Dabbias Hi-Look tailors

After buying a Banjara’s wheat germ gel for Rs. 150/- (moisturizing and I can feel that my skin is indeed soft as butter silk) we boarded an auto to reach Karim’s for scarves. But Karim bhai was dead and a black and white poster was pasted on the shop.

I moved on to JJ cut piece, went to Dabbias to give my scarves for stitching.

I used to hate caste system, when I didn’t understand the quintessential spirit that everyone is equal, when I didn’t understand it’s application: it’s use for efficiency in work, till I heard Subramanian Swamy speak in college on 2G scam. Like he quoted about Indira Gandhi, even am mesmerized by him. I now know which party to vote for during elections. I am still trying to get my voter’s id card though even after all formalities from my side got over years ago.

Message Inside



The essence of the message is the same as the mantra my yoga teacher taught me to recite before doing Surya Namaskars everyday. Websites give it as vimalam achalam:

Brahmaanandam paramasukham kevalam jnaanamurthim
Dvandvaateetam gaganasadrusham tatvamasyaadi lakshyam
Ekam nityam vimalavachanam sarvadeesaakshibhootam
Bhaavaateetam trigunarahitam sadgurum tam namaami.

I salute to that Sadguru who is the source of eternal bliss, supreme happiness, who has true wisdom, who is beyond the dualities, who is infinite, whose attention is always on the divine, who is unique, eternal, pure, steady, and who sees with the eyes of wisdom who is beyond thoughts and beyond three gunas - Jai Guru datta.

The Shop

This shop is located just near Chathram busstand upstairs two shops after Ambal shop. The tailors wash their tea tumblers and cups with such care and leave it dry outside. Only ladies are allowed inside the shop. Soothing songs are being played in the background. One does not have to carry stitched blouse for measurements. She knows the art and science of tailoring. The ma’m didn’t accept my mother’s torn kanchivaram sari on Friday, instead she said, bring it on a Saturday after April. The same vedic wisdom. She quickly got my three scarves stitched, and it was ready by the time she finished my measurements. All this efficiency, with an infectious smile on her face.

My experiments with Tulasi

From wiki: The name "Tulasi" in Sanskrit means "the incomparable one". The Tulasi plant is known in India in two forms – dark or Shyama (Krishna) Tulasi and light or Rama Tulasi. The former possesses greater medicinal value and is commonly used for worship.

Tulasi has also been used for thousands of years as a prime herb in Ayurvedic treatment, for its diverse healing properties. It is mentioned by Charaka in the Charaka Samhita, the central teaching of Ayurvedic medicine, and in the Rigveda. Tulasi is considered to be an adaptogen, balancing different processes in the body, and helpful for adapting to stress. [Marked by its strong aroma and astringent taste, it is regarded as a kind of “elixir of life” and believed to promote longevity.

Tulasi and Basil flowers

source

Medical Benefits of Tulasi thailam



1. Headache
Apply 2 drops of thailam on the two sides of forehead. Apply one drop of thailam on a piece of cloth, wring the cloth and inhale the fume. Children need not inhale the thailam fume.

2. Phlegm in chest
Adults could apply 5 drops of thailam on the chest pit for 5 continuous days before sleeping. For children it is 3 drops with coconut oil.

3. Tooth ache
Apply 2 drops of thailam on a piece of cotton and bite this cotton between the painful tooth. After 5 minutes, spit out and gargle with hot salt water. Germs will get killed and get pushed out and teeth will be strong.

4. Swelling
For bee sting, wasp sting, poisonous sting, take 10 drops of thailam and gently apply on the swollen area without any application of slightest pressure. After half and hour wash the swollen area with a sheekakai powder.

5. Joint Pain
For knee pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain and swelling due to accident take 10 drops and rub vigourously till the area gets slightly warmed with rubbing. If there is excess pain, after 30 minutes, give hot salt water othadam (cloth pressing). For external use only.



My experiments with Tulasi

I always used to wonder why this hoopla about praying to Tulasi. When I shifted to my new room in hostel, there was a barren pot left by previous student. So I wanted to plant roses in it, but the sweeping lady Jayamma got me Tulasi instead. I watered it with so much care, and flowers blossomed on it, but I was scared to pluck even a single leaf from it, when I or my friends developed common cold. Now thanks to thailam, I can use and derive the benefits of Tulasi without compunctions.

How I got the thailam

Yesterday, I was seated in the bus that was supposed to start at 10:15 am. It was 10:20, the Trichy heat was simmering and the sweating was profuse, aggravated by my silkish sari. One guy boarded the bus and explained the benefits of this thailam in a clear voice. Each box contains 2 vials. And it works. I tested it for my headache and it disappeared. Whenever I meditate knowingly or unknowingly, I get intense headache. Unless I quickly practice shanthi thavam as Vethathri Mahrishi has instructed us to, my head just splits out with pain. This one is indeed miraculous and that too only Rs.10/-. And the bus started immediately after everyone pocketed their Tulasi thailams. Wow, even delays are so meaningful.

Update 6 months later

Well, the tulsi smell, remained for the first few days, slowly the thailam was no longer thailam. It ceased to be effective. The initial effect was definitely a placebo. I slowly realized that the guy was fake. People sell spurious stuff all around. :-) How did I forget the maxim of caveat emptor? Recently after visiting my friend's newborn, we boarded a bus at Aranthangi. And lo, some other guy was selling this tulsi thailam, again, advertising like Surya in Pithamagan. One has no doubts about Tulsi benefits, it is the fake thailam and sellers that makes me wonder. The other day, mom ended up buying 1 kg honey that turned out to be syrup used in road side sherbet stalls with 2 crushed bees floating inside. I don't quite remember, where amongst Chanakya's shastras punishment for institutions that sell inappropriate food is specified.

Lavender – Lilac – Mauve – Purple – Violet

Some background

One of my favourite flowers is orchid. What a wonderful colour combo it has. Starting with eggwhite bramhaanda base to rainbow’s horizon lavender –lilac-mauve to dark violet –purple, some flowers sporting a reverse order. The idea of earth meeting the sky. I believe orchids can heal the world.



I loved painting. My dad got me water colours and oil paint when I was 3 years old. Yet he was the same person who put a pause to it when it was time to concentrate on academics. So, I painted only for competitions and in a fair number of inter-college competitions I used to get first prizes.

Existing collection

Leo Tolstoy occasionally refers to soft satin lilac coloured dresses of his characters in his War and Peace. It is my favourite colour as well. I have a lavender coloured stretchable material jeans top (Rs.400/-) which I bought for diwali in 2001, it is more than a decade old, but it is my soothing colour and I still wear it on days when it calls me. I have a soft mild violet stole I got for Rs.267/- near Hotel Monarch shopping center in Bangy which I bought on Feb 26th. I have a fascination for things that come to me on Saturn days. Those are the things I deserve – god’s gift. I have a mild electric white lavender plain khadi kurta to go with my white pants, which my sister got for me. She also bought me a light lilac formal shirt to go with my black pant. I have a sticky dark-purple jeans top as well which I bought in Saravana stores in early 2000.

New binge collection



Hair band: Rs. 6/-
Thick steel bracelet: Rs. 85/-
Steel with white stones nakshathra bracelet: Rs. 145/-
Border steel bangles: Rs. 110/-
1 dozen lavender painted glass bangles: Rs. 15/-
Lilac Purple neck piece +earring set: Rs. 225/-
Total worth of this mix and match collection is Rs. Rs. 586/-.

P.S. Owners of the lovely zygo orchid pictures kindly excuse any blatant and inadvertent copyright violations.

Corporate Strategy and Environment – Playing with Mother Earth

Permaculture

We had recently shifted quarters. It is ground floor with spacious wild garden. We have two trees each of tamarind and mango, one each of lemon, nellika, guava and marudhani tree already planted by someone decades ago. Wild curry leaves are growing everywhere. Yes’day, I was exhausted after watering without pipe, this permaculture patch of ponnakanni, pasalai and pudhina and all these trees and plants. I thought, I would rather sit and pray to varuna bhagawan for rains to fall on earth than straining and watering all these trees and plants.

Mom has arranged for a jhoola on this mango tree branch as well.

It is a wild wild garden without any fence. Cows, dogs, cats and other creatures tread freely on this wild garden, each eating whatever it wants, each resting and playing wherever it wants. I just had to wish and hiss once to keep the dogs from digging out and hurting my newly planted vegetable patch.

Am going to plant roses, jasmine, nandhiyavattai, tulsi, plantain tree sometime soon when my body permits me.

I had always loved organic farming. My inspiration is Mother Pondicherry for flowers. Guess, half my yoga asanas would be done spending some time with soil. I simply love jasmine flowers. We have 2 akash malligai trees surrounding our quarters at a walkable distance, one on the main road, and one just opposite to the entrance. This world is always a beautiful place, I only have to keep myself from doing any stupid thing and spoil it in the name of beautification and gardening, agriculture - that and this culture.

Pearls of Wisdom: Management Lessons From My Mother

We had just finished our breakfast this morning, and I was arranging few paper records in bookshelf, when mom said about learning from nature. My mother is a bookworm. There is nothing she has not read. She has so many diaries, where she writes down, all pearls of wisdom from what she reads. No wonder her name is Saraswathi.

My mom when she was 24 years old:

Dattatreya’s Management lessons to King Yaddhu, reported by Krishna to Uttavar

From sushmajee
In the Bhaagvat Puraan, 11/6, Dattaatreya enumerates a list of his 24 Guru: earth, air, sky or ether, water, fire, sun, moon, python, pigeons, sea, moth, bee, bull elephant, bear, deer, fish, osprey, a child, a maiden, a courtesan, a blacksmith, serpent, spider, and wasp. The 24 Guru of Dattaatreya come from the 24 Guru of Avadhoot described in the Puraan.

See this for Avadhoot

Earth – patience, firmness, being firm as rock

(I have a doubt: If earth is indeed firm, then why do man swallowing quicksands, dessert sands, slippery clay soil exist. If earth is indeed patient, why do earthquakes occur and why do volcanoes erupt? So earth has say 90% of its attributed properties)
Water – cleansing every sin, service – to remove man’s sins
Moths – desires are the reason for destruction – for they go towards the candle light and die
Python – contentment – it eats if it gets some food, else it just remains, it does not wander for food all over.
Honeybee – Without hurting the flowers, the honeybee just extracts a drop or two of honey. The sadhus, monks ought to obtain only such material favours from householders.
Kurari in tamizh – If one leaves attachment, one gets peace of mind. The creature had a piece of meat in its hands and other birds started fighting with the kurari for the piece of meat. Once the kurari left the piece of meat, the birds stopped attacking it and the creature got peace of mind.

Elephant and Lion
Once my mom, started telling about lion and elephant after we switched off lights to sleep, when I questioned about Ganesha having elephant head. She told me that elephant was the true king of jungle for it was large, never hurt other creatures while the lion roared and ate smaller creatures for its food.

Ramayana
My mother is my nature earth and father is universe. How simple is Ramayana after realizing this simple truth. Sometimes, i wonder why did i spend 12 lakhs for a 2 year PGP management course in iimb. I could have just listened to mom and got married first instead of pursuing only career neglecting my health and family.

Draupadi in Mahabharatha
Draupadi in Ramayana was the most efficient lady manager. When she reports Stree dharma to Sathyabama. Work life management, maternity, caring for mother-in-law, managing 5 husbands (pancha bhoothas), managing so many workers, dasis (giving what they need to get what she wants), managing and controlling expenses of Pandavas to maximize profit, what not duties, all this with a loving smile and without any stress. She was the pativrata of the highest kind. Can Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Carly Fiorina, Indira Nooyi, Margaret Thatcher (comes close), Indira Gandhi or any other woman leader come anywhere near Draupadi?

Snake
I have always been fascinated by snakes and recently i was surprised to learn that my sister's nature was snake. How true :-) Snakes tread gently on earth, not hurting anyone in that process. She just senses other's desires and gives them what they want their asking, be it bed for vishnu, protection from rain for krishna etc.

I respected snakes intelligence, but was agonized with cockroaches and lesser intelligent biting creatures. What management lessons can i learn from these creatures? - i have to keep away from them and create an environment where they won't harm my near and dear ones.

Why this hoopla over borders?

Yesterday (14 june) after a long time, I saw NDTV and saw a top officer Jaiswal saying their code of book is like the bible or another holy grail which cannot be changed. And I happened to remember my talks with one Mr. BB an ex service man who claimed he had braved all ravages of nature in JK border.

I had met him once next to library, when it was raining and had lent him my umbrella. Later we met once on the way to computer center and we spoke for a long time. I listened standing, ignoring even my leg pain. He had the airs of these army men, a solid physique, attractive in general for his age (he had 2 daughters). He had folded his hand behind and was telling me that JK issue could be easily solved. It was these higher authorities who wanted even higher sinecures like ambassador post to some country, who tried to prolong it. He alleged that an army man was already forced to work with one hand tied behind his back, but due to the higher authorities one was forced to work with both the hands and legs also tied.

Forget religion, which normal human body would like to brave the JK cold and ice to fight for their state for so many years. Acquire state and do what? What is the use of having external rights and rituals if one does not accept the inner harmony and brotherhood that unites all religions be it Hinduism, Christianity or any other ism.

In vipassana, they gave us a wonderful anecdote:
Father says to the child, please go there, do this, do that, so that you will be happy. The son does not do any of this and in the evening, prays to the father using candles or lamps and sandal paste, or simply prays after doing ablutions. How will the father feel? The same is the case with religions. Why are we blindly following the external rites and rituals, fighting and killing each other?

My Biocon friend used to say that 'Religion' is something that does not hurt the person next to you. We are all united by the common breath that we share. What is the use if hindus merely pour milk over idols while their poor neigbour is starving. What is the use if Christians light candles have so many sects, each claiming its supremacy? What is the use if muslims merely do the ablutions and pray and fail to follow universal brotherhood? Unity is strength. Of course, variety is the spice of life as long as one enjoys it, not when one feels pained by it. If one could observe the underlying universal unity in peace and respect the variety as it is, nothing like it. How simple it is to observe life as it is, yet how difficult is this complete awareness in everything one does.

Vellore-Walaja - At the Feet of the Master

The Trip
While travelling, I always carry something either to memorize in acads without straining my eyes or just casually read when the bus stops moving. This time for my weekend Vellore-Wallaja trip, i took a very tiny pocket booklet 'At The Feet of The Master' by Alcyone better known as JK (theosophical society). It was given to me by my pranic healers in April 2008, and i could completely read it only yes'day night. Hardly takes 20 minutes to read it. I am in the process of getting rid of all my excessive luggage (mental to physical - jewels to silk clothes to everything), and so am wary of even buying books, frequently resorting to libraries or borrowing from friends and getting rid of the book once i finish it. In fact most of the only special books i am having difficulties giving up are those that came to me without my asking for them, gifted by pisceans-acquarians decades ago. I need to stop my astro bucketing of people, even though it helps me interact with them better.

This pocket book was inspiring and it has re-iterated, what i always tried to follow in day to day life. 4 qualifications JK calls for in the path of evolution -

1. Discrimination (between real and unreal, see goodness-god in everything and every being) - way of life for folks with Hamsa MahapurushYoga
2. Desireless-ness (not even freedom from rebirth)
3. Good conduct (a) Cheerfulness - being thankful to lords of karma, rather than lamenting b) non interference in others affairs - let people lead their lives, c) tolerance, d) one pointedness, e) confidence - trust in good force above f) Self control as to mind and action (Now Ramana Mahrishi and my pranayam instructor - Sridhar Deshmukh sir say - just BE, for any form of control is nonsense, for it fuels vanity of self) Love (don't hurt others, no gossip, see only the goodness in others, speak out - only if what you say is true, kind and helpful)

Desirelessness has always been a bone of contention for me. For once i set - write down any mundane goal, i have always attained it, no matter what - be it a promotion, IIMB seat (in fact i had actually set my goal for IIMK seat for the love of Kerala), Au medal or a CG or any possession. But i have never had any sense of satisfaction once i reached any goal, and would always think in terms of the having used my time and efforts for something else. After I got my As, when my friends feel bad that he/she didn't get it, it does not give me happiness, after my promo, when my friend cried on my shoulders on her appraisal rating, it didn't give me happiness.

Everything loses its charm the moment its yours. For instance, many married guys, would realize what am speaking about. I can't imagine stepping out my posh Villa with a swimming pool, in yellow sapphires and satin, in a red Ferrari, fly internationally and feel elated, when images flash - of that poor old toothless leper shriveled granny crushing a beeda with a stone with the only 2 fingers left in her hand by the road side). I used to wonder between Goal Setting and Gita's right only to action and not fruits of action. For I always find, my goal - i.e. end results guide my action. I find it difficult to do, just for the sake of doing, not for the end result.

I had actually given up all my actions all these months, waiting for apple to fall on my lap, like Newton. I find cheerfully working for that job, that designation-title, that salary, that location, those perks, that exit option, that retirement corpus, that XXX too mundane. I don't want to base my life's happiness on having that job, working for self or others, owning this or that, knowing this or that. I was just taking life as it comes, giving up all action. Now to work, without bothering about end result, is something i need to work on. I will work, for the sake of work, nothing else - probably now, for making my employers life simpler and happier. My taurean-piscean IPS mentor who has malavya yoga would always counter me - Thinking small is a crime, if a person says, he does not want money, he will lie for everything else as well.

Why I took this trip?
I travelled 700 kms just to see the smile on my CMC Vellore Dr Isaac Jebaraj's face when I gave him the bouquet of roses carefully packed from Koramangala. I agreed to attend my juniors wedding in Walaja that evening just because, my 60+ yrs old doctor was retiring and it has his b'day as well on Feb 20. I always need to see everyone around me healthy, happy and peaceful. To even give up that desire, and just give (As vivekananda says - the law of nature is to give) is something i need to practice. My family folks, always scold me for my thoughtless giving whenever anyone comes to my place.To be an emotional jhadam and just be eternally cheerful is something i need to work on.

I am going to cut off all manthras and just do plain surya namaskars, am going to give up mugging Gita and VishnuSahsraNamam. Because I felt superior since i had memorized Lalitha. Your mental body wishes to think itself proudly separate, to think much of itself and little of others. Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Shiva Vishnu, my saviour saint Ramana, all have always been the same to me. This body is your animal - horse, JK says - treat it well, and don't over task it. Horse or whatever. :-)

If you go to ortho department of CMC Vellore, any day, there will be at least a 100 cruelly amputated limbs and tortured souls - young and old. When i read Garuda puranam, which gave the cause of each disease and disability, (take stroke/paralysis in many biz men, mental issues/cerebral palsy in brahmin kids, cancer in those hurt their own blood relations etc.) I always used to wonder, why do accidents happen? I got the answer long before, right during my 10 day vipassana meditation. It was our own THOUGHTS. Thoughts are indeed so powerful. Fate or kundli/jadhagam is not responsible, but thoughts are for every fortune, misfortune, disease and accident on this earth. In my case, my trimsamsha (1/30th div just like navamsha is 1/9th div) says, it was anger accumulated over many lives and now that is what i need to watch out for. An idea can indeed change the whole world. I have learnt the importance of morality, purity of thoughts, for that guides my words and actions. I am 100% confident, after these 6 RTAs and 9 surgeries, no matter what, i won't ever have another RTA or any form of accident for that matter without my explicit invitation. For I have learnt, am still learning to analyse my thoughts and chop off the root of originating thought whenever i catch myself meandering. (Thanks to Vethathri Maharishi's Kaya Kalpa yoga program - folks please visit Aliyar's Temple of Consciousness at least once in your life)

We talk about that pollution, this pollution. It is high time, we thought about purity of thoughts. No more thought pollution with the 6 internal enemies - kama,krodha,Loba, moha, mada and mathsarya.

Back to IIMB
I could not get to cancel my Sunday morning interview session. So i had to travel back right after my junior's reception on Saturday night. Thanks to God's grace, within minutes, a direct bus to Bangalore came at Walaja which dropped me right at Diary circle. Jolly good reception it was and nice food, comfortable AC room to take rest. Had a great time. :-)