THE SPIRIT OF TRIVENI

WORLD HAIKU UTSAV  2016

 

 

 Some days I strike really lucky.

The Pune International Lit fest on 2nd Sep.'16 gave me an opportunity to attend a Haiku workshop by Kala Ramesh, a renowned Haiku poet and teacher at Symbiosis, Pune. She is bursting with energy and a passion for teaching and promoting Haiku and other forms of Japanese poetry. Her infectious enthusiasm soon had me in it's fold. I was enthralled by the beauty and aesthetics of this art form.

I want to thank Kala for the warmth with which she added me to the haiku family.

 

 Her teaching method is a unique blend of modern methods combined with traditional Indian knowledge of music and arts.She set our mood by asking us to close our eyes and listen to soul lifting music which transported us into a magic world of poetry. Only a vocalist of her caliber could have done this. Her whole body spoke with such illustrative gestures and postures connecting poetry to our senses as well.Thank you Kala for all those wonderful days and the way you introduced me to this wonderful world of haiku and guided my efforts at writing in this form                          

 

 

                                                       Kala Ramesh with " Naad Anunaad "

 

 

 

 LAUNCH OF TRIVENI AT SYMBIOSIS International, Pune with a Haiku and Haibun workshop.       

 

The next step was to attend Triveni, World International Haiku Utsav, a four day fun filled festival held from  22nd Sep.'16 onwards, organized by Kala and her team -all accomplished poets, teachers, dancers and artists. The participants came from all over the world-Japan, U.K.,USA, Australia, Ghana, and from all over India-Chandigarh to Chennai, Calcutta to Gujarat, Kerala to Delhi.

 

                                                           Attempting Haiku

                                                       

 

                           

                                                       Dr. Sucheta Chapekar 

 

 A classical Bharat Natyam performance by Dr. Sucheta Chapekar, an Earth song by a young artist and soulful rendering by Mariko in Japanese translated equally brilliantly by Akila,  added to the entertainment at the opening of the Utsav. The launch of ' Naad Anunaad ' the first Indian anthology of contemporary world haiku. It was a well attended function  at Vishwabhavan, Symbiosis, Pune ,with luminaries from Japan and India attending it.

 

 

                                                            Ballerinas

 

The next three days were days full of poetry, fun, food and dance. The general bonhomie and camaraderie gave one a great feeling of belonging. There were published authors and their books were available. It was a happy, friendly crowd among which I soon felt comfortable. The participants were of all ages and professions. We were treated to narrations of some of the best haiku and mingled with poets of repute . Kala with her commentary, interspersed at intervals, wove a tapestry of great cultural richness.

                                                

 

 

 

             

         Mariko's soulful rendition with Akila's translation left the audience enthralled

           

         Photography sessions during lunch hour

 

 

   Looking forward to my next haiku treat. 

   

 P.S.-- I wish to thank all those whose photographs I have used in this post and apologize for not taking their permission as I have got all the names mixed up from the various posts.

 

 

 

 

 

                              

                                   WE LOVE CELEBRATIONS

                                               

  Unlike other mothers, I had a problem child. My little girl Vidisha was a little too confident and independent for her age and I felt scared to let her fly solo. At three years she could look after herself better than older children. Soon, I learnt to trust her instincts and let her test her wings. The pattern set in and she kept soaring from one success to the other with great courage and determination.

 Motherhood brought out many hidden strengths and I encouraged her to take bold, confident strides in the professional challenges as well.
 
 One day she told me that she wanted to resign from her job as it was not her true calling. She was already a trained teacher under the Louise L. Hay's, Heal Your Life programs for Healing the body ,mind and soul and I was happy she was learning to take decisions which could be life changing. A year ago she resigned and started conducting healing workshops and  other modalities in ad hoc places. She herself grew as she kept conducting courses and learning new modalities, adding to her profile as a healer.

Exactly a year later, last month in June she was looking for a space of her own, at the same time wondering if she was not being hasty. A few brainstorming sessions later, joined by a partner, Sunita Rao, she was ready to launch  her independent healing center. Within a month they had found a suitable place. Tara, who lent earthy beauty to the Sanctuary contributed with love. It is a space where  Heal Your Life workshops, meditations, sound therapy, regression therapy, crystal therapy and other forms of healing are made accessible in a safe and peaceful environment.

On 16th July,2016 The Sanctuary opened its doors, inviting everyone to open the doors to their own inner sanctuary through healing of  body ,mind and soul. Although placed in the heart of the busy Koregaon Park area surrounding the Osho Ashram, the space has  remarkable and strikingly serene vibrations. Situated on the banks of a river with a small garden that slopes down up to the water, it has large trees all round where birds flock and add their musical notes to the mesmerizing meditational music  playing inside.
 The river too joins in this musical orchestration as it's water flows by gurgling and tinkling, calming the senses with it's soothing sounds. The view from the windows is spectacular, especially at sunset when the sky is splashed with colors changing from grey to golden, orange, red and pink as the sun, like a huge ball of fire seems to be dipping into the river at the bank beyond. As we watched, within seconds the vista changed and a myriad twinkling lights got reflected on the river surface as the buildings on the banks started lighting up. The peace and calm that descended on The Sanctuary was so conducive to a meditational mood which taught one to let go of the days turmoil and withdraw ones senses into a zone of tranquility and surrender to The Divine.


                                                          

                                           SUNSET AT THE SANCTUARY


The launch of The Sanctuary was an affectionate gathering of friends, participants, new aspirants, few guests and family members who blessed the space with their love and warmth. Each one was leaving behind a message on a board, taking pictures, writing gratitude slips and putting them into a jar in the Gratitude Corner. Many were attending short sound  meditation or crystal healing sessions. I was specially touched by the fact that everyone who walked through the door brought in peaceful vibrations full of love and peace and stayed on with a sense of ownership and belongingness. The love that flowed in that space from one soul to the other was palpable and unifying. The realization of Oneness was clearly felt by each one present. My heart tells me that everyone who enters those doors will leave their pain and struggles behind going out with a sense of peace, freedom and well being.

                                                    LOVE, HARMONY& HEALING                    


One of Vidisha's friends, Ritu Gupta, had come all the way from Bhatinda. Herself a Louise Hay teacher, she handled the PRship excellently guiding new aspirants and guests around.. Friends like Tara, Anu, Shweta, Vasanta, Charu, Malobi and Chiya added to the evening in their special ways while my little grand daughter, Mishti, went around conducting her own guided tours and meditation sessions which the adults very sportingly attended !!

I was pleasantly surprised at the efficacy with which Vidisha handled everything. Being a mother I am always a little critical and judgmental but I could see my little girl had blossomed into a capable and confident woman who found her calling in spreading joy and happiness to others. I am always with her at every step, standing in the wings , waiting to applaud every triumph of hers. Having done the course under her, I see and respect the teacher in her, as I see her growing step by step. Watching the sunset from the window, I was at peace knowing that she had manifested what she had dreamt of and I could rest knowing that my own sunset could be a peaceful one.

 

 

 

BOOK MARK  LIFE  WITH AFFIRMATIONS

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

                      
               

                        UDTA PUNJAB YA DUBDA PUNJAB


                       

                         

" Udta Punjab,"- a movie I felt compelled to see for various reasons....the first being that I was a Punjabi , the second that I had left Punjab about ten years back and was anxious to know the true picture as of today; the third and most important being that I had lived forty precious years of my life surrounded and affected by this escalating disease of chemical dependence. I had lost relatives, friends, patients, some dead, some alive, to this ever growing menace. Few fortunate ones had fought their inner demons, overcome their addictions and live clean today, saving others whenever the occasion arises. It is these individuals in whom our hope lies. It is these people who have known the horror of having walked that path, who best understand how alcoholism and drugs erode at their capacity to deal with this affliction. They always need the support of family and society to stay on the straight path and of course their own WILLINGNESS to stay clean.

During childhood we were away from Punjab being from an army background. When we visited our grandparents, I remember there being a single opium addict in the village-like most other villages too (called an 'amli') who was ostracized by everyone and died an early death. Nobody mourned him for there was no sympathy for those who sunk into such ways. Even then people had problems, frustrations or faced life's vagaries but did not look for solutions through chemical dependence .Today a teetotaler is scoffed at as a misfit in society. He is a loner today.

In the early eighties as President Lioness Club, Jalandhar I would organize seminars , visit de-addiction centers, give talks about alcoholism and drug addiction and even worked with drug and smack addicts. My children were very young then, barely five and eight years of age but I always took them along. Often, my club members and others would criticize me for this. They disapproved of children knowing about such matters and exposing them to such knowledge, not realizing that seeds need to be sown early for impressions on young minds to take root. Today those very families rue having lost brilliant and promising young boys beyond recognition, through addictions. Many daughters too have gone the way that earlier tempted men and boys mostly.

While working for Helpage India I realized how neglected our senior citizens living in villages, were. Most of the males in each family had gone abroad and the ones left behind fell victims to drugs because of easy money .The old parents were left to not only fend for themselves but were also burdened by the addict and the associated damage to the family fabric. We would sometimes even get requests from them to post their letters or phone their relatives as they themselves were unable to do so.

 This movie has projected the horrors of the situation with all its ramifications of not only ruining lives of individuals but the country ( I'd say the world) as well. The moral fiber of politicians, police and even performers in the entertainment sector has sunk to the lowest rung and is eating into the social fabric. Our artists and singers should be held accountable for their conduct and the ill effect their lifestyles and songs have on young minds. It has thrown up many questions about the police-drugs and politicians nexus openly in their faces with great courage and grit. It is now for the common man to carry the repair work forward from here.

It has also raised some very relevant and vital questions and as mentioned by someone called Khushwant Singh on FB, why is it that the Sikh peasantry is caught in this quagmire more than the Hindu trading class. Is it because the desire to try the forbidden is kicking back in the form of taking to other addictions because smoking is prohibited in Sikhism? Actually all addictions are forbidden-why is it focused only on smoking? Another reason perhaps is the easy money relatives back in India receive from those living and working their butts off in foreign lands. The false image of prosperity and boisterous living is pushing more and more people into debts piling to gigantic proportions, luring them to earning through foul but easier means.  Following the herd is another reason, perhaps. Those Sikhs who have moved out of Punjab are not only recognized for their hard work, and adaptability to their adoptive homeland but are at some of the highest posts all over the world.


  There is no end to the situations which might push one into this hell. What one has to do is think of solutions.De-addiction centers, Alcoholics  Anonymous and spiritual teachers are doing their bit but a concerted public movement and uprising is required to stem the rot. I shed a few tears during the movie for the ugly reality of my homeland; for Punjab and other similar places which are in danger of drowning in this flood of degradation and disaster. If each family takes this situation up as a personal battle we can still tilt the balance. I have saved some tears of joy for that day.

In memory of my mother and for all caregivers whose dear ones have suffered from Alzheimer's Disease.




LOSING YOU

I cannot recall when it really started arising

between us a misty curtain settled slowly

as  the lines that separated our worlds

grew further and further apart

while we lost you bit by bit

there never again came a time

when we could call it a day

bringing you back except in fragments ,

when you slip focus for seconds and then regain

I hang on to the delicate thread of the moment

trying to soak up what you have to offer

with you on the border, you on the brink,

on the brim, on the rim of shattered shards

as you suddenly fade into thin air.

Although a long time ago, it had taken you away

at times it’s really tough seeing your vacant stare

into a space where the present exists not

and you ask me , “Do you have a Daddy?”

And I say, “Mom, he passed away last year.”

“ Hush! child ,what if he was to hear?”

And from dry eyes I shed many a silent tear

 

Today you mouth strange words and thoughts

but I pause not to correct you

for no meaning it can wrought.

Since you forget to remember

I too remember to forget

as I remember for you

so you don’t have to.

Nor feel that you asked me

the same question again and again

as I answer it again and again.

Just as I, as a child, asked

the same questions time and again

but you tired not of giving

the same answers again and again.

 

I am happiest when I see

wonder in your eyes

for the pall on your memory has not swallowed

your fine taste, as you finger and admire

the rich sheen of my silk raiment;

or your favorite pastime of knitting

as you sit weaving love, stitch by stitch

into caps for your grandchildren       

with multi-colored skeins of your yarns

taking care not to get them entangled

unlike your nerves which no longer can be tied

into knots close enough to stop

your today slipping into your yesterdays,

for the bald patches in your brain

cannot grow back memories, so dear to us all

as you lose yourself

in a maze of make believe stories

which fill these empty spaces.

 

Now that you are at long last free

I pray for the release

of the pain of present and the past

and grant everlasting peace.

 I also often wonder

 if you have found something greater

and what we called  Alzheimer’s

 was only a gateway to something better!

 

 

Symphony of Silver Years

Every morning my back groans, my knees moan

 as I gather the pieces of my body, now worn

and drag it out of bed.

The world around is up and about

and where I am, others may forget.

Although I fumble, at times even stumble

I teach myself to harness what I have

in rewarding ways, on difficult days

consciously carving  paths  

to those around me, into their hearts.

 

Every morning I welcome a rebirth,

a new paradigm of unbridled joy and mirth

leaving behind a breathtaking view of the past,

the good the bad, the happy the sad

winging to new heights of being, knowing, still soaring.

Transmuting old beliefs, stories, secrets and tears

into priceless moments of loving,

celebrating , caring and sharing

the unique music of the symphony of silver years.



 

PRAYING FOR THE FARMER

                     PRAYING FOR THE FARMERS

 

 Daily as I sit down to eat, I look at my plate with a sense of gratitude. Not only do I get a hot and freshly cooked meal of my choice, but served with love too.

  My thoughts turn towards the farmers who grew it. For them it is an arduous  journey, fraught with problems and  difficulties right from the word go. Rising costs, the constant battle between the chemical dependence versus the demand for organic food, the sheer magnitude of the labor involved, the small margin of profit and most of all the poor rainfall and climatic imbalances in our country, are back breaking situations. Fighting against these, they keep getting more and more desperate till driven to the edge of the abyss. Frustration drives many a farmer to end his life adding one more hapless family left to fend for itself.

 When we say our prayers or in whichever form we connect to the Divine, Higher Power or The Source, do we add a few words praying for the farmer; do we pray for rain for his sake, for the sake of his own starving or orphaned children? Do we even give a thought to the price his family pays to provide us with our next meal? Do we take any steps to prevent climatic imbalance, to rectify the damage we ourselves have inflicted upon Mother Earth ?

 I was very moved and happy to see a post by FB group," Remove Blocks And Make Way For An Abundant Life."  asking the group  to chant collectively thrice during the day at fixed times, for the rains, visualizing the farmers; so as to raise the collective consciousness to a level where we are able to manifest abundant rain. We may not all of us be able to chant collectively but individually a thought for the farmer and some positive affirmations sent his way can go a long way to mitigate his suffering.If compassion for the farmer does not stir in some hearts the thought of their own survival depending on the survival of the farmer, might open their minds to feel concern. They are the backbone of life.
A short prayer I say before every meal :
                         Dear Source, you are kind to me in every way
                         and while I thank you for the food on my plate
                         I pray for all those who worked night and day
                         the one who grew it;
                         one who cooked and served with love
                         I pray you shower
                         grace upon them from up above.

     Few lines added:             

                         The farmer  needs good soil, good grain

                         good sunshine, labor and abundant rain.

                         I pray for to you to ease his life

                         keeping him safe and free of strife
.These thoughts and words make for a few meditational moments making meal times a prayer in gratitude..

Praying FOR rain sends a message of scarcity into the Universe and so attracts more scarcity; so I pray visualizing rain. Few days back I sat in my balcony to pray and as I visualized rain I felt the drizzle pin-pricking on my skin, then the cooling  of larger drops coming thicker and faster; I smelt the fragrance of raindrops falling on dry earth and letting off the smell of relief and satiety. I inhaled deeply letting out a sigh of fulfillment. The leaves of the plants in my balcony glistened  and droplets twinkled in the dark as the rain washed them clean, just as the trees in the garden below swayed to the music of the cool breeze passing through them, the bamboo grove a sea of swishing and rustling greenery. My meditation over I slept peacefully till the loud rumble of thunder and  peals of lightening woke me up .I went and stood in the balcony indulging in the joy of soaking in the first showers of the monsoon honoring the fulfillment of my prayer.
.