Purnagyan

संस्कृतम् ( Sanskrit)

2011-10-17T16:43:00.001+01:00

My introduction to the devanagari lipi ( language of the Gods) perhaps started even before I was born and is certainly the case with my little one. I was told by my Gurus (teachers) that it is the perfect language, with perfect rules and clarifications to learners and scholars alike. The mediocre mind, at that point failed to understand this beautiful notion perfectly , nevertheless I have a deep sense of respect for the inventor of the language- Panini, as we were told, wrote the famous- Panini sutras and outlined every possible grammatical rule, syntax and semantics in the form of Ashtadhyayi ( Eight chapters).

More on this topic in subsequent blogs

Chaturanga

2011-10-12T14:31:00.004+01:00

Chaturanga or Chess fascinates and challenges our mental capacities like no other game. Call it strategy or the art of war, the game brightens our brains .

I have started playing the game with my little one and it enthralls me when she jumps around with her smart little moves, not to mention the strong doses of immense concentration. The game is slowly becoming a regular activity in our household, second to night time reading.

Useful links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaturanga
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess

Clarity and distraction

2011-10-07T13:32:00.002+01:00

Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.

Expectations

2011-10-05T16:47:00.001+01:00

What is expected of us and how we respond to it shapes and eventually controls every facet of our life.

Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.”

Living in the past

2011-10-04T22:41:00.002+01:00

Is it natural that one lives in the past and the future all the time and seldom acknowledges what happens right now ?

I wish this secret was so easy to incorporate in our daily lives. Blessed are the wise, for they live their lives every moment

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

Tomorrow

2011-10-04T22:37:00.001+01:00

"She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing." — Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)

So how do you handle stress?

2010-03-02T22:18:00.002Z

Different people have different ways of coping with stressful situation.Some people take everything in their stride and manage tough times in very dignified manner. Most of us buckle down under pressure and resort to a blame game which leads nowhere, some prefer absolute tranquillity while others lament and curse their fate.

There's no simple solution.Have you ever been through a stressful condition that has lasted all lifetime ? Most often than not, time tends to wipe way all unpleasant thoughts and life goes on...confront the issue head on or take it easy, just remember that nothing lasts forever and one fine moment the stress will transform itself into something so trivial that you wont lose sleep over it!

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोस्त्वकर्मणि॥
— भगवद्गीता २-४७
karmaṇyevādhikāraste mā phaleṣu kadācana|
mā karmaphalaheturbhūrmā te saṅgostvakarmaṇi||
— bhagavadgītā 2-47

"Your right is to work only, but never to the fruit thereof.
Be not instrumental in making your actions bear fruit, nor let your attachment be to inaction."

What really matters

2010-01-24T00:59:00.004Z

It was an unusually busy Saturday morning and by no means matched our routine schedule of lazy weekends. For one, the day started with a lovely message from my father (I chuckled at his skillfully typed abbreviated SMS ). Thereafter, the day just vanished somewhere amidst all the dancing, jumping, walking and chatting!

What really struck me is that you begin to look at life in a new perspective when you are amidst modest souls with awe-inspiring attitude.

असतो मा सद्गमय

तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय

मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय

ॐ शांति शांति शांति

2009-11-10T07:45:00.002Z

Dance

2009-11-10T07:27:00.004Z

2009-11-06T14:34:00.004Z

The sharing assembly is a lovely ritual at Yukta's school where children of a particular class enact a small play or scene based on their current lessons. For instance, the year 1 kids made a small presentation on fireworks wherein some children read important words and sentences while others held out hand made paintings reinforcing their current learning of forming sentences and improving their creativity through art classes.

What has always attracted me to this simple ceremony is the melodious music played by the school band and today they played a very special song.

What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not o sing out of key

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

What do I do when my love is away
Does it worry you to be alone?
How do I feel by the end of the day
Are you sad because you're on your own

No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody I need somebody to love
Could it be anybody I want somebody to love
Would you believe in a love at first sight
Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time
What do you see when you turn out the light
I can't tell you but I know it's mine

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody I just need someone to love
Could it be anybody I want somebody to love
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends
With a little help from my friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmOtWyjs8iU

What really earns a customer's respect

2009-07-01T14:10:00.007+01:00

Put the customer’s interests first: If you’re not doing this, customers will know that you’re just out for yourself. They may still buy from you, but they’ll never really respect you as a peer.
Honour the customer’s time limits: Customer, just like everyone else, are busy people. If you don’t respect their time, they’re not going to see you as worthy of respect in return.
Always fulfill your commitments: No customer is going to trust a sales rep who can’t transform words into action. You must deliver what you say you’ll deliver. No exceptions!
Understand the customer’s business: If you can’t be bothered to know what the customer is doing, then you’re not respecting the customer. That lack will be returned, in spades.
Add value from the first meeting: Customers expect MORE from sales reps than from other business colleagues. You have to provide value, up front, or they’ll write you off as useless.
Dress appropriately for the customer: It’s a little like dating. Wearing appropriate dress communicates that you value the relationship enough to take extra pains.

Itching to travel

2009-04-07T22:27:00.002+01:00

Yes yes me wants to go on another adventurous endless trip !!! Ladakh did that to me, it did that to all of us-ended up surrendering ourselves to the travel bug.

I am trawling through endless sites to map that magical journey all over again and I want to live those magic moments with my magical friends...ah, the chronicle of an agonised pith

Time and tide...

2009-04-07T22:05:00.003+01:00

How time flies! what once seemed like a stream of endless depressing nights has now transformed into breathtakingly long fresh spring days. Almost feels like the earth is taking it's own time to get back to bed, only to spring back to action at crack of dawn, waking every glade of grass and dropping a dewdrop as it walks around.

For me, it's yet another day of discovering of what lies within my soul, thoughts transcending boundaries of wealth, happiness, power and longing rumbling through my mind.

Sun, sand and surffffffff

2008-09-02T18:05:00.004+01:00

Making presentations

2008-09-02T17:15:00.005+01:00

It could happen to you at any point in your career. You are thrilled that your boss has appreciated your report, but the happiness is short lived when you are asked to present the same report to the executive team. Sounds all familiar doesn't it!

You can spend hours getting ready, making sure you know exactly what to say,spent sleepless nights writing out the precious presentation and prepared every point thoroughly.

When the D-day arrives, you make a quick dash to hell and back, and sometimes just end up staying there!Nervousness drains you completely and you wish those last few minutes before the presentation never existed in your life.Stumbling through endless slides, lines, graphs and bullet points, you get to a point of no return, traversing a complete downhill .The executive team keeps wondering when an idea emerged and submerged without any notice, things are going from bad to worse and you know this is precisely the substance nightmares are made of!!!

Well, well...the world hasn't come to an end. Its absolutely human to feel that way, however you can work on the outcome of your actions and rule the roost again.As you climb up the corporate ladder, presentations become a way of life and the better your communication, faster you climb.

Survival tips on how you can overcome those anxious moments:

1. Rehearse: Wonder how the ballet dancers dance in perfect harmony, its taken them several hours of practice; every rehearsal getting helping them gain confidence.Trust me, it does get easier after the first few days, just don't give up. Keep your spirits high and keep practising.

2. Keep it simple: Do complex ideas bog you down? Break them to the simplest units till it makes absolute sense to you. Your audience will thank you for enlightening them with concise ideas. The fewer words you use the better.

3. Positive aspects: If you want describe the benefits of your recommendation for a particular piece of work, do so by highlighting the benefits. Describe that it is indeed attainable in a positive manner.

4. Audience: Look everyone in the eye when you talk. You will be more persuasive and believable. You certainly can't do this if you are reading your slides.

It's okay to be nervous, but nobody sees how you feel, just how you look and act.

When things go wrong

2008-08-25T11:05:00.007+01:00

"When things go wrong"

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you are trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.

And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

British Museum

2008-08-01T02:08:00.011+01:00

Reunited with my princess!!!

2008-06-18T12:34:00.004+01:00

London beckons

2008-06-18T12:27:00.004+01:00

Snapshots from Bharath's wedding

2008-05-06T03:05:00.004+01:00

Envious offroading...not for the faint hearted!

2008-04-01T22:05:00.012+01:00

Lake District
Tatas acquired the big British brands-Land Rover & Jaguar and we celebrated the event in our own ishtyle...went offroading in England's much talked about Cumbria- The lake district with breathtaking countryside views, warm, friendly pub atmosphere and endless romantic walks...in short it's a slice of paradise in the old blighty.

After months, rather years of fantasizing,Vinay & Sesh ( members of the famed Fiat club ) were finally driving THE LANDROVER DEFENDER, it's undoubtedly the stuff that dreams are made of...2.4 lt diesel engine producing a whopping 360Nm torque, leader in the all-terrain category!

To make the experience more noteworthy, we roped in Vinay's cousin Raju, who's designing the new Land Rover LRX... what more could you ask for! Then there was Sesh, our walking-talking encyclopedia on motoring...Vinay was pinching himself to ensure he doesn't go overboard with the adrenaline rush. Finally I managed to be part of the team to balance out the madness, tough task eh!

Day one-nothing eventful happened enroute , not to mention the glorious risotto and innumerable requests for starbucks coffee ( which we never drank throughout the trip:-))...well it wasn't such a damp squib after all- we took a lovely walk along Windermere lake, got caught in a snow shower and stayed in a beautiful cottage, with NO mobile connection. Bless the aloofness of the place! I'm sure the boys went to sleep in the land rovers, for they were all getting ready for the adventure of their lifetime...there will be bigger and better things down the lane, but for now, all that mattered was getting behind the wheels of the mighty monster.

Perfect beginning for a perfect day- just the right weather,just the right vehicle and just the right instructor-Ian, who amazed us with the patience of a saint! Sesh was the first to get behind wheels and treated the monster like his swanky, ever-clean, delicately handled Palio. One ride in the woods and he was shouting the juiciest adjectives, no no not any swear words, but overwhelming response to the three attempts to scale the first hurdle...

Must admit he was lucky enough to get the most interesting terrains and tracks and man he did make the best out of it!

Raju wasn't too far in his adventures and got some quick handy lessons from Ian. Raju learnt his tricks fast and never stalled the vehicle at any point. Bravo!!!

Strangely enough none of us were tired of the driving or nonstop ooh, aahs and wows. We were now part of a different world, members of the renowned "I have driven the beast'' cult -the Landrover separated us from the lowly mortals...the heavens celebrated our victory with a mighty snowfall on an Easter day,rarest of occasions locals kept reminding us.

Wonders never cease

2008-03-08T23:01:00.005Z

I had heard enough stories about Chinese cuisine and the sea of difference in their approach to food vis-a-vis our nearly strict vegetarian diet...So, when Vinay said he enjoyed the party at his friend's place, I had made up my mind to unravel the mysterious epicurious link!!!

Manchurian(?), fried rice and noodles...what else could I expect from Yuan's stable.Hmmm....At the end of a rather long drawn day, I couldn't stop praising our master chef for his magical skills.What was really touching was the fact that he carefully shopped for food stuff to suit our palate and presented them so well...Hats off:-)

Dumplings ( reminded me of momos we devoured in Dharamsala)
Soup...no additional flavours, just plain delicious, extra spicy soup with mushrooms, cucumber, bean sprouts, no to mention heaps of chillies & ginger
Tasty tofu
Capsicum-egg dish...which was simply superb, no extra spice, natural flavours and whattttaaaaaaaaa result
Rice balls, with sesame/ peanut filling
Apple pie

There were several praises for his fish and "the conqueror" to seal his stamp of superiority...Not to mention rounds of cigar, vodka, champagne, red wine and gin that everyone guzzled down in tonnes

Thank God, for the good times & safe tummy!

Land of Beauty-Scotland

2007-12-27T11:01:00.001Z

"There are two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter. "
-Billy Connolly

Ben Nevis

Britain's highest peak rises 4,406ft above sea level. Massive, round-shouldered hulk with steep cliffs on its north face. Rough 5 mile long footpath leads to mountain's summit from Achintree House near Fort William.

URQUHART CASTLE

The magnificently situated Urquhart Castle, on the banks of Loch Ness, remains an impressive stronghold despite its ruinous state. Once one of Scotland’s largest castles, Urquhart’s remains include a tower house that commands splendid views of the famous loch and Great Glen.
As a romantic ruin, Urquhart Castle must be the envy of romantic ruins the world over. It's not just that its intriguing shape reflects the irregular outcrop of rock on which it was built.

Meera, Vinay & Sesh

Badri & Sindhu

Panaromic view of the Castle

Loch Ness -Home of the (in)famous Nessie monster

At 23 miles long, Loch (meaning Lake) Ness covers a large area, filled with many different points of interest. In fact, as you travel along the shoreline, you’ll notice the character of the landscape shifting – with every new horizon offering different things to see and explore.

The main A82 road links Fort William in the south to Inverness in the north and hugs the northern shoreline of Loch Ness along its length.

'Dolly' standing up to greet us

Hairy coo...Hamish cows

Sunset at Falkirk

Spectacular Falkirk wheels

The Falkirk Wheel is the spectacular centrepiece of the £84.5 million ‘Millennium Link', the UK’s largest canal restoration project, developed by British Waterways to reconnect the Union Canal with the Forth & Clyde Canal, re-establishing east to west coast access for boats.

Apart from being an engineering and design wonder, The Falkirk Wheel is a great day out. From the stunning Visitor Centre and basin, set at the heart of a natural amphitheatre of landscaped grounds, you can view the revolution of The Wheel or go for a stroll to see it from all angles.

Orange lil Robin -
Did you know that Robin is UK's National Bird?

Fort William

Carlton Hill, Edinburgh

Random pictures

2007-12-17T12:50:00.001Z

There is no love sincerer than the love of food

2007-12-08T14:44:00.000Z

Celebrating life and its sweet little blessings

We have been lucky to have the company of good friends at home for the past few days.Planning, executing, serving yummy meals for everyone suddenly makes you feel so good, I wonder why I didn't think of this remerkable gesture before. Very few things in life which match up to the ecstasy of a succulent meal and we feel blessed that we managed to bring out a happy faces & finger licking acts.

Hot chapathis, Chana, Veg pulao, Paneer Tikka,Semiya kheer (Shavige paaysa in Kannada, my native language), Masala Dose, Puliyogre, Sambar-my mom must be proud to see the cook blossoming in her lazy daughter....not to mention the desserts our guests decided to gift us-Heavenly Chocolate, Strawberry Ice Cream/ Cheesecake, Yummilicious, Delicious Orange Cheesecake...

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano P"

Ice Age!!!!!!!!!-Snow cometh

2007-11-18T22:11:00.000Z

"Is that snow?" " No it can't be." " Not at this time of the year!" " I think thats just the rain & the wind"...well the discussions went on for almost two hours or more...Finally SNOW cometh & are we delighted or what-walked through snow, took pictures, screamed, created pug marks and smiled a lot!Its a special day, someone's dream's coming true...it's a special day, a special birthday....I am loving it :-)

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”

Lights, Camera...Action

2007-11-12T18:32:00.000Z

That best describes our Deepavali celebration this year at Vinay's b-school.A day's notice and we turned our whole lives topsy curvy (ulta-pulta) to celebrate one of the biggest parties of the year...The humble cafeteria turned into a ravishing dance floor followed by happy faces, lip-smacking food and filled tummies...well what more could one ask for!Not to mention some amazing pelvic thrusts a.k.a Bollywood style dancing.All in all an experience to be treasured for lifetime.

The apple of our eye

2007-10-26T16:51:00.000+01:00

Ubiquitous coconut

2007-10-05T13:48:00.000+01:00

The humble, yet mighty coconut is a necessity in every household in South, West and certain places in North India ...why just households it ventures on to the streets, beaches and surprisingly popular hangouts-pubs/ lounge bars et all, surprised? Think divine 'Pinacolada', the virgin one for me please;)

Coconus nucifera is highly nutritious, high on fibre, vitamins and minerals and is the best respite on a bright hot sunny day.Every part of this tree made use of and hence the title, 'Tree of Life' or KALPAVRUKSHA .

For me, it's a gentle reminder of our traditions and culture; every holy offering made to the dieties invariably comprises the coconut, an indication of prosperity and goodwill.

Brunch

2007-09-29T12:04:00.000+01:00

What started as the recipe for perfect brunch turned out to be a damp squib breakfast, thanks to our weekday schedule of mad pace which managed to spill over to the weekend too.Did you know that brunch or bruncheon which is a late morning/early afternoon affair has gained immense popularity in present times, so much so that restaurants worldwide have come up with special weekend buffets to match changing lifestyles.

Gabelfrühstück in German , grand petit déjeuner in French best describe what the rest of the world describes as 'brunch'.

Our recipe for the weekend was grandiose 'Bisibelebhath' -BBB for short. I vividly remember our menu at Priti's place last weekend-'Poha'-Maharashtrian ishtyle with sev and a dash of lemon and ah! the so aromatic Brazilian coffee...the guava-banana juice had little takers though.

Weather

2007-09-28T17:19:00.000+01:00

The English weather I've heard is pretty unpredictable, sunny one moment and rainy the other which reminds me of Bangalore's rains where it would rain in one street and miss out the next one, all in the same neighbourhood. Something to do with the naughty clouds I'm sure.

I make an attempt to understand why 'probablity' is the buzzword when you talk about the weather here in England.

Waves of life

2007-09-28T17:08:00.000+01:00

Life, at this point reminds me of the early morning walk near Pangang Tso lake during our trip to Ladakh... You wait for the waves to hit your feet and before you realize, they have all gone far, far away from you... but then it hasn't gone that far either!Ever felt that you have it all and then there's nothing to clasp in your palm. Ever felt you seen it all and then there's a whole new world waiting to surprise you all over again!...Its a fleeting truth nevertheless you are too unsighted to understand and comprehend what surrounds you.