KISSA KACHORI KA...

“What I serve is not kachodi, but kachori,” says Amit Chowdry, the man behind this little store filled with delectable Jodhpuri munchies. As 
  we started talking 
  about the 
  culture, traditions and the many dishes that have been diluted with spices and Punjabi tadka, Amit handed out an aloo pyaz ki kachori to me. But my hungry eyes emoted my tummy’s frame of mind and I inquired about the lack of the spicy aloo subzi with the kachori. “There isn’t any curry,” informed Amit who vociferated how the Jodhpuri kachori had become a kachodi and the addition of the potato curry had absolutely ruined the original taste. 
  Made with special masalas, these kachoris made me forget the oily kachodis I had been devouring all this while. Feeling a bit thirsty, I asked for water but got fresh pink guava juice (Rs 20) instead. Yes… fresh! Interestingly, natural guava purée had been added to water to make this absolutely wondrous juice. 
  More kachoris on their way, I tried the urad dal and sweet mawa variety. Believe you me, from the first to the last bite, there wasn’t a single munch that didn’t go down well. It was flavoured goodness in each bite. But the best is still underway—a chocolate kachori— especially created for kids. So till I return to review that, happy eating!

Terrorised by TV

Sixty hours after the 26/11 trauma began and the last terrorist had been killed, one first heard the phrase “TV terrorism”. Did that mean terror on TV? No, was the common reply. We mean TV terror. Since then the phrase keeps recurring in conversations and there’s now no doubt what it means: there are many viewers who feel that our television channels in their coverage of the horrific attack on Mumbai unleashed their own brand of terror. 
  The criticism centres on four charges. The first is of elitism. In those 60 hours when television covered the carnage, attention was focused almost exclusively on the Taj and Oberoi hotels with some time given to the commando operations at Nariman House. There was virtually no airtime given to the attacks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) or Cama Hospital. Yet the mayhem began there and 54 people were killed. Is that because the dead there were not from the elite? Is that because grieving relatives and friends of those killed are more photogenic when they are fair of skin and well-dressed and their mourning is more restrained? 
  TV channels may well say that they concentrated on the hotels and Nariman House because they were continuing stories, whereas the incidents at CST and Cama were over within the first few hours of the attacks. But their reluctance to go back to these sites and tell viewers of what happened is an omission that cannot be easily justified. It’s not as if there were no stories there. There were enough human interest angles to be covered, like the chaiwala who risked his life to save people, or the motorman of an incoming train who made people get off on a safer platform, or the startling fact that nearly 40 per cent of the people killed across the city were Muslims. 
  The second criticism is about TV channels becoming the unwitting tools of the terrorists. During the siege of the Taj almost all channels ran the story that 150 people had taken refuge in its Chambers Club. When they were given the signal to leave they found the terrorists waiting for them; only a few escaped being brutally gunned down. The inference is clear. We, sitting in our homes weren’t the only ones watching television. The terrorists were too. 
  Then there were the NSG commandos — quite rightly everyone’s heroes. But even heroes are not able to resist the lure of television. There they were sitting in a group in their black cat uniforms as if posing for a passing out photograph, though their faces were covered to mask their identities. Their spokesman though wore a diaphanous black cloth over his face through which you could see his features. But that wasn’t all he revealed. 
  He spoke of the difficulties of the operation, about the problems of moving around in the hotel in the dark when they didn’t have drawings of the interior layouts. The first rule of battle is that you do not reveal your weaknesses to the enemy. Yet here was the NSG doing just that. Who requested the briefing? Did the channels not see the inherent danger in this exercise? 
  The third criticism is about the channels’ competitiveness. In a time of national calamity many people say, why was there so much emphasis on airing ‘exclusives’? On the fourth point, there is near-complete unanimity. “Why were the anchors so loud and hysterical? Why couldn’t they be more restrained?” As it happens, there were quite a number of television journalists who were balanced, moderate and tried to be dispassionate. And then there were others who shouted rather than spoke and were emotional to the point of being overwrought. These anchors may have become genuinely overcharged because of the situation but viewers want them to be detached, composed and objective. 
  I saw first-hand how tireless, persistent and yes, brave, TV journalists and their crew were on the field, quite often laying themselves open to being killed by a stray bullet or sniper fire. Yet, the growing criticism shows that this can be counterproductive. Clearly it’s time for TV networks to introspect.

Life Is Just A Process Of Transformation

 Life has to go through a process of transformation. If transformation is not your goal then life will be a drift. Every experience should allow you to grow in love, in silence and joy. 
  You have to learn to frame an experience in such a way that there is growth. Your focus is to convert ‘samsara’ into ‘nirvana’ or bondage into salvation. For that to happen, what is important is atma smaranam or self-remembrance. 
  If we can remember to be constantly awake to our inner world of thoughts, interpretations, emotions, likes and dislikes, a new level of reality will open up and thus we will be free from our inner prisons. 
  There are both legitimate fears and illegitimate fears. When a tiger comes near you, there is fear, and it is a legitimate fear. The fear of the future is not legitimate. In fact it is interesting, even exciting, not to know about the future. 
  A lady came to me and said, “I am afraid of what my future is going to be since my husband’s company has been taken over by another company.” I told her that it is not something she has to be afraid of. Look into your life... lots of wonderful things have happened. You were born in a poor family, and see how well placed you are now. So, draw your energy from the best things which have happened to you. 
  As children we don’t have fear. Elders sow the concept of fear. Then fear becomes a part of us. A child easily falls. Then a fear is installed. Slowly as the child grows up he is afraid to fall. The body becomes rigid and resists a graceful fall. 
  In martial art we are taught to fall gracefully, but the mind creates the fear of injury and makes the body rigid. There is a process one has to unlearn in martial art... not to bring in the mind so that you can be free to learn to fall gracefully. Then a fall has an element of pleasure. 
  A person who lives only in the level of senses and sense pleasure is at one level. Another person who has developed the joy of opening up the body lock and the energies hidden in the body by right dieting, right exercise... is at another level. 
  The next level is that of a person who has opened the emotional lock. He brings in the energies of love, compassion and gratitude instead of anger and jealousy... he has opened up his emotions. 
  One is at yet another level when one has opened the intellectual lock... the energies of right thinking, having the right clarity and intelligence. 
  Finally, what about one who has opened up the spiritual lock, the hidden energies in oneself ? This happens when there is inner purity and inner calmness. Such a person is at the highest level. 
  Life is a combination of ignorance and knowledge. It needs fine-tuning. Suppose your house has Italian marble but if it is not polished, then it will look like ordinary flooring. 
  Similarly, you have knowledge but if it is not polished with humility and understanding, then such knowledge will not shine forth. 
  Look at life with awareness. Everyone at some level is stupid, is helpless and this recognition helps us to act wisely. If people think, “I know, i need not change,” such knowledge will bind a person; it will not free him. 

It’s Not That Bad

    Going by the Sensex, investor sentiment is down thanks to feeble global cues. There’s other bad news. Export growth entered negative territory, falling 12.1 per cent in October. That means the $200 billion export target for 2008-09 looks a tall order. Sales of cars and two-wheelers slid massively, with market leader Maruti Suzuki registering a 27 per cent fall in domestic sales. Recently, some auto majors had announced production cuts or closure of plants. With sectors like realty postponing projects, retail hit by sagging consumer spending and small and medium industries reeling from credit scarcity, it might look as if doomsayers uttering the dreaded R-word — recession — have a point. 
  Far from it. India is nowhere near a recession which implies GDP contraction over two successive quarters. At a time of global economic slump, it remains, along with China, among the world’s relatively better economic performers. That would hold even with downward revisions of growth figures. An export slide was expected given the demand crunch at home and abroad. The current account deficit may be strained, but let’s factor in that imports are falling as well. Add the persisting global slide in oil prices and the outlook isn’t as grim compared to the economic mayhem in other parts of the planet. India may not be decoupled from the world crisis, but there’s no reason for panic. 
  The government has instruments to revive economic sentiment, including cuts in taxes and excise duty. Further RBI rate cuts will boost credit and consumption, lubricating banks that are still risk-averse. If a favourable business climate is created, export-oriented sectors such as textiles could turn to a domestic market with boosted spending powers. Lower fuel prices are another mood-enhancer. State-run oil marketing firms are reportedly making profits. That dilutes the main official argument against price cuts. Any future output cut by the oil cartel OPEC shouldn’t serve as yet another excuse to put off a decision. On its part, Air India has opted to make flying cheaper by reducing fuel surcharge. Private players, equal beneficiaries of lower aviation turbine fuel prices, must follow. 
  India has seen huge capital flight, but new FIIs have also registered in recent months. As for FDI, some sectoral caps could be reviewed and disinvestment revived to energise the capital market. India’s economy has comfort zones China would envy. Domestic demand-driven, it is less beholden to exports and imports. With well-designed stimuli, the growth momentum can be maintained. One ace is a high savings rate, the bedrock of domestic investment. Another is agriculture, expected to perform well in 2008-09. As for being terror-hit, India knows the damage is heavy but probably short-term.

Life is a mirage

I often wonder what I possess: palaces or duties, Rolls Royces or responsibilities, crystal chandeliers or social commitments. While it is simple to count the Rolls Royces in Udaipur’s vintage and classic car collection, 
it’s not easy to comprehend the responsibilities that come with my office as the 76th custodian of the House of Mewar. Palaces, painting, objets d’art — these material possessions can be catalogued and their worth calculated, but beyond all this glitter lie a world governed by the principles of custodianship. In this timeless zone, one gets to realise that one is merely a custodian and not an owner and that even though it is a consummate thrill to span this spectrum of the tangible and the intangible, these pleasures are momentary. 
  For me, the privilege of unveiling the world’s largest private collection of crystal is as satisfying as maintaining ancient masjids and preserving the living heritage of my ancestors. I am as content performing the duties of a head of the deptt. i.e my mother, as I am in the midst of the polo-playing, champagne-sipping glitterati of the world. But I never forget that life is just a mirage… and possessions are not forever. The hand of divinity directs me and I am connected to my God all the time. He doesn’t check to see if I’m wearing Prada!

Value your worth

 Self-enhancement is the key to stay happy and positive. Here are some easy tips — 
l Take time to acknowledge personal accomplishments and celebrate success in a manner that can strengthen relationships. Keeping good social and personal relations are very effective means of avoiding stress. l Take good care of yourself. When you feel good, you also look good and vice versa. Love yourself each day. Tell yourself ‘I love you’ and give yourself a hug everyday. l Wear a smile everyday, compliment at least one person in the day, greet people, and take each day as the first day of the rest of your life. Do something new every day or as often as you can. l Practice self-help methods, like writing journals, being passionate about work, taking on some hobbies, improving social life by meeting up with friends and relatives. l Figure out your fun quotient of the day. l Avoid procrastinations and perfectionism. l Eat healthy and exercise regularly. For this, all one needs to do is wear one’s exercise shoes and step on one’s treadmill for a few minutes or even better, jog on beautiful beach side. l Avoid addictions or any such risk-driven activity. If there is a negative pattern in your life, opt for group or family counselling. Here is some food for thought — l Be assertive instead of being aggressive. l Control anxiety by identifying one’s irrational thoughts and beliefs and rectifying them. l Instead of cribbing, accept loss gracefully and move on with life. l Replace low self-esteem with good selfimage by always choosing to think positive, strengthening your talents and learning from your mistakes. l Overcome ‘boredom’ with introduction of changes and passion in life. l When feeling sad or low, you can have an attitude of gratitude towards good things of life, and observing how you are better compared to some others who are not.

The art of being present

There is an awakeness that comes from a clear mind, unobscured by wandering thoughts and preoccupations, and there is an awakeness that comes from a clear heart, willing to engage with life as gift and as an ever-unfolding revelation of the purpose of Creation. Such an awakened heart cannot respond indifferently to life because it sees the outstretched hand of the Creator at every turn and in every particle of experience. It cannot turn away from feeling, no matter what feelings may occur, because it perceives emotional depth as the great gift of individualized consciousness. This gift stirs the response of individualized life to the Source of life as it displays Itself in all living things. 
    To be awake and present is to take responsibility for noticing - for maintaining an intimate connection between the self that IS, and the rest of the world that IS. It is to know that within the domain of this relationship lies a profound revelation of the Source of all within every gesture, every interaction, and every experience that takes place. It is to perceive the sacred in every moment. In today 's overscheduled world, being continuously busy is sometimes a necessity but often a choice based on the drive for outer success, wealth, and the symbols of what is often taken to be a ‘life worth living’. Being busy, as opposed to having time ‘on one’s hands’, is perceived by many as a testimony to a life that has merit, purpose, and meaning. 
    By contrast, idle hands - hands that remain receptive rather than active in relation to time, suggest that time is being wasted - that one could do more, achieve more, accomplish more. No matter if these hands are connected with one’s heart and with the heart of the world. For many, it is only the visible ‘doing’ of things that creates a sense of security and lets us know that time has meaning. The existence of a space of silence in which awareness can broaden is often not considered a gain. Nor is simply being here, responsive to the very air we breathe, considered a virtue. Is it any wonder, then, that we, as a collective humanity, have forgotten the sacred art of being present, that we have placed ‘noticing’ on the back burner of experiential values. And what would we notice if we took the time to do so? 
    In order to answer this question, it is helpful to sit in one place, breathing quietly, eyes somewhat unfocused, listening, seeing, sensing. Though one can do this profitably in a bare room, it is easier, at first, to sit in an environment where there is just a little movement present. Now, close the eyes and pay attention to the other senses. Feel the comforting fabric of surrounding life as if it were an envelope or cocoon, gently cradling one’s essential self. Notice everything without discrimination, without opinion. Try to feel the intimacy of connection with what IS. Spending time for a few minutes each day being awake and noticing is a good way to begin the practice of being present. It is a good way to begin to expand one’s idea of what constitutes a meaningful life. And yet more than this is needed if one is to truly embrace what IS, and to be ‘present in the present’. What is needed is the greater opening of the heart to the one Self that exists within all. 
    This perception of Unity and Oneness has an opportunity to grow at any moment in which we interact with another soul. It is nourished by an absence of judgment and by a willingness to be open to the deeper levels of who that other might be. Such openness comes from a state of innocence and of childlike grace. It comes from knowing that the 'other' is part of the same ‘ALL THAT IS’ as oneself, therefore of one Heart one Breath, one Life. The gift of being present as it applies to relationships is that it brings love to every interaction, no matter how small or insignificant. It brings the Divine into every perception, no matter how ordinary. And it brings gratitude into each moment as it unfolds. 
    As a sense of being present deepens and one’s capacity to ‘notice’ flowers, the deep richness of life and of love can be found everywhere and separation nowhere. In this state, one senses only the One who lives within all. One feels the Essence within every other. Here, consciousness can only affirm the greater life of which it is a part: I Am and You Are. We are both of the stars and of the dust of the earth. We are both of the rocks and of the sandy shores. We are water and we are sky; we are earth, and we are air. We are the Breath that life breathes through Itself, in a single and continuous song of Creation. 

Remove the mask

Most of the world likes to play it safe. They go to their safe jobs, come home to their safe relationships, they drive safe cars, they invest money in safe corporations, they think safe thoughts, and they want nothing more than to feel safe and secure. Survival of the fittest dictates that these people live another day and therefore get to breed and would make up the majority of the population. We could say that they play it smart. But there is another kind, too. This other group lives for thrills. They don’t just occasionally think outside the box, they actually prefer to live outside the box. This is a group who thrives on adventure, change, and newness. They love innovative new ideas, they like to explore new things, and push the envelope beyond its capabilities. They are the visionaries who perceive something beyond where we stand today. This group often does not feel understood nor supported by the mainstream population. They are not rebels, although they are often accused of being rebellious because they do not embrace the status quo. This group is not anti-anything. They do not define themselves by not being a member of someone else’s group. They do not require group consensus to be who they are. Young adults often think that by dressing badly or by misbehaving that they are somehow brave and different from whatever it is that they are opposing, but that is not revolutionary and different, that is just anger turned inside out. Most of the time they are not accomplishing anything by simply making a mess of their lives. They are not making a point, they are not changing the world, they are simply behaving in a manner that causes people to shun them. That is not the group i am talking about today. This group is made up of people like Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Nikola Tesla, Susan B Anthony, Melissa Etheridge, Nelson Mandela, and countless others who do not strive to be different nor to go against the mainstream beliefs. They simply are different, they think different, they live different, and they make passionate choices to contribute something meaningful to humanity despite the fact that others oppose them. All of these people stand tall despite the chaos and anger of those surrounding them. “Why can’t you just leave well enough alone? Why do you always have to push people too far? Why can't you just get along?” Those who would keep things safe and comfortable become frightened and angry at these innovative new thinkers. They torment them, threaten them, mistreat them, ostracize them, and create a storm of ugliness to try and stop these people from simply sharing the gifts of their hearts that they were born to share with humanity. Years later, often after they have long been dead, future generations can look back in hindsight and see their bravery as admirable. But in the moment, these people are historically treated terribly. These people are typically men and women of peace who do not go out with an angry rebellious need to stir up trouble. They fight for higher ideals because in their heart of hearts they truly believe that things could be better for mankind. They hold a vision of better things to come and they follow that vision wherever it takes them. Today there are millions of people who would change the world with their beautiful open-minded hearts and their incredibly brilliant minds, especially the upcoming teenagers and young adults in their early twenties. They feel that there is no point in even trying because the current political and cultural environment is so against them. I would be lying if i claimed that what you see as extreme hostility towards change was not at a peak right now. You are right. They do not want to change again, but you are right, it is time for another change and you are the ones to help bring it. Do not be afraid of the backlash. Stand tall and do what you know in your heart is right and just for all, not just what benefits a chosen few. You know that ignorance can no longer rule the people. You know that blind obedience is no longer a viable option. To you I say, meet me in the eye of the storm and together we will steer this mess in another direction. Jump into the storm. Do not stand on the sidelines too lazy and scared to do anything about all of the ugliness going on around you. Jump into the storm. Swim and fight your way to the center of the vortex. There we will sit together in the quiet and find the solutions. Until we embrace the eye of the storm and really see what is at the root of humanity's hatred of each other, we will never find a long-term solution that creates real peace and equality for everyone. We need to heal our planet, our bodies, and the spiritual hearts of our species. People say that the signs are all here and Armageddon has begun. Why save the planet if the savior is coming to take the good and holy people away to a better place? Since we are not going to be here much longer, we may as well fry it on our way out. How selfish to assume that your god will come carry you off to heaven, therefore you do not have to care for the people and planet that are going to be left in the wake of your final choices. Who is to say that is not the ultimate test of who stays and who gets to ascend to a better place? If you had to pick and choose who were truly worthy of burning in hell or going to heaven, would you pick the folks who were killing and raging war in the name of God or would you pick the people who were crying out for love, equality, and to save the planet? I stand here in the eye of the storm, turmoil and war all around me, my heart quiet and strong. The vision is very clear here. I will do my part to save the planet for the sake of those left behind. It is not for me to say who should or should not prevail. Someone will be left standing here on this planet, with this atmosphere, with this water, with this soil. For them, i say let's create a plan so that they have the best possible chance of rebuilding a new world. For love of this place with its beaches, mountains, and forests that I love so much, i will hold the love of Mother Nature in my heart. You know, if the savior comes to haul all the good guys off to a better place, i think i will volunteer to stay behind to help make this battered planet a place of beauty once more. When you are done with your religious wars and your ascensions into heaven, give the planet back to those of us who care for her and please do not come back. Embrace the eye of the storm, for the vision is very clear here.