Good Morning Mumbai!!!

The day started with a slightest feeling of anxiety and fear as it was my exam today. The day passed by and so did the exam (it was good enough for me to attempt around 70-75 marks…)
I had no clue after I left the examination hall what Guru has in store for me… as u guys know, Jainil had sent some message regarding the gathering at the gateway of India…I did not take it seriously at all then, but some of my friends did…
First I resisted to go but then something in me took me over there all the way from Byculla to the very famous Gate Way Of India…yeah, The scene, where few terrorists had attacked the Taj Mahal Hotel..

The traffic was crazzy….. Leaving the taxi in there, we decided to reach on foot which was almost a Kilometer and a half away…
I could see all the youth heading towards Gateway....”Itne sare log, I am surprised!!” , was the only thing in my mind…
But as soon as we reached outskirts of Gateway…mannn ….
The scene took me right away into the text book of History where I could only remember Gandhiji and followers protesting against the British…






It was Amazing!!!!!!

Thousands of youth protesting against Government, shouting “Bhaarat Mata ki Jai”, “Vande Mataram”,…We sang Jana Gana Mana too….One of the best was “Gully Gully mein shor hai, Paakistaan Chor hai….” And many others..
Even I did not stay behind in cursing the neighbor and our proud Govt…lol

i was really impressed by this !!

<-----

Very truely said.....>>>

<<<<...........An agitated youth

Somebody was missing in the rally....

u guessed it right, Mr Marathi Manoos and his Goondas...

That street, screaming at the peak of the voice, did not discriminate between a Maharashtrian or North Indian and neither a Muslim….
My friend Muffadal was also one of the protesters to raise the voice against Pak…and then I realized it is not the religion, but patriotism…that binds every Indian…
From my childhood I have been hearing and reading about ‘Unity in Diversity’, even written essays on this topic…and its now that I have understood its meaning…
But then, it some how gave me a feeling that this is the time to do something for the nation…
As Bawa said it right “Get the present Jokers out”
The best way to help our nation is to become leaders…to become leaders in whatever initiative we take…. And VOTE; ofcourse…This is what I think….

We lit 3 candles in the name of Martyrs and policemen who lost their lives….

While returning back, I had a view of the Hotel.. I could only remember was the video clips shown by news channels of terrorists attacking from the window…I was able to locate that...it was in no way a good site to look at….
But I was a bit happy for the nation. People have started taking politics, terrorism seriously and talking in pure give & take terms. People have become more aware of the situation. Especially the youth…

As Mumbai sleeps tonite, i know that it has started rising up from the deep sleep which was prevalent since years….
At this point we don’t have to let it go….It just needs a little support….

And for that reason, Guruji is there, right within us…..

Jai Hind!!
Jai Gurudev !!!

With Best Regards N Luv
Deep

P.S : Pl post in your comments about anything that u feel for the current scenario..

Quotable Quotes

Some real nice phrases I came across and thought of sharing with you.

'Don't love a person if you cannot forgive his/her faults. Don't hate a person if you cannot put yourself in his/her place.'

'Enthusiasm may start a work, but it is only effort that can finish it.'

'Your words should be such that they create silence in the minds of others.'

'Silence very often is the best part of speech.'

'Connect yourself with Love if you want to connect yourself with Life.'

'Ups and Downs are part of living, Smiling 'thru them is The Art Of Living'.

Jai Gurudev!
Keep Smiling!

The child in us :)

Jai Gurudev! Friends,

Blogging is such a good idea, doesn’t allow physical distances to come in between hearts, wow, getting poetic already.

Been soul searching of late, (yeah going inwards is really soul satisfying and blissful.) Recently came across an article wherein Guruji was asked by someone, "What did you want to grow up to be when you were a child?" And Guruji in his inimitable style replied, "I'm still a child, when did I grow up?" (Can imagine his twinkling eyes and impish smile). This triggered off a mood of contemplation and it set me thinking, we all have a child within us – sometimes giggly, at times naughty, very often crying for attention, so often throwing tantrums, always longing for love, being playful, drooling over yummy eats, and indulging in various activities so typical of children. Most often than not, this child in us is curbed, scorned at, ridiculed, scolded and asked to behave, sometimes by the grown-up self in us and sometimes by the general populace. With passing time, this ‘asked to grow-up child’ grows to such an extent that it forgets to smile, leave alone giggle and laugh, fails to grasp the fleeting special moments that are so rare to come by, being surrounded by dark clouds of judgement forgets the art of enjoying the little colourful nuances that life holds forth, now and then.

In all our courses we are encouraged to nurture this precious and precocious child within us, yet how often do we remember to! In our own mature worlds we are so preoccupied judging people that we are left with no time to love them.

Now comes the point where I am really looking forward to those enlightening comments –
In between being ‘Childish’ and/or ‘Childlike’ – there’s a thin line dividing the two traits. The dictionaries label a childish person as someone who is immature, irresponsible, silly and frivolous while a childlike person is described as someone who is innocent, simple, candid and uncomplicated. In between the two descriptions, I’m sure we’d all like the second one, (well I certainly do, because I truly feel I’m at times too candid and of course always responsible.) Now, when we ask someone to ‘grow up’ and ‘stop being childish’, which are the traits that we are asking that individual to give up and why? Do they also include the traits of a childlike nature? Here, do we overlook all the other acts of responsibility that the said person has carried out to perfection, judging him/her over a couple of ‘silly facades’, yeah the childish trait could also be a ‘smokescreen’ a cover-up for much pain hidden inside, who knows? Who knows if the ‘displayed frivolous nature’ could be hiding an intense introvert who goes into the shell the moment he/she is out of public view, who knows what sorrows the juvenile laughter could be hiding?

Each one of us, child or adult needs a guiding hand, a symbol of hope and encouragement, a guiding light to show the way – something, someone, somewhere to assure – ‘You are not alone-I am with you, I belong to you’. Aren’t we all lucky here, to have that very special ‘Someone’. With such a mentor and enlightened master as our beacon I’m sure we can all assuredly lead the world from mortal darkness to immortal light and credit ourselves with mature acts of responsibility being thoroughly alert and aware while keeping the child within us smiling and playful.

Building the Guru Connection

Got a weekend after a week long session of orientation, seminars, tests etc. All the sites here are restricted. The only access I could get was this - Reliance Webworld. I have written 4-5 pages and it has become a diary writing practice for me. Every evening I pen down all the things happened on that day. Many interesting stuffs happened in the last week, all of which I have elaborated in the letter.
This place is just too beautiful. And this campus keeps expanding forever. Wanted to upload pics, but pendrives are not allowed here. Since the training hasn't started yet, I get good time to do my padmasadhna & kriya every morning. Its just too gud to start of a day with these 2 things. I hope of continuing the same schedule even after the training. Miss 'Jai Gurudev' a lot!! Also the seva & satsangs. But then, everytime I miss these things, I feel I am sent here by Guruji for a purpose. Every thing that comes to me now, I happily accept, saying - 'Hmm.. if this is what you want so be it'. Also I can see the guru connection building more stronger now. Today's kriya was quite difficult. I don't know why, but I cried a lot and kept feeling the 'Guru Shakti' around me. It was so blissful, It was like a long kriya experience. I felt so wonderful after the kriya. Perhaps this was the message that he wanted to give me. That I am here for a purpose. I nicely flaunt guruji's pic in my cell and people get amazed...'Sri Sri Ravi Shankar?? U go to listen to him?'. Back of my mind I say, I am not all that lucky to listen to him all the while. But then, during the day, I do converse with him throughout the day. Ever since I came here, I was finding some1 from AOL. I knew I'll surely meet a few as I had the faith in him.Yesterday I met this person.
I was having my dinner at the food court-1, the food court where I had never been so far. It was only yesterday that I went there. A person with tiny hair was constantly watching me. After a while, he came to me and introduced himself. He turned out to be an Ustav grad. While interviews at kanakshri, Shivangi & me had taken the orientation and he was present there. Vasudha di had pretended to be a participant (I still remember the butterflies in our stomachs when amongst the audience, Vasudha di was sitting while we were on stage!) This guy was fooled my didi saying she was rejected in the interview by us!! This was one indication that guruji gave, saying I am here with you. That was during the night. During the day, while browing the Infy library (its HUGE), I found Celebrating Silence. I had goosebums when I picked it up to read. Another sign by our guru that he is there not only in my room as a pic, but also in the knowledge pool of Infy.
My room has his pic on my study table and I do my kriya right in front of his pic. So whenever I open my eyes after the kriya, this is the first thing that I see. I remember Bawa saying that after a few months people will feel good by coming in to your room. I hope the same thing happens to me:-)
I know that coming days will be tough, especially for me coz I am from a non IT background. Again, I gear myself up to deliver my best in the testing times.
Will write more in the coming days. I miss everyone of you a lot!! Not that I am taken over by Home sickness (theres is still some time for that to come.), but the entire Yes!+ gang was a family...sorry, IS a family. Neways, wait for the letter to tell more about some good processes that they made us do, also I've written a lot about the campus. Will post the letter probably today, so you can expect it to be there by monday or tuesday. I really want to thank Vasu di for this letter idea. It has made me write all my thoughts then and there. I can utilise this habbit even in my training!!
Siddharth bhaiya had told me, once you take a decision, don't look back. And this is what is helping me. I have accepted the situation as it is;-). I didn't get a chance, but wanted to thank him for the confidence that he had shown in me. It made me feel that I am worth much more than what I think.
Lastly I would not say 'I would like to thank everyone' but the love and blessings that you all have given me makes me feel special and has pumped up my confidence. Keep loving...

Lots of Love!
JAI GURUDEV
Rishabh

Something I wrote long back , i think it is very raw, wrote it looking at a buiding far away lit up with whitelights with golden lights at base, enjoy

"Fountain of Stars"
I saw a fountain of stars far far away;
Quickly i rubbed my eyes, wanting to keep all dillusions at bay.
I open my eyes with profound joy making way;
Still with that fountain of stars in my sight, far far away.

A trail of gold and diamonds extending both ways;
Are they really treasures or just plain lights emitting rays?
Magical, beyond beauty, imagination , you are i say;
Speechless i stand, you fountain of stars, gazing at your intoxicating sway.

I wish all those whome i would tell you about were here today.
Would they think "Is he crazy"?, well they may.
Reality or figment of imagination, it doesn't matter anyway;
Spellbound i just wanna keep looking at you , you fountain of stars far far away.

INDIANS GOING TO THE MOON........!!

PM: We are sending INDIANS to the moon next year..

BUSH: WOW How many????

PM: 100

35 OBC

25 SC

20 ST

10 Handicaped

5 Sports Persons

4 Kashmiri Migrants
AND IF POSSIBLE......................................................................................................................





1
ASTRONAUT....!!!!!!!!!!!
(couldnt stop laughing when i read it..!)

Friendship 'Quotes'

I used to enjoy these during my college days followed by Tons of laughter with serious discussions about GRAMMAR (typically of those of our Professors). According to me a very far sighted, english scholar having colourful experience about 'Friendship' has written the following words of wisdom. Happy Reading :-)

Hilarious Friendship

Utsav Experience

You might think that out of nowhere why am I posting my own age old experience of Utsav. Just that it was required somewhere to be published so thought of sharing with everyone and also when all are writing some or other the thing about their experiences, I thought why not something as good as Utsav, that brought me into AOL. And the memories of first Utsav are still fresh in my head. So enjoy reading...

The Intro Talk

It starts with a few 'student looking' guys n gals coming to our college and asking us to listen to them. 'Aadhe ghante tak pakaega'- this was what I thought when I heard Art of Living ka talk hai. Like any other engineering student, with tons of attitude I walked past them without paying any heed to what they wanted to offer. I'll call it my fortune that my HOD called me and asked me to gather the crowd for the intro talk. 2 minutes later I found myself pulling my juniors for the intro talk for which I myself was finding a way to escape. With knowledge points of AOL yet to come, I couldn't accept the situation and my HOD as they were. But being the senior and of course, a good one, I had to obey him. With much reluctance, I had to sit for the intro talk and unwillingly I was in total acceptance of the situation.

I still remember the first sentence of the speaker, "You guys want to have sheer fun for the next half an hour?". Suddenly there was a shift in the aura, the naughty, restless minds were intrigued as if the talk had something completely opposite to what they had assumed it to be. After the session, many hands went up when asked about registering for Utsav, for some reason only I was destined.

My Tryst with my thoughts

After a hectic schedule of college hours from 8.30am to 3.30pm, I had to rush from andheri to MMRDA grounds for the first day of UTSAV. The thoughts like 'who had told you to register, now suffer'..'Why the hell am I going, do 500Rs. really matter?' kept running in my head. What else do you expect from a budding engineer when issues like assignments, girlfriend, (remember its not girlfriends), submissions, and if you are the president of your technical society then organising events, settling accounts etc. keep eating you bit by bit. After all that chattering and blabbering in my mind, I reached the venue where, as per the stats, around 2000 youths had come. I could see myself amongst the volunteers there because I had experienced what it takes to orgainse such a huge event. So atleast I was not in the clan of people who had complains for things as small as IDs.

And the UTSAV begins

The session started with a very young guy having long hair appearing on the stage. His voice, his gestures, his smile, his actions, everything appeared so full of energy. No doubt he was going to make the 2000 youths realise that they are living a life that is not even remotely defined youthful. Indeed he was Dinesh Ghodke. He started with the instruction...Shake your legs...your hips...your waist...your hands...your shoulders...your head and every possible part of your body...and keep shaking. It left us thinking, 'When was the last time we realised that there are so many parts in our body?' This excersise had left us tired and we realised another interesting thing, we were BREATHING. He claimed this as 'warm ups' and there was something more terrible to come.

Suryanamaskars

We were made to do so many of them that I had vowed of never coming back. The faces who had registered me kept flashing in my mind and with immense generosity I abused each one of them. After all days work, how can they expect us to do this and that too so many?? Every dark night has a bright morning, and finally the suyanamaskars got over and we were truly resting in peace.

BAWA

Until now there is nothing but lots of sceptisim about this UTSAV thing, which after the yogic sessions had turned into total disinclination. Now appears the main person, who claims to be the teacher of the previous guy. He was more towards the knowledge side and the Irony- He was a parsi, Mr. Khurshed Batliwala (fondly called BAWA). He took over the rest of the session and it was packed with tons of laughter. It was amazing how he could cross the barrier that most of us had and penentrated straight into our minds as if he got into our head and was teasing, 'I know what you are thinking!!!' That was his way through which he reached our hearts.

Sudarshan Kriya

First sudarshan kriya is like your first love, you can never forget it. Words fell short in describing the experience of kriya. The physical effect was that while breathing, I could literally feel the flow of blood in every capillary of my skin. On an emotional and mental level, I would say I felt something truly blissful. It is something that cannot be bound in words or expressions. After the kriya, when you open your eyes, the world is not the same. You'll feel that it has indeed changed, has become so beautiful. The people around you are so lovable, and you have nothing but love for everyone. You forgive and forget the most drastic incidents of your life and you start relishing each and every moment of this blissful experience. You feel a new life within yourself and you are all set to take over the world. Imagine a day ending in such a state. All that you are left with, is confidence to do anything and everything and a state in which you are drenched with smile and cheerfulness.

The journey back home

From Bandra to Kandivali at around 10.30pm with no signs of stress or tension, all I took along with me was the teachings of Bawa and a huge grin that at times turned into a laughter. I kept smiling for reason I still don't know. It was just the transformation that I had undergone, It had shook the dead person in me and I had discovered the most beautiful part of myself which had joy, happiness and love...not only for myself, but for everyone around.

Satsang Redefined

2 more days past and Bawa kept amusing and astonishing us by his facts and figures and the knowledge that reflected his experience. The final day had Vikram Hazra coming for a rocking satsang. He redeifned SATSANGs and made us realise how to get high without booz, pubs and chicks. It was another blissful state where at times, his chords used to struck the 7th level of existence and the people are left in an oblivious state.

An Intimate note to a sincere youth

All in all an experience of a lifetime. I consider myself lucky to be a part of first ever Utsav that transformed lives of so many youths in one go. 4 days is what it takes to change your life. Utsav indeed grooms the youth with values and enables them to realise their full potential and unlock the dynamism that most of the highly appreciated brains of the world lack. If only the youths of India were not blinded by the mundane happenings that claim short term pleasures, India would not take so many years to be a super power.

JAB WE MET.....!!!

NOPE..................

This is not about the sahid and kareena's hit movie.......Its about when i met a real life hero"His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar"...This was the first time when i met "GOD"...

Normally my mornings start with my mum standing on my head and shouting at the top of her voice to wake me up(But all in vain....hehe)..That morning something different happened...My mum was dumbstruck when i was already up before her...!!!! She caught me and checked me if i was having fever...And i plainly smiled and said yes Ma its the "GURUJI" fever that i have got...Mums who are as usual smarter than their kids,she replied like you have an ashram in Banglore why dont you ask Him to make an ashram in Mumbai too....Met my fellow friends at the station and then we started off towards the airport...Each of us had a rose for our beloved GURUJI...Now where was He landing was the query in front of us...Some said he was coming from Orissa some from Bhubneshwar and some Delhi...Well wasnt confusing at all,which terminal to go to, to recieve Him coz that place was already flooded with atleast 300 people..After an anxious wait with baited breath, we got to know that He was going to leave in His car from the other side...The entire sea of devotees ran towards the 2nd exit..There, i saw Him seated in the car and coming towards us...

Struggling through the enormous crowd, i managed to reach HIM....This was when i saw GOD...I was stupefied ,a cold shudder ran through me...I looked into His eyes and HE looked into mine and we looked into each other's.....He stretched out His hand and instead of giving the rose i held His hand...That divine touch was absolutely awesome....i felt as if i was born again, full of purity, love was brimming in me.... Actually words can not describe how i felt...He was then headed for Mahim.....Like how PAPPARAZI followed Anjelina Jolie on her first trip to India...I followed Him too....After relaxing for some time and having His lunch He came to meet us...we were seated in rows facing each other and He walked amongst us, giving us blessings with a garland of mogra...." ब्लेसिंग देने का नया स्टाइल है"was what He said.....Someone asked Him why do we love you so much GURUJI??? He replied "I HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT THAT"....

Its truly said a Guru is a torch bearer in every sense...Be it knowledge or humour....It was then time for Him to leave for Mumbai University where He was lecturing the youth ...before that he asked us "अच्छा बताओ कितने बजे है??"....Needless to mention, i followed him there too....There were many important personalities present there to address the youth...But the hilight of the event was GURUJI talking to the youth....A group of volunteers had made a
YES+ hat for HIM.....His response to that " मुंबई मैं जभी भी आता हूँ तो टोपी पहना देते हो "A day i would never forget till eternity

---------JAI GURUDEVA-------

The New Experience ! !

Hello everyone !!!!!
A Very Happy Dassera to you .....
I wish as Rama killed Ravana (victory, of truth, of love and of all that qualities that Guruji has, over evil) and celebrated the new beginning of life...you also achieve the power to destroy the negativity and celebrate positivity to the fullest...


Soooo...This is for the #1 time in my whole life i am writing something on my own other than exams !! & not "submissions"..coz.. woh toh sab log copy karte hai :P
So ist a snicere requets to all of yuo to nat to conisdre any sepling mistokse (if any)...as u know now dat i am not a champ in writing stuffs....and i think i should stop trying to be more humble and start to gist you about my experience in our very own Ashram....
As i am a volunteer , people were shocked by my answer 'zero' when they asked me the number of advanced (adv) courses done.. i used to be always like "adv course karne 'Bengaluru' kaun jaayega".... But the surprised faces started getting on to my nerves over a period of time and i finally enrolled for it. It was an ordinary feeling for me...but not for my dear friends. The excitement, the thrill and the enthusiasm which i saw in them really shook me...and so my excitement increased when Dinesh Da wrote that Sept Adv course would be a Bawa Sp adv course...."i am the lucky one !!" when i first read it....and i suddenly started expecting a lot fro mthe Adv course....
i clearly remember that night when i was not able to sleep....it was 20% expectations, 19 % of anxiety, 1% of fear, and 60% happiness of being away from home for more than a week..."wow!!! nobody to question me, no need to answer anybody...."
But as the day arrived to leave, the situation reversed totally..expectations grew upto 95% and 5% of remaining things.....
The journey started off with introduction of 6 lives in a railway coach. Journey was, as thought, full of masti, jokes, parathas and theplas.....and Satsang...
In the evening there was satsang at our berths....we were proud of that..:)
and as it started...we realised(myself and Pooja Shah) we both were leading the Satsang...and just rocked it completely with Z5 songs...
In the night i and MAHARAJ were chatting...and i asked him.."i am confused, what will i get from this course ???" he smiled n said,"u will get whatever is good for...zyada soch mat.." i was confused all the more :)))


Destination Arrived ......

Finally we reached Ashram...it was nothing so great...My first experience (exp) was the same day when we reached...while others were busy doin seva for the Bihar Relief ....i took a time off and made myself comfortable in amphi theatre in front of V.M...i just sat there for a moment and realised dat i was filled with zero thoughts..i even thought hard about something...but the moment it came in, in less than 5 secs it was out....i was just amazed....
During the course, i was almost there with myself.... desperately wanting to understand the meaning of Hollow N Empty...but it just went light years away overhead..
The silence wasnt silent enough as the people were passing chits to each other, whistling, snoring during the break..(:P)...all those "to be" couples were talking through eyes... and an anti social element to top them all....


....it was a New Experience...


We had 3 special long Bawa Sessions..i was lucky to know him a bit more...he was as hilarious as he is, all the time....









The Satsangs in V.M as you know...are out of the world..but this time...we were all the more lucky...we had Harshal Bahiya who was doin the course with us....and so he mesmerised us with his voice every evening...i used to wait for the satsang to happen....here is a pic of the eve, the day the silence was over...i CANNOT forget his Satsangs...



After the course, the thought that i can do more now, was hitting me hard. My dreams got bigger now, my responsibilities got bigger now and therfore i am a changed person now....
Adv course gave me an opportunity to travel to a new place and observe people from various parts of India. It gave me fear, anxiety and what not, that i would have not got otherwise....Not to forget...it gave me Sooo.. many new friends....

I now realise why Vasudha was insisting me to go for the Adv Course and now i understand the surprised looks that i got, the excitement on my colleagues faces when they heard me going for it..
Now, when i ask ppl how many adv courses they have done, even i give them the looks which i used to get, on hearing the number ZERO.... :))

Thanks a tonne Vasudha, Virat and all my friends....You Guys have changed my life.


Best Regards Ever
Kuldeep (DEEP)

Jai Gurudev! Z5,

Well, with Divine Grace I've finally got initiated into the blogging process :). Thanks Rishabh, Sid, Mamta, Vasu and all those who asked me to write - I do hope I live upto your expectations ;). Just thought I'd dedicate the first writing to one of our favourite teachers - take a guess, and while you're at it I'll go prepare my next one. Luv you all.

Sonia (Anuradha)

The smiling yogi…………. :)

Serene and calm, with a dash of impish charm
A Yogi with a difference, enriching our lives with love’ essence
Twinkling eyes and a smiling face
With his Surya Namaskars, don’t even think of keeping pace!
For they are simply a ballet to him
While for us the prospect may sound grim.

An angel who loves to meditate and dwell on the divine
A teacher transforming lives with celestial shine
A hug from him and out goes pain
A persona so rich that words go vain
A simple human being with an extraordinary hue
I’m sure, by now one needs not a cue

To guess, its our very own Dinesh da, I’m talking about
Just a glimpse of him mesmerises and captivates, have no doubt!
An advance course with him is a journey to bliss
Do it once and you never ‘er wanna give it a miss!

A guide, a mentor for youth today
Lucky are to have him show us the WAY(E)!

Gandhi Jayanti - The Tree Plantation

The Z5 inaugurated its tree plantation drive in Mumbai and contributed in its small way to the GGP(Go green project).
With the Project Coordinator Sonia Sahu and Volunteers –Hitesh ,Arnav,Mamta,Dhaval,Rishab,Neha,Nihar,Krutika,Siddharth,Sukerti,Shivangi,Ravi,Tejas,Malay,Richa,Virat and myself. And our new yes plus friends Rishika and Rashmi who will be shortly taking the next YES+ course. We together choose to take this 1st step.

When we started we had little idea about how things would turn out .We decided to meet at the “Lakshchandi Heights Society” and go Door to Door, asking the residents to adopt &Plant trees.


The HOME work done before-
1) 350 Laxmi Taru Saplings were supplied by Bankimji (Contact info-Shakti Slide 224,Nigos Building,Cama industrial estate,goregoan(e) tel-26852330) supplier of Laxmi Taru saplings throughout Mumbai. We kept them ready on 1st night for plantation next morning.
2) We coordinated with Abhinidh nursery and they promised us to give us pots and soil required for planting.

*The sapling can be nurtured for a 1-2 years at home and then can be planted in the ground. Taking care becomes easy this way as the plant lives under ones eye.
3) Permission was taken from the society to carry on the activity in the building.



So with everything ready we started at 11am on 2nd oct. We knew little how the response would be, but just like we are “THE VERY COURAGES” we plunged into the deep waters knowing that we have the Magic grace which always works.
And we were amazed by the response. Every door we knocked met us with a smile and also bought at least 1-2 saplings. YAHOOO !!! We were all thrilled



We went around 2 hours in a group of 4 doing door to door and we sold around 80 trees.

By now the heart were full but the STOMACHS Were EMPTY so we headed to our favorite joint RUCHI at royal challenge.
We thought we would take a quick bite and get on to working again BUTTTT the lunch could not have been short. We all know why??As when we meet there are jokes, fun, and laughter.:))))) ..

We moved to the Abhinidh nursery now. It was sunny and HOT but nothing deters the enthusiasm of our seva warriors.
We climbed up a steep hill. The song that Sonia sung was” Suhana safar aur yeh mausam hasi” The mausam was not close to being hasi and the Path Suhana,, NOOOOO ways...

The treacherous path lead us to a nice garden which looked more like a jungle. We planted 5 saplings on the ground here. These are adopted by Abhinav from Abhinidh nursery.

As we prepared to plant, Hitesh dug with a Fauda and with all his muscle power he could dig the 1 feet whole in a few minutes.
And once that was done our keen volunteers almost fought saying ME ME ME ME ..Its me who would plant the sapling.

Krutika and Rishika watered the plant. The water can looked heavier than Krutika.

It was time for a photo shoot YEHHHHH…

And finally the hug to the tree who offers us soooo much asking nothing in return. Just like a mother does.

The Abhinidh nursery bought another 10 saplings bringing our count to 100 :)

There was after sales service to be given now and Hitesh, Nihar,Dhaval and Sonia stayed till late and supplied pots to all those who had ordered them during he day.

Something Interesting happened now...
I heard a loud screem and rushed out to the door where Sonia and Dhaval were filling mud in the pots. Sonia screamed Scorpion Scorpion….There is a scorpion in the Mud,It will bite meeee…I was baffled how could a scorpion make his way here.. And when I probed to find the Scorpion this is what I found

A caterpillar :)))))) We had a BIG Laugh!!

The journey has just begun and we have miles to go and many more trees to plant before the 16th of October when we stand up to pledge our support for the UNMDGs.

"With Busy hands and hearts full as we aim for the sky and spirit soar high,
There is no stopping the warrior of WAYE,as GGP is the call of the day
Global Chilling being the need of the hour come lets plant trees for those lovely showers

Jai Gurudev

Vasudha

My 1st poem in life which came out from me on the Janmashtami night dis is for u my beloved guruji " Without You"

Like the river that loses it's identity after meeting the sea
I have lost my identity after meeting u guruji
If u were not to be there
Then where would i be without you.

Where would the fragrance be, without the flower
How could the brightness be without the star
What would the beauty be if one could not see
And how could a devotee be if u were not there guruji.
If u were not to be there
Then where would i be without you.

They say everything has a beginning & an end
But when i look into your eyes
I still stand wondering
Whether i am starting from you or ending in you.

Like the young river flowing longingly
Along it's path to merge with the sea
I am flowing on this path to merge with you guruji.
If you were not to be there
Then where would i be without you.

Over the days & nights have i followed you
Over the lifetimes i have followed you
Finally stopped have you
And i have caught up with you.

Now whether you wish to come downeverytime with me or
Want me to comedown only with you
Choose whichever is convinient for you.
B'coz one thing is for sure
That not even for a moment in eternity
Am i gonna exist without you.

something i wrote, i call it "Ashes and Dust"

Sun rises, inducing life with its each falling ray;
Setting at dust, for stars and moon it must make way.

Trees blooming in spring ,like a thousand danseuses ,to the music of winds they sway;
Come autumn, the celebration stops for the same winds flit all away.

So let us live and just celebrate all the way;
For like everything else, we too will turn to ashes and dust some day.

The rivers move fiercely, colliding with rocks, falling sometimes a hundred feet people say;
All this although it will be lost forever in vast oceans and bays.

Birds chirp, quarrel, nibbling at grains in merry and fun filled ways;
Soon these little things will fly across endless skies, for road to home is never long as they say.

We are mere mortals, for unlike god we will turn to ashes and dust one day;
But that is the beauty, the boon , that it all ends for us one day.

The Guru Connection...

This is my 1st post n like Vasudha di said, even im an amature experimenting with blogging, so this post is not gonna be very hi-fi n slick but just simple n direct dil se!

All of us in this Z- 5 family are ordinary youth just like our peers yet so distinctly extra-ordinary. What makes our lives so different n exciting is the one magical thread that binds all of us together i.e our dearest Guruji and his unconditional grace. No languages & words are capable enough to discribe who is He or what is He for us. It can only be experienced by the few lucky and very special ones who come and take this course.

Sharing with you, one of these miracles that changed my life 360*!

It was monday, 23rd june 08, our Yes!++ i.e advance course had come to a memorable end. Most of us were leaving by evening but i was leaving early, in the morning by flight to reach back for my exams which were a day after. We all attended Rudra Puja - a grand Puja performed every monday morning in the Aashram in reverence to Lord Shiva.

I left the aashram by 8:45am for the Bangalore airport.

The Rickshaw Ride

In electronic city of Bangalore, with electronic meters in rickshaw, you still have to bargain before boarding!! So after some bargaining with the Kannada driver in his horrible hindi, I boarded the autorickshaw.

I started my journey with a blissful feeling of contentment n peace unlike the previous times when I would leave this second home of mine with a heavy heart. Stealing few last glipmses of the magnificent Vishalakshi Mantap, a thought ran in my mind, that even if I die the next moment, there won't be any regrets. Along the ride, I was enjoying the sight of Bangalore city in its wee hours.Banglaore is no different than aamchi Mumbai. Just that the hoardings and huge banners were in a language completely unknown and uninterpretable to us!!

It was around 10:15 am and my rickshaw was on the expressway.

Suddenly there was a loud collision with a terrible jerk!When I opened my eyes i saw my cellphone lying on the road. I got down, picked it up,turned around and the most scariest sight was staring back at me. My rickshaw was badly crushed, its windshield shattered and the driver lying unconcious on the wheel with blood gushing out from his face!

For few seconds I was just blank.. and then all of a sudden i heard cars honking all around me and saw people frantically signalling me to move away. The next moment a man was pulling me away from the center of the road, the traffic was stopped,3 people pulled out the unconcious driver ,whose face was so badly cut and he was immediately rushed to the hospital. Another person removed my luggage that was stuck inside. A traffic officer standing besides me was staring at me with a look of shock and amazement, asking again n again whether I was alright or had some injury..

A huge storm of emotions was welling up in me.. I was shocked, scared, confused.. felt like crying as I was stranded in an unknown place all alone with no transport and my flight within one n half hours.

...and GRACE in progress
Gathering courage, I took my bags and started walking, suddenly a man came running to me and asked if I needed help. I frantically explained that I had to reach the airport asap. He quickly led me to a nearby bus stop and stopped an official airport bus and helped me board it. After settling down, I slowly started digesting all that had just happened. I couldnt stop the tears of gratitude after realising that there was not even a scratch on my body!! I always wanted to experience some miracles in life, but here Guruji had actually gifted me my life back.. Its impossible to express what I was feeling then, I had never ever felt soo lucky! !

At this time I just wanted to speak to anyone of my friends back at the aashram and incidently at that time, all of them were meditating at Sumeru. After a few futile attempts, Neharika answered my call and hearing her voice I just felt so happy, couldnt hold back those joyful tears.. was so happy to be alive n be able to talk to my friends once again!

Till I reached the airport my friends kept talking to me, making me feel so comfortable n relaxed. On reaching the airport I came to know that my flight, instead of going directly, was now supposed to go to Mumbai via Kochi . Taking my own time I freshned up, had a cup of coffee n proceeded towards the check-in counter. To my surprise I couldn't find any other passengers lined up there (I thought I have reached before time). I went ahead, got checked and as soon as I came out, an airhostess came running towards me asking if my name was Shivangi. I thought how come she knows about my accident, that she is running towards me with so much concern, did I just become famous! The next moment I hear my name being announced on loud speakers all over requesting me to board my flight urgently.
This lady started running with my bags. We were immediately joined by one more officer who was giving orders on his walkie-talkie to send a van. It was so funny :) .. I was being escorted like a VIP!! The van took me quickly to the flight and I was immediately rushed inside and in next 2 mins the plane took off. I just couldnt believe, the whole damn flight was just waiting for 'ME' to board!! Wow !! I just wanted to shout out loud and tell Guruji how much I loved him.. and, it didn't end here.. He didnt leave any stone unturned. A girl sitting few seats behind me came up to me saying that she had seen me before as she was also from the advance course, going to mumbai. And it so happened that she was staying very close to my house.. so i was home dropped, lavishly in an air conditioned taxi :))

Just recollecting all this has made me nostalgic : ).. I couldnt have ask for anything more!

One more beautiful thing which happens on our course, is the friends that you get.. You are woven into the most pure, divine and priceless friendships one could ever find on planet earth. And especially in advance courses, the bond formed here with your friends is simply magical... So those who have not yet taken a YES!++, just register asap u just cant imagine what you are missing!!

Like Bawa puts it.. In Art Of Living we dont believe in miracles... we depend on them! So..have Faith, Believe and Know.. that you are so damn lucky to be on this path.. n as Guruji says.. Give miracles a chance in ur life :)))

Lots of love,

Shivangi.

Introduction...

Hmm…I am neither a poet nor a writer. But here I am this moment wanting to pen down something to write on the Blog. Bau has been insisting that we all start a blog of our own. And has reassured that someone out there in the universe would definitely want to read it no matter what we write, this made me optimistic and execute this idea. So all of you who have never written before, here is your chance to explore the unknown writer that may exist in you :)

We created the vnvyesplusteam blog (Hope you all like the name, Please doooo, as it was suggested by MEEE and “approved by Virat”) (Its very rare that Me and Virat approve of something together ,for those of you who have been around may know what I am saying). Don’t take this wrongly as we have healthy discussions, which may look like fights but we both have a great laugh at the end.
I see this blog as an interactive place where we (the team participants) can express themselves with write ups ,poems ,snaps ,recipes ,games ,thoughts ,etc.. All team volunteers are invited to write on this blog and make it more fun for the readers .

So we welcome you to please leave your suggestions and comments for us to make this blog more interesting and fun and we will surely do what we can to improve .

Will leave you with some snapshots of the team . We started the VnV yes plus team around 6 months back and have had some great moments together.Here is a glimpse

Feb-2008 .The Clean up project.

June 2008 .The terrace rain party

8th July 2008.Mamta and Prashant Birthday treat

24th July .Karjat Picnic

9th July.Last day of 1st Yes Plus by Virat and Vasudha

There is lots more on the way. Will look forward for all your comments.

Vasudha

My First 'Namaz' !!!

It was a Friday. The one on the Bakra`Eid day. A very special day for the Muslims.

They looked surprised, both Basha and Malik. Although they hid it well, I caught an under-pulse of surprise on their faces. Their surprise was on my request. My request (a very casual one) went like this, "Hey Guys, today being such a special festival for you, I was wondering if I should come along with you to the mosque to offer Namaz". I thought they will be thrilled and happy. They were plain surprised.

Anyways they took me along. Basha had to stay back to finish some urgent work in office, so I went with Malik. Malik is an Indian Muslim, born in Bihar and raised in States. The mosque was in Bellevue downtown, and hundreds of Muslims, from India, Pakistan, Middle East and some American Muslims too, had gathered for the afternoon Namaz. I got reminded of my school days in Delhi when I used to go to Jamma Masjid to play with some of my Muslim classmates.

The mosques (and even temples for that matter) in the US do not quite look like the mosques and temples here. Many times you find regular buildings converted into mosques and temples, and hence you miss all the lovely religious architecture we enjoy in India. Yet you feel a sense of purity and sacredness as soon as you enter such a place, for the prayers of devotees can turn a ‘Khandar’ into a ‘Mahal’!!

As we entered the mosque I sensed an uneasy feeling drawing over Malik. The reason, I learned was that non-Muslims were not always welcome to enter mosques. Its different with Dargas. Anyone is welcome at the hundreds of Dargas around the world. Sufism in that sense comes very close to Hunduism! I was born in Ajmer and have been to the famous Darga of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, and have loved it. But this was different. I caught on to the uneasiness and was soon wondering if I did the right thing by coming along.

Then suddenly, this thought came over me, 'Hey! Wait a minute! What we do say on the course!?! 'I belong to you'! Every human is One. God is One!'. The next second i was flashing my 1000 watt Art Of Living smile and walking like I was entering the Vishalakshi Mantap in the Ashram!!

As we entered the mosque, Malik whispered in my ear, "Do exactly what I do". "Ok" I said. And so I watched him closely and copied him move to move, word to word. We first went to wash-up. And it was quite a wash-up. Folded our pants to the knees, folded our shirt-sleeves to the elbows - washed our faces, hands and legs. I was impressed with the diligence with which each person was cleaning the physical body before we entered the holy mosque.

Then we went inside and the namaz started. Many times we bent down and stood up again, many times we looked to the left and then to the right, and many times Malik looked at me to make sure I was not goofing up! I noticed that just like in temples or churches, no one was smiling! They had a serious appointment with God and were busy prioritizing their demands from the Almighty. I sat down and meditated for a few minutes. I remembered the stories Michael Fishmann had told us about Guruji meditating in Mecca and some of the oldest Jewish synagogues in His trips to Palestine.

The old noble Maulavi explained to us the essence of Islam, and encouraged all to do kind things to others. In my head, lines from the Indian Ocean song popped up.

"Vo hi baat madina mein hain, Jo hain baat Shivalay mein". So true. All faiths preach the same old ragged truth, and yet humans cleverly succeed in misunderstanding and manipulating the truth!

We got ready to leave. I was disappointed to realize that there wasnt any "prasad"! I was hoping to find some hot sevaiyas!! I bowed to Allah once again and exited.

Looking back, it was quite an experience. I recommend that we have one day in India, where all Hindus go to the mosque and offer a Namaz, and all Muslims go to a temple and chant Om Namah Shivaya! It is so difficult to be intolerant to another faith once you have participated in it!

And today, being Ganesh Chathurthi and the commencement of Ramzan, is a day which marks the beautiful blend of two oldest faiths in the world. India alone is a nation on the planet which can boast of a cultural heritage that peacefully allows all traditions to express their beliefs without any conflict (unless provoked politically)!!

Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim!

Ganbatti Bappa Moriya!

The Ferrero Rocher Knowledge

I found a few amongst us(YES!+ team) disturbed by a few people who preach knowledge but don't live it. So for all you folks who are victims of gyan and pravachan, heres a quick tip to get over this syndrome.
Its a very simple and yummy comaprision of knowledge with Ferrero Rocher(FR) (to those who do not know what Ferrero Rocher is, Please read-'1001 ways to Suicide').

Like we say in our intro talks, no gyan, no pravachan but sheer fun. And when we say that, we mean, no knowledge that sounds impractical and impossible for us to implement. Each and every one of us makes it a point that before we preach, we ourselves live that knowledge to avoid sounding it like 'pravachan'. So if someone is giving you a so called profound knowledge without him/her implementing it, that person is basically giving you a pack of Ferrero Rocher(FR). And when you open it and offer him/her the same, the reply is 'No sorry, I don't like choclates'. Now apply the 5th level of existence i.e. your intelligence. You are left with a sceptic thought about that knowledge and its your decision, whether to implement it because it is profound or drop it because it's preacher is not practising it. In chocolaty terms- whether to enjoy and relish the Italian chocolate, or to say No thanks. With due respect to the lipsmacking, crunchy bits of hazelnut wrapped in crispy thin layers of chocolate with roasted hazelnut in the core, will you ever, ever want to say NO THANKS. How do you care if the other person doesn't enjoy having it.
We are even more grateful to them who only preach knowledge, because they spare that bite of delicacy for us. So do not bother if someone doesn't like FR and is offering you. Just have it and thank that person for offering it to you.

The entire idea of this personification was to let you guys know that the knowledge points in AOL are as delicious as this chocolate, in fact even more delicious. And you can enjoy it only when you implement it. So go out and open yourself for as many FRs as you can and relish each one of them.

Jai Gurudev:-)

YES!+ is official in Cornell University.

Very happy to share the following Yes!+ success story with you (in case you havent already read the Esatsang).FYI - Cornell is an Ive League school - one of the TOP Universities in the WORLD!!!! Guruji spoke there a few years ago!!!This means that Yes!+ is now an official part of the curriculum at Cornell University!!! Something we should mention in our intro talks!!

From: Annelies Richmond <annelies@artofliving.org>
Date: Sep 2, 2008 11:50 PM
Subject: First YES!+ Course for credit at Cornell University

Tonight we finished our very first official YES!+ course for credit (P.E.credit) at Cornell University. Yeaayyy!! It went great!! We had a lot offreshmen since we only had three days to advertise during orientation for thisfirst one. The P.E. director was pleased and told us that as long as thestudents liked the teachers, then the word will spread and it will get more andmore popular.
We ran it more like Denise Marcus runs the Kaiser hospital courses, and how wedo the YES! Courses in schools: we did not have a picture of Guruji or tablewith flowers/candle, we avoided saying "God" or even "divine" much on thecourse, we did not do the bowing down process, and we kept it very interactive. Of course they asked about Guruji, and we showed a Knowledge video of him thatthey were GLUED to!!
The students are all super-excited about doing Part 2's!
This is how we listed YES!+ in the course catalog (and people actuallyregistered from this brief description, even with other meditation and yogaclasses listed!):
"YES!+ is an innovative and dynamic life skills program which empowers you withtools to eliminate stress, increase energy, handle negative emotions, increasemental focus, heighten awareness and develop strong social and leadershipskills."
Here are some of the responses!……
"This course has taught me a lot about how to look at life and work withwhatever comes my way. It has proven how the good comes with the bad but howpositive will always outweigh the negative. It has given me techniques tofocus and ways to slow down worrying. It helped put everything intoperspective about the big picture (accepting people, situations, the present)and so far has really changed my attitude about negative people/situations.Thank you sooooo much!!!" ~Cornell University freshman, 2008
"After YES!+ I feel much more relaxed, happy, and less stressed. This was avery life-changing experience that everyone should have the opportunity to try. I will carry these lessons and this experience with me throughout my future."~Cornell University freshman, 2008
"YES!+ is a course of self-discovery and liberation from the world. I feeltransformed. It was a discourse into a way of life that leads to astress-free, happier society. It's a very intense course that not only helpsyou to calm down but also to look at life with a different perspective."~Cornell University senior, 2008

Lots of Love and Jai Gurudev,Annelies and Asma

Indian Politics and its Pseudo Dynamism

Indian Politics and its Pseudo Dynamism

When the British parliamentary system was launched in India, everyone thought that alike the former rulers we might have the sophisticated ‘House of commons’ and ‘House of lords’. But since India is famous for its great elephant walk i.e. doing every thing in its own style. We not only had loud-chirpy rajya sabhas and lokh sabhas but also had the political saga written in its own Rajneetik style.

India is said to be diverse in every aspect; be it its dignified foreign policies or our very own cultures and religions. A unique example of this historical diversity is the revolutionary freedom fight in which some preferred literally attacking the antagonists of the story, whereas others were led by non-violence. With such historical and geographical diversity, India had to be strategically and politically diverse as well.

The Indian politics, characterized by ‘democracy’, generated its own political concepts moving away from the usual diplomatic science. If the western have the Democrats and the Republican, India has its very own SANHGHS and PARIWARS, who not only influence the central government planning but also go on to write history in the form of riots.

In the post - independence era, the Regional parties have sowed more seeds of discrimination than what racism and caste system could ever do in the pre -independence period. Regional parties in the form of the Senas and Janta parties are kind of underworld dons in their own constituencies. Their major contribution to the great ‘tamasha’ has been the induction of the ‘Bandhs’. Bandhs, ironically, are enjoyed by many as ‘unofficial surprise holidays’ since supreme court has declared them illegal.

The new trend, which has hit the Indian political scene, is the ‘Coalitions Governments’. Last time these parties agreed on something was while forming the majority. The seemingly eternal fight between the ruling parties and the Lefts reminds us of the famous conflict between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B R Ambedkar.

From poets to Cambridge returns, corporate workers to criminals, filmstars to sportsmen and doctorates to school drop outs ; India has had its leaders coming from every section of it. Unfortunately, only a few managed to make a difference. And of course not forgetting the important ‘C’ in politics lately, ‘corruption to politics’ is like ‘terrorism to humanity’ – Simply destructive.

A long ago, when our politics was spotted at its vulpine best; we had the epic, ‘Mahabharata’ written. ‘Shakuni’ and ‘Krishna’ both played tricks to make things work their way; though we know that there was only one ‘God’.

We may have reached 20,000 plus in Sensex or having jumping GDPs every year or our smart brains may be all set to dominate the worldwide software industry; but in governance, we still need another tryst with Destiny.

To the Americas and back!!!

Warning: Long sentimental Write-Up!

4th August, 2003. It's about 1am in the morning…….the scene is abuzz at the airport. Mom n Dad, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, friends, cousins, neighbors, ex-girl friends, more friends – all there to wish me good luck. Amidst the never ending lines of advice from elders, and the continuous reminders to keep in touch from friends, I steal the last glance of my motherland as I bid farewell to my family and friends. I leave a part of me behind in India. I make a promise to myself – I will return one day. Come what may!!

Within a few hours, I enter another planet. The US of A. I am living the American dream!

Time goes by….I learn new things….and forget few old ones……I train myself to roll my tongue when I say "r", I learn to call it the 'skedule' and not the 'schedule' (who cares what the Queen said), I change my DNA to throw in as many 'thankyous' and 'pleases' as I possibly can in every sentence. I am amazed by the roads, and by the sizes of things……

We create a mini India where we live. I return every evening to old bollywood songs and chai….we discuss cricket and Indian politics over tortillas replaced for rotis, we spend hours chatting with family and friends online…we graduate from school….join the IT army in the US.

There are times I cry and times I laugh….times I regret I left India and times I feel glad that I am not in India……..but there never is a time when I feel shaky about my decision to return – never. I know I will go.

And one fine Jan morning, the day comes for me to implement the plan……..to bid farewell again…..I buy, for the first time, a One Way ticket to Bombay!

I come back with dreams and apprehensions……there is a shine of hope, mixed with a cloud of uncertainty, there are fears (some real, others unfounded), and there is excitement and happiness. Mostly, there is contentment. I am keeping the promise I made to myself. I come back to contribute to my country, for it needs good sons. I went as a boy and I come back as a man! I come back with skills to blend the Orient and the Occident, I decide to take the best of both the cultures and make my own. From the quick NY head nod of 'wassup, to the authentic folded namashkar, from pesto salads to bhel-puris, from Starbucks mochas to Nukkad Cuttings, from Minus 20 degrees to + 40, from bald eagles to peacocks………..I can do it all!!!


28^th August 2008: Today, its been 6 months that I came back……I now live in Bombay.

As I sit by my balcony on this rainy wet night, I see the city wrapping up for the day. Although it never sleeps, Bombay does quieten up a little towards the night you know!

Tonight, there are approximately two thousand one hundred and fifty seven thoughts in my head!!! I take a stroll back to the Orange streets of Syracuse on a cold October evening, and I can still smell the hot coffee as I walk past the big old tree in the quad!

I catch glimpses of my life in the US while I do my mundane bits in the routine day. It’s just the same feeling that we get when we move to the US for the first time and keep seeing flashes of India now and then!! There are times I feel like running back to Seattle – and there are times I want to just be here. There are times when I feel like walking to the middle of nowhere and just vanishing into thin air!!

As I said, it’s been 6 months now. India has successfully swallowed me, just the way it does to anyone who comes to its shores. Some people pat me on the back and proudly call me a ‘True Indian’, others think I made a wrong decision in moving back to the rut of the Indian life. I take both and make nothing of them.

I have learnt that it’s not the place where you live – it’s how you live!!

"Mitti ki jo hain khushboo, tu kaise bhoolaayega
Tu chaahe kahin jaaye, tu laut ke aayega"

"The greatest journeys are the ones that bring you home"!!

Jai Hind – In God We Trust!

Janmashtmi

Hurrrraaaaaayyyy!!!!! Finally Zone-5 has its own blog and it couldn't get better than this. The advent of this blog with bites of knowledge from our dear Krishna's Happy Birthday!!

We will not get into the position of moon and other heavenly planets during the time he was born, so the meaning of 'ashtmi' is skipped willingly. (I don't think you really want to know what ashtmi means- according to me its the 8th day of something.) Whats important is not when and how was he born, neither its important to know who he is - I mean, ofcourse he is GOD but then, why do some of us have to spend our lives to know him more and more. Important is that how much craving you have for him, that longing for him, be it as a friend, as a mother, sister, brother or for that matter even as your enemy. Legend has it that all the rakshasas (demons) who were killed by Krishna were liberated. Not only because they were killed by him but also because they had the longing to harm him, and yes..the longing was pure.

So with all that longing, we celebrate this day to commemorate the begining of an era that taught people to be mischieveous and to be wise at the same time. Na na..not Guruji..this time Krishna.

And when there is a team comprising of youthful, cheerful, dynamic... bla bla bla kind of people, then the celebration is at its peak.

Yes, we are talking about our YES!+ team which manaofied Janmashtmi in a very ecstatic way.

It was like 'sone pe suhaga' to have this day come on Sunday (sorry to all folks who were disappointed by the loss of a holiday) as we had our long sudarshan kriya on sudarshan chakradhari's birthday. The long kriya was followed by a rocking satsang by KRISH (now how coincidental can that be!).

Krish's chords and Virat's Egyptian drum (we call it damru!!) had intoxicated us with bliss and we were no less than gopis dancing in ecstacy to get the slighest glimpse of the divine.

The Longing.... ....And the Love

By now, all of us had our 7th chakra rolling and janmashtmi was half way through. And whats janmashtmi without Dahi Handi...

The Yes!+ team defying all the impossibilites of doing a 'govinda' in the small lane ahead of Nupur Jhankar hall, were all set with the dahi handi skillfully tied with one end on the tree and the other end on the terrace. Afer some unsuccesful attempts, the team effort finally paid off and Jainil was the proud Govinda. The day was concluded by virat's drum and 'govinda ala re..' in the background. If you were ever a part of this dahi handi breaking group(i was one of them!), you would know how disgusting you smell after that dahi spilling all over you. Even that repelling smell did not stop us from greeting our fellow mates by a tight hug(don't do it with some1 whom you dont know-he might just puke on you because of that smell).

Now that this was our first ever blog, I want all you guys reading it, to leave a comment.

Jai Gurudev!!