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My Articles in Asian Age Uday Acharya www.linkedin.com/in/udayacharya

Managing Trustee, Vidya Vaaridhi Trust Promoting educational, cultural and spiritual activities

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Asian Age articles by Uday Acharya Dasahera published in Mumbai Age on Oct 24th 2004 Diwali published in Mumbai Age on Nov 7th 2004 Guru Nanak published in Asian Age on Nov 21st 2004 Vedas published in Mumbai Age on Nov 28th 2004 Meditation published in Mumbai Age on Dec 5th 2004 Christmas published in Mumbai Age on Dec 19th 2004 Looking back published on Dec 26th 2004 Looking ahead published on Jan 2nd 2005 The Trial by Fire published in Sunday Asian Age on 12th December 2004 Makar Sankranti published in Sunday Asian Age on 9th Jan 2005 Guru Gobind Singh published in Sunday Asian Age on Jan 16th, 2004 LIKING AND LOVING MYSELF - II (Judgments) in Sunday Asian Age Column 30th Jan 2005 LIKING AND LOVING MYSELF - III (Friendly Inner Voices) in Sunday Asian Age Column 6th Feb 2005 LIKING AND LOVING MYSELF - IV (Affirmations) in Sunday Asian Age Column 13th Feb 2005 Self Esteem in Sunday Asian Age on 20 Feb 2005 Sattva, Rajas, Tamas in Sunday Asian Age Column 27 February 2005 Shivaratri in Sunday Asian Age on 6th March 2005 Other Articles PAYING MY DUES (1997) March of the New Age into the new millenium (2001) THE YEAR 2000 (1997) Spiritual Moorings in Leadership (1999)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Looking Back ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The year is nearing its close – another year gone by in our lives. The years have a way of registering their passage – especially after age thirty. When I think of my life half spent, the words of Robert Frost comes to mind: “But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I sleep And miles to go before I sleep.” New year eve - an opportunity to look back and take stock of the past year. The year was an eventful one, began with a lot of hope and ended as a mixed bag – some fulfilled promises and many lost opportunities. Some resolutions kept, many best forgotten. Not really much different from the previous years. Perhaps we have sleep walked, or stepped on the escalator of life in reverse. Each year would be special if we kept on ticking the goals we set and reached during the year. Some of the saddest statements I have heard any one make are – “If only I had …” , “I could have become…”, “I wished to…but.” Why do we come in the way of our own dreams and achievements? Is it because of lack of trying? Is it because we do not trust ourselves? Or is it because we are living in the past? Somewhere within each of us is a set of voices that keep arguing against each other endlessly in circles. Susan Jeffers speaks of the chatterbox – a set of memories from the past which we have incorporated within us. These voices hail from our childhood years and are memories of old events as understood through the child’s fragmented perception. The voices come in pairs, as in “I want to…, but I can’t”, “You have to…, but you won’t”, “I love you…, but I can’t tolerate you.” The voices also threaten doom as in “if I do, I am dammed, if I do not, I am finished.” The chatterbox is characterised by the words ‘should’, ‘must’, ‘always’, ‘never’, ‘can’t’ and ‘shouldn’t’. The chatterbox is an expert in fragmented thinking and breaks up any situation into different points of view. Instead of putting them all together, it views them each in turn as absolute and irreconciliable with the rest. Rather than resolving issues, it aggravates situations until we are thoroughly demoralised. Ultimately we react by listening to the loudest voices and do what they tell us to. Often our best intentions and dreams are brought to dust by our ‘friendly and oh so familiar” chatterbox. Alongside the chatterbox comes another set of voices that come from the deepest part of our unconscious. These voices are the promptings of the better self – the higher power within us. These are the voices of trust, acceptance, harmony, courage, faith, love, esteem, balance, honesty and compassion. are holistic, integrating and healing by nature. The higher self reconciles fragmented thinking into a larger integrated whole. It is responsible for all that is best in us – it gives us awareness,

creativity, will power and conscience that, according to Stephen Covey, combine to form our inner power. The chatterbox makes us superficial, ineffective, fearful, helpless, suspicious, desperate, tyrannical, and cynical. It is easy to be swayed by the chatterbox – it affirms our fragmented childhood beliefs and makes us feel ‘right’. To let go of the chatterbox is to lose the security of being ‘right’. We need to invoke the higher self to choose courage over false ‘security’. This is the only way we can let go of the past and renew our commitment to a better life in the present. This is the message of new year’s eve.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Christmas ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Some 2000 years ago, it is believed, the son of God appeared on earth as the child of Mary in a stable in Bethlehem. Christians all over the world celebrate this joyous event as Christmas. They welcome the baby Jesus with prayers, mutual exchange of gifts, and festivities. According to St Luke, the first census ordered by Caesar Augustus took place while Cyrinus was governor of Syria. Joseph, together with his wife who was with child, went to register for the same from Galilee in Nazareth to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem. It was there that Mary brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Shepherds nearby were visited by an angel and told that a saviour was born that day in the town of David who is Christ the Lord. They

made haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger.

According to prophesy, a child was to be born who would become the king of the Jews. Wise men called Magi came from the East to Jerusalem searching for “the newly born king”. They had seen his star in the East and followed it in the hope of worshipping him. King Herod summoned the Magi secretly and ascertained from them the time when the star had appeared. He asked them to make careful enquiries concerning the child and inform him accordingly. The wise men of the East were led by the star to the place where the child was, and they fell to their knees and worshipped him. They offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Being warned in a dream, they went back to their country without meeting King Herod. Herod, feeling tricked by the Magi, angrily ordered all boys of 2 years and below killed. Jesus survived and went on to become the founder of a new religion and church that has survived to this day. Christmas is associated with Santa Claus who is also known as Father Christmas. Santa comes flying from the North Pole in his sleigh pulled by reindeer. He slides down into houses through the chimneys and packs gifts for children in stockings for Christmas. Does Santa really exist? A letter written by an eight year old to the The New York Sun in 1897 elicited this response: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist…. How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus!….There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond…..Thank God he lives, and he lives forever….” Susan Branch has a recipe for Christmas: “Fill your house with equal parts of Love, Peace & Hope, Add the Joy of Children & the Strength of Older People, Season with the Music of Laughter & some Mistletoe Kisses, Warm before a Crackling Fire & serve with Tidings of Comfort & Joy!”

Christmas is family time. It is all about giving, sharing, goodwill, and glad tidings. Like Diwali and Id, Christmas has become a national festival in which all the communities celebrate and rejoice. It is a time to drop the walls and to reach out to each other in friendship and brotherhood. So here is wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Trial by Fire ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Chhandogya Upanishad refers to a trial by fire to determine whether a person speaks the truth. The accused person was considered to be innocent if he remained unscathed and guilty if he was burnt. Whether such a test really existed is irrelevant the idea is that truth prevailed in the end. An ancient lie detector test! In times of crisis, would I be willing to take the test? If indeed I were guilty, would I have the courage to own it up? What would I do if I were accused of something that I am not guilty of? What if someone betrayed my trust and put me in the wrong? The only thing that could sustain me in these moments is the trust of the people who believe in me, and my own faith that ultimately truth and justice will prevail. I would have to move an appeal in a higher court, and learn not lose heart. Spiritual faith would have to sustain me even when everything is lost – for my conscience would be clear and the strength would come from within. In the Ramayana, Sita had to face the test of fire to prove her truth. She even had to prove herself again a second time by choosing to shun human justice and resort to divine judgment. Much of what we believe about the world is based on faith. We believe democracy, judiciary, media, and spiritual mentors. Our economy runs on trust - the day we lose trust in the rupee or the government, we will see anarchy and chaos. And if we lose faith in the scientists, all research will be viewed with suspicion. It is the faith of significant people in our lives that encourages us to hold on to our beliefs when we feel helpless and are losing hope. But what would happen if there were a crisis of faith and when the people whom we believe in, heart and soul, come under the cloud of suspicion? What happens when our deepest trust and commitment is shaken, and we are in a dilemma – to believe or not to believe? What if we are in doubt and do not even know what to believe in? Here is where we need to believe in ourselves. Rather than be swayed by the crowd, we need to stand apart and listen to our conscience rather than to our fears. We need to reinforce our confidence in the people whom we trust, and reassure them to withstand the test of fire. We need to tell them not to lose heart for truth will out in the long run. We also need to encourage them to speak the truth and own up their faults, if any, rather than hold on to false pride. We need to understand that people are human and can make mistakes, hence there is no shame in confession other than facing the consequences of the mistake. Ultimately, we need to grow away from our need to hold on to role models, to think independently and take the reins of spiritual leadership in our own right. Spiritual

growth culminates in taking responsibility for everything that we think, believe, feel, and do. We need to guide ourselves and not be led blindly. As long as we go by our conscience, we will have the moral standing to have our voice heard by all. We will also have the humility to acknowledge our faults wherever we are wrong. Strength comes from aligning ourselves to the truth rather holding on to beliefs at all cost.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MEDITATION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Meditation helps you get in touch with yourself - the simple, uncomplicated self, free from the various roles that you play in life. It is also a form of quiet prayer in which you invoke your higher self, the one who supports, encourages, inspires, motivates, and guides. Meditation involves two aspects - one, unwinding yourself of all complications, and two, recharging yourself to reach your potential. Meditation is also contemplation. It involves familiarising yourself with the understanding of what you essentially are, as revealed in the scriptures. Meditation in general involves learning to relax physically and psychologically, directing the mind towards prayer, contemplation or just plain silence. Try turning off the lights and shutting the door of your office during lunchtime. Loosen your tie and belt and shoes, turn the chair away from the table. Just spend a few minutes in silence with yourself. You are scheduling an appointment with a Very Important Person, - Yourself. Close your eyes and visualise that you are going on a vacation to a hill station or seashore. Visualise the beauty, the coolness or warmth of the surroundings, breathe in the pure air with pleasure, and just let go, - relax! Chant your favourite mantra. This may be something that has been given to you by your teacher or one that has been part of your family tradition. Repeat it in your mind over and over again until you feel deeply rested. The secret of the mantra is in the silence sandwiched between the two chants. The more you stay with the chant to the exclusion of other thoughts, the more you enjoy the silence. Silence is restful. It energises you. It makes you composed and removes stress. Try it out. Today. Right now. Meditation helps in making you aware of the inner world that is much removed from your day-to-day world of transactions. It shows you that there is a core of calmness within you that remains even when everything around you is stormy and fluid. Meditation also helps you harmonise the inner and outer worlds so that you enjoy a state of flow, wherein your actions, thoughts, and words seem to arise spontaneously and in an integrated way. Yoga, Transcendental Meditation, Vipasana, Zen, etc., have meditative techniques that are geared to heightened awareness, focusing, centring, relaxing, objectivity and non-involvement with distractions, flexibility of thought and concepts, prayerful attitudes, etc.

The Bhagavad Geeta describes meditation as placing the mind in the self (Aatma), to the exclusion of all other thoughts. It talks about the meditator seated with head, neck and torso all aligned and erect, attention directed towards the place between the eyebrows. The seat is not too high or too low, and made by spreading kusha grass, deerskin and cloth one over the other. The meditator does not fast too much or eat too much, and is moderate in sleep and waking. It talks of the mind as fickle and hard to control, but which practice and dispassion (i.e. objectivity) can master. A prayerful attitude helps in meditation, whereby you invoke your Higher Self, and in the process bring to surface the innocent, trusting aspect of yourself. Keep all problems aside for the moment and let divinity into your heart. There is a nondemanding attitude and you open yourself to all situations - "this is how the world is, and this is how I have to take it." The serenity prayer says it all - "Lord, give me the serenity to face the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Makar Sankranti ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sankranti, or Makar Sankranti, is the auspicious time in the month of Magha when the Sun moves towards the north. 'Sankranti' means 'transition' indicating the sun's transition from one zodiac to another. On January 14 the sun enters Makara (Capricorn). Makar Sankranti heralds the auspicious Uttaraayan period of six months. The festival is dedicated to the Sun. Farmers welcome the end of winter and prepare for a bountiful harvest. People pray for grace and blessings of the gods for spiritual progress and prosperity. Sankranti is associated with the legend of 'amrit manthan' - where gods and demons churned the ocean to get the nectar of immortality. People take a holy dip at Prayag, Ujjain, Nasik, and Haridwar where drops of this nectar as said to have fallen while being distributed. Dips are also taken in the Ganga and Yamuna, specially at Banaras and Gangasagar. Sankranti is celebrated as Pongal in the Tamil Nadu Rice is cooked in milk and allowed to flow over to represent prosperity and wealth. It is the time for cleaning the home and burning the waste to symbolise destruction of evil. Fresh harvested grain is cooked and the entire village partakes of it. Birds and cattle too are fed to acknowledge their contribution to the community. Being a harvest festival, bonfires and feasts are the main thing common to all the celebrations. Lohri in northern India signifies the harvesting of the Rabi crops. Harvested fields and front yards are litup with flames of bonfires, around which people gather to meet friends and relatives and sing folk songs. It is celebrated as Bihu in north-eastern India. In Maharashtra tilgul (laddoo made of sesame seeds and jaggery) is distributed as a sign of goodwill and friendship. In Karnataka and Andhra, people exchange pieces of sugar-cane, molasses, pieces of dry cocoanut, peanuts and fried gram. In Gujarat, the event is celebrated by flying kites and everyone, young and old, participate in kite-flying competitions. The Bhagavad Gita refers to this Uttaraayan period as the bright half of the year representing the path in the soul's onward journey after death leading to higher worlds, in contrast to the darker period or Dakshinaayan which represents the path leading to lesser worlds. Both these paths lead to desirable worlds and their distinctions are relative with the first being more desirable than the second. The two are referred to as Deva Yaana

(pathway of the gods) and Pitri Yaana (pathway of the ancestors) respectively. Obviously, it is one's good deeds that are responsible for gaining these higher worlds, and the time of death is only indicative of the merits (karma) earned by the person during his lifetime. These paths do not apply to the person who lives by evil, nor to the enlightened person (jnaani) who is completely released from the bonds of karma. The Mahabharata epic relates the story of Bhishma who had fallen prey to Arjuna's arrows on the tenth day of the war. Bhishma was blessed with the boon of being able to choose the time he wished to die. Bhishma chose to live for a few days after the 18 day war, so that he could die during the auspicious Uttaraayan period following the sun's passage into Capricorn. Stories from the puranas and epics are generally cited to inculcate shraddha or faith in the spiritual practitioner. The episode of Bhishma's self-chosen time of death adds to auspiciousness of the Uttarayan period. People go for pilgrimage to holy spots to earn grace, whereas noble souls visiting these places add to the sacredness of the spot.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Looking Ahead ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Nature sometimes stops smiling and starts frowning" - Swami Chinmayananda. What does one do when 9/11 happens on 26/12 .when a tsunami hits us under the belt without warning? What happened this time was close to home, and it could have easily happened to any of us. But for the grace of god.! Like sand castles built on sea shore are all our achievements and lives too. Seen from the cosmic standpoint, all human accomplishments pale into insignificance. When seen from the human standpoint too, what matters is not how long we lived or what status we commanded. What really matters is how authentically we lived pursuing universal human needs rather than jockeying for status and power, or trying to catch up with the Joneses. Catering to the human and spiritual side in us seems to be more fulfilling than material achievements that are merely footnotes in the chapters of history. It doesn't matter whether you are Bill Gates or Aziz Premji at times of such tragedy. What will matter is how you responded to the magnitude of the suffering. Abraham Lincoln in his letter to his son's teacher writes - "teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidder, but teach him also not to put a price tag on his heart and soul!" What does it matter if a person has conquered the whole earth if he has lost his soul? The Bible mentions idolators who worshipped the Golden Calf. The golden calf represents anything that satisfies our ego - greed, lust for power and pleasure, etc., but which ignores the issues of conscience and genuine human needs. Ego is the false idol that prevents us from reaching our highest achievements - the sense of harmony that comes from a life well lived. When you are lost in contemplation of a beautiful flower or lend a helping hand to a person in distress, you are in touch with your best self - the higher self in you. The higher self responds with all that is best in the human being - joy, compassion, courage, sacrifice, helping, sorrowing, healing, and renewing. There is also a universal element to the higher self. Nationwide excitement at winning a cricket match is an aspect of the universal higher self as much as national mourning at the loss of a beloved leader. The higher self helps us address our genuine needs. Security, physiological and biological needs, emotional and self esteem needs, need to connect and reach out to society, and the need for spiritual self transcendence, are universal needs. The intensity of these needs may vary from person to

person, but if these needs are unmet, we experience deprivation. We try to compensate by worshipping false gods - the "golden calf". We drown ourselves in activities that make us temporarily forget that we are needy. We become addicted to work, relationships, money, power, drink, drugs, and even religion. It would help to take an honest stock of our motives and behaviour while making new year resolutions. We could use the powers of the higher self, like awareness and conscience, to plan a life style that is genuine and fulfilling. Through the powers of independent will and creative visualisation, we could walk the chosen path, avoiding or overcoming obstacles in our way. We could use the power of faith and prayer to help us cope with tragedies in our lives. Our lives could become rich emotionally, spiritually and in all ways. Every new year comes to us as an opportunity to plan and achieve such a rich and fulfilling life for us and our society.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Guru Gobind Singh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Born in 1666, Guru Gobind Singh grew up to become the last in the line of Sikh gurus beginning with Guru Nanak. He was the son of Tegh Bahadur Singh and lived in the time of Aurangzeb. Guru Tegh Bahadur died a martyr in the imperial capital of the Mughals. Just nine years of age, Gobind Singh was formally installed as the tenth Guru in the succession. The young Guru resolved to fight the imperial forces rather than be overwhelmed by his father's death. He instilled the spirit of the saint-soldier in his followers and urged them to fight for justice and the right to live in freedom. His strength and courage was exemplary even during his early years and he is credited with killing a tiger, fighting face to face, with his sword and shield. Besides his training in martial arts, he was also a poet. He held court with poets and rewarded them generously. He was well-versed in music and a gifted singer. Through his spiritual poetry, he spread the message of love, equality, good conduct, and worship of One Supreme Being. He emphasized the chanting of God's name (Naam). "Naam is the priceless Jewel that the perfect Guru has; if one dedicates oneself in love to the true Guru, He lights in one's heart the Light of Wisdom, and Naam is then revealed." During the annual Baisakhi festival in 1699, the Guru appeared before the assembly with sword in hand, asking for volunteers ready to offer their head as sacrifice to the Guru. At the third call, Daya Ram from Lahore arose and walked behind the Guru to a tent nearby. The Guru returned with his sword dripping with blood, asking for more volunteers. Four more persons responded one after the other in the same way offering their heads. The Guru then explained to the gathering that if they wanted to lead an honourable life of freedom, they would have to maintain purity of character and be prepared for sacrifices. He exhorted them to aid the helpless and fight the oppressor, have faith in One God and consider all human beings equal, irrespective of caste and creed. The Guru said that the Sikhs would be called as the 'Pure Ones' (Khalsa). Every male Sikh would be a called a 'Lion' (Singh) and female Sikh a 'Princess' (Kaur). He initiated the five volunteers, honouring them as Panj Pyaare (Five Beloved Ones). He invested them with authority and himself received initiation from them. The master had submitted to them and turned

into a disciple. The Sikhs were asked to observe the five K's, i.e., to keep uncut hair (kesh), carry a comb (kanga), wear loin cloth (kachha), wear a steel bangle (kara), and carry a knife (kirpan). They were to live like ascetics and fight like soldiers. The Sikhs fought and survived many battles against the mughals and local Rajas. The Guru himself escaped from Anandpur after a three-year siege but lost all his four children, - two dying in battle and two others being buried alive by Nawab Wasir Khan, governor of Sirhind. Subsequently, the Guru too became victim to assasins sent by Wazir Khan, and died fighting in 1708. Before breathing his last, he asked Sikhs to look upon the holy scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, as their guide. "The Guru's spirit," he said, "will henceforth be in the Granth and the Khalsa. Where the Granth is with any five Sikhs representing the Khalsa, there will the Guru be."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------LIKING AND LOVING MYSELF - II Judgments ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------My judgment of myself sets me up for life - it lays down my destiny. If I do not feel I am worthy of happiness, I will not endeavor to work for it; I may even sabotage the possibility of happiness. And when I fail to fulfill my needs, I start doubting my own abilities, and feel more unworthy. I feel unloved, incapable, hopeless, bitter, jealous, reactive, and vengeful. I withdraw into my shell and let life pass me by. I am only a spectator, and I have no stomach to participate, for I have lost confidence in myself. I do not see myself deserving of success, and I cannot stand failure. I only hold on to the security of the familiar and the known, and desperately avoid any new situation. I depend on others to take care of myself, or I look to their approval by doing things for them or by pleasing them. If I have no self worth, I may even try to escape from myself, or cease to be true to myself by hiding behind a social mask. I create a new personality to deal with the world, all the time knowing that the person inside is different, isolated, lonely unwanted, unloved. I take recourse to external achievements, possessions, relationships, activities etc. to compensate for the emptiness within. I may even take to aggression and belittling others to escape from my bitterness within. All because I make a critical judgment of myself not necessarily based on facts. What is the basis for my judgments about myself? Much of it is learnt at home. I came into this world as a new born baby - a bundle of joy and a world of promise. I saw the world as a vast playground, waiting to be explored. I was cradled, fed, loved, cherished. I was a baby then. As I grew, I picked up new beliefs through my parents. Directly or indirectly, they let me know whether I was strong or weak, capable or helpless, good or bad, active or lazy, an asset or a burden. At times, my parents nourished me and guided me with encouraging words and practical advice. They made me see that I was important just being myself in spite of limitations and mistakes. They cherished me and accepted me, and at the same time gave me tips on developing my skills and abilities. They became my friends and well wishers and made me feel good about myself. At other times my parents smothered me with their concern for me, or criticized me for my faults and mistakes. They were afraid that I would not make it on my own, that I had to be constantly watched over, protected, corrected or punished - so that I wouldn't get into trouble or embarrass them. They doubted my abilities and disapproved my methods. They labeled me 'lazy', 'stupid', 'incompetent', or 'poor darling', 'mama's boy', 'delicate precious one', etc. At such times I accepted their statements as facts and

behaved accordingly - making it a self fulfilling prophesy. I grew up learning to deal with the world in the ways my parents had trained me - my judgment about myself had become my destiny. Depending on my background, I learnt either to ignore my feelings and perceptions, discount my abilities and strengths, feel sorry for and critical about myself, or positively, I learnt to trust my feelings, acknowledge my needs, assess my abilities and work on my limitations, taking difficulties in my stride. I learnt either to be ashamed of myself or to honor myself. (cont...)

----------------------------------------------------PAYING MY DUES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“Service is the rent we pay for our room on earth and I'd like to be a good tenant” Eddie Cantor I often wonder - what have I done to deserve all the things I am fortunate enough to enjoy in comfort and freedom ? I tend to consider all that I possess as resources given to me in trust. They are given to me with the implicit understanding that I employ them wisely and return it, duly multiplied, back to the universe from which I came. I do not see life and its comforts as end products to be consumed and done with. I prefer to think of them as credit extended to me - something similar to the perks enjoyed by a manager, who in turn is expected to create wealth for his company or to fulfil a mission for his organization. The good things of life that I enjoy is payment for my efforts in rebuilding the universe in the way it was designed to function - as infrastructure for the growth of individuals within the sphere of harmony and oneness. I am not unlike a soldier employed in the service of the universal government - there is no external enemy - I have to discover the enemies within. The scriptures talk about the debts we owe to the gods, to the manes, to all living creatures, etc. In the Bhagavad Geeta, Krshna calls that person a 'Stena' (Thief) who enjoys the gifts of the gods without giving back anything in return. Is there anything I as a single individual can do make the world a better place to live? Why should I bother when no one even cares? What would happen if all my efforts go in vain? And would I not be neglecting my personal goals in the long run? The truth is that I live in a small world, where everyone's co-operation and contribution makes the earth go round. As Gandhi would have it - the world is large enough to provide for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed. I need not change the whole world. If I care about the smaller world round me, my every little action can make a difference. What is expected of me as a member of the human race? To be part of a community is to: The link ed image cannot be display ed. The file may hav e been mov ed, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.

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Be available to my community in times of need Enrich it with my knowledge and resources (without necessarily impoverishing myself)

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Maintain the sensitive ecological balance of my environment Use and recycle the community resources optimally Set standards of excellence in my field and become a positive role model in my community Set priorities in my life that does not exclude the world around me Encourage and sponsor local talent and develop human resources for the community Find inexpensive and convenient ways of contributing to the community like donating blood, eyes, time, talent, expertise etc. Subsidise services for special categories of people like senior citizens, etc. Participate in action-cells for handling internal disputes, ensuring appropriate discipline, redressing grievances and counselling activities To keep surroundings clean, and highlight public messages regarding hygiene, safety, etc. To make available information about help facilities in the neighbourhood To create public opinion and educate the community against social evils and injustice through public awareness programmes To highlight organizations and persons of excellence, and give public and private demonstration of appreciation for individual initiative and good work Take courses or sponsor persons to take courses that enhance community skills Create a sense of history, meaning and oneness among the community through cultural activities, sports, exhibitions, workshops etc. Create accountability in the community members in all dealings and transactions affecting the community, Inspire the community to interact with other communities for cultural exchanges, sharing of ideas and thoughts and information.

It is interesting to note that the same activities that contribute to the good of the community also double up as self-developmental activities. These help me to get in touch with my own power and internal resources. It is a paradox of life that - I realize and actualise my potential when I have a worthwhile cause to live for , when I invest in a vision that is larger than life. Setting targets are important in orderr to motivate myself to achievement. Targets however can be more satisfying when the goals are dear both to self as well as to community. Often the smile on another's face that I contribute in bringing about, makes me glow from within. "To value oneself and, at the same time, subordinate oneself to higher purposes and principles is the paradoxical essence of highest humanity and the foundation of effective leadership." - Anonymous The human spirit always rises to the occasion, - it is at its best facing challenges or adversities. But this is true only when I am mentally and spiritually prepared to face challenges in life. If I do not consciously search and discover challenges to be faced , I

will never be ready to take on the challenges when they eventually and inevitably discover me. There is no necessity to wait for a problem to occur, if I can anticipate it and prevent it from happening in the first place. Major accidents happen everyday, but it requires an event close home to really strike home the magnitude of such tragedy. When it happens to others, I say - 'too bad'. When it happens to me, .....? I am shocked at the insensitivity of the society to my plight when I am in trouble. Yet I am the same person who generally goes about unconcerned when others are in the same situation. A friend of mine recently died in a road accident on the Bombay-Pune highway. I found it terrible to console his widow . I was angry at the unnecessary and avoidable loss of life - and the fact that hundreds of lives are lost every year on the same highway. Couldn't something be done about it? Couldn't we do something to enforce the traffic rules, make the roads more safe for driving, and inspect vehicles for safety measures? What is it that prevents us from taking action? How many more lives are required to be lost before we sit up and take notice? I talked to my friend about this. He sympathised with me, saying my anger was an emotional reaction. Perhaps he was right. I was very much upset. My friend came to me a few days back visibly agitated, and told me - "My phones have been dead for over a month. I wish that all the telephone users could come together and take up the matter with the consumers' court. That is the only language MTNL understands." I smiled. The world today has become too big and is changing too swiftly for any single individual, organization, or government to manage. I cannot expect that problems will be solved by the people out there. I am part of the show, and I cannot shrug off my responsibility. The minimum I can do is to see how I fit into the picture, and see how I can help. I cannot just stand watching when things go wrong or when injustice is being done. Today it is them, tomorrow it may be me. We all breathe the same air, share the same resources, susceptible to the same diseases, and troubled by the same events. We are all in the same boat, and we cannot afford to rock the boat. And we cannot afford to allow others to rock the boat either. We are one people, one world, one universe. Either we sail together or sink together. There is no other way. The choice lies with me. "If you think you cannot do very much, and that the little you can do is of no value, think of these things: A tea kettle singing on a stove was the beginning of the steam engine. A shirt waving on the clothesline was the beginning of a balloon, the

forerunner of the Graf Zeppelin. A spider web strung across a garden path suggested the suspension bridge. A lantern swinging in a tower was the beginning of a pendulum. An apple falling from a tree led to the discovery of the law of gravity." Anonymous

----------------------------------------------------March of the New Age into the new millenium

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------As a Vedanta teacher I have always encouraged the students of my class to listen to a variety of teachers. I tell them - "Listen to them all. When your are sufficiently confused by their differing points of view, come back to me to put it all together for you." Today, these students keep me on my toes with their pointed questions about the new age. They are not content with standard replies - they want me to discuss articles, books, and concepts and how they all fit into the larger picture. As a teacher and observer of society, I have been seeing over the years a growing awareness and enthusiasm among people about the new age. The advancing new age has broken through quite a number of barriers and helped people to become more open to the inner world of mind and spirit even if they may not be overtly spiritual. I have many new age enthusiasts including reiki practitioners and pranic healers attending my Vedanta talks. I myself was skeptical of phenomena like ESP, etc. until I met persons, friends as well as strangers, who seem to read my mind like an open book. Only recently I willingly had my aura read - a phenomenon that I would have scorned just a few years ago. Sometime back, I wouldn't have known what a tarot card is. Today Rohini, a friend of mine, arranges exhibitions in which Tarot cards among other products are sold over the counter. Practices like Reiki etc. were looked upon with skepticism a few years ago by the average person and considered as placebo treatment. What possible connection could be there between one person's energy and another person's health? Today I have reiki and pranic healing enthusiasts in my Vedanta talks, and they get positive responses from the people treated by them who say they are healed to a significant degree. The new age has always been with us through the centuries in one form or the other. The Aztecs, the Mayas, the Red Indians, the Aboroginies, the Indians, and Africans share much in common in terms of life after death, worship of deities and ancestors, seeking divine guidance through charms, chants, and rituals, etc. Some form of magical thinking has always been part of our lives. We cross our fingers, touch wood, chant Hanuman Chalisa. We wish good luck and say prayers for each other. How does the new age differ from the old? To trace this, we need to make a distinction between the ancient pre-classical ages and the recently past classical age. The preclassical age viewed the universe holistically - the earth was an organic whole in intimate contact with all its subsystems, living and non-living. Every thing in nature was seen as parts of a larger entity linked with one another to form a living organism.

Modern ecological studies seem to validate this concept through the Gaia hypothesis the earth is a living sentient being. This wholeness included the body-mind unity. This wholeness included the body-mind unity. It was Decartes who introduced the cartesian division and created the split between matter and mind. Soon, science took over the charge of researching matter - and mind was left behind as it could not stand up to the rigourous requirement of science - observation, experimentation, generalisation, and exactness. Science kept objectivity on a pedestal - any experimental finding should be shown to be consistently verifiable under laboratory conditions. Newton's laws supposed time and space to be absolute and consciousness had no place of its own in a 4 dimensional physical universe. The success of Newtonian classical physics was evident in new discoveries - both in the outer universe and in the inner world of the atom. The world was deterministic and the human being was only incidental to it. Darwin showed that humans evolved from physical matter, and mind too became subsumed under matter. Psychology, in its attempt to be scientific, adopted the objectivity model of science, and developed the behaviouristic model. Pavlov showed that mental activity is determined through conditioning - under proper conditions, the mind can be taught to respond in a desired way by carrot and stick policy. Thus we had the full blown classical age in which the universe worked like clockwork and nature was nothing but a giant machine which went on its job diligently regardless of sentiments. The New Age is so called to cover the ongoing convergence of different ancient and modern mystical traditions and practices that stand out in relief amidst the drudgery and routine of our day to day life. Contributing to this new age are the paradigms of modern science characterised by Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics that highlight the central position of the observer in every observation. Schrodinger's Cat in the box is neither dead nor alive...it is probably both, until I open the box and collapse the probabilities one way or the other. Time and space crumble in the light of experiments that reveal non-local signals - a phenomenon known as action-at-a-distance. Paired electrons have been shown to respond to each other even when separated from each other by infinite distances. The implications are significant - action at a distance allows all psychic phenomenon through the back door! Psychology now goes beyond behavioural model with Trans Personal psychology speaking of invoking the Higher Power within ourselves to guide us through our fears and complexes. Extra sensory perception is a topic that finds mention in a standard textbook of psychology today. Hawking's black holes and search to understand "God's Mind" appears to lead science

into the realm of mysticism and metaphysics. Physical phenomenon can be subsumed under a few basic forces of nature - electromagnetism, gravitation, and the strong and weak forces within the atom. There is a new wholistic approach to science in which an attempt is being made to unify the four forces of nature. Till recently gravity defied this unity. However, now equations seem to allow gravity to enter into the alliance - a grand unification. Today, the theory of everything seems to be a tantalising prospect! In the celebrated principle of uncertainty, Heisenberg states that it is impossible to determine the exact position of a particle and its exact momentum simultaneously. The newest branch of science is the chaos theory of mathematics which states that in non-linear system, it is impossible to predict the course the system will take even when all the initial conditions are known. Every measuring instrument is inherently subject to some marginal error, and in a non-linear system like the real world around us, the least error can lead to a major change in consequent outcomes. Non-linear systems involve multiple factors, and a small change in any one factor can throw all our predictions awry. A butterfly fluttering its wings in the Atlantic can possibly create a cyclone in the Pacific. Small wonder we cannot predict even the weather over the long term! What does this have to do with the new age? Simple. In our non-linear universe, even a small effort can go a long way!

What do all these have to do with the new age? Simple. In our non-linear universe, even a small effort can go a long way! Humans are not non-entities entrapped in a mechanistic world. The mind is not entrapped in the physical body. Our minds seems to be part and parcel of the universal mind not subject to time-space limitations. Guided by the Higher Power, we may be able to create the best of worlds for ourselves. We can invoke the powers of the universe and align ourselves to the basic oneness of the universe. Simply put, we are waiting to create our own miracles! We can move from cynnical thinking to magical thinking! The current new age movement seems to have its roots in the peace protest movement of the 60s. The Vietnam war was at its height and the youth of America rebelled at their government's involvement with the war that seemed to have no justification. Many conscientious objectors conscripted for war preferred to face arrest rather than fight in Vietnam. The young people protested against the establishment and its symbols. Long hair, flowing dresses, and drugs became their new symbols. Eastern religions, yoga, and gurus became the order of the day. Transcendental Meditation became popular through its association with the Beatles group.

The movement grew beyond mere protests however. Many secret societies like the Rosicrucians and Freemasons who believed in mystical practices came out into the open. In the east, Tantra and Tibetian Buddhism caught people's imagination. The Theosophical society of Annie Besant popularised ideas of astral travel and pointed out close similarities between the mystical traditions of the major world religions. The gnostics, sufis, and yogis represented the common spiritual aspects as opposed to the superficial differences between religions. Books like Shakti Gawain's "Creative Visualization" and James Redfield's "The Celestine Prophecy" heightened the tendency in people to look for creating their own magic. Unexplained coincidences in day-today life became proof of a divine plan in and through the working of the universe. Fritjof Capra's "The Tao of Physics" revealed many parallels between scientific nd mystic thinking. The internet today has opened up a whole new unknown world of the spirit and information and resources are exchanged at the speed of light. Old superstitious practices gained a new lease of life with spiritual healers coming into the scene in a major way. Today Reiki and spiritual healing are household words. Astrologers and tarot readers advertise in newspapers. Crystals, beads, pyramids, and yantras are the new lucky charms used by the well-heeled. Auras and pastlife regression are spoken of without the batting of the eyelid. Books on intergalactic travel and spirit guides are listed under non-fiction category in bookstalls. There is a magic mantra easily available now for every desirable outcome. Consultants practicing Vastu Shaastra and Feng Shui have made it to big time. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is secular anymore! The rush for new age solutions is rooted in our reaction to the materialistic orientation of society. A few years ago, we were sadly declaring - "nothing is sacred anymore!" We have become generally cynnical of everything representing the old world. We are cynnical of political institutions, of economic and social practices, of love and human decencies, of art and culture and even religion. Everything including national awards and honours can be got for a price. Nothing buys like money. People are used, rather than being loved. We have learnt to use people and love things. With families breaking up, the nuclear family unit today is shrinking towards "I, me, myself. Nothing comes guaranteed today - our jobs, our savings, our traditions. Our minds, our health, our security, all are being invaded by multiamedia and multinationals. We have been deeply wounded and have no one help us heal. In a fast changing world, we are like the people struggling in a sinking ship. The buzzword is - "look after yourself, each one for himself." The old world represents insecurity, rigidity, and stress. A CEO in a multinational company, knowing that I do workshops on Handling Stress, told me that stress management was passe today. What people really needed was to tide over loss and pain in times of job insecurity and company takeovers - the need of the day was

healing and recovery. My friend should know, since he was poised to lose his job a second time within few months. Does it mean that the New Age is a mere knee-jerk reaction to the stress of modern living? Not really. The New Age presents an alternative to the old way, - someting which is more humanistic and spiritual in approach. The avid enthusiasm with which it is being welcomed may be perhaps a bit overdone. And where there are seekers, there are always middlemen to make a quick buck by promising us the world. In the long run however, when the dust is settled, the real picture will emerge. There is a quantum change quietly taking place in and through the din and bustle. The movement is towards wholeness and wellness and balance. Self Esteem, trusting relationships, social contribution, and inner harmony and growth, are the keywords of this movement. What we see superficially is conflict in terms of thesis and anti-thesis. The balance will come in terms of convergence and synthesis. We need both practical as well as magical thinking. Rather than find fault with thesis or anti-thesis, we will do better by coming to a closer understanding of both, through respect, accommodation, and reason. The outcome looks promising - a saner, kinder, more responsive, and healthier quality of life. What results will be a healthy menu of alternatives that we all can partake and enjoy. Healing is one of the areas where the new age has really specialised. The spiritual element associated with healing is very evident in the programme for recovering alcoholics and their families. The Higher Power is invoked for healing, even though the concept of God may differ from person to person. Some of my psycho-therapist friends are researching into spiritual roots of religion in order to arrive at meaning, harmony and healing. It is practically impossible to pinpoint the line where pschology stops and spirituality begins. Meditation, visualisation, prayer and energy channeling are among the various tools that people ask to deal with and recover from their pain and their diseases. The new age speaks of patterns in our lives that are meaningful even when they seem accidental and random events. My friends tell me of the pattern of events, each leading to another, that have directed their lives towards new meaning in their lives. In my own case, an idea that I expressed to my friend Lata led to publishing a monthly journal edited by her. The project was enthusiastically sponsored by my friend Harish as he shared a similar vision. This journal lasted only three months, as if its purpose was only to introduce me to Kavi at Chetana Bookshop. Kavi was about to start the website, chetana.com, for marketing books on Indology online and wanted me to respond to querries on Hinduism and Spirituality through the website. Answering a variety of questions on the "Guruji" section of chetana.com gave

me great insight into the minds of people from different continents and helped me reach out to them and their needs. The website in turn led to meditation workshops and public talks at Chetana, and to interviews with BBC, Times of India, and Life Positive. Evidently the hand of destiny was leading me from one event to another, to experience the lessons that I needed to learn and to grow. I find a new openness among people who are genuinely interested in knowing more about spirituality. Self help books and spiritual literature have proliferated and people are willing to try out the unfamiliar, rather than be apprehensive about it. Practices like meditation, yoga, mantras, mysticism etc. cut through religious beliefs and are serving to unite people of different religious traditions with one another. There has been an awareness that we are all fellow seekers looking for the same things, no matter how different we look, dress, or pray. A new religion fo the spirit is emerging that is inclusive of differences rather than exclusive. Personal accounts and allegorical stories are serving to popularise spirituality. Articles in the journal "Mustard Seed" and in the column "Speaking Tree", give testimony to the efficacy of the new age. The Chicken Soup series of books have done as much for spirituality as the zen stories popularised by Rajneesh or the "One Minute Wisdom" anecdotes of Father Anthony D'mello. The tendency of the movement is upwards, towards a birds eye view of spirituality. The higher we rise in our wisdom, the more we see ourselves as connected to each other. There is enough wisdom in our world today which together to resolve most of the persistent problems that plague the world today. Fragmented till now, the wisdom is now converging and is being made available to all sections of society. The new age is all set to connect people of different religious traditions with one another. The recent world religious conference represents an attempt to distill the best principles from all religious traditions. into a framework for a world religion without borders. My own teacher who participated in the world meet noted that all the delegates appeared to be talking some sort of Vedanta. Mutual respect and noninterference in each others' religious practices and beliefs seemed to be on the agenda of all the non-proselytising religions represented there. As our differences are marginalised and common principles identified, the world will come to a oneness of the spirit which is ultimately the spirit of Vedanta. A survey of world religions show that there are different forms of prayer. The world is a manifestation of God, the Spirit. All forms of prayer are valid, since the Lord is immanent in and through all forms. God is one, not many - many gods are merely representations of a universal God who is both immanent and transcendent. This is the vision of God in Vedanta.

God in heaven is representative of the universal spirit who is pervades in and through all creation. The animist form of worship and the image worship are both as valid as worship in the church or mosque, as far as prayer goes. The universal spirit is not someone remote, he is constantly with us, present in and through our every thought. This seems to be the hidden message of the new age.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------THE YEAR 2000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Son, what is FAX? My father asked me some 4 years ago. I hazarded a guess. "It’s some thing like telex, dad. They send documents over the phone. Last year my dad was sending faxes to his client in Muscat. Last week I asked my friend Harish at his computer institute, "How does multimedia work?" My niece Ujwala came home the same day and said knowingly - "We had multimedia in school today. The computer was speaking in a woman’s voice reading out words in the dictionary". Generation gap? No. Information gap! We are in the same world but worlds apart. Everyday is a new day. Every minute brings in new inventions. The world as we knew it yesterday is extinct. Welcome to the brave new world. See if you can catch up. Year 2000 is here. The year 2000 has special significance. For some, it is supposed to signal the advent of Maitreyi, reincarnation of the Buddha. According to others, it is the beginning of the Satya Yuga, the era of virtue and gooddness. According to Nostradamus the prophet, the end of the century will witness the war of the worlds, after which will dawn an era of peace and unity in the whole world. Whether or not the above predictions come true, it is a fact that the year 2000 lies on a threshhold of historical proportions - signalling great turmoil, growth and intense change, - a point of critical mass and takeoff velocity, a turning point in the life of humanity. Times have been changing never as fast before. Technology like CNN, internet and mobile phone, has made it essential for a person to look at the familiar world in a new light. Problems of the world are no longer out there - they are right here with us in our drawing rooms. Information brings in a flood of data that we have to process and manage. We require a perceptive mind to sort out the essentials from the extras, facts from the opinions. Society is changing, - political and social institutions, education system, business houses. In not understanding these changes, we are likely to stumble blind - out of touch with the real world out there. It is as if the lights have gone off and we are stuck on a road all dug up and pulverised. We are unable to handle the present changes rippling through society and ripping it to shreds. Our outdated views are like dinosaurs fast being consigned to history. We need new perspectives and paradigms that are more realistic and valid. Change is forcing us to relook at our beliefs and to radically change them if we have to survive and emerge successful. We have to let go our excess baggage of beliefs in order to travel light. According to Arthur Toynbee in "A Study of History", decline and cultural breakdowns

in civilizations are preceeded by social indicators like alienation, mental illness, violent crime, social disruption and religious cultism, all of which are seen in our present civilization. Loss of flexibility is an essential element in this breakdown social structures and behavior patterns have become rigid and society can no longer adapt to changing situations. However despite this, society’s creativity is kept alive by creative minorities who appear on the scene. The dominant forces refuse to hand over their leading roles and helplessly try to unravel the Gordian knot as best as they can. It is left to the creative minorities to take initiative and cut the knot asunder. (According to myth, the prophesy ran that whoever loosen the knotted rope devised by King Gordiaus of Phrygia would become the king of the land. In the end, Alexander took out his sword and cut off the knot with one stroke.) In the "Third Wave", Alvin Toefler talks about the major revolutionary changes that shook our world. The ‘first wave’ of change swept us thousands of years ago from the stone age into the agricultural society. The ‘second wave’ was the industrial revolution which changed our society from a feudal society to an industrial society. The ‘third wave’ of change is with us now - that of the information revolution. This is the age of Bill Gates and the service industry, where software is growing in prominence over hardware, and human intelligence and creativity are considered as inexhaustible source for future development and progress. Third world countries can choose to leapfrog from the third world to the first as is the case with the South east nations like South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hongkong etc. Other countries like India are changing at a slower rate - with all three waves co-existing as evident from the differences between Bangalore, the software capital, Bombay, the industrial capital, and the hinterlands of the country which is still belong to a feudal society. Countries that missed the second wave ended up as third world countries, whereas the industrialized nations became the rich first world countries. Countries that miss the third revolution will end up as the forgotten nations, consigned to the dustbin of history. Year 2000 !..... where the old and the new intermingle, where hopes and frustrations co-exist, where creativity is confronted with rigid mindset, where authority is questioned but responsibility feared, where information is abundant but insight limited - this then is the paradox at the beginning of the new century. Many of the beliefs of the previous centuries that we took for granted are no more valid: The link ed image cannot be display ed. The file may hav e been mov ed, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.

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That science and Technology could handle all our problems, that there was a magic pill to cure all our diseases of body and mind; That the world would always be the we have known it to be - Time, Space, Matter were absolute and indestructible; That we could keep on digging into the earth and exploit its riches infinitely; live forever on the bounties of nature that include the environment, forests and the

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animal kingdom. That men would always control the world, being more practical, outdoor-types, wiser, stronger and dependable, whereas women were unpredictable, emotional delicate, weak, dependent and impractical; That big was beautiful, - institutions and organizations could grow bigger and stronger without limits; That only the fittest would survive the heat of competition - either you were the road roller or else you were part of the road; That the political, social and economic systems were dependable - the people in charge knew what was good for us; That unlimited consumption was the dream of the century come true - we would have more and more goodies and a greater choice as long as we could afford the cost; That it was essential to measure yourself up against your neighbour to compare your social standing - it was shameful to be poor, ignorant vulnerable; That beg, borrow or steal it was important to get ahead and steal a march on your competitor and neighbours - if you were smart enough, you could get away with anything including murder. That what mattered was what society told you as per the images in the media - the lifestyles of the rich, the presentation of personality package, the hardnosed business skills of the industrialist, the perfect loveliness of the body beautiful, the promise of perfect love and perfect spouse, the appeal of power and control, the ideal city set amidst an artificial concrete jungle;

Some changes came slowly - like the struggle for independence of countries under foreign colonization; the discovery of ultimate oneness of matter and energy in science; the spread of literacy and awareness of the world, the campaign against war, the struggle against orthodoxy and superstitions; nuclear and chemical weapons; the efforts to prevent pollution and degradation of forest resources, the feminist movement against unequal treatment and sexual harassment; etc. Other changes took us by surprise, unawares and unprepared. The ‘73 oil crisis; the collapse of the Mexican economy; the break up of the USSR; the integration of Europe into one community; the computer revolution, the internet and the millenium bug; Kasparov’s loss to Deep Blue in chess; 24 hour satellite channels, CNN, MTV, and videogames; Remote control surgery through satellite, gene splicing and cloning of animals and humans; AIDS, recurrence of Malaria and Plague; criminalisation of politics, rise of regional and communal political parties, international terrorism and criminal networks, gang wars, drug trafficing, child-prostitution and sexual abuse; etc. The population explosion, the exponential growth in information, the global economy, uncontrolled growth of industry and consequent downsizing, the consumeristic demand for luxuries over necessities, and many more factors caught the social, economic and political institutions napping. New responses were called for, and this is

where smaller, and consequently more flexible institutions took up the challenge through initiative, creativity, learning, and constant updating. Today the rigid black and white thinking is giving way to creative colourful thinking, where there can be more than one right solution to different problems. The old win or lose competitive thinking is yeilding to a win/win cooperative attitudes. The male dominated world is gradually becoming a balanced world where women have a greater say in business, politics, and other prominent fields. The left brain (logical, rational, linear) thinking is being counterbalanced by the right brain (artistic, intuitive, lateral) thinking to converge into what is now called whole brain thinking. Individual initiative and networking brings about as great change, if not greater, as governments and industries - and more and more of the government’s social welfare programmes are being handed over to private non-governmental organizations in the interest of better fund management and optimum utilization. Citizen’s committees are taking direct action to successfully deal with pressing problems that has been pending for decades. How are we to deal with the changing conditions in our life? What are the necessary things that we must do to avoid the problem of "Future Shock" as Alvin Toefler terms it? Understanding change is the first step. Knowing why they are happening, and how they effect me, is essential. To see if this is what I want, and if not, what are the things that will move me towards what I want, is another step. Does my plan of action fit into the scheme of things as a whole, is evaluation. And effective follow through in action, is the final step. In terms of personal growth and inner maturity, the present changes hold a lot of promise. There are any number of personal, religious and spiritual development programmes available today. Even business and management have jumped on to the human resources development bandwagon with a rich dose of meditation, yoga, transpersonal psychology, nature retreats, etc. apart from their regular personality development and business skills schedules. When the outer worlds fail to deliver the promised utopia, we turn to ourselves, moving inwards to our spiritual core. It is there we have to seek for answers, and it is there we have to discover ourselves as we really are, as we really want to be. Some of the skills, activities and attitudes required to live beyond the year 2000 AD are shown below: The link ed image cannot be display ed. The file may hav e been mov ed, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.

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Self-awareness exercises, getting feedback from others. Verifying beliefs and reality testing, sorting facts from fiction. Participating in Self-help groups and growth activities. Balancing of needs (physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual). Living in multi-

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dimensions, leading a whole life. Reading habits (on a wide range of topics and interests). Having a mentors who guide you from above. Leadership of thought - looking ahead into the future, redefining goals. Having a vision and purpose in life. Ability to switch standpoints - creativity, sense of humour, asking ‘why’ and "why not’? Risk management - ability to deal with insecurity, uncertainty, and loss. Upgrading skills, learning new skills, cutting wasteful habits and superfluous activities. Emotional Management and Emotional Intelligence. Ability to connect to others through empathy and openness. Recycling - creating wealth from waste. curiosity. Ability to profit from good advice - listening skills, asking questions, Organizing information into meaningful messages – Multidisciplinary learning - Integration of disciplines to fit holistically. Skills in communication, team-work, delegation, synergy. Analysing breakdowns and bottlenecks through system analysis. Networking - everyone has a network of which he/she is the most essential central link. Ability to use time creatively and purposefully. Developing habits of Trustworthiness, Initiative, etc. Getting in touch with your inner Self through prayer, conscience, meditation etc. and many more.

Year 2000! What about it? Is it so special - 2000 years in a universe that by scientific estimates is 15 billion years old.? According to Carl Sagan, if every billion years of Earth history compressed into the span of a single year, all of recorded history occupies the last ten seconds of December 31. "But because I have arranged it that way, the first cosmic year has just ended. And despite the insignificance of the instant we have so far occupied in cosmic time, it is clear that what happens on and near Earth at the beginning of the second cosmic year will depend very much on the scientific wisdom and the distinctly human sensitivity of mankind." Carl Sagan in THE DRAGONS OF EDEN. We stand poised to go back to the stars from which we were born. We can also choose to extinguish ourselves mindlessly and go back to the dust from which we came from. Our choices at this moment in time will determine whether we succeed in uniting humanity and reach greater heights of glory, or engage in mass weapons of warr and self-destruct, extinct, - unknown, unsung, lost in the maze of history.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Spiritual Moorings in Leadership ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Faith Popcorn in her book on modern trends in Western Society – CLICKING, has this to say, “The bad news is that our society is adrift, but the good news is that it’s still afloat. Even though we have been getting tossed about like flotsam and jetsam on the sea of life, we are managing to renew our spirits by grabbing on to a line of hope. After a decade or two of materialism and meanness, we’re looking for simpler ansers. This new Trend about inner spirit is called Anchoring. The most important part, the core of Anchoring, is taking comfort in what was safe and secure from the past in order to get ready for the future. Spirituality is at the very heart and soul of the Anchoring Trend.” Today even business and management have jumped on to the human resources development bandwagon with a rich dose of meditation, yoga, trans-personal psychology, nature retreats, etc. apart from their regular personality development and business skills schedules. When the outer worlds fail to deliver the promised utopia, we turn to ourselves, moving inward to our spiritual core. It is there we have to seek for answers, and it is there we have to discover ourselves as we really are, as we really want to be. Ultimately we have to find a balance between our inner and outer worlds. Spirituality and Individuality complement each other as a matter of fact. The more we extend ourselves in our capacity as an individual, we are growing and learning. And the more we look into our inner core, we get the wisdom to deal with our external world. The anchoring trend is especially true in the modern Indian who seems to have lost touch with his culture and apes everything western, from movies, dress, lifestyle as well as management paradigms. It would do the present day Indian manager proud to go through ancient manuscripts and look for insights from history and spiritual traditions; to discover the abundance of insights into leadership and fundamental principles of management as set down in books like Artha Shastra, Mahabharata etc. A systematic study will reveal that there are no old principles or newly discovered principles – Principles are something timeless and are there to be assimilated by one and all – whether they were passed down through tradition from olden days, or rediscovered by enterprising thinking yound persons of today. Leaders of men are made, not born. Who is a leader? Obviously the one whom people follow. If there were no followers, there would be no leaders. And what make people follow a leader? His charisma? His charm? His persuasive powers? His personal power? Gandhi was a leader. And so were Subhash and Shivaji. What did they have in

common? They all had a cause. They were motivated. They had a vision and were prepared to go out on a limb to realise it. they were willing to give their all to make their dream come true. “Great things are done by people who think great thoughts and then go out into the world to make their dreams come true.” – Ernest Holmes. An effective leader is the one who makes proper use of his human endowments in full. “The primary human endowments are: 1) Self-awareness or self-knowledge, 2) Imagination and conscience; and 3) Volition or will power. The secondary endowments are :4) An abundance mentality, 5) Courage and consideration, 6) Creativity, and 7) Self-renewal. All are unique human endowments; animals don’t possess any of them. But they are all on a continuum of low and high levels.” – Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Our scriptures and historical works give us great insight into the nature of leadership. They teach by example, presenting role models like Rama, Krishna and the like. Rama, like Gandhi, personified strength along with extraordinary moral fibre. In choosing to live in the forest for 14 years, Rama chose to put his sense of duty ahead of the pleasures of kingship. With the might of his arms and trustworthiness of character, he turned around the misfortune of losing Sita into an opportunity of winning new friends and of extending his influence beyond the seas. Krishna the diplomat and negotiator established an empire of dharma by effecting practical solutions for insurmountable problems, neutralising the machinations of the crooked Shakuni and others, through his thorough understanding of human nature and holistic perspective of life. He was a management guru of epic proportions, who with his presentation of Upanishadic insights and practical no-nonsense approach, influenced the mindset of Arjuna, Yudhisthira and others and changed the course of the Mahabharata war. Bhishma, the grandsire of the Kuru family, whose military skills were unmatched, took charge of the kingdom and managed the affairs of state through the ups and downs of the royal family and sacrificed his own personal interests for the larger good of the kingdom. Hastinapur enjoyed total security and peace under his guidance. At the same time, he valued good counsel and kept at his side advisors like Vidura the wise for guidance in spiritual and ethical issues. Vishwamitra for his perseverence, and Vyasa for his vision of a cultural and moral renaissance, have become heroes for all times to come. Vishwamitra is an example of the person who, unfazed by his long bouts of interrupted and uncompleted Tapas, believed in himself and his capacity to overcome all odds. Working constantly to overcome his personal limitations like anger, lust, etc. he passed the ultimate test when the greatest of sages, Vasishtha himself, acknowledge him as “Brahma-rishi”. Vyasa took on to himself the role of uniting the divers peoples of the Indian

subcontinent through integrating the different scattered vedic traditions into four Vedas that are an encyclopaedia of spiritual and religious thought. Not satisfied, he involved the common masses through the the eighteen Puranas that contain stories of gods like Vishnu, Shiva and others, highly inspiring and devotional in nature. And who can forget the epic Mahabharata that he gave to posterity which, while entertaining the readers, is a complete education in itself in the art and science of life management. The Artha Shastra of Chanakya, like the Mahabharata is a mine of information regarding Leadership, Management, Statesmanship, Economy, Administration, etc. it describes an ideal king and management of a large kingdom, through the help of ministers, treasury, army and allies. Chanakya highlights the qualities that make an excellent ruler. These are grouped as Abhigamikah gunah – qualities that inspire confidence in others and make the ruler easily approachable, such as nobility of birth, piety, and truthfulness; Prajnagunah – qualities of the intellect, such as ability to understand, to think independently etc.; & Utsahagunah, qualities like bravery, quickness of decision, strength of mind and so on.

Apart from the above, personal qualities like eloquence, boldness, memory, etc. are also recommended. These qualities make for proactive nature essential for any leader. With these, a person is equipped to undertake any enterprise and make it a success. A subhashita in sanskrit says it very well. Udyamam Saahasam Dhairyam Buddhis Shaktih Paraakramah, Shadete Yatra Vartante Tatra Devaah Sahaayakrit. (Endeavour, daring, fortitude, wisdom, strength and valour – where these six reside, the gods too lend a helping hand.) Another subhashita highlights the proactivity required for achievement: Na Daivam Iti Sanchintya Tyajet Udyogam Aatmanah, Anudyamena Kastailam

Tilebhyah Praaptum Arhati. (May one not, relying on mere destiny, abandon self-effort. How does one extract oil from sesame seeds without effort?)

To sum up the above qualities in modern terminology, an effective leader possesses the following:

a)

Over-all Perspective - clear thinking, fact-orientation, ability to analyze cost/benefit

b) Purpose – desire and will to make the necessary changes c)

Self Esteem – belief in one’s own worthiness and power to initiate change

d) Self Discipline – personal comforts secondary to long-term results e) Acceptance – confronting fear of failure and loss f)

Personal Integrity – openness and trustworthiness,

g) Learning – ability to take stock and profit from others’ experiences/feedback h)

People skills – ability to communicate and cooperate with others

i)

Adaptability – creative approach in handling situations

j)

Perseverance – sustained effort and the will to win

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Self Esteem ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Too much self-esteem is bad", said my friend the other day. "Because it amounts to ego, and ego is unhealthy." "Really?" I asked. "Yes. thinking too much about yourself is selfish - you stop caring for others. you become a difficult person to deal with - you see everything through your ego lens. you have ego hassles because you need to change reality to suit your convenience, which means controlling people against their wishes, taking decisions without consulting others, using people for your own ends, and turning red when you do not get desired results. every situation becomes a threat to your image - if you succeed, you barely survive; if you fail, you lose face." "That is true", I replied. "But isn't the above description applicable to the person with low self- esteem rather than high?" "How is that?" she asked. "Well, the person who feels threatened by loss of face and experiences ego hassles is basically someone who needs to keep up the facade in order to feel OK. it seems that his self-esteem is dependent on the image he projects rather than on what he really is. His ego is the bubble that can be pricked sooner or later. he needs to protect his self-esteem from anything and anyone who threatens his competence and worth. He finds it difficult to admit mistakes and to being wrong, because he would be left with nothing to hold on to." Does this mean that ego is a sign of low self-esteem? Not necessarily. Ego comes in many avataars. There is a healthy ego, an aggressive ego, a fragile ego, and a futile ego. These four personalities represent the four life-positions of transactional analysis respectively: i.e. I'm OK You are OK, I'm OK You are not OK, I'm not OK You are OK, and I'm not OK You are not OK. Of these, the first type represents high self-esteem. The healthy ego is possessed of realistic thinking which is appropriate to context. It is assertive without being aggressive. The person is aware of her strengths and weaknesses and works with realities rather than against realities. She is willing to learn and experiment and is open to correction. Without standing on ceremony, she is willing to admit "I could be mistaken." She is willing to accept herself with her limitations without condemning herself. She is willing to work her problems through by taking appropriate responsibility. She knows her limits and lets go of wasted efforts while focusing on what she can do rather than worrying about what she can't. she is magnanimous in victory and graceful in defeat. Failure is not a tragedy -

it is just a lost opportunity. And life is full of opportunities. The aggressive ego and the fragile ego are characterized by fragmented thinking. For them, the world is black and white, and there is only one strategy adoptable for every occasion. While the former keeps demanding and battling for favourable results, the latter hopes for, but lacks the will necessary to create those results. Both the aggressive and fragile egos tend to blame the situation when frustrated. While one is inclined to anger, the other tends to self pity. Success is seen by the former as self-made, and by the latter as due to luck. While the former is non-accepting of his weakness, the latter is non-accepting of his strengths. Letting go of ego in spirituality means overcoming ego hassles, and that is achieved by developing a healthy ego able to review and renew itself in harmony with reality. Life becomes a wonderful teacher and living becomes a rewarding experience.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Shivaratri ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Shivaratri is the night of prayer - prayer for light, for knowledge, for deliverance from sorrow, for fulfilment of human life. The night represents ignorance, and Shiva is the one who delivers us from bondage. The devotee, in full faith, surrenders to the Lord of the Universe and the Lord in turn blesses the devotee with immortality. The devotee merges with the Lord to become one. In metaphysical terms, the ego has dissolved and merged with the universal self. Spiritual growth consists in moving from Tamas through Rajas to Sattva. My ego is made healthy and positive through right attitudes and holistic thinking. Opposing fragmented beliefs are resolved and integrated into wholesome wisdom. In the language of the Tao, opposites complement and flow into each other in an unending dance that constitutes the whole. My maturity comes through gathering flowers of different cultures and beliefs and weaving a beautiful garland of wisdom for all to profit and enjoy. An intelligent person learns from his own experiences. A wise person learns from others. The remaining people happen to be the others ...! Not only do they not learn, they also become examples for others how not to live. Sattva is the measure of integration that has taken place my life as a result of assimilating experiences and learning from them. This integration is possible at different levels; as an individual; in a relationship, in teams, in the community, and also at the global level. To the extent I am able to integrate myself with my surroundings, I am able to subordinate my ego to the larger self. I am able to let go of my personal ego and identify with the greater whole. I no longer want to profit at your expense. I would rather share my profits with you and enjoy the resulting goodwill. I no longer want to win over you - I want to win with you. In Sattva, 'We' is greater than 'You' or 'I'. If I identify my ego only with my personal material needs, I become sensitive to personal slights, real or imagined. I become ego-cantered seeing the entire world through my personal coloured glasses. The problem with this scenario is that I lose touch with reality! Isn't this a definition of insanity? This is generally how the scriptures describe ego or 'ahankaar'. However, when I expand the scope of my ego to include you, I am open to

seeing through your eyes, and I can show you what I see. I can help you to understand how I feel and what I need. We can walk in each other's shoes to see where it pinches. We can enhance each other without losing our individual freedom. We surrender our personal egos to the larger ego without losing our individuality. We enjoy a relationship of synergy - two plus two is more than four. WE are greater than EITHER of us. We have discovered a self that is higher than us. The highest self that my ego can include is the universal self - call it God, or Universe, or the Higher Power within me. Surrendering my ego to that universal self is not a sacrifice. Rather, it makes me fulfilled. I can let go of my personalisation and hurts, and enjoy the reality out there without distorting it in any way. There is a greater sense of trust, peace, acceptance, and freedom. There is neither I nor You. The whole universe is one family. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. The promise of Shivaratri is that of deliverance from the fragmented ego when I choose to surrender to the universal Self.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Article for Sunday Asian Age Column 27 February 2005 Sattva, Rajas, Tamas ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three types of personalities are vividly described in the Bhagavad Gita Saattvik, Raajasik, and Taamasik. Every person is a combination of all these three natures - Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Sattva accounts for insight, perspective, and balance. Sattva involves long-term holistic thinking, in contrast to Rajas and Tamas which involve fragmented thinking. Rajas accounts for 'make or break' decisions -based on short-term goals, Tamas accounts for inconclusive thinking, based on ignorance, confusion and lack of trust. The Saattvik person values harmony, learning, health and happiness, He is committed to improving the quality of his life through awareness, responsibility, and assertiveness. He lives purposefully, has self acceptance, and values integrity. The Raajasik person sees situations in terms of likes and dislikes, and takes things personally. The Raajasik person chooses between aggressive and passive behaviours, depending on which have the greatest chances of success. The Taamasik person is out of touch with all of reality. He sees everything in life as hopeless and pointless. There is no learning, no growth, - only bitterness, emptiness, and the sense of uselessness. The person exhibits confused behaviours - tends to be led, to avoid people, or to rebel most of the time. Spirituality consists in growing away from Tamas through Rajas towards Sattva. This process involves commitment to awareness, honesty, courage, and hard work. It is easy to complain, blame, and give excuses for failure. On the other hand, it takes great courage to admit that I am on the wrong track, and to take responsibility for getting back on the rails. Spirituality consists in searching for and recognising objective realities rather than holding on to my subjective beliefs that define my ego boundary. My early childhood beliefs about the world and about me are responsible for my personality. I made decisions about how to respond to my world, based on these early beliefs. My main purpose as a child was to survive all odds, which I managed to, either as a winner or as a loser. My childhood beliefs and decisions reinforced each other to become the defining boundary for my

ego. I chose my philosophy of living based on the best chance of survival win/win, win/lose, lose/win, or lose/lose, and accordingly developed healthy, aggressive, fragile, or futile ego respectively. Because my beliefs and decisions reinforced each other, it was difficult for me to be different. I grew up with my blind spots, failing to notice where reality contradicted my beliefs I became adult in age, but was trapped in a child's mental perception of reality that had no connection to my present reality. The more my beliefs were at variance with reality, the greater became my confusion and desperation. I needed to be right and to hold on to my beliefs at the cost of reality, because my early childhood beliefs had become my reality. I became a victim of my own childhood perceptions. Fortunately, I am not condemned to remain a victim. As an adult, I can open my eyes and examine my beliefs through reality testing. As an adult, I am better equipped to survive without having to be a loser. I can reassure myself and be compassionate to myself whenever I feel confused or desperate. I can open up to new learning that can change my life for good. I can develop new skills that can make a qualitative improvement to my destiny. I can subscribe to healthy beliefs that are in concordance with reality. I can develop a healthy ego that involves high self-esteem and win/win thinking. This is, in essence, the wisdom and promise of Sattva.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Article for Sunday Asian Age Column 13th Feb 2005 LIKING AND LOVING MYSELF - IV Affirmations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To listen to the friendly voices requires commitment, patience, courage, and faith. Unless I choose to believe that I am OK, capable, and worthy of love and happiness, I cannot change. Even when dark clouds of doubt and disaster loom on the horizon, I need to choose to believe in myself , to commit myself to raise myself by myself. I need to be my own friend, not my own enemy. "All of us have self-doubts at the beginning of some undertakings whether we are doctors lawyers, engineers, teachers, students, poets or salesmen. Where does faith and belief come from? From within ourselves. We are faith. We are belief. We are also doubt and unbelief. We as individuals must make the decision where we want to go in life, to be the big self or the little self. We must think of our faith and our belief as wings that can make us soar to our destination, to achieve our goals and reach self-fulfillment no matter how critical our times may be. With doubt and unbelief our creative wings are clipped for the moment and we can't get of the ground to rise above our self-imposed dungeonIt is our moral responsibility to rise above them to make something of ourselves through faith and belief. These characteristics are eternally within us waiting to be recognized waiting for action." Maxwell Maltz - THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY. To believe in myself, I require to face myself squarely and honestly. I need to know what I really need in life - they have to be my chosen goals, not something imposed on me by society. Unless I know my priorities, I am just drifting in life. I need to have a dream which I can realise. I also need to wake up in order to make my dream come true. To reach that, I have to pay a price, - in terms of dedication, discipline, perseverence, and hard work. I assess realistically my abilities that will help me get there. At every stage in my life, I can keep developing and enhancing my skills through learning and training. I need not choose to remain a victim when I can train and prepare myself to meet challenges in life. Every day as I get up from my bed, I can remind myself - I have a dream, and it is up to me to fulfil it. There is much to be done and there is little time. I will make the best use of this day to achieve, learn, share, relate, grow, and stretch my limits. I will also appreciate the blessings this day

brings to me - health, wealth, well being, friends, joys, experiences, insights, maturity. I will take difficulties in my stride and make things right when it feels wrong. I welcome pain as a learning experience, and endeavor to become a master instead of a victim. I will not allow this day to go in vain. In my journey of life, I have with me only one steady and constant companion - myself ! I am the only one I have to myself. How well do I know that self? Have I made friends with it? Do I like and love myself? The answer lies with me. Am I for myself or against myself? Am I here with a solution or am I part of the problem?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Article for Sunday Asian Age Column 6th Feb 2005 LIKING AND LOVING MYSELF - III Friendly Inner Voices ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We are told by our parents, and other adults, what we can and cannot do. We are told what we are good at and what we are not. We are told how we look. We are told what to expect, what to believe in, how to act, and what to do or not to do. Because, starting out as children, completely dependent on others, it is important to our survival to listen and to believe what others say, we learn to accept what others tell us - and we learn to believe it." Shad Helmstetter in WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU TALK TO YOURSELF. Is there anyway I can break free from the conditionings of my past programming and be my own person? It is obviously a tall order. Habits and beliefs die hard. Awareness is the first step. Am I happy with the way I am right now? Is my life lived to my satisfaction or is life just passing me by? Do I respect myself and take care of myself, or am I used and abused by everyone including myself? Does meaning in my life come from pleasing others and gaining their approval, or do I have my own approval? Does my worth come from my achievements or am I intrinsically worthy just by being a human being? Do I try to meet my needs by honestly working for them, or do I just sit back hopelessly or manipulate others to fulfil my needs? Am I inimical to myself or am I a friend to myself ? In the book THE INNER ENEMY, - Dr. George R Bach & Laura Torbet list the various friendly and enemy voices that we have internalized from our past. Among the allies are the adventurer, comforter, voice of reason and commonsense, the confidant who listens and accepts you, the optimist, the fan who admires you, the go-getter, and the dreamer who draws up possibilities and designs creative solutions . All of them are positive voices and encourage you to achieve and offer hope and comfort whenever in need. Among the enemies are those that distract you from enjoying yourself, doubt your abilities, rub salt into your wounds, discount your achievements, overindulge you,doubt the love of friends, make you pessimistic and scared, keep you invalid, cause you to blunder and procrastinate. Though some of these appear friendly, they derail you from your purpose, keep you helpless, hurt, and lost. At every moment, I am surrounded by voices from my past - messages I chose to hear from my younger days. All of them are not inimical - many of them

are friendly, helpful, cheerful and encouraging. I may have chosen to listen selectively to certain messages in the past. Perhaps many of them were depressing and critical, some others pitying and scornful. I stand at crossroads now, with a power of choice. Which are the messages I choose to listen to, pay attention to, or invoke? And what are the messages I choose to let go, tune out, and ignore? Am I clear as to who are my friends and who are not my friends? Everytime I label myself as angry, bad, lonely, incapable etc., am I stating a fact, or is that an inimical message I chose to identify with? Do I care to listen to the feedback from my friends who keep harping on the fact that I am really not that bad?

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