taxi drivers to be honest. They expect us to take them for a ride."

He said the men had committed several other offenses, such as making sure their meters were accurate and always taking the shortest route. "Being honest once or twice is fine," Ramirez said. "But it has become too much of a pattern."

He acknowledged the possibility that the men are addicted to honesty, saying, "That's why we've recommended that they join the HCA (Honest Cabbies Anonymous) program."

Asked if the public wasn't better served by honest taxi drivers, Ramirez shook his head. "Sometimes yes, sometimes no," he said. "Do you know what happened to the customer whose wallet Gulam returned? He had a heart attack. Almost died.

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Blogging via iPhone

2009-09-24T21:07:00.001+08:00

Just as I was contemplating on switching my blog to wordpress as there was no proper iPhone app for blogger, they released one. Well not released officially by Google but by a different company on conjunction with bloggers 10th anniversary. The app is called Blogpress. If you are using an iPhone, be sure to download it.

Been spending the week relaxing in Port Dickson. The weather here is extremely hot during the day and cool at nights. Shebel, our dog, has been hyper active the whole week. We got her this huge bone for her to chew on.

I've also got this horrible flu all of a sudden. Not forgetting the skin on my face peeling off thanks to the sunburn. I'm not complaining though. Enjoying every bit of it.

I recieved a suprising email from BookXcess letting me know that I've won one of the contests in their blog. I've won two excellent books:

1. Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life – Sophie Uliano
2. The Necklace – Cheryl Jarvis

You can read the announcement on their website here:
http://bookxcessblog.com/?p=879

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At Port Dickson

2009-09-22T19:35:00.002+08:00

I'm currently in PD. Spending the long raya break here. It's been very relaxing. Sukhbir came over earlier and we spent most of the morning at the beach. I'm sun-burned as a result of it but it was real fun. Planning to go to the waterfall tommorow morning.Below is my favourite dog. Shebel. She's really naughty and loves to chew on everything especially your hand. Blogging from my phone. Hope this gets posted. Will blog more soon.

Shashi Deshpande

2009-09-17T17:42:00.001+08:00

Zeenee, Sukhbir and I were at MyBookPlace in Amcorp Mall earlier. I’ve returned by previous books and borrowed a new one. Sounds interesting. It’s by this Kannada writer, Shashi Dehspande. This was her 9th novel I think.

About the book:

Shashi Deshpande’s novel is about the secret lives of men and women who love, hate, plot and debate with an intensity that will absorb every reader.

It is a story that begins, conventionally enough, with a woman’s discovery of her father’s diary. As Manjari unlocks the past through its pages, rescuing old memories and recasting events and responses, the present makes its own demands: a rebellious daughter, devious property sharks and a lover who threatens to throw her life out of gear again. The ensuing struggle to reconcile nostalgia with reality and the fire of the body with the desire for companionship races to an unexpected resolution, twisting and turning through complex emotional landscapes.

In Moving On Shashi Deshpande explodes the stereotypes of familial bonds with an uncanny insight into the nature of human relationships and an equally unerring eye for detail.

Hopefully this turns out to be a good read. The last two books I’ve read turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I’ll be on a weeks holiday for Raya! Looking forward to going back to Port Dickson for a few days. My boss isn’t having any open house as well. He is going to Kedah with his family for some home stay cum Raya celebrations, as weird as it sounds. Kamal’s new movie is out as well. Jaidev called me earlier asking if we wanted to catch the 9pm show at State, PJ but had to decline since we were going to Montfort for the Hinduism Class.

Zeenee mentioned that part of the Youthvikas this Saturday will be held in the Nageswari temple. Darshieee!!! *evil grins*. Why la must go temple all? I don’t have anything against temples but I think we should stop trying to Indian-ize or maybe Hindu-nize the Sathya Sai movement. It’s all good though. Just my two cents.

By the way, I found some really amazing photos of the Ganesha Chathurti celebrations in India recently. These are only some of the photos in small size. You should view them in full size at this link:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/09/recent_hindu_festivals_and_rit.html

A small confession..

2009-09-17T10:46:00.001+08:00

I have a small confession to make.

I’ve been to many blood donation drives.

But I’ve never donated blood in my life. Lol!

If you ask me why, I can’t think of any reason. Honestly, I don't know why I have not donated blood. It’s not that I’m afraid of needles. Well, the last time I “gave” blood was for a blood test. It was in Klang hospital. An intern was in-charge of drawing my blood and I must say it was somewhat a nightmare. She could not find my veins so what she did was, randomly insert the needle in me and the while the needle was in my skin, move it left and right, hoping to catch my vein!

And it was not like she injected me with a heavy dose of anaesthetic or something. It hurt like hell. But I guess that’s not a good excuse for not donating blood. It’s not like a faint at the sight of blood like Zeenee’s three year old cousin. Every time he sees blood even from the tiniest cut, he gets all dizzy and faints.

I told Zeenee yesterday, “Ok the next time there is a blood drive, I will donate”

Then she pointed out to me that I told that the last time after the blood drive. Apparently, unknowingly, I seem to say this after each blood drive.

I’m not against the idea of donating blood like some Himalayan hippies who mention that you should not give away what you were born with. Apparently they are also against organ donation. According to them, if you donate an organ to someone, you are interfering with their karma. But if you think a little harder, we could also say that the act of donating an organ is also karma right?

I’m not going to go into the whole organ donation thing though. Because I’ve not pledged any of my organs as of yet. I remember watching this Tamil movie starring Sneha I think who received a new pair of “eyes” via organ donation and then she starts to see what the donor saw in her last life. Turned out to be some major horror shit. It will probably be crazy if the person I donated my eyes to saw what I did. Might make his life a living hell. Baah..it’s fiction isn’t it?

I remember this organ donation joke:

An elderly patient needed a heart transplant and discussed his options with his doctor.

The doctor said, "We have three possible donors; tell me which one you want to use.

One is a young, healthy athlete who died in an automobile accident.

The second is a middle-aged businessman who never drank or smoked and who died in his private plane.

The third is a hospital administrator who just died after 30 years of service at the large medical centre." "I'll take the administrator's heart," said the patient.

After a successful transplant, the doctor asked the patient why he had chosen the donor he did. "It was easy," the patient replied. "I wanted a heart that hadn't been used."

I think that’s about as much rambling for the moment. I’ll try to pledge my organs later this week when I bump into Uncle Tava. Question. Can we choose what organs we would like to donate? I mean I dont want my coffin to end up looking 3 feet long like that lady who died in the end of the 7G rainbow colony movie.

Cheers!

Suhu

2009-09-16T12:04:00.001+08:00

Suhu at the peat forest tree planting

I first Suhu at Prema Vahini camp in Port Dickson (2006 I think). Here was a boy who came up in front and spoke on how Swami had dramatically transformed his life. How we once used to work night shifts at a petrol station in London. How he cried one night to Swami and how his life changed thereafter. I didn’t speak much to him then. Probably didn’t speak at all.

A few months later, Monty, Parani and I were on the way to Puttaparthi from Chennai travelling by car. We reached the ashram at about 8.30pm. Once our accommodations were arranged, we walked to our rooms and there I met Suhu again. He had arrived the night before and was sharing a room with another devotee. We told him to join us in our room instead. We spent two weeks as room mates in Parthi and I learnt alot about dedication and service from him. He worked at the Shed which was somewhat a “HQ” for the whole youth conference. More like a basecamp or operations centre where all the planning, unloading and loading of books, bags and items related to the conference took place. Suhu was incharge of the logistics if I am not mistaken. It was a tough job, requiring a lot of strength and energy. He worked there from early morning till midnight with a few others. Mostly coming back to the room to only sleep!

On the last night in Parthi, I felt quick sick. My stomach was hurting in a terrible way. I was vommiting every half and hour and could hardly eat anything as well. Despite all the vibhuti and prayers, I didn't seem to be getting any better. Finally at 1am, Suhu took his bath and went down to get a Seva Dal and an ambulance. He helped me get in the ambulance and sat there with me as the driver drove at about 200 km/h negotiating the curves and turns which such skill that would have made Schumacher look like an amateur. A few minutes later, we were at the Sathya Sai Hospital. Suhu accompanied me inside and in true Sai fashion, I was asked to swallow a table spoon of vibhuti. I was given a jab and then taken back to the room. I was really lucky to have Suhu there that day cause I doubt that anyone else there would have got the ambulance. Zeenee was in the girls hostel and Jaidev was in deep samadhi meditation in the room.

I got to know Suhu better after that day. He has been a great youth coordinator at Bangsar and I’m sure everyone will definitely miss him in the next year or two. He has been someone who has constantly supported all the youth activities from the drama competition to Walk For Values to the tree plantings held here and there.

There are days when
bubbling from us comes
the innocent child within,
who giggles at the little things
and wears a silly grin.

There are days when
melancholy comes to
visit for a while;
the mind feels tired, the body weak;
we have no strength to smile.

There are days when
joy abundant
grabs a hold of you and me;
wraps us up in all it's splendor,
lifts us up and sets us free.

There are days when
sorrow wraps us
in its cloak of grief and fear,
'till our hearts ache to the breaking,
'till our eyes can't shed a tear.

There are days when
love bestows us
with its wonderment and light;
with its beauty and its mystery,
its power and its might.

And there are days when
life rewards us
and seems to make amends
by granting us a marvellous gift,
the precious gift of Friends.

I think life..granted me a true friend in Suhunaraj.

Such a Long Journey – Rohinton Mistry

2009-09-13T23:24:00.001+08:00

I’m currently reading this brilliant debut novel by Rohinton Mistry.

From Amazon.com:

Sometimes compared to Dickens or Victor Hugo for the strength of his descriptions, Rohinton Mistry uses "ordinary" men and women as his protagonists and fills his novels with the sights, sounds, smells, and color of India. Depicting his characters as neither saints nor sinners, he involves the reader in their lives as they try to survive the complexities of their culture.

In this novel, Gustad Noble and his wife Dilnavaz, living in a congested apartment building in Bombay, try to lead good lives and inspire their children during Indira Gandhi's rule in the 1970s, with all its political, professional, and social upheaval. India is on the verge of war with the Muslims of Pakistan, and though Gustad, a Parsi, is aware of political chicanery, he is far more pre-occupied with having his son accepted at a school of technology, doing his job as a bank supervisor, and supporting his family. Constant blackouts and continually deteriorating conditions on the street add to the frustrations of Gustad's life.

Then Jimmy Bilimoria, an old friend, asks Gustad for help, claiming that he is training freedom fighters in Bangladesh to act on behalf of the Indian government against Pakistani "butchers." Gustad reluctantly agrees to use his position at the bank to deposit money to a secret account, but he soon finds himself enmeshed in a spiral from which he cannot break out, his life turned upside down.

Throughout the novel, the wall outside Gustad's apartment building symbolizes the larger world of Bombay and parallels some aspects of Gustad's own life. At the outset, it is used as a latrine, breeding illness in the neighborhood but keeping the noise and tumult of the street out of the apartment house. When Gustad persuades a sidewalk artist to paint it, he depicts scenes from all the religions of India, and the wall becomes a shrine--until the government decides to widen the road and tear it down. Gustad's personal crisis and the fate of the wall intersect in a conclusion both moving and profound.

Though this novel lacks the grand scale of A Fine Balance, it is a beautifully constructed and emotionally involving story of a small family trying to live meaningful lives against almost overwhelming odds. The characters are finely drawn, and the plot, though not "exciting," reflects the traumas of an ordinary man and his wife caught up in events and crises not of their own making. Wry and often humorous in its observations of people and circumstances, this early novel by Mistry has all the ingredients which make his later novels so memorable. Mary Whipple

Transformation Volume 26

2009-08-20T11:04:00.001+08:00

Transformation Volume 26 has just been release. To download this e-zine, visit the official website at http://saitransformation.blogspot.com

If you are viewing this directly on my blog, you should be able to see the flash reader below.

Missing you…

2009-08-19T20:24:00.001+08:00

Waiting for Zeenee to be back from Parthi, =(

Childhood Stories #1

2009-08-19T15:06:00.001+08:00

I was talking to Sukhbir earlier and remembered this one incident that occured when I was 11 years old.

I lived in Kuala Krai, Kelantan from the age 8 to 11 years (Standard 2 – Standard 5) as my father was working there. Kuala Krai is a small town which did not have the usual entertainment outlets you find in big cities. No cinemas, no fast-foods. The most happening place was this emporium called Wan Fong Emporium. It was this two story mini supermarket. One day Wan Fong’s brother had a fight with him and then opened up Eng Fong Emporium. So that was how the emporium business expanded. Kuala Krai was a peaceful town though. You could go out and leave the door open and have no fear of someone entering your house.

Anyway, getting back to the story. I was about 10 or 11 years old when I fractured my wrists while playing football in school. I was screaming in pain and my hand looked like an “S” with the wrist being out of shape. The teacher came rushing and in an assuring voice told me,

“Jangan risau, kita pergi hospital ok?”

I got into his old grey Datsun 120Y and he drove off. A few minutes later, I spotted the hospital but this teacher seemed to have missed it as he kept on driving straight.

“Cikgu, hospital kat sini. Cikgu dah miss turning ya?”

“Eh, takde lah. Kita pergi hospital lain!”

“Hospital lain?”

I was a bit worried. Here I was stuck in the car with a teacher I hardly knew or felt comfortable with, driving pass a hospital which was near the school and instead going to a “different hospital”.

We soon went into a village area and I really began to get scared now.

“Cikgu, ini hospital apa?”

“Kita gi bomoh ya”

“BOOOMOOHHH!”

Lol. This teacher actually drove me to a bomoh and not a hospital! I was literally crying and begging him to take me to the hospital. Thank God, the “Bomoh” was not at home.

“Bomoh gi makan lah. Dia balik kejap lagi kot”

“Tak mau cikgu, saya nak gi hospital”

He finally listened to me and dropped me off the hospital.

Phew..

Not that I have anything against a bomoh but with a crooked hand and in so much pain, I think it may have been a bit out of the bomoh’s league.

After some x-rays, it was determined that I had fractured my left hand wrist. It took me about 2 months to recover.

A few weeks after recovering, I fractured my left hand.

Rain,rain go away…

2009-08-18T16:24:00.001+08:00

The weather will be amazingly fine till Zeenee leaves to India and I’m required to take a bus back. Then all of a sudden, it rains every evening! I left office exactly at 5.30pm yesterday and was hoping to beat the rain. The moment I reached the Pasar Seni LRT station, it just started to rain cats and dogs. But thankfully, this is Malaysia because only in Malaysia will you find that the moment it rains, there is a guy selling 5 ringgit umbrellas beside you! I actually saw this guy set up his makeshift stall at the Pasar Seni LRT station exactly at about the time it started to rain!

“Umbrellaaa, 5 linggit 5 linggit! cheap cheap wan!”

I also stumbled across this beautiful mural of Yasmin Ahmad visible from the LRT Station. It’s along Sungai Gombak. The photos aren’t all that clear though as I took it with my phone.

How to update Facebook Status via SMS

2009-08-17T15:27:00.001+08:00

I’ve noticed that not many people are aware on how to update their facebook status using a simple sms. Most people actually surf the web using their mobile and then update their status. Using this method, you can update your facebook status even without surfing the web on your phone. Ok, here’s how it’s done

1. Register an account with twitter. (http://www.twitter.com)

2. Once you have successfully registered your twitter account, login to twitter and click on Settings and then on Devices. (See image below)

3. Fill up your mobile number as show below. Use +6 for country code if you are in Malaysia. Then, click on “Save”. Remember to check the box below. Don’t worry, for Malaysian hand phones, twitter does not send sms’s hence no extra charge.

4. Once you have done that, you will get a message saying:

Note: We currently don't support sending SMS notifications to this number. You may still verify your phone and update Twitter, but we won't deliver to your phone.

gjwpwt

Verify your number +617XXXXXXXX by sending the following code to +447624801423

Send an sms to the number mentioned and only type in the code in the message.

YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY CONFIRMATION

So make sure your delivery report is turned on to make sure the message is delivered.

5. Once the message is delivered, go to facebook.com and login. Go to the twitter application page at this link: http://www.new.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2231777543&ref=appd

Then click on Go To Application

6. You will be asked to login using your twitter name and password. Login and then check the box where it says “Allow twitter to update my facebook status” or something that sounds like that.

7. Once you’ve done this, you have successfully linked your twitter and facebook account. All you have to do is type in a message and send it to +447624801423 and your facebook and twitter account will be updated automatically! So save that number as Twitter in your phone book. Also note, that twitter only supports 1 sms or messages with a max of 140 characters.

Now, even with a prepaid account, you can easily update your facebook status wherever you are!

For Maxis prepaid (Hotlink), it costs 20 cents. If you are using Digi or Celcom, just check what's the cost of an international SMS. Hope you guys found this tip useful.

First day teaching Bal Vikas

2009-08-15T22:50:00.001+08:00

Today was my first day teaching at Bal Vikas. With Zeenee in Parthi for a week and no replacement available, I volunteered to take over her Group 2 class at the centre. Just for today, I joined both the Group 2 and 3 classes since Sis.Anasu was not around. I must say it was really challenging standing in front of all those kids, telling stories, discussing, organising group activities and trying to answer all their questions but I loved every minute of it.

Aunty Saras was there guiding me throughout the class. I’ll definitely be continuing this with Zeenee once she is back. I think Uncle Dorai was right. I spoke to him about some frustrations I’ve been having lately and one thing he told me was,

“Go with Zeenee to the Bal Vikas class and chat with the kids. You are guaranteed to get a new perspective on life.”

I’m already looking forward for the class next week. Need to be more prepared and plan more fun activities.

Zeenee called me from Parthi in the afternoon. She reached safely and has obtained accommodation in the Ashram. She mentioned that she and Sharmini were sharing a room and the ashram allocated two to a room for the Malaysian group. Swami did not come out in the morning though.

Mylon Trading: Spiritual Book Haven

2009-08-14T15:58:00.001+08:00

I love reading books on spirituality but living in Malaysia, these sort of books are hard to come by. I’ve searched in the usual bookshops, MPH, Borders but their choices are very limited. A few years ago, I stumbled across this place in Brickfields called Mylon Trading. From outside, it looked more like a shop selling prayer items but once you go in, you will notice a section filled with books.

The amazing thing about this place is that they have all kinds of spiritual books from different authors. Swami Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Baba, Swami Nithyananda, Theosophy Society, Ramakrishna, Swami Sivananda, Swami Chinmayananda, Vivekananda, Osho, Ramana Maharshi. The books are reasonably priced (of course, if you were to buy it directly in India, it would be way cheaper) and they have many great titles all arranged according to the author. There are many rare gems here including alternate versions of “The Autobiography of a Yogi”, a full collection of Swami Vivekanandas works and even an unabridged version of the Sai Satcharitra. They have a large selection of books in Tamil as well.

The uncle at the shop who reminds me a lot of my late grandfather

The shop is located alongside the KL Sentral Monorail Station and just beside Amu’s bridal. It is usually opened from 10am – 7pm (Mon – Sat) and closed on Sundays. If you are looking for any interesting spiritual books, your best bet is Mylon Trading, Brickfields.

Youtube Video: Chicken Ala Carte

2009-08-13T15:59:00.000+08:00

Here is a very interesting video. Stumbled across it on facebook. A remarkable story that brings out the false perception of inadequacy in each one of us. We have more than enough not just to live but to share with others if only we realize how many people are less fortunate than us. May we always count our blessings and also remember to be a blessing to others

Vege Me!

2009-08-13T14:37:00.001+08:00

Zeenee and I have started a new blog called We’re not cows! You can access it at http://vegeme.blogspot.com

The idea behind this blog?

We’re not cows. We’re vegetarians. The one reason why we have to "dive and swim hard" into the menu of any normal restaurant to find something without meat. But we are not "cows" who only graze on grass, I mean lettuce, cabbage, spinach and other leaves in just the salads. That's what the waiter's suggests when we say we are vegetarian. Oh, besides fried rice, of course! We want a decent meal from the menu as any non-vegetarian enjoys in any restaurant.

Look out for more updates soon. In the meantime, I have posted all my previous review of vegetarian food on that blog.

LTTE New Chief arrested in Tune Hotel, Kuala Lumpur? (Part 2)

2009-08-09T18:42:00.001+08:00

Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias “KP” a.k.a. Kumaran Pathmanathan is currently in the custody of Sri Lankan officials at a secret location. A team of terrorism investigators is interrogating the man who was designated last month as head of the re-structured Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Earlier Foreign secretary Palitha Kohona confirmed KP’s arrest to the “Daily Mirror”.Cabinet minister Keheliya Rambukwella did the same to “Rupavahini”. Presidential siblings Gotabhaya the defence secretary and Basil Rajapakse the presidential adviser also confirmed the arrest to BBC and “Hindustan Times” respectively.

Controversy surrounds the circumstances of KP’s arrest. While some news reports state that KP was arrested in Thailand other reports say he was apprehended first in Malaysia and then brought to Colombo via Bangkok. Another report says he was arrested in Singapore.

Pathmanathan or KP as he is generally known married a Thai national in 2003. He was residing in suburban Bangkok. In recent times KP was traveling between Malaysia and Thailand frequently.

Apparently KP found Kuala Lumpur (KL) a convenient venue to meet with people in connection with his new role as Global tiger chief.

The new LTTE chief, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, also known as KP, is seen seated in the foreground with (from left) Velupillai Prabakaran, Anton Balasingham and ‘Col.’ Sankar behind him.

The former chief arms procurer of the tigers was appointed by Velupillai Prabhakaran as head of the LTTE’s newly created International relations department in January this year.

LEADERSHIP

After Prabhakaran’s demise in May this year KP donned the mantle of LTTE leadership as he was the senior most tiger alive. This move was opposed by some sections of the tigers overseas led by Perinpanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan.

After protracted intra-tiger discussions an accord was reached last July.KP was to be “Thalaimai Seyalar” (Chief secretary/secretary general) and head the organization. Nediyavan was in charge of administering overseas LTTE branches as chief of the Diaspora affairs department. An executive committee was also formed.

KP’s leadership was recognized indirectly in an official press release by the re-structured LTTE which stated as follows:

“We, the Executive Committee of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, wish to officially let our beloved Tamil people and the international communityknow that Mr Selvarasa Pathmanathan, who had been appointed as Headof International Relations by our National Leader, will lead us into the next steps of our freedom struggle according to the vision of our esteemed leader.”

CABAL

Despite this agreement there was an influential cabal within the Diasporic tigers that refused to accept KP’s leadership. This cabal continued to oppose and obstruct KP within the movement. It was suspected that Nediyavan was backing this cabal in a conspiratorial bid to topple KP.

It was against this backdrop of an internal hostile environment that KP set about consolidating his leadership. Since KP himself was proclaimed as wanted by the Interpol and also due to health reasons KP had begun avoiding international travel.

As a result many members of the Tamil Dispora had to visit Malaysia to inter-act with the global tiger chief. Even a TV crew from “Channel Four” in Britain went to KL to interview the new tiger supremo. KP himself shuttled between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

On Wednesday August 5th KP who was in KL went around noon to the “First Tune Hotels” at 316 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman road in the heart of KL city. His mission was to meet with two visitors from London, England.

VISITORS

Apparently KP has a few guys with him who function as aides, chauffeurs and bodyguards. But when he goes out to meet people he trusts, KP travels with only the driver of his vehicle.

On the day in question KP had gone to the Tune Hotel with his driver a man called “Appu”. KP went up to the hotel room with his visitors who were waiting for KP outside the hotel building. Appu parked the vehicle and stayed inside it.

One of the British visitors was Balasingham Balendran, the younger brother of former tiger political commissar Balasingham Mahendran alias Nadesan. The other was Nadesan’s own son who had gone to London some years ago and was staying with his paternal uncle.

The trio was engaged in amiable conversation when a friend called KP on his cellular phone at about 2 pm. KP removed his glasses and laid it on a table and began chatting. At one point KP had signalled to Balendran and nephew that he was going out to the corridor to talk and went out with the telephone.

The British visitors waited inside the room for about 15-20 minutes. Nadesan’s son then went out but could not see KP anywhere. Uncle and nephew then began searching for KP but the veteran tiger leader had vanished.

There was no sign of KP’s vehicle or Appu either. A much worried Balendran began calling his Tamil contacts to relate the tale of KP going missing suddenly.

PERTURBED

Meanwhile the friend who had telephoned KP was also perturbed. This trusted confidante had been engaged in conversation with KP when he heard a sudden “thud” sound and a noisy commotion.

Then KP’s phone went dead. The agitated friend kept on ringing KP but there was no answer and then the mobile was switched off.

This friend too began alerting KP’s contacts and aides in KL about the incident. They went to the place KP was staying in thinking that KP may have gone back suddenly for some reason.

But there was no KP. But KP’s insulin, syringes and other medical items were in his room. KP being a diabetic never travelled around without his insulin.

Now KP’s aides were worried as they knew the boss wouldnâ€™t have gone anywhere far without his insulin. When the British visitors informed KP’s aides of what they knew it was possible to surmise what had happened by comparing notes.

KP’s friends and aides realised that the new LTTE leader had been seized or abducted by some persons. Naturally they suspected the Malaysian authorities of having a hand in this. But the finger of suspicion also pointed to Sri Lanka and India also. As the story of the missing KP went buzzing on the global Tamil grapevine there was a lot of suspense and speculation about what had exactly happened.

VERSIONS

The news began breaking out “semi-officially”. Newspapers and news agencies began reporting that the new LTTE chief KP had been arrested in Thailand.Army spokesperson Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara told Reuters that KP had been arrested in Bangkok and that was all “we knew at the moment”.But things were not so simple as that.

There were two conflicting versions about what had happened.According to one account KP and Appu were transported to Bangkok from Kuala Lumpur by his “abductors”. An impression was then created that KP was arrested in Thailand. A Police team from the terrorism investigation dept in Sri Lanka went to Thailand and brought KP to Colombo by a special flight rom Bangkok.

The second version however states that the Sri Lankan team had gone to Malaysia. They had taken custody of KP in Kulala Lumpur and brought him to Colombo by air. The special flight had tarried in Bangkok briefly.

But according to a Thailand News Agency report, Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had said on Friday (7th) that he has ordered the country’s security agencies to provide details following a news report that the head of Sri Lanka’s recently defeated Tamil Tiger separatists was captured in Thailand.

The French news agency Agence-France-Presse (AFP) earlier reported that Selvarasa Pathmanathan, a foreign-based leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was returned to Sri Lanka on Thursday for questioning after being arrested in Thailand.

The Thai premier said that he was informed of the matter late Thursday (6th) night and that he had assigned the security agencies to seek more details.

Acting Government Spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn said that an initial report said that Pathmanathan had travelled in and out of Thailand but it was not identified where he was arrested.

Mr Panitan, however, noted that Mr Pathmanathan reportedly was married to a Thai and lived in the northern part of the country.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Special Branch police chief Theeradej Rodphothong said that the LTTE head was captured in Singapore, not in Thailand.

Lt-Gen Theeradej noted that Thailand was mentioned in the news report becuase the LTTE head formerly had a Thai wife and he usually moved among three Southeast Asian countries-Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

From this news report it was possible to figure out that Thai officials were concerned about reports that KP was arrested in Bangkok. Reading between the lines it appeared that Thailand was uncomfortable about the publicity regarding KP’s alleged arrest in Bangkok. Apparently he was not arrested in Thailand and the story about KP being arrested in Bangkok amounted to “fiction” propagated by Colombo to shift focus away from the Kuala Lumpur connection.

CONFIRMATION

Though information about the mode and manner in which KP was arrested or was brought to Colombo is yet hazy there is confirmation from informed sources at Katunayake that two persons were seen being whisked away in vehicles with tinted glassesby officials in plains clothes. The faces and heads of both handcuffed men were covered with masks. This was after nightfall.

The two men in official custody were presumed to be KP and Appu. They had been taken to a secret location for interrogation.Subsequently Basil Rajapakse told “Hindustan Times” that KP was being questioned in Colombo. There was no mention of Appu.

Two years ago in September 2007 there was much excitement in Sri Lanka when KP was detained by authorities in Thailand. It was expected that KP would be deported to Sri Lanka or India.But nothing further materialised and KP was soon “free”. But this time there seems to have been a difference

Two developments are to be noted in the “capture” of KP in Malaysia.

DEVELOPMENTS

Firstly the request made by Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on May 29 to Malaysian Defence Minister Dr Ahamd Zahid bin Hamidi YB Dato Seri to hand over ‘KP’to facilitate ongoing investigations into LTTE operations overseas.The appeal was made on the sidelines of the 8th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. A Foreign Ministry press statement on Bogollagama’s meet with his Malaysian counterpart didn’t refer to Sri Lankaâ€™s call for KP’s extradition though it said Sri Lanka had urged Malaysia to proscribe the LTTE.

Secondly, Sri Lank a had recently appointed Brigadier Udaya Perera as Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia to meet the new threat posed by the LTTE. Subsequently promoted as Major-General, G.V. D. U. A .Perera is the first serving army officer to receive a diplomatic appointment. The appointment followed after Perera impressed foreign ministry mandarins at a special meeting called to brief top envoys of several countries in the run up to the final battle.It was also understood that Gen. Udaya Perera’s prime yet unpublicised assignment was “operation KP”.

It had become obvious that KP was using Malaysia for key LTTE operation s for quite some time. In recent times KP’s presence in KL became noted after the Norwegian envoy in Colombo went up to Malaysia to meet him. Another person who confessed to meeting KP in Malaysia was the “disgraced” Lt. Colonel from the Sri Lankan army in custody for alleged LTTE links. Senior UN officials had also contacted KP in Malaysia.

Though details are scanty there is reason to believe that Sri Lanka with the aid of “intelligence officials” from other countries had accomplished the feat of seizing and transporting KP from Kula Lumpur to Colombo. It is also assumed that the exercise amounted to an “extraordinary rendition” on the lines of what the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been doing in the aftermath of the twin towers assault on September 11th 2009. More details about “Operation KP” are likely to be revealed in the near future.

CAPTURE

Another factor in the KP capture is the fact that the overseas LTTE is hopelessly divided. The venomous attacks on KP in sections of the tiger media abroad indicate a very high level of hostility towards KP. Given the familiar tiger trait of betraying their own to the “enemy” for selfish purposes there is strong suspicion that valuable “inside” information about KP’s moves was leaked out.

Another puzzling aspect is KP’s reckless disregard for his safety. He had two warrants issued against him by Interpol yet KP was brazenly going public. He met with people openly, granted print, TV and Radio interviews, wrote regularly in his own blog and engaged in telephone conversations on a global scale. This made him highly vulnerable as far as law-enforcement officials were concerned.But he did not play safe and adopt a low â€“key profile .

According to circles close to KP the reason for his confidence was due to the “protection” he enjoyed from a very powerful “Agency”. It was this “agency” that had rescued KP when he was arrested in 2007. It was this “agency” that had extended its protective umbrella over him. But what had happened now? Had KP outlived his usefulness to the “agency”? or had “operation KP” outsmarted even this powerful entity? The answers may be forthcoming in the days to come.

There is jubilation in many circles that the last of the great tigers has been caught. But in another sense KP’s arrest could be a major setback to the cause of peace. Though KP had not abandoned the Tamil Eelam goal he wanted to do away with the armed struggle. KP’s stated ambition was to transform the LTTE into a democratic, non-violent organization. It was this which caused resentment among the hard-liners surrounding nediyavan. With KP gone the chances of the LTTE making this much-needed transition seem remote.

MYLIDDY

The man known as KP was born on April 6th, 1955 in the northern coastal town of Kankesanthurai (KKS). His name was Pathmanathan and his father’s name was Selvarasa. Though he was known by a number of names and aliases in his later life, KPâ€™s real name was Selvarasa Pathmanathan.

KP, though born in KKS, was a native of Myliddy, also a coastal area in the Valigamam north region. Myliddy was essentially an agriculture cum fisheries area but also had a proud tradition of rearing the finest racing bulls. Myliddy carters used to win almost all ‘vandil chavaris’ (cart races) held in Jaffna during more peaceful and prosperous times.

Pathmanathan was one of eight children. His father was a fisherman from Veeramanickthevanthurai in Myliddy. The traditional occupation of the people here was fishing but they were not originally of a fishing caste.

The place derives its name from a Maravar Chieftain named Veeramanickathevan from Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, who settled in Myliddy with his clan centuries ago. The Maravars are of the Mukkulathor warrior caste and the people of Veeramanickthevanthurai also trace their lineage as being Kshatriya.

Pathmanathan had his education at Nadeswara College, KKS and Mahajana College, Thellipalai. He was involved in the politics of the Federal Party (FP) and later the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). Pathmanathanâ€™s radicalisation was mainly through another native of Myliddy, Pushparajan, who succumbed to cancer some years ago.

Pushparajan was one of those who pioneered the Tamil Ilaingar Peravai or Youth Front in the â€™70s and was detained without trial for many years then.

Pathmanathanâ€™s pet name at home was Kutty (pup or cub). This was the name most Myliddy people called him as well. During his childhood he was very thin and as a result, he was nicknamed ‘oosi’ (needle) in school.

Pathmanathan was not a very bright student and required more than one attempt to qualify for his O/L and A/L examinations. He entered the Jaffna University in his 20s but did not complete his degree.

It was during his campus days that the letters ‘KP’ attached on to him. Apparently there were two Pathmanathans in the same batch and in order to differentiate among them, he became KP. Since he was also known as Kutty, the K in Kutty and the P in Pathmanathan became KP. The tall, light-skinned, handsome KP was a big hit with the girls.

MILITANCY

While at the Jaffna campus, KP was attracted to Tamil militancy. Initially he joined the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) led by the legendary Thangathurai and Kuttimani. KP doubled up as a TELO militant while being an undergrad. His nom de guerre in the TELO was â€˜Kumaran.â€™ Kumaran participated as a lookout in the Thinnevely Bank robbery where Rs. 1.08 million was robbed.

There was a major split in the original LTTE in 1980. Kandiah Umamaheswaran broke away with a large number and formed the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). The residual cadres under Velupillai Prabhakaran were a dejected lot. For about two years the LTTE under Prabhakaran tied up with the TELO under Thangathurai-Kuttimani. It was then that KP began interacting with Prabhakaran.

The Neervely robbery on March 25, 1981 was a watershed in the history of the Tamil militant movement. The People’s Bank van was collecting hard cash from the branches in the Vadamaratchy sector and returning to Jaffna along the Jaffna-Point Pedro Road. It was waylaid at Neervely and a massive sum of Rs. 8. 1 million rupees was robbed.

This was a combined TELO-LTTE operation. KP’s role in this was to ride a motorcycle behind the Peopleâ€™s Bank van and its escort police vehicle. There were no walkie-talkies or cellular phones then. At one point KP had to speed up ahead of the vehicles and alert the militants lying in wait that the target was approaching. KP did his part and sped away. He did not participate in the robbery directly.

But suspicious officials had noted down the motorcycle number, which actually did not belong to KP but to a fellow undergrad, who had absolutely no idea that KP had borrowed it to use in a robbery. The motorcycle was traced and the innocent owner arrested. This led to a massive varsity demonstration demanding his release, but KP had flown.

INDIA

In what was perhaps the first of his many escapes from the law, KP simply abandoned everything and fled to India. He was then staying at 180, KKS Road in Jaffna. KP was then in his final year but was compelled to give up his studies. He never completed his degree.

After fleeing to India, KP dropped out of Tamil militancy for a while. He teamed up with smugglers cum racketeers in Bombay (now Mumbai), on the fringes of the Tamil militant movement. Some other militants like Sellakkili also joined this group. One motivating reason was survival as they had no funds. This life came to an end after the July 1983 pogrom.

Sellakkili had returned earlier to LTTE folds and was killed in the Thinnevely attack on July 23 that triggered off the island-wide anti-Tamil violence. KP went down to Madras, now Chennai, and enlisted himself in militant ranks again. This time he joined the LTTE and not his former outfit, TELO.

Since Thangathurai and Kuttimani were no more and the TELO was under Sree Sabaratnam, KP preferred to join the LTTE as he had struck up good rapport with Prabhakaran. KP had come down to Madurai once in 1982 with Sellakkili and stayed for some days with Prabhakaran during which period the LTTE Leader had invited him to join the Tigers whenever he wanted.

After inducting KP into the LTTE, Prabhakaran did not make him take up formal arms training. Prabhakaran recognised that KPâ€™s talents lay elsewhere. KP was asked to use the contacts and experience he had gained to raise funds and buy arms for the LTTE.

Together with helpers from the LTTE as well as the Indian underworld, KP began acquiring arms and equipment for the LTTE. Some of these clandestine acts were done without even Indian authorities knowing about them. Some of KP’s original aides in India were Vakeel, Radha, Thavam, Eesan, Kumar, Ranjith and Shankar.

As time progressed KP’s duties began expanding. He was required to travel to many countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Australia, North America and South East Asia and meet Tamil expatriate groups to mobilise funds. This was a time when several Tamil militant groups were active and competing for expatriate funds so it was indeed a formidable task to generate funds.

OVERSEAS

The overseas fund raising also involved the setting up of LTTE branches and the appointment of Tiger representatives abroad. This too became KP’s responsibility. In the ’80s and ’90s it was KP who controlled and coordinated the LTTE overseas branches. His objective was to garner as much funds as possible and utilise it for purchase of arms.

In addition to raising funds and administering the overseas branches, KP also had the daunting task of scouring the international illicit arms bazaars and shops. He travelled to many parts of the world and bought up arms and armaments. He also had to make arrangements to ship them clandestinely to India first and later directly to north east Sri Lanka.

There was no beaten track or set procedures. It was a case of playing it by ear. KP was a pioneering pathfinder as he had to improvise and evolve on the job. Much of the early accomplishments were through trial and error.

It was astounding that Pathmanathan, a man of humble origins from Myliddy, had metamorphosed into KP, the transnational purchaser and transporter of arms. It is amazing to think that this ex- undergrad was now dealing successfully with dangerous arms merchants in many parts of the globe.

“DONKEY”

Selvarasa Pathmanathan is now widely known as KP. But within the upper echelons of the LTTE there is another name for him. It is ‘Kazhuthai,’ or Donkey. This was a name bestowed affectionately on KP by Prabhakaran himself. The donkey is an animal that carries loads on its back. KP is a man whose efforts resulted in loads of arms being supplied to the LTTE. Hence, the name Donkey.

As chief procurer of arms for the LTTE KP had made himself almost indispensable for the LTTE then. He, like Prabhakaran, was responsible in a large way for the growth of the LTTE.

It was his ambition after becoming the new LTTE leader to transform the LTTE and take the tigers in a new direction.But that is not to be and he is now detained in Sri Lanka.

KP is a man whose knowledge and information would be of great value not only to Sri Lankan authorities but also to intelligence agencies of several countries

LTTE New Chief arrested in Tune Hotel, Kuala Lumpur? (Part 1)

2009-08-09T18:36:00.001+08:00

I’ve read this in Tamilnet.com as well, a pro LTTE website confirming that he was nabbed in Malaysia. But funnily, no news of this was carried in any of our local newspapers.

"KP"-pic: puthinam.com]

Source:http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/1015

Selvarasah Pathmanathan alias “KP” a.k.a Kumaran Pathmanathan was seized in Malaysia on Wednesday August 5th and brought to Sri Lanka on Thursday August 6th.\

KP in his capacity as General-Secretary of the re- structured Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was the virtual global tiger chief.

According to informed sources KP was staying in Kuala Lumpur(KL) , Malaysia when taken into custody.

Pathmanathan had met with two visitors from London, England at a hotel room in KL in the afternoon of August 5th.

He had received a call on his cellular phone. KP had then signaled to his visitors that he was going out to the corridor and walked away while conversing on the phone.

He had not returned for a long time and the when the worried visitors from Britain went out in search there was no sign of the new global tiger chief.

Meanwhile the friend who had been talking to KP on the phone had heard a sudden thud and some noise while chatting. The phone went dead and repeated calls were not successful.

The friend then alerted some assistants of KP in Malaysia who went in search of KP to the place where he was staying in KL. The place was empty but KP’s insulin and syringes and other medical stuff was still there.

The visitors from London also got alarmed and contacted circles close to KP.

Meanwhile KP seized in Malaysia was taken to Bangkok in Thailand.

Sri Lankan authorities were contacted and a team from the Police Terrorist Investigation Department flew to Bangkok in the early hours of Thurasday August 6th.

The team returned with Pathmanathan alias KP on a special flight on the same day.

KP was handcuffed and had a mask covering his head and face when disembarking from the plane at Katunayake Airport.

He was whisked away in a vehicle with tinted glasses to a high-security , secret location run by the terrorism investigation dept personnel.

KP is to be interrogated intensively by Sri Lankan anti-terrorist sleuths.

It is widely believed that the arrest was made possible through “inside information” supplied by some members of the LTTE abroad who were opposed to KP donning the tiger leadership mantle after the demise of supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran.

KP was at one time the chief arms procurer for the LTTE and headed a tiger division known as Overseas purchases dept or simply KP dept.

He went into voluntary retirement in 2003 and married a Thai national

In January this year, KP was appointed the LTTEâ€™s international relations chief.

As the senior most LTTE member alive, KP assumed leadership of the tigers after Prabhakaran’s demise.

This was vehemently opposed by a section of the Diasporic tigers led by Perinbanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan

After protracted talks an agreement was arrived at. KP assumed control of the LTTE as “Thalaimai Seyalar” or Chief Secretary/Secretary-General.

A cabal of influential LTTE and pro-LTTE members abroad continued to oppose KP’s leadership and were engaged in conspiratorial moves to sabotage the accord.

The LTTE hardliners were disappointed with KP’s public acknowledgement that Prabhakaran was dead and also his announcement that the armed struggle had ended.

His “arrest” was a consequence of the internal opposition to KP it is suspected.

KP known as Tharmalingam Shanmugam Kumaran in India was proclaimed as a wanted offender by that country through INTERPOL.

India wanted INTERPOL to apprehend KP for interrogation regarding charges like Criminal conspiracy, arms smuggling, violation of Indian terrorist act, breach of Indian explosives act and the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

Pathmanathan a native of Myliddy in Jaffna was born on April 6th 1955. He is an old student of Nadeswara College, Kankesanthurai and Mahajana College ,Thellippalai.

Pathmanathan was also an undergraduate at the Jaffna university but did not complete his degree.

The following is a Reuters report by C.Bryson Hull on the arrest of KP:

COLOMBO (Reuters)-The new head of the Tamil Tigers, the separatist group defeated by the Sri Lankan military after a 25-year war, has been arrested in Thailand, Sri Lanka’s military said on Thursday.

Selvarajah Pathmanathan was wanted on two Interpol warrants and took the reins of the remnants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after their defeat in May.

“He has been arrested in Bangkok. That is all we know at the moment,” military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

There was no immediate comment from Thai officials.

Pathmanathan, better known as KP during his decades running the LTTE’s arms and smuggling networks, took over as the public leader of the separatist group after Sri Lanka’s military announced victory on May 18 after a 25-year war.

He was the first LTTE official to acknowledge the death of Tiger founder and leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran, who was killed in the closing days of Sri Lanka’s offensive on a narrow spit of northeastern coast where they had surrounded the rebels.

Security experts had long suspected Pathmanathan was hiding in southeast Asia.

A Western diplomat assigned to Sri Lanka met him somewhere in the region earlier this year, part of an effort to persuade the LTTE to surrender in the face of an imminent defeat and free civilians they were holding by force in the war zone.

Pathmanathan was believed to have earned millions of dollars procuring weapons for the Tigers and running smuggling operations from bases across the region including Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. Security experts say he had multiple passports.

Some estimates said the LTTE earned between $200-300 million from extortion, weapons sales and drug smuggling. Analysts said part of a brief struggle for Prabhakaran’s mantle after the war was to take control of its financial assets.

After the war, Pathmanathan said the LTTE would try non-violent means to achieve its goal of a separate state for Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils. Among his first initiatives was to try to form a transnational government-in-exile.

Damian Marley – Road to Zion

2009-08-06T13:59:00.001+08:00

Man, it feels really good to listen to this song after a long time:

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAtsjw5xV-A

Sometimes I can't help but feel helpless
I'm havin daymares in daytime
Wide awake try to relate
This can't be happenin like I'm in a dream while I'm walkin
Cause what I'm seein is haunting
Human beings like ghost and zombies
President Mugabe holding guns to innocent bodies
In Zimbabwe
They make John Pope seem Godly
Sacrilegious and blasphemous

In my lifetime I look back at paths i've walked
Where savages fought and pastors taught
Prostitutes stomp in high heel boots
And badges screaming,"Young black children stop or I will shoot!"
I look back at cooked crack
Plus cars that pass by
Jaguars mad fly
And I'm guilty for materialism
Blacks is still up in the prison Trust that
So save me your sorries, I'm raising an army
Revolutionary warfare with Damian Marley
We sparkin' the ions, marching to Zion
You know how Nas be NYC state of mind I'm in

Just for Laughs

2009-08-03T23:18:00.002+08:00

I came across this really funny post by my friend on her blog. Here it is:

Was up studying for my final exam the whole night. I lost my text book and so ended up reading the downloaded version from the university website. Its Professional Ethics. Sounds simple..its common sense, really..... BUT (you knew that was coming rite?)

The hopeless university decided make this subject purely objective. 40 % mid sem and 60 percent finals...all questions are objective = studying .....while my eyes are tearing up due to the lack of sleep, i couldn't help myself from rolling on the floor and laughing when i came across this topic on who makes the law....

LAW IS FORMED THROUGH
1. INDIVIDUAL PROCESS
2. GROUP PROCESS
3. SOCIAL PROCESS
4. POLITICAL PROCESS

I usually make abbreviations to make memorising process easier, and when i did just that this was what it revealed;

LAW IS FORMED THROUGH P.I.G.S!

Now that’s what I call a good joke.

Cheers.

I’m still recuperating.

When He calls..

2009-07-29T14:53:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, I planned to go bhajans after work. I even packed a white shirt to change into. But somehow, the plan got changed. It was Jaidev’s birthday, so Zeenee and I decided to go for dinner with him instead. Zeenee dropped by the Nageswari Amman temple for short prayers and then we were headed towards One Utama. We were at this traffic light at Bangsar, waiting to turn right when we suddenly bump into Uncle Rajoo coming from the opposite direction. He waved at us and motioned us to stop, so Zeenee made a U-turn and we stopped by the side of the road.

“Kugan, you are not coming for bhajans?”

“No Uncle, today is Jaidev’s birthday so we are going to One Utama to meet him for dinner”

“Oh, you have to come to centre, we have planned something. Hold on, let me call Darshana and see if she has bought it.”

Uncle Rajoo calls Darshana.

“Oh Kugan, she has bought it. I might as well tell you this. We bought a cake to celebrate the first year anniversary of Transformation so you have to be at the centre to cut it”

I have never bumped into Uncle Rajoo anywhere before so this was really a surprise. It just make me think about all the things that we just take as just a co-incidence. The traffic light just turned red as we approached. Just before we met him, Zeenee even asked, “Should I turn left or right?”

If she had taken a different road or had Zeenee sped to try to beat the yellow light, we would not have bumped into Uncle Rajoo, would have gone to One Utama and Darshie would have bought the cake, gone to centre and it would have been one big mess.

I guess sometimes Swami just wills some things to happen the way He decides. Ok, I think that statement is incorrect. EVERYTHING that happens, happens the way He wills it.

Yasmin Ahmad dies

2009-07-26T09:16:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Sat: Renowned film and advertising director Yasmin Ahmad died here at about 11.25 pm tonight.

Her death was confirmed by Media Prime Group Chief Operations Officer Datuk Seri Ahmad Farid Ridzuan, who was at the Damansara Specialists Hospital, when contacted by Bernama.
Yasmin, 51, collapsed while presenting a working paper at Sri Pentas, the headquarters of the private television station TV3 on Thursday and was rushed to the Damnsara Spe cialists Hospital.
She was reported to have suffered a stroke and brain haemorrhage.

___________________________________________________________________

If you don’t really know her, I’m sure you would have at least watched her famous Petronas ads on TV:

Some MP3’s on Swami Vivekananda (1893)

2009-07-23T15:12:00.001+08:00

I’ve uploaded a couple of MP3’s which I have slightly cleaned up and edited so its a bit more clearer than the original. It is the speech given by Swami Vivekananda at Chicago in 1893. So this audio is about 116 years old! Amazing how technology can now preserve everything digitally.

excerpt from Wikipedia on this talk:

The Parliament of Religions opened on 11 September 1893 at the Art Institute of Chicago. On this day Vivekananda gave his first brief address. He represented India and Hinduism.Though initially nervous, he bowed to Saraswati, the goddess of learning and began his speech with, "Sisters and brothers of America!". To these words he got a standing ovation from a crowd of seven thousand, which lasted for two minutes. When silence was restored he began his address. He greeted the youngest of the nations in the name of "the most ancient order of monks in the world, the Vedic order of sannyasins, a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance." And he quoted two illustrative passages in this relation, from the Bhagavad Gita—"As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee!" and "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths that in the end lead to Me." Despite being a short speech, it voiced the spirit of the Parliament and its sense of universality.

Dr. Barrows, the president of the Parliament said, "India, the Mother of religions was represented by Swami Vivekananda, the Orange-monk who exercised the most wonderful influence over his auditors."He attracted widespread attention in the press, which dubbed him as the "Cyclonic monk from India". The New York Critique wrote, "He is an orator by divine right, and his strong, intelligent face in its picturesque setting of yellow and orange was hardly less interesting than those earnest words, and the rich, rhythmical utterance he gave them." The New York Herald wrote, "Vivekananda is undoubtedly the greatest figure in the Parliament of Religions. After hearing him we feel how foolish it is to send missionaries to this learned nation."The American newspapers reported Swami Vivekananda as "the greatest figure in the parliament of religions" and "the most popular and influential man in the parliament".

He spoke several more times at the Parliament on topics related to Hinduism and Buddhism. The parliament ended on 27 September 1893. All his speeches at the Parliament had one common theme—Universality and stressed religious tolerance.

___________________________________________________________

Right click and choose “Save Target As” to download the mp3’s.

Paper on Hinduism

Chicago Address

A Compendium of the Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba

2009-07-23T11:11:00.001+08:00

Transformation is now a year old

2009-07-21T15:10:00.001+08:00

The Transformation E-Zine is now a year old. You can download the latest issue by visiting the website:

http://saitransformation.blogspot.com

Sathya Sai Work Principle

2009-07-14T10:13:00.001+08:00

Received this quote in my e-mail today.

By saturating work with love, it can be transformed into worship. When such work is offered to God, it gets sanctified into puja (sacramental worship). This makes it free from ego. It is also freed from the earthly desire for success and the earthly fear of failure. When you can feel that when you have done the work as best as you can, your puja is complete. It is then for Him who has accepted the puja to confer on you what He considers best. This attitude will make the work unattached. Regular practice of this discipline will render the consciousness clear and pure. Without this practice, however prospective your career might be, however much you may accumulate the wherewithal of a comfortable life, to whatever heights of authority you may have climbed through the exercise of intelligence, your gains shall be nothing, unless your every activity is suffused with the Divine purity, that is inherent in consciousness.

- Sathya Sai Baba, Mar 6, 1977

Michael Jackson’s Ghost on Larry King?

2009-07-08T15:17:00.001+08:00

Check out this video

Michael Jackson and No.7

2009-07-08T12:28:00.001+08:00

Michael Jackson signed his will on 7/7/02.
Michael Jackson's memorial was on 7/7/09 ... exactly 7 years after the will was signed.
Michael Jackson's two biggest hits -- "Black & White" and "Billie Jean" -- were each #1 for 7 weeks.
Michael Jackson's three biggest albums -- "Thriller," "Bad" and "Dangerous" -- each produced 7 top 40 hits.
Michael Jackson was the 7th of 9 children.
Michael Jackson was born in 1958 ... 19 + 58 = 77
Michael Jackson died on the 25th ... 2 + 5 = 7
Michael Jackson has 7 letters in his first and last name.

Hmm....what you guys think?

Here is the much talked about Paris Jackson video. Very touching…

Lunch at CODO, Mid Valley

2009-07-05T12:40:00.001+08:00

Zeenee and I had lunch at this Vietnamese restaurant in Mid Valley yesterday. It’s called CODO and it’s situated above Little Vietnam at the cinema floor. Apparently both Vietnamese restaurants are under the same management with different menu and approach. They have got an interesting vegetarian menu. It’s a set meal for two priced at RM40++.

The usual set comes with vegetarian duck rice and a noodle dish. Since Zeenee and I did not really enjoy the noodle dish last time around, we requested for two vegetarian duck rice instead. We ordered an additional dish, Golden Mushroom for RM12

The restaurant may be a little pricey but if you are fed up of the typical Chinese or western vegetarian restaurants, you should give this place a try. The restaurant has a nice ambience and is good if you plan to have a quite time and chit chat with some friends.

Supper @ Delicious

2009-07-04T11:31:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, a group of us headed to Delicious at Bangsar Village for supper after the Sai Youth meeting at the centre. That’s one of my favourite restaurants. Of course, we had to wait about 15 minutes to get a table!

If you haven’t been to delicious, you should head to that place. Good choice of vegetarian food and nice desserts. Maybe a little pricey but its worth it.

The company we keep

2009-06-28T08:56:00.001+08:00

An interesting quote I just read:

Iron turns into rust if it seeks the company of soil. It glows, softens and takes on useful shapes, if it enjoys the company of fire. Dust can fly if it chooses the wind as its friend. It has to end as slime in a pit, if it prefers water. It has neither wing nor foot, yet it can either fly or walk, rise or fall, according to the friend it selects. Knowing this truth, a great saint, Kabir once said. "Here are my prostrations to the good, Here are my prostrations to the bad." When asked why he offered prostrations to the bad, he said, "My prostrations to the bad, so that they may leave me alone. I do the same before good, so that they might remain near me always." You are shaped by the company you keep – Sathya Sai Baba

On a random note, I just read that TIME Magazine will be publishing a special issue tommorow on Michael Jackson. The last time they published a special issue between their regular ones was during the 9/11. I guess it may take some time before it hits our stands here in Malaysia. Here is the cover:

Front of the Class – Brad Cohen

2009-06-27T17:07:00.001+08:00

I just watched this amazingly inspiring movie on HBO. This true story chronicles the life of Brad Cohen who had Tourette Syndrome. Tourette syndrome (TS) as described by Wikipedia is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of multiple physical (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane. Tics are movements or sounds "that occur intermittently and unpredictably out of a background of normal motor activity", having the appearance of "normal behaviours gone wrong". The tics associated with Tourette's constantly change in number, frequency, severity and anatomical location. Waxing and waning—the ongoing increase and decrease in severity and frequency of tics—occurs differently in each individual. Tics also occur in "bouts of bouts", which vary for each person.

In simple words, a person with TS usually twitches a lot and make awkward sounds every now and then and it cannot be controlled or cured.

During his childhood, Cohen was accused of being a troublemaker in school and was punished by his teachers for the tics and noises caused by TS. He decided to "become the teacher that he never had". It was really inspiring seeing how he coped with his condition and how he never gave up. He was constantly mocked as a kid by his classmates and teachers. The main problem was that everyone thought that he was making those noises on purpose. You then how he keeps working towards his main objective of becoming a teacher although there were opportunities to work in his fathers company instead. 24 elementary schools rejected him before he was hired to teach second graders at Mountain View Elementary School in Cobb County, Georgia. He was initially only given a 1 year contract but worked hard with all kinds of ideas to make learning interesting. He was later awarded the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher of the Year in 1997. One touching moment in the movie was when he finds out that one of his Grade 2 students was dying of cancer. Very touching..

Cohen then went on to write the book, Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had, co-written with Lisa Wysocky, was published in 2005. It won the Independent Publisher Book Award for Best Education Book for that year. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the book is "well worth reading, giving insight into what it is like to live with Tourette's — such as when Brad's noises disturbed other people at restaurants, sports bars, golf courses and movie theaters, and when Brad could get a first date with a woman but never a second". He continued to act as a spokesman for the condition, appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show on May 26, 2006. He has been featured in a public service announcement for the national Tourette Syndrome Association,and he serves as the vice president for the Tourette Syndrome Association of Georgia. He was a chairman of Relay for Life, a Little League coach, a Major League Baseball mascot, and has received recognition and several awards for volunteerism and community involvement.

One thing important that was mentioned in this movie that he used his disability as his greatest teacher. It taught him never to give up, it taught him to keep moving on.

Brad Cohen speaking at one of his book presentations:

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=insu46QDTeY
(for those who can’t see the embedded video/reading it via Facebook)

This movie has also inspired to be more active and involved with the Sathya Sai Education for Human Values Program. Last week Vimal asked me if I was interested in teaching Teen Youth classes at the Sathya Sai PJ Centre, I was a bit unsure mainly because of transportation issues. I think I need to look again into that. I’m also so glad that the Montfort sessions are starting again next Thursday. I believe all teachers should watch this movie and be inspired because teaching to me is the greatest profession on earth.

You can visit Brad’s website at:
http://www.classperformance.com/

Michael no more

2009-06-27T00:35:00.001+08:00

I felt a sudden jerk on my leg which rudely brought me out of dreamland.

“Kugie, Kugie…wake up yaar! Michael Jackson is dead!”

I was lost for words for a moment.

“What, are you kidding me? Hello! My alarm not yet ring-lah. I put on snooze. Got ten more minutes! Don’t disturb me.”

"No,no, I’m serious. Premika just sent me an sms-lah!”

I jumped out of bed and headed to the TV to tune in to CNN and as I turned it on, there it was,

Breaking News: Michael Jackson Dead

“Hello, Why you cannot wake me up earlier and tell arr!?”

I never expected this. I’m sure most people felt the same. I remember when I was about six years old and watched the song “Billie Jean” on television. I fell in love instantly with his dance moves and the catchy beat but being that young, I really did not understand what the song was about, so I turned to my mother,

“Amma, Amma, what song is this? What is this about?”

“This song, hmmm, he is singing about his girlfriend. Remember not to hurt girls when you grow older ok?” , my mother tried explaining the song to me in the simplest way possible that would avoid me asking further questions. Of course, I did find out much later that he was singing to a girl telling her that the baby wasn’t his, but that’s a different story all together.

From then on, I used to listen to his music everyday. Michael was my hero.

I remember visiting my cousin one day and discovering he had the “BAD” album. So I played the tape and listened to the first line from the song “Bad” which sounded to me as,

“Your bird is mine..”

I was wondering what on earth was he talking about. Those days, they used to refer to the boys private part as “kuku-bird” and here was this man singing and letting me know that my bird was his? I dared not confront or ask my mom about this worrying that she may ban me from listening to any of his songs in future.

I later realised that it was actually,

“Your birdie’s mine” and birdie was a girl. Hmmm..sometimes lyrics can be confusing to young children.

Anyway, many years later, TV3 premiered his video clip for the song “Black or White”. It was just after the 8pm news. The whole family sat in front of the TV watching it and one of the comments which still sticks to my head was,

“Eh, there is an Indian girl dancing in the video-lah!”

I think most Indians feel proud when they see other Indians in western movies, western songs and so on. At least maybe that's how they felt at that time. I mean, an Indian girl dancing on Michael Jackson’s video!! Big, big thing to many. Some Indians in my town thought that it was such a significant thing for an Indian that they probably put it in the list of some of the achievements by Indians,

Indians established the field of planetary astronomy, identifying the relative distance of the known planets from the sun, and figured out that the moon was nearer to the earth than the sun
Indians invented Hotmail and sold it to Microsoft.
Indian featured in Michael Jackson’s video.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those were just some of my memories of the King of Pop.

Michael to me is the greatest superstar to walk this earth. No other artist will be able to come close to his music, his style and his fame. In the early 90’s, there was hardly a person on earth who did not know his name. His death comes as a great shock to all of us. It was odd turning on to a Tamil radio station in the morning and listening to “You are not alone”. He will be truly missed.

*curtain comes down*

Ladies and gentleman, the King of Pop has left the building.

RIP Michael

2009-06-26T11:37:00.001+08:00

Still can’t believe he’s gone..Life is sometimes just so unexpected.

Download some Sai Bhajans

2009-06-24T11:07:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, Ragan and I decided to do a test recording of the bhajans at Bangsar. We lined out the audio straight to my pc and recorded the bhajans. Since we only decided this 5 minutes before bhajans, we could not really adjust the output volume and hence the recordings turned out a bit distorted. I did some editing though. Hopefully we will improve the audio quality next week. In the mean time, here are yesterdays Bhajans at Bangsar centre.

Right click and choose “Save Target As” to download the MP3’s

Mathanga Vadana Aananda Sadana
Devi Sai Maa
Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey Madhusudhana
Garuda Vahana Narayana
I keep Feeling Your Love
Sai Baba Tere Nam
Subramaniam Subramaniam

Interesting Conversation Between Paul Brunton & Ramana Maharshi

2009-06-22T17:16:00.001+08:00

Something I read yesterday that I found very interesting,

Paul Brunton: Will Maharshi give his opinion on the future of the world,as we are living in critical times?

Bhagavan Ramana: Why should you worry about the future? You don’t even know the present properly. Take care of the present and the future will take care of itself.

Paul Brunton: Will the world soon enter a new era of friendliness and mutual help or will it go down in chaos and war?

Bhagavan Ramana: There is One who governs the world and it is His task to look after the world. He who has given life to the world knows how to look after it also. He bears the burden of this world, not you.

Paul Brunton: Yet if one looks around with unprejudiced eyes it is hard to see where this benevolent regard comes in.

Bhagavan Ramana: As you are, so is the world. Without understanding yourself what is the use of trying to understand the world? This is a question that seekers after Truth need not consider. People waste their energies over all such questions. First find out the Truth behind yourself, then you will be in a better position to understand the Truth behind the world of which yourself is part

Happy Fathers Day!

2009-06-21T16:57:00.001+08:00

Happy Fathers Day My Beloved Swami. Thank you for everything you have given and taken away in my life and by doing that showing me that all things in life are transient and only the SELF is real. I love you!

I’ve been quite busy the past week. Centre’s AGM is around the corner and I had to finalise and compile all the reports from the respective wings and get them printed. Once that was out of the way, I worked with Sukhbir in finalising the Sai Zonal Youth Conference Logo and finally, was working on the conference’s website which should be launched soon. I just can’t wait for this conference. It involves Sai youths from Zone 4 & Zone 5 Countries and will be held in Port Dickson from January 8th to 10th. Here is the finalised logo. Of course, it’s still unofficial as of yet.

Ok, I tried to put the logo up but since it’s in PNG-24 format, it doesn’t seem to appear right on Windows Writer. Perhaps another time. Shalinii, if you area reading this, I’ve added you back to my blog list. Kind of lost your link when I re-did my blog template.

So what did you guys do for Fathers Day?

An eventful day

2009-06-15T18:32:00.001+08:00

For some unknown reason, the LCD screen of my laptop cracked yesterday, leaving the bottom half of the screen useless. I’m not sure how it happened. I did not drop or anything. It was fine yesterday when I was using it in Vijay's house. I packed it as usual and then went for lunch before attending the STAR training at the SS3 Sathya Sai centre. While at SS3, I thought I’d just check my e-mails and so on and upon opening the laptop, I noticed that the lower part of the screen had some weird horizontal lines.

I headed to Digital Mall earlier today to get it fixed. Had to wait about one and the half hours for the guy to fix the LCD screen.

While waiting for it to be done, I decided to meet Jaidev for a quick cup of tea with our friend Ronald. I thought of asking Sai G to join us but he was not feeling well and was resting at home. Ronald, Jaidev and me managed to pose for a photo together.

My laptop is now fixed and hopefully this problem won’t occur again. Feels great to have it in working condition. Honestly felt very awkward not having a laptop.

Dinner at Kepong

2009-06-13T20:23:00.001+08:00

Zeenee and I had dinner at this vegetarian restaurant in Kepong. Can’t really remember the name of this restaurant. It’s located beside Kepong Carrefour. It has really tasty dishes which are priced quite reasonably. They have curry noodles, mushrooms, ketchup vegetarian chicken and so much more. Most single meals are priced between RM4 to RM5.50 and if you order side dishes, they are priced between RM5 to RM8 for a serving for two. If you are coming from KL, you will have to turn right at a traffic light and the Kepong Carrefour will be in your left. Just drive straight and take the third turning to your right. There will be a playground on the left and a row of shop houses on the right. The restaurant is located along this road. There are two vegetarian restaurants there. The one we usually go is the one at the corner which is beside a vegetarian grocery shop. Here are some photos of what we ate, taken with the phone camera. I’ll remember to note the restaurants name down in future. =)

Authentic Barbershops in Kuala Lumpur

2009-06-13T13:15:00.001+08:00

I have been frequenting a “hair stylist” the past few months since there were no authentic barbers near my place or so I thought. Recently, I stumbled across a barbershop near my house – five minutes walking distance to be precise. It was a huge relief as I honestly hated the whole idea of cutting hair at these hair saloons who not only charge about RM20-RM30 for a simple haircut, which isn’t all that good in the first place, but also refuse to shave any facial hair. Barbershops seem to be a rarity in Kuala Lumpur these days. Most of them prefer to be called “hair stylists” as they probably find the word barber derogatory, and with that change of term, double or triple the price of their service.

Today, I managed to cut my hair for RM7 and paid an additional RM5 for a shave. That is relatively cheap for a haircut in Kuala Lumpur where average barbershops charge between RM10 to RM14 for a snip. This was an authentic barbershop equipped with that famous barber pole – the one with a helix of red, white and blue stripes. I also enjoyed that typical mirror illusion, which you see in most barbers, of having to see an infinite number of yourself splashed across the front mirror. Hopefully we’ll see a comeback in these barbershops.

I’m off to Bangsar centres monthly meeting for now. Will blog more later.

When the roof comes crashing down

2009-06-12T19:26:00.001+08:00

The roof of the pedestrian bridge at Bangsar LRT collapsed yesterday. Managed to snap a photo with my phone. I think I need to start using my phone camera more, often although the pixels aren’t all that high, since the above shot turned out reasonably fine. Wanted to blog about it last night but it completely slipped my mind. Since the bridge was close, everyone had to use the air-condless lift, no thanks to Jaidev Schindler, and cramp their way down. I think a plywood from the construction next to the station flew and smashed the roof. It could have been due to the heavy but short thunderstorm yesterday at Bangsar.

Zeenee will be back tonight. Going with Suhu to pick her up from KLIA later.

Some nice photos from Jaidev

2009-06-11T17:12:00.001+08:00

Jaidev Dorai has taken some nice photos with his new DSLR, Sony Alpha300 using the macro lense.

ClearType Fonts vs Normal Fonts

2009-06-11T14:28:00.001+08:00

I was doing a comparison earlier and realised that my blog looked a bit different on Windows XP platforms and was cracking my head about it. I had already enabled the ClearType Feature in the Windows Visual Settings and I realised that there was another place you need to turn them on.

If you are using Windows XP, go to Start > Control Panel > Display > Appearance > Effects and check "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts." Choose "ClearType" (as opposed to "Standard") and press OK. You should immediately notice a subtle difference!

A matter of breaking in

2009-06-11T13:11:00.001+08:00

We had a short post-Educare Carnival meeting at the Bangsar centre, to finalise some accounts and other matters, headed by Bro.Sugu. The meeting started at about 8.30pm and ended around 9.45pm. Once the meeting was over, we were planning to go to HSBC restaurant for dinner but all the plans came to a halt when we realised that someone had broken into Vimals’ car.

For the third time.

The co-driver seat window was smashed and a knapsack containing his bank books, pen drives and house keys were taken. The thief probably thought it was a laptop bag. Break-ins along this road at Bangsar have become quite common the past six months or so and a huge nuisance to everyone frequenting the area. Bro.Sugu, Kamini and me accompanied Vimal to the Travers police station to lodge a report which took more than two hours as the policemen were busy getting details of the past incidents as well. So during the two hours, Bro.Sugu, Kamini and me were having a long satsang on Swami. I’ve always wanted to talk to Bro.Sugu about his experiences with Swami and we finally had a chance, as odd as it would sound, in a police station.

The whole reporting at the police station finally ended at 12.40am and we all headed home. The irony was that as we were leaving, another car came to the police station with a smashed window as well, this incident occurring at the Bangsar Shopping Complex area.

Anyway, Vimal managed to contact a locksmith who came over to change his house locks. He later sent me an sms saying that he only managed to settle everything close to 3.30am. Hope everything is alright with him now.

It was a very unfortunate incident and we hope that the police report will at least ensure that the men in uniform now constantly patrol the area looking for suspicious characters. Klang Valley has become a very dangerous city to drive around in whether you are a girl or guy. There aren’t any safe areas here and as Kamini put it,

“With the continual slump in the economy and more people being jobless, crime rates are going to keep going higher and higher.”

Interesting Presentation on the upcoming Google Wave

2009-06-10T14:17:00.001+08:00

Just came across this video yesterday on Google Wave, a new tool for communication and collaboration on the web, coming later this year developed by the same people who did Google Maps. Here's how it works: In Google Wave you create a wave and add people to it. Everyone on your wave can use richly formatted text, photos, gadgets, and even feeds from other sources on the web. They can insert a reply or edit the wave directly. It's concurrent rich-text editing, where you see on your screen nearly instantly what your fellow collaborators are typing in your wave. That means Google Wave is just as well suited for quick messages as for persistent content — it allows for both collaboration and communication. You can also use "playback" to rewind the wave and see how it evolved.

A screen shot of the upcoming application. Click on the image to enlarge

Now you can listen to naguk.com

2009-06-10T14:03:00.000+08:00

I have added a new feature to my blog. If you look at the top of each post, you will see a new “LISTEN” button. By clicking on this, you will be able actually listen to my ramblings rather than read it! If you rather download it, just click on the MP3 link which appears on the player and you can save the entire audio of this post straight to your pc or IPOD and listen to it later. Pretty cool right?

If you are accessing this post through facebook, head to my blog @ http://naguk.blogspot.com

The Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup

2009-06-09T21:35:00.001+08:00

I procrastinated in reading this book for almost a year. Zeenee bought this as a present for my last birthday but I somehow never got to reading it apart from a glimpse of the introduction and the first chapter. Why? I don’t know. Perhaps there were just too many books to read and The Six Suspects looked a heavy read each time I picked it up. I first stumbled across Q&A, the authors first book, about 2 years ago at MPH. This was before the movie, Slumdog Millionaire, before the current reprints. I was transfixed by every page. Although Vijay Dorai, a fellow book enthusiast turned stringer for The New Straits Times, would beg to differ, I think Q&A was a great book and unique in its own way.

The Six Suspects is equally thrilling but I am afraid this is one book you cannot read casually every now and then. It’s simply because of the way it is written. Seven years ago, Vivek 'Vicky' Rai, the playboy son of the Home Minister of Uttar Pradesh, murdered Ruby Gill at a trendy restaurant in New Delhi simply because she refused to serve him a drink. Now Vicky Rai is dead, killed at his farmhouse at a party he had thrown to celebrate his acquittal. The police search each and every guest. Six of them are discovered with guns in their possession. Each chapter is dedicated to one suspect. So the first six chapters, chronicles the lives of the six suspects and in chapter seven, the story in chapter one continues hence you can understand why I say that you cannot read this book casually. This gives you an opportunity to skip an entire chapter of a character you don’t like, like I did with the chapter on the tribal guy.

The writing style of the author is markedly different for each back-story. This gives each chapter a different flavour. Much like Q&A, everything comes together in the end, revealing that in one way or another, each life is wound together like a tapestry. And then end is definitely worth it. As each character's story wraps up, you see in a very satisfying manner who did it, why, and how. Much like the game of Clue, the book keeps you guessing.

I’d recommend this to anyone interested in a murder mystery or love reading Indian-themed English books.

Educare Carnival 2009

2009-06-09T15:17:00.001+08:00

Been experimenting with different kind of video editing styles. I recently edited videos from the Educare Carnival 2009 held at Kuala Lumpur last Saturday. Here are a few videos which I’ve uploaded to YouTube. I’ve ensured that the videos have decent quality on the normal YouTube stream but if you wish to watch them in higher quality, click on the HQ button on the YouTube player.

This is the video report of the event.

Video Montage of the carnival:

An interesting impromptu speech by one of the teenagers. The topic was given an hour before the presentation and titled “Should Animal Testing be banned?”

Using Environmental Friendly Products

2009-06-05T10:16:00.001+08:00

Two days before the Educare Carnival, a short public service announcement?
Click on HQ on the YouTube player if you wish to watch this in higher quality.

An Article by Swami Chinmayananda

2009-06-04T11:55:00.001+08:00

Hi Haanu,
I read your brilliant blog entry. Really loved it. Just thought that I’d post up this article on my blog for you to read by Swami Chinmayananda. I actually just came across this article yesterday and thought that you may like it. I know it’s a bit long but it is a fantastic read. I am posting it here as it was too long to post as a comment your blog.

“Swamiji, I don’t believe in God.” It was a young man, modern, tight pants, tobacco pipe stuck at the waist, trim thin moustache. He spoke English with an Americanised drawl, and was evidently one of our university products, with higher education abroad. Sophisticated, to the points of his pointed toes.

Swamiji beamed. “Excellent!” With a broad welcoming smile, nodding his head slowly, Swamiji continued: “That’s fine. I like you. You are the man I have been wanting to meet. I like your outspokenness. You are intelligent and you think independently. You have the courage to speak out your conviction, straight from the shoulder, as they say. Now come, what kind of a God is it that you don’t believe in?”

The young man, who had made his statement about his non-believing, with a little hesitation, probably at his own audacity at denying God before a God-man, was pleasantly surprised at Swamiji’s cordial tone and benign smile, and, feeling encouraged, went on:

“This God, who sits above the clouds, and judges men, and dispenses favors and punishments by remote-control, at his own sweet will, don’t you think, Swamiji, it is all hocus pocus?”

Swamiji laughed. “Shake hands, young man. I am entirely with you. Now, we are two, together. I too don’t believe in that kind of God. But….hmm, did you have breakfast before coming?”

“Yes, Swamiji.”

“Well, what did you have fore breakfast?”

“The usual things, porridge, toast, scrambled eggs, coffee…”

“Eggs. That’s nice. Eggs! Now, where did the eggs come from, Ram, that’s your name, isn’t it?”

Ram, with his brows raised, feeling that Swamiji was leading up to something, said: “I don’t exactly know, probably one of those new poultry farms near Poona.”

Swamiji: “I don’t mean that. How are the eggs made? Do they grow in fields, or are they made in factories?”

“Simple. I think you are pulling my legs, but, all the same I’ll answer you. Hens, of course. Hens lay eggs, you know!” Ram said with an air of flippancy.

Nodding his head, up and down, thoughtfully, Swamiji continued: “I see, I see, so the eggs come from hens. Now where do the hens come from?”

Ram, an intelligent man, could see the trap he was being led into. He started saying, “Of course from…” Then, wide-eyed, looked at Swamiji silently. Swamiji smiled: “So eggs come from hens, hens from eggs, which again come from other hens, and so on, ad-infinitum. Can you, Ram, say with any certainty, which was the first cause? Egg or hen? How and why?”

Swamiji, now addressing all the devotees present, went on: “You see, God is not just a person or individual, sitting in a palace above the clouds, dispensing favors. It stands to reason that every effect must have had a cause prior to it. The watch you are wearing did not make itself. Your breakfast did not cook itself. There was a cause, in each case. That cause must have emerged from a previous cause. God is now the very first cause. The sole cause. The uncaused cause. There was no cause before Him. He is the oldest, the most ancient, He was before Time. The Sanaatanah, the Puraanah. This ‘causation-hunting’ is the favourite pastime of the evolving human intellect – trying to trace everything to its ultimate origin. That which is beyond the point at which the intellect gets stalled, is G-O-D. The intellect cannot come to a conclusion as to the ultimate cause as in the age-old example of the hen and the egg. Thus far – not farther, is the limitation of the capacity of the human intellect.”

Ram was flushed with excitement. He was thrilled. In a faltering voice he asked, “There does seem to be something in what you say, Swamiji. Am I to understand that that is God?”

“That, which you now speak of as God, my boy, the Muslim calls Allah, the Christian refers to as ‘My father in heaven,’ the Parsi worships as Ahura Mazda. These are a few of the different ways in which He or It is referred to, but all are referring to the same supreme principle. The cause behind all causes. The source of all that was, now is, and ever will be. The Vedas refer to it as Brahman, the Absolute, the infinite. The Truth is one, the wise speak of it variously.”

“But Swamiji, the description does not seem to be complete. Is that all that God is? How can one come to know Him?”

“Now, you are really getting somewhere. I have not ‘described’ God. He cannot be described. To define Him is to defile Him. What I pointed out only constitutes one way, one manner, of approaching the Truth. It is just one aspect. Now, your second question asks ‘How can one come to know him?’ Know him! He cannot be ‘known’ as you know this table or this chair or your wife or your pipe. He is not an object of the intellect. He is the very Subject. Have you heard of the great disciple of the Kenopanishad who approached the Master and enquired: ‘Revered Sir, what is It, directed by which the mind cognizes objects, the eyes see, the ears hear, and so on?’ The Master cryptically answered: ‘It is the Eye of the eye, the Ear of the ear, the Mind of the mind.’ In fact, It is the very Subject that enables the eye to see, the ear to hear, etc. It is not an object of the senses or the mind or the intellect. Hence, to answer your question, I have to tell you that you cannot make God an object of knowledge. An example will elucidate the idea. You are walking along a dark country road at night, occasionally illuminating your path with the aid of a battery torch. You want to know how the torch gives light, so you unscrew the torch, but you will not be able to see the battery cells, as the bulb will not emit light unless powered by the battery of cells. Similarly, the eyes, the ears, the mind, and the intellect, all of which get their own power to function from the Life Principle, cannot understand It as an object. God is thus conceived of as the Life Principle, in every one.”

The audience sat spell-bound listening to Swamiji, exposition of a difficult Vedantic truth in easy lucid style.

“Then Swamiji, you say that God or Truth is something abstract, that cannot be seen or heard or touched or even thought of. Am I right?”

“You are very much right. In fact, God is all this and much more. The Bhagavad Gita says, ‘Weapons cleave It not; fire burns It not; water wets It not; wind dries It not. This Self cannot be cut, nor burnt, nor wetted, nor dried.’ It is not material; It is not matter; understand.”

“Why did you say ‘Self’?”

“The Supreme, Life Principle, is also the Self in you, in me, and in everybody. It is the innermost core of your personality. The popular misconception is that ‘man is a body, with a soul.’ That is not correct. The truth is that ‘man is the Soul, in a body.’ He is eternal. The role of the body is likened to a worn-out garment that is discarded by the wearer at his will.” Now, the other members of the audience who had been listening with awe and reverence, took the opportunity to clear their doubts.

“Swamiji, if God is an abstraction that cannot be seen or thought of, is there any significance to idol worship?”

“Of course there is a lot. When your dear son is in America, and you cannot see him,. Whenever you want, do you or do you not get solace by looking at his photograph? You do know that the photo is not your son, but only a piece of paper with various tones of grey, but it reminds you of your beloved boy and his great love for you. So also the idols in temples are to remind the devotees of the ideal, the Supreme. Since the human mind cannot conceive of a formless Supreme, God is conceived of in form as represented by an idol. To the earnest devotee, the idol appears as a living embodiment of his Lord, and he goes into ecstasy at its sight. It is, however, necessary to remember that the idol is not God, but represents God.”

“Why is it, Swamiji, that, as in Christianity or Islam, a particular day of the week is not earmarked in Hinduism for temple worship?”

At this question, Swamiji drew himself up, straightened and roared at the top of his voice; “Hinduism is not a part-time job!” He then explained at length that aspiration to associate with divinity, cannot be restricted to any particular time. “Have you ever heard of the school boy who said that ‘the earth is round on Sundays and flat on other days’? So also, a man cannot be made to be divine on Sundays and devilish on all other days. (Maybe, most of us are that way!)”

“So constant practice, frequent association with the good, etc., are needed. The temple visits and worship should elevate the mind of the seeker and help him to keep his mind in a higher plane. He should also take other steps to continue the purification of the mind at all times of the day, at home, in the office, at the market place.”

“What is a pure mind, Swamiji?”

“A pure mind is one which is calm, free from agitations. Agitations are caused mainly by our likes and dislikes and desires. Desires spell disaster, fulfilled or frustrated. Mahatma Gandhi was very fond of the ‘Sthitha Pragna’ portion of the second chapter of the Bhagavat Gita, in which the causes and consequences of desire are most graphically described. It is the ladder of fall:

“When a man thinks of objects, attachments for them arise; from attachment, desire is born; from desire (unfulfilled) arises anger; from anger comes delusion; from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory, the destruction of discrimination; from destruction of discrimination, he perishes.”

Swamiji then added: “The Lord also points out then the three great entrances to hell are lust, anger and greed.”

One in the audience asked, “I have read a good deal, Swamiji, I also have convictions. Yet, to put these values in practice is my problem.”

Swamiji: “This was exactly Arjuna’s problem. The Lord advised him, ‘Recognize your real enemies. They are desire and anger, born of passionate nature, all devouring and sinful.’ Knowing your enemies will enable you to destroy them. Knowing your weaknesses, you will make efforts to discard them. Once you locate a dead rat in your wardrobe, that was emitting foul odor, you will promptly pick it up by the tail and throw it as far away as possible.”

“Our Shastras have laid down a clear-cut procedure. The three-fold practice consists of Sravana, Manana, and Nidhi-dhyasana – Hearing is not in-one-ear-out-the-other. It is attentive listening to discourses on our great scriptures (including reading them), contemplating on the ideas contained therein, and lastly meditation. Many people come and tell me that they have gone through the Gita many times. I tell them ‘Let the Gita go through you once at least.’ Not just hearing or reading but absorption of the great ideas contained therein, assimilating them, and living those values will alone produce a radiance in the life of an individual.”

“Proper understanding, and correct attitudes are important. For example, we often meet the allegation that Hinduism is an ‘out-of-the-world religion’ meant only for the recluse. The spirit of Hinduism is not understood by those who say this. Wealth is not taboo for the seeker, but the constant craving for wealth IS. Property is not prohibited, but one is enjoined to use it in the service of society.”

“The Vedantic concept of renunciation has nothing to do with have or have-not, in a physical sense; it means the attitude of non-attachment. The classic example in our ancient lore is that of Emperor Janaka, living in the luxury of a palace, but still considered such a great saint and sage that great aspirants went to him for guidance.”

“There goes the lunch-time bell. All of you please have Prasad at the Annakshetra before you go.”

“HARI OM! HARI OM! HARI OM!”

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 29

2009-06-02T15:01:00.001+08:00

For some reason, I decided to open the Bhagavad Gita and read a random verse and meditate on it awhile before my usual morning prayers and this was the verse I read. Taken from Chapter 9, Verse 29:

samo 'ham sarva-bhuteshu / na me dveshyo 'sti na priyah
ye bhajanti tu mam bhaktya / mayi te teshu capy aham

“The same am I to all beings, to Me there is none hateful nor dear; but those who worship Me with devotion, are in Me and I am also in them.”

I sat for a moment thinking about these words and realised how profound they were. Looking at the first part of the verse, if we were to break it down to each word, you get something like this:

samah -- equally disposed; aham -- I; sarva-bhuteshu -- to all living entities; na -- no one; me -- to Me; dveshyah -- hateful; asti -- is; na -- nor; priyah -- dear; ye -- those who;

which translates to,

“The same am I to all beings, to Me there is none hateful nor dear;”

The Self is ONE in all beings; the same Conscious Principle illumines the emotions and thoughts in all bosoms of all living creatures. "I AM IN ALL BEINGS."

One common question we would ask about this verse as pointed out by Swami Chinmayananda is “If the same Self revels in Krishna and Buddha, Shankara and Christ, in a lunatic and in a murderer, in the good and in the bad, why is it that some are able to recognise the divine status of the Self and others live like worms?

In the emotional literature, expounding the Bhakti-cult, there is always the sentimental explanation that it is because, under the Lord's direct grace, some come to manifest a greater amount of divinity. This theory may be satisfactory to the few, who do not bring their reasoning capacity into the field of religious discussion. But to the intelligent ones, this explanation should appear absurd, inasmuch as the Supreme would have to be considered as exhibiting partiality to some in the world. To negate this imperfect explanation, and to express the purely scientific theory, Krishna declares here that the Self is the same everywhere, always, and that to the Self there is no distinction between the good and the bad; the Self entertains neither a particular love nor any special hatred for any of the living beings.

Now, if God does not have any special love or hate, what then determines a persons spiritual position. Why is it that some people seem to be more “blessed” than others. Doesn’t this show some sort of favouritism?

The more I thought about it, the more I realised that the analogy of the Sun could be used to explain and understand this better.

Even though the same sunlight reflects upon the different types of objects in the world, it is true that the quality and the nature of the reflecting surface will determine the clarity and the intensity of the light reflected. On a dull piece of rough stone there will be the least amount of light reflected, while in a bright clean and polished mirror there will be, perhaps, the maximum reflection.

This “quality of surface” may refer to the whole “free-will” idea. We are what we make ourselves to be. Because of this difference, sunlight cannot be accused of having special love for the mirror, or a disgust for the rough stone. Applying the analogy to the subjective life, it becomes clear that if the spiritual strength and beauty get reflected more from the golden-hearts of the rare few and not at all from the iron-hearts of the many, it is not because the Self entertains in Itself any preference for, or any prejudice against, anyone, but it is only a natural phenomenon, happening in perfect obedience to the law of the universe.

In winter, inside a room one suffers from cold, while outside there is plenty of sunshine. He who walks out of the room into the sunshine comes to be blessed by the warmth of the Sun while they who bury themselves in their rooms suffer the discomforts of the cold. The Sun has neither a preference for those who are basking under its rays, nor has it any prejudice against those who do not come out under its shine and warmth. In the language of this stanza, we may call those who have walked out to the sunny courtyard as "blessed" by the Sun, while those who
stay indoors as "not blessed" by that luminous energiser in the sky?

Never does the Gita, at any point, encourage man's surrender to circumstances, or to his own debilities and incompetencies. As a Scripture of activity and optimistic endeavour, the Gita unmistakably emphasizes the ultimate supremacy of man over his weaknesses and even over his circumstances.

Racial attacks on Indians in Australia

2009-06-01T12:15:00.001+08:00

I’m not sure how many of you all read about the racially motivated attacks on Indian students in Australia. It’s quite shocking really. You can read about it here.

It also caused Amitabh Bachchan to turn down an offer to attend a function where he was to be presented with an honorary doctorate from The Queensland University of Technology. He wrote in this blog,

Dear Sir,

I write to you with a heavy heart on a matter that has now reached extremely sensitive proportions.

I have been reading and watching through the media the most unfortunate and violent attacks on Indian students in Australia; some of them lying in a most critical condition in hospital. I have observed with utter dismay the anguish that these incidents have caused to the families of those who have become unfortunate victims.

The Queensland University of Technology has very graciously offered only last week, to confer an Honorary Doctorate to me for my contribution to the world of entertainment.

Under the prevailing circumstances I find it inappropriate at this juncture, to accept this decoration. My conscience is profoundly unsettled at the moment and there seems to be a moral disjuncture between the suffering of these students and my own approbation.

I have the highest respect for your illustrious Institution and wish to express my deepest regard for the recognition it bestows me with. I do not wish to offend in any manner this kind gesture by the Queensland University of Technology, but I do hope that you will understand my present feelings.

With warm regards,
Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan’s Blog

2009-05-31T23:34:00.001+08:00

You might want to check out Amitabh Bachchan’s blog. Quite an interesting read.

http://bigb.bigadda.com/

Fortune Land Vegetarian Restaurant

2009-05-31T18:45:00.001+08:00

(all my ratings are over a maximum of 5 stars)

I had dinner at this new vegetarian restaurant located at Jalan Ipoh, 5th Mile (beside The Store). I must say that it is easily the cheapest restaurant I’ve been too in quite a while. Rice with two different types of vegetables cost only RM2. If you add any extra dish, its a mere 50 cents per dish. And the serving is quite large too! They even have other ala carte meals like WanTan Mee, Curry Noodles and much more which costs somewhere between RM2 and RM3. The food isn’t all that extraordinary though, perhaps even a tad bland, but if you are looking for a meal with a budget, then I’d recommend you head over to this place. This is also one of those rare proper Malaysian self service restaurants. That means that once you have finished your meal, you are required to throw the left overs in a dustbin provided and put the plates and utensils in a separate bin. Could not snap any photos as we were in a bit of rush. Tried searching for it on Google and nothing came up too. I would not recommend you driving all the way here to try the food but if you stay around Jalan Ipoh / Sentul, it might be worth the visit.

Haule Haule (Youtube video)

2009-05-29T12:09:00.001+08:00

I love this song.

The Mysterious Bundle

2009-05-29T10:08:00.001+08:00

I thought I’d share some of my Sai stories with you guys.

When I first came to know of Swami through some miraculous intervention, I was really hungry for more knowledge of Him. I was looking for books to read about Him. At that time, I was going every now and then for bhajans at Sai Nivas but the library was always closed by the time I got to it so I had no chance of getting any form of literature on Swami or even bhajan songs. I tried looking in bookstores such as MPH and Popular but could not find any. Finally, being so frustrated one day after bhajans, I prayed to Swami and asked Him for books to read about Him. I really could not find any literature and I had tried my best so I just prayed and left it to Him.

After bhajans that night at Sai Nivas, Zeenee dropped me home. I headed to the altar room to turn off the lamp. To my surprise, I saw a plastic bag near the altar. Just a plain white plastic bag I think.

I opened it and to my utter shock, it was filled with a few copies of the Sanathana Sarathi, a Gayathri Mantra CD and some bhajan cassettes! You see, no one in my family follows Swami and when I asked around, no one knew how that bag got there. Swami had answered my prayers in the most mysterious way. That was how I first got hold of the Sanathana Sarathi which was the first Sai Literature I read.

Jai Sai Ram!

Mere Maa

2009-05-28T23:09:00.001+08:00

I often used wonder why my mother was taken from me when I was just 14. She died of breast cancer. Ironically, her mother (my grandmother) died when my mom was 14 of cancer as well. Sometimes when I think of her, I realise that I can no longer remember her voice clearly. Technology then wasn’t as advance as it is now. I had no opportunity to record videos of her and post it on YouTube, no digital photos, no mp3 voice recorder that I could use to record her voice so that I can remember it now.

I guess, what’s left are the memories etched in my heart.

Since my mom passed away, life has always been a bit lonely. I look at a lot of fortunate friends these days who spend time with their mothers and it sometimes makes me jealous. Unlike many, I’ve not had the opportunity to come home after work and rant away to my mom about how frustrating work only for her to comfort me with some nice home cooked food.

I miss her a lot especially when watching my friends interact with their mom. You know sometimes when we get shocked or something, we scream the phrase “Amma!”. I can’t. In fact, it’s been so long since I’ve used that word that it somehow feels funny and very awkward uttering that word.

I remember the sad day when the doctors informed her that the cancer had already spread to her lungs and liver and there wasn’t much they could do. She called me to the room alone and told me about it. Then she told me this,

“Amma is going to die soon.”

That broke my heart and I hugged her and cried. And cried. It’s a kind of feeling which is very hard to describe. I was 13 at that time. She died a year later.

My mother once promised me, my brother and sister,

“One day, I will take the three of you on an aeroplane ok?”

She died before this happened. For some reason, I don’t know why, I remembered this promise during her death and realised that she had not kept it. She was to be cremated in Alor Setar, Kedah so me, my brother and sister had to travel north. For some unknown reason, we flew there from Kuala Lumpur. That was the first time I went on an aeroplane. My mother had kept her promise even in death! It shows that a mothers love knows no bounds. I guess that is why Swami has always stressed the importance of our mother.

I’ve realised now that events after my moms death have directly led me to Swami which has then led me to meet so many good people whom I call my brothers and sisters. So many father and mother figures in my life. It has brought me to a whole new world filled with so much of Sai love.

I’ve not celebrated mothers day for many years. But this year I did.

It was the first time I’ve celebrated mothers day since my moms death. I celebrated it together with the Walk For Values team. The walk which was held to celebrate mother earth on 10th of May 2009.

I enjoyed every second of it.

For all the times you gently picked me up,
When I fell down,
For all the times you tied my shoes
And tucked me into bed,
Or needed something
But put me first instead.
For everything we shared,
The dreams, the laughter,
And the tears,
I love you…

Funny Sign

2009-05-28T22:40:00.001+08:00

Saw this at a shop in Mid Valley recently. Hehe