Happy Birthday Bau:)

Dinesh da is writing an article on the blog for Bau for his birthday, and he asked us all to send some of our experiences. So I got inspired to write this post. Dinesh da being my teacher I love following his footsteps:)
What should I write about Bau or should I say what not to write. As some rightly say Bawa is a phenomenon, when you meet him you can only feel awed and wonder!

Let me narrate you a recent incident... I was at the ashram last weekend for the TRM (teachers refresher meet).All through the TRM I was desperately waiting for the moment to meet Guruji. I was damn upset about something going on in my mind and I wanted Guruji to answer my questions. Questions to which I knew only Guruji has answers for. So I was waiting, waiting and waiting for the moment to arrive. And finally Guruji called the YES+ teachers to meet him personally. There were many people and I was waiting for my moment with him when I could ask him my question. Just after a few minutes of the meeting he dismissed it and asked us all to go. I experienced a storm of emotions as I was feeling dejected and angry. I was so upset that I could not hold myself and tears rolled through my eyes. I walked away from the crowd to hide my emotions from others. But guess who noticed, it was Bau. You really don’t want to be noticed by Bau, specially in such moments. This is what followed next…..

He caught me by my hand and with a silly grin and a naughty tone he asks me, “What happened, why are you crying”. Two seconds later “Tell na What happened,tell na”... The expression on his face was surely not of concern, to me it looked more like that of delight:) “Tell na” he continued asking me. Tears were still rolling from my eyes. He notices and says, “If you are looking for attention then Cry properly na”:) :) :) I could not hold my laughter at that ☺ I finally confided my feeling to him and at the end of it I thought Bau will now come up with a PRECIOUS ADVICE for me. This is the VALUABLE advice he gave me.
“PLAY MORE BOARD GAMES,JUST PLAY MORE BOARD GAMES”:)
WHAT!!! What has board games to do with this I thought…


But that’s the way he is, so very practical. You can be anything but serious around him. He makes living a play.

Yes!And that’s also been my journey with him, last 8 years, filled with fun and life. He has mastered the skill of simplifying the most difficult and complicated subjects that relate to life into something so simple.
Let me give you an example
So, a Yes+ participant asks very seriously, What is the difference between Happyness and Peace? Bau answers: Happiness is the feeling that you get when you see the toilet door open when you REALLYYYY wanna go, and what follows immediately after that is peace of Mind:)

Could you have ever thought of it like this, genius isn’t he?

Though so very playful he is the most sensitive person I have ever met. He is extremely intuitive and has several siddhis. I remember we were at the Gourmet shop in inorbit mall. And I could barely stand because I was having a severe headache. Bau understood this . He asked ,do you like olives(he had one in the hand) 'an olive was the last thing on my mind' and I said, no not at all. He puts the olive in my mouth. And immediately the headache disappeared:) That’s not it from that day onwards I started liking Olives so much that I eat away all from Shashwat's and Siddharth's pizza slices also:)

I feel so very grateful to have had a mentor and a guide like him in my life. One who broke all concepts in mind and made life like a play. It’s just Ok to be yourself around him. No facade or formality is required. You can just be so natural around him:)

I have been so lucky to have received so much affection and love from Bau.
He is a friend, a mentor and an inspiration to me.
Love you sooooooo much Bau. YOU ARE SIMPLY THE VERY BEST:)

A VERY VERY VERY VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. May you live a long healty life.

With love and Regards

Vasudha.

I received an email and I was inspired. I take the priviledge of sharing this with you all. Please do read.

dearest friends,

I completed 3 months today! ( as a teacher ofcourse :)

3 months, i have been teaching in my classroom, working tirelessly to achieve my Big Goal.3 months, i have realised that i have 4 different learning levels in my class and my Big Goals will need to change. 3 months, i have invested in my students to believe they "can" and more importantly that they "want". i have invested their parents in believing that their kids will one day achieve their dreams.3 months,i have spent hours in the community, understanding why pradeep never does his homework, why saahil will not stop being violent in class, why pooja still doesnt know how to read.

 3 months, i have transformed my dull and dreary classroom to reflect the greens, purples and oranges i see in my kids everyday. 3 months i have walked through the lanes of sanjay nagar and pathanwadi which is a different world altogether.3 months, i have persevered to teach 45 kids and still cared enough to learn all their names and what they want to be when they grow up.3 months, i have differentiated every thought, every instruction, every assessment to ensure that every child is pushed to his or her potential.

 3 months, i exchanged ideas, and learnt from the other TFI Fellows, my programme manager, training mananger and some amazing corps from Teach for america and teach first to continously improve myself as a teacher. 3 months, i have battled with sore throats, lost my voice but still continued to chant Read Baby Read with my kids everyday. 3 months, i have survived food poisoning and threats of Swine Flu and have still progressed student achievement without even being in the classroom. 3 months and i have influenced the other teachers in my school to stop using sticks but manage with marbles and traffic lights instead.

 3 months, i have questioned and critiqued systems but have also reflected on why i am here and not in a corporate office. 3 months, i grow to learn new things about myself everyday. 3 months, i am the change i see in my kids today. 

3 months. i embark on a challenge.

Two years. and i help the other 86 fellows to build a national movement.

as i reflect on my responsibility , i plead you to shoulder some of it. JOY OF GIVING week is being celebrated all over the country from 27th sept- 2nd oct.. plz be a part of it and share the joy with my bacchus :D Any teaching aid or material you think will be of use for my class room, pass it on to me. At teachforindia, we believe nothing is a waste.From matchsticks,icecream sticks,rags,marbles,junked laptops and projectors etc we make use of anything and everything to teach math and other subjects. Send it over and trust me i will account for everything in my classroom. Old notebooks/ story books are welcome as well. some of my kids come in with no money to feed themselves during breaks. u can donate parle- g biscuits. Anything which lies unutilised in your home will be a boon for my kids. Please junk them away to me.

Lastly, if you cant find the time to search for any of the above and if you have decided to gift me for my 22th birthday(or for all the birthdays you missed gifting) please turn in any of the story books or stationary (charts, colours, glue, scissors, blue tack) If you are busy to find the nearest crosswords or oxford, though i hate to think so; . you can just call in on 9819761907 anytime to tell me you love my kids and care for them. we will figure it out, how you can help them!Or Just pass the message to your close ones,friends and acquaintances.I will be happy to share any information about teachforindia and the kind of work we do.

Finally, i plead to the little thought in your head and little voice in your heart which always wants to make a difference in this country. I dont have any illusions of being god's gift to this country.But i know for sure that i'm in the last mile of this country and if you wish see the change you want to see,here is the easiest connection.I'm here at your service 24* 7. plzz foward it to all in your mailing list.

.

thankyou.

P.S -- watch a short film on what we all are exactly doing. 

tfi short film- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAujZ4PoFFM

mtv interview of 2 fellows --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Oa_6Bwlvu0 

--

Indira Aditi Rawat

Teach For India Fellow.

class teacher- 2B

Divine Child High School

sanjay nagar,

malad east,

mumbai

"One day ALL children will attain an excellent education"

I know Aditi ever since she completed her YES+ course. She is intelligent, hardworking, focused, bright and extremely inspiring. She is actively participated in all our seva activities and is regular with sadhana and satsang. She is a role model for the youth today. She represents what our youth is capable of ,only if it decides to contribute.Truly remarkable Aditi:)

The entire YES+ team is there with you to help you in anyway you may need.

Jai Gurudev

VJ

First Ever SKYPE DSN!!

A walk from Vishwamitra to Ganga Kutir with Bawa can be very interesting...for many different reasons. Many different things can come up - laughter, wisdom and sometimes SHOCK! So casually Bau mentioned 'We will do the Bombay DSN on Skype'! When I found my words a few seconds later, I tried to come with all possible "logic" to convince him otherwiese - an excercise in vain.


But when I realized there was no way of changing Bau's mind on this, I decided "Now that we are going to do it, lets do it 100% and have fun with it". After all, Bombay has been the YES!+ Trendsetter city and lets keep up with the image. What followed next was lots of phone calls and sms's to our 'unconditionally enthusiastic YES!+ teachers and volunteers', and preparations for the first ever DSN on Skype began.


Remember how Dinesh Bhaiya says, "Turn a bug into a feature". Thats exactly what we did. The USP of this course became Skype - and we told people that here was a chance for them to be a part of a revolution - to be creating History. How cool would it sound when they would boast to their friends saying, "You know the first ever DSN on Skype - I WAS ON IT"!! :)



















The course began with 50 lucky souls in Goregaon. I reached Bombay on the morning of the course, and when I went to the hall, it was not a pretty sight. There were technical glitches - cords missing, compatibility issues, sound problems, wireless connectivity etc. We worked hard, prayed harder and somehow got it up and running. The first session was crucial - and fortunately pretty smooth. The second Bawa's and Dinesh Da's smiling faces flashed on the projector screen, smiles and claps echoed and remained till the end of the course.

There on it was a smooth ride. Of course we had our share of lost connections, and 'Can you please repeat that', and the camera getting stuck making Bau's face look very funny, but we never missed the essence of it. The participants took turns to grab the front row seats to be visible on the camera, and there was no dearth of Bawa's wittisms, and Dinesh Da's serene presence was virtually as effective as the 'in-flesh' version :)

As Vasudha put it, "With a very heavy heart we admit that the course was a big success"! It was a double edged sword - We have achieved remarkable success but at the same time, we run the risk of more such courses and less physical time with our dear duo!

I must compliment the Seva Warrors who made this possible. Some fantabulous cooking by Nivedita and team (The Dhanshak was so yummy that we did not get a chance to miss Bau even for that)! And Kudos to Prashant, Vibhu and the Goregaon YES!+ team for their superb work! They even raised money to get the entire food expenses sponsored!


Dhanshak getting virtually blessed by Bau! :)

It was a great learning experience for me too.
I now know what Guruji means when he says, "Reality is only restricted by your imagination"!!

Btw - Bau told Guruji about this course and He was thrilled!! :)


Satsang with Harshal :)

Love,
Virat

Its time to announce results of Quiz no.1

Arnav and Shashwat are dressed as

Dronacharya

&

Ekalavya

Ekalavya

A student's distinction lies in his devout pursuit of knowledge, and not merely in his heritage. This manifests in a splendid manner in Ekalavya's life. He worshipped an idol of his 'Guru', learnt his lessons in archery in the Master's absence, and mastered the art. When his master desired the thumb of Ekalavya's right hand as a fee, which might cripple him, Ekalavya smilingly sacrificed it. A boy who had grown up in the forest thus developed into a great personality - a fine example for others to emulate.

A student's distinction lies in his devout pursuit of knowledge, and not merely in his heritage. This manifests in a splendid manner in Ekalavya's life. He worshipped an idol of his 'Guru', learnt his lessons in archery in the Master's absence, and mastered the art. When his master desired the thumb of Ekalavya's right hand as a fee, which might cripple him, Ekalavya smilingly sacrificed it. A boy who had grown up in the forest thus developed into a great personality - a fine example for others to emulate.

And the winner is PANDA (Mamta pandya)

Congratulations!!!!                                                                           

You won a dinner at the Grand Hyatt with Vasudha and Virat :)

VJ.

(If you looked carefully there is an extra thumb in Shashwats hand.That was the clue)

FEW REALIZATIONS…..

Its been more than 8 months that I haven’t shared any of my thoughts, and now I feel is the time to pen down A new realization, that dawned a few days back…

Every year Our Country celebrates innumerable festivals and it’s so very true that the people celebrate them with the right spirit. For Ganesh Utsav (celebration of arrival of Ganpati, a Demi-God) people start their preparations almost a month in advance and some.The enthusiasm, the joy, the love to invite a God at their home is so pure, it just cant be expressed in words ( same as Sudarshan Kriya ☺ ). I remember, I was getting down at Dadar station for some work, the day prior to Ganesh Chaturthi (commencement of the Festival) and I saw almost 20thousand people buying all the stuff,they needed for decoration.I could hardly walk between this mammoth crowd .Not only at homes but in every "Gully" and "Nukkad"you will find a huge Ganpati Idol with speakers at the peak of their noise. But in spite of all the noise, crowd, rains (in Mumbai, optional☺) general public makes it a point to visit them at least once. Any guesses why do they visit these pandals ??

What do you think?


Of-course for blessings. But I think ,definitely there is more than that..
Whenever a person watches a huge idol, or for that matter any God’s idol, his mind becomes thoughtless for a very short period of time. For a fraction of second we become free from all our botheration of the past and worries of the future. Just silence prevails which is very soothing. The same soothing feeling that I get when I do my Sadhana :)

We very often experience this when we visit any temple across the globe . In that state of nothingness we realize that actually God is nowhere outside but inside our own self.
We feel so grateful for those precious moments that we keep going to the temples and invite Gods and Goddess at our places. The Decoration and fragrances are an added bonus and they captivate all our senses and arrests our mind inwards, that is why the eyes get closed too! These few moments of silence makes us happy and we feel more energetic after visiting the place of worship.And hence we look forward for such brilliant festivals…

I feel extremely grateful that I learnt the Sudarshan Kriya through the Yes!+ course, as now I don’t have to wait for any festival, just the So Hum. And I am done.I now realize the importance of my sadhana that I am blessed with. It can be very frustrating for a person to wait for such events to have a glimpse of his or her own self.I am really thankful to Guruji for whatever he’s done for me .And thus I feel a responsiblity for all those who have not taken an Art Of Living Course to reach this precious gift to one and all.

I have heard from Virat Bhaiya "there are 2 kinds of ppl who exists on this planet,1st those who have done an AOL course, 2nd; those who will do an AOL course…”
So u know what is to be done… ☺

Jai Gurudev

Regards & Love
Deep

Guruji speaks on the Elephant God: Ganesha

The Origin Of Lord Ganesha

We are all aware of the story of Ganesha's birth. Ganesha was born out of the collection of dirt from Parvati's body. Parvati is the high energy of a celebration or festival, and there is always some aspect of negativity in this high energy. This is symbolised by the dirt. When this body of dirt encountered the 'Shiva element', the 'Advait Tatva', its head, that is the Ego fell apart and was replaced by the head of an elephant. Lord Shiva himself blessed Ganesha that he would be worshipped and his blessings sought at the start of any auspicious occasion.

Unraveling Ganesha

Shiva and Parvati(this is where the word 'power' comes from; Parvati represents power) had been celebrating with great enthusiasm and Parvati had become dirty- signifying that celebration can easily become rajasic or feverish and take you away from your centre. So she removed all the dirt(symbolic of ignorance) from her body and created a boy-doll from this. She gave the doll life and asked him to keep guard at the door while she bathed. When Shiva(representing Supreme innocence, peace and knowledge) returned to Kailasha, the boy could not recognise him and so obstructed his passage, preventing him from entering. This signifies that ignorance(dirt) does not recognise wisdom or innocence. However, truth can eliminate ignorance. And so Shiva chopped off the boy's head- the head of ignorance and entered but when Parvati realised what had happened, she explained to Shiva that the boy was their son and Shiva had to save him. So he instructed his helpers to go and find someone with his head pointing to the north, someone in tune with the natural flow of energy and to bring back his head. They searched far and wide and were only able to find an elephant in such a state. So they brought back the head of the elephant and fitted it to the the body of the boy. This became Ganesha!

Now Ganesha is always depicted with a big belly, it represents GENEROSITY & TOTAL ACCEPTANCE. The enormous belly has a snake tied around it which stands for ACCEPTANCE with AWARENESS. Also we surrender all our dreams of woe and distress to Ganesha in the form of the 'Durva' grass. The story goes that one day Ganesha drank so much milk that his belly burst, so he grabbed a cobra and tied it around his stomach. This signifies that acceptance of people and situations(big belly) without deep awareness is of no great value(akin to accepting people when we are sleeping, which is easy!) However, when there is awareness- the cobra is symbolic of great alertness- then there is true acceptance and love. Ganesha's upraised hand( in 'abhaya' mudra, depicting protection) means "Fear not- I am with you" and his lowered hand, palm facing outwards(in 'varada' mudra, symbolic of giving boons) means unending giving as well as an invitation to bow down. Bowing down signifies merging with earth again, recognising the truth that we will return to the earth. In the womb, our position is one where our heads are bowed, our body is in a circle. Even at birth we come into the world head down. It is our nature to bow down. Ganesha also has a single tusk that implies single-pointedness. One also sees very often, the pasteurisation of the moon laughing at Ganesha as he tries to do the 'Saastanga Danda Pranaam' to his parents. Here the moon signifies the mind- the mind laughs at wisdom. Ganesha is mostly seen sitting on a lotus. Now an elephant being supported on a lotus is a kind of odd! This signifies that he is very sensitive. We are often struck by the question as to 'why does a big Ganesha sit on a small mouse?' This is because the mouse is LOGIC & KNOWLEDGE OF SELF and over it sits the symbol of SUPREME KNOWLEDGE. Ganesha is always seen riding on a mouse. This is the most unexpected mode of travel- an elephant on a mouse!

However, the significance runs deeper, the mouse keeps nibbling away at the ropes that bind it. The mouse who gradually nibbles through things is like a mantra which can cut through sheets and sheets of ignorance and carry even an elephant. There can be nothing but absolute darkness and all that is required is a single tiny ray of light that can illuminate us, free us from our ignorance. Not much is required at all- just this tiny persistent awareness. Even the implements that Ganesha wields, are symbolic. He carries in his hands, the 'Ankusha'(the goad or stick that is used to prod an elephant awake, this signifies 'awakening') and the 'Paasa' (the noose which signifies control). Now with awakening a lot of energy is released, which without proper guidance can go haywire.

"If you meditate on Ganesha, who has the head of an elephant you will get the qualities of an elephant. You will overcome all obstacles."

This is what a participant from our last yes+(17th to 23rd August) course said when asked about her experience of the course.

The Art of Living

Cheer
Sheer bliss
Glee and exuberance
Happiness
Truly the art of living
Overcoming obstacles -
By the grace of the guru of joy,
I here stand
As a renewed person
Having learned to give in my 100%
To live life to the fullest
To accept things as they come and yet be gracious

To live without inhibitions
To look at my fears in the eye
To keep learning and nurturing my self
This is what I call the art of living
Moments come and go
Be it happy or sad
To deal with them
The way they are meant to be dealt with
This is art of living

To live in a commune
To relish life
To enjoy being oneself
Art of living...


Reflecting back on my YES + course
This is how I look at it:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will
When the road you are trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and debts are high,
And you have to smile but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As everyone of us sometimes learn, and many fellows turn 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.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems
To a faint and flattering man;
Often the struggles have given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup
And he learned too late when the right came down;
How close he was to the golden crown;
Success; its failures turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubts –
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems far
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t
QUIT.
This Yes+
That has ignited the flame of being a new me
A me having a different perception towards things
This is the Yes+ which is the key solution
Through thick n thin,
No matter what,
Don’t Quit coz,
“Opposite Factors are complimentary”!


JAI GURUDEV

Aditi