Recently I visited Kolkata after a hiatus of 6 years. Oh! Kolkata… How my heart pained seeing you. It seemed as if time has stopped in this city. Everything felt dull, stagnant, old and neglected. As if to validate my feelings, lining the streets like bored children seated in an equally uninspiring classroom, were yellow Ambassador car taxis. While the world has moved on from automatic vehicles to self-driven ones, Kolkata seemed to be caught in a time warp. Ambassadors have been phased out in the rest of India. They represent a grand past and mean a lot to those who had once owned and loved them, my family included. PNJ 17 was our epic car! But today, these cars became metaphors for Kolkata and all that it had become. A beautiful memory of the time gone by, much like this grand city that was once a commercial and cultural…

A recent incident set me thinking about things that have no antidotes. Indulge in them if you have the courage to see them wreak havoc!! These are the infallible tools of the weak. The four main ones are – 1.Stupidity 2.Suspicion 3. Insecurity 4. Appeasement Stupidity – is a form of obtuse banality. Abysmal Intelligence is stupidity personified. The stupid just refuse to understand or see things from a higher perspective. Everything is obvious and basic. Black and white. No nuances, no subtleties, no faith. In fact, Meena ji often states that sometimes - simple people have the danger to become stupid and clever ones can turn shrewd! Suspicion – it’s all in the head! Suspicion can make a mountain out of a molehill or vice-versa. It all depends upon the analysis undertaken. As they say, we see what we want to see! Everything is assumable and hence possible to…

Every year, on Guru Poornima there is a frenzy of celebrations. But have we ever acknowledged the people who have taught us the greatest lessons of life? I make a humble attempt to express my deepest gratitude to those who have guided and shaped me. Let me begin by mentioning my parents, especially mother, who selflessly lived for our wellbeing. I remember her -- graceful and elegant, always adjusting, sacrificing and living for us four siblings. Never did she say anything negative about those who had pained or wronged her…. Her hard work, dedication and love for perfection always inspire, even though she is not with us in her physical form. My father, strong, loving, an upright policeman, a patriot and most of all a good human-being….hope that one day I can do them both proud. My siblings, whom I love dearly…. such incredible human beings! Nisha didi, Anshu didi…

Years ago, when I met my mentor Meena Om ji, my friends and family were distraught. My mother thought I had abandoned her for someone else, my ex-boss assumed I was possessed and controlled by a shaman and my friends looked at me as if I was someone weak -- dependent on a stranger for guidance! Till today, whenever I meet my buddies of yore, an eerie silence settles on their sagacious selves … the kind you get perhaps when you encounter an alien! It is strange that for a country that has evolved and thrived upon gurus and their disciples, this glorious parampara, tradition is frowned upon.  Of late, in some exalted circles having a guru is either too middle class or if your guru happens to be famous, wealthy and well connected, it is ‘cool’ on the surface but deep down you are still viewed as a freak!…