APPO DEEPO BHAVA

What is right? What is wrong? What lies ahead? How? When? Why? This is natural human tendency to fill our bag with questions.

Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time visiting a monastery and that's when I discovered simple pleasures in life. The peace corner there helped me to gather all my thoughts. Taking a break without anything to do besides breathing and noticing little details in my environment - how soft the rug is after having been cleaned; how sunlight from the window leaves shadow; correlating with Buddha’s thought how absolute state of happiness buy problems peacefully.

After seeing peaceful painted walls, I closed my eyes and went into deep thought. The whole world and life was an utter darkness.Who will show me the light now?” After getting into peace I dreamed about a Buddha, a mirror image meditating. The story began where a Buddha just opened his eyes and said, “Appo Deepo Bhava”. He said, “Just be a light unto yourself. Nobody can give this light to you.” 

He pointed towards a light entering from the half open door.  And he again said this light is not only outside! It is hidden in the heart of every being. Release your thoughts but don't let them control you.
Who you are is what you have been. Who you will be is what you do now.

And soon I heard an enchanting bell echoing into my ears on which I opened my eyes with a bright smile. A serene moment!

  
One after another I saw people coming with a joss stick. Each one of them was hopeful, holding dreams in their eyes. They taught me hope is the greatest weapon in the world.

My first encounter was with the priest their. Seeing all my books piled up on the table he said don't do this with your life. Ek kitabh hathao ge toh dursri rakh pao ge. Problem ko hathao ge tabhi solution rakh pao ge naa. I dont know what but his thought really clicked me.

On reading Buddhas teaching, I observed he is talking about painful life, changing from moment to moment. Where we are born for a mission that is eradicating sufferings and creating hope. 

While I was struggling with my studies my mentor said "Ask yourself - Did you come this far to only come this far." I decided to discover my your own capacity. His word helped me to look within and developing trust on self.

Next I met a young beautiful lady, mother of a young girl aspiring to be choreographer. She said I might not be a big name today but I don't want to die with a regret. I believe unseen virtue gives visible reward. I hope and still wait for her call, saying; she did it. We may not see what lies ahead but the efforts that we put in cannot go unseen.

As I walked down the street, I went into illusion, each person transforming into a Buddha. When this is, that is ... When this isn't, that isn't... Everyday life around us is so miraculous. We as Buddha might fail but there is always potential to awaken every moment. Change must come from within. A tree lives on root, if you change the root, you change the tree. Similarly culture lives in human being if we change the culture from human heart, it will sync taking thousands of attached hearts around you. It all depends on what you think.


Happiness in life begins and ends within our own heart. I end this with Buddha’s last words ‘Appo Deepo Bhava’ – Be your own light.

Stick to your resolutions- Happy New Year

Wishing you all a very happy and successful new year.

I am sure most of us are ready with new year resolutions but the point is for how long are we going take it forward?

While I was traveling, I was busy with my me time and here are few things that I encountered. It started with a long walk towards hill, humming on the tune" Hum kis gali jaa rhe... apna koi theekana nahi..." Finally I got struck to the rising sun with a new meaning which brought a strong conviction within. And this was the promise made to myself that I will rise each day without fail.
The journey began than onwards... A walk to remember, where nature was encouraging me with different perspective to challenge myself when I go back to routine.

Here are few conversations with my nature friends:

Flowers- "Just like flowers need all air, water, fertiliser, sunlight likewise I aim to put all my skills and efforts to bloom beautifully.

Standalone tree- Conveyed "Standing alone doesn't mean I am alone, it means I am strong enough to handle things all by myself."

Bonfire- "Seeing at fire flames, I realised more the wood longer fire will last" Collecting wisdom,skill and courage to act.

And so on...

However I believe transformation is not five minutes from now, its a present activity. In this moment lets aim to bring productive choices within for better productivity. These small choices of change within will build success and cultivate better output.

Cheers!!! Best wishes for 2017.

Happy Birthday!!!

Hi a very warm welcome to my blog and wishing you a very Happy Birthday!!!

Wondering??? Why I am wishing you for your birthday? 

We are lucky enough that we are continuing our journey called life.

For this month I am just going to share my intrapersonal moment with you all. 

To begin with I would like to quote “you can either learn from books or from life.” However books have been a great friend to me but when life brings uncalled surprises, it gets difficult to call it as a friend.

Have you ever given a thought before going to bed that you will be waking up to the sun with bright cosy cheerful smile?

Hmmm!!! No! Never! No one wonders about death. 

But one fine morning dated 15^th September 2016, I encountered a news of my friend’s brother liver failure and requesting a donor. However I was not broken by the news but had many thoughts in my mind.
- What would be thoughts behind sufferer?
-Is he praying for an organ? For someone to die? 
-Why do we religiously criminate our body?
-Nature has built us and better to come in use rather than destroy.
-What if I donate my organs? In bizarre corrupted world, will my organs be used without taking money from anyone?

Many thoughts surrounded me which lead me to self-awakening. 

Here are the facts that I came across.

To begin with death is natural and it comes without informing. So here is something in for you which says how you can contribute to society even after your death. It is organ donation. However it is something that people don’t accept easily but I am sure my thoughts will provoke you in doing so.

In Sikhism ‘Death’ is termed as ‘Hukam’ which means call from God. Birth & death is closely associated as part of human cycle both coming and going which is said transient state to liberation. According to me, the funereal rituals of cremations which demands body in totality is important for soul to rest in peace and reincarnation but not at the cost of burning organs that can be used to save another life. 

Based on the research, 8.4 million people die every year in India which comes to 22,500 per day approximately.Myths and misconceptions about organ donation discourage potential donors from making the decision to donate organs or tissue after death.

I don’t think there can be a better satisfaction or ‘Punya’ than saving a life.

With advanced medical sciences, organ donation can play a major role that can save a life through organ transplantation. But in bizarre world it is shame to say human is progressing in all fields but where humanism lies, we all fail.

Source Times of India, DNA India says:

-Almost 1.5 lakh people in India need a kidney; however, only 3000 of them receive one.

-Only 1 out of 30 people who need a kidney receive one.

-90% of people in the waiting list die without getting an organ.

-India’s annual liver transplant requirement is 25,000, but we manage only about 800.

-70% liver transplants are taken care of by a live donor, but 30% are dependent on cadaver donations.

So imagine 22,500 people who die each day can be a life saver for one or may be many. Today I leave you with a choice life to someone or death, between prosperity and disaster. What do you want to see more suffering or joy?

Sharing the best words that I believe in- "Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy.Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life,”

So let’s regard life and other lives by doing our bit to lessen the suffering.

Cheers and Hi to life. Happy Birthday once again!!!

Mentorship: Need of the Hour

In the field of business, mentors are an invaluable asset to the business. Whether it’s a nascent business or a well -established one, everyone is prone to challenges & obstacles which prevent the businesses from succeeding. Thankfully, there is an underutilized resource out there for small-business owners i.e. working with a mentor.

1.      A mentor helps to find the weakness in the business model: As an entrepreneur, sometimes you become overly attached to your business plans and have tunnel vision to the success of their businesses. A mentor helps you look past your limited scope and see the weaknesses in your model and help you capitalize on your greatest resources. Constructive feedback is extremely crucial to keep your business on the right track which comes from the mentors in the best possible way.

2.      Higher chances of success: 70% of mentored businesses survive more than five years, which is double the rate of non-mentored small businesses in the same period. Not only is there a correlation between mentorship and success but the benefits of having someone to lean on professionally are equally compelling. This is another good reason to keep your mentors close.

3.      An Opportunity to expand business: A good mentor helps you get connected to the required investors, clients, co-founders or contractors who provide valuable service. Therefore, mentors can help you build a strong & essential network which is considered to be a secret weapon in the success of any business.

4.      That necessary boost in times of distress: As we know, right motivation can make a world of difference to any individual. Similarly, in businesses too, a good mentor is the best source of motivation who boosts up your confidence & give you the much needed motivation to sail through the toughest time and guide you to put the best foot forward.

5.      Necessary methodologies & strategies: A Good mentor can help you provide with useful insights on past experiences and fill-in those knowledge gaps Business mentors can prepare you with a library of methods and strategies which can benefit you as a business owner in the long run. They can not only tell you, from experience, how important it is to create a positive ambience, but they can also give you strategies for doing so.

In the words of Zig Ziglar, American author & motivational speaker ‘Many people went further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.’

A Learning Life of an Entrepreneur

Life is substantial as spirit or as matter, as the nominal principle or as the phenomenal personality, as monad or as atoms. Since time beginning the spirit of having more keeps man moving forward and one of the biggest example in front of us is efforts made by human for evolution.

Work and life balance is different for everyone. Some people want more work in their lives while others want to work minimum and spend the rest of their time with family, friends or working on hobbies. But an entrepreneur is always on its toe with never giving up attitude, unsatisfied spirit and that is what set them apart.

If one would know what lies ahead in future, the struggle wouldn’t be interesting. An entrepreneur works daily day and night with tireless effort. There are trying moments and there are failures too. The burdens of innovating constantly, possibility of turning failures into victory, a spirit that simply can’t afford to die till dreams get concrete, the unlimited caffeine intake and the never ending hustling…the journey is similar to that high energy particle that collide, whooshing towards either success or failure.

I believe anyone can be an entrepreneur. Not only an entrepreneur but also a successful one. There are source searching still left to discover our inner potential gifted by our fore ancestors.

Have you ever wondered why Homo sapiens paid so much attention in making their tools?

The reason was their hunger to collect maximum vegetables and animal flesh for their clan. And therefore this early man has justified to work mindfully by preparing more sharp tools to turn out good number of profits and rewards. As a result we are living in a perfect well developed civilized environment with settled agriculture and many more modern foundation.

It is said one learns from life or from book. With my bits of knowledge from both, I believe for anyone in life, business, job or relationship; it’s always situation which goes wrong and can be controlled by taking right concrete actions through wisdom. Being true to yourself and accepting reality with open minds is must for all. There are situations when I have seen entrepreneur losing out their patience. The major thing they face is that they have good ideas, moral support but no funds. They get impatient and loose out all other things like moral support and mind to develop ideas.

And there are other situations like when one has money but no moral support. There are even people who burn themselves in fire of earning and having more. Important is to have balance between professional and personal life.

When it comes to real life stuff nothing can beat local support. One need friends that can actually show up at your doorstep and give you a helping hand, encouragement and listening ear.

One who is aspiring to be an entrepreneur or is already flourished should follow  certain Do’s and Don’ts which leads to success:

Remember not to sacrifice on relationships, rest by spending all your time only at work. It is truly said “nobody on deathbed ever wished if they had spent more time over work.’

For being a successful entrepreneur it is also important to take necessary steps such as forming time to time marketing plan, HR policy, keeping watch on asset management and your company accounts.

Few may have mentor and few may not but one should always be open for learning. Whereas having a mentor makes a huge difference in your success. They align themselves with your goals and show different gateways for achieving them.

We all are pressed for time but we should not neglect our hobbies. Pursuing a hobby would bring more success at your work. One has to focus intensely on opportunity. Once there is opportunity it is time to discover your ideas physically. Things won’t work on its own. It is always better to rely on your team and execute it well. Besides all this one should give time alone and try meditations and long walks to provoke more thoughts. 

There might be disheartening times when your business partners mislead you, employees leave you or seeing depreciation in company accounts. But a downfall can be turned into many upcoming heights. Be hopeful about it and take it as another point of learning.

One who stays committed towards their vision and turn your weakness into strength leads to success. The feeling in ones heart is much stronger than the setbacks. Even when one is thinking to quit, but with strong determination and conviction they come back. Always believe in mantra “Just Try Again!” Each person in life contains infinite potential; and should try to turn their limitations into possibilities. The vision to look forward will actually take miles ahead.

The path to success lies in evolution, whether it is evolution of ideas, services and products or technology. An entrepreneur should have an open mind and eagerness to learn new things. It is imperative to understand that the only way to keep at the top is to keep on changing and evolving with the time. An entrepreneur should be aware of the latest service techniques and technology in order to serve the clients in a better way. 

And yet all one moves forward with is A vision, A passion, A dream. And the desire to build something no one has ever built before.

MY OFFICIAL GANESHA

Have you ever wondered how the corporate world was at the time of Goddess and Goddesses? What is the true meaning of teacher? And why is it Ganesha worshiped first?  

Behind every successful man there is a successful woman. The story began when Goddess Parvati, ‘President of Universe pvt.ltd’ instructed Lord Ganesha, ‘Managing Director of Universe pvt.ltd’ to look after others around and not let anybody enter in her cabin. Lord Shiva, ‘Founder of Universe pvt.ltd’ wanted to speak President Parvati, Ganesha the generous and responsible leader did not allowed him to enter.  Shiva became furious and fired Ganesha. Hearing Ganesha's dismiss, President Parvati became furious. She pledged to destroy the world if Ganesha was not brought back. But finally Shiva respected Parvati’s decision and decided to bring Ganesha back.

On return Ganesha was completely a different person who lost all his confidence. Seeing this condition of Ganesha, Parvati decided to give him powers which has authority along with responsibility. So, Shiva promoted Ganesha as CEO of ‘Universe pvt.ltd’ and declared that no puja or good work will ever be deemed complete without invoking Ganesha's permissions.

Like all other corporates, Ganesha too had to compete to prove his capabilities. Once Ganesha's colleague Kartikeya, 'Managing Director of Universe pvt.ltd' brought a new business model for the growth of organization. Kartikeya with his new business model declared that he was the best among all. 

Shiva suggested that Kartikeya and Ganesha would contest. He questioned and asked both of them to search on Universe where did they got all the learning and insights. The one who returns first with the answer will be declared winner and he will be the key person for this business model and other upcoming projects in Universe pvt.ltd. So, Kartikeya happily set out on his peacock car in search of answer. He went all over the place in Universe but Ganesha being the intelligent one, circled around Shiva and Parvati answered that all the learnings were passed by them.

On this impressive answer, Ganesha was declared the winner and was given all the responsibilities of Universe pvt.ltd and that is another reason of worshiping him first.

Yogic Belief According to the yogic perspective, anything we do has to fall under one of the two categories: material or spiritual. It is believed that Lord Ganesha rules the 'muladhara chakra' of our body. 'Muladhara' is the interface between the material and the spiritual worlds. Lord Ganesha is said to control both these worlds. He is the one who gives the material enjoyments in this world and He is the one who liberates us from the endless cycle of birth and death.

According to Indian mythology it is believed that Lord Ganesha is eternal and he appeared even before the process of creation. Ganesha epitomizes wisdom and knowledge. He is the Vighnaharta or the destroyer of all obstacles. Ganesha's elepha

nt head is the symbol of wisdom and his long ears signify that he hears everything that his devotees say. It is also believed that Lord Ganesha is worshiped before starting any work. He blesses the devotee with knowledge, intelligence, sidhdhi, removes all obstacles and protects them always.

Kat-Putliyo K Shehr Mai

Koi rooh thi
Jo puch rhi thi...
Pehchan mai kon?
Koi awaaz thi suni-suni hui si
Puchti pehchan kon?

Kehti mujhse
Kisse dhund rhi hai
Mai dur nahi wahi hun
Aur pass ho k bhi durr hun
Kabhi merko mere hone ka ehsas dilati
Aur bakio ko kat-putliya bolte hue
Ek hasi chor jati...

Kabhi lagta mai hun, Toh sab hai
Mai nahi, Toh koi nahi
Jab mai aage chalu
Toh piche sab shant hai
Aur jab mai piche murru
Toh Kat-putliyo nachti hai...
Yeh ek raaz hai
Zamane ko dekhne ka
Apna andaz hai...
Kisi K hone ya naa hone ka
ehsaas hai...