I3 2007 Snaps

atlast I received few snaps from the I3 Convention, taken with other MSP's ...do check them out..and the panel looks as lively as it really sounded there :-)

Navratri at Ashram

Hey beautiful people,
I'm back again after a transformation over the weekend of Navratri...and its been a fulfilling experience in many many aspects...not to do injustice to the mystery, I shall reveal a little but certainly cannot express the experience completely, because just like we cannot describe electricity(unless yu would like to savor the experience of answering nature's call in public next to an electric transformer :-D ...a typical Indian scene) , or love (unless yu are yourself smitten) or even joy (no comparisons), so also certain things can only be experienced ....
In short, I had a blessed experience on Friday at Ashram during the Chandi Homa, organised by GuruJi for all of creation, with so much love and efforts, that I know why it happens to be the biggest festival around the Ashram...people flocked in multitudes of 20-50 thousands...and the entire panorama was awashed with rain , music , singing, dancing, serving and seva, and of people of all age groups from the smallest villages in Karnataka to the largest cities in other countries, gathered together to receive the blessings of the holy calendar of Navratri when GuruJi himself blessed all with his Presence and unconditional Love. In fact , he played the Veena and the Sarang on Thursday evening...just like a beautiful mystical angel speaks to us through music....and Vikram bhaiya enthralled us with a flute performance...crowds swayed to the tune of his charming notes as he played us along with the flute...
The Chandi Homa on Friday was an experience that not only the people who were present there, were lucky to have experienced, but definitely wall others who had the luck to view the telecast.....and as it concluded , people were bathed in the holy water via sprinklers at the ceiling of the Yagnashala...and soon before the rains drizzled upon us , in indication that the offerings of prayers were accepted and the God were pleased...towards evening after much seva and a youth meeting to focus young energies towards meaningful projects for the underprivileged, we all congregated at the Yagnashla again, and this time when GuruJi arrived with the Dandiya (after a lot of coaxing all those days that GuruJi didn't join us for Dandiya), and the moment his gliterring dandiya sticks struck, the clouds broke up in an out pour of celebration too....it was an immensely divine moment as bhajan (devotional song) after bhajan poured out of the lips of noteworthy devotees like pearls, and as we danced in bliss...just as Gopi's did when Sri Krishna played his heart out on His flute, in Vrindavan....the entire crowd was lost in a continual moment of "coming back to the Source" (that's what Navratri is all about)...the entire gathering resonated with claps and songs.....and then we meditated when GuruJi led us through a short meditation experience...
I can only say this to those who haven't experienced the joy of being at Ashram ....only after I joined Art Of Living, I smiled first time like never before, danced like never before, sang like never before, and my heart flowered like never before.
The bhajans sung at Ashram are now more rocking than any rock concert I have experienced, and the commitment and loving attitude I see among the people there is exceptional...I would strongly recommend anyone who is blue or dejected with life or job or bogged down with stress, must rekindle the Chaithanya of life with a visit, unconditionally. Its like a place beyond Earth, on Earth...a very very individual experience for anyone...an experience of a journey from the ever-changing external play of joy and sorrow, to the unchanging divine love that resides deep within at peace with every atom and every molecule in this Universe.

do check out this interview excerpts...its goooood !
http://niranjani.wordpress.com/2006/09/12/gurujis-address-at-financial-express/
http://niranjani.wordpress.com/2006/09/26/navratri-going-back-to-the-source/
http://niranjani.wordpress.com/2007/04/06/effortless-meditation/

Falling Grades,succumbing to stress/depression/substance-abuse,Organisations lacking candidates with right integrity, attitude and focus !!!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northwest/chi-nochild_17oct17,0,6811509.story

Thats the state of education in the US nowadays...and more increasingly so, because prople are moving more and more away from their "self" ..and suffering more and more as they do so. We are biological beings, the Natural laws apply as much to us, as they do to an animal which suffers from mutation, because of abnormal living conditions...
I did post a comment to all the concerned individuals reading the news and groping in the blinding light of [cool-but-not-right + fast-but-indifferent-living + have-wealth-but-no-time + have-access-to-world-changing-resources-but-no-intentions-or-effective-direction] to find something which will lead them onto the right ladder to "MEANINGFUL" success, fulfilment, and art of living.

On a more effect-encompassing level of life...the work life, This is the survey I have dug up from apex prgm site :

Stress on the job STATISTICS

"

• 40% of job turnover is due to stress.
• Xerox estimated that it cost them $1 to $1.5 million to replace a top executive and that was two decades ago.
• Replacing an average employee today costs between $3,000 and $13,000.
• 60 to 80% of accidents on the job are stress related and some, like the Three Mile Island and Exxon Valdez disasters, can affect untold thousands many miles away.
• In California, the number of Workers' compensation claims for mental stress increased by almost 700 percent over eight years and ninety percent were successful with an average award of $15,000 compared to a national average of $3,420.
• In 1987, California shelled out almost $1,000,000,000 for medical and legal fees alone, which is more than most states spend on actual awards.
• Double digit increases in Workers' compensation premiums every year as a result of mental stress claims threaten to bankrupt the system in several states.
• A jury in New York awarded nearly $6 million in 1996 to three women for repetitive stress injury allegedly due to faulty computer keyboards.
• Repetitive musculoskeletal injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome have become the nation's leading workplace health cost and account for almost a third of all Workers' compensation awards.
  * Studies show that keyboard entry operators who are under stress (because they are uncertain as to whether their activities are being monitored for performance evaluation), have a significantly higher incidence of such complaints and injuries.
  Although we are often asked to construct lists of the "most" and "least" stressful occupations, such rankings have little importance for several reasons. It is not the job but the person-environment fit that matters. Some individuals thrive in the time urgent pressure cooker of life in the fast lane, having to perform several duties at the same time and a list of things to do that would overwhelm most of us — provided they perceive that they are in control. They would be severely stressed by dull, dead end assembly line work enjoyed by others who shun responsibility and simply want to perform a task that is well within their capabilities. The stresses that a policeman or high school teacher working in an inner city ghetto are subjected to are quite different than those experienced by their counterparts in rural Iowa. It is necessary to keep this in mind when sweeping statements are made about the degree of stress in teachers, police personnel, physicians and those in other occupations.
  Stress is a highly personalized phenomenon and can vary widely even in identical situations for different reasons. One survey showed that having to complete paper work was more stressful for many police officers than the dangers associated with pursuing criminals. The severity of job stress depends on the magnitude of the demands that are being made and the individual's sense of control or decision-making latitude. Scientific studies based on this model confirm that workers who perceive they are subjected to high demands but have little control are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. "

So where do we go from here... I'll suggest SUDARSHAN KRIYA .....if it has changed my life , and lives of people in around 150 countries.....then what exception are you ? (still unsure, r you ?..You would b an exception that only proves the rule)

Whats this big wave that has soaked all dimensions of cultures, age-groups, Organisations, Governments, nationalities.. Its called blossomingof yourself....to be able TO BECOME 100% OF YOUR POTENTIAL, 100% OF YOURSELF, AND TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS THROUGH LOVE.

When did you last give your 100% ? Truthfully never really..now is the time to do it sincerely, and experience how it changes us into a I-POD (Inner Peace Outer Dynamism ! )

http://www.apexcourse.org/research_sk.htm

here's the central website to guide you through:

http://www.artofliving.org/

Green s the buzzword....statistics show the awareness towards environment and drive amonst people to seek employment in Companies that are doing more than just a bit for the environment {at a poll, 73% ppl chose "green" Organisations over ecosystem-indifferent business hogs} ...now that sounds loud and emergent...no wonder GE has gone out of the wway to promote people to build "solutions to solve today's environmental challenges, and to benefit customers and society"

www.ecomagination.com/

well even among the students world over, MS has sincere ongoing efforts...the past :
The theme for Imagine Cup 2006 : "imagine a world where technology helps us to live healthier lives".

The theme for Imagine Cup 2008 (world finals at France) :

http://imaginecup.com/Competition/

The very aura of Imagine Cup is synonymous to the Quidditch World Cup :-) {sans any You-Know-Who of course} ...and the beauty of the thing is, its a P-R-O-C-E-S-S , based on USEFUL THEMES ...wondering when will the theme be, like "imagine a world where imagination is encouraged, in developing and underdeveloped nations, to propel and enable people to devise out-of-box solutions to legacy problems of POVERTY and UNEMPLOYMENT. " now thats would a theme ...is MS listening...{you must be really dumb ifyou r still reading this without having checked the link above first}.....

Innovation in Jobs

All my beautiful readers, did you check this ....innovation in previously-unthought-of areas....check out the reviews about this Startup

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/10/asia/jobs.php

and lets get connected
http://www.babalife.com/


feels promising..wat do yu think ?

OCTOBER 16+17:

The next big PROCESS sweeping across India and the world ....

http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/

PLEDGE now for all you are worth !

http://standupaolunmc.org/standup/default.aspx

Nice insight into Sri Ram's thoughts

Did people read this ... good insight :-)

http://whimsicalmind.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/a-bridge-too-far/

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/