Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Rotten Tomatoes - A Lesson For Life!

Rotten Tomatoes - A Lesson For Life!


Once, a Junior School teacher asked her students to bring some tomatoes in a plastic bag to school. Each tomato will be given a name of the person whom that child hates. Like this, the number of tomatoes will be equal to the number of persons they hate. 


On a decided day, the children brought their tomatoes well addressed. Some had two, some had three and some had even five tomatoes . 

Teacher said they have to carry tomatoes with them everywhere they go for a week. 

As the days passed the children started to complain about the spoiled smell of tomatoes . Students who had many tomatoes complained it was very heavy to carry.

Teacher asked, "How did you feel this one week?" 

Children complained of smell & heavy weight of the tomatoes .

Teacher said, "This is very similar to what you carry in heart when you don't like some people. 

Hatred makes heart unhealthy and you carry that hatred everywhere. 

If you can't bear the smell of spoiled tomatoes for a week, imagine the impact on your heart that you carry throughout  life." 

Heart is a beautiful garden that needs regular cleaning of unwanted weeds. 

Forgive those who have angered you. 

This makes room for storing good things..
Have a blessed life...

Monday, July 31, 2017

Arre Bhai Pehchan Kaun?

Arre Bhai Pehchan Kaun?

Yes I am every bit an "Amchi" - Chitrapur Saraswat

 Brahmin (Bhanap) and a proud one at that!

First of all I would like to thank all my valuable readers, patrons and well-wishers who have for the past so many years reading my Blogs, and Posts on various Media Platforms. But for your motivation and Blessings I would not have been able to work harder, improve on my skills and bring to you the quality content I have always wanted to publish for you all. 

The main reason for creating this post was the same as the one I had posted this same content on Facebook only as a timeline post and not a Blog post as I am doing now. Time and again when I publish my various Blog Posts on different topics I am barged with messages, and mails trying to reach out to precisely who I am, where I hail from and more about me. Most of them have come in from my Community of Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins (Bhanaps) who were not known to me but somewhere felt I would have been what we fondly call as an "Amchi". Hence this post which I am sure will clarify all doubts and also remain as a permanent post on my Personal Blog for all to read about me. So here is the original post being re-posted for you all.

            Arre Bhai Pehchan Kaun?
"OH! SO YOU ARE AN "AMCHI" IS IT?" - OR IS IT STILL "PECHAAN KAUN'"? - This one's a BIGGIE BUT - On a lighter vein, I have posted this for the benefit of all our dear "Amchi's" especially after a lot of my friend requests or their friend requests accepted by me got this "Oh So you are an Amchi is it?" reply. - Yes I am every bit an "Amchi" - Chitrapur Saraswast Brahmin Bhanap and a proud one at that! I am not trying to post a "Who's - Who " of myself but only for the benefit of many who had "misplaced" me as a "Maharashtrian", "Marwadi" and even a "Sindhi”!!!!! Loving it every bit yet with so many people trying to connect with me! Thank you so much for your love!
I don't blame anyone for that as the surname Kate is more familiar here in Pune as the "Kate's" here are more rampant and resident in Kolhapur, Sholapur, Pune etc, and are "Maharshtrians". Let it be very clear that I have not posted this to be secularist in that way at all, but just to clarify. In our Saraswat community the name is more familiar as well known as the "Kati's" hence this disparity in understanding or rather misunderstanding which is well understood!!!!. 
Suffice to say that I would be much better recognized as Grandson of Late. Shri Pandurang Nagesh Shirali (My grandfather), and Late. Gangabai Pandurang Shirali of Bandra Mumbai. My mother Late.Mrs. Nirmala Kate (Nee Shirali) and myself all stayed at Mumbai (Bandra- West) at Patkars Old Building (Now called Geetanjali Co-op Hsg Socty) on the S.V. Road Bandra West, along with my loving aunts and uncles the Katre's and the Shirur's. I mention this because many of you Amchi's who are from Mumbai will now quickly relate with me now as most of them have visited our home at Bandra in the good old days.
I was more well known in those days as a skinny young lad - "Sacchu" to many (now even to my dear cousin sister Shobha Tai as I lovingly call her) (Shobha Karnad - Chennai). We all used to sing Bhajans in our Chitrapur Saraswat Mandal Bhajans and weekly Puja sessions at Bandra, Khar, Santacruz, Matunga and even Talmakiwadi if one would recollect those fond memories, along with my loving cousin brother Ravi Dada (Ravi Katre) who used to play the Tabla. Of this great generation I am indeed happy to mention that my loved and dearest "Bappa" - as I call him (who has been more than a Father, Guardian, Guide and Mentor to me till today) - Dinkar Ma'am to you all stays with my dear cousin sister Shobhana Karnad in Chennai. I am sure now that my lineage will fall into place in the minds of many!
As I relocated in 1982-83 to Pune for my Job and have settled down in Pune since then, at Pimpri, I quickly lost contact with all of the Amchi's in Mumbai, although we have many of them staying here in Kothrud, Pimpri, and elsewhere in Pune with whom I am now slowly getting acquainted with, courtesy Facebook itself which has been a big tool in helping me re-connecting with all you wonderful Amchi's and relatives whom I had missed out over the years.
I don't blame anyone for this as the breakup of our Traditional Nuclear Family status with the burdens of members of the family divulging out into various regions, states and even countries has created a sad divide in the immediate connectivity and relations in our families, and so much as one may try to match up with the interest to stay connected we are De-alienated and it becomes a big challenge, but not impossible.
I hope so and am sure now it will be easier for more people especially our dear "Amchi's" to now relate with me better or cast off their apprehensions if any, in connecting with me!
I am an Author, Writer, Blogger, Wordsmith, weaving life’s experiences into the fabric of daily life. I am also a Business Development and Process Improvement Facilitator as well as a Citizen Reporter advocating for Social Causes. As an Author my Genre of writing include Self-Help, Consciousness, Awareness, Motivation,  Precognition, Premonition, Clairvoyance, Paranormal experiences and Divine Interventions.
👉 "Yesterday is but a dream, Tomorrow but a vision, But Your Future is Born Today" 👈
As of Today I have published 9 Books Paperbacks which are published by Notion Press on their Author Dashboard and in Kindle versions on Amazon. Will share you my links soon, or they are all available on my Profile.
My dream is to keep writing quality content books on topics that touch the soul and are the need of the hour issues in life.
You can follow me on the following links:
Amazon Author Profile:
My Publisher Notion Press Author Profile Link: https://notionpress.com/author/436034
My Author Blog:
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Looking forward to Connecting with you now with renewed enthusiasm and "Amchi'sm”!!!
Lots of Love and Warm Regards to All. 
Thank you!🙏
God Bless!

Monday, July 10, 2017

Parampara - à€ªà€°à€®्à€ªà€°ा - à€ªà€°ंà€ªà€°ा

Parampara - à€ªà€°à€®्à€ªà€°ा - à€ªà€°ंà€ªà€°ा
Parampara (Sanskrit: à€ªà€°à€®्à€ªà€°ा, paramparā) in simple terms denotes a succession, or tradition, and can be looked at in many views such as cultural, religious, musical lineage, family lineage, but the first mention of "Parampara" brings to our mind the succession of a Teacher and Disciple.
In the pure Traditional form Parampara
(Sanskrit: à€ªà€°à€®्à€ªà€°ा, paramparā) denotes a succession of teachers and disciples in traditional Vedic culture and Indian religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism. It is also known as guru-shishya tradition (succession from guru to disciple).

The Sanskrit word literally means an uninterrupted row or series, order, succession, continuation, mediation, tradition. In the traditional residential form of education, the shishya remains with his or her guru as a family member and gets the education as a true learner.

In some traditions there is never more than one active master at the same time in the same guruparamaparya (lineage).

In the paramparā system, knowledge (in any field) is passed down (undiluted) through successive generations. For example, division of Veda and its transfer through paramparas describes Bhagavata Purana. Other fields of knowledge taught may include spiritual, artistic (music or dance), or educational.

Titles of gurus

In Parampara, not only is the immediate guru revered, the three preceding gurus are also worshiped or revered. These are known variously as the kala-guru or as the "four gurus" and are designated as follows:
  • Guru – the immediate guru
  • Parama-guru – the guru of the Parampara or specific tradition (e.g. for the Åšankaracharyas this is Adi Śankara)
  • Parātpara-guru – the guru who is the source of knowledge for many traditions (e.g. for the Śankaracharya's this is Vedavyāsa)
  • Parameṣṭhi-guru – the highest guru, who has the power to bestow moká¹£a (usually depicted as Åšiva, being the highest guru)


The Guru-Shishya Tradition
The guru-shishya traditionor parampara 
("lineage"), denotes a succession of teachers and disciples in traditional Indian culture and religions
such as HinduismJainismSikhism and Buddhism 
(Tibetan and Zen tradition). It is the tradition of spiritual relationship and mentoring where teachings are transmitted from a guru "teacher" (Sanskrità€—ुà€°ु) to a Å›iá¹£ya "disciple" (Sanskrità€¶िà€·्à€¯) or chela

Such knowledge whether it be Vedicagamic
architectural,musical or spiritual, is imparted through the developing relationship between the guru and the disciple. It is considered that this relationship, based on the genuineness of the guru, and the respect, commitment, devotion and obedience of the student, is the best way for subtle or advanced knowledge to be conveyed. The student eventually masters the knowledge that the guru embodies.

In this first post about this vast subject I have only taken up the topic upto the basic understanding of what Parampara means and the generic view of Guru-Parampara.

In the subsequent posts we will try to know more about:
  • 1Historical background
  • 2Common characteristics of the guru–shishya relationship
  • 3Parampara and Sampradaya
  • 4Guru–shishya relationship types
    • 4.1Advaita Vedanta
    • 4.2Śruti tradition
    • 4.3Shaktipat tradition
    • 4.4Bhakti yoga
    • 4.5Prapatti
    • 4.6Buddhism
  • 5Psychological aspects and much more.

    It has been a very divine experience traversing even this small trail into knowing more about the Guru, Parampara, and Guru-Shishya Parampara, and I am sure every step in the Journey ahead will be more enlightening!

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Love Yourself - Anti-Bullying Song by Khari Toure

LOVE YOURSELF - (Anti-Bullying Song) by KHARI TOURE.
Watch The Video and read the content below. The Lyrics of the song can be read in the Description of the Video.Just amazing and touching! 


This description by the Creator and Publisher of this video himself Khari Toure is so touching, it brought tears to my eyes and forced me to dedicate this post for this wonderful video.

He says - 
 "Love Yourself" is an anti-bullying song that I wrote for my daughter, Nia, after she was bullied at school. I quickly resolved the issue, but I saw how the bullying had a negative affect on my daughter. As a result, I decided to create a song about the importance of self-love: an anthem with positive affirmations that children could recite daily, reminding themselves that they are beautiful, worthy, priceless, and brilliant.

I wanted to include special needs children in the video after speaking with my friend, Alicia Coleman, whose daughter "Ava," is autistic. I learned that special needs children are frequently targeted and bullied. So I invited children with various disabilities including Hearing Impairments, Autism, Down Syndrome, Dyslexia, PTSD and ADHD and to appear in the video along with their siblings.

I hope this song and video empowers children who have been abused, bullied, and belittled, to build up their confidence, embrace who they are, and love themselves unconditionally."

God Bless him and his wonderful way of treating a problem with a soothing solution. 

A letter from a father to his daughter - A Must Read!

A letter from a father to his daughter - 
A Must Read!

Ace badminton player and coach Prakash Padukone wrote a letter to his daughter, actor Deepika Padukone and golfer Anisha Padukone, as part of Sudha Menon’s book, “Legacy: Letters From Eminent Parents To Their Daughters “. In it, contrary to the traditional style of Indian parenting (or at least the stereotypical one), he emphasizes the need for parents to let children do what they really aspire to do. In this post I have tried to publish excerpts of the content, taken from various sources as each content was a bit different, but had very important meaning, and a video in which Deepika Padukone herself read the letter, and was totally overwhelmed, as much as I was when listening to her read the letter, and also read the letter myself. The words resonate very closely with my own thoughts, all the more reason it touched me so hard.

What is important is that all the Children, be it Girl or Boy of this New Generation should listen to this video and also read the letter, to try and understand the pain and thoughts that go behind the love of their parents for their children. At the same time Parents should take a leaf out of this letter in a way as to change their thoughts to allow their children to blossom into what they dream of. A delicate balance though but not a difficult one.

Watch the Video Below and you can read the complete content of his letter below it. 

 

The Letter:

"Dear Deepika and Anisha,


As you stand on the threshold of life’s journey, and I want to share with you some lessons life has taught me. Decades ago, as a small boy, growing up in Bangalore I started my tryst with Badminton. In those days there were no stadiums or courts sport people could train in. Our badminton court was the wedding hall of the Canara Bank near our house, and it was there I learnt everything about the game. Every day we would wait to see if there was a function in the hall, and if there was none, we would rush there after school and play to our hearts content. Looking back at my life I realize the most important thing about my childhood and adolescent years was my refusal to complain about a lot in life. I was thankful for the few hours we could hit the shuttle back and forth.



In fact the foundation on which I based my career was my refusal to whine and weep about everything, and that is what I want to tell you my children, there is no substitute for perseverance, hard work, determination and passion for what you do. If you love what you do, nothing else matters, neither awards, compensation, even the gratification of seeing your face on newspapers or television.



When I won the All England Championship, the prize money in badminton had become significant, 3000 pounds a huge amount in those days, but that did not distract me from the joy of putting India on the map in this game.

Deepika, we know that you are in the film industry because of your love for it. Early on in life, even as a child of nine or ten, we knew that you were meant for modeling and to be under the arc-lights. You were a natural. Even so, at 18 when you told us that you want to shift to Mumbai for a career in modeling, we felt you were too young and too inexperienced to be in a big city and in an industry we knew nothing about. In the end we decided to let you follow your heart as we thought it was cruel not to allow you to follow your dream for which you lived and breathed.
If you succeeded you would have made us proud and even if you didn’t you wouldn’t have any regrets that you hadn’t tried.

I was fortunate that my father gave me the freedom to follow my passion for a game which held very little promise of ever making money. His approval changed the course of my life. Had he forced me, I would have been a miserable, average engineer plodding through life. The amount of efforts I put in my game never varied from the very first day to the day I retired. Even in my toughest days I focused on what I had instead on dwelling what I didn’t. I had the ability to make the best of the worst circumstances and remain steadfast to my goal.

In the last few years, we have seen you mature into a young woman who has her head on her shoulders. Maybe it is a result of the responsibilities that came your way at an early age. Sometimes parents underestimate their children’s capabilities which bring me to my other belief: you can either like what you do or you can be passionate about what you do. If you only like what you do, you will become an average player, but if you love what you do, there is every chance that you will excel at it. For then, no hardship, no sacrifice will be too much to achieve your goal.

Remember how I constantly tell you both about the importance of making up in the world without waiting for your parents to pull strings. I believe it is important for the children to work hard to make their dreams come true and not have things handed to them on a platter.

Anisha, you want to be a professional golfer and I know you will let nothing come between you and that dream. At sixteen, when I was representing the country in badminton, I travelled second class and often in unreserved coaches on trains, sitting, eating, and sleeping outside filthy toilets in the train for a couple of days simply so that I could reach the training camp and better my game. I see that passion in you. I don’t know too many young people who work sixteen hours a day and I see that the fruits of that passion are already coming your way.
Looking back… Even during the toughest times, I focused on what I had, instead of dwelling on what I did not. Thus, at the end of my career, I had no regrets, or any desire to ever return to the game, for I knew that I had truly given all to my passion.


…I believe it is best for children to work hard to make their dreams come true and to not have things handed to them on a platter. And it makes us immensely proud to see that both of you have followed our counsel and are making things happen for yourself.
When you are visiting home Deepika, you make your own bed, clean the table after meals and sleep on the floor if there are guests at home. If you occasionally wonder why we refuse to treat you like a star it is because you are our daughter first and a film star later. The cameras that follow you everywhere and the lights will eventually fade, and what will remain is the real world. Deepika, I have learnt that you can’t always win in life, that everything you want may not come your way that events don’t turn up the way you want them to. To win some, you have to lose some. You have to learn to take the life’s ups and downs in your stride.

Dear Deepika, you are in an industry where there is much negativity , but I hope that you are a game changer in it. Strive to generate positivity round you though you are too new and too small a player to effect a big change. If you can live your life without harming anyone, or talking badly about anyone, you can set an example for others. Often you will find people who will lie and say untruths about you, but remember never to retaliate or talk their language. If what they say is untrue, ignore it. And if it is true, use their criticism to improve and transform yourself.

The things that really matter in life are relationships, honesty, and respect for your parents, and elders. Material success is important but not fundamental to happiness and peace of mind. I can’t tell you enough about the rejuvenating power of prayers and a little faith. You know it, of course, because offering prayers is a long-standing tradition in our family… Spare a few minutes of your day, even if it is just twenty, to close your eyes and meditate, to think about God and you will see how much that faith in His power will strengthen you.
In the end when your career is behind you, what remains and for you is family, the friends you have made who will stand by you. Live a life that is healthy, my children, and one that will allow you to live with your own conscience. Everything else is transient and remember; no matter what, we will always be there for you.

Lovingly Papa."