Ponnor alle enikende!

 

Ponnor alle enikende!

(Only the people leaving need to wake up, right?!)

There was a “Lakshmi” nicknamed as “Echumu,” back in the school days of my father and Chitappa (father’s younger brother), at this small town of “Cherpu,” in Thrissur district, state of Kerala. 

Echumu was referred by my grandmom, for working at a friend’s house, to help with the household chores. The referral was done with much ado back then, as though it was for an official posting. This was an official posting too, albeit it was for a home with office goers and school goers. 

The very first day of work Echumu’s workday was quite an eye-opening one for her so-called “employer,” when she uttered a statement in a lazy affirmative! 

When one of the seniors at home shouted out in the morning: Echumu, wake up! The kids have to go to school and the others have to go out to their offices, Echumu replied in a sleepy state of oblivion, yet without an iota of doubt: “Ponnor alle enikende!” (Meaning, only the people leaving out for the day must wake up earlier right?! Why must I ?) And that hit them really hard, right on the first day of her work: it was quite a litmus test of sorts! 

Let’s pause for a moment and take a bit of a deeper dive into Echumu’s concept! From a literal sense, yes, it’s only the people who have to step out of the house that need to wake up early! When a sense of service is applied, it’s the people who are of service that need to be more prompt and punctual than the actual person who’s stepping out itself. For it’s their preparation that instills the sense of confidence, commitment and preparedness in the person who’s stepping out, with a preset notion of their plans for the day. 

If the person who is of service is delayed, then the household is technically delayed… almost like a butterfly-effect. The person who is of service in this case can be anyone who decides to take up the responsibility of providing for, of caring for. When deciding to offer help, one needs to stay ahead of the others, so as to stay organised and orderly.

It calls for a lot of personal ethics of truly wanting to help another, irrespective of any schedule alterations we may have to go through. It could be a tough task of having to wake up early, travel or whatever it is, to make things possible for another: but it’s truly the willingness of wanting to be of help to another: not just mentally, but physically being there and doing the actual work for them. This is the time when the phone enquiries become a nuisance: on wanting to constantly check by way of messages; in the name of care and follow-up. 

I am witness to a non-Echumu incident when I was in Chennai in Jan this year. My Chitappa had woken up ahead of time to ensure I had breakfast ready on the table before I could leave for the day: he woke up 2 hrs ahead, to finish his chores first, and then care for me. He had managed it all on his own, that too, in less than a year of the passing of my Chiti (Chitappa’s wife). 

Even more out of the way, was another stellar example of my father’s childhood friend and his wife, who preponed their ticket to Chennai, just to be able to receive me at their home, even if it was a short amount of time. Despite their flight arriving late in the night at around 9pm, they had homemade dinner ready for me, even when I stepped into their home at 10.45pm. The smell of piping hot dosas was tempting for sure! They could’ve very well ordered and kept quiet about it, no qualms about it whatsoever! They could’ve easily told me that they were not in station and I would’ve for sure, understood! But it is the willingness of wanting to be there for me, when I needed it the most, which is a great display of respect and love, above all, of being humane. 

It’s truly about being there for a person, in whatever way you can, not just conceptually, mentally over the phone. For these are our chances to be of help to another… we can start from our own home first, before one ventures out! Charity begins at home, FIRST.  When you have ailing parents and aging members, it is the  physical presence that takes precedence over any other. And when there physically, lead the way and put on the servicing hat, rather than just thinking in the head about concepts of helping people, some day in the future. 

Ponnor maathram alla enikkende, Namallum!!

(It’s not just the people who are leaving who need to wake up, but also us!)

Void

Filled, yet void, with the depth of it, unknown - perhaps till the tail-end of memories. 

A tradition of sitting down on the floor over a snack or post-food, for viewing physical photos: feeling the photo-sheets those memories were printed on, reading the name of the photo studio where the memories were brought to light & life too, bumping into the negatives from which they were developed and turned into positives. There was this strange redness and sepia tone drunk up by the “negative” rolls, through which we still had the uncanny ability of seeing through the negative. 

Photo-viewing sessions were organised by my dear Sundar Chitappa and made fun for all of us cousins. It’s our time to unwind, as well as rewind to the good old times. So much innocence that meets the eye through these photographs, where no grand posing happened. Although some of them were planned pics, they’d come out to be as candid. 

And then struck a void, which began striking in regular intervals. A filled home, dwindling in numbers, in a steady fashion: what used to be a joint exercise of viewing pictures, started turning into a solitary activity - with me just clicking a picture off of a picture, so that I could share it in turn. Somehow, to me, eventhough I click these pics from the physical photos, the memory associated with the original picture remains etched, even without having to be reminded by artificial intelligence. The voices of the people present in the picture rings heavily in my head as they leave a void in the room, with some of my brothers just hanging there up in the wall of the room, in a mere photo-frame, for they’re resting up there in their heavenly abode. 

Today, The phone and social media do the reminding - This Day, Last Year, for us to be transported back to the thought. How sad, isn’t it? We tend to reduce the capacity of our own thinking and ability of remembering, just because of dependency on this gadget called - mobile phone. 

“We’ll cross the bridge when we get there…”

 

“We’ll cross the bridge when we get there…” “Let’s see…” “Going with the flow...” are perhaps a couple of statements that are abused, loosely used, without any mindfulness. Yes, they are highly sensible statements and sound uber cool and trendy. However, we have to take a look at it with some amount of planning. We won’t really be able to see and cross the bridge and go with the flow, because we wouldn’t even get there without a certain amount of mindfulness and planning. And this principle of planning applies to all walks of life – not just work, but personal lives too. By planning, it doesn’t mean, one plans for 5 years ahead. It can easily be divided into short-term and long-term goals.

The 21/90 rule is a highly helpful methodology because for anything to fuel and find a ray of progress, it begins with being habitual. When tried and tested for 21 days straight, it truly becomes a habit and when followed for 90 days diligently, it certainly becomes a lifestyle. Even if for some reason, when one cannot lead a lifestyle that was built for 90 days, we can easily bounce back into that lifestyle because we already are well aware of the potential eventualities and would be used to the pattern from before.

It is at this stage, that one can, with full freedom say, we’ll cross the bridge when we get there, or Let’s see or Let’s go with the flow … One Day at a time, Carpe Diem and all those fanciful terms, for we are fully aware of the consequences and are prepared to handle ANY challenges that come along. Without having followed the 21/90 rule, when we make loose statements for changes in life, it really wouldn’t hold water or make practical sense. There’s no point in then blaming the situation for having risen. We were probably then just struggling hard to keep up with the trend, for the sake of it, only to meet failure, without a solid plan in place. By not being prepared ourselves, we also end up jeopardising the daily lives of our fellow members at work or family. Overthinking and getting overwhelmed for everything then follows suit.

Think 21/90, next! It works at least 80% of the time!

Charity Begins at Home

 

Om Shri Ganeshaya Namaha, Shri Saraswathyai Namaha, Shri Gurubhyo Namaha.

॥ॐ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥ ॐ श्री सरस्वत्यै नमः ||

||ॐ श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः||

Charity begins at home. And that was the clarion call that kept blowing aloud throughout the Brahmin’s Global Meet 2023, held at Palakkad. A big thanks to Mr. Karimpuzha Raman and his team for putting together a confluence of great minds from across the globe. I am very thankful for having been able to attend and listen to some of the most eminent brains of Bharath. The team has some very sophisticated plans on the anvil, that include a business forum and a mobile app, to stay united even after this meet, and not part ways until the next meeting.

For change to happen, we must be the change ourselves, after-all. These might sound like mere rhetoric and cliched statements, yet extremely essential in raising awareness in every Brahmin household. When there’s an impending threat to Sanathana Dharma, it’s up to each and every Brahmin, to be responsible in standing up for each other, united in cause, regardless of geography and language. Unity begets Unity, it’s that simple.

The Global Meet aimed to cover relevant topics that will help come out with a workable model, something that is sustainable, with something for everyone. It first begins with busting the myth that Sanathana Dharma in its core is merely Brahminical hegemony. It’s a lot more than what meets the eye, on a superficial level. Brahmins are but people who uphold the values of Vedas – which in turn puts us directly on the role of providing service back to the society by way of teaching Vedic values. There’s a popular saying from the Vedas – "परोपकारार्थं इदं शरीरं। It is a reminder that our existence and abilities are meant to be used for the betterment of others and society as a whole.

So, if we are to teach something, we must have the never-ending fire to unlearn and learn. It commences with acknowledging the fact that we must have faith in the Vedas, making an attempt to practise it, and then adapting to the lifestyle. This in no way means that one must shed modernity for us to learn about our own Ramayana and the Mahabharatha. Concepts, Characters and Examples from The Mahabharatha and Ramayana, still hold relevance and water for every walk of life. The study of the scriptures, chanting slokas on a daily basis, attempting to do the Nithya Karma Anushtanams don’t require one to reach retirement age. A sapling doesn’t become a tree overnight when planted – it takes time to build habits and live it diligently. We can be modern and spiritual all at once, if only we try.

The Global Meet brought out several ways for us to gain prominence back in the mainstream – from entrepreneurship to Vedic studies to dance to music, study of culture, tradition, fashion and much more. This is why I began this piece saying, there’s something for everyone to practise Dharma in their own way, and in turn attain Self-Realisation/Moksha. The Ramayana and Mahabharatha have a plethora of examples of how salvation was attained through pure love, art, music and dance… It’s heartening to see that social media today, has plenty of examples of young folks who spread knowledge about Sanathana Dharma by way of living as examples in fields like Food, Music, Dance, Art, Teaching, Mentoring, Management Lessons etc., - all drawing parallels from The Ramayana and Mahabharatha.

Vocation decides the Varna, and not birth. In this sense, a Brahmin can become a Vaishya by way of being an entrepreneur, or a Shudra by way of providing services – working in jobs and being an employee, or a Kshathriya by joining any of the forces of the country. One can tread back and forth the Varna system with utmost ease, provided that we’re rooted in Dharma. We should also not be caught up with fighting for women equality because our scriptures always hail women as complimenting the men – The Arthanareeshwar is the embodiment of this classic example.

For us to be heard and be impactful, it takes each individual from every Brahmin household to uphold the values of Dharma and not shy away from following our own traditions, no matter where we are. Simple things include at the least chanting the Gayathri Manthram, always wearing the poonal (it’s not an option to remove, and question the very basis of it. Instead make an attempt to go learn about it), wearing our traditional symbols like Pottu, Vibhuthi, Kumkumam, wherever we are. We are all very visual people and believe that seeing is believing. So, it’s essential to sport our tradition, and should never be considered as a demeaning or degrading demeanor. It’s sad to know that wearing all this have become nice to haves rather than being a must have! What’s even sadder is that, a fellow Brahmin is one’s biggest foe! Unless we practise it ourselves, our children will have nothing to follow or take after, so the onus lies on us. We should seek answers and validation from our own scriptures, rather than relying upon Whatsapp forwards.

When folks from other faiths can be united with pride, to influence Sanathana Dharma, it takes us to grow a SPINE and give back answers; quote from our own scriptures and be proud of it, ourselves. There’s nothing wrong in flaunting something that’s as eternal as Sanathana Dharma – which has stood the test of time, for centuries together, despite innumerable threats to destroy it. Knowledge is the only thing that doesn’t go through the law of Diminishing Marginal Utility.

Charity thus begins at home, it takes us all to return to our roots, to where we belong. Every Brahmin is their own ambassador of Sanathana Dharma in that sense. Let’s stay united for the cause and not make a mockery of each other, continuing to fall for Western concepts. This is a time when the West is making its way to learning about Sanathana Dharma…the internet is full of such examples. The Vedas never claim that it’s only the Brahmins who must prosper and not the rest. A classic sloka that reminds us of this is – लोकः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु … Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu…this only goes to show the inclusivity that’s replete in Sanathana Dharma.

I’d like to end with the Shanthi Manthra:

ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः ।                            

सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः ।

सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु ।

मा कश्चित् दुःख भाग्भवेत् ॥

oṃ sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ

sarve santu nirāmayāḥ

sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścidduḥ khabhāgbhaveta।

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ॥

Written by Usha Ramani

 

 

 

Importance of Vedic Knowledge in Modern Times.

This is a topic that was part of the Brahmin’s Global Meet 2023, that is being held at Palakkad (Sep 22 to 24 2023). I happened to take down some notes on this, here are some excerpts that caught my attention. The speakers were: Sri M.A. Madhusudhanan (Vedic Scholar), Dr. Eswaran (Founder Vedanta Institute, Bangalore), Dr. CS Yogananda (A mathematician, turned – Chairman and MD of Sriranga Digital Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) Dr. CS Yogananda is actively looking to make the Vedic texts available in digital space.

22^nd Sep 2023, some excerpts:

Vedic knowledge is not restricted to mere chanting knowledge of the Vedas, instead, it begins with understanding of the 14 angams (parts) of the Vedas.

The 14 angams include:

I.                    Angams (understanding of the layers of Vedams):

a.       Seeksha – understanding the Pronunciation

b.       Vyakaranam – understanding the Grammar

c.       Chandas – understanding the Meter

d.       Niruktham – understanding the Etymology

e.       Kalpam – understanding the different functions like Upakarma, Upanayanam, Panigraha, etc.,

f.        Jyothisham – understanding of planetary movements

g.       Nyayam – Logic

h.       Mimamsa – to analyze, realize and discuss deeply

i.         Dharmashasthra – the guide to social behaviour, ethical norms, individual behaviour, etc., (more like a routine)

j.         Puranam – intricate layers of symbolism depicted via our scriptures

II.                  Upavedams: (Applied Knowledge)

a.       Ayurvedam – science of medicine

b.       Arthashasthra – economic policies, political science, statecraft, etc.,

c.       Gaandharva Vedham – Art and Music

d.       Dhanurveda – associated with sports, archery, etc.,

As we all know, concepts like zero, algebra (Bheeja Ganitham, that’s how Algebra came into being), geometry, all of them have their roots in our Vedas. The very word Guru means heavy opposite of Laghu (meaning light), which is why the teacher is referred to as Guru – one who is loaded with knowledge – rightly so even the heaviest planet is named Guru (there isn’t so much of meaning that comes out when we merely utter the word Jupiter)! Even the word Iron has its roots in Sanskrit – “Ayaha.” One can go on and on with such references, the essence is to be convinced about the fact that our Vedas instill culture, values, and provide holistic education, as opposed to Macaulay’s theory of education.

Vedic Education provides scope to improve the mind’s RAM (Random Access Memory) and aids in attaining life’s goals from a spiritual standpoint as well. It not only dwells with achieving materialistic goals, but also, realization of the Self. Which is why this type of education must be viewed as in the below:

Dharma – providing for the community (from Artha)

Artha – providing security for one’s own by way of earning and saving.

Kama – Desires, sensual pleasures

Moksha – Salvation

Vedas don’t ever exhort to skip the first 3 parts and go straight to Moksha, for it’s never possible to attain Moksha, without going through the cycle of exhausting our desires and needs.

Vedic knowledge is not merely important, but also a dire necessity in current times, with the Gayathri Manthra being the essence of the Vedas…”Gayantham Thrayathethi ithi Gayathri…” (it protects the one who recites it). The chanting of Gayathri directly helps with the unfolding of the Buddhi (Bhargo Devasya Dhee Mahi, Dheeyoyona Prajodhayathu…. Dhee meaning Buddhi here). Of all the births, human birth is considered the one with the highest intellect, which is why every action for a human is either driven by the Manas and Buddhi (Mind + Intellect). We humans have the power of differentiation between the right and the wrong. It’s in order for us to be able to exercise this power in a righteous manner, that Vedic Education becomes of utmost necessity. The mind is after all composed of Emotions, Likes/Dislikes, Feelings, Desires and Impulses.  The Gayathri when chanted with staunch devotion, controls the mind and intellect and kindles the spiritual fire.

It is said that a Brahmin’s life is meant to be dedicated to social service, so much so that a Brahmin is actually supposed to get “dhaanam,” from another and chant Gayathri. If you look at it technically, when getting dhaanam from another, it is their material wealth, paapas and punyas that come to the Brahmin. The Brahmin then chants Gayathri in order to help exhaust those paapas and punyas. So, the Brahmin’s job is directly vested in taking care of the spiritual progress of another. In that sense, this is the highest form of social service one could be entrusted with, and such is the power of the Maha Gayathri Manthram.

A question from the audience made me wonder why even such a question arose after listening to a wealth of knowledge imparted by the esteemed speakers… He asked – “If the Gayathri Manthram is so important, when was it written by Sage Vishwamithra, and if so, why was it late and not written earlier!” To me, this sounded like his understanding of the subject was sadly just superficial and that his mind did not delve deep into understanding the greatness of the Vedas. A fitting reply was given, with a lot of humility – the speakers replied in unison that the Vedas are Apaurusheyam – which means they’re infinite and have no chronological order. Although it is said that Gayathri Manthra came from Sage Vishwamithra, we have to understand this a bit conceptually – “Rishaya Manthra Drishtaraha…” which means the Gayathri Manthra obviously existed and it was visible or rather appeared to Sage Vishwamithra. Not that it did not exist previously, just like gravity existed even before the apple fell on Newton’s head. Vishwamithra literally means friend of the universe – this could be perceived as the Supreme Being the friend and guardian of the universe. Hence the Gayathri Manthram was given to the world in this manner. One of the speakers, Shri Madhusudhanan (a traditional Vedic Scholar), urged the womenfolk in the house to get the men to chant the Gayathri Manthra meticulously – obviously, anything that holds so much relevance and spirituality needs to be practiced with intent, without fail. He drove a very simple point home by way of giving 3 A’s - Acknowledging, Attempting and Adapting, in order to pursue the goal of Vedic Knowledge. For without these 3 A’s, it would be an effort in vain.

In conclusion, the duty lies with us younger generation to get back home (in the sense, our own culture, traditions and value system) and spread the greatness of Vedas not just by speaking about it, but also living it each and every day.

Usha Ramani

 

 

 

Busting some myths that came my way:

 

1. Oh it’s just “Work at home” for you, so it is easy… 2 things here: first, it isn’t “Work at home.” It’s Work From Home. There’s a difference and it alters the meaning entirely. One may want to refer Google or a dictionary to learn the difference between the two. Second, with Work From Home, it’s actually even more difficult, because you have to be more available at work, and be sincere than ever before to sustain your rights to continue working from home.
2. When someone believes in the theory of “Well begun is half done,” value them for their sense of preparedness. It takes nothing for a person to procrastinate. For someone who is prepared months ahead before the actual task begins, it takes a daily effort to make things work in the long run.
3. Each to one’s own. For someone like me who is looking to rejoin work in a couple months, it takes the world to put things together well ahead, first mentally. Simply because I have never ever taken a break from my job ever since I started my career back at the age of 18. So no two references are the same. Consider this :)

Starting with Vinayaka Chathurthi

 

Vinayaka Chathurthi takes a special place in my heart, for the success story related to my career at Northern Lights. Whatever I am today, career-wise at NLTD, the credit goes to our very own Vinayakar.

Here’s a short account of the background and the most recent occurrence, that too, on this very same day, today.

8 years ago, I had a huge responsibility of single-handedly beginning a pilot project – that had to be transitioned from the US team, post my visit to the office location in Toccoa, GA.

When I returned to Chennai post my trip, I felt so lonely and challenged. I was simply not confident about how it would all pan out. However, I was truly blessed enough to get to start the project on the day of Vinayaka Chathurthi. I still remember letting the US team know the significance of Vinayaka Chathurthi and they were genuinely happy for this auspicious start of the project.

Lord Ganesha helped with every obstacle in the way and offered all the strength I needed. Thankful that the project is now successful and we have a team across 2 locations and multiple sub-projects. By far, ours is the biggest team in the office, with what started off as a pilot project. Humble beginnings indeed.

8 years later, on the very same occasion of Vinayaka Chathurthi, a day before I plan to begin meeting my boss on a weekly basis, post a maternity break, I receive a new replacement laptop from office. Like a child, I went running to Amma and told her that I got my new laptop on the day of Vinayaka Chathurthi today. She was resting and almost half asleep – but all she said was – keep it in the Pooja room next to the Ganesha idol where we did a pooja today on account of Chathurthi. I had the exact same thought process as she did.

Although I have a couple months still to rejoin work, I wanted to stay in touch with work and get started in a small way and it couldn’t have gotten better – a wonderful precedence to the very beginning or rather, a comeback, with a responsibility higher than ever before in my life – that of being Amma of Niraamaya.

I am thankful to Lord Ganesha for helping me slowly get back to the groove, that too, exactly a day after Vinayaka Chaturthi. Surrendering all that’s lying ahead to Ganesha and getting started humbly, yet again.

Happy to be writing this piece on the new laptop, my first document on Vinayaka Chathurthi.

Thank you, Pillayarappa!!