fruitu

Flame

2010-01-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

I am the flame and I am the dry bush, and one part of me consumes the other part.
... Kahlil Gibran.

Hues of colors

2010-01-08T06:09:00.000-08:00

Sunset at Cochin marine drive, clouds weave a tapestry of colors, combination of colors created an extraordinary display to the sunset. It was bliss and my heart was filled with gratitude and peace.

Supreme Truth

2009-09-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

He is one. He is omkar, the supreme truth.
He is the creator, beyond fear, beyond rancor.
His is the timeless form.
Never born, self-creating.
He is attained by the guru's grace.
He was truth before the ages and as time ran its course.
Nanak says : Now is he truth eternal, and forever will he be.

We cannot comprehend him though we think a million times;
Nor quiet the mind by silence, however long we sit;
Nor a mountain of bread appease the hunger of the soul;
Nor one hundred thousand feats of mind achieve unity with him.
How can truth be attained and the veil of falsehood torn?
Nanak says : By submission to the divine order which is
preordained.

From : Japuji-Saheb of Guru Nanak Dev.

Currently reading a book by Osho on Japuji-saheb of Guru Nanak Dev,

when reading brings so much tranquility, I wonder what will be the experience,

(pictures taken on a calm and serene evening @ Cochin Backwaters)

Silent Sunday

2009-08-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

silent sunday,nothing to write, was a witness to events that happened around me. Took pictures to convey what i witnessed or felt.

Journey

2009-07-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

Life is a journey, it's all about our journey from birth to death. Events happening in between makes our life interesting or boring, makes us happy or sad, fills us with love or hatred.But every day is a new day and we are inching towards our final destination.

Moving trains are always a fascination for me, took pictures of moving train, when I was travelling to Bangalore from chennai by road.

Olive our inhouse tsunami.

2009-07-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Olive the little brat has become one young energetic Angel. She is very sweet, friendly, and mischievous. At the same time she is always on guard and alert.
She makes our life more merrier, joyful and keeps us busy with her mischiefs.
our car and bike are the most affected ones, she has used the car as a canvas,and signed her autograph all over the car. She is fond of bike's accelerator and speedometer cables, I should check out with the company guy about the raw materials being used in manufacturing such cables , she really loves the smell and taste of the cables, and I have already replaced it twice. If i call the mechanic, he is well prepared and asks me can i bring accelerator cable,speedo or both. Lucky guy because of Olive he gets good business, if many such olives are around, mechanics will never experience recession. she does not likes us surfing the internet by ignoring her, she loves internet cable also. Airtel people have already changed the cable more than three times, last time when they came for the same complaint, they have fixed it in such a height that she never reaches it.

In spite of all these things she is AN ANGEL and she is part of our family.

Beautiful Kerala

2009-06-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

I am on a official trip to Trivandrum, Kerala. Nowadays my camera has also become part of my baggage, I visited a Govt.office in Trivandrum, It is on top of a hillock, the scenic view from that hillock is amazingly wonderful. The people who are working at this office complex must be real lucky guys. They have made a nice garden and granite benches for people to relax and spend time by just seeing a vast extent of Coconut grooves then continued with Kovalam beach as a perfect back drop. Sitting there, doing nothing and just being a witness for more than thirty minutes, soothed my mind and body, The view is breathtaking.

Hmmm, Kerala as per their tourism department's ad campaign, is really God's own country.

Essence of Life

2009-06-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

blooming and whithering, The essence of life.

Picture taken on a rainy evening @ Bangalore.

back from hibernation

2009-05-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

Back from hibernation after a long break, new job, new place and lots of travel kept me away from blogging. Took some snaps from our terrace garden, lots of pigeons, Roses and other summer blooms adding colors to ever beautiful life,

Olive - the little brat

2008-07-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

This is our little Olive, a new comer to our family, keeping us busy always. After a good search, we got this cute little one from the same source who gave us our Toughie. Daisy which withdrew herself totally from everything after toughie's demise, accepted olive without any hesitation. After olive's arrival daisy has also bounced back to her normal self. Now as a family we feel we are complete, Olive is loaded with tons and tons of energy and always in a mood to chew anything in her vicinity. She has also taken the job of a part time gardener. (Our easter lillies are the badly affected ones, she is making a real mess of our garden). We have to go through this for another six months or so. She is three months old, a very lively and playful pup.

Song of Saraha

2008-06-29T02:45:00.000-07:00

Saraha's Song
----------------

Non-memory is convention's truth
and mind which has become
no-mind is ultimate truth.
This is fulfillment,this is the
highest good. Friends,
of this highest good become aware.

In non-memory is mind absorbed;
just this is emotionally perfect
and pure. It is unpolluted by
the good or bad of worldliness
like a lotus unaffected by
the mud from which it grows.

- Saraha

Saraha one of the greatest yogis of India in the late 8th century. Saraha Composed a main mediatation text, it is one of the fundamental treatises of the Mahamudra Meditation tradition. Saraha's composition are not of a poet, but a realization of a mystic. It is simple with beauty and grandeur.

(Pic : From my cousin's terrace garden in Bangalore)

Secret

2008-06-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

Last night

I begged the Wise one to tell me

the secret of the world.

Gently,gently he whispered,

"Be quiet,

the secret cannot be spoken,

it is wrapped in silence."

- Rumi

Rumi's way of expression is simple and profound, A still mind or no mind is the state of silence where we are in tune with our own self.

Toughie

2008-04-16T00:12:00.001-07:00

This is our Toughie, who came to us as a pup ten years ago, she was an angel, good tempered, well behaved and a soft natured darling. It was part of our family for almost ten years. She was very protective and always on guard, she was always on duty 24x7, Our house is located in an extension area, we do get cobras,kraits and scorpions as surprise visitors and Toughie will handle the little ones on its own and anything big comes she will corner the snake and will not allow the snake to move, It will bark continuously till one of us go and take charge of the situation. It was not keeping well, the vet came, inspected and said signs of old age showing up, gave her a shot of antibiotic and said we will wait for a day, it slowly started sinking, it was not able to take food on its own, I started giving her egg yolk mixed with glucose by pumping it inside her mouth through syringe. This continued for a day, Vet came again checked and said her pulse is going down and her breathing is also becoming weak. He put her on to drips and said whatever medically possible we have done, let us keep our fingers crossed, if she responds well to the medicine, she will recover. But she never recovered, that whole evening and night she was continously crying with pain, she was not able to rest, We prayed as a family, I was continuously talking to her saying that she will be alright, just one more day. But she thought it is better to leave than suffer. We have toughie's daughter daisy with us and she is eight years old, when they removed toughie from our house, daisy was continuously barking and she was searching for her mother, poor one it was not able to express her grief, I was helpless and could do nothing more than crying.

Toughie was more than a pet to our whole family, She is out of sight, leaving behind wonderful memories about her. We will miss her a lot, now her absence will be more felt than her presence.

Oneness

2008-04-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

Oneness is not a goal to be acheived or targeted, it is not reached for, but it is a state where we comfortably settled into. Self is the supreme and worldy identities are an illusion. To understand and practice it on a continuous basis is really difficult. The more i try to focus the more i drift, bringing back my wandering thoughts to one focus point 'self' is really tough. When i seek for it in the outside world it is full of confusion and a splintered reality. The unity of all living things is inside us, how do i experience it on a 24x7 basis. Saints, Gurus & Masters say live your life moment to moment, being here and now is the key, but most of the time i exist, don't live. living fully is just in glimpses.

(Pic : Clouds after rains in Coimbatore)

Brahadeeswarar Temple - Tanjore.

2008-03-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

Nothing more to add, SARVAM SHIVA MAYAM.

(Tanjai Brahadesswarar temple by night)

What is Bliss?

2008-03-14T02:33:00.000-07:00

In every person there is Bliss, It is our mental state that passes easily over the endless nonsense and tensions that deranges our day. Like a gentle cool breeze, it refreshes everything but disturbs nothing. It is happy just being in tune with our self. As Buddha says,living in a Desireless state is bliss. Let there be bliss in everybody's heart. Aum shanti Aum.

(Pic. from our garden)

Sunset

2008-03-05T01:54:00.001-08:00

Sky is the Canvas and God is the artist.

(Sunset in Coimbatore)

LIFE is beautiful

2008-02-25T01:24:00.000-08:00

Life consists of all that is beautiful
of the songs of the mountains and trees,
of the silence of these birds singing,
just out of abundance, of the flowers,
of dances,of love, of meditation.
Life consists of all great treasures;
it is not only breathing and eating and sleeping.
- OSHO.

Life is beautiful, let us live it fully.

What is Wealth

2008-02-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

Appreciate what we have

One day . . . a wealthy family man took his son on a trip to the country, so he could have his son see how poor country people live.
They stayed one day and one night in the home of a very humble farmer. At the end of the trip, and when they were back home, the father asked his son, "What did you think of the trip?"
The son replied, "Very nice dad."
Then the father asked his son, "Did you notice how poor they were?"
The son replied, "Yes."
The father continued asking, "What did you learn?"
The son responded, "I learned that we have one dog in our house, and they have four.
Also, we have a fountain in our garden, but they have a stream that has no end.
And we have imported lamps in our garden. . . where they have the stars!
And our garden goes to the edge of our property. But they have the entire horizon as their back yard!"
At the end of the son's reply the father was speechless.
His son then said, "Thank you dad for showing me how poor we really are."
Isn't it true that all depends on the lens you use to see life?

One can ask himself what would happen if we give thanks for what we have instead of always asking for more.

Let us learn to appreciate what we have. Wealth is all in one's point of view.

This is a beautiful story, I thank my friend who forwarded this to me,

WANDERER

2008-02-18T01:45:00.000-08:00

From all that was familiar,
I broke away.
Now I am lost, without a place,
Wandering.
With no music like a fool
I dance and clap my hands.
How am I to live without You?
You are everywhere
but I can't find You.

RUMI - Whispers of the Beloved.

Rumi (Mowlana Jallaledin Mohamad Rumi) a 12th Century Persian Sufi Mystic,
Rumi's words are like writings on water,dancing and embracing our souls.

Dharasuram Airavateswarar Temple.

2008-02-14T01:55:00.000-08:00

Dharasuram AIRAVATESWARAR TEMPLE is near Kumbakonam, TamilNadu, South India. This Temple was built by Raja Raja Chola II in the 12th Century, This temple is coming under UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. It showcases Dravidian Temple Architecture, and this is home to exquisite intricate sculptures and carvings.
In front of the temple, there is a small Mandapam, it has a staircase made up of stone panels. The staircase produces musical sounds of varying pitches when tapped.

Temples of Imperial Chola Kingdom are a real treat to watch.

Worth.

2008-02-08T03:13:00.000-08:00

Horror gripped the heart of a World War-I soldier, as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. The soldier asked his Lieutenant if he could go out to bring his fallen comrade back.

"You can go," said the Lieutenant," but don't think it will be worth it.

Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away."

"The Lieutenant's words didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway.

Miraculously, he managed to reach his friend, hoisted him onto his shoulder and brought him back to their company's trench. The officer checked the wounded soldier, then looked kindly at his friend.

"I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded."

"It was worth it, Sir," said the soldier.

"What do you mean by worth it?" responded the Lieutenant. "Your friend is dead."

"Yes Sir," the soldier answered,

"but it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say....

" Jim...I knew you'd come."

Many times in life, whether a thing is worth doing or not, really depends on how u look at it.

Take up all your courage and do something your heart tells you to do so that you may not regret not doing it later in your life...

This came as a mail forward from my Friend. I thought it is worth sharing.

Tanjai Periya Koil

2008-02-06T01:18:00.000-08:00

Tanjai Periyakoil also known as Brahadeeswarar Temple constructed By RajaRajaCholan, is almost 1000 Years old. This magnificient Temple is an Architectural Marvel and a fine specimen of Dravidian Architecture.The grandeur of the Architecture and the intricate sculpture finesse speaks volumes of skills of the Chola Kingdom.

The empty space or void above the Shivalingam inside the Gopuram is assumed as Paramasivam. My visit to this temple was a mind blowing experience, My urge to go to this temple again and again has increased after reading 'UDAYAR' a book written by Balakumaran, A well written book, it runs into six volumes and it gives you a clear insight about Imperial Chola Kingdom, RajaRajaCholan, his efforts to construct this magnificient temple. Words cannot express the feeling once you are inside the percinct of this beautiful Temple.

To All the Kids who were born in 1930s,40s,50s,60s,& 70s.

2008-02-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's

First, we survived being born to mothers who had no full time maids/cooked food/cleaned the house while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate cheese , sweet dishes and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking .

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a local bus/train was a special treat.

We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottle.

We would spend hours on the terrace under bright sunlight flying our kites, without worrying about the UV effect which never ever effect us.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate pastries, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......

WE WERE ALWAYS PLAYING OUTSIDE!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours reparing our out dated bicycle and scooter out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms........! .WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were never given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,

we made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Cricket League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!

CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.

and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Guys I hope this will be true to ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN 1930s,40s,50s,60s and 70s.

Have a great weekend!!!!!!!!!.

A story about understanding.

2008-01-31T09:10:00.000-08:00

I still love this one no matter how many times I have seen/read it!!! Makes my heart sing...
**************************
Puppies for sale A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups. And set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.
"Mister," he said, "I want to buy "one of your puppies."
"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."
The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran
Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.
The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence,

the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg, attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup.

Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.

"How much?" asked the little boy. "No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

Such a moving story it says a lot about understanding others.

Spirituality

2008-01-31T01:52:00.000-08:00

I am a reading a book about The Book of secrets, In this book Osho talks about Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, I have just started it and it is too good, In this Osho talks about meditation techniques which constitute the tantric scripture. Most of it are very simple while reading, I tried to understand it with my available knowledge, (Some thing inside me sends a strong signal saying that, Hey it is very much out of your reach, and you are so called available knowledge is not real) My mind says you are not ready for these things now, but the truth is I don't have the courage to test or try.

In this book Osho says, "Spirituality is not a search for experience. Spirituality is the search for the real being that is inside you. And with that knowing, there is no urge-no urge to move for any new experience. With the knowing of the inner true reality, the authentic being, all search ceases."

"once you have known the inner treasure, once you have come in contact with your deepest core, you can live an ordinarily worldly life, but the emptiness will remain with you. The music of it will be heard. And this is the mystery; when you are deeply empty, whatsoever you do or speak is not from you-it comes from the deepest source of existence."

Practically speaking this is fantastic while reading, How to practice this continuously on 24x7 basis. I consoled by saying to myself that it is just curiosity to know something about spirituality. Osho hammers on my head by saying that,

Search needs passion, Curiosity is not going to lead you anywhere. People ask about god, people ask about truth, but you can see from their eyes, by the way they have asked, that they don't mean business. Just as people talk about the weather, people talk about god too. It is polite conversation. Nobody seems to be involved, Nobody seems to be in a passionate search. And unless your search is of great passion, of tremendous commitment, of utter involvement, you will not be able to know the secrets of your being.

Any body there to help me ?.. I remember the famous Chandramukhi dialogue, enna kodamai saravanan ithu?

Lalla - Mystic from Kashmir.

2008-01-27T01:17:00.000-08:00

LALLA
"I discovered the Lord
Within the walls of my own soul".
Lalla (1320-90) was born in a Kashmiri village near Srinagar in Northern India. She was married at the age of twelve, which was the custom, but her mother-in-law was abusive and demanding and her husband paid little attention to her. After enduring this unkind treatment for several years, Lalla left her husband’s home to become a wandering ascetic. She composed hundreds of songs and sang them to other devotees and all who came to hear.

A glimpse from the Poems of Lalla.

To memorize the scriptures is easy,
to live them is hard.
Faking sincerity is a learned skill
being sincere is a life long endeavor.
Look deep
words vanish
Joyous, silent,
The Awaken One finds the dreamer.

I, Lalla, willingly enter the garden-gate.
There, to my joy, I behold Siva united with Sakti;
There I am absorbed in drinking from the Lake of Nectar.
Now I am immune from harm,
I am dead to the world,
though I am still alive.

I search for my Self
until I grow weary,
but no one, I know now,
reaches the hidden knowledge
by mere effort.
Then, absorbed in 'Thou art Everything,'
I found the place of Wine.
All the jars were filled to the brim
but no one was left to drink it.

Give up that imaginary thought
that you cannot rise above desire
or fix your mind on the Self.
He is right next to you!
Do not look for Him far away.
My void merged in the pure Void!

Simple but profound, It is soul stirring and triggers the activity of introspection within ourselves to know our own self.

I would like to know more about lalla and her poems, can anyone suggest links or reference to know about Lalla.

Strange But True!

2008-01-15T05:21:00.000-08:00

SO TRUE

Isn't it strange how a 20 rupee note seems like such a large amount when
you donate it to temple, but
such a small amount
when you go shopping?

Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when
you're at Temple, and how
short they seem when you're
watching a good movie?

Isn't it strange that you can't
find a word to say when
you're praying,
but you have no trouble
thinking what to talk about
with a friend?

Isn't it strange how difficult
and boring it is to read
one chapter
of the Bhagwad Gita, but how easy
it is to read 100 pages of
a popular novel ?

Isn't it strange how everyone
wants front-row-tickets
to concerts or
games, but they do whatever
is possible to sit at the last
row in Prayer assembly?

Isn't it strange how we need to
know about an event for
Temple 2-3
weeks before the day so we can
include it in our agenda, but we can
adjust it for other events in
the last minute?

Isn't it strange how difficult it
is to learn a fact about God to share it
with others, but how easy
it is to learn, understand,
extend and repeat gossip?

Isn't it strange how we
believe everything
that magazines and newspapers
say, but we question the words in the
Bhagwad Gita?

Isn't it strange how everyone
wants a place in
heaven, but they don't want
to believe, do, or say anything
to get there?

Isn't it strange how we send
jokes in e-mails
and they are forwarded
right away,but when we are going to send
messages about God, we think
about it twice before we share
it with others?

It's STRANGE...Isn't it?

This is a mail forward from my friend, This is really strange but VERY TRUE,

Wish u all a Happy and Prosperous Pongal.

SAHAJO AN ENLIGHTENED WOMAN

2008-01-10T01:21:00.000-08:00

Sahajo, also known as, Sahajo Bai was a disciple of the great teacher Charandas.she was an eighteenth century mystic from Rajasthan.
Sahajo means (essence of simplicity) her poems are simple marked by natural style and direct from heart. She is highly devoted to her guru charandas. Osho in his book Showering without clouds speaks about Sahajo and her beautiful poems.

In this poem Sahajo beautifully expresses her relationship with her master and she keeps her master above God.

I can abandon God, but I would not forsake my master.
God is not the equal of my master.

God has given me birth into this world.
My master has freed me from the cycle of birth and death.

God gave me the five thieves.
My master freed me from them when I was helpless.

God threw me into the net of the family.
My master cut away the chains of attachment.

God ensnared me in desire and disease.
My master has freed me from all this by initiating me.

God made me to wander in the illusion of doing.
My master showed me my being.

God hid himself from me.
My master gave me a lamp to illuminate him.

Above all, God created this duality of bondage and freedom.
My master destroyed all these illusions.

I offer myself, body mind and soul
At the feet of my master,Charandas.

I can abandon God, but I can never abandon my master.

This poem is direct dilse, pranams to Sahajo, This poem is a real tribute to Gurubhakti.

The problem with reading about such great masters and mystics is, I feel bad about myself and I don't know when I will start my journey towards my innerself and I don't know how many births I have to take to realise Who am I?.............

A story about quitting

2008-01-07T23:58:00.000-08:00

I QUIT
One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my
spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with GOD. "GOD", I said.
"Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised
me...

"Look around", GOD said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care
of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew
from
the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came
from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second
year
the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from
the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo." GOD said.

"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I
would not quit.

In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo see. I would
not quit." GOD said.

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6
months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the
five
years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it
needed
to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could
not
handle." GOD said to me.

"Did you know, that all this time you have been struggling,
you have actually been growing roots?"

"I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you."

"Don't compare yourself to others." GOD said. "The bamboo had a
different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest
beautiful."

"Your time will come", GOD said to me. "You will rise high"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" GOD asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned

"Yes." GOD said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope these words can
help you see that GOD will never give up on you.

GOD will never give up on you.

Friends this is another beautiful story which touched me and made me understand that everyone is unique and everyone has to live their life fully and reach greater heights.

Life is not a problem to be solved, it is a mystery to be lived and enjoyed.

Let this new year bring Joy, Fun, Peace, Love, Health and prosperity to every one.

Best wishes for 2008.

SANDALWOOD BUDDHA

2007-12-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

This is a beautiful story,

A Buddhist nun had a statue of Buddha made of Sandalwood. She loved the statue and always kept it with her. Being a nun she traveled from place to place, where she mostly stayed in Buddhist temples and monastries. And wherever she lived she worshipped her own statue of Buddha.

Once she happened to be a guest at the famous temple of a thousand Buddhas. This temple was known for its thousand statues of Buddha; it was filled with statues and statues. The nun, as usual, sat for her evening worship, and she burned incense before her statue of Buddha. But with the passing breeze the perfume of the incense strayed to other statues of Buddhas which filled that temple.

The nun was distressed to see that while her own Buddha was deprived of the perfume, others had it plenty. so she devised a funnel through which the smoke would ascend to her statue only. But this device, although successful, blackened the face of her Buddha and made it especially ugly. Of course the nun was exceedingly miserable, because it was a rare statue of sandalwood, and she loved it. She went to the chief priest of the temple and said, "My statue of Buddha has been ruined. What am I to do?"

The priest said, "Such an accident, Such an ugliness is bound to happen whenever someone tries to block the movement of truth and possess it for oneself. Truth by its nature has to be everywhere, it cannot be personalized and possesed."

Simple story which conveys a beautiful message. It is true that we also do such things in our life and end up in misery. But the truth is that the more love is shared, the more it grows. And when we try to restrict it, to control it-which is utterly unnatural and arbitrary-it dries up and eventually dies.

LOVE & LAUGHTER.

2007-12-01T05:02:00.000-08:00

Dear All,

This is taken from sri sri ravishankar's talks on power of love.

When you stretch sound, it becomes music.

A movement, when stretched, becomes dance.

A smile stretched, becomes laughter.

Love Stretched, becomes service.

The mind stretched, becomes meditation.

and Life stretched, becomes celebration.

This is all we want - right?

So Stretch! When we stretch ourselves, the whole world becomes our family. Everyone is part of you.

We live in this world to live in love,to spread love,and to enjoy love.

So, friends let us stretch our life and celebrate.

have a great weekend!!!.

COLLABORATIVE GROWTH.

2007-11-28T20:52:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
This is a nice piece of information which was sent to me by my friend, I would like to share this
with all of you, Hope you will also like this.

Collaborative Growth
There was a farmer who grew superior quality and award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honour and prizes. One year, a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learnt something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbours. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.
“Why sir, “said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbours grow inferior, sub-standard and poor quality corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn.” The farmer gave a superb insight into the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbour’s corn also improves.
So, it is all in the other dimensions. Those who choose to be at harmony must help their neighbours and colleagues to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well. The value of a life is measured by the lives it touches.
Success does not happen in isolation. It is very often a participative and collective process. So share the good practices, ideas, and new learning with your family, team members, neighbours… and enjoy the collaborative growth.

Visit to Tiruchengode.

2007-11-28T03:50:00.000-08:00

I went to Namakkal with my family to Visit Narasimha swamy temple and Namakkal Anjaneyar temple. Namakkal Narasimha swamy temple is a very old temple and protected
as Heritage monument by Archaelogical department. But the sad part is temple being maintained shabbily. We litter a lot inside the temple, we don't mind to protect our ancient
temples which are living examples of great work done by our ancestors. Visit to such temples
makes you feel very inferior, People have done wonders with the limited resources they had at
that time, but we are not doing much with all the resources we have now, if we are not inclined
to do such things, We should atleast come forward to protect and maintain such ancient temples
and monuments.

On the way back to Coimbatore, We visited Lord Arthanareeswarar temple at Tiruchengode, I've heard a lot about this temple but this was my first trip. Temple Architecture is fantastic, They say it is almost 2000 years old temple funded by a chola king. All the sculptures are superb with intricate works. Main moorthy is Arthanareeswarar or Ammaiyappar. One half
shiva and one half parvathy.

Worth visiting friends, if time permits and if you people are coming to Erode or Salem, do visit this temple.

This is my first blog and love to continue more!!!!!!!!!