Tear down the walls - Jan Nigro

There are walls of concrete, walls of steel

But the thickest one's you'll find

Are the walls that people put up

In their hearts and in their minds

Walls because of different skin

Or the features on a person's face

Walls because of their religion

Their language or native place

The more walls you put around you

The walls are gonna block your view!

Tear down....tear down the walls!

Love flows freely when they fall

In your heart can't you hear the call

To tear down, tear down the walls.

When we win the battle in our hearts

The walls come tumbling down

The battle over ignorance and fear

Love can make them both disappear

You! little girl

Today
I am lost in the lovely childhood I had,
Loved by parents, brother, sister, grandparents, uncle and aunts.

I am getting reminded of
Dad making a hot horlicks/bournvita drink if I was awake for a long time studying.
And keeping the blanket spread on the bed, so that I don't put that effort of opening the blanket when I come to bed tired after my studies.
Who encouraged me to learn hockey, learn shlokas, play TT and alsways advised me to "be purposeful"
Who would sacrifice his small comforts to see me comfortable
Who wanted to see a healthy, positive, energetic daughter.

Mom who would wake up really early to make me healthy chappatis
And hot hot sabjis so that I have healthy food before leaving for a day's work.
Encouraging and supporting me in all the good desciions I take
Ready to fight with the world for my sake
Taught me hanuman chalisa and reiki
Guided me to depend on the divine for guidance
Preaches what she practices; sticks to discipline and advices me the same
Always ready with practical solutions for any small problem of mine she gets to know.

And now as they age
I am nowhere near for their support
for tied up in my own life am I

And then my heart says,
"That's how life is for all
Only thing you can do Oh! little girl
Shield them with prayers
And most important
BE RIGTEOUS FOR YOUR PRAYERS TO BE POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE"


-Ramani Kasturi

Desire

I am one of those lucky ones who had a lovely childhood....loving and caring parents, who taught me good values and gave me such comdortable childhood. And not to forget the happy times with my brother and sister....Thank you Babsie and Sivi for tolerating me :0

I remember we used to get to solve crossword puzzles in our newspapers when I was small. Solving and posting the answers would mean, a prize posted to home - A brand new Amar Chitra Katha ! Oh! How much I would wait for them.

Today in particular I am reminded of one such Amar Chitra Katha - Buddha!
I had simply loved the story of how Lord Buddha had left everything and everyone to find the Truth. And the Amar Chitra Katha said - "And then Buddha saw the light and He realised the Truth that desire is the cause of suffering'

And I pondered and pondered and pondered over this the whole day that day.....and each time I would read that Amar Chitra Katha....the significance of this statement.......I didn't understand much then........but the words went deep within.

Yes....today when I read the same statement....I realise how fundamental Truth were those words. and I feel grateful to Dad for encouraging us to solve crosswords and encourage us to read good books.

Coming back to desires. Why do we desire one thing or another?
Attachments? To establish 'ME'?
Why do we have attachments?
As long as we identify ourselves with the body (body attachment), attachment to the world follows.
When we realise our true self, attachments drop, desires drop. (Theoretically I understand. Hope I achieve practical knowledge soon :-) )

Next time you are sad, check which desire has not been fulfilled and drop that desire :-)
Be happy always dear ones
-Ramani

What is making you insecure?

Insecurity

I live in a flat. Each morning when I open my window curtain, I see the opposite house light on.

First thought which flashes my mind- What a waste of electricity!

Some person has left it on and gone on a vacation, to keep away thieves.

People's insecurity can be such a big problem.

Whenever anyone shouts and shows anger at me, I realise that it is because they are so insecure with themselves.

People find it difficult to be silent since they are insecure with themselves.

Most of the violence is due to this insecurity of people with themselves.

If we make ourself, our best friend, insecurity would vanish and world will be devoid of problems.

Please people, spend time with yourself. Love yourself. 

If you do not spend time with yourself, you are missing meeting an important person

 - Swami Vivekananda.

Love yourself and Be secure

Ramani Kasturi

Sukh Karta Dukh Harta

Sukh Karta Dukh Harta

Ganesha!

He is going to be the topic of my first blog.

Writing after a long long time......hope I get the flow of expressions.

Ganesha - the remover of obstacles...please clear the unnecessary thoughts from this world of Ramani and give her wisdom. Please show yourself to me.

I have a strange connection with Ganesha.

1. He reminds me of my little sister, Sivi.

His form reminds me of me and Sivi visiting the Ganesha pandals in Pune - in the colony and nearby.

2. His form also reminds me of daddy. I got a beautiful orange Ganesha from him, which I treasure.

And daddy also taught me 'mudakarakta modakam'.....and each Ganesh Chaturthi we make sure we all sit together and sing it. Daddy, love you for the initiatives and efforts you have taken to guide all of us....(you deserve a separate article on the lessons I learnt from my dad). I have seen people giving more importance to prasadams to Ganesha than prayers to Him. And then I silently thank you dad for teaching us the importance of prayer and self-control.

Yes. this same shloka I chanted in sanskrit recitation when I was in my 5th std and got first prize. The prize didn't matter much to me then. What mattered and is still fresh in my memory is one of our school strictest teacher, Jaya madam giving me a fond hug after my chanting.

3. This also reminds me of joining my MSc classmates in walking and watching all the pandals in Pune one night of Ganesh Chaturthi. (Mamma-You had made tea for all......how you welcomed all - without a trace of complaint.....its your unselfish love towards all which protects me even now mamma).

4. Ganesha reminds meof one of my lovely and naughty friend, Surekha Tilekar.  She once brought a beautiful Ganesha to class. We all cleaned the class. We were in eigth class then in K V BEG, Kirkee. And our teacher told us not to do it since we should maintain the sanctity of Ganesha...and we shouldn't be wearing shoes in the class and we should be showing aarti twice.

5. SaiBaba, appeared to me in a dream once as Ganesha's pujari.

6. Living in Pune, and not admiring Ganesha is not possible. Every year the week before Ganesh Chaturthi, newspapers would start publishing advertisements and articles with such creative formations of the Lord, it used to put me in awe an admiration. I remember me as a small school going girl cutting up the creative representations and making a file of it.

6. Finally, one of our lab peon, who brought a Ganesha in the lab and called all the students and faculty and sang the aarti as 'sukh harta and dukh karta' and I just couldn't control laughter :-). Oh! thats a big problem I face....uncontrollable laughing at wrong times. Thank God! its getting better with age.

I love the song 'Sukh Karta Dukh Harta'.

Don't forget to show yourself to me Ganesha.

Yours

Ramani