The 'Sai' Experience!

It’s been a long time since I entered this space. But now it’s urgent ….I have to write about my spiritual connect with the Godman before he leave this space, the Earth.

Though not a strong believer of SathyaSai Baba, I went to Puttaparthi officially with a team of L&Tites. Well, this was in the month of November, just before Swami’s 85th birthday on November 23, 2010.

The company with whom I’ve been employed, L&T (Larsen & Toubro) built all the projects of SathyaSai Trust for Swami – PrasanthiNilayam, SaiKulwant Hall, Super Specialty hospital, Whitefield Hospital, SathyaSai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Boys and Girls Hostels, Stadia, ChaitanyaJyothi Building, SathyaSai Water supply projects, Sai Ganga project, Puttaparthi Airport etc to name a few. Literally L&T has constructed every other building and road in the town of Puttaparthi which was nothing but an ant hill decades back.

Coming back to my visit to Puttaparthi, I compiled an elaborate book on the various projects conceived and constructed by L&T for the SathyaSai Trust on the event of his 85th birthday. And on 18th Nov 2010, we released a book titled ‘Service to Man is Service to God’ on SathyaSai Projects at PrasanthiNilayam, Puttaparthi in the presence of Bhagwan Sri SathyaSai Baba. L&T dedicated this prestige publication to Swami on the occasion of His 85th birthday on 23rd Nov 2010 for rendering yeoman service to the society. The book highlights L&T’s association with Bhagwan Sri SathyaSai Baba and the SathyaSai Central Trust since the year 1990 and the 20 landmark years of Sai Service chronicling every major project we have executed for the trust. All this is presented through colourful images, quotes from eminent people who have been associated with projects and also divine images of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Baba.

While compiling the book, I heard the project team talk about critical circumstances in the project where the architect and engineers were confused in a certain area and it was Swami who gave some really brilliant engineering solutions to L&T’s expats. The design and theme of every building was conceptualized by Swami himself, they say. The different motifs used in the designs are created by Swami, they said. With little belief on this so called ‘divine intelligence’, I dedicatedly designed the book, printed the same and carried it to Parthi. So it’s clear that I went to Parthi on work…but then began the miracle. This book was to be released by Swami during the evening prayer at SaiKulwanth Hall in Puttaparthi and I was told by some of my male colleagues that one should wear only white clothing before Swami in the darshan hall. Well, that was true. On arrival, I found that the entire town of Puttaparthi was dressed in white and I fitted there quite well. After lunch, as I was busy gift wrapping the book at L&T’s site office in Puttapathi for Swami’s release, I heard one of my colleagues who is posted at Puttaparthi office say “why don’t you go change for the evening darshan”. I wondered what changing he was referring to? But soon realized that white clothing is only for Men !!!!!!Tragedy! This was clearly a disadvantage of having only male colleagues in my department. They simply told me white clothing without realizing that I am a woman and the white rule is not applicable for me. My baggage to Puttaparthi had only white dresses….! What will I do?

I was extremely tensed because I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of seeing Swami and be around when the book is getting released in the midst of thousands of devotees and VIP’s. After all I strived really hard to compile every bit of this book for days and nights together. Finally, Mrs.Srimathy Kumar, the spouse of my colleague came to my rescue. She very willingly donated her extremely grand and heavy Kanchipuram silk saree, blouse and in-skirt for me to wear and decked me up like a bride. She said “Swami always wants a woman to come to Puttaparthi like she goes to her mother’s place for the first time after she is married” (that means with all jewellery, grand saree etc…) I can’t explain the embarrassment! The entire town of Puttaparthi knew that it was not my saree!

At last we entered SaiKulwantHall, a place where Swami meets his devotes every day. Thousands of people were gathered here and we were lucky to occupy the first row. Again, all my colleagues (men) had to occupy a different place and not even turn towards the women’s side, even if she was his wife. The best part was that even during the book release, I was not allowed to join them. Women worshiped Swami from a distance and could touch his feet only when he calls them or approaches them.

The disciple and systems followed by the people at Puttaparthi is mind blowing. No loud or impolite talking, clean and neat surroundings, very simple livelihood where everything revolves around Swami. In the first two hours, starting at 4pm, the devotees recite all the Vedas to PERFECTION. Its amazing to hear thousands of people with instruments in the background chanting the mantras in right pronunciation.

The crowd also comprised of children from the schools run by the SathyaSai Trust. I took time to see each of their faces and their behavior as we patiently waited for Swami’s arrival. Trust me, I was wondering if these children were born out of a womb or each of them were crafted individually by a super power. They all looked soooooooo pretty and divine!All of them, both boys and girls! For more than two hours these children also sat in absolute poise chanting the mantras and waiting for Swami’s darshan.

As soon as Swami arrived in his wheeled chair, led by a band of children the crowd sat in absolute silence. Once he took his place up stage, the children of different age groups performed a play for Swami and once again I will call this performance a divine experience. Dialogues, expressions, coordination, lights, background music, special effects, cosumes, make-up …..and every bit of what was said and done there was astonishing. Towards the end, Swami appreciated these kids and there I was able to witness spirituality. The manner in which he hugged them and blessed them was not ordinary….i really found something divine about it. And just after all this was over, our President managed to hand over the first copy of the book to Swami. Though I was not able to go very close to him, I was very happy to see him flip the pages of the book I made. He placed it on his lap and my heart overflowed with joy.

And as Swami left the hall, the children in unity from the bottom of their heart with love in their eyes waved the illuminated an colourful lights they held in hand saying ‘Love you Sai Nana’ (in telugu) and my heart missed a beat here! Wow….he must be doing something really great to have so many thousands of worshipers. I definitely sensed a divine feel there at SaiKulwant hall that evening.

Even after leaving the hall at around 9.pm, at night after dinner, I experience such peace of mind like never before. I swear…it was very different, very warm, comforting and reassuring. I don’t know whether Bhagwan Sri SathyaSai Baba is God or really possesses spiritual powers, I truly believe he is an excellent person and an exceptional individual. He is rendering yeoman service to humanity with infinite love and outstanding qualities. I only hope the devotees and volunteers of Swami continue the services of Bhagwan Sri SathyaSai Baba. Love you Sai nana!

Off the hustle bustle life…it was my first Navarthri Golu

Last night I put all my dolls to sleep as Navarathri came to a close. With enough and more of photos and videos taken, Kumz and I bid adieu to our first Golu. I don’t know… for some reason I felt sad to put the dolls back though I am aware that its customary and they will certainly come back the next year. Though its not a thematic elaborate Golu, both of us celebrated this with a lot of passionate and devotion…our first Golu was a bundle of fun with a big gathering of friends and relatives. We had a three step Golu, very artistically set-up in our drawing room with all the new Golubommais we bought from Khadi Gramodhyog Bhavan and Poompuhar on Mount Road.

The Golu also had a little village set up beside the steps. We called it the ‘Sambha Village’ (no logical reason behind the name) with two huts, a potter making pottery, a masonbreaking bricks, a worker carrying the bricks to the bullock cart, a blacksmith working at his shop and a small pond with swan were some elements placed in the village set up. Along with this we grew mustard and methiseeds beside the pond and also placed a temple at the side. The entire set up looked really splendid with those blue LED lights.
It was nine days of hectic work with serving the guests visiting the Golu, making different varieties of Sundal and presenting ‘Thambulam’ and gifts for the women. It was great fun and a real break from the corporate working women’s life! Away from the monotony, hustle bustle, push and pull!!! I just love going back to my roots and following these traditional practices.

Chennai to Bengaluru...and return!!!

After many many years I visited Bangalore last month for my cousin Anand’s wedding. We boarded the Mysore Kaveri express on 17th evening and it all started there…this post is all about humans turning inconsiderate and insensitive to the feelings of fellow human beings.

A music band (I’d rather call them a band of jokers) of about nine people were sharing the 3-tier A/c coach with us. It was Kumz, Mum, Dad and me with this music band who occupied two sleepers parallel to ours along with the one middle and one upper birth adjoining ours. Not only did they stuff their keyboard and guitar under our legs with absolutely zero hesitation but they in fact had a complete full course non-vegetarian meal with a desert. Imagine nine of them standing cross our seat (that’s like almost on our feet). I made it a point to not fight and just keep my cool…after all I was going for my cousin’s wedding. A lady in her early thirties named Maria was the leader of this band, I guess. She acted like the Boss of Southern Railways. We pulled up our curtains and decided to sleep but it was absolutely not possible. Marie opened the door almost 150 times, pushed the curtains on our faces and was yapping away to glory at the highest decibel at 11pm.

I completely lost my sleep. But they had a really sound sleep for at least 4 hours. Again in the morning, they made sure that they get down before anybody else by clogging the pathway with all their baggage and other stuff. After they got down, I said ‘good riddance’.

We had a great time at the wedding and retuned to Chennai in the Shatabdi express on Sunday. Haaaa…that was another great experience. Our coach was once again filled with insensitive people and this time not a music band but with parents who were completely inconsiderate and children who were a clear evidence for bad parenting. I see this scenario very often these days- Parents who are insensitive to the fact that their children are being a nuisance to their neighbour. No, am not being harsh or critical nor am I stern person who does not appreciate a child’s play. But I believe it is important to bring up a child with certain values and discipline wherein the child understands what is play and what is causing annoyance and irritation to the people around him or her. And it is also important for the parent to check the activities of the child and stop him from doing something that will irritate the neighbour.

At 4pm with boarded the train and until we got down at 9.30pm, the three kids in the compartment, all of them around the age of 6, gave us a tough time. The one girl behind me went on kicking my seat and asked ridiculous questions to her grandmother. She was jumping all over her seat and eating all around the place. She was a real pain. Infact her mom, who was sitting on the other side of the passage, was pregnant with another kid.

Suddenly half way through the journey we heard some heated arguments- An elderly man in front complaining about two kids who were distributing him by dancing and rolling near his foot. The mother of the kids, in her late twenties or early thirties was yelling on top of her voice to the elderly man saying “every kid has its own attitude and that should not be questioned….bla bla bla”. I was wondering what attitude she was talking about? And to my surprise, as the kids stopped their rattle, the father began to play music in his laptop, and that was a real head ache.

It is very sad to see that humans are turning more and more selfish and insensitive to thy neighbour. Such is the scenario even while driving where people rarely give way to the vehicle behind them even as the road ahead is absolutely empty. I really hope and pray that there is some social change that brings in humanism, culture and compassion in minds of people. Also, wish that the young mothers and to be mothers understand that fact that its not just about producing a child and but it is important to bringing up a cultured and well-mannered individual who cares for thy neighbour. Good parenting plays an important role in promoting a good social structure for the future.

Sabotage...

Strategy hijacking... 'mystery'

It asks for nothing more than 2 minutes

Kumz & me had Maggi with some garlic cheese bread for dinner last night. As we finished dinner, my husband, as he licked the last bit that was sticking to his fork remarked “nothing like Maggi no”! Well, that’s so true.

Twenty years ago one of my school teachers entered our classroom along with a stranger who had a big cardboard carton in hand. We were asked to come up, one by one, and pick a shiny yellow packet named ‘Maggi Noodles’. I was thrilled to carry this pack home and eagerly waited for mom to return back from work so that I can have it cooked. Mmmmmm yummy, I still remember how I loved its taste. From then on, Maggi became a ‘must buy’ at home. It’s impossible to forget the first TVC “,Mummy, bhook lagi hai” and the mother’s response was ‘Bas do minute’. And then the children begin to scream maggi maggi maggi!

I am sure all most all Indians have eaten this great snack (?) (naaaa, it’s my full course meal at times) at some point of time in life. It definitely forms a part of one’s monthly provision list and for people like me, it’s the jumbo pack of six called the Maggi- Super Saver pack. Nestle has several consumer products in the Maggi category but the Maggi noodles is its greatest hit. Maggi sauces, meal makers, pastas, pickles, soups, cuppa mania etc., though repositioned and marketed greatly have not been very successful like the noodles. The brand is certainly a shoo-in for the Indian Marketing Hall of Fame, if such a hall were ever to be constituted.

What Xerox is to photocopier and Colgate to toothpaste, Maggi is to noodles in India. What a great product and remarkable branding!

Invented in the 80’s by Nestle, I think this is one of the most successful FMCG products in the Indian market. This is the brand that pioneered the entire category of packaged food in India. Not easy in a country like India where freshly cooked food was the norm those days.

How I became a great cook…

Having moved to Anna Nagar, my dream destination, I’ve been living with the feeling of ‘no time to shop’ ever since house-hold chores have climbed onto my shoulders. Though I do not wish to sound like how my mom sounded some 20 years back, the reality is that my life is sandwiched between my office which is far far far way, in a village called Manapakkam and my kitchen. (ofcos the servant who comes at 6.30 in the morning is a real blessing! Although the vessels are half washed and in jus two months 3 of my clothes have been stained and damaged).

To deal with this ‘No time’ situation, I decided to hunt for some small places in Anna Nagar who supply home-made food at door step, at least for dinner so that my evenings are for myself. But unfortunately, this did not suit my stomach or my pocket. Also, added to it was the visible weight lost in hubby’s body. (how I wish this had happened to me!!! lol).

Next, I decided to experiment with ready-made or canned/tin food. Modern Breads have their ready-to-eat chappati’s, Al-Kabeer paratas, Ashirwad’s ready-to-eat gravies and rice varieties, some x brands have iddiyappam/sevai etc etc etc……and many supermarkets have their own brand of ready-to-eat products – I tried all of them!

Result: A real damage to my health….why?Anna Nagar is a place surrounded by luxury supermarkets and bazars – Reliance, Spencers Daily, Nilgiris, Santosh, Heritage Fresh, Yeses, to name a few. Now, it may be shocking to know that 90% of the food products sold in these shops have already expired its date or just about to expire. Yes, I agree that it is the responsibility of a consumer to check the expiry date of products before buying. But the reality is that most of these brands mention this date in the smallest font possible (say 5 pts) which is impossible to make out for anybody, leave alone those with poor eye sight. Else, the smart shop keeper sticks his price lable just on top of this date. This happens in every large supermarket!

I have never found bread loafs, panner, eggs, chapattis etc manufactured on the same day or even a day in advance. But the shop keeper tells me that it is fresh. Don’t even go close to the milk and the wet dosa flour sold here! They are antique pieces.

So, now I enjoy cooking and its my passion today. I have many fans who enjoy my food even at work. Least, the bread from French loaf and the dosa flour from my in-laws house make my mornings a little simpler. At lunch, its my creativity at its best!!!! Lol…

Tamil Semmozhi Maanadu Theme song makes me feel proud of my origin !!!

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi penned this theme song for the World Tamil Classic Conference. A R Rahman composed the music for this song while Gautham Menon directed the video album. Its amazing...mind blowing!

Wedding Jewellery TVC - Tanishq

Presently, advertising in the jewellery segment is either celebrity-driven or direct in approach, showing a model decked up in jewellery, or portraying something abstract. Am not very sure about the North Indian jewellery ads, but those TVC’s in the South are really atrocious. Women clad in jewellery from head to toe dancing around the store or a husband gifting something to his wife, are some of the typical ones.

The one I saw lately was very impressive and completely different from the rest. The TVC tells the tale of a mother, who uses Tanishq's range of wedding jewellery to persuade her daughter to see herself as a bride; which consequently, makes the daughter open up to a marriage proposal. This concept is handled in a very neat and subtle way. It showcases an educated, independent and modern woman of the day who is in the verge of making a decision in life. The TVC showcases a family (daughter, father & mother) travelling in a car as the father begins discussing a wedding proposal for his daughter. The girl at once shows her disinterest towards marriage. So the intelligent mother decides to stop at the Tanishq store and begins to select some jewellery. The daughter, who walks in as well, is adorned with wedding jewellery and begins to fall in love with herself dressed as a bride.

At the store, as the girl seems to like the ornaments the mother interrupts and says “oh is this wedding jewellery? We are not interested” (to the shop keeper). Soon they return to the car and few seconds later, the girl enquires about the proposal with her father. Finally, the mother sends a sms to the father who is seated in front beside the daughter who is the driver. “It’s been 25 yrs and you still don’t understand your daughter/ women’s mind”.

A lot of care has been taken in the making of this commercial that this TVC has a North version and a South Indian version. Both versions have the same storyline and protagonists; but the jewellery used is different – stone jewellery has been used in the North version, while plain gold is showcased in the South version. An innovative thought for the jewellery segment! Congratulations Lintas!