Fight with equanimity, channelise energy

Excerpt from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's address to Mumbaikars during a prayer meeting for 26/11 terror victims.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/articlelist/articleshow/3847315.cms


When there is an attack on society and we lose our loved ones, it causes a lot of sorrow and fear. If we keep reeling in sorrow, fear and anger, We need to come together then life moves on the path of destruction.

But if we want to channelise this energy and prepare to face this war bravely, we need to first calm the mind and come to a state of equanimity.

We need to become sam-darshi or one whose vision is equanimous. Today, we are all angry with the politicians or with our system. Our police lack the necessary tools... The whole of Mumbai seems angry. In a way, we have woken up. We are no longer ready to take the 'chalta hai' attitude. For so many years India has seen terrorist attacks in different places, for the first time, the entire community, especially the youth, have woken up...
How to make our system stronger?

Firstly, we need to come together... We need social leaders who are satya-darshi or truthful, sam-darshi or equanimous, and door-darshi or far-sighted. So let's also resolve to first examine the qualifications of those whom we elect. We need to protect our country from those who manipulate issues for their personal gains and lead by playing vote-bank politics.

Secondly, we must resolve not to act out of anger, but instead channelise our dynamic energy for the common good; to expose all those who are supporting violence, no matter what religion they belong to; to get rid of the mentality which asks us to protect people from our own religion, or community, even if they are doing wrong. This is very important.

Three things need to be done today: Stringent laws should be in place and the hands of the police have to be strengthened. Second, intelligence agencies and the police should be well-equipped and third, politicians should allow them to take necessary steps independently.

We consider the entire world ours... We might have different religions, communities, languages and cultures, but underneath all this diversity, every Indian is One. We are proponents of peace, but we are also from the land of Guru Gobind Singh. Today, we need Sant-sipahis or soldier-saints. Every one of us needs to be a peace soldier...

Peace does not mean inaction. We want a revolution, but a peaceful one. Mahatma Gandhi advocated peace, but he did not just sit back and allow injustice. Being in peace, he took action. The essence of the Bhagavad Gita is this ^ to fight with equanimity. Today, we are again seeing a dharma yuddha a battle for righteousness...

Whenever i visited Israel, i have been told by Jewish leaders that India is the only nation in the world where a Jew has never been attacked. India is known for its tolerance and peace... We shall not let the terror attacks in Mumbai sag our spirits. We shall overcome. And in doing so we will not let go of our culture and nature of peace and non-violence.

I would like to say to all the families who have lost their dear ones that the soul never dies. Know that once you drop the body, there is no more suffering to the soul. Those who have departed have merged with the divine, and their souls are still with you, with us, with the entire nation... Everyone will die, including us. But they have sacrificed their lives to wake us up and make us realise that others should not suffer, that this should not happen again. They are asking us to be Arjuna.

Naming ceremony of Chutki; चुटकीचे बारसे

Yesterday it was naming ceremony (बारसे) of Chutki, my niece. Chutki was the temporary name given to her by me till some official name is given and it has served its purpose and has already made her popular.



Swini is the new name for Chutki. Swini means one who always shines brighter. The other names are Manali, Gia (her birth name), Chutki - my favorite, and Amla, the brand ambassodor of her Dad's Amla products.


Swini Khara is a cute child actress who has acted in "Chini Kum" and is recently seen in many ads.

Anger is energy

... says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar urging Mumbaiites to channelise this energy after 26/11

MARK MANUEL Times News Network (Times of India, Bombay Times, 08 Dec 2008, page 1.)



This time, the smile of welcome didn’t quite reach Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s dark and mischievous eyes. The face was troubled, the mind still burdened by the pain of the hundred thousand people he had addressed the previous evening at Priyadarshini Park. Some survivors of 26/11, others bereaved family members of victims, everyone a Mumbaiite let down by the state — all looking for a shoulder to cry on, a spiritual hand to apply the healing touch. That Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had already done. “I told Mumbai, if you stay with anger too long it will take a toll on your health, your mind, your thinking,” the Art of Living guru explained to me at the bungalow of Yash and Avanti Birla yesterday morning. “We need to channelise our energy,” he added. Energy or anger, I asked. “Anger is energy in a more proactive way,” he corrected, “and how to channelise it, is in itself a skill. There’s no point doing the extreme thing in anger and then regretting it. Or being passive and not doing anything at all. Find the inbetween path.”
He’s gone beyond the Art of Living and is into trauma relief around the world now. Like a healing wind with the spiritual touch, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has gone from Ivory Coast to Iraq and Kosovo to Kashmir, reawakening human values in people, making them violence-free, teaching them Gandhian principles, yoga, meditation. His lessons in spirituality are not just for victims of terrorist attacks, but also for survivors of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis. But in Mumbai on Saturday, he was addressing terrorism. “Terrorists are ill-educated people with distorted, poisoned mindsets,” he said derisively. “It’s not true that the uneducated become tools of terrorism, or the poorest of the poor, but ill-educated people with hateful motivation. And they have to be addressed with words. Not guns. You just cannot quell violence with violence. But through dialogue, and spiritual education, I’ve seen this in Iraq.” And what were politicians, I asked. “Politicians are narrow-minded people who, for the smallest gains of position and money, do things which later harm themselves and also the people,” he said in ill-concealed disgust and some anger.
What would he have done in Mumbai last week, I asked. Would he have been able to make the difference during the siege by engaging the terrorists in dialogue, by negotiating with them for the lives of the hostages, or convincing them to lay down the gun? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar regretfully shook his head. “You cannot learn archery on the battlefield,” he replied. “At that moment, the terrorist is not in the mood to talk, he is only in the mood to destroy.” I asked what was the difference between spiritual education and religious, because the terrorists are Islamic jehaadis, boys indoctrined to become men with mindsets that believe the Quran okays mindless killings of innocents. “Spiritual education is different,” Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, “it makes you a soft, gentle, caring person, it teaches you the principles of ahimsa... of nonviolence. We must teach these principles, the Indian ethos of peaceful coexistence, of inclusiveness, to our neightbours and the rest of the world.”
At this point of time when Mumbai was at the crossroads of change, when emotions were still ragged and the wounds of 26/11 yet festering, did we need spiritual education or an aggressive movement against violence? “Not just Mumbai, the whole of India needs an overhauling,” Sri Sri Ravi Shankar answered. “In Mumbai’s case, just changing the Chief Minister will not help, the new man will take six, eight months to settle in and then make change. But, immediately, there must be a change in values — of the police, especially; a change in vision — of the people responsible for the city; a change in self — people must be true to the country and themselves; a change in sensitivity — people have woken up, but the spate of violence doesn’t touch all, we feel the heat only when the shoe pinches; and, a change in direction — let go of the past and go forward. Move on. Yes — the heart is heavy, but the healing touch will be complete only when hands unite and reconcile with the past.” When I left him, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was smiling in welcome at his next visitors — Bollywood stars Kunal Kapoor, Dino Morea and the lovely Lara Dutta, but the smile still didn’t reach his eyes.

Terrorist love too, but for the wrong reasons

Article is published in Hindustan Times, 08 Dec. 2008, page 4.

Please click on the image below view full size.

Trident to Taj to CST

On Tuesday, 2nd Dec, 08, A call to ALL PROUD INDIANS was made to assemble at the Air India building to write messages for the brave cops and soldiers of our country. Some of us from IIT reached there at the Air India building around 6.30pm. There were lot of people including some of the celebrities who had come to express their gratitude toward the martyr cops.









Most of the people over there were youth, from all the communities. The nariman point and the strip close to the sea was crowded, although not as it used to be. I remembered how I was sitting at the same spot a month back. Fearless, enjoying the sea and chit-chatting with my friends and today, I was serious, not even in a mood to smile.

We went close to the Trident building. There was heavy security and policemen all around. I could see few broken windows of the Trident building and the repairing work going on. I am really amazed by the Trident people that they are planning to restart the complete operations in next two weeks and I could see that happening.

Next we moved to Taj. The taxiwala dropped us near the back side of Taj heritage. Again no entry near the hotel, heavily protected by the police. We went to the front side of Taj and were actually seeing the Taj Heritage building for the first time after 26/11. The area is still protected/covered and hence could not see it closely. Even the Gateway of India is also closed. There were interviews of general public going on by some channel and slowly the outrage of the people was seen blaming all the politicians, moving on to media, to RGV, to name a few. This continued for good 10-15 mins and not many could make out what exactly was the point put up. One of my friend was trying to understand the issue but of no use.




We got the taxi for CST. It was around 8.40pm. It was not usual Mumbai. Hardly any traffic. After the taxi dropped us near Azad maidan, we went via the subway and it was very less crowded. We had some chaat and juices. Then one of my friend went to a shop to check out jeans. I followed him. Others also joined after they finished their food. While my friend was bargaining, others were discussing the situation on the 26th night. Shopkeepers were saying that the terrorist had come close to the subway and all the shopkeepers there were having terrible time. Fortunately for them, the terrorists didn't came down the subway and hence all of them were saved. Things have changed a lot after that. No crowd in the subway and hence not even in the shops. Previously the shopkeepers were forced to close the shop at midnight. Now, there is hardly any customer to keep the shop open. As we were talking, I realized that we were the only customers there. The scene was similar in other shops also. The corridor was so less crowded that I could stand in the center and click the photos. I could wait till I get a good click with no one in front of the camera. Normally, I don't think it would have been possible for me to even stand in the center.

At the entrance, we were welcomed by the metal detectors. I felt the tension seeing the metal detectors. What if it beeps when I pass through? Will I be checked by the armed police? And when I passed through it, yes, it beeped but there was no one to check me or even to listen to the beep. I was saved. But whats the use of these metal detectors installed at the entrance? They are hardly of any use. When ever you cross them, there is invariably a beep. There is no one to check the person who causes the beep. So, whats the use of these metal detectors? Only to show people that there is something like metal detectors which are installed for the safety of the common people.

In general there were lot of security people. Policemen checking the bags and other belongings and in general tension on very face moving around. I too could feel the tension while roaming around in the station. It was not as usual.

We moved on to buy the tickets and the scene was similar. Hardly any rush on the ticket counter. The ticket counter at 9.00pm used to have a long queue. Today only 5-6 people in the queue.





During the time when we were close to these spots, the thought of what if some thing happens NOW was coming again and again to my mind. I saw a small cute girl enjoying chocolate in the subway and this thought caught me again. I was horrified to think what if there is a terror attack NOW. I hope we all come out of this type of thoughts as soon as possible and start enjoying the beauty of Mumbai.

Trauma Relief for Mumbai Citizens

Please pass on this message to your near and dear ones in Mumbai:

Art of Living is conducting FREE trauma relief sessions for all those affected by the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

There are 2 locations in South Mumbai (Bombay) where they are being held and the details are as under:

1) Peddar Road - Starts today - Wednesday, Dec 3 2008; Address: 502 Prabhukunj (this is 3 buildings after Cadbury House, going towards Jaslok) - Contact person - Nanda Botadkar - her cell is 98203 42276. Each class for an hour; Session timings: Morning - 9am, 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm and Evening - 4pm, 5pm, 6pm and 7pm

2) Badhwar Park (Colaba) - from 4th to 6th Dec - 3 day course of 1 hour each day; 2 batches per day, 6.30 am and 7.30 am..One could join any one batch - Contact person - Anand Beria - Cell - 9819089071

Please spread message around to anyone you know may be in need. It may change somebody's life or put somebody's back on track ASAP.

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The Art of Living Foundation is conducting trauma care and counseling sessions,
following the recent terror attacks in Mumbai.
For Helpline numbers: +91-9821620948, +91-9967477004, +91-9820612152

H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will conduct a special prayer, pranayama and meditation session for all
Mumbaikars at Priyadarshini Park & Sports Complex, Nepean Sea Road on Dec. 6 at
6:30 pm.

Join us in our quest to create a peaceful, stress-free society.

For more details visit http://www.artofliving.org/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

Terrorism: The Cause and the Remedy

By H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Cross posting from : http://bawandinesh.name/



The act which is only destructive and inflicts suffering both on oneself and others is terrorism. In such an act, human values are lost in the process of achieving a goal.

Some of the factors that lead to terrorism are:
- Frustration and desperation to achieve a goal
- Confused emotion
- Shortsightedness and Impulsive action
- Belief in a non-verifiable concept of heaven and merit; a childish concept of God favoring some and angry at others, thereby undermining the omniscience and omnipotence of the Divine.

Terrorism induces fear psychosis in all, increases poverty, suffering and loss of life with no apparent gains. Instead of solutions the terrorist looks for destruction as an answer. If you simply criticize without giving a solution, know that this criticism comes from the same seed as terrorism!

Although there are certain qualities you can appreciate in a terrorist such as:

* Fearlessness
* Commitment to a goal
* Sacrifice

You will have to learn from them things that you should never do:

* Valuing some ideas and concepts more than life.
* Having a narrow perspective of life and dishonoring its diversity.

The Remedy for terrorism is:

* Inculcate a broader perspective of life — value life more than race, religion and nationality.
* Educate people in human values – friendliness, compassion, cooperation and upliftment.
* Teach methods to release stress and tension.
* Cultivate confidence in achieving noble aims by peaceful and nonviolent means.
* Create spiritual upliftment which can weed out destructive tendencies.