20-09-2024
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 hub. A
08-06-2023
A Butterfly spreading its silvery wings full of magical colors fluttering and dancing on the sweet scented flowers is an unforgettable sight. It etched a deep image in my mind remembering which frequently brings joy. Why am I so enticed by a Butterfly? And why my heart wants to hold on to this beautiful image and the feeling of blissful joy it brings? Deep in introspection the answers flashed, the Butterfly brings a message of Universal truth. Butterfly goes through metamorphosis which, in simple and mundane terms means change. Yes change, life changes but does the core change? No, we keep living in the same set ways of our lives day in and out. Metamorphosis is the change of the core…from the egg to caterpillar to pupa to a butterfly. No state is similar to the previous one, no behavior is similar to the previous one. This is change in
05-11-2022
In conversation with Meenaji…Seeker: What is the significance of the Eclipse in our lives?Meena ji: Solar Eclipse or any other eclipse is the accuracy of the rhythm of Nature. At an accurate time, the celestial bodies align perfectly and today the Earth Sun and Moon will align…will come under one gravity. The word Eclipse should not be taken as something crippling or negative. Instead we should look at this as a positive event. The Universe teaches us to align with each other when we come together and not to be shadowed by our own ego and limitations.When one comes under the shadow of another person one should not allow the ego to block one from learning something from this person. Just as one comes under the wings or aura or the eclipse of a guru resulting in gains and evolution for the individual. Similarly, when one comes under the eclipse
18-06-2022
Sleep -- the universal experience of restful time when the subconscious takes over and a time when the body and the mind go into a cleansing mode. The mind transforms into an efficient editor and sifts through the files of memories and experiences, discarding, storing or incubating the required experiences for future life moments. This process helps the human to quickly associate with the past lessons and adapt to whatever life brings in the future. In sleep this process can also lead to dreams. Oneirology or the study of dreams suggests that dreams can invoke sensations, emotions, ideas, images and positive or negative feelings. Dreams can stir the conscious mind’s imagination and one can spend hours trying to analyze the meaning of these lucid images and sensations. Dreams are usually out of the control of the conscious mind and thinking.The subconscious mind’s activity in the dream state also activates the
26-10-2021
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.Stupidity2.Suspicion3. Insecurity4. AppeasementStupidity – 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 an overactive imagination. So, in a perfectly
