My Spiritual Yatra

Should we belong? It’s interesting, how sometimes an innocent cup of coffee with a friend on a morning,can make you dive deep into the ocean that is life. I was deeply inspired after listening to a friends’ friend’s story,who left home at an early age to explore the world; living at some place for a while, experiencing it, while taking up a casual job, then moving on to a new place. The travel became her way of life, as she secured a job which just required her to be with her computer and she could work from any part of the globe. She has probably been trying to discover herself through travel or maybe she is trying to find an environment to which she feels truly belonged or maybe she actually belongs everywhere, soaks the best in and upon saturation moves on to a new place. This story reminded me of a dentist I met in Perth around a decade ago, who used to visit Tibet every year for three months, to treat patients, as

The Ritual of Eating A gentle cry for life marks the arrival of a new soul into this world. The foremost act at that moment is to comfort and feed the neonate. How the little one intuitively clings to his natural source of nourishment with devotion, is nothing short of a miracle. From this moment, when food is nourishment, to how we steer to the juncture, where it becomes a toxin, harming not just us, but the society, is worth a serious thought. I was born in a Punjabi family, which means there was always, unhindered laughter, food and appetite. We never said to our mother in our growing years “Pet bhar gaya” or that ‘I am full’. Rather, the food would stop coming from the kitchen, after my mother had ascertained that we had had enough. Looking back, I have immense gratitude for my parents, who like most parents of that era, inculcated in us simple eating habits and the importance of staying healthy.

Friends – A beautiful relation you are not born with! -The Belonging Part2  April 06, 2017 Whenever one moves out of a familiar zone and into new surroundings, finding people with similar mindset and making them our friends, becomes an important part of the transition . Due to certain planetary motions, I have been moving places practically all my life, with a deep yearning inside for the magical word called ‘Settlement’ (More so now, as I have completed nearly four decades of existence). Whenever, I have faced a change in my environment, the brigade of my well-wishers, specially give me a call and ask “Friends ‘bane’?”(Have you made friends?). When I say “Yes”, it is usually followed by a sigh of relief from the other side. Well, looking at it deeply, the fact that we are looking for friends in a new unfamiliar environment, carries a variety of implications: 1.        We crave for a sense of belonging, means we look for people with whom we feel we can identify and

छुट्टी   कोई है! अरे कोई है ??? जो मुझे ज़िन्दगी से दो दिन की छुट्टी दे दे । न ऑफिस का डर हो, न हो घर की फ़िक्र। न फ़ोन की घंटियों का हो बवाल, न ही इंटरनेट और wifi   का मायाजाल। न हो बढ़ते वज़न का डर सबके सर, न हो हेल्थ फूड्स की इनफार्मेशन का ओवरलोड सबके सर। जहाँ परांठे और माखन खाने का गिल्ट मुझे न मारे, गन्ने का जूस पिएं बेहिसाब , और गोलगप्पे खाने की रेस लगाएं मिलके सारे। जहाँ  खिड़की से धुप छनकर आती हो कुछ कच्ची और बहुत सच्ची मेरे आँगन, जहाँ  कट्टी अब्बा के बीच किलोल मारता हो शैतान बचपन। जहाँ पतंगों की डोर हो असीमित और असंखय कंचों का खज़ाना, पकड़म पकड़ाई की होड़ हो और विष अमृत का ज़माना। ऐसी छुट्टी जहाँ हो मन के ठहराव की आरामदायक चारपाई, सुकून हो गिलाफ और गरम गरम प्यार की रज़ाई। जहाँ अपनी ही सांस को आने जाने की न हो कोई जल्दी, फेस वाश की जगह हो खुशबूदार मिटटी और मेक अप हो कुमकुम हल्दी। जहां चुप्पी की आवाज़ में अकेलेपन की चीख न हो, जहाँ बीच दीवार में reinforced सीमेंट से पुती हुई ईंट न हो। ऐसी जगह कोई कृपा कर मुझे ले जाओ, कोई है अरे कोई है ??

Myself, Bali and Freedom again!! The calendar reads 5 th Feb 2016 and I am on a holiday in Bali. Its nearly 9:30 PM, post dinner, I am sitting across a square table, facing the sea in darkness and a soul warming melody is playing in the background. There is a walking track, paved with grass on borders, followed by a sandy slope (granular and non sticky), merging very lovingly into the sea in front of me. On this table are very unattractive table mats, a closed cube shaped candle stand and again very unattractive salt and pepper shaker. A furlong ahead on the beach, nearer to the sea, the hotel authorities have put very attractive covered beds for special candlelight romantic dinners, to create those magical moments. These beds are bordered by very unique fire stands. Amazingly the stands are not really visible and you can get this illusion of fire floating in air. This zone where I am writing is fairly dimly lit and is on very friendly terms with mosquitoes. I am being mu

I Belong Therefore I Am Life has been a tumultuous experience for me in the last four years. We have moved 4 times across 3 countries in the last three years, owing to the professional moves of my partner and this has in turn provided me with an opportunity to observe people and life very closely. We all have this opportunity in our daily life but it is usually hidden behind a large boundary wall of routine, the gate to which is gently unlocked, when we are snapped out of our habit and surroundings in some way. Although, some people e.g. a good theatre actor, are naturally very observant about people and situations and use that observation later to recreate that experience magically on stage. I remember a friend who is a counsellor by profession, telling me when I was moving for the first time, “It’s amazing that you are moving, and you must go because you have to break this mould of self-identification with your environment that you have hopelessly identified wit