Do you want to smile?

Am I happy?
Will success make me happy?
Okay if I imagine that I have all the success in the world...
I become top notch in my field of interest.
Will I be happy?
Will money give me happiness?
If I become a billionaire... Own a private jet...an island... Power to buy anything....
Will that make me happy?
Will designation give me happiness?
I climb up the ladder... Maybe get to CEO level...own the company... Own clusters of such company... Become the owner of a huge empire...
Will that make me happy?
Will awards and titles or trophies make me happy?
Industry awards, government awards, international awards... Highest awards considered in the society...
Would that make me happy?
Recognition? Popularity? Fan following? Fame? Glamour? Political power?
Will the guarantee of retaining youth make me happy?
If I m granted the blessing of staying young always...?
Would that make me happy?
Would longevity.... Maybe conquering death? Maybe guarantee of my loved one's lives...???
Would anything above make me happy?
Can happiness be captured?
Can happiness be sealed for life...?
Can happiness be permanent ?
Is happiness important...?
What is it....? That will make me really really happy?
So many times...smallest things give me happiness....
Rains on a holiday...
Every moment of performance on stage...
New choreography that happens...
A sizzling perfect Tadka...
Undisturbed noon nap...
My students dancing well and practicing regularly and taking care of themselves...
Getting to watch my Dance teacher perform...
Painting on background to Music with a fabulous cup of chai...
Watching puppies play....
Holding a new born baby....
Making an infant laugh....
Seeing my garden bloom....
Trip to a vegetable market in the peak of spring with freshest produce ever
Coming back to a clean and tidy house...
Rearranging my cupboard...
Hot soup on a cold night...
Watching Rom coms
Sitting next to my soul mate
Holding hands of a loved one...
Hugging my favorite people...
Meeting my besties...
Eating a piping hot phulka right from the tawa to my plate....
Watching the sky which shows stars (unclouded and clear) away from city lights....

And if the above things don't happen....
Am I not happy?
Not really, I am still happy....
I have been asking myself this question time and again...
And what I realized that the level of happiness is relative and changes with not just person to person but with the same individual as he or she evolves with time....

One thing is for sure... Concentrating on things or experiences which gives me happiness definitely makes me happy... Do I ignore things that don't make me happy? No... I definitely don't ignore them...
Do I face them , fight them, struggle?
No... I let them be... They exist and hence must have some importance
I just like to not concentrate on them...
I acknowledge them... It's the presence of not so happy things that makes happiness that precious...
The theory is that there should be detachment rather from everything.
Anything that does not give me happiness but happens is for a reason... And I may or may not be responsible for it.... However the very fact that it happens is because I have written it in my blueprint in order for myself to work with the divine plan...
I am not just for myself....
My blueprint is intertwines with millions of other souls....
My happy may be someone else's not so happy....
So without judging moments by how they make us feel... Let us be grateful.... For what ever happens....
Good bad ugly happy unhappy are perceptions....
Every moment is nothing but An experience...
Every experience, A teacher....
Even striving for happiness is sometimes a stress...
Attachment to happiness is a burden....
In fact a few people secretly Romance tragedies...
We never know what would inspire whom and at what point of time?
Valuing what we already have is good...
Aspiring for better and for more is nice...
Taking efforts being regular diligent sincere is fantastic...
Eg. After working for 16 hours a day to come home to a family eager to see you is a blessing. Yes... But here happiness is relative... The man of the house may want to relax for a bit... Unwind... Sit back and have his dinner in front of the television.... Put up his legs on the recliner and watch his favorite series for a good hour... For him this would be a his me time....
For his wife and daughter this time would be their eagerly awaited family reunion in the day... The girl would want to tell her dad all about her fun time in class. The wife would be wanting to share her day...
In the above scenario no one is right or wrong...
However there are expectations...
There is me time.
They is giving... There is understanding....
Now is there a priority or importance to one person's happiness than other one's?
It is relative... It is how we take it... Expectations would burden... Self content and engrossment would ease things out...
It is okay to live and let live...
If the husband's choice is to relax And if that is important to him... Let him do that.... Why kill the deal with gyan of what he should or must do... It's his life... His priorities would make him happy... He must do just that....
The wife.... If she wants to sleep off she must... If she wants to give silent company to her husband while he watches his serial she can.... If she wants to sit and talk beside him and tell him her things while he watches his TV it's her choice.... If she wants to wait for him and wake up to have a conversation after he comes to sleep.... It's her choice.... If she wants to nag fight or complain and sulk..... It's again her choice.... The child will do what he or she wants to do.... It's non judgmental... He or she would take inspiration from how the adults in the house behave.... Influence and examples are what kids learn from.

A friend doesn't talk fondly with you anymore.... Maybe he or she is busy... Maybe he or she has prioritized things in life for his or her own good... Maybe your behaviour has changed... Maybe it's time to move on. Maybe you both need space... Rather an interval... Maybe the affection is still there and now the relationship is evolved to an extent that it's understood.... For him or her it's okay to not say it... Maybe for you it is important to express... So do what you want to do... Yell them how you feel.... Just that don't compel them to do things for you out of their comfort zone just so that you d be happy....
WE CANNOT CONTROL HOW THE OTHER PERSON WOULD/MUST BEHAVE.
It's his or her own right and no one can take that away from him or her just like no one can tell us what to do....
Whether to be gentler kinder happier giver is our choice....
It's okay to select an option which ceases to be positive in social norms...
It is our individual choice... We decide to live by it...
Live and let live...
Happily or unhappily is up to us...
So how we d like to feel is an individual choice based on our actions and response to the external precursors that happen from time to time.....
So let us be thankful for all the perceptive good and not so good things that are happening around us...
We are evolving because we are experiencing life in our perception...
Happiness is neither a myth not a reality...
It is a perception...
We can just live now.
That's the best we can do.

Tasmay Shree Guruve Namaha

- Prajakta Sathe

Present ma'am!!!

So much can be observed thought over decided upon done and practiced with regularity in our day to day lives...
I very recently made a significant change in my lifestyle
I was amongst majority of young women in the city who would grab the minutes of their eating time and multitask it into more things than just eating
I would make phone calls, would read emails, watch you tune videos or would help Kanha out with his writing homework or drawing activity while eating.
As urban clock competing humans, we are always pressed for time and hence rely on Multitasking as one of the means to cope with the lacking of it...
Well, when I got thinking as to why we do all that running every single day?
Yes, for a comfortable living, peaceful rest and Good food as the basic instinct that drives us to do what we do every day.
But then why do we have to Watch the God damn television or talk on ohones or read messages or answer mails or do random errands while we eat?
I have seen some of my closest associates eat while driving...!
One can get so busy....? That one can't find enough time to sit and eat quietly in one place...?
Is work so harsh on us that we forget  simple joys of relishing the food we eat?
Many of us wouldn't be able to recollect anything that we ate today morning (forget about remembering what we had yesterday)
Why? Why is this lack of awareness?
Why are we not present in the moment?
Recently when I Eat I just eat....
And with this there are so many minute changes that I have observed...
I understand every little speck of eating like it rightly should feel...
The bitter, salty, sweet, spicy, sour are the basics which I had never experienced in a new light before
Yes even subtle flavours are recognised and appreciated...
I am so thankful for what I see on my plate....
I feel so grateful for the nourishment it provides me...
I feel so fortunate to have been blessed to eat what I want when I want and how I want it...
I feel extremely lucky to have surroundings that lend peace and tranquility to this experience
Food is a medium to satisfy the senses and it should rightly serve the purpose...
I regularly maintain an actual Pen and paper good diary to note down all that I ate in a day and how I felt after eating it.
I kind of know if I have over eaten anytime or eaten in haste or eaten something driven out of mood fluctuation....
We all eat for various reasons...
The main reason should be hunger.
I now have begun to listen to my body. It communicates so well about its needs
And this is a wonderful relationship to have....
Being present in one moment gas slowly made me aware of how Present I should be in all other moments that I live...
I would be a typical Android woman fidgeting with my phone FB WhatsApp and networking sites at all times...
Just when Divinity decided to teach me via experience.
For 4 days, my net conked off...
Whenever I would step out if the house I would be with no data network
First day was utterly disturbing with nothing to see on over my phone...
Second day I missed updates but felt okay
Third day I did not bother unlocking the screen to look for anything...
Fourth day I know I could easily live without getting addicted....
For these four days I was present at l times of the day in whatever I did and whomever I met
I was so aware alert and sharp that I could pick up every single thing that was happening around.
I was less tired at the end of the day.
I slept better....
I hence decided to use the phone down policy when ever I was with people and hence am Working towards it....
I have all ears for what my husband kid mother friend student or maid say to me at any given point of time.
I don't keep forgetting things...
The Android tab remains closed when I m with people.
I am not a Pro yet... It will take time...
But I am so sure it will happen soon.
Being present in the moment doing feeling giving taking experiencing assimilating processing creating responding everything becomes seamless and spontaneous...
When our kids tell us excitedly about tiny stories of how their friend told them a joke and how their class teacher played a prank on them - BE PRESENT
When our spouse tells us excitedly about the upcoming project or progress in his or her field or any challenge at work - BE PRESENT
When your mom tells you about how some of her office colleagues became a grandmoms in their 40s - BE PRESENT
When your maid tells you about her sons 12th Board exam economics paper going tough - BE PRESENT
When your father tells you about their senior citizen privilege membership at a garden nearby which gives them a wide range of facilities to use - BE PRESENT
When your Girl Gang Bestie calls up to check if you think Cowl tees are passe or still in or if she could still wear one just because it makes her feel snuggle  and young... - BE PRESENT
When your inner self asks you to drop everything and take a walk, a break or a nap - BE PRESENT
Being present is the best gift we can give ourselves
We graduate from Doing to Being and gracefully so...
Inhale
Exhale
slow deep breathing
smile as you do it
BE PRESENT
Tasmay Shree Guruve Namaha

- Prajakta Sathe

Inside out...

I remember sharing notes about nutrition with parents and students of my Dance institute.
It was when I saw a few hardworking and talented students of mine gorging on Junk food before class started, I felt the need of raising the topic.
Today when parents of young kids taking up sports as a serious co curricular activity are getting serious about their nutrition requirement for optimum performance, I was concerned for students of performing arts not taking enough care of their eating patterns...
Unless one got serious about being professional performers or torch bearers in this profession which is largely visual and energy based, things weren't going to look up.
So I always make it a point of giving a pep talk about clean eating in class whenever there is a new admission.
With my personal tryst with fitness and clean eating, experience has taught me that what we eat shows on out face on our bodies and in our energy... Rujuta Diwekar has been instrumental in this awareness along with my eternal inspiration and source of wisdom, my Guruji.
The pointers which I presented in front of the parents of prospective seekers of performing arts as a serious part of their lives were as follows...

1) Eat fresh
We have a famous saying applicable to most Indian households...
Food is best when it's from pan to plate....
Hence TAAZA is best...
Fresh also means Raw. All seasonal fruits and vegetables and freshest produce when purchased less frequently from the market has lower standing time on the fridge and is cooked well before it starts wilting is the right way to go...
I admire my mom who picks up fresh stock of vegetables while her way back from office to home, and cooks it right away for dinner.
She gets another fresh stock from the market while she gets back from her morning walk and cooks it right away for breakfast n lunch...
This is such a perfect way to make sure the food is great to taste and even more so in terms of freshness....
I understand that urban working women may not have enough time to do this however it's never too late to start in our own small ways....

2) Eat Local
There was a time when I was bonkers about the exotic looking bell peppers, fragrant herb, asparagus, broccoli, mushroom varieties and corn that were foreign but new to us. However with time and research on the same I realised that what counts is the travel time of farm to mouths and carbon foot print is of serious concern in this day and hour.
Why leave our very own Mango, Jackfruit, Guava, Chickoo, Green Grapes and Sitaphal and run frantically buying Dragon fruit, Pink grapes, Kiwi, Passion fruit, Berries, Californian Apples and cherry tomatoes? Our Ber or Bor variants are good enough with ample nutrients in  them.
When the demand of local produce increases, Indian farmers will be encouraged to come up with desi crops and the import load will reduce making the economy better at sustainability, profit and ecologically balanced better...
It is okay to munch on desi matar instead of ordering Edamame beans which are exorbitant...
Both would give us proteins.
Our very own millets pulses cereals and grains are as good or even better than the plush Quinoa which is considered the saviour of many people trying to eat healthy...

3) Eat Clean
Anything that comes out of a bag, can or tetra pack is a shortcut.
I am talking about processed food here. By minimising the packaged food in our diets we are allowing minimum exposure to harmful chemicals and additives that may enter our body through products from a packet.
This includes all biscuits, cookies, cakes, chips, instant noodles, processed butter cheeses etc.
We are fortunate to have options... Home cooked rules all the time...

4) Eat home cooked meals
Home made white butter, ghee, laddu, chiwda, kheer, roti subzi, Dals, rice, kachumbar, raita, chutney is fantastic. We can have it without guilt.
Til Gul ladu in sankrant, halim/aliv or dink/methi ladoos for new lactating mothers or for everyone to have in winters, aam panna or kokun sharbat and morawla in summers, home fried bhajiyas ( once in a season) during monsoons - all of this is with a well thought over purpose and with a scientific reason.
Anything which is home cooked, fresh and when moderately consumed in synchronisation with the season is always good for us.

Quick snacks.
1) Soaked or dry almonds with dates or khareek ( dry dates)
2) Walnuts with raisins
3) Cashews with jardalu/khubani/apricots
4) Pistas with dry anjeer

This fruit and nut combo is great as a pre energy consuming activity

Quick meals
1) boiled sprout chat
2) banana roti roll with ghee
3) dates roti roll with ghee
4) roasted chana and jaggery
5) roti subji roll with salad shreds for crunch and a hint of fresh chutney ( wraps or franky- homemade and fresh)

Add on fillers,
1) cucumber/ carrot/ radish sticks with or without a yogurt dip.
2) Homemade Chiwda
3) Chaas with or without masala
4) fruit of choice ( I find grapes, bananas and apples great to eat and least messy while travelling)

Post hectic energy consuming activity
One must be careful to include good protein sources like paneer, sprouts, dal, egg whites or poultry  (for non vegetarians.) in their post activity meal.

With proper awareness and commitment to CLEAN eating sky is the limit when it comes to what one can achieve.
I now understand that food cannot be labelled or measured in terms of just the calorific value... It lends much more to our bodies than calories.
It is nutrient dense vibrational energy source... This is called life force energy or Prana.
Freshest raw produce vibrates at a higher frequency
Cooked food next to it....
Stored, stale or packaged food contains least energy and hence isn't much beneficial to our overall well-being...
When I now feel like having a bowl of soup... I just don't open up and pour it off from a packet but I start from scratch... Steaming boiling blanching.... Whatever it takes....
It is all worth the effort....
After all our body is a Divine gift to us and it's our utmost and ultimate responsibility to take good care of it.
Don't we all notice how fresh we feel after eating a bowl of freshly cut watermelon or shredded tossed salad.... Yes it's pure vibrating energy food that's nourishing every cell from within.

So next time before class starts, for your own sake, Don't open a bag of chips or a pack of biscuits, it's not going to make any good. Open up your tiffin and eat.
Eating clean is the only way to go.
It will 100 percent show on our face and the energy we exude... The freshness, the glow, the skin, the smile... Say it all...

The above points are written considering that all of us lead or intent to lead a relatively active lifestyle and undertake at least some physical activity or exercise per day.
Cheers to moving more and eating clean....

Tasmay Shree Guruve Namaha.

- Prajakta Sathe

Q and A

A set of questions which recently acquired a new meaning in my perspective...
I ve been asked a few of these over the last few months by various people, friends, family members as well as acquaintances and I am amused as to how similar questions get repeated over and over again....
With the write ups, I have had these asked on social media messengers and watsapp and over the phone too...  I decided to write about it...

Do you read?
No

Since when?
Since 2014. However,  I keep referring to Amrit, the book written by my Guruji from time to time.

Why?
Because I don't feel like

Did you read earlier?
Yes

Why was that?
Because reading gave me pleasure then.

How staunch are you in this non reading phase?
Nothing hard and fast about it... I do read anything that interests me... It can be anything...magazine, stories, articles, novels, biographies, facts, fiction, sci fi stuff, designs, music, food, fitness.... anything...

Could you name a few things that you would definitely not read about?
Politics, cricket, violence...

Do you watch news?
Nope

Why?
I don't think it lends any value to my time.

Do you feel out of place in a group of people who happen to talk about these things?
I somehow rarely get myself in a place or a bunch of people where cricket politics or violence is talked about... And even I am, I  am a witness, an observer, a silent presence in the room... I do not participate actively. I am quiet...And I don't feel left out or odd... I am happy to listen...

Do you move out of that place then...?
If I have something more interesting to be done at that time, I definitely move out and get bust doing that... Or else I just be there... I prefer to hold a neutral stand... No accepting , no rejecting..

How about a random group of people that you encounter and are kept in...can you go on having a conversation with just about anyone?
In most cases I do end up having a great verbal or non verbal conversation with people I am with, irrespective of whether I am meeting them for the first time or the nth time...

What is this non verbal conversation?
When we speak... We never just speak what we hear... Our body emotes with us ... Our eyes communicate... Our aura does more talking than we do...
So it isn't necessary that we have a one on one vocally audible conversation. I have had some of the most profound and engrossing conversations non verbally.

Why do you write?
I write because it's an inner calling which I am focussing on without any doubts... I find that this act is giving me peace pleasure and satisfaction. It isn't a compulsive thing... The day I don't feel like writing , I don't write...
And everything is worth if its spontaneous... Specially writing...

Don't you feel that if you read more, watch more or talk more, you could write better?
Getting better in writing is not the point at all... It may or may not happen eventually... The only point here is we should be able to do what we really want to do... Information Knowledge and Wisdom are significantly different things... And there has to be enough personal clarity on what one seeks... I know what I want and hence there is no doubt as to the purpose of me doing one thing or not doing another thing...
Tomorrow if I feel like I must read or watch or talk, I would... Nothing is a taboo, nothing is compulsively prohibited...

So what is your policy right now?
Hahaha.... What policies ya... I m happy doing my thing and I am happy that others are doing their stuff... When a collaboration comes up I am sure I'll give my best and let you decide what and how you want to give... No expectations no disappointments....

What is this phase of positivity all about...?
Positive negative is a perspective...
We cannot label... It's not a phase but a sense of belonging... I feel I am in a positive mode right now... It might not be as positive in your view... Like I said earlier.... To each his/her own... Live and let live...

Does that mean you won't help?
I will should and must help when I am asked for and when the need arises...
Why gush over it until it happens...? We are all helping each other quite a lot by just being ourselves and in our own ways...significant or subtle....

How do you relax?
I am relaxed most of the times. I don't have to set up an alarm for it... I am already relaxed.... Though I d like to sleep more...

Where do you see yourself in the future?
Ahh ... I don't know... Right now I am here , I feel good and that's all I can tell you.

Who's behind all this?
My Guruji Naushir.

Tasmay Shree Guruve Namaha

- Prajakta Sathe

Close our eyes....

I had the very first mango of the season  yesterday...
The very first bite was with my eyes closed...
Relishing the piece of juicy awesomeness, the taste, the flavour, the aroma...
This is how most of us taste our favorite things... Isn't it? We CLOSE OUR EYES....
It is hot now...most of the pot plants and compound plants have their base mud in cracks daily...
I eagerly await the moment when the gardener waters the plants and I plan a walk in the compound just at the same time to smell the awesome heady earthy moistness in the air...
All of us by default, CLOSE OUR EYES to smell the heavenly wet mud after the first showers...
I rarely get to go by the sea shore...
Walking on the sand with company is one of my favorite things to do...
Many of us love being by the beach to chill out and relax...
While most of us like to do our own things, some swim or hang out in water , some do adventure water sports, some build castles, a few others eat and drink merry, yet another group just enjoys the sunrise and sunset...
Well what most of us do eventually is, that we CLOSE OUR EYES, to hear the waves crashing near or far, the breeze flowing through our hair, the saltiness and the humidity, typical on shore weather....
What are your favorite flowers?
Mine are mogra and swarnchampa or sonchapha.... I always take the first whiff of its beauty by my eyes closed...
Music lovers that all of us are, we listen to a pure rendition and we automatically CLOSE OUR EYES...
We come back from work sit on the sofa and relax drink a glass of water and let out a hussssshhhh and yes WE CLOSE OUR EYES...
Yog practitioners or individuals who meditate prefer to CLOSE OUR EYES while we are at it...
If we've ever picked a newborn and held it close to our cheeks or near our heart, if we have ever tried to calm down a crying baby by patting... we are most likely to CLOSE OUR EYES
Whenever we meet our besties or our loved ones after a long long time, we hug them and we hug them tight and long....we CLOSE OUR EYES...
We CLOSE OUR EYES when we kiss...
We CLOSE OUR EYES when we pray or bow down to show respect to someone...
We CLOSE OUR EYES when we are overwhelmed and teary...
We CLOSE OUR EYES when we sneeze and often when we yawn...
We CLOSE OUR EYES when we are in fear...
We CLOSE OUR EYES when we do that last rep of a heavy set in gym...that last pull or push or lift....which is totally worth it...give all our strength and effort....
There are soooooooooooooo many other things that are better with our eyes closed....
We CLOSE OUR EYES when we sleep...
When eyes are such a blessing in life...
Why do we close them at moments of utmost importance or significance...
We are visual beings and are driven by images and scenes....
Why do we have to CLOSE OUR EYES...?
Scientifically, interacting with both physical and visual stimuli, the brain cannot fully appreciate the physical when distracted with the visual.
Well, vision is a blessing yet if most precious things are felt with our eyes closed, it means that we do need to close our eyes more often....
Except for fear sneeze or yawn, which is not much in our control or hands,
all other things mentioned above are things that give us pleasure, are things that make is happy...
We should and must do things that make us joyous more often right?
Smell the flowers, smell the air in natural environment, eat fresh, meditate, chant, pray, listen to music, taste what you love, be in the Greens or by the sea, meet our loved ones, hug, hold, kiss, carry a baby, feel the innocence and the tenderness, caress a sleeping child, relax after  long day, sing , thank with our heart, sleep....feel...know...be aware with getting lost in the feel world....
It is beautiful, it is precious, it's just what we need.....
We are so blessed because we know what makes us happy....
Let us do it more often ....
We just need to CLOSE OUR EYES....
Tasmay Shree Guruve Namaha

- Prajakta Sathe

Random blessings...

Its lovely to see how climate changes and so does our temperament...
Well, now that we have decided to stop complaining let us keep at it...
It was just yesterday that I was returning from the gym...
The road between my house and the gym passes through a municipal garden...
As I walked pass the garden footpath, I noticed that the road had not much crowd except a few drivers that were hanging around post lunch and a few rickshawallas taking a noon nap...
It was hot, humid and I was super drenched from the workout and sore as well...
I wasn't complaining at all, however I couldn't wait to get home for a shower and a nap...
Just as I walked on the garden periphery, a stray dog followed me unobtrusively...
I noticed it but didn't give it attention...
And then in the scorching heat of the noon sun, suddenly out of nowhere there was a gentle cool breeze...
An ample shower of Indian laburnum Amartas flowers dropped from a tree over me and the dog...
Since I was soaking right from the gym the golden yellow blooms stuck on my skin....
The feel of the petals was so gentle and soft that I had goosebumps right at the moment...
And man what a shower it was...
There was a carpet of gold that I was walking on...
The dog following me in this scenario and it kind of looked ceremonial...
Feeling truly like some princess I held my head up high and my gait turned from tired parched and famished to feeling fabulous pretty and pampered...
I stopped, literally gathered a few flowers in my hands as they kept dropping off the tree,
I had my Shahrukh pose ready for the collection right in the middle of the way....
When my hands could collect a few I looked at the dog...
He gave me a casual look, as if he meant to say, "Hey girl, I am a Royal already, you seem to be new... Get used to it and next time you are walking down the road; walk already like a princess... Don't just change your face in a jiffy and surprise me like this... silly Dame"
By the time I reached the compound gate I had the widest smile on my face...
The watchman was amused seeing a flowery sweat head grinning brightly...
I strutted inside my colony and walked right inside my wing...
I took the stairs (when I m back from the gym I generally take the lift only because I need to rush home)
And my noon was made...
 My day was set...
There are significant yet subtle ways in which something invisible cares for you and guides you from within...
The only way we can come to know about it is through awareness...
Keeping all our senses open and accepting, we can embrace blessings with all our heart...
The dog could have been a random dog...
But for me he seemed like a guardian angel...
The flowers could have irritated me by sticking on my already sweaty skin but no they didn't...
It felt awesome...
It may be that sudden shower of rains that drenches you on your way to office...
Oops...that kind of sucks right?
Specially if it's a train travel in wet clothes and then you enter your AC office...
It isn't funny right??? And this can make you cranky and irritated...
If you have time, you can first choose to visit a mall and buy yourself  new set of clothes and a towel and change...
Well a surprise opportunity to shop right?
If you can't somehow do that, you can visit the office loo take some tissues and dry whatever you can and then grab a cup of hot beverage of your choice place a plastic bag on your chair and start working like it was  final stage of a competition of khatron ke khiladi where you have to finish a task in extreme cold...
Focus on work... If the sun decides to peep in do take a breather and try bathing in heat for a while.
It is a break from the routine...
And no it won't make you sick,
No you don't have to COMPLAIN about the mess...
If the co workers pity you... Give them a smile...
Similarly drenched colleagues would start gossip and sympathy game...
Do not participate...
Remember it is a break from random routine...
Can you physically change anything about it?
No...
Then why mentally suffer?
It is in our hands literally to feel bad or good about something....
Every moment is new and trust yourself for your ultimate good...
It is not a life and death situation in smallest of things that we crib about ..
And even if it was, the attitude of positivity will give you courage to face any adversity thrown in your way...
Any challenge is always a learning opportunity...
Like my Guruji always says, challenges will keep repeating themselves until we choose to learn our lesson or accept and face it with a positive attitude.
One of the fool proof ways to get better at this is by practicing Sadhana under an enlightened Guru.
The Guru with his Grace and guidance teaches you to get rid of the emotional garbage in your mind and keep your auric field clean and subtle body pure...
This results in us getting less affected with the daily problems that we face and a tangential shift of focus to solutions takes place...
This is not an overnight magic that happens, however it happens one aspect at a time...
We d be amazed that what seemed like atrocities a few years back , hardly matter now...
And we are better equipped at handling external triggers that might shake our internal peace...
A positive loop starts and keeps rolling till we constantly keep at it...
It works if we make it work and if we work towards it....
Being grateful and thankful for every single thing in life is a key to happiness...
With high vibrations you are less likely to have major setbacks as life brushes past in any speed...
The gears are in your Guru's able control and for your ultimate good...
As cliche as it sounds, We are not physical bodies with a soul, We are Spirits (spiritual beings) with a human body...
Tasmay Shree Guruve Namah

- Prajakta Sathe

Shed, toss and rip off...

We have a natural tendency to complain
We almost counsel and comfort ourselves by complaining....
We complain about heat, traffic,
work pressure, inflation, pollution, population growth, budget, Government, water shortage, global warming, ecological balance, environmental issues, mental health conditions, stress, lack of physical activity, obesity, influence of television, addiction to internet, not having enough time, not respecting time, not getting sleep, not getting paid, not getting laid (more often), not getting to spend time, kids not listening to us, parents having diametrically different views, spouse being workaholic, maids not coming on time, driver taking too many leaves, drug abuse by stars, farmer suicides....
We judge others and then complain of them being rude, showy, bossy, aggressive, submissive, passive, negative, boastful, mean, touchy feely, sensitive, controlling etc etc....
Ahh... So many attributes in a day...
So many tabs open on the window of our mind...
However, if we take a step back...rather a few steps back and try and look at the broader picture , we'd find ourselves amongst the global group of complainers in some way or the other...
Some of us have chronic traits while others have milder ones...
We grow up learning to COMPLAIN as a part of our system...
We see our parents and adult counter parts do it as kids and we sub consciously adopt this strategy...
It could be a coping mechanism to many...
But till when....???
And for what????
And why????
Do we have to continue to COMPLAIN and judge????
We ourselves have soooo many labels to us....
We have been labelled as outspoken creative artistic intense secretive obnoxious moody at times...
A few of these labels are considered as glorified titles...
There are adjectives and then there are adjectives....
People around will continue to judge till slowly one by one there is an individual change....
Stopping judgement will result in finding no reasons to COMPLAIN and more reasons to feel happy about absolutely everything....
This is a chain reaction and a spontaneous one at that....
Once this starts and gives fabulous results it will spread....
Even if every one of us start by deciding to not complain for 15 mins per day to begin with....
(Yes...15 mins seems like so little but it might actually be a lot to consciously follow)
So for the first week if we decide to consciously stop complaining for 15 mins of our active time with people around... Say at lunch time with office folks or dinner time with family, a change can happen or begin...
We may be faced with people who are complaining around us...
We can chose to not respond or smile to their complains or just nod to acknowledge or listen or just say hmmm....
Guess this would make a beautiful change around us...
The minute someone starts to gossip around or if we feel like doing so...
An antennae should pop up...
It must gently rind us to toss our judgement goggles and stay clean...
Non judgement doesn't mean we don't stand up or raise voice against injustice if need be.
It just means that we consciously don't participate in gossip or complain based conversations...
This would be such a fabulous revolution to be a part of...
I m personally working on this aspect seriously on a one on one level...
This has so many positive outcomes...
When we stop complaining, we think manifold times before giving an excuse because then we are giving a chance for others to complain...
Shed the labels , toss the shades of judgement and rip off that cover of complain...
Let us strive to be clean...
Not just in eating drinking but also in thinking...
Not easy, won't happen overnight, but... We can genuinely give it a try....
Tasmay Shree Guruve Namah

- Prajakta Sathe

Highway....

Enjoying abundance and being grateful at the same time while not being attached to the abundance nor getting used to the comforts is the nature of a true yogi...
There are different types of you described: Raj Yog, Karma Yog, Dnyan Yog, Bhakti Yog etc...
All ways ultimately lead to Self realisation, Enlightenment...
And like my Guruji says, Enlightenment isn't a one time thing that happens and is done with and stops after it happens or ends...
It is a state of mind that cannot be put in words...
And once one is Enlightened one doesn't remain the same...
Everything changes...
The vast wisdom of the universe is open and available in abundance...
And with powers come responsibility of going beyond self and showing the path and leading many towards light...
Not all Enlightened souls choose to be Gurus...
A Guru has to be bestowed to be a Guru by his Guru and that too from an authentic lineage of masters...
Only under an able Enlightened Guru's guidance can the spiritual path be embraced for serious progress...
One of the virtues being imbibed by my Guruji is being a Love based human...
We have been conditioned to live in fear...
Fear of society fear of judgement fear of expression fear of rejection fear of disappointment...
Many of us grow with some phobia or the other which is one of the outcomes of an environment where we grow up in an environment which is pro inhibition...
While a Guru lifts off this baggage of fear and shifts our energies from being a fear based to a Love based human...
Love based action almost always results in a positive outcome...
Inhibitions are shed and one becomes fearless...
Fearless doesn't mean daring or being careless...
It means dropping the ifs and buts that age old thought process has put us in....
With Love your being starts blossoming...
You become kinder gentler more accepting and more giving as well and that too with no conditions and no judgement...
Just like one needs to learn to love unconditionally, one needs to learn to accept love too...
A major part in this transformation is unlearning a few beliefs that generations may have subconsciously picked up from each other or from surroundings...
Love is shared showered splurged experienced enjoyed given taken  witnessed...
The way souls experience love in a human body slightly differs according to the gender that it chooses to be in that particular lifetime...
For an enlightened Guru however Love is universal consciousness
Such a Guru can exactly feel like a man as well as a woman...
Which means that for him Gender based experience is absolutely understood like it is supposed to be...
Hence he can absolutely get your point when issues of love are asked irrespective of the disciple being a male or a female...
He knows exactly how you feel...
Romantic love, patriotic love, parental love, sibling love, social love, platonic love , physical love all labels are given by Us with our gross ignorance to the humongous expansive and vast universal concept that love is...
It remains a topic of interest of many or most of us...
One of the prime most important learnings is self love...
One can't love beyond self until they have loved themselves enough...
Loving oneself is like loving every particle of your existence...
We are a grand angelic entity , a creation of God and not just a mere personality with numerous limitations....
Once one understands that, a wonderful journey starts...
Yes one becomes grateful for smallest things...
Ixora flowers are so small... Yet not a single one in the bunch decides to go against the blossoming and says I will not bloom or I won't take color...
We have to blossom and smile and stay happy for every small thing around us...
And what a fabulous gift we have...
A perfect body with perfectly functioning organs...
Wonderful home , running water, ample fresh and seasonal food on the table probably of the best quality available, we have comfortable transport , AC in summers, comfy quilts in winter, maids drivers cooks to serve us, entertainment at our fingertips , money at a swipe, job that pays the bills, parents and family members that care , kids that we love, vacations that we can relax in, smart phones and Internet to connect to the world and knowledge at the press of a button... To top it up we have near to perfect health as the cherry on the cake...
The very fact that we are reading a random post on spirituality also shows that there is some kind of an inner calling...
We are the lucky ones that are aware of a longing... Of wanting to fund a purpose to life...
To know more, to be more , to understand and go beyond what we can now see...
Now that we know that we have it all and all that it takes, we need to start the journey...
Step one is to ask questions to Self
One becomes a seeker...
Step two willingness to find a genuine Guru and checking and fool proofing if the kind of spiritual practice is for your taste.... You d do it if you d feel like doing it ...
One becomes a follower
Then one attends various workshops seminars talks discourses or reads books by the Guru or watches online videos...
One becomes a devotee....
Once you are clear Accepting a Guru from all your heart is imperative...
100percent individual loyalty and faith will lead you to the next step...
A devotee gets Gurus blessings and whatever he asks for....
The Guru after testing you manifold times, accepts you as a disciple...
The disciple now gets what Guru wants to give that is wisdom and grace...
Now sky is the limit for progress in spiritual path....
It is literally a highway with full speed distance crossing
It is a divine experience being a disciple of a Genuine Enlightened Living Guru...
Only a live Divine flame can light up the spark within...
One has to experience it to know...
And then life becomes Love, love becomes light, light becomes life...
All is one...
There is no distinguish between the divine bliss that NOW is...
Who am I? I am everything...
Tasmay Shree Guruve Namaha

- Prajakta Sathe

Roles...

Imagine every lifetime as a mega blockbuster drama staged live...
Everyone is given roles and characters are defined...
Nuances in the role are depicted as to how well the character is played...
Every actor here is responsible for his or her part and the cumulative outcome of best performances results in a good show...
All the characters are interlinked...
There is action and reaction...
Pause , spotlight , blackout, montage , soliloquy and mob work as well...
There is singing and dancing and fantasy and tragedy all scripted to perfection...
The minute the curtain is dropped , we leave our character, come out of our role take a bow and exit...
Some shows are better than others , a few shows are flops some are super hits and the dynamics on stage always keep changing...
What is constant however is Learning...
You d be an experienced and a wise actor  by the 100 th show , right?
Likewise we have so many lifetimes gone by....
We have all the knowledge stored as experience in our subconscious mind...
Of course we have natural veils of ignorance which stop us from readily recollecting our previous incarnations and for our own good...
What has gone has gone...
What is true is now...
This lifetime matters...
Since we spoke about Attachments previously , there is yet another anecdote....
Our soul's true home is on the other side of the world that is beyond physical existence, out of the body....
The soul emerges from the source as clusters of energy forms...
A few of these forms want to experience life in physical state...
Hence a birth is planned...
When a soul takes birth, it has a purpose of taking every single experience in the physical realm...
In the quest of taking all experiences it incurs positive or negative debts called as karma...
Unless the soul has experienced every single experience in the earth realm along with a clean slate of karma it cannot retire or chose to not reincarnate...
In the quest thousands of reincarnations happen and the soul gets wise and better with experience...
More reincarnations not always mean cleaner karma slate...
However evolved souls get smarter by slowly understanding the difference between an experience and a lesson...
When a soul fails to learn a lesson it keeps repeating itself till it is learned...
The face of the character mau change however the lesson remains the same until the soul understands and gets over it and is ready to move ahead...
Often the roles are reversed in lifetime to balance the debts and to help each other learn quicker and better....
The divine plan or the blueprint is such that most of the times, the so called villians in any given lifetime are our best astral friends...
In the contract they have agreed to play a negative role so that we move through our karma faster....
Hence its a close knit circuit of villians and heros...
Everyone helps everyone and everything is planned for our ultimate good...
We have to trust the divine plan...
Take this lifetime as a five star resort that we have come to spend our vacation in...
We are presented with luxuries amenities and there are people to serve us as well...
We are happy to pay the bill at the end of the stay because we enjoyed it here...
However we must remember...
It's a hotel stay...we don't own the hotel...
We can't take it with us...
We can't take the services, the waiters the good food the swimming pool and the bar and the vast acres if greens with us...
We can take the experience enjoy and leave After paying for the stay...
But we must remember...
We own nothing...
Not even our bodies...
New lifetime new coat of physical form face character and personality...
However what's the use of Paying so much of we cannot or don't enjoy the stay here...
So the key to progress is to enjoy and be aware while learning....
Whenever we are gifted with abundance,
It is our moral responsibility  to enjoy it to the fullest...
There are no rewards to live in misery out of choice when there is health wealth and happiness provided.
And the roles given are also supposed to be lived to the fullest...
Eg. An artist who is blessed with creativity must by all means splurge it to the fullest in all possible ways and mediums that he or she can...
Eat good, eat fresh, eat clean, stay active, dress well, take care of yourself, keep learning, keep exploring all possibilities, keep moving ahead, do all things that make you happy , love yourself , smile, shop, look fabulous, exude joy, sleep well, do what you really want to do and do just only what you really want to do, feel alive and great about yourself , live in the now...
Stop the tug of war between the past and future...
Don't dwell in yesterday... Don't hop into tomorrow...
If we play our role well, others also will be happy with us...
Who knows if it's our last day today...
No regrets... Keep positive, keep light...
Trust the divine plan...
 Keep enjoying the gift of life...
Tasmay Shree Guruven Maha...
- Prajakta Sathe

Attachment...

I just came across a very interesting discussion on whether non - living things feel anything when the owner leaves it or has to give it off or loses it...
While some may view this as ridiculously meaningless, every opinion exhibits a perspective and hence must be respected...
If a thought leads to further thinking and introspection it is worth spending a few moments on...
Well everything in this world is made up of vibrations...
Along with living beings, every single inanimate object, air specks, cells, nano particles right up to subatomic existence has shown to vibrate at a certain frequency...
However as we know Living world exhibits feelings whereas non living objects or materials do not exhibit feelings however...they do vibrate...
The order of life wherein evolution starts or is believed to take place on earth plane is by reincarnating in different lifetimes....
We are born, most of us are lucky to have a care giving environment where we are nurtured and loved as babies.
In this journey...
We learn how to fix our vision, hold our head, then flip over and hold ourselves on our fours...
We crawl, sit, stand, learn to walk , run, climb, jump , take up physical challenges...
We start talking... Our vocabulary increases...
We find a medium of expression....
First we are fed, dressed, bathed, our rear is wiped, we are cradled to sleep, we are cuddled , swaddled and lullabies are sung for us...
We learn to get independent slowly doing things on our own...
We find happiness in doing it and our parents feel proud of us...
We begin schooling learn to read , write, take up a sport, learn an art form, participate in competitions, win some lose some...
Our medium of expression widens...
We appear for exams, pass fail...
We still keep learning in either cases....
We make friends and we have our caregivers as well...
We have our parents and we have our acquaintances as well...
We go on to pass school enter colleges graduate postgraduate, some of us take up a few more courses and turn into professionals
As youngsters we have undergone fabulous years of college life , best friends , maybe staunch foes (for a few of us) our competitors our buddies our classmates our Girlfriends / boyfriends our crushes our first love's our final love's (as we choose to believe)
We come on to the real world off the dreams...
We secure a job... We work... We start paying our bills...
We find another means of expression , yes money....
We buy things we buy services we buy manpower we buy property we buy gifts we donate we save
We feel a sense of responsibility, power as well as a sense of satisfaction in doing so...
By then we may have found our soulmate or our parents may have found a suitable match for us...
We get married, start a family, procreate have kids, become parents...
We find joy in raising them just like our parents...
We also feel good about taking care of our parents as they get old....
A few of us have already experienced the death of a close friend, a kid , a partner or a pet....
In the mean while a few of us lose their grandparents....
In our kids teens we may have lost a few of our uncles aunts or many acquaintances...
Many of us may have gone through painful separation , rifts between parents or siblings , estrangements or breakups....
By the time we become grandparents , many of us may have lost our parents....
By that time, we may have been duped, robbed, cheated on or may have suffered huge financial losses...
We may have given in or may have come out....
Then in a few years we or our spouse have to leave this physical body...
The minute one is dead he or she is called a body..
He or she is not even addressed by the name...
A lifetime is over....
In that lifetime we have lost and have kept losing many things ...
We have gained so much in terms of physical material as well as emotional
Wealth....
But... However the minute we go...
We can't even take a single penny from the wealth... Not a single piece of clothing from the designer brands not a single solitaire not a single degree not a single relationship not a single post in an organisation not a single award not even any esteemed title of Pandit , Dr. , Miss India, Padma award winner or Noble prize Laurette ...
Nothing goes with us...not even memories....
Absolutely nothing....
And afterlife is also not permanent...
We have to take rebirth....
In the next reincarnation we have to start from ZERO...
again take birth again learn to hold head again learn to sit stand and the works till we die again....
When nothing in life or after is permanent, why form attachments...
Attachments to people places things emotions relations finance property beauty age power post awards anything....
Attachment is futile and always yields in pain is a known truth...
We can still be loving caring and giving and enjoying life to the fullest without Attachment...
Not being attached doesn't mean we have to appear arid and portray I don't give a damn attitude...
However in reality, detachment makes us kinder gentler and more attuned to what's happening in the moment...
Attachment results in a tug of war between wasting time in remembering and recreating memories in our mind or dreaming and worrying about future...
Aspirations are good and they result in intent based actions...
Desires have a border of obsessive compulsiveness to them and result in an attachment to the result....
Result may or may not be in our favor...
Life goes on...
No job can be permanent
No comfort can be forever...
No relationship can be consistent
If it lasts, while it lasts, till it lasts and after its Last.... we have to be thankful for it...
What's the use in hoarding things rituals, possession, relationships to living or dead just for the heck of it....
Once their role in life has served its purpose they are taken away... They have to go and we have to let them go...
We can't hold on
We can't cling
We can't keep running to our past...
Accept the Detachment and start real living...
Once this detachment comes...
We start enjoying life to its fullest...
I love this song for its lyrics...

हर घडी बदल रही है रूप जिंदगी
छाँव है कभी, कभी है धूप जिंदगी
हर पल यहा जी भर जियो, जो है समा,
कल हो ना हो....

- Prajakta Sathe

Energy Sensitivity...

We are energy sensitive beings.
With the scientific logic energy is transferable.
We d often feel that our day is going super until we meet someone or come across someone's post or talk with someone upfront or on phone....
And then suddenly our energy drops...
Our mood becomes irritable, cranky And our day suddenly goes in a downward spiral...
And we keep wondering as to where this sudden negativity entered from?
Yes.... Negativity is transfered from all mediums...
And once we understand as to who all or which place disturbs our inner sanctum, we can either avoid it or adopt methods to shield our Aura or choose to daily cleanse it and keep it clear...
The latter methods come with practicing spiritual tools taught by a genuine teacher under the supervision of an Enlightened Guru.
Not everyone can opt for going on this path....
What everyone can however do, is that recognise the energy drainers in their life and find ways of consciously staying away from them...
One big point to be noted here is that energy drainers are not villians and are by no means bad people....
We have no right to judge them...
They may be great souls, but somehow in a not so good state currently....
However in most cases, unnecessary interaction with energy drainers can be absolutely avoided...
I trust that No person in life is absolutely indispensable.
I m not demeaning anyone or anybod's role...
We d observe that though our circle of network increases with age, our inner circle keeps getting smaller and stronger....
We exactly know who is from our tribe...
Is there a long time college friend of yours who keeps cribbing about everything every time you call and never seems to be happy???
Only if asked, offer some logical solutions you know for a while...
Once you understand that the friend is not coming out of the lows...there is no point in wasting time over it...
As brutal this may sound...
I stop interaction with such people...
No...nothing goes wrong if I do...
No.... I don't turn selfish for choosing to leave them alone to fight their battles...
No... I am not responsible for their rise in life...
There is a reason why I have been given my life and my own business to mind...
There is no logic in trying to be a hero in anyone else's life by trying to fix their things and putting together their missing puzzle pieces...
We have reincarnated with the sole purpose of wiping our karmic slate clean...
No positives no negatives....
Just like we come to ward off bad karma and pay off our debts, surprisingly, we also have to take rebirths for enjoying any positive deposits that we might have been made in our previous lifetimes....
It zeroes down to the Soul's progress in the vibrationally realm at the end of every lifetime...
So every single time we see a name that drains our energy on our mobile screen calling us, we have full right to chose to ignore the call.
We can chose to not go to a house which doesn't gel with our personality or being just for obligation...
We can chose to not invite over certain people just for formality when we know that in our hearts we d rather not have them over....
Shed off relations which are stale which lend you a sense of lethargy and sadness which make you feel anything less than good...
Let go of toxicity from life...load off the baggage slowly... It is not required...
And ask your self this question
HOW DOES IT MATTER?
most of the times the answer to this question you'd ask will solve most of the problems...
No wedding, engagement or party is worth going if it is not going to make u feel great
There is nothing antisocial about choosing your gang and hanging out with like-minded souls...
Be with people or things that make you feel really good and positive and inspired and creative and wanting to be doing something fabulous....
Solitude is also a blessing and company with great vibes is a treasure....
As for people who you think are unavoidable....
Ahhh... Start seeking spiritual solutions which suit your taste for shielding your Aura...
Learn cleansing techniques from a genuine teacher...
With regular spiritual practices the Chakras get balanced the cravings get curbed the thoughts find a shift for good and slowly things start falling in place...
Our physical emotional and spiritual selves are interconnected...
And it is magnificently fascinating to know how this works with energy...
Every thought we generate and project will result in an outcome...
This subtle realisation will result in conscious awareness....
Best, find your very own Enlightened Guru...
The one who understands your soul journey by being the light...
Takes you by the hand and leads you to bliss...
Introspect , find out, act and then enjoy the blessing that life is....
Tasmay Shree Guruven Maha...

- Prajakta Sathe

Household Harmony...

There are so many things which could possibly wreck the Harmony in our day to day life....

Ego per say isn't bad as it is labelled to be...
Ego is awareness of Self as an existing entity...
Many times there are questions like -
Why me?
Why only me?
Why just me?
Why always me?

Which indirectly also means...
Why not him?
Why never him?

But in reality just a bit proactive behavior on our part can make life so much easier... Delegation and time management with the right set of attitude can surpass highest challenges in day to day life....

A detergent company recently banked it's advertisement on equality of work in a household.
Well, I d say to each one his or her own. We cannot deny the fact that the face of the society is still changing...
I am not a feminist nor a gender equality torch bearer...
I have a very miniscule amount of light to throw on what actually happens...

Not many men are raised with a habit to help around in the house Nor are women.
I don't remember being specifically trained in doing household duties as a 'girl' per say while growing up....

Helping in setting up the table for meals and clearing if off after meals every day....
Peeling potatoes...
Help shelling peas off their pods in season...
De- stemming the leafy greens sometimes....
Filling in drinking bottles....
Watering the plants in summers...
Grating or slicing veggies or fruits at times....
These were some chores that I did as a part of discipline inculcated as I grew up...
(Had I been a boy I would be still doing them)

When I got married and began to manage a house all by myself (with the revelation of 'atte dal ka bhaav')
I went through all the phases...
It was a cycle of sorts....

Many new brides go through this....
Of expecting help from spouse
Of disappointment
Then frustration
Fights
Blame game
Comparisons
Bouts of Self pity
Tears of being a victim
Mute zone
Sulking
Acts of vengeance
Bitterness in the heart
Scar on the emotional self
Lesson learnt the hard way
Carrying on
Another episode of expectation
And the cycle continues....

This can happen in various aspects...
Finance , cleaning, cooking, entertainment, going out, relaxation, vacation..
Practically every single thing in life goes through this....

In broader view isn't this a really painful way of learning things via suffering?

We in India have the extreme privilege of having the concept of maids...
Yes we all have maids... Yes it's tough to manage them.... But with sweetness things can get better....
And employing more than one and delegating work would mean many things....
1) generating jobs requiring manpower will give employment
2) having multiple house helps would mean lesser chances of all of them going on a leave together
3) switching their jobs at time of leaves means less stress at home...
4) having great domestic support has shown fantastic statistical reduction in eating out. Stress induced excessive shopping traits have also said to reduce with the same...

Why fret on laundry when a Bai can do it for you? Why crib on plants getting dry when the Bai can water them... The bottles aren't filled from the purifier...? Ask your maid to do it... Save huffing puffing on simple things...
We generate enough finance to wear labels and discard off season clothing... Why the struggle to delegate?

Considering the fact that we can delegate work... There are yet soooo many things that only we have to do or can do for our house....
Here prioritising and multitasking can be the trick....

I find it okay to be doing
My things
Our things
And
His things as well

There is no point, in showing it to him or giving it back by saying it again and again that I DID THIS FOR YOU
or THIS IS NOT MY JOB...

why would we say that?
It's our house right?
It's that one person you love right?

Yeah... He can make coffee by himself...
He still asks me to make coffee for him...
I make it for him happily and I don't sulk...
Because I can and I want to and I don't expect an award for that....

He loves the food I make....
We have a full time cook...
Yet... I make it a point to make any one dish in a day for the family....
My way of getting to know what's up in the pantry...
I know he d have those extra phulkas just because the subzi was perfect or the dal was the right mixture of spicy and tangy like he wants...
No I don't want acknowledgement for what I do....
I do it for my happiness....

There still are days when no maid turns up... There is a sink full of dishes and the machine full of clothes pile...
Why fight and still end up doing the work...? Put on some music and do it... With practice I have come a long way... I used to take almost two hours to do the dishes... Now I take 60 mins... And it's fun... It's once in a while... Why take pressure and give pressure???

I have a mending basket kept for all button replacements stitching emergencies elastic gone wrong or an accidental tear on a pyjama...
I mend them once a month...
And feel sooooo great after its done...
No point in fighting..."its your shirt...buttons are simple to stitch... Why don't u do it yourself...."

Many times in marriage, we are screamed at for no reason, we are blamed for no fault of ours or maybe held responsible for a mishap which was a pure accident that could have happened anyhow...
Well, there could be a few reasons to it...
The screaming person -
A. Could be hungry... Really hungry.
Blood sugar and temper are inversely proportional to each other....
B. Could be sleep deprived....
C. Could have had a really bad day...
D. Could be stressed or feeling really under the weather...
E. Could need a hug....

What we could do is that immediately say SORRY... take the blame in a subtle manner....offer food, water, chance to rest and unwind followed by a hug....

It must work...
No we aren't demons...
We are humans...
With a calm better half...
Even a monstrous temperament cools down eventually....

It's okay to smile and keep quiet most of the times...
It's fabulous to keep working and keep busy doing something...
This leads to a frame of mind wherein we are so joyous and fulfilled in our own world that the person in front almost calms down even at our sight or many times doesn't even want to try n disturb the peace we exude....

For every negative thought that we think... We have to generate at least 10 positive thoughts...

Now... As Kanha screams from the loo asking us to wipe his bum,
There is no question of who'll do it....
I ll go and do it... Because I love Kanha and I want him clean and off the potty soon....no I won't question why my spouse wouldn't do it when he can and when he also loves him equally and he is also a parent..... No no no...
I am not going on those lines... Plus house work doesn't become something that ,"I have no option of escaping and I have to do because he doesn't help..."
It turns into something ,"I love doing it because it's my house and I love doing things out of choice..."
A shift in thoughts changes the picture... We can't change people around... What we can change is our attitude...

Yes we are humans... Yes we get tired... Yes we need a break... Yes they also need to participate... But.... Why focus on the problem and get stuck in a rut when WE can be the solution.
We are powerful exuberant happy creative caregivers nurturers and working homemakers of our generation...

I am happy doing whatever comes my way...
My karma... My life...
My happiness is my responsibility....
The key to my mood stays with me...
The green card of my emotions never gets swiped by someone else...
The password is just with me...
I am my Positron....
Are you???

Child Education

Today as I went for an exclusive tete a tete with the teachers and Primary Year Prog. Head along with the internal tour of the IB board school that Kanha got enrolled in, there are a few things I thought about, pondered upon and came to some definite conclusions about the way things would change as he goes into his mainstream schooling post the KG stint.
First of all difference between the curriculums for all parents.
1) State Board
- SSC in case of Maharashtra
2) National Board
- ICSC and CBSC
3) International Board
- Cambridge (IGCSC) and IB

*Not all schools with International in their name are really that...

Well there is awareness about all other boards, what makes IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum different than others is what we need to learn.

One way is to visit IB websites and schools or to talk to the parents from the community who have experienced the IB way of learning...

IB has EYP ( Early Years Prog.) MYP (Middle Year Prog.) and DP (Diploma Prog.) distributed according to grade years...
Eg. Nursery, Junior and Senior KG would be called EYP 1, EYP 2, EYP 3 respectively.

Their method is learning through Unit of enquiries... There are no division of subjects per say....
Eg. If the unit of enquiry is
'Who are we?'
Then this unit will be learned in all aspects related to all the subjects...
Who are we - in terms of geography history biology art physical education language... Math wherever applicable.
Typically a topic of enquiry requires 4 to 6 weeks of extensive exploration...
The ideas are open...
Questions and thinking is encouraged
And nothing could be right or wrong
Everything is a perspective....
This is what I love about IB and my contribution for today for prospective and current parents who are looking forward to deciding the school.

Heartfelt thanks to every single person who has read commented and shared yesterday's post.
Soooo many parents have had so many things to say to me, tell me and discuss with...
This has been an overwhelming response!
A great way of enjoying parenting is making kids a PART of our lives and not making Kids our life... The latter means putting too much pressure on everything... They can't be our life... Just like we can't be theirs... Right😊?

It's a give and take relation like every other interpersonal bond with anyone. Loading it with expectations would kill the fun...
I constantly remind myself to be open with him... With all possibilities.... Why give borders...?
Kanha asked me if he could fly I said absolutely yes....
And then he asked me how...
And then we discussed all the ways we could.
I was amazed at what ideas he had...
He made me a card and then drew a square instead of a heart after he wrote I love you.
He said a square has corners.
He loves to sit in a corner and have long chats with me so he made me a square instead....
I loved his interpretation of love...
We are letting our kids have skill sets than knowledge...
And with the right exposure sky is the limit to what all of us can achieve...
Knowledge is at our disposal at the press of a button... Education would mean that they would put it to right use....
Any one can download things and make a project or a presentation with the help of Internet....
But when a kid can informally talk about the topic ask and answer questions on it...
Give opinions and confidently express his or her perception , learning starts....

I ve seen parents who want things done Yesterday...
That's the pressure on kids now a days....
Why...? I say why?
We are letting them grow and get equipped for jobs which are not even existing right now....
As in with the advent of technology and progress we have no idea as to what kind of Work skills would be needed in the future....
Having said that...
We want to create leaders thinkers artists scientists entrepreneurs for tomorrow...
The key decision making generation... Unconfined...
Open to possibilities non - conditioned , accepting and happy....
So humans in making we have...
A delightful project to work upon...
Our child...
World's future....
Let us keep learning with them... Let us nurture them while we nurture ourselves... What a fab journey it's going to be... smile emoticon

Thank you....

Prajakta Sathe

Spiritual Parenting

I let Kanha sleep in till he woke up on his own...
Fresh and chirpy he quickly brushed his teeth...
I asked him if he wanted to have a nice massage today to which he readily agreed...
He was so quiet and enjoying himself while I gently gave him this pampering.... From toes to hairtips...
Kids aged 5 also do look in their mother's eyes and smile...
I wrapped him up in a bedsheet for letting the oil soak well and made him sit beside me as we read out a story from a book....
The story had fairies and a king and also a beast....
Today he did not stop me in between to ask me any questions...
He was happy with the ending...
Time for a bath...
He wanted to have a nice perfume water while bathing today....
So I let him choose....
We are used to having eucalyptus n cinnamon in winters lemon grass and eau de cologne and citrus in summers and lavender at night
I thought he'd pick from the norm....
I guess the adequate rest, massage had made him perkier,
He chose no oils but Dettol...
He knew that so clearly that he wanted the Dettol smell today...
After bath we lit a lamp , since he wanted to ring the puja Bell...
He was quick to finish his breakfast of Lauki and Dates kheer with nuts, Kesar elaichi and ghee added for aroma and flavor....
Playtime followed by a quick shopping trip to the market...
Then we went to school for mother's day celebration....
An hour of complete fun...
Came home... Had lunch....
I was extremely sleepy...
But he didn't want to rest nor did want me to nap...
So he had a bout of crying...
I understood that he would definitely sleep now
I told him we ll just lie down and see how we feel...
He agreed and slept in 5 mins while I lay awake...
Pondering over how and what am I feeling right now....
I was happy...
Satisfied with the morning spent we with him...

This may look like a page from the diary of an urban mum...
It also might be true...
But... However... I learnt a few things with experience....

1) crying is good...
No it isn't a sign of weakness...
It is a natural way of letting out frustrations and negativity from the body... Kids and adults alike may cry at any given time for reasons unknown and feel a tremendous uplift in their being after that.... No point in holding back your tears.... Let go... Let it out... It's good for health...

2) not every single day is supposed to be spent in a military disciplined way...
It's okay to skip a routine if you feel like spending time with a loved one...
Kids especially RESPOND beautifully to kindness and REACT in not so good ways to nagging....

3) it's nice to let them decide things...
Makes them feel responsible. Gives them confidence and incurs decision making skills from a very young age...

4)touch hug and kiss your kids... Hug them tighter... They like that...
A tight squeeze by a parent while they scream 'leave me leave me' means that they are loving it... In no time they d have a life of their own and get busy...
Cherish them while they are tender...
Massages with oil before a bath... Cream after a bath or before going to bed reaffirms and reassures them of your presence in their life... Not just physically emotionally as well...

5) respect them... Don't hit... Never ever do that... Just because you are physically big doesn't mean you can use your power against their tiny bodies... A big no... It is not okay to take out your personal frustrations over them... They are not receivers of your personal junk... They are Divine Pure and must be treated like one...
Learn to manage your negativity...
Kids are already a pro in that...

6) don't use SARCASM under any circumstance... No don't threat them... Do what you want to do straight off... No point in just saying words you don't mean to do... No locking up threats... No leaving threats.... Please...

7) read to them... Tell them stories... Sing with them...hear music with them... ASK THEM QUESTIONS AND OPINIONS... genuinely thank them for a compliment they give... Give them compliments too... Praise them for good behaviour...
Use maybe we can... Instead of You must have You should...
I love it when Kanha says I really like you...
I respond with I like you too baby...
Then he'll try saying I don't like you.
To which I say, it's okay if you don't... But I still like you Kanha...
This somewhere would teach him unconditional love and at the same time keep the habit of speaking his mind...

8) don't force - to study to play to eat to sleep... Give them breaks... Kids today pick up stress from auras around them... So it's okay to feel bored and express it openly... It's okay if they don't bow down to elderly and touch their feet... Don't turn monsters and shout at them for not following the traditions...

9) give them time... To settle to unwind to talk aloud to express... Encourage them to write... Practice things that you want them to inculcate yourself... They ll pick them up if it suits their personality... I found Kanha singing so many songs while he played by himself or while he sat on his potty that I played for my riyaz... He also sat with my pearl necklace once and announced that it's chanting time for him and he must be left alone till he finishes....

10) joke with them... Find humor in smallest things... It's okay to pick up stones from roadside and throw them up in the air. ( gently remind them not to throw them at living things or cars and windows....) Gravity is best explained by this... Let them have their unlimited water time... It heals it nurtures... No they won't catch cold... You are already taking care of their health with nutrition right??? No don't say that you can't drink water right now or you ll keep going to the loo throughout the night...
Who are we to decide when and how much water they should consume...

* they might have come as your kids
But they may be older and much experienced souls than you... And definitely upgraded versions in all things... They are infinite... For them nothing is impossible.... Let it be that way. Don't be eager to crush their dreams with your conditioning....

I am learning about parenting every single day... Though I love my son, I know I don't Own him... Non attachment leads to enjoyment in mothering is a personal experience.
He is through me... He is not mine...
The purpose of writing this is not to teach but to share my gratefulness to my baby... Mother's day falls sometime in the middle of the year... But for me... There is no better glory than thanking my baby for what he has done to me...
Reminding to pickup non judgement purity innocence and non expectations and being happy without reason and forgetting grudges or mishaps... Forgiving... All learnt from Kanha...

Another reason to thank my Guruji Naushir for the insight in spiritual parenting.

I d end this mother's day note by quoting a jolly soul...
Mr. Vitthal Kamat rightly said - a child gives birth to a mother....

- Prajakta Sathe

Heartfelt...

Can all things can be taught...?
Well, all of us would have our doubts on that...isn't it?
How are you...? Is a common question we ask each other... To which the standard answer is , Okay /Fine/ Good/ Better/ Fantastic....
All relative terms... And may not necessarily be true...
Plus our answers might change according to who is asking...
Okay... Another question...
How are you feeling right now?
Many of us don't know this...
Many of us are confused....
How/what have you felt in the last 5 mins...?
Makes sense....?
Who has time for such things... Right?
Not many of us ask this to ourselves...
More over who made us feel the way we felt suddenly becomes more important...
Blame game starts...
Judgement starts....
Ruins it even before it has actually started.... Ewww...
We love our glasses of judgement, don't we...?
We feel powerful when we do that...?
We feel secured, better or intelligent when we judge?
Introspect....
5000 thoughts per minute...
That's how relentlessly our mind works....
So many things...so many feelings...
Graph fluctuation going berserk...
Pause... Stop... Wait....
Breathe... Smile... 
We are sooooo beautiful....
Isn't it? Of course we are...
Take another deep breath....
We will feel what we have to...
We are an infinite beings...
And eternal souls... 
We chose to take birth on this beautiful planet for experience...
Life is here life is also there...
But what's most important that life is now... 
We are timeless... 
Death just defines a transition and not how we perceive it on the earth realm.
We need not be taught many things
We already know them... 
And every one of us has to find that inner wisdom someday.
And we all will... 
In this lifetime or next. 
And since we are fragments from same source. 
It will be a delight to see (not experience though) each other's journey from a distance in this lifetime. 
Just like our right hand is hurt our left hand can't feel the pain but help in applying ointment to the right....
How can we expect others to understand our pain and suffering...
We cannot expect from anyone, not even ourselves...
We can just be co-participants.
We can chose to share, we can never force to experience...
Hard to digest but true...
Planets rotate and revolve so beautifully around each other...
They play their part but don't cross each other's path...
They have such coordinated existence...
Inspiring.... 
We can chose to play our role well but at the same time stand unaffected...
Reaction isn't what is needed , response is....
This can happen with balance...
Of physical emotional psychological health via spiritual practices...
Practicing spiritual tools is just one part of the unimaginable magnificence that exists around us...
There is so much more of which we don't even have a faint idea about...
The only key to Unlock this huge limitless treasure is by being able to recognise and find your very own Enlightened Living Guru...
Once that's done, follower to devotee to disciple journey is travelled and then one understands what Divinity is all about.
Guru is God. 
If only one follows this ultimate truth, one starts unleashing the magic that is contained within....
Everything starts falling in place.
People don't seem people any more...
They become co inhabitants on this experience plane...
One starts becoming a witness...
One stops expecting...
Acceptance increases....
Suffering is optional...
Unlearning becomes mandatory...
Conditioning and baggage is dropped...
One becomes open, gentler, kinder, happier, lighter, calmer and resonating with brilliance...
People start finding you extremely attractive... 
And it's not about how you look...
It's 100 percent about the energy you carry...
Your frequency is tuned and so well with Divinity...
One starts coming across amazing things every single moment....
And every NOW becomes wonderful...
One is in awe of smallest things...
One starts smiling for no reason and Happiness becomes a way of life...
Self love becomes a priority yet one sees beyond self and reaches out to anyone who seeks help...
One is grateful for every single thing!
One meets similar vibrating beings 
One's tribe increases....
One becomes synchronised with his/her blueprint and with peace...
One understands what a LESSON is...
One surrenders to his/her ultimate confidant friend philosopher guide mentor, Divine ----- The Guru. 
The journey towards being a Zero desire person (ZDP) starts...
One becomes AWARE...
This awareness becomes a big part of one's life.
One IS full of sheer blissful vibes and gets what he/she has aspired for, which is the result of blessings from Guru. 
And after that with unflinching faith and love towards God (Guru) one also gets what the Guru wants to give and that's called Grace...
Not many can reach this stage...
This unlocks the treasure house of incessant infinite wisdom which no book can give...
One then is one with the Guru. 
My Guruji Naushir is my light and the only truth I know. 
I owe every particle of my being, my heart, my soul to my God. 
Guruji is my God.

- Prajakta Sathe