You are the Source

"If you are given 10 compliments and 1 insult, you will hold on to that 1 insult. You will forget all the 10 compliments.

Similarly, in life there is 80% joy: 80% happiness and 20% problems but your mind makes that 20% into 200%. Life isnt only disappointments. There can be only one disappointment - that is about your mind. Expecting wrong things at the wrong places, making wrong choices.

You dont have to be disappointed in life about many things. You be disappointed about only one thing that is your own mind. When this mind is causing so much problem, why dont you drop it? Why you hang on to that mind?

Have you done something about your mind? Have you learnt to drop it or tune it? It is just out of tune I tell you, it needs a bit servicing (Laughter). If you service your mind you will see everything is proper. It runs properly on wheels."

- Excerpt from a discourse "You are the Source" by Sri Sri Ravishankar,

The Art of Living Foundation

... ... ... ... ...

This path is not a place where you have to keep a long face all the time, to be so serious that you are digging the mountain. Here you sing, dance, listen to knowledge, sit still and meditate.. all the aspects have come together here.. isn't it !!

Meditate, celebrate, serve and smile.

You are Love, You are Joy!

Life is a single skip for joy...

first day with kids

What do you do when the kids you are teaching English to are having a conversation, in their mother tongue (in my case Japanese), unaware that you understand every word they are saying??

Today was my first day of work at Codomo GEOS. I had expected it to be a nightmare which, to my relief, it wasn't. I taught a range of kids from 2yrs to 12yrs. All the lesson's target phrases were learnt through silly games I prepared. For the first time in my life I felt exposed cuz the kids rip you apart by scrutinizing and commenting on every part of your physical and mental state. For instance, a group of 6yr olds concluded that I was from the moon cuz I wore circular earrings, pendant and bangle all of which were silver in color. After this they started talking about all the countries I could possibly be from Arabia because I wore heavy eyeliner.

Throughout the lesson I was emotionally charged up hearing so many comments in Japanese. They had no idea I understood the language and went on about things casually. But Im barred from speaking in Japanese to them because if they find out they will always talk to me in Japanese - which is not the reason of coming to an English conversations school.

To conclude, at my first day of work I -

- was mostly red in the face cuz the kids scrutinized everything I did

- heard tons of weird comments abt every instructions I gave

- said "mo-ikkai", the Japanese for one more time instead of saying it in English (what kind of an English teacher am I? lol)

- learnt that planning your lesson before a class is THE MOST important thing

- realized that the lesson may never go according to plan

But then again everyday is different and new. For now I've 2 days of holiday starting tmr during which I am going to sleep. Yipeeeeee!! :)

More musings later...

The Speaking Tree - The Times of India, 11 Aug 2009

Young people today engaged in self-exploration are looking for inner peace. They question the relevance of rituals and religious practices. Religion needs to be reinterpreted to suit the context of modern times; otherwise today’s youth might lose faith in Sanatana Dharma – the timeless faith.

The hallmark of Hindu tradition has been its great capacity to adapt itself to the lifestyles of people without losing its identity, and helping seekers focus on attaining the transcendent absolute.

The inquiry into the nature of God and self, and the practices thereof could be termed as the Hindu way of life. The ultimate aim of a Hindu is God-realisation through the spiritual practices he adopts. It is a way of life which respects and accepts all paths to self-realisation.

Hinduism is based upon the qualities of acceptance, absorption, continuous change and expansion. It is thus a dynamic, living, ever-growing set of ideas, rituals and spiritual practices. It incorporates constant acceptance and freedom of thought for all other Religions of the World.

One cannot be ‘converted’ to Hinduism. For every other religion, there are ‘rites of baptism’. Hindus consider that everyone is naturally on a journey to reach a higher awareness through the cycle of birth and death; and that the soul continuously reincarnates to experience Karmas – the effects of actions performed in earlier incarnations. This is something automatic.

In a way, everyone who is trying to explore their divinity is practising Hinduism.

Hinduism is a way of life and does not conflict with any religion for it is simply the commitment to search for the truth. One does not have to give up one’s religious identity to follow Hindu practices.

The greatness of Hinduism lies in its infinite capacity of acceptance and allowance. As long as an individual is mindful of ‘raising consciousness’ – of self, community, and humanity as a whole, one is following tenets of Hindu religion.

This has been termed as ‘Shreya’ – the essence of the Hindu way of life, in a single word.

(Finally know the meaning of my name :P tee.hee.hee)

- Relevance Of A Faith That Is Timeless

by Deepam Chatterjee

The Times of India, 11 Aug 2009

Tralaaa~ Tokyo .. "I'll be back!"

The past two weeks have been remarkable.

I visit my Japanese family in Beppu for the birth of my sister's baby. The baby girl, was late by 9days and finally born after I cooked a huge Indo-Mexican meal for my would-be-mommy-sister. I was utterly happy! I also spent sometime with my nephew, Souma, who is the most outspoken 2yr-old-japanese boy I've met.

Beppu is also the city where I lived for 4yrs during my Undergrad at Ritsumeikan APU so it holds a special place in my heart. I met up with a friends over softball game practice and had dinner with two of my English language students, Kimiko and Miki. Miki, who now has 3 grown up kids, is a busy mom and it was amazing to see her manage the crazy lot. She had 3 kids in a span of 4yrs and her eldest, Ryunosuke, is 4 while Kaede and Aoi are 3 and 1.

During the entire trip I realized how much energy goes into raising kids. After the age of 25 life sort of 'seems' stagnant cuz our face doesnt develop that much and all the pictures look the same with a few pounds here and there. But with kids every month is different from the previous cuz you can see how they change and grow-up :P I found a new (probably hidden)sense of respect for my own parents for raising 5 of us siblings, who so different from one another. It still is quite a job handling us all together!

Since my return to Tokyo last Sunday, I have been hopping from one friend's place to another's. I will be relocating to Hikone city, near the largest freshwater lake Biwa-ko, to work for GEOS for Kids. Im super excited about this chance as, at some point of time in my life, I want to write books for kids and getting a chance to be with them this close is electrifying!

Anyways, with tons of new changes saying goodbyes is always the toughest. But if I never go how will I ever return home?

Tralaaa~ Tokyo .. "I'll be back!"

Polar Bears are huggable

Polar bears have to be at the top of my favorite animals' list.

This piece reveals my feelings towards these magnificent and endangered creatures.

* Everything, big or small, effects the universe no matter whether we're aware of it or not. Take responsibility for the environment and know that you make an impact.

better version on Flickr

The Art of Living

We live in a rapidly changing world where things are becoming multicultural at an exceedingly fast rate. We are introduced to so much information that it gets a bit difficult to keep up with all thats going on "within" ourselves and in our minds while being constantly on the move.

The Art of Living courses help us have a mind free from prejudice and judgments by tapping the breath which, as you all know, is vital to our existence and also connects our body, mind and emotions.

For instance, if you notice our breaths change according to our emotions. When we are upset or angry, exhalation, sighs, hmphs are frequent as compared to when we're happy or excited, we inhale, laugh or gasp more often.

So, when these three rhythms in us are in sync, we feel a sense of harmony and well-being :)

You should try it, it is an amazing experience!

Lady Elf

The first artwork created by my new palette of Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolors.

Love the way her hair turned out.

better version on Flickr

Buddha

BETTER VERSION ON FLICKR

Japan Chronicles

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Charlie's Angels

Being a former student of Welham Girls' School, India, I create designs for t-shirts and greeting cards that are sold as souvenirs during school events.

The funny looking dots on the girls' uniforms are, what we at Welham, call "tadpoles". They are a Welhamite's identity - a print every girl associates herself with and can't do without after living in the boarding school for 8 years.

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I Have Wings

Illustrations for I Have Wings coffee-table book released as a memento for Welham Girls' School's 50th Anniversary in 2007.

BETTER VERSION ON FLICKR

Pegasus and the Ladies

The character of Pegasus in Disney's Hercules has been a personal favorite since I first laid eyes on him in 1997.

I had used Pegasus in a black & white illustration I created for my high school magazine, Chrysalis, in 2006. To add some perspective to the illustration I have been itching to remake it in color ever since and finally did so only a few weeks back.

I love both the works and here it is in color.

BETTER VERSION ON FLICKR

The Lifesaver

With growing urbanization and slums around the globe, the number of deaths caused by drinking contaminated dirty water is on the rise. We wonder how we could efficiently provide these people and secure ourselves of having this basic commodity no matter where we go.

Well, here is the solution. Its called The Lifesaver.

If you're like me and you'd rather watch than read, check out a talk given by its founder Michael Pritchard at one of the TED conferences.

The Lifesaver is a safe, easy-to-use water purifier that can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds.

Why spend money on mineral water or wait for a natural calamity to hit?

Get your own Lifesaver now.

Making the Right decision

Sometimes when logic prevails, we ignore our gut feelings, understanding later that a rational approach was only one way of determining the situation.

After much debate in my own head I took up a 9-to-5 job in a Japanese company as my gateway into the world. Between testing & cleaning machines and experiencing the comfortable life in sub-urban Tokyo I made peace with the usual office chores that almost all my friends are mentally (if not physically) doing with their lives in Japan.

I had taken up this job by looking at patterns in lives of people around me. While I associated myself with them I also convinced myself that the same is bound for me unless fate makes things happen.

Now, after one and a half years, I realize that we are never given anything unless we truly have the desire for it.

Fate, chance, luck - exists only in our hearts and minds to help us achieve what we want. But the first step into seeing that dream has to be ALWAYS done by us alone.

I decided to quit my job just before they moved me into the highly respectable Sales office so that I can pursue my dream of studying art.

At work some mates told me its crazy to QUIT a 'secured' in this economic situation while my bosses said its a crazy idea altogether to go school when I'm already making a living.

I know all of the above are true. But more than anything else I know I am not going to be one of those who lives their entire life only realizing in the last days that I could have been somebody had I done it differently.

Its always harder to do the right than the easier wrong.

What follows after 20th August might be an easy or a difficult set of experiences. But I know I will MAKE my own path, look back and smile at whatever was.

Solar Eclipse - limelight or ill omen?

While the world marveled the total solar eclipse 2009 earlier today morning, my Japanese workmates in Tokyo were least interested to know anything about it.

Occurring for the first time in 46yrs, the next predicted to be in 2132, the sun, moon and earth aligned themselves for 6 mins 39 secs to create near darkness after dawn in Asia and the Pacific regions.

I was thrilled to receive constant updates in Japan from my twin sister who watched the eclipse in our hometown of Patna (India), which was one of ideal cities to view the occurrence. She told me that her excitement matched nothing compared to that of one of our helpers at home, whose small village of Taregna was the BEST spot to view the eclipse.

With more than two lakh researchers, astronomers, scientists and people from across the globe descend in Taregna to view the event, the villagers didn't know what they had done to deserve the sudden limelight. Taregna (means "stars" in the local language) and nearby Khagual (derived from khagshastra which means "astronomy") are the places where the 6th century astronomer-mathematician ARYABHATTA* had camped and built his observatory at the Sun Temple for his studies.

*ARYABHATTA found the notion of zero and also proposed that the earth rotates on its axis.

It gave me a kick to think that in India, where superstitions sometimes takes the excitement out of people's lives (like the eclipse being a bad omen i.e. a triumph of the evil over good) people, even in a rural areas, were more concerned whether they would get a view of the eclipse more than anything else.

For me this a positive change in the mindset and I don't think there are any ill omens to it. Moreover, it is inspiring to see people be in awe of the universe unlike my workmates in Japan who don't seem to care about anything.

Life is to enjoy, celebrate and be happy about and not just stare at a screen 24/7.

Scared to be ME?

I am going through an artist’s block these days.

After attending my very first SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) in Tokyo last week, I was enthused to create a portfolio like no other for my art school applications. Since majority of my works are illustrations in black & white (owing to the format of a students’ magazine I was a part of during high school), I wasn’t sure whether presenting these drawings would be good enough to get me into a school.

Almost every one of the designers and authors I met at SCBWI network meeting said that I should remake a few illustrations by adding colors to them. Getting suggestions from people who were in the field I am hoping to plunge into, I put my energy in asking them for as much feedback and advice as possible. They reciprocated and were kind enough to give me tips on page layouts, backgrounds, designs and most importantly – on creating a storyline while showcasing my work.

All said and done, I returned to my den excited as crazy on Thursday with scraps of paper and visiting cards but then the weekend came along and turned me upside down, taking away my thrills.

The weirdest thought occurred to me just before I sat to start my first illustration re-make. I was scared as hell to re-do my own drawings, petrified whether I will be able to re-create it or not. Being a person extremely annoyed with distorted and imperfect pictures, especially if I am the artist, I have been holding back for a week now to work on my own portfolio.

Ironically, I need to gather strength and support from me to be me!

Switch to Electric?

An overview of BETTER PLACE, the leading electric vehicle (EV) services provider, catalyzing the transition to sustainable transportation -

Although we have consumed only 30% of the Earth’s proven reserves, much of the remaining supply is locked away in unconventional sources like tar sands and deep water, making it far more expensive to extract.

Over the last 100 years, oil has fueled industrial development, mobility and prosperity for much of the world. Future progress will be made possible by new sources of energy.

A sustainable electric automotive solution is vital to economic opportunity, energy independence and a cleaner planet. Never have the prospects been better. Consumers are enthusiastic about the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) and their potential to eliminate exposure to surges in gas prices, foster new job opportunities, and reduce CO2 emissions and improve air quality. Governments are increasingly supportive as they look to stimulate weakened economies and improve trade balances. Automakers are developing an increasingly diverse range of new electric powered vehicles in hopes of revitalizing exceptionally weak consumer demand.

View my MINIFESTO!

The meaning of Travieso

It completely slipped out of my mind to explain the meaning of my blog "stash-travieso" on Blogspot.

For starters, Travieso is a Spanish word, with a number of meanings.
Some of these are - transverse, oblique, Restless (inquieto), uneasy, flighty, knavish, turbulent, noisy; mischievous.
Its not that I chose Travieso because a number of people mistake me for being a Spanish/Mexican.
What amazes me is that an English word can sound really cool by adding an "o" or " i " at the end of it. You know what I mean... finito, momento, inquieto !!!
I seriously feel I would enjoy learning Spanish and have the ability to become pretty good it.
But with my present toils to cope with speaking and learn Japanese at work make me tired.

Nonetheless, given the right frame of mind and time, I think I will give it a shot to learn some Spanish !!!

How fish leads to Absinthe

Hearing about a friend's visit to Tsukiji, the largest seafood market in the world, I couldnt stop myself from searching for videos of it online. Enormous fish being brought in, sliced, packed and frozen for the sushi eating Japanese was pretty amazing!!!!

As usual I got caught up on youtube and watched a couple of big tuna fishing videos, which led me to read a few chapters of the online version of THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA(you see, the old man used to catch marlins!!) Then I started reading about Hemingway ('cuz he was the author of OMS) and began wondering why he shot himself. This made me discover that he drank heaps of ABSINTHE (which causes mental instability) and that one of its cocktails is actually called DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON (cuz Hemingway shot himself in the afternoon). This led to articles on the origins of absinthe, how it has medicinal value but then it was banned cuz a couple of people started to go high on it, and what is its status quo.

Soon enough I realized I had spent an hour and a half reading/viewing/searching/finding stuff on the internet just as I used to flip through channels on the TV as a kid.

I have tons of weird information that can help me initiate good conversations on any of the above topics. But is it really going to help me anywhere??

God bless the internet, the new idiot-box.