Preparing the ground. I first met Chott during a summer vacation when I was in middle school. I was introduced to him by a friend of mine. I never knew his complete name and for some reason he was always called Chott. Chott was a tall man and nearly six feet in height. He had…
Escape to Shambala
“To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like.” “If aliens visit us, the outcome could be much like when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans,” These are words of Stephen…
The Home of Buddha
This surely was a splendid flight as I boarded in Kathmandu to Lhasa the capital of Tibet. Leaving behind a crowded and lush Kathmandu, the flight takes one and half hours through the spectacular Himalayan ranges. We fly over one of the highest mountain range in the world and land in Lhasa deep inside Tibet,…
The face of Aghora
I recently visited the ancient Pashupatinath temple in Nepal. Pashupatinath is a significant place for Tantra worship. Earth, water, fire, ether and space represent the five elements of the universe. The Shiva linga in Pashupatinath represents all the five elements. The masculine part of the stone is its phallic shape and the feminine is the…
The spinning wheel
Physical things are cyclical in nature and cease to exist at a point in time. The universe is physical in nature and undergoes endless creation and destruction within a span of time. This is the cyclical nature of the universe. All manifestations in the physical universe are also cyclical in nature. For example the Earth,…
Flames of Life
Cemeteries are peaceful places that I have always admired. I have been to cemeteries number of times and twice during the past two years. The term graveyard and cemetery are often used interchangeably. Graveyard is the older of the two terms. Graveyards used to be burial grounds adjoining the church where people preferred to be buried….
The essence of beeda
The betel leaf has an interesting significance in our lives. I occasionally enjoy the pleasure of a delicious paan beeda with my family at the end of a hearty meal. It is interesting to watch how the paan is made in front of you at the little paan beeda stall present in front of most…
Transcendental Wisdom
You can feel the power of nature up here high on the shoulder of the hill. I had reached the summit at 6 PM. The place was empty of the usual crowds. The temple at the summit has thousand years of historical importance and is neatly maintained. I spent time in the sanctorum witnessing the…
You can choose your chemical concoction
Faith or spirituality in Management is a widely debated subject. Enterprises are finding it increasingly challenging to align their employees and their human needs to find their purpose of existence in the organisation. Leadership in organisation has the responsibility to act with purpose and care for their human assets, the society around them and the…
Coffee Tales
Last week while in Bangalore, I caught up with a friend of mine at Coffee Day in Indiranagar to discuss business activities of mutual interest. The temperature outside was hovering at 37 degree Celsius. The abnormal temperature is becoming the norm in Bangalore and you may blame it on global warming or the relentless destruction…
The Karma of Business
I was attending the Global India Business Meeting in Liverpool this week with senior business leaders held against the backdrop of the Indian national elections. The objective of the meeting was to provide a platform for dialogue on the way forward for India, its economy and the world at large. I was participating in couple…
Music Musing
This weekend, I attended ‘Naadasudha’ the carnatic music concert staged for the students of Sri A.G.A. Gnanasundaram. Gnanasundaram as a renowned violin artist and a resident teacher in London founded Naadasudha with the aim of taking carnatic music to the next generation. His vision is to impart the knowledge and values of carnatic music as a…
baladrishti 