Mouthpiece #5

Perseverance

It was during one of the college years that I happened to read this story by Swami Vivekananda. It has inspired me every time I have thought about it. Want to share it with my readers here…andInitial Understanding of SEOFlavour of Punjab : Kabuli Chana/Chole

Mouthpiece #4

Forgive and Forget

Forgive and forget, the words seem to be so simple yet they sometimes become the most difficult impediments to surmount in moving forward. Some harsh words spoken against one, a situation where one felt completely alone or left out, a setting when someone spoke ill of one’s loved one, or similar such situation. Mostly in all these cases, one is not able to retaliate and the reason could be anything.Continue reading here...

Mouthpiece #3

Introducing pauses in fast paced life...

How gentle breeze can caress the nature, fierce gale can never. While living in the world where senses are constantly being subjected to hyperactivity, it takes special effort and awareness to push break pedal occasionally. Because as they say, ‘Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not just the scenery you miss by going too fast, you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.’Continue reading here...

Book Review : Brida

Title : Brida

Author : Paulo Coelho

Birda is a book that explores the theory of occult and that of soulmate. Twenty year old Brida is in search of a teacher who could guide her to learn magic. She wants to be on a spiritual journey of self-discovery. Her search leads her to a man, The Magus, who recognizes Brida as his soulmate but  does not share this realisation with her. He puts Brida to a test which she completes and the wisdom that she takes out of that test stays with her for the following steps. She is then led to another teacher Wicca who happens to be Magus's ex-lover but follows a different tradition of magic. On the day that is ascertained as Brida's initiation day, she gets to understand that there  is a possibility of meeting two soulmates in one lifetime as well.

While I highly appreciated 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho, the same cannot be said about Brida. The first point where the disconnect starts to surface is when the author mentions the tradition of Sun and the tradition of Moon but never explains what they exactly are, which is sure to leave the readers guessing and intrigued. As the narrative progresses, the missing link never gets repaired and hence it keeps losing the readers. However, one continues to read through it with the hope that since it is Paulo Coelho's book, eventually it will lead to something really grand and special, but that never happens. The storyline is sketchy and jumps from magic, mysticism, auras, gift, to soul mates making it a potpourri of daze and confusion.

However, there are some quotes worth mentioning here which salvages the book to some extent :

"Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day."

"Judging oneself to be inferior to other people is one of the worst acts of pride, because it's the most destructive way of being different."

Mouthpiece #2

This issue of the newsletter contains... Faith

Faith - we talk about it, we hear about it, some of us relate to it some do not, some view it as their strong anchor while for some it is insignificant, some lose it while some gain it while confronting different vicissitudes of life, for some it keeps wavering while for some it remains steadfast. But what exactly is faith and what does it do to an individual?Read more here... Some fuel for the bodyWhile rice kheer (rice pudding) is a common Punjabi dessert, not many have heard about phirni which has almost the same ingredients. It was traditionally set in kasoras (small mud pots) for best cooling and garnished with silver foil. Continue reading here... Joy of Creating

fabric painting : tribal dance on khadi grey kurta

and the back...

fabric painting on a kurta

Mouthpiece #1

The first issue of Mouthpiece includes:

Cover Story : Begin by Chanting God's Name
Book Section : Reviewed 'My Gita'
What's Brewing : Atte ki Panjiri
Artistry : Hand painted Kurta and dupatta

Check the complete newsletter here. 

Book Review : My Gita

Title : My Gita

Author : Devdutt Pattanaik

Publisher : Rupa

ISBN : 978-81-3770-8

From the time when things started to register in mind and make sense, Bhagvad Gita has always intrigued me and inspired me. I enjoy reading Devdutt Pattanaik, is perhaps an understatement. So when these two got together, it was a combination that I had to pick up to read.

Devdutt has used a unique style to unravel the mystery behind Gita. He has adopted thematic rather than sequential approach so as to make it easily understandable and logical for contemporary readers. Related verses are picked up across eighteen chapters of Gita and are explained supported by related stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata, comparisons with other religious beliefs and folklores.

Author's beautiful articulation is at display right from the inside of the cover page where he succinctly talks about our indulgence for argument over dialogue (vi-vaad over sam-vaad) and how we are isolating self at the cost of ignoring the common co-existence. He gently reminds the readers, 'we forget that we live in an ecosystem of others, where we can nourish each other with food, love and meaning, even when we fight.' Hence he wishes to 'let My Gita inform your Gita'.

The eighteen themes are categorised as - Karma, Dharma, rebirth, self and other (jiv-atma and parmatma), attachment-detachment(moha-moksha), maya and so on. The Greek and Arabic mythological texts have also been brought in for comparison and for different interpretations of the same terms and themes through out the narrative. The book is abound with Devdutt's signature illustrations, maps and flow charts which work as great aids for understanding.

While My Gita tries to simplify the Gita, it is very high on philosophical content which makes it a slow read. However, I feel, it does solve the purpose for which it is written - it gently nudges the readers to introspect and bring in mindfulness to every action and every thought, while on various occasions, it liberates the readers from unnecessary and imaginary shackles. And that is exactly what the Gita does to a thinking mind.

Though every verse of the Gita is overflowing with wisdom and intelligence that can help one sail through the vicissitudes of life comfortably, yet one can pick and adopt just one to begin with. If I have to pick, then it has to be the one which brings focus on 'informed action' and 'detached action'. The combination of the two teaches us that the opposite or contrary forces are actually complimentary, which may appear to be quite divergent. 

The author brings this out beautifully in the following passage:

"Arjun asks whether Krishna values knowledge over action. Krishna replies that he values informed action. Arjun asks if Krishna values action over renunciation. Krishna replies that he values detached action. Informing the mind about the exchange and detaching action from the expectation of results demand that Arjun take an inner journey."

कविता : एक बूँद

भावनाएँ अनेक पर उभर कर आती एक अभिव्यक्ति
अनेकों नाम से जानते हैं सब पर स्वभाव उसका एक
कभी आसमान से गिरती पानी की चंचल बूँद बन कर
कभी आँखों से ढुलक जाती थोड़ी नमी की धार बन कर

कितना कुछ समा सकता है एक छोटे से कतरे में कि
पूरा इन्द्रधनुष सिमट आता है पारदर्शी शीशे में
नज़र को धुंधला कर देती आँखों में समा कर
मेहनत का प्रमाण बन जाती ललाट पर उभर कर

कभी किसी की पिपासा तृप्त करने में तत्पर
कभी मन के भावों को व्यक्त करने का साधन
कभी गुलाब की पंखुड़ियों पर सुंदरता का उदाहरण
कभी नए जीवन का संचार करने की ज़रुरत
रूप, नाम, काम बेशक हैं अनेक पर अस्तित्व है एक I