Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Of Vedanta Rocks ...
Few weeks back I stumbled on a weekly column in the Sunday edition of Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad. It was a column called "Vedanta Rocks" by the acclaimed movie maker Mani Shankar . The very first column was quite indicate of what was to follow and it only got better and better. Sunday mornings once again became a celebration that set the course for the next week's pilgrimage within. The joy of discovering it soon became an unstoppable urge to share it across and the first step towards it was to compile the entire series in an organized manner and convert it into a single printable PDF file, some thing every one can access even at places with no internet connectivity.
The initial set of mailing list soon grew. There was such an overwhelming response from many in the initial list and some went on to send aggregates of email ids to be added to the weekly mailing list...it was quite a humbling experience when some sent their parents' email ids too. Each weekly mail in turn had to carry the text of the previous emails to give the new recipients some background information and the text also got elongated in the process. I presume that many would just like to go directly to the "vedanta Rocks" content than the mail text. Hence this blog that will have the background information and the mail will just have a PDF file attached a URL to this page. If the author of "Vedanta Rocks" permits the text of previous week's columns could also be embedded in this blog.
Manishankar
Click here to read Mani Shankar's Wikipedia entry
... and here's the background information e mail text :
Dear One,
Please do not forget to have a look at the attached PDF file called VEDANTA ROCKS ( just overwrite the previous file with this one).
Thought I must explain it a bit more...hence the following 3 paragraphs. The remaining content is more or less the same as it was in the first mail.
This is the second dispatch of VEDANTA ROCKS. The first mailing list had a small set of people and now it has grown. I could never even imagine that this compilation of newspaper column called “Vedanta Rocks” would appeal to so many. In fact I compiled the first mailing list with much self doubt wondering if this act of seeing one's name included in a mass mailing list would irk many. But I was wrong I guess ( at least so far) … many wrote back sending a list of e mail-ids of their friends as well. That was encouraging enough to give a real try at expanding the mailing list. Recollecting some telephonic conversations, digging up old emails ...chat fragments from the inbox of remembrance spanning a period of nearly 12 years was quite a pilgrimage in itself that often moved me to the verge of tears. A phase when so many strangers became acquaintances , and then friends... some stayed in touch..others got estranged ( am sure only from the chronological perspective of communication) … but the finest essence of every interaction never got erased off. I remember them all, cherish each interaction with a deep sense of gratitude and benediction. I have benefited immensely from all and this act of reaching out thus is a modest expression of thankfulness, to bridge and bring together a bunch of pilgrims who could be of solace and guide posts to each other, personally it is another way of saying 'you all mean a lot to me'.
There were moments a bunch of names would gush forth … mostly during the early waking hours...and that's how this mailing list grew. I just felt it to be soul calls/ cries from so long and far way... but connected entities in the collective unconscious.
I do not know if I am asking for too much. But please consider this... I do come across interesting stuff every now and then. By interesting I mean content that every one in this mailing list could find informative / inspiring enough. Wish you grant me the liberty to send such stuff when ever I come across. But I need to hear from you on this. Please send a word that you are not interested to receive anything further...I presume that your silence in a way says that you look forward to receiving more similar stuff … and of course it will be great if you could spell it out....so if you write back expressing your interest it surely means that you are not lazy and indifferent :-)
This happens to be my first mail with a massive recipient list. Hope it does not get into your spam list or trash box. Even if it does, the very fact that you are reading this proves that we are all part of a larger pattern that connects. Most of the people in this list are people from Amrita fraternity and the others are also my friends , all of whom I count as fellow pilgrims.
I am sending a collection of articles i compiled from an english daily in Hyderabad....it comes on every sunday under the title "Vedanta Rocks" . I have never found such a lucid and powerful revivification of Vedanta than this sweet little articles. Here's a bouquet of it all . Please see the attached PDF file. I am sure you will pass it across to similar minded people. I have heard people giving big talks on Vedanta... to the point of utter self deception. This collection of articles could achieve what showy-shallow-slavish sermons fail to - to stir us deep within and set us on our course – to recover and rediscover that facet of ours which is lost in the quagmire of survival.
I never quite thought that I will be able to get across this collection of writings in this form. Few weeks back my machine crashed in a terrible way, I lost huge pile of personal data as well including a half finished ( half page :-) ) CV of mine as well. That loss was bearable any way. But when I realized that I lost this collection of articles that I had just begun to compile got wiped out , I slipped into gloom...it took me quite some time to recover. The arduous task of searching back issues of the newspaper on the web arranging it the way I did before ( with one image for each article) weighed heavy on me... I just could not even think of it, even the very idea of googling it all appeared nauseating enough.
But then getting to read these articles was one of the best things that happened to me after I left Amrita and moved to Hyderabad. Confining that joy to myself soon turned out to be unbearable. I had the conviction that there will be many out there who will find this collection luminous enough to see deeper meaning in their lives. So I set upon to do it all over again. I am just reminded of this beautiful quote from Paulo Coelho's book 'Manual of warrior of Light' > “When the warrior is forced to perform the same task over and over again, he turns his work into prayer “. So that set me on course. It was also an attempt to relive my VIDYA days at Amrita – finding information, work on organizing it and make it available to all in the campus was real fun and I miss it all Thanks to my computer crash down – I got to re experience it at least in a minor way and thanks to you all for being there.
Few days ago I got to watch an incredible movie called “My Dinner with Andre” - and that helped me find another strand in the pattern that connects... more so when work becomes monotonous with uncertain outcomes. Here's the protagonist Andre speaking to his friend , something which I consider to be a soulful way of working :
“... Oh, well here's a view of life! I mean, he talks about the belief of the Hasidic Jews that there are spirits chained in everything. There are spirits chained in you, there are spirits chained in me. Well! There are spirits chained in this table! And that prayer is the action of liberating these enchained embryo-like spirits, and that every action of ours in life, whether it's doing business or making love, or having dinner together, whatever, that every action of ours should be a prayer, a sacrament in the world.”.
I love the word sacrament... does it not go well with Khalil Gibran's saying “ Your work is your love made visible”. ( From The Prophet )
...any way it is good if chained spirits could be freed by our work. Sounds a bit too esoteric though. But stretch it a bit further...it surely helps us release our spirits from the soul cages of all that we slavishly adhere to... hey, that reminds me of another dialogue from that movie - originally what Ingrid Bergman had said, "I could always live in my art, but never in my life." :
So, here's a bunch of it...a simple PDF file. I will add the latest article every week and send it to you...you just need to overwrite the existing file with the recent one. Few KB s added every week that has the potential to open up new avenues to understand ourselves deeper-better-truer.
The old file fades out every week and the new file blooms forth … renewed and replenished that will undoubtedly nourish us deep within. I just added one image for each article and there is a reason for why that image is chosen – thanks to the insights from Carl Jung's book “ Man and His Symbols”. I just made a modest attempt to apply what I understood. Please let me know if you have suggestions on the images and send me images that you think will be more appropriate. With a little more time I think I could have done a better job...but I couldn't wait further..just wanted to send it across to you all.
I do not know how many of you are going to accept the possibility of a PDF file sent to you every week during these times of ruthless spamming. If you do not wish to be in this mailing list please let me know. Most of you are in different corners of the world right now, I thought this collection could turn out to be the simplest introduction to Indian thought, something you can share and discuss with your friends from other parts of the world.
No matter how thoughtful I was in preparing this mailing list, it is quite possible that I offended some one either by his/ her inclusion or exclusion. Please let me know :-)
Take care
-ajai-
The initial set of mailing list soon grew. There was such an overwhelming response from many in the initial list and some went on to send aggregates of email ids to be added to the weekly mailing list...it was quite a humbling experience when some sent their parents' email ids too. Each weekly mail in turn had to carry the text of the previous emails to give the new recipients some background information and the text also got elongated in the process. I presume that many would just like to go directly to the "vedanta Rocks" content than the mail text. Hence this blog that will have the background information and the mail will just have a PDF file attached a URL to this page. If the author of "Vedanta Rocks" permits the text of previous week's columns could also be embedded in this blog.
Manishankar
Click here to read Mani Shankar's Wikipedia entry
... and here's the background information e mail text :
Dear One,
Please do not forget to have a look at the attached PDF file called VEDANTA ROCKS ( just overwrite the previous file with this one).
Thought I must explain it a bit more...hence the following 3 paragraphs. The remaining content is more or less the same as it was in the first mail.
This is the second dispatch of VEDANTA ROCKS. The first mailing list had a small set of people and now it has grown. I could never even imagine that this compilation of newspaper column called “Vedanta Rocks” would appeal to so many. In fact I compiled the first mailing list with much self doubt wondering if this act of seeing one's name included in a mass mailing list would irk many. But I was wrong I guess ( at least so far) … many wrote back sending a list of e mail-ids of their friends as well. That was encouraging enough to give a real try at expanding the mailing list. Recollecting some telephonic conversations, digging up old emails ...chat fragments from the inbox of remembrance spanning a period of nearly 12 years was quite a pilgrimage in itself that often moved me to the verge of tears. A phase when so many strangers became acquaintances , and then friends... some stayed in touch..others got estranged ( am sure only from the chronological perspective of communication) … but the finest essence of every interaction never got erased off. I remember them all, cherish each interaction with a deep sense of gratitude and benediction. I have benefited immensely from all and this act of reaching out thus is a modest expression of thankfulness, to bridge and bring together a bunch of pilgrims who could be of solace and guide posts to each other, personally it is another way of saying 'you all mean a lot to me'.
There were moments a bunch of names would gush forth … mostly during the early waking hours...and that's how this mailing list grew. I just felt it to be soul calls/ cries from so long and far way... but connected entities in the collective unconscious.
I do not know if I am asking for too much. But please consider this... I do come across interesting stuff every now and then. By interesting I mean content that every one in this mailing list could find informative / inspiring enough. Wish you grant me the liberty to send such stuff when ever I come across. But I need to hear from you on this. Please send a word that you are not interested to receive anything further...I presume that your silence in a way says that you look forward to receiving more similar stuff … and of course it will be great if you could spell it out....so if you write back expressing your interest it surely means that you are not lazy and indifferent :-)
This happens to be my first mail with a massive recipient list. Hope it does not get into your spam list or trash box. Even if it does, the very fact that you are reading this proves that we are all part of a larger pattern that connects. Most of the people in this list are people from Amrita fraternity and the others are also my friends , all of whom I count as fellow pilgrims.
I am sending a collection of articles i compiled from an english daily in Hyderabad....it comes on every sunday under the title "Vedanta Rocks" . I have never found such a lucid and powerful revivification of Vedanta than this sweet little articles. Here's a bouquet of it all . Please see the attached PDF file. I am sure you will pass it across to similar minded people. I have heard people giving big talks on Vedanta... to the point of utter self deception. This collection of articles could achieve what showy-shallow-slavish sermons fail to - to stir us deep within and set us on our course – to recover and rediscover that facet of ours which is lost in the quagmire of survival.
I never quite thought that I will be able to get across this collection of writings in this form. Few weeks back my machine crashed in a terrible way, I lost huge pile of personal data as well including a half finished ( half page :-) ) CV of mine as well. That loss was bearable any way. But when I realized that I lost this collection of articles that I had just begun to compile got wiped out , I slipped into gloom...it took me quite some time to recover. The arduous task of searching back issues of the newspaper on the web arranging it the way I did before ( with one image for each article) weighed heavy on me... I just could not even think of it, even the very idea of googling it all appeared nauseating enough.
But then getting to read these articles was one of the best things that happened to me after I left Amrita and moved to Hyderabad. Confining that joy to myself soon turned out to be unbearable. I had the conviction that there will be many out there who will find this collection luminous enough to see deeper meaning in their lives. So I set upon to do it all over again. I am just reminded of this beautiful quote from Paulo Coelho's book 'Manual of warrior of Light' > “When the warrior is forced to perform the same task over and over again, he turns his work into prayer “. So that set me on course. It was also an attempt to relive my VIDYA days at Amrita – finding information, work on organizing it and make it available to all in the campus was real fun and I miss it all Thanks to my computer crash down – I got to re experience it at least in a minor way and thanks to you all for being there.
Few days ago I got to watch an incredible movie called “My Dinner with Andre” - and that helped me find another strand in the pattern that connects... more so when work becomes monotonous with uncertain outcomes. Here's the protagonist Andre speaking to his friend , something which I consider to be a soulful way of working :
“... Oh, well here's a view of life! I mean, he talks about the belief of the Hasidic Jews that there are spirits chained in everything. There are spirits chained in you, there are spirits chained in me. Well! There are spirits chained in this table! And that prayer is the action of liberating these enchained embryo-like spirits, and that every action of ours in life, whether it's doing business or making love, or having dinner together, whatever, that every action of ours should be a prayer, a sacrament in the world.”.
I love the word sacrament... does it not go well with Khalil Gibran's saying “ Your work is your love made visible”. ( From The Prophet )
...any way it is good if chained spirits could be freed by our work. Sounds a bit too esoteric though. But stretch it a bit further...it surely helps us release our spirits from the soul cages of all that we slavishly adhere to... hey, that reminds me of another dialogue from that movie - originally what Ingrid Bergman had said, "I could always live in my art, but never in my life." :
So, here's a bunch of it...a simple PDF file. I will add the latest article every week and send it to you...you just need to overwrite the existing file with the recent one. Few KB s added every week that has the potential to open up new avenues to understand ourselves deeper-better-truer.
The old file fades out every week and the new file blooms forth … renewed and replenished that will undoubtedly nourish us deep within. I just added one image for each article and there is a reason for why that image is chosen – thanks to the insights from Carl Jung's book “ Man and His Symbols”. I just made a modest attempt to apply what I understood. Please let me know if you have suggestions on the images and send me images that you think will be more appropriate. With a little more time I think I could have done a better job...but I couldn't wait further..just wanted to send it across to you all.
I do not know how many of you are going to accept the possibility of a PDF file sent to you every week during these times of ruthless spamming. If you do not wish to be in this mailing list please let me know. Most of you are in different corners of the world right now, I thought this collection could turn out to be the simplest introduction to Indian thought, something you can share and discuss with your friends from other parts of the world.
No matter how thoughtful I was in preparing this mailing list, it is quite possible that I offended some one either by his/ her inclusion or exclusion. Please let me know :-)
Take care
-ajai-
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